Kingdom Citizenship | Pastor Loren Covarrubias

Going back to last week, it says, And it came to pass, as

the people journeyed from the east, that they found a plane in

the land of Shanar, and there dwelt there.

Then they said to one another, Come, let us make bricks and

bake them thoroughly. They had brick for stone, and

they had asphalt for mortar. And they said, Come, let us

build ourselves a city and a tower whose top is in the

heavens. Let us make a name for

ourselves, lest we scattered abroad over the face of the

whole earth. Now in these scriptures we see a

very telling story about the human condition.

On three Sundays I talked about the opportunities we have in

God, but also the oftentimes negative side to things because

we do have an opportunity to reject what God has.

And the story of Adam and Eve, we know because of their

thinking they chose to go their way rather than God's way.

Because of that, mankind was kicked out of the Garden of

Eden, separated from God. The next story is a story of

Cain and Abel, and that's a story about how someone allowed

their emotions to take control of their life and they followed

their emotions rather than following God.

Last week in the story I read about the Tower of Babel, with

that particular reference as a part of it, we learned how that

often times we can get caught up in the crowd of other people.

The Bible talks about it as the God of this world, the spirit of

age. It's easy for us to get caught

up in what other people are thinking, what other people are

doing, and try to go away. That's opposed to God's way, and

this particular story talks about it.

I talk about bricks or stone because in a sense, for that

time, it was a modern invention. Up to that time, if you built

something solid, it had to be made of stones, which in that

sense is God's creation because he created all the natural

order. But when people began to realize

that they could make mortar and make bricks out of mud and dry

them in the sun, that's when a whole new world started for

human civilization. And even some of the pyramids

that are still there today. I know when I go to Mexico City,

we go to the Pyramid of the Moon and it's a very old pyramid and

there's a whole big area because in those days everybody we're

building buildings and in the end they were always looking for

these to be able to help them reach up into the heavens.

Now that's a very important thing for us to understand

because often times with our human inventions, if you would,

and you can go back to learning how to make bricks or you can

talk about today with artificial intelligence and all the things

that are available today. There is always the temptation

that man made ideas can take us to a higher place than God can

take us. I have, you know, as Christians,

we've chosen to go God's way, not our own way, man.

And so it's important for us to learn that very important

lesson. But again, they said let us

build a tower that goes up to heaven.

And that's what all these ancient pyramids of old

represent, mankind's efforts to get up higher into the

heavenlies, if you would, because they've always looked up

to see a source of strength and a source of life.

But yeah, we have to understand God's quite different than that,

because how do we know? When we read the Bible, we find

out that God created an order on planet earth, and then he came

down to us. He built and planted the Garden

of Eden, and he communed with man.

We have to understand that it isn't about human effort where

we're striving to get something from the heavens.

But we are people who by faith believe that God is reaching out

to us. I'm glad today God reaches out

to us. Isn't that awesome?

Now? It's funny because in the old

days they used to follow what we'd call today astrology.

And oftentimes you can see a real big insight into this in

the book of Daniel, because the astrologists typically were the

people who sat before the king. And when they needed

information, there we go, the astrologists.

And they would look at the heavens, the movement of the

stars, the movement of the planets, and try to tell the

people what was going on based on the observation of the

heavens. And of course, we know in the

book of Daniel that was proven not to be true because only God

can give us insight into our future.

Amen. And we have to understand that.

But in time, as man began to progress, if you would, they

went from astrology to astronomy, which is they study

or scientific study of the galaxies of the universe and all

those things that are out there. But it's still true.

How we know We're still trying to reach out there and literally

build millions of dollars are spent every year on some type of

a spacecraft or whatever. I remember way back in 1969 when

we first landed on the moon, I thought we'd be making regular

trips after that, and we haven't since then.

So I don't know what that's all about, but it is still evident

people are trying to reach up and say what's going on.

Now I mentioned a few weeks back how we have to realize that

we're not in the modern era, we're going to the postmodern

era, which amazingly enough, as people are losing their

confidence in science and oftentimes with good reason.

And in the postmodern era, oftentimes they're going back to

old ways of thinking, not just looking at logic and science and

all these things, but looking to the past.

And unfortunately, often times making subjective experience as

a part of their life versus objective, which is what are

some facts or what is the truth? And we know as Christians that

we have both as a part of our experience.

