Who's Your King?

All right.

Well, good morning, Church at the Grove.

Welcome to Church at the Grove this morning.

If I haven't met you, my name is Russ.

I'm one of the pastors here.

I want to, along with Joan, welcome you, especially if it's your first time or maybe one of your first few times to Church at the Grove.

We'd love to get to know you in a more personal way.

And so you'll hear us talk about ways for you to get connected and be involved each week and just kind of listen for that.

Make sure you pursue some relationships, pursue some connections, and just keep coming back and listen for the Holy Spirit's voice and how he directs you.

So today is really my favorite day every four years as we get to look at another election.

By the way, did y'all know that we're about to have an election this year?

And so today's a two-beginning of a two-week series.

Two-week series.

Very short series titled Unshakable Kingdom.

And today is part one, Who's Your King?

Now, um I want you to know that I don't like politics.

I despise politics.

And I don't think it's funny.

But when I give a message like today, I'm a little bit nervous.

And the reality is I'm going to make somebody mad.

And if I don't, I'm probably not preaching the truth.

I'm probably not preaching the word.

And so just pick your poison wherever you want to land and get upset about something.

You pick it, just keep coming back, and I'll make you doubly mad next week.

And I listen, what I'm going to share this morning, I take it very seriously.

Almost to the point that I get emotional.

But one of my reactions to when I get a little bit nervous is to respond with humor.

And so I probably will use humor to try to help me get through the message.

It doesn't mean I take the topic lightly.

It doesn't mean I think it's funny.

It's actually the most serious, one of the most serious things we can talk about, because I love this country.

And I'm so thankful that God allowed this country to be established.

But I will tell you that this country is not the kingdom of God.

It's not the kingdom of God.

And so I want to want you to know that today we're going to talk about the kingdom, the kingdom of God.

The kingdom of God.

And it's really important that we understand what we're going to talk about today.

So I'm going to actually follow.

This is I I've scripted the message.

And so I'm going to try to stick with it for the sake of time and uh for the sake of making sure I say things the way that I want to say them.

And so I heard it said that if you want to clear out a dinner party, bring up religion or politics.

Or both.

And so today we're talking about both.

And for every presidential election since we started Church at the Grove, I believe we spent at least one message, maybe more, talking about the election, talking about the church and our posture in voting and in choosing how to pick our next president.

So I believe we spent time addressing each one of these elections.

And honestly, in the early days of the church, it didn't seem to be as big an issue as it is now.

Sure, there were people who had deep political convictions and thoughts, and they thought their candidate was the right candidate.

And sure there are disagreements that occur during this time of season, sometimes with our family, sometimes with friends, sometimes with people we go to church with.

But our culture seems to be to have shifted, maybe even dramatically shifted in the last decade, and our political landscape has become more and more divisive.

Anybody with me on that?

Does it seem to be a bit more divisive?

This isn't just a feeling that I have, but I think there's some polls and surveys that that give us conviction and show us tangibly how that's true.

So look at this, look at this graphic that we have on the screen.

Over the last two decades, it shows us that there's a rapid increase from both parties in hatred for the other party.

And so you see this where you've got percentages in the last decade, those that are Republicans that have an unfavorable or very unfavorable view of the other party.

And then on the other side, you've got the graphic showing the Democrats how they have a unfavorable or a very unfavorable view of the other party.

So our country's divided.

There's a two-party system.

And I the way I look at it, I'll see it as being a bit broken.

We no longer see political candidates campaigning to everyone.

You see it?

So negative.

As a result, no wonder people shy away from wanting to talk about politics and share their opinions or beliefs.

It's a bit dangerous, isn't it?

You don't know what you're gonna run into back in the chaos of 2020.

Anybody remember 2020?

That was that year we had that um pandemic.

And you know, we we have to laugh a little bit because it was horrible.

I lost people that I was very close to.

My wife lost two of her closest friends in one year that both died from the effects of COVID.

And so in the chaos of 2020, we had COVID-19, we had the presidential election, we had January 6th, debacle in the Capitol, we had had racial conflict and issues.

I look back, I remember I could tell you several people that I know left our church upset about something that was said, or they left because they were upset about something that wasn't said.

It felt like we couldn't win.

