Politics | Special Guest, Pastor Ben Lacey

So good to be with you.

As Pastor Chris said earlier, my name is Ben Lacey, and I have the privilege of serving as a lead pastor of Trinity River Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas.

And it has been such a joy to be with you all this morning.

And I just want to say on behalf of our church, thank you so much for your generosity.

I was so encouraged back in January of last year when Pastor Chris called me and said, Hey, United City wants to get behind what God is doing in and through your church.

And so you guys supported us financially.

You've prayed for us, you've encouraged us.

And we're so thankful for how you've supported us.

What was 15 people on a core team two years ago?

Is now about 230 people gathering on a Sunday.

So we rejoice in how God has used you guys, amen, to bless a bunch of people that may not even know you, but you're just living examples of what Christ is like, giving for other people's goods.

So thank you for your generosity and kindness towards us.

And I know they wouldn't want me to say it, but when I think about generosity and kindness, I think about the Kubas.

Chris and Hillary have been great friends of ours for a long time.

We go way back to when Chris hired me at Prestonwood and just kind of poured his life into me about ministry and leadership and so many things.

And as the years have gone by, I'm more convinced of Hillary's kindness and generosity.

But when Chris called me and said, Hey, I want you to come speak about politics in one of the most divisive years possible, I just was like, I don't know if you're my friend anymore, man.

Like, I feel like you've deserted me.

I feel like Jesus with his disciples, like no one's standing there with me, right?

I feel like it'd be easier for me to talk about the Rangers winning the World Series than you know, anything else, right?

Amen.

Come on, amen.

There we go.

Um I'm just gonna clarify today, if I say anything controversial, it's simply because I learned it from Chris.

So you can email him today with all your frustrations and those kinds of things.

But as you guys have been walking through this taboo series, it's kind of these topics that you don't typically address in church or even try to avoid on the plane.

You know, you sit somebody on the by somebody on the plane, you're like, I don't want to talk about these things.

It could be hard.

But the challenge with politics is that we might have lived in a time previous generations enjoyed where you could actually have friendships and not talk about politics and party preferences.

That's kind of no longer the case.

Everybody is defined by their political party now, or so it seems.

Who your candidate is and uh the issues that you're really passionate about.

And many people try to show their loyalty to their party by canceling those in the opposite party or owning them on social media.

It may not be the most divided time in our nation's history, but it is one of the most divided times in many of our lifetimes.

I mean, just think about it.

The people that you go to school with and you live by and you work with, uh, they have differing a different understanding of what a human is, of what a woman is, what a man is, what a marriage is.

And it seems like the way forward is almost impossible.

So what do we do?

How do we as Christians navigate this polarizing political climate?

Well, I think a man who was in prison almost 2,000 years ago, not because of his earthly political opinions, but because of his ultimate loyalty to Jesus, has tons of helpful counsel for us today.

So if you have your Bible, I invite you to go ahead and grab them and turn to the book of Philippians.

We'll be in the book of Philippians, we'll be in uh chapter three, and we'll be considering verses 17 through 21 this morning.

Uh if you're there, say I'm there.

Some of you, praise the Lord.

Uh, it should be on the screen if you don't have it.

Philippians 3, 17 through 21.

If you're new to the Bible, the big numbers in the Bible are chapters, the small numbers are verses.

Those aren't inspired, those are added later to re our guide.

So verses 17 through 21, let me read that now.

This is what Paul wrote through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

Brothers, join in imitating me and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.

For many of whom I have often told you and now tell you, even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ.

Their end is destruction, their God is their belly, and they glory in their shame with minds set on earthly things.

But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

Some backstory on the book of Philippians, as before we jump into the sermon.

Philippians was written by a man named Paul.

Uh now, Jesus, this is kind of after Jesus' life, death, resurrection, and ascension.

This man named Paul, his former life, he was known as Saul.

And after Jesus was ascended, raised and ascended, this man went persecuting those who follow Jesus who claimed that they believed and were trusting in Jesus' life, death, and resurrection.

So much so that he threw some in prison and even had others killed.

Many of you know the stoning of Stephen there in Acts chapter 7.