We have the word of God, which we would call objective, and

then we also have the Spirit of God, which would be that

subjective or feeling aspect. But if you notice, if you watch

movies or television, people are often times talking about the

universe again. Oh, it must be the universe that

put us together. Oh, I can see how the universe

is putting all these things together.

And and so the idea is being promoted against that.

There's power up there in the universe and, and talking about

the universe itself as if it's a person or a being.

And in reality, what they're doing is going back to the old

days when we thought that's God, God.

But how many know? We know that's not God, church.

And so we have to understand that God has a much better way

for us. Now, having said that, I want to

go to the Scripture. In the book of Hebrews chapter

Hebrews 12 · chapter mention

12, it says, but you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of

the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to innumerable

company of angels, to the General Assembly and Church of

the first born who are registered in heaven, to God the

Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus

the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of

sprinkling. That speaks better things than

that of Abel. And of course we put this up as

a welcome to people. You have come to Mount Zion.

Now of course, we don't believe that the Bible verse is speaking

specifically about us as a local church, but we adopted the name

Mount Zion way back when because God spoke to us that that was a

very important thing even for the latter days of time.

So we call it Church Mount Zion based on Isaiah chapter 2, where

Isaiah 2 · chapter mention

it says in the latter days of time, the mountain of the Lord's

house shall be established on top of the mountains.

It will be exalted above the hills.

And people are going to say, come, let us go to the mountain

of the Lord, to the House of the God of Jacob, for he will teach

us of his ways, and we will walk in his path.

For out of Mount Zion I and shall go the law and the word

Lord from Jerusalem. Those scriptures talk about the

fact that if you live according to the word of God, you will be

blessed. And other people will see that.

Well, I was raised in Sunday school.

I've been reading the Bible since I was a little kid.

And I believe that with all my heart after all these years, I

know the word works. Can you say Amen to that church?

Amen. But in recent years I've been

speaking more from here in Hebrews chapter 12, which is a

Hebrews 12 · chapter mention

New Testament counterpart to the Old Testament Scriptures where

it talks about Mount Zion as a ever present theme that each and

every one of us need to understand.

Speak something to us. And because it's something that

seems rather mystical and in some ways far fetched, you have

to have faith in order to begin to see it.

And you have to have faith certainly to enter into it.

Now the apostle Paul who's writing this book of Hebrews

here says, now you have come to Mount Zion.

Now this is a very important thing because he's speaking

about a present tense reality. How many know Christianity is

supposed to be a present tense reality?

Jesus said repent for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand or

it's right here in front of you. And that's very important to

understand that we have to see the Kingdom of God as a present

tense reality, not just the future reality that one day

we'll be able to enter into. And so he talked about that and

even told people to pray this way.

He said when you pray, pray like this, our Father who art in

heaven, holy is your name, your Kingdom come, your will be done

on earth as it is in heaven. So it's important to understand

the message of Jesus Christ was not about getting people saved

so they can one day go to heaven.

The message throughout the Bible is obviously there is eternal

life that God promised from the very beginning, but God wants us

to see that. He wants us to open God to our

heart and our life right here and the here and now.

There's something supernatural that God wants you to experience

in this life. And so he's speaking about a

present tense reality of this Mount Zion theme that we're

talking about. He said you have come to a

heavenly city, you've come to the new Jerusalem.

Now some people when they read that, they think of only again

in terms of one day going to heaven.

That's why I wrote the book The Descending New Jerusalem that's

available because people need to understand there is a present

tense reality. And when it says a heavenly

Jerusalem, it doesn't mean it's a Jerusalem that's in heaven.

It's talking about it comes from heaven.

That's why in the Book of Revelation, it is a descending

city and we have to understand when the Bible talks about

things being heavenly or being spiritual, it tells us there's a

dimension to it that we can only see again and experience when we

understand there's a faith dimension that God wants us to

walk in. When it comes to eschatology or

how people think about the last days, one of the things that

people so often think about is in terms of, well, where did the

Jews of the Old Testament fit in?

And so this is important to understand because some in the

early church, the predominant thinking was what was called

replacement of philosophy or theory and then replacement

theology. The idea is, well, once the New

Testament come, then everything in the Old Testament, well, it

was a natural, but now this is new.

So what really matters is the New Testament.