I felt like I couldn't win.

I'm just sharing, I'm just being vulnerable.

It was a very insecure time for me personally.

Uh some thought I that I leaned too liberal, others thought that I was too conservative.

And so why we bring up this conversation again?

Obviously, we bring it up because we are on the cusp of a significant election.

Every election is significant.

And they tell you every four years, this is the most significant election in our lifetime.

So let me go ahead and tell you, in four years, we will have the most significant election in our lifetime.

So get this one right, and then we look forward to that one.

Right?

Yeah.

Why we bring it up?

Because we're coming to the end of this season.

Followers of Jesus need to be proactive.

We don't need to be reactive, we need to be proactive.

As a matter of fact, go vote.

Go vote.

Don't run your mouth.

Go vote.

Let's exercise this beautiful privilege, this beautiful freedom that we have.

Let's don't take it for granted.

Let's steward our freedom well.

While we don't believe that voting is the most important thing for you to do, we believe it is a stewardship over the power that's been given to us.

So as we talk to other believers, other followers of Jesus, as you listen to pundits or preachers or others, they have a lot of trouble with who and how to vote.

And so I don't know that I'm going to clear all that up completely, but I hope that you can step into the voting booth with some confidence as a follower of Jesus that you are potentially impacting this world for the kingdom of God.

These election seasons make it clear that we live in a broken and chaotic world.

Followers of Jesus have an opportunity to live and vote in such a way that we can point others to the hope that we have in Jesus.

Sadly, because of the consumption of media and the malnutrition of our own spiritual lives, feeding our spirit, many believers get so wrapped up in the cultural happenings that they miss the opportunity that God gives us.

And so finally, there is so much doom and gloom.

It's so negative.

That's why we need to address it.

In the midst of all the negativity, can I tell you that Jesus is on his throne?

He is in control.

He is the one that is sovereign.

He is the one that we have hope in.

And even though we might feel a bit like we're losing control, I want to tell you this: what is out of my control is still under the sovereign rule of Jesus.

And so both sides of the aisle are proclaiming that if the other candidate wins, it seems like I've heard this before, it will be the end of democracy.

And our country.

That's what they say every election cycle.

It's easy to be discouraged.

It is.

It is easy to fall victim to fear.

It is understandable to get wrapped up.

It's understandable that we can get emotional.

My prayer is that through the teaching that we are giving, mainly not the teaching, but through the truth of Scripture.

Through the truth of Scripture, we'll be able to lift our eyes, open our eyes, and be able to see and show that true hope is on the horizon.

But it will never be found through an elephant or a donkey.

But it'll be found with a lamb.

The lamb.

That ought to be our symbol of hope.

Not an elephant or a donkey, but of a lamb or a lion.

Right?

The lion and a lamb at the same time.

So here's what I want to ask for you for today and next week.

Have an open mind.

It's not really about trying to convince you, it's really about focusing you back to your anchor, your tether to the truth of Scripture and the kingdom of God.

That we are citizens of a kingdom that is not of this world.

And so don't be upset yet.

Just give us two weeks.

And then you can be upset if you want to.

Be willing to consider what the Lord tells us from his word.

And the big idea is this, and that's going to sound like a play on words.

I promise you it's not.

It's just an appropriate word.

His kingdom trumps this kingdom.

His kingdom, the kingdom of God, trumps the kingdom of this world or the kingdoms of this world.

And so my prayer is that we would see the Holy Spirit through his word, through his presence, and we would be challenged by what the Lord says over and above what men say.

And so here we go.

We're going to lay more of a theological foundation today.

Next week, we'll talk a little bit more about some of the practical things related to politics and give you some handlebars as we approach November 5th.

And so if we're going to understand our relationship with politics, we first must lay a theological foundation.

So when the Old Testament ends and the New Testament begins, we're introduced to a man named John the Baptist.

John the Baptist preceded Jesus.

He's the cousin of Jesus.

His ministry precedes Jesus' ministry, and his message was to prepare the way for Jesus to come.

And he preached repentance.

He preached repentance.

Repentance is turning away from trying to gain salvation or meaning or significance or hope in your own strength.

And you turn and you put it your faith in Jesus and the cross.

What he did in his life, and his death, and his resurrection.