Acts 7 · chapter mention

They killed Stephen not because of his earthly political opinions, but because of his belief that Jesus was king.

And this man, Paul, would have a life-changing experience on the road to Damascus.

Many of you know that story.

He was headed to persecute and imprison more Christians, and he encountered the very one that he was seeking to persecute, Jesus himself.

And after that encounter, Paul went from imprisoning Christians to be imprisoned for making other people Christians or telling other people how to become Christians.

You see, when you actually encounter Jesus, it turns your whole world upside down.

You go from hating the things of God to being willing to die for the things of God.

That's exactly what we see here with the Apostle Paul.

The Lord had radically changed his life.

And he wrote this book while in prison to a group of Christians who were in Greece to say that Jesus is worth losing everything to gain.

You see, these Christians were feeling cultural pressures to find their hope, their joy, and their identity and other things other than Jesus.

And he says, Don't get distracted, don't get diverted in your pursuit of Jesus.

He is worth losing everything to gain.

So if you're here and you're a Christian, here are three things you must remember in November.

Here are three things you must remember in November, but not only in November, but every day for the rest of your life that'll help you navigate our more polarizing political age.

If you're a note taker, here's my outline up front so you can kind of know where I'm headed.

Point one, first thing we need to remember in November is Jesus is my king.

Most important, we gotta get this one right.

Jesus is my king.

Secondarily, because Jesus is my king, my obligation is to my neighbor.

And thirdly, my home is in heaven.

So remember in November that Jesus is my king.

My obligation is to my neighbor, and heaven is my home.

Let's look at point one now.

What should you remember in November?

Jesus is my king.

As we consider this point, why don't you look back in your Bibles to verse 18?

Verse 18, there Paul says this: For many of whom I have often told you and now tell you, even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ.

He tells you why they're now enemies here.

He clarifies it in verse 19.

Their end is their destruction, their God is their belly, they glory in their shame.

And here's why they're ultimately enemies with minds set on earthly things.

See, Paul's writing to a group of Christians who were feeling pressure from the culture to desert Jesus for the things of the earth.

These might have actually been people, the people putting the pressure on the Christians might have been Christians formerly.

They had followed Jesus when it was convenient to follow Jesus, but now they were falling after their heart's desires and thinking the world offered a better life than Jesus.

What does it mean to set your mind on the things of the earth?

It means not just to live in the world, but live by the world.

You seek your counsel, your wisdom, you declare your allegiance to the things of the world.

I'm gonna say this from the outset.

Everything that we have in this world that is good is from God.

The world and everything in it is good, and it's from God for our good, for his glory, for our benefit.

But there's a real danger in our lives that we begin to put the gift over the giver.

Brothers and sisters, when we take the things from God and put them before God, our life will spiral into chaos.

When we put the things that God has given us before God, the gift stops being a gift and becomes a cancer.

We have to rightly enjoy the gifts for them to flourish and benefit us in the way that God had intended.

So to help us to understand our political age, I want you to first notice this and see this.

That government is actually a good gift from God.

It's not a curse from God, it's actually a good gift from God for human flourishing.

Paul says this, you can note it in your Bible, things on the screen.

Romans 13, 1.

He'll later say this to Roman Christians who are being persecuted by Rome and Nero.

And you know what he says about the government?

Even the one persecuting them.

Let every person be subject to governing authorities.

Now, this grates us red-blooded Texans.

We don't love to hear this.

Be subject to governing authorities.

But then he tells us why.

For there is no authority except from God.

And those that exist have been instituted by God.

Paul here says the government is a gift from God.

If you still want to feel more warm and fuzzy today, you should read on in verses 6 and 7 of chapter 13 of Romans where Paul says, This is why you should pay your taxes.

That's not the message you want to hear at church ordinarily.

This is why you should pay your taxes.

Why?

Because the government, they're ministers of God to do his bidding, to do his work in the world, to punish evil and to reward the good.

Listen, we should rejoice every day that God lets us live in America.

This is a wonderful nation.

We have so many freedoms.

It's amazing that right now you and I get to gather in this room, sing as loud as we want to, because we have these freedoms.

I have Christian friends who live in China that they have to whisper as they sing to the Lord.