In recent years there's been something called dispensational

premillennialism, and they basically say, well, no, you

can't think that way because when you look at what's going to

happen in the last stage, you have to remember what God spoke

to Abraham about the natural Israel.

So we have people who say Old Testament, that doesn't matter

anymore. And there's people who say,

well, it's all about the natural.

And God says, well, wait a second, you got to listen to

what I have to say, says the Lord.

Because the Bible teaches us this is how God builds, first

naturally and then spiritually. So there was the natural Israel

and there is the spiritual Israel.

There is the natural Jerusalem, and there's the spiritual

Jerusalem. And there's things that have to

be brought together, not separated.

That's just like in our life as a Christian.

How many came to this world naturally?

Then hopefully the day comes when you're born again.

And if you're in the service today and haven't I been born

again, now is your opportunity. I want to be born again because

then you are natural and you are spiritual.

Now some Christians only think of the natural realm and some

only the spiritual realm. But God wants us to be

supernatural. What a supernatural is when you

begin to bring it all together and it hits your everyday life.

I've had a supernatural life. I've been in ministry 47 years,

been serving the Lord for many more years than that, and I have

a supernatural life. You've heard testimonies about

how we've heard from the Lord as a local church.

We bought buildings we couldn't afford.

We bought lands that somebody else bought.

The Lord made it available to us to get it back.

We have had so many miraculous things that have happened over

the years because, well, we serve a supernatural God.

I often share my personal testimonies.

When I was in my 30s, I was diagnosed with a form of

muscular dystrophy. The doctors can't do anything if

you have something like that other than monitor the progress

of the disease and try to make as comfortable as possible.

But one day God came on the scene and He healed me and I had

America. How many glad for miracles

today? There was a time in my life when

I had a seizure disorder and I love to repeat these stories

because they're so awesome that we would realize we have a

supernatural God. And one day the Lord spoke to me

in prayer because I had this problem for nine months and I

believe in miracles. I'm like, Lord, when you're

going to heal me, are you going to heal me?

And I was praying and one day the Lord said an acceptable

time, I've heard you and the day of salvation, I've helped you

And I knew that day I was healed and I was I went off all the

seizure medicine and God has done a mirror miraculous work in

my life. Amen.

But also during those nine months, I couldn't read the

Bible because of bring a seizure.

I could look at computers, everything was making me go into

seizure at the time. But during that time, I never

missed a beat and preaching, teaching and everything that I

did. I just learned that I can do all

things through Christ who strengthens me.

And I want everybody here to know that God has a supernatural

life that he can cause you to live.

And all that means simply as you live above your natural

abilities, your natural inclinations to become truly a

child of God. So when it's talking about the

heavenly city, it's talking about something that came from

heaven to us, and God has something from heaven he wants

to give to you. Amen.

Church. And this is what he says, the

Church of the living God. We've come to Mount Zion, the

city of the living God. It is a heavenly Jerusalem.

It is a place where we see angels ascending and descending.

That's what the Hebrew writer said.

And that's a reality that God wants us to understand.

It's true. We come to God who is the judge

of all the spirits of just men made perfect, the Church of the

living God. That's what I want to talk about

right here and how important that is.

And Jesus Christ, who is the mediator of the New covenant,

whose blood speaks better things to that of Abel, What could be

better than Abel's blood? Well, the Bible says that Abel,

when he was killed by his brother, his blood cried out for

judgment. When Jesus's blood was shed, how

do you know it cries out for mercy?

I don't know about you, but I love Jesus with my whole heart

today because He has given His life for each and every one of

us. And so whenever you see this

picture, I want you to see what it means because it's such a

reality to us. In the Old Testament, Genesis 28

tells us the story about a man by the name of Jacob who was the

grandson of Abraham, whom the Bible calls the father of our

faith. He got into a whole bunch of

trouble and he literally had to run for his life.

His brother wanted to kill him because he had done something

treacherous. He had deceived his brother, but

in his treacherous actions, if you would, when he was running

for his life, God came and talked to him.

That's the merciful God we have. And he talked to him and dream.

It says he dreamed and behold, he saw a ladder which was set up

on the earth, and it's top reached to heaven and there the

angels of God were ascending and descending on it.

Behold, the Lord stood above it. Then Jacob awoke from his sleep

and said, surely the Lord is in this place and I did not know it

and he was afraid. Why?

Well, it was an awesome place. How awesome is this place?