And so John preached repentance.

Matthew 3, 1 and 2.

And by the way, typically I teach through a passage.

Today is a little bit of a Bible study that's inductive a bit, and we'll share some scriptures from different places.

Matthew 3, 1 and 2.

In those days, John the Baptist came to the Judean wilderness and began his preaching.

His message was repent of your sins and turn to God, for the kingdom of heaven is near.

Now notice the last part there, verse 2.

For the kingdom of heaven is near.

John was preaching a message that a new kingdom is coming.

A new kingdom was on its way.

It wasn't quite here yet, but it would be soon.

And of course, John is referring to Jesus.

He's referring to Jesus.

So Jesus comes on the scene, and what does he proclaim?

What does Jesus say in Mark chapter 1, verse 14?

Mark 1:14

First words out of Jesus' mouth.

He says, The time is fulfilled.

The kingdom of God is at hand.

The kingdom of God is at hand.

Repent and believe in the gospel.

Repent and believe in the gospel.

So he introduced this idea.

The kingdom of God is here.

This kingdom, this reign of God that controls the universe, that controls the heavens, that controls all the planets, all the way down to this planet called Earth and all of the human beings that inhabit it.

And so Jesus says, repent.

Turn to God, for the kingdom of heaven is near.

And so, verse 15 says, repent and believe in the gospel.

Repent and believe in the gospel.

So Jesus declares that a new king and kingdom are now on the scene.

This is the gospel message.

The gospel is not just a message about how to get saved, it is a message about how we get saved.

But it's more than that.

It's about a God who rules and reigns, and it is about his kingdom.

And it is about the fact that this kingdom has a king.

And he is the king of all kings.

He doesn't need an election.

He doesn't need to run for office.

He's the ultimate picture of what godly leadership and servanthood is all about.

He doesn't boast about his accolades.

He quietly goes to the cross.

He quietly surrenders his life.

And so he says, believe in the gospel.

What does that word gospel mean?

It means good news.

It's the message of the kingdom.

The good news that Jesus has come.

And here's what we need to know: is this is the church's most powerful political weapon is not a vote.

Our most powerful political weapon is the gospel.

Let me say it again.

The church's most powerful political weapon is the gospel.

It's your belief in what Jesus did and provided for us.

That's the gospel.

Who Jesus is, who he was, who he is, and who he is to come.

The gospel message.

Jesus came, he died, and he rose again.

He ascended to be with his heavenly Father.

He rules and reigns from his place, sitting at the right hand of the Heavenly Father.

He intercedes for you and for me.

And Jesus declares there's a new king in a kingdom that are now on the scene.

And it's yes, salvation's a part of it.

But it's not just that.

It is proclaiming the kingdom.

N.

T.

Wright, theologian, British theologian, just a power, just an incredible leader in the church today, still alive.

Here's what he says: He said, the gospel of Jesus was and is the good news that the one true God has now taken charge of the world in and through Jesus and his death and resurrection.

It is the story of how God's long-awaited kingdom has been launched on earth as in heaven, generating a new state of affairs and human affairs and offering a new way of living for all who believe.

So Jesus' mission on earth was to bring the long-awaited kingdom of heaven down to earth.

So we now have the kingdom of God at our fingertips.

It is at hand.

We see over and over throughout the Gospels that Jesus was never living for the kingdom of this world, but rather he was establishing a new kingdom that was radically different from this world.

He preaches and teaches what we call the Sermon on the Mount.

Sermon on the Mount.

What is the Sermon on the Mount?

The Sermon on the Mount is the first sermon Jesus preached, the greatest sermon probably ever preached.

And you find it in Matthew 5, 6, and 7.

And this Sermon on the Mount, in a sense, becomes the constitution of a new kingdom.

The constitution of a new kingdom.

It's a new way of life.

His kingdom is not built upon power and greed.

It's not built on power and greed.

But rather, he said that his kingdom is for the poor in spirit, the meek, the peacemakers, the persecuted.

It was a radically different kingdom being established, and it was radically different because it had a radically different king.

By the way, this is not my notes.

Could I have permission to vary from my notes just for a second?

So, so I don't know how long ago it was, but but I several weeks, couple months, I don't know, forever ago it seems.

