Citizens of Heaven

• jeffgravens

But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. – Philippians 3:20-21

*This is a small portion of my sermon from Sunday. You can find the entire sermon video below.

Tomorrow our nation will hold a presidential election. I cannot predict much and I definitely cannot predict election results. Whether the results mirror your ballot or whether the results are polar opposites of your ballot, I know a few things will still be true in the days to come:

  1. The tomb will still be empty
  2. Jesus will still be King of kings and Lord of lords
  3. The cross and resurrection will still provide our salvation

Our hope is not in presidential elections, Senate races, government programs, executive orders, or Supreme Court nominees.  As citizens of heaven, our hope is in the good news of Jesus Christ. The good news produces a God-shaped mission in the hearts of those who serve King Jesus.

Here is what I believe to be a truthful statement: You can do more for our community than any policy decision or legislative vote stemming from an elected office.

As followers of Jesus Christ, citizens of heaven, we are to be about God’s mission in the world. Your mission started the day you gave your allegiance to Jesus Christ. The mission field is at your doorstep. Let’s go to work.

4 thoughts on “Citizens of Heaven”

  2. Jeff,

    Not sure I agree fully with your application or position on this note from your recent sermon.

    I’m afraid it leads to an “ease in zion” attitude that does nothing or very little when it comes to our political opportunities and responsibilities in a country we love.

    I would suggest Christians be strong in both citizenship and Christian living/proclamation. No, we don’t look for final answers from our government leaders, but our “world” changes dramatically through elections. For example, I can’t imagine how many lives would have already been lost without recent Supreme Court nominees.

    I appreciate your italicized statement about individuals making a difference in a local community and how important that is, but so do elections! If elections don’t matter so much, as your thoughts would suggest to me at least, why even vote, and why should Christian men and women run for office? Let’s not be dominated by an elephant or a donkey, but let’s don’t spiritualize when these elections arise.

    Both of us could give multiple examples and quotes that support our thoughts. That’s not necessary though. We both respect and love each other, but we just disagree!

    God bless you, Jeff! KP

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    1. Hey Kent – the blog post is a tiny snippet of the sermon. If you listen to the sermon the first point of application is “vote your informed Christian conscience.” Also, the sermon is exegesis and application of a passage of Scripture, not a full length discussion on voting. The passage, 2 Corinthians 4:1-6, speaks of preaching Jesus as Lord.

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