They don't have the freedoms you and I have.

It's all by God's grace.

He's the one who sets times and seasons in which we live.

And we have the benefit of living in this country at this time.

We should rejoice and thank God for this nation and the good authority that he gives us.

We should thank God for them and pray for them, as Paul says in 1 Timothy 2, and we should submit to them with joy for our benefit and all of our citizens' benefit.

That we thank God for the authority he gives us, we pray for them and submit to them.

We must labor to make sure that they never take the place of Jesus in our lives.

Listen, we rejoice and we thank God for the good authority that he gives us.

Governors and senators and presidents, they have some authority in our lives, but Jesus has all authority in our lives.

These governors and leaders and presidents that Jesus gives us, they can do us some good, but he alone is good.

And when you think about those who he voted and put into office, they have term limits, but Jesus' term will have no end.

He rules not only now, but forever and for all eternity.

We must remember in November that Jesus is our King.

Paul writes to these Christians to warn them to say, There are some who've deserted from among you who have fallen in love with the world.

They've no longer set their eyes on heaven, they've set their eyes on the things of the earth.

Their affections are no longer for Jesus, but for things in the world.

And listen, we have to be very careful, careful, especially in our own day and age, that we don't give our affections to something other than Jesus.

And kind of say this politics will make a very lousy God in your life.

But though it's a lousy God, it will still seek to be your God in your life.

Even politicians, they won't say it publicly, but they deeply desire, many of them, many politicians, will deeply desire to take the place of Jesus in your life so that you are have are fully devoted to them, that your allegiance is towards them instead of Christ.

That's why they talk about the world the way that they do, of how our nation's in great turmoil.

And I understand there's some problems that we have, there's no doubt about it.

But they'll talk about every year that this is the most important election in our lifetime.

And at some point that can't be said every election.

They'll say it and they make the problems real grandiose and big so that they can say, This is why you should vote for me.

I'm the only one that can fix our nation's problems.

I want to be very clear.

What happens in November is important.

But what happens in November, though important, cannot fix our nation's greatest problems.

You know who can?

Jesus can.

And he's not on the ballot because he's already ruling and reigning.

Jesus alone can fix our nation's problems.

The elections are important.

They are hugely significant, no doubt, but Jesus alone can fix and give us what we desperately need.

The Bible says that he alone makes wars cease.

He alone breaks the bow and shatters the spear.

He alone, according to Daniel 2, is the one raising kings and removing kings.

And we see in Philippians 2 earlier that on the last day when all of humanity stands before Jesus, that every king and kingdom, they won't be bowing down to the president of America.

They'll be bowing down to Jesus and proclaiming that he alone is Lord.

There is none like Christ in all the earth because he alone is king over all the earth.

Listen, we need this kind of perspective as we navigate these polarizing political times.

That Jesus is our King above everybody else.

As I mentioned earlier, we lived in Washington, D.C.

a few years.

It's a fun place to live if you've not visited.

It's adult Disneyland.

There's like so much to do there.

It's so great.

And while we live there, we lived five blocks from the Capitol, and our kids, we didn't have a backyard, and they would love to go to the Capitol, and they'd even go to this place they called Scooter Hill.

And I would reply to them, that's actually called the Supreme Court.

It's kind of a big deal.

Maybe we should have more respect for that place.

But it was fun while we lived there.

We got to know a lot of different people that were involved in our church.

You'd be surprised how much good work Christians are doing in Washington that most of us don't even know about.

And so we got to know some folks there in our church.

And one of the guys that I would meet with twice a month, he was actually a lawyer for then President Trump.

So he worked in the White House one time.

And what was so fun is to hang out with him a couple times a month.

And you know the thing that he would want to talk about the most?

It was not what the president was working on.

It wasn't even how many times he'd been to the Oval Office.

No, the thing that he would want to talk about the most is what he was reading in his Bible.

The thing he'd want to talk about the most is how he was doing fighting his sin.

The thing he was most excited about wasn't serving as a civil servant for the nation, for our government, but it was serving in the student ministry on Friday nights.

The thing he'd get most excited about is preaching the gospel at the homeless shelter.