I began to get these cardstock pieces of mail in my mailbox.

And as we have approached November, it seems like the volume of those pieces of cardstock has increased substantially.

So I go to the mailbox this past week, maybe a couple weeks ago, and I pick out two pieces of mail that are somewhat personal.

And then I've got a thick stack of these pieces of cardstock that are all politicking.

And I'm walking from the mailbox back to my house, and I thought, you know what?

If we took all the money that was spent on all this card stock, I bet we could help some people in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.

And every other state in the Union.

Come on! Alright, now, ran over.

The king of this new kingdom didn't have to fight and claw to get to power.

Instead, he was all-powerful.

He isn't insecure, he's compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in love.

He is much different from any other earthly king.

And so when we see this difference when Jesus is arrested and sent before Pilate, where the religious leaders are crying out for Jesus to be crucified.

Pilate has a conversation with Jesus, saying, and this is John 18.

If you've got your Bibles, go ahead and turn to John 18.

John 18, we're also going to read out of Philippians 3.

It says, John 18, verse 33, then Pilate went back into his headquarters and called for Jesus to be brought to him.

John 18:33

Are you the king of the Jews?

He asked him.

Jesus replied, Is this your own question, or did others tell you about me?

Am I a Jew, Pilate?

Retorted.

Your own people and their leading priest brought you to me for trial.

Why?

What have you done?

Jesus answered, My kingdom, listen to this.

My kingdom is not an earthly kingdom.

And, you know, you could put in parentheses, Jesus didn't have to run for office.

He didn't put himself up for a vote.

You know why?

Because he is the king of all kings.

He's the lion.

He's the lamb.

He's the creator of the universe.

He is the Lord.

He's our Savior.

He says, My kingdom is not an earthly kingdom.

If it were, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders.

But my kingdom is not of this world.

His kingdom is not of this world.

Let's say it.

Let's say it together.

His kingdom is not of this world.

He says, My kingdom is not an earthly kingdom.

We can't stress enough what Jesus is saying.

His kingdom is not earthly but heavenly.

As a result, his followers are living differently than the way other followers or other kingdoms live.

All right, permission to vary just for a second.

Listen, if we would be as focused on sharing our faith and the love of Jesus, serving our neighbors and loved ones and the people that we come across every day across our path, if we would spend our energy on being Jesus in this broken world over arguing politics, we would see the kingdom of God advance more quickly and more powerfully than ever before.

Okay, back to the notes.

So he's saying his followers are to live differently.

Paul says that talks about this in Philippians chapter 3, verse 18.

Philippians 3:18

He says, For I told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows that they are really enemies of the cross.

Now this is important because Paul is talking about the conduct of people, human beings.

He said, You want to know where your allegiance is?

If you want to know somebody where somebody's allegiance is, look at how they live their life.

Look at how they spend their money.

Look at how they treat one another.

Look at how they love their family.

Look at how they love people that are not, don't believe the same as they believe.

Look at how, and so he says, he says, many whose conduct shows they're really enemies of the cross of Christ.

So when we put our allegiance anywhere else other than Jesus, we at that point are making ourselves enemies of the cross of Jesus.

And he says, they're headed for destruction.

Their God is their appetite.

They brag about shameful things.

And they only think about this life here on earth.

But we are citizens of heaven.

Do I have anybody here that's a citizen of the kingdom of heaven?

Okay, then some of y'all need to get saved.

Let me ask it again.

Anybody here that's a citizen of the kingdom of heaven?

Come on, be confident about that.

Wake up.

But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives, and we are eagerly waiting for him to return as Savior, he will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.

So Paul clearly says followers of Jesus are citizens of a different kingdom, of a heavenly kingdom.

And he argues that while we might hold dual citizenship, I am at the same time a citizen of the United States underneath the reality that I'm a citizen of the kingdom of God.

And so our heavenly citizenship is more significant than any earthly citizenship or allegiance.

Paul is not saying that citizenship is something that awaits us only in the future, but rather a current reality.

It's not like you're going to be one day a citizen of the kingdom.

You don't die and then transition from one kingdom to another.

You, when you put your faith in Jesus, you immediately are given citizenship in the kingdom of God.