This is none other than the House of God, and it is also the

gate of heaven. Now this is a very important

truth that all of us need to understand because in seeing the

heavens open, He began to understand something.

Wow, this is the House of God. How do I know that?

Well, because the heavens are open and I see a ladder going up

and down. Now, Church, do you realize that

when you come to Mount Zion, when you go to the House of God,

if you would, how many understand that the heavens are

open to us? Now, if you know that, you know

that our God has angels at his disposal.

In the Old Testament, it's called the army of the Lord of

hosts or the Lord of angelic beings.

And when you know that's the God you serve, how many know if

you're God as an angelic army at his disposal, that you're safe

at all times? Amen.

God is with us, Church. And so we should be encouraged

by that fact that, and this is what Jacob found out.

He's like, wow, look at this, Heaven is open to me.

God is talking to me from the heaven.

I see the angels and they're going up and down because guess

what? God dispatches them here on

planet earth for the purposes of his people.

And so when you begin to see how awesome God's plan is, and the

House of God is not just a church, a building that we come

to as the people and say, oh, I went to church.

When you come to Mount Zion, you should be saying to yourself,

I'm going to the House of the most high God, Hallelujah.

And when I get there, I'm going to know that the heavens are

going to be open to us as a people.

The very presence of a living God is here today and he's able

to touch us and able to do supernatural things in our life

if we would believe he has these angels at his disposal for us.

And again, that's why the Bible says if God is for us, who can

be against Amen church. And so it's such a powerful

thing for us to know. Now in first Timothy chapter 3.

1 Timothy 3 · chapter mention

And it's important to go to the New Testament because the Bible

says out of the mouth of two or three witnesses ever word

established, he wrote to Timothy, his son in the faith

and said these things. I write to you, though I hope to

come to you shortly. But if I am delayed, I write so

that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the House

of God, which is the Church of the living God.

It is also the pillar and ground of truth.

Well, if I go to the House of God, I should know how I ought

to behave myself in the House of God.

Amen Church because God has given us instructions and this

is one of the things we do at Mount Zion, is we try to align

everything up that we do with the Word of God.

We are not a political organization, we're not a

cultural organization. We are the Church of the living

God and everything we do should be based upon the word of the

living God. Amen Church, give him a praise

because that makes a difference and you see it all the time.

It's so easy for churches to fall in human structures and

follow the way that man has laid out.

But God says, wait a second, this is my house.

And because this is my house, you need to know how to conduct

yourself in my house, says the Lord, because guess what, I am

there with you. And literally, the Church is the

very pillar and ground of truth. I grew up in church when I was a

kid, used to hear all kinds of things going on, people mad,

people upset, all kinds of things going on.

Church and be very easy. And people do this from time to

time. Get discouraged about what's

happening in the church. Well, don't be discouraged by

what you see happening in the church because guess what?

We got a bunch of human beings in the House of God, and we're

all working to be a better people.

Amen. But in the process, we should

ask ourselves, just like Paul was writing Timothy, well, how

are you going to respond in the House of God?

Well, I'm going to conduct myself like this is the House of

God. And when I come to the House of

God, I'm not just going to go to a building.

I'm going to go in a place where when we start singing songs, the

Bible says that God inhabits the praises of his people.

I'm going to conduct myself because when I'm singing, the

Bible says in Hebrews chapter 2 that Jesus Christ himself is

Hebrews 2 · chapter mention

singing in the midst of the worshipping congregation.

And as he's doing that, he's calling us brethren.

Isn't that awesome? Cherish to think about?

And when I hear a sermon, I'm going to ask the Lord that that

word would come to me because it's not just an instruction.

It's a word that can inspire faith that causes us to change.

I'm going to take communion with the idea that the Bible says

that there's something here that I can get of Christ because in

everything we do, we come to have a meeting place with Jesus.

Amen. Church, not just to have a form.

And that's why I want to share with you Romans 10/6 through 8.

But the righteousness of faith. I was wondering if the picture

was supposed to change up here. It was there.

Go threw me off a little bit. I knew what I was doing.

I just want you to know. But anyway, what is this?

This is a picture of a cathedral from Europe is built after a

Gothic style. And the reason this is important

is because in the Middle Ages of the Christian Church, they

literally built the building so that people would keep in mind

everything I've talked to you so far about the church.