Why?

That the president was his boss, Jesus is his king.

Jesus is his king, and it shaped how he viewed the world.

He understood that his time in the White House would end.

But his time with Jesus would never end.

That this life is preparing him for an eternal weight of glory that will never fade and never fail.

This is the kind of perspective that we need when it comes to November in every day.

That Jesus is our King.

Yes, find candidates who tell the truth, who are honest, who restrain evil and reward the good.

But remember the time will come for that politician where their term will end.

That's why we respect and submit to those governing authorities, but we only bend the knee to Jesus.

For he alone is king.

For those here whose hearts are filled with anxiety about how things are going in our nation and how they're going in our world, I just want to encourage you with this.

Jesus is in heaven and he's not on the edge of his seat.

He's not nervous about how things are playing out because he's in heaven and he's guiding and governing all of human history according to his wisdom and his will.

You know what he said to the disciples in Matthew 28 when he was before he was ascended, as he was sending them out to the world?

He said, All authority has been given to me on heaven and on earth.

What does all authority mean?

It means all of it.

Secondarily, because Jesus is king, we have an obligation to our neighbors.

Because he's our king, we have an obligation to our neighbors.

We see this in verse 17.

Why don't you look back in your Bibles with me?

There, Paul says to these Philippian believers, brothers and sisters, join in imitating me and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.

Paul to these Philippian Christians who are being pressured by the world, says, Don't look at them.

Don't be fixated on those who are putting pressure on you.

Look at those who are living faithful lives to Jesus.

He even says in verse 18, or here in verse 17, imitate me.

Join in imitating me.

Now, what was Paul doing that was so significant that he could say with confidence, imitate my life?

One, he was totally devoted to Jesus.

His whole life was dedicated to following Christ.

And because he was dedicated to following Jesus, he had an obligation to his neighbor.

He spent his whole life.

The reason Paul was in prison is because he gave his life loving his neighbor by telling them the truth about who Christ is and what he's doing in the world.

Paul here says, See my life and go and do likewise.

Now, how does this help inform our politics?

Well, when you understand that Jesus is your king, it rightly informs how you should view the people around you.

The love of neighbor now becomes the primary political lens in which you view the world.

That's why Paul in Galatians 6:10, this is a helpful verse as we think about Christians being involved in the world, he says this.

Galatians 6:10

So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to who?

Everyone.

Let us do good to everyone, especially to those who are the household of faith.

Christians are called and commanded by God to do what?

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and all your strength, and love your neighbor as yourself.

And you remember when the Pharisees come and say, Well, who is my neighbor?

And Jesus tells us the parable of the good Samaritan.

Jesus saying, Those around you who are suffering, treat them as though you want to be treated.

So for us, love of neighbor means we vote for those and we support policies that will cause human flourishing.

We seek after politicians and authorities that will restrain evil in the world and do good so that we as citizens of this nation can prosper.

So, for example, the reason Christians have been against and continue to be against the injustice of abortion is because we love our neighbor.

Christians have not been against abortion because it's a Republican Party issue, which sadly may no longer even be the case.

No, Christians are against the injustice of abortion because we believe that life begins at conception.

And every person on this planet is an image bearer of God.

And we grieve and we lament when suffering happens to an image bearer or an image bearer is murdered.

And ultimately, because we love our neighbor, and because we love our neighbor, we feel an obligation and a burden to speak on behalf of the truly vulnerable in our society.

Loving our neighbor might cause many of you to start fostering kids or adopting kids.

Loving our neighbor might mean for some of you, you spend time through when hurricanes happen, unfortunately, that you give time and money and resources to help those who are suffering due to the consequences of the hurricane.

And loving your neighbor might mean that some of you run for the school board or for city council in your cities to help prevent falsehood and injustice and corruption from taking place.

Brothers and sisters, what informs our politics as Christians in 2024 is not 24-hour news networks.

It's not Twitter.

No, what informs our politics is the love of God and the love of neighbor.

That's how we view the whole world now.

What will further the love of God and what will help support my neighbor?

And do you know the ultimate way in which we love our neighbor?

Like the best possible way we love our neighbor is by telling them the truth about who Jesus is and what he's done in the world.