Sadly, many American Christians have an incorrect belief that heaven is something that awaits us in the future.

That's only partially true.

Jesus will return one day and he will inaugurate, he will usher in the complete and totality of his kingdom.

He will create a new heaven and a new earth.

And we'll all be a part of it if we put our faith in Jesus.

He'll wipe away every tear.

There will be no sickness.

There will be no more pain.

There will be no more shootings.

There will be no more disease.

Let me tell you, November 5th will not end all our problems.

And so why do we put so much energy there?

And it seems like we lose our mind and forget what matters most.

And it's the eternal destination of people, not the quality of life here in this temporal existence.

Now, I want a better life for you.

I want a better life for my family, for my kids, for future family members.

I want there to be a better life.

And that's one reason that we are to go into the voting booth and vote our convictions.

But we vote according to the Bible, according to the Word of God, according to the presence and the power of God.

We know who's already won the victory.

Yes, hallelujah.

Hallelujah.

John Ortberg says this.

He says, eternity is not just what happens when you die, it's going on all the time.

And life in the kingdom of God, what Jesus means by eternal life, is about living in the reality of God's presence and favor now, not just in some distant future.

Now, so what does this mean for this political season, our political rally reality?

What does this have to do with what takes place?

And I want you to, if you're a note taker, here's a couple things if you wanted to jot down.

A couple of truths.

Only one king is our Lord.

Only one king is our Lord.

If we belong to the kingdom of heaven, we only have one king.

Now hear me.

Understand that our king is above earthly things.

The Bible actually says that he is the king of kings.

Now I'm going to read a section of scripture out of Colossians chapter 1, and it'll be on the screen.

Colossians 1 · chapter mention

But I'm going to read it out of what's called the message translation.

That Eugene Peterson translated.

And here's what he says, Colossians 1.

He says, We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen.

We look at this Son and we see God's original purpose in everything created.

For everything, absolutely everything above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels.

Everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him.

He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment.

And when it comes to the church, he organizes it and holds it together like a head does a body.

He was supreme in the beginning and leading the resurrection parade, he is supreme in the end.

From beginning to end, he's there, towering far above everything, everyone.

So spacious is he, so expansive that everything of God finds its proper place in him without crowding.

Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe, people and things, animals and atoms, get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies.

All because of his death, his blood that poured down from the cross.

Now, you go back.

Here's homework.

So I don't like homework.

Well, don't consider it homework.

Consider reward.

Go home today, next day or two, and read that same passage out of your translation, which might be the King James or English Standard or New Living Translation, NIV.

Read it and just pay attention.

And then come back and read.

Go find the message.

You can look it up on the Bible app and read this scripture over and over again.

Now, I'm about, here's where I'm going to make, I'm going to make everybody mad or happy.

Actually, I'm going to probably make you all mad and all happy.

I want to speak, and this is hard for me to do, but I want to address each one of the candidates a bit.

This is not an endorsement.

And it is not, I'm not trying to convince you that one is better than the other.

I just want us all to be on the same page and recognizing that there are no such things as perfect candidates.

There's not.

There's no such thing as a perfect candidate.

We are all flawed human beings.

And as I read this, these individuals, they're brave.

Because they're putting themselves out there for this type of criticism.

Who would want to run for president today?

Who in the world would want their whole life to be bared for the world to see?

And which is probably one reason we don't have higher quality candidates is because of the mess that politics has become.

Can we just be honest?

I don't want to dance around this stuff.

So let's talk about Donald Trump for a second.

Donald Trump is an immoral man.

Now I'm going to make all of you mad.

I told you.

And while he while people, and he to some degree, view him in a sense as a savior, he is not, nor ever will he be our savior.

He has character issues.

Now, when I say that, I could probably say that every person or any person that would run for office has issues.

Because there's no such thing as a perfect person.

But he has some significant character issues.

There's some things that I would probably struggle trusting him with.

I have heard through other Christians and other Christian leaders that say, almost in campaigning for him, that we're not electing a pastor.

We're electing a president.

And in telling me this or in hearing this, in a sense, we're trying to excuse his character flaws.

When that's the last thing we should do.

We should consider anything and everything that we need to that helps us make an informed decision about our vote.