They had built very high ceilings pointing to heaven

because they believed that they were in a place of open heavens.

They would have lots of windows because God is light and of

course the light would represent and mean to the people, wow,

God's presence is here because they were seeing the lights.

They would also have often have stained glass windows so that

they could look at pictures of heavenly things or earthly

people that gave themselves to the work of the Lord.

Whatever, but the reason for all of this great and beauty was so

that people in the time could come to the House of God and

feel like they were connecting to heaven.

I'll keep in mind in the time when this was going on, there

would be a people who were mostly uneducated, mostly

couldn't read, mostly in poverty.

The majority were either slaves or indentured service or were

peasants and just had a very meager life.

They were used to pestilence. They were used to famine.

They were used to people dying because people died a lot from

diseases back in those days. So you can imagine what a

wonderful relief it was to just run to the House of God and say,

oh, I just got to remember in my earthly condition, I'm connected

to heaven. Now we don't live in those days

anymore. And I've often shared the

testimony how in 1980, when things were pretty bad here and

everybody was saying things were going to go from bad to worse,

he said, no, don't, don't believe what they're saying.

Lauren, tell the people, get ready for a time of great

prosperity. And that's what's happened in

our world today. We live in very affluent times.

We have a medical system. When we're sick, we have, even

if you can't afford to buy food, there's all kinds of food

available if you just look in the right places.

And you might not feel like you're affluent, but that's only

because you compare yourself to other Americans.

We live in a very affluent society.

Anybody grateful you live here and experience the blessings

that God has for us here in the United States of America?

Well, when we come to church, we're not fleeing from the

things everybody used to in the past, but we do need to run to

the House of God because the reason there's increasing levels

of drug and alcohol use, the reason because depression and

anxiety is skyrocketing, is because you find out something

affluence doesn't make you happy.

Amen. It's so important for us to

recognize that money is not going to make you happy.

My mom used to always say money doesn't make you happy, but it

does rent a good time. And that's true too.

So we're not against affluence. We should look at it as a

blessing from God. We just have to understand

that's not our source, is it? How many can say Amen, God is my

source, Amen. Amen.

So with this in mind, we'll move on to the next Scripture and the

go back to the original premise of the story about the New

Jerusalem. But he says, but the

righteousness of faith speaks in this way.

Do not say in your heart who will ascend into heaven, that is

to bring Christ down from above, or who will ascend to the abyss,

that is to bring Christ up from the dead.

But what does it say? Well, it says the Word is near

you in your mouth and your heart.

That is the Word of Faith which we preach.

Now we don't build the colosseums like they do in the

old day to remind us of things. And often times that can become

a detriment because in our human experience, often times when we

get used to something, if we especially go every week and we

get used to even a routine, how many know it's easy for us to be

disengaged. That's why more important than

having a visual is understanding that everything that we have

from God can only be given to us and aparted by faith.

The Bible says that the judge shall live by faith.

It says that we go from faith to faith.

And so when we come into Mount Zion, the city of the living

God, and we know everything that God says, it is how we know.

We should say, OK, I'm going to engage myself because if I'm

going to get anything out of this, it has to be a faith

experience. Amen, Church.

And if it is a faith experience, you should say, and I want

everything that this service has for me, or like all of us should

say, I want everything that the Christian life offers to me

because there is a faith reality that can come to us.

And without faith it's impossible to please God.

But with faith, all things are possible in that amazing church.

I just love the Lord. And that's why I believe so much

that we have to be a people with the Word of Faith in our mouth.

The Bible says that with the heart man believes, but with the

mouth confession is made unto salvation.

And so when God speaks to us and we start making it a part of our

conversation, we release the supernatural power of the living

God. Amen.

And so in John chapter 1, I just wanted you to see this because

John 1 · chapter mention

there's a dimensional change here.

And this is in the ministry of Jesus Christ.

In John chapter 1, He's calling his different disciples.

John 1 · chapter mention

And he answered and said to him, Because I said to you, I saw you

under the fig tree, do you believe you will see greater

things than these? And he said to him, most

assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see the

heaven open, the angels of God ascending and descending now

upon the Son of Man. When Jesus was calling the

disciples, he says to once disciple, he says, I want you to

come and follow me. I saw you sitting under the fig

tree and that's when I knew I was supposed to call you.

He's like, how did you know I was sitting under a fig tree?