Listen, we want to meet physical needs, all about it.

We want to dig water wells in Africa, good thing to do.

We want to make sure that the hungry have meals to eat and the homeless have a shelter.

That's all good things.

But if we only meet physical needs as Christians, we failed.

Because why?

We're all going to die.

That's the greatest statistic on the planet, is everybody dies.

So we need to meet not just physical needs, but spiritual needs.

That's the primary aim.

I want to meet your need physically so I can tell you about the thing you need the most, which is Jesus.

That's why John Piper said it this way.

We as Christians care about all suffering, especially eternal suffering.

Our primary concern is yes, we want to do good to everybody.

We want to care for those in our community, in our state, in our nation.

We want to meet their needs.

But we especially want to meet their greatest need, which is Jesus Christ.

That's what they need more than anything else.

Brothers and sisters, the greatest issue of our day is not inflation.

The greatest issue of our day is not the interest rates going way high.

The greatest issue of our day is not what's happening in the Middle East.

And the greatest issue of our day is not what's going to happen in November for election time.

No, the greatest issue of our day is that millions of people.

Live in this city, in this state, in this nation, and all around the world, who are dead in their sins this very moment.

And if they die today, we'll spend a eternity, eternity separated from God.

But the greatest issue of our day is that people are dead in their sins and they desperately need to know Jesus Christ.

The thing that non-believing coworker needs in your life, that non-believing neighbor, isn't that they change the political sign out in front of their house?

You can have all the right politics and still go to hell.

That will be their that's their greatest problem.

That's their greatest need to know Christ, to love Christ, and to be made right with Him.

To keep this firmly fixed in our minds, what is the greatest need of those around me?

Imagine if you're here today, if you're not a Christian, you're not following Jesus, you've not repented of your sin and trusted in Him, maybe you're here, you're curious in Christianity.

I'd be curious to know what do you think your greatest need is today?

Is it some material need?

Is it a relational need?

A physical need?

You can get the job you want, the spouse you want, the bank account you want, the dream home, you get all these things.

And just knowing the human condition, I promise you, that will not forever satisfy you.

That's just a band-aid on your real problem.

The real problem is this is that God made you to be in right relationship with Him, and you're not right now.

And that the only way to do that is not through your good works, your good deeds, being a kind person, that can't help you.

The only thing that can make you right with God is Jesus Christ.

You see, when I go to heaven and stand before God, God's not going to let me in because I'm a preacher.

That's not gonna do me any good.

The only hope that I have is that I'm gonna stand before him and say, if Jesus didn't die for my sins, I have no hope.

So if you're here today and you're to die, and your answer starts with, if God says, Why should I let you into my heaven?

Because I've done this, you're sunk.

The only hope we have is that Jesus died for our sins.

And if he didn't die and he wasn't raised, we have no hope.

And if you're here and you're not a Christian, there's good news.

You can have this hope today.

You can turn from your sins and trust in Jesus and be made right with God, not only now, but forever.

There'll be time at the end of service.

You can come down and talk to a staff member.

There'll be pastors out in the lobby after the service.

I would love to talk with you, the person who brought you.

Just ask the question: what does it mean to follow Jesus?

That's the greatest need you have in your life to know him and to be made right with him.

For the Christians in the room, I'd be curious today, what are you more known for among the people you hang out with?

Among your family, your coworkers, and your neighbors?

Is it your political loyalties or your loyalties to Jesus?

What are you more likely to defend publicly?

Your politics or the gospel?

To say this as clear as I can, a pastor friend of mine said it this way.

If you claim to be a Christian, and yet nobody knows you're a Christian, and you're not helping other people be Christians, you're probably confused or deceived about what it means to be a Christian.

I'm going to say it again.

If you say you're following Jesus, and nobody knows you're following Jesus, and you're not helping other people follow Jesus to evangelism or discipleship, you're confused or deceived.

Because the natural outworking of the Christian life is I'm going to follow Jesus and I'm going to keep bringing people with me.

That's what Jesus does.

He wrecks your life until you want to dedicate your whole life to him.

I'm just going to say it this way.