And so, yes, he's not a pastor.

That's obvious.

But it doesn't mean that I should lower the standards of character for the man who's going to sit in the Oval Office of the White House.

My standards should be up here.

I don't expect a perfect person, but I would prefer a man or a woman of character that has integrity.

That can be trusted.

And I understand, I understand all this.

We need to be able to call sin.

Now I'm not saying you should vote for him.

I'm not saying you shouldn't vote for him.

I'm just trying to be real.

I'm shocked at times that other Christian leaders can be so quick to ignore every character flaw because they so badly want their candidate to win.

Now, it doesn't mean that he's not, I mean, out of the out of two running, you pick one out of the two.

They both have issues.

I'm not trying to convince you one way or the other.

I'm just trying to be real.

I'm trying to keep it real.

I'm trying to help you understand the significance of the fact that we are citizens of the kingdom of God.

And we are at the same time citizens of a beautiful, wonderful country established on freedom.

And so we need to make informed decisions, understanding that the church has the ability to lead the way in establishing leadership and character in leadership.

The kingdom of God should shape our beliefs and form our convictions.

And so some of our leaders are very silent and quiet when it comes to just facing the facts that these candidates are not perfect.

Now, Kamala, Kamala Harris.

She seems like a spring chicken in a political world dominated by old white guys.

She seems to be the cool candidate, the new kid on the block who has all the celebrity endorsements.

She knows the latest lyrics to Beyoncé's album.

She can carry the tune, dance a little bit.

She prides herself on being the moral candidate.

And she turns and she criticizes her immoral candidate, Donald Trump.

Let me just take Kamala if you're listening.

You are not perfect.

You have character flaws yourself.

The beliefs that fuel her at times come across as demonic.

And many of her central campaign issues are in direct opposition to what God's word teaches.

Does she have a better temperament than the other guy?

Maybe.

Are there some qualities that you might like more about her than than Donald Trump?

Maybe.

But it doesn't necessarily mean that she is over and above suited better for the office.

They both have issues.

There is no such thing as a perfect person.

Now, can we just take a breath?

That was so hard for me to do.

And I didn't say everything I wanted to say.

I could go on.

Who should Christians vote for?

Between these two very flawed individuals.

Followers of Jesus have been left politically homeless in this two-party system.

Let me say that again.

Those who deeply care about our country from the standpoint of being a follower of Jesus have been left homeless in this two-party system.

These are the only two choices we have.

Michael Ware says this we must understand the crisis today is not that Christians are now politically homeless, but rather that they ever thought they could make their home in politics at all.

Followers of Jesus were never meant to find their home with a particular political party or a candidate.

Our great enemy is trying to plague you.

Satan wants to use the customs and the lies of this world to deceive you.

He wants you to forget and forsake your heavenly citizenship and replace it with something earthly.

More simply put, he wants anyone or anything else to be the king over your life.

Sure, none of us probably in this room would ever say that Trump or Harris should be our Lord.

We wouldn't say that, or even our king.

But please hear me.

So many of us in the kingdom of God, in the church today, we live our lives practically as if one of these candidates could be king or lord of our life.

So here's some questions as we close here this morning.

What consumes your thoughts as we look to November 5th?

What consumes your thoughts?

What kingdom controls your mind?

Are you spending more time watching your cable news network of choice, or are you spending time in the Word and with your Heavenly Father?

What gets you upset and angry about something the other party said, or the injustices of our community, the plight of the poor, the caring for widows and orphans, those that don't personally know Jesus.

Going back to Michael Ware, he goes on to say this it's not safe for Christians to engage in politics with their feet planted in politics.

Their political participation must be grounded in a deeper reality.

It must be grounded in the gospel.

In the gospel.

And so, to finish this morning, his kingdom trumps this kingdom.

His kingdom trumps this kingdom.

We belong to a different, greater kingdom.

And so this morning, before we respond, hear me.

I'm not saying that Christians shouldn't be involved.

Here's the second big idea for this morning I want you to get is I want you to vote.

The greater tragedy than putting our trust in the kingdom of this world is for us to withdraw completely and not leverage and steward our freedom well.

Which means that we are to take this responsibility, God-given responsibility, and we should take it into the voting booth.