And Jesus said, well, are you going to follow me?

Because I told you that he said you haven't seen anything yet

because now you're going to see a whole new change.

And it wasn't. After that.

We're at the marriage of King of Galilee.

Jesus worked his first miracles and for three years he had a

miraculous ministry that the people observed how God can do

all things. And I mentioned this as

spiritual gifts because what we would call a word of knowledge

is really what Jesus gave to the disciple there.

I have spiritual gifts, but I believe with all my heart, God

saying to the church, it's time for us to go to a higher level

of faith where we begin to see that the heavens are open to us

so that we can all say to one another, we haven't seen

anything yet because God's going to do something that's

exceedingly and abundantly above all that we could ask or think.

Jesus, the Bible says, was the first born among many brethren.

And just like Jacob was told, just like the scriptures speak

to us about going to church, Jesus said why watch what

happens when the heavens are open in church?

Watch what happens when we start really actually believe in the

heavens are open to us, the world we live in.

There's so much stress out there, so, so many problems, and

we haven't seen anything yet. When I was hearing this word to

talk about these things, I'm like, well, Lord, I've talked

about these things before. Is there a specific reason?

I was actually talking to him about that?

And he says, yes. People need to know that in the

days ahead, they got to have this in their mind that well,

there's a place that we can run, that there's a place we can go.

There's a place that we can be empowered for whatever is facing

us in this life because God has something for us church and we

have to have faith to believe it.

In Ephesians chapter 2 he says now therefore you are no longer

Ephesians 2 · chapter mention

strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the Saints

and members of the household of God having been built on the

foundation of the apostles of prophets.

Jesus Christ and the self being the chief cornerstone and whom

the whole building being fitted together grows in a holy temple

in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a

dwelling place of God in the spirit.

Now we are are people that need to understand we have a dual

citizenship. What are you talking about,

Pastor Lauren? Well, in the next week or so,

we'll be commemorating, I'm sure to be on the news about Hamas

invading Israel two years ago. And hopefully there's a peace

process that's going to be announced this week as well with

the remaining hostages are let go.

But if you'll notice when it happened, they were saying, and

there are so many American citizens that have been taken

into captivity as well. Well, I I looked it up because I

had a hunch and it seemed to bear true from what I was

reading. And that is that when they were

saying they were Americans, most of them were people with a dual

citizenship. In other words, they were

American citizens who decided that they would go to Israel to

live, but they kept their American citizenship and then

had an end Israeli citizenship as well.

So they had a dual citizenship. Now, there was a time in

American history that when you became an American, you had to

renounce your formal identities, your past or former things that

used to be a part of somewhere in the 1960s, there was a

Supreme Court ruling that was against that because we always

had this idea that we were a melting pot and people need to

forget about their old life and have a new life.

But whatever, it's important to understand people don't want to

let go of their American citizenship no matter where they

live. Why?

Because number one, it has prestige and it also has power.

Because if you notice, whether it was that situation or the

situation in Afghanistan or many other countries, how many know

when the news announces there's American involves, it changes

the whole story. The president gets involved.

People know that the American army's possibility that they're

going to have face if they aren't very careful.

Everybody in the world loves American identity.

When we go to El Salvador, if you go to the American embassy,

the most affluent part of the town is all around the American

embassy. Why people want to be associated

with American Embassy? When we were in Lima, ministry

there, same thing. Go to the American embassy and

guess what? All the affluent people, they

build houses around the embassies.

Why? There's something about having

the citizenship in the United States that makes a difference.

There's something about when you put that passport on the table

when you're travelling to other nations of the world that speaks

volumes to the people that are looking at it.

Now, the reason I want you to think about that is not from our

human perspective, but from a heavily perspective church.

Because when you recognize that you're a citizen of the New

Jerusalem, when you recognize you're a citizen of the House of

God, you need to know you got something behind you.

Amen. You have a prestige position, if

you would, and whatever identity you have in this world based on

your vocation, based on whatever you're doing, never forget the

fact that you are a citizen of the House of God.

You're a citizen of the Most high God's Kingdom, and there's

no passport like that one. It gets you to heaven, but it

also gets you into all kinds of opportunities as you began to

realize the power of the citizenship and that what does

he say He's building? He's building a holy temple, and

each and every one of us are part of that holy temple because

we are the dwelling place of God.