We as Christians believe a man got up from the dead, and people think we're crazy for believing it.

So that might as well become the most important thing about us.

I'm all about Jesus.

I want other people to know Jesus because that's the natural order of the Christian life.

The greatest need of those around us who are dead in their sins is not their politics, it's the fact that they have not trusted in Christ.

We have to remember that as we interact with those who are dead in their sins, who say things we don't agree with.

Their problem is they need Jesus.

We should remember in November that Jesus is our king, that we have an obligation to our neighbor, and lastly, that heaven is my home.

Heaven is my home.

Don't be distracted by the ways of the world and those who've gone after the world, he says this.

Verses 20 and 21.

But our citizenship is in heaven.

From it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform.

Notice it doesn't say he might, or maybe he will.

It's a certainty.

Who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself?

Okay, do you notice what Paul does here in these verses?

In verses 19, he's talking about those who've gone after the world.

And the butt here's a connection to that.

So you've seen these people who've left, they've gone astray, they've fallen in love with the world, but then he compares them to us.

But our citizenship is where?

It's not Rome, it's not America, it is in heaven.

He says to them, Look, don't be alarmed or afraid about who's going in and out, what's going on in the world, because our true citizenship does not lie here in this land, it lies in the land to come, it lies in heaven.

It's interesting that Paul says this here in Philippians.

He actually mentions this phrase, our citizenship is in heaven a few times throughout the book.

Because Philippi was apparently a community, it was a city, it was an outpost that was really proud to be Roman, to be under the Roman Empire, to be under Caesar's rule and reign.

And Paul says, Hey, let me know it's great to be a Roman citizen, but there's something better than being a Roman citizen.

It's being a citizen of heaven.

Why is being a citizen of heaven way better than being a citizen of Rome?

Because the Roman Empire, as great as it was, what happened to it?

It rose and it fell.

But you know what keeps going on?

It's the kingdom of heaven.

No man can stop what Jesus is doing from heaven right now.

Paul says, find your identity, your worth, and not in this world that's fleeting and passing away.

Find it in the place that will never fail and never fade, where rust and rot can never enter.

Find it in heaven.

It's like this, Megan and I, we've been married 11 years, and we've had six houses in those 11 years.

We are praying by God's grace, we just get to stay in one place for a little bit.

Lord, let this be the last home for a long time.

So for the first time in our marriage, we've actually started working on our home and trying to update it, make it more homey to us.

And I was recently thinking about it.

I could live in that house the rest of my life, which would be awesome.

I hope to do that.

But you know what's gonna happen?

The day I die in that home, my family moves out, some other family's gonna move in and they're gonna undo everything I did.

They're gonna be like, I can't believe you painted it this color.

I can't believe you did this to the backyard.

They're gonna undo all of it.

Same of your home.

Just think about your job that you invest so much time and energy into.

You know what someone else is gonna do one day?

They're gonna get your job and they're gonna change it.

And they're gonna say, this is the way forward.

And it's like God has put these little reminders of our fleetingness, our frailty in front of us to remind you that this is not your home.

So stop acting like it.

This is not going to last forever.

We are simply passing by.

I love being a Texan.

It's awesome.

I love being from America, it's awesome.

But the Texas as we know it and America as we know it will one day fade away.

History alone tells us that.

They will not last.

But you know what will last?

What Jesus is doing in heaven.

That's why Paul says, don't be distracted, don't be afraid by what's happening around you.

Because what Jesus is doing in heaven, your final resting place where you'll live forever, it cannot be stopped.

It's like this a friend of mine talks about it.

If that's the most important thing, what Jesus is doing from heaven, it should instruct and inform us how we live.

And he says this imagine there are break rooms in heaven where the angels hang out between shifts.

They drink Celsius and Starbucks and all those things.

And they have TVs in the in the break rooms of heaven, and they're just kind of watching to see what's happening on earth.

Do you know what they're watching on TV?

Do you know what they're watching with great anticipation and joy, trying to see what's happening on earth?

It's not the election in November.

That's like a small little ticker at the bottom that just says, here's who won the election.

You know what they're watching with great anticipation and with great joy is what Jesus is doing in and through his church.