And I'm not telling you to vote for one over the other.

I'm telling you to vote and to vote your convictions.

Don't disengage.

Engage, being led by the Holy Spirit.

Who is your king?

Which kingdom?

Whose kingdom do you belong to?

And Timothy, Paul wrote to Timothy, 2 Timothy 2, 3 and 4, he says, As a good soldier of Jesus Christ, soldiers don't get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them.

Let me ask you to do something this week.

Every time you see a political ad, every time you go to your mailbox and you get one of those beautiful pieces of cardstock.

That all tell the truth, by the way.

Why don't you let that be a reminder for you to pray?

God, how can you use me to advance your kingdom?

And why don't we take that another step?

Why don't we pray for our neighbor or our co-worker that needs Jesus?

Rather than arguing about politics in front of them, why don't you talk about the reality that we can have hope even in the midst of uncertainty?

Why don't we pray for those that are in North Carolina?

Pray for those that are suffering and cleaning up still.

Why don't we why don't let it be a reminder for us to handle our finances in a way that would honor God?

Who's your king?

To which kingdom do you belong?

So would you pray with me?

Let's pray together.

Father, we come to acknowledge that you are our King.

You're our Lord, our King, you're the Creator, and you are sovereign.

God, we we thank you for the fact that you are in control and you are sovereign.

And even though we at times, especially in a season like this, we we feel a bit as if we're out of control.

We've lost control.

And that's not a bad place to be because when we realize that we do not have control, then we have to put our trust in some one, something that is in control.

And that's you.

And we can learn that when we feel like things are out of control, that you are still sovereign and you are still ruling and reigning.

So, Father, lead us and guide us as your people in how we should respond, how we should vote, how we should engage with other people in conversations.

Our goal is not to campaign, our goal is to trust, to trust in you.

And so I pray, I pray for those that might be here this morning.

They've never put their trust in Jesus to be their king, their savior.

We learn that we we understand the gospel.

This good news is that Jesus came, Jesus lived, Jesus died, he rose again, and he rules and reigns now over his kingdom.

And he will return.

And what is spiritual will become tangible when he comes to put everything right back to the way that he intended it to be at creation.

And so he does it through the gospel.

Not through an election, but through the gospel.

Thank you, Jesus, that there's no election for who's going to be our king.

You've already decided that.

And you are a good king.

You're a wonderful king.

And so, God, we come to celebrate you.

We come to lift you up.

We come to say that, celebrate the fact that you've already won the battle, you've already won the victory.

And I pray for those that maybe haven't put their faith in Jesus.

If that's you this morning, please just the Bible says to repent and put your faith in Jesus.

Repent and believe the good news.

Jesus is Lord.

How do you do that?

You pray.

You simply offer a prayer and you say, Jesus, I want you in my life.

I trust you with my heart.

Thank you for your salvation.

Your tangible response to that may be to follow in baptism or or to share your faith with somebody that needs to hear it.

But this morning, I want to spend the rest of our time celebrating victorious Savior, our Savior Jesus, who came and gave his life for us.

He won the victory through surrendering his life on the cross.

And so we celebrate the name of Jesus right now.

It's in his name we pray.

Amen and amen.

Would you stand with me?

Hey, thank you so much for worshiping with us this morning.

We just we trust and hope that God spoke to you and that you are challenged and encouraged by his word.

Um and just encouraged that we live in an unshakable kingdom.

So no matter what uh the world around us looks like, uh, that we are citizens of a greater kingdom, that Jesus is on the throne, um, and that should inform how we live our lives uh uh in these days.

And so, man, I hope that you're encouraged by that.

If there's any next steps that you feel like God is calling you to, if you are just if you're interested in what it even looks like to be a part of the kingdom of God or uh to see Jesus as king, if you have questions about that, we would love to talk with you and have a conversation with you, give you some resources in that, or if there's just a next step that you feel like uh God is stirring you to take with us through baptism, join a group, um, or partner with us in the Four Generations Initiative, whatever uh God might be calling you to.

We would love to partner with you, give you some resources.

And so if you would text start to follow us at 97000, start to follow all one words 97000, and that will just connect us and uh us come alongside you, give you some resources for your journey.

Thank you guys for hanging out with us.

Uh