What an amazing God we have, and what an amazing plan we have.

So they came to Jerusalem. Then Jesus went into the temple

and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple.

He overturned the tables of the money changers, the seats of

those who sold doves, and he would not allow anyone to carry

wares through the temple. Then he taught, saying to them,

Is it not written? My house shall be called a House

of prayer for all nations, But you have made it a den of

thieves. I put over this the day of

visitation because this is again right before Jesus Christ is

getting ready to go to the cross for all of us.

His first stop is the House of God, and he finds out that in

the House of God is unfortunately business as usual

because the church has become a place of business.

The House of God isn't where people went because God was

their priority. And So what did he do?

He went around turning over the tables of the money changers and

setting everything in order because he said my house is a

House of prayer, not just a House of business, says the

Lord. And so he sanctified the house

because he understood and he wanted the people to understand

how important it is that they would maintain their separation,

but also he wanted them to know. In that sense, the House of God

is an embassy of heaven. When you come to church,

literally you should say in your mind, I'm leaving my world to go

to his world because this is an embassy for the Kingdom of God.

Every nation that you go to, they have embassies, all the

different countries and usually the country does everything they

can to make the embassy as much like the home grown place as

possible. And so This is why I have in

this church a desire to make it everything God wants it to be

because I truly believe this is an embassy of the most high God

that we leave our world and we come into his world.

Amen, Church. And all of us as the people of

God need to have a whole new understanding and a faith

awareness of what this means. Now, speaking about people of

faith in Hebrews 11, it says they all died in faith, not

having received the promises, that having seen them afar off,

they were assured of them and embrace them and confess that

they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

For those who say such things declared plainly that they what?

Seek a homeland. And truly, if they had called to

mind the country from which they had come out, they would have

opportunity to return. Now, most of us know the story

of Abraham, how God came to him one day and said, Abraham, I

want you to leave your country and your kindred and go to a

land that afterward I will show you.

And he's listed here in Hebrews Chapter 11.

Hebrews 11 · chapter mention

But almost all the other people were people that were called of

God and they actually stayed in the country they were in.

So when it says they were looking for something, they

weren't looking for a new country like Abraham.

They were looking for something that God had in front of them,

which is called the city of the living God by faith.

And everybody listen to Hebrews Chapter 11, was somebody that

Hebrews 11 · chapter mention

did something amazing in their world, did things supernaturally

by faith, but there was something that they could not be

a partaker of. And that's what we are partakers

of in the new Covenant, the city of God.

But it does say that what they did see and what they did hear

from God, they constantly would assure themselves and they would

fully embrace of things because they understood how important it

was to hold on to what God had promised to them.

When we come to church, we should be assured of the

principles and we should embrace those things.

When we leave the church, we should know who we are.

We're sons of the Most High God. We should be assured of this and

we should embrace it. Can I hear an Amen on that

church? We've got to know who we are.

We got to know where we are. And we need to know that

wherever we are, God is there because we carry him out of the

embassy, if you would. And we are living demonstrations

of the supernatural power of God.

It said they were looking for a homeland is what the scripture

said, but literally translates a fatherland because this is the

Father's house, Amen. And because it is the Father's

house, it is our homeland. If you would.

So that when we leave our other world and we come to his world,

we realize we found home. We found the place where our

heavenly Father is, and whatever our earthly identity is, we can

appreciate it, we can love it, certainly, but we have to

understand we're called to something higher, Amen.

And we have a Father that's in heaven and we have an heritage

that God says is for each and every one of us to walk in.

He said, but now they desire better.

That is a heavenly country. Therefore, God is not ashamed to

be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.

Again, like I said, if you read this without understanding that

this leading to chapter 12, which is a present tense

reality, you think there we're only looking at something in the

future. But every one of the people, if

he was Chapter 11 did something powerful in their day.

Amen. And all these having obtained a

good testimony through faith, they did not receive the

promise. Why?

Because God having provided something better for us, the new

covenant, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.

So what they look for in the Old Testament is what we actually

have an opportunity to experience in the new.

And I don't know about you, but I've made a decision.

I'm going to experience everything God has for me.

Can you say Amen to that? This is Pastor Lauren Coverbius

from Mount Zion Church. We thank you for joining us

today and invite you to connect with our church family by

visiting mountzion.org and following us on social media.

God bless you.