The angels are far more excited about what Jesus is doing in and through United City Church than what Jesus is doing in Washington, D.C.

Because what's happening in D.C., it will fade.

The term limits will come, but what he's doing here will last forever.

The angels of heaven are thrilled by what's happening at Trinity River and Redemption City and in Turkey and in other places of the world.

They get more excited over one sinner repenting, over another church getting planted, another missionary gets sent, over any kind of election.

They're not worried about who's in power in our country.

You know why?

Because Jesus is on his throne and he cannot and he will not be stopped.

So, brothers and sisters, why get so caught up in the thing that's not gonna last?

Don't hear me say that I don't want you to be concerned about it.

Do do as much good as you possibly can.

Vote, be informed.

But just do it through the lens that it won't last.

It's fleeting and it's fading.

And if you're a Christian today, you have a place that you're headed that will never fade.

Keep your eyes fixed on the land that knows no death nor decay.

Keep your eyes fixed on the land that has no undertaker and it has no graveyards.

Keep your eyes fixed on the land where sorrow cannot live and joy cannot die.

Keep your eyes fixed on the place where we will be with Jesus forever.

View your politics through that lens that Jesus is one day going to come with his holy angels, and he's bringing heaven with him.

And we will live with him forever.

So, brothers and sisters, as you think about politics, as you interact with those who have differing opinions, remember that Jesus is King.

That what he's doing in the world, he's saving a people for himself in and through this church.

Church is all over.

And that one day he's bringing heaven with us, and what he does and bringing heaven to us will never be stopped and will never be overthrown.

Let's pray.

Father in heaven, we come to you in Jesus' name, who you've given all authority in heaven and on earth to.

Father, we in this moment publicly declare our trust in him.

We rejoice that he has all authority, that he's working things, all things according to his wisdom and his will, and that the day will come when all the ransomed church of God will be saved to sin no more.

Father, we confess that we are a frail and feeble people who get so caught up in the things of this world.

So, Father, we pray this day that we would leave a change to people who have great confidence in what you're doing, and not only in this nation, but all over.

Because you've promised, because Jesus' work is finished, he's raised from the dead, that your work and the world cannot be stopped.

Your glory will fill the earth as the waters cover the sea.

So, Father, we pray that United City would be an outpost of heaven in the days ahead, where people in this community could look and see a people who are not afraid, who are not anxious about the world because they are trusting that Jesus is King.

We pray that this would be a church marked by loving neighbors, by serving and meeting their needs, but ultimately by sharing the gospel with them.

And oh Father, we do pray that even now that you might send the Lord Jesus, that our suffering and sorrow might end, that we might be with you forever and praise your name.

We ask this in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Close your eyes.

Let's continue in a season of prayer.

What happens in November is a big deal.

But it's not ultimate.

Perhaps for some of you, your story is maybe you came to see a baptism, maybe you were invited by a friend, maybe you've heard about United City and wanted to see what was going on.

Maybe you're you've done the church thing in your past, but you haven't done it for a long time.

So you thought, well, let's just let's try it.

And maybe what you've been doing is been trying to fill this void, this feeling in your heart with temporary things, relationships, or maybe a new job, or maybe a new situation, or maybe a new team.

And temporarily it's been satisfying.

Just never last.

It's because the Bible says it's been talked about that you are not actually made for this life.

Instead, we're made for the life to come.

And the Bible tells us that God sent his one and only Son, Jesus, to walk the earth with us.

He lived a perfect, sinless, obedient life.

He actually gave his life on a cross.

He didn't do anything to deserve it, but he but he offered himself willingly and voluntarily as a substitute and his sacrifice for your sins.

The Bible says he rose from the dead three days later, and then he offers us the chance to experience eternal life.

And here's what's crazy: that's good enough in and of itself.

The fact that we can know that one day we will be able to, when we die, stand before God and be able to live in heaven with him, where he is seated right now at the throne of the Father, ruling and reigning, not worried whatsoever about what takes place in November.

The Bible tells us that he also throws in abundant life here and now.

Doesn't mean things are gonna be perfect, it doesn't mean things are gonna be easy, it doesn't mean things that are always gonna go the way that we want.

But the Bible tells us in John 16, 3, take heart, I have overcome the world.

In me you will have peace.

Do you want that kind of life?

What you've been searching for is not something that you gotta go find.

What you've been searching for is something that is being offered.

It's Jesus, it's relationship with Him.

So if you're here today, whether you're watching me online, whether you're here in this room, I want to invite you to pray a simple prayer by praying these words, you can express in your heart your desire to know Jesus, to have eternal life and abundant life.

Just pray these words, dear God.

I want to know you, I want a relationship with you.

I believe that you died on the cross for me.

I believe that you rose from the dead, and right now I turn from all the things I'm putting my trust in, which I've only satisfied temporarily.

Instead, I give my life to you.

Just gonna be my Lord, you'll be my Savior to change me, to forgive me, to fill me with your spirit.

It's in the name of Jesus that I pray.

Amen.

I'm gonna ask our team to go ahead and line up here up front.

What I'm gonna ask you to do is in just a moment, we're all gonna stand up.

That's gonna be your cue.

If you just prayed that prayer with me to come find one of these team members, the closest one that is near you, just come and tell them about your decision to give your life to Jesus.

Others, if you need to come and join the United City Church, I just want to be straight up.

We're not gonna be a political church, we're gonna be a Jesus church.

If you want to be a part of a Jesus church, it's gonna make the name of Jesus spoken more and more and more and more often than ever in the next few months, which is what we believe is the most important thing we should be doing.

And I want to encourage you to be a part of what God's doing here at United City.

We believe that He has set us in a place to be a light on a hill in Northeast Houston and be all.

Come and join us if you're here to need to be baptized.

Maybe you need to take a next step, like the two that we saw earlier today.

Let that be your opportunity today to come forward and to schedule your baptism.

Maybe some of you need prayer today.

You have a medical need, you have a financial need, you have a relational need, you've got a pressing thing going on in your life.

We don't want you to do it alone.

We just want to come alongside of you.

We're gonna pray and lift those needs up to the Lord on your behalf.

Father, I pray you'd move in these moments we have left.

Lead people to take their next steps today in faith.

We thank you in advance.

We give you all the glory.

It's in Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.

Which all of you stand up, and as you stand, our team is up front.

You come forward as God is leading you to respond.

Come on.

Father in heaven, we do come before you and we pray that you would lead us and guide us in these next few months.

Lord, it just already feels like it's just gonna be an onslaught of noise.

God, I pray that you would help us to hear your voice over all other voices.

I pray, God, that we would truly live and act as though you are truly the King.

I pray God that you would give us a passion and a desire and clarity on what it looks like for us to serve our neighbor.

Father, I pray that you would help us to be innovative in ways that we can serve other people, even those that disagree with us, even those that may be teaching in our schools that maybe are different than what we want them to say, or those, Lord, who may be neighbors of ours, Lord, who have signs in their yards that we would never put in ours.

I pray, God, that you would help us to love our neighbors well.

But Lord, we may we be the hands and feet of Jesus in this season.

May this be an opportunity for United City Church to shine because of the gospel.

Let that be on our lips.

I pray, God, that you would help us to live as though heaven is home.

I pray God that we would not find ourselves getting so entangled in the comforts and creatures of this world, but instead, Father, may we look forward to the place where we are to go.

Let us be heavenly minded so that we can be do much here on this earth for you.

It's in the name of Jesus that I pray.

Amen.

Real quick, before we are dismissed, Ben, I'm gonna ask you to go ahead and come back up here if you would.

Uh, one, I just want to mention to you growth track.

If you are interested in what's going on at United City Church, how you can be a part of what he's doing here, how you can be a part of membership.

We have something called Growth Track that takes place at 10 o'clock in the Growth Track room every single week.

We go through all four of our core values here at United City Church.

We're gonna give you a spiritual gifts test.

Uh, we're gonna talk to you about groups, we're gonna talk to you about serving.

I'm just telling you, I just met with the folks in Growth Track last service.

I've never met anybody who's gone all in on the church who's regretted it.

I haven't met them yet.

Uh I've met a lot of people who've been half in, half out, and who don't feel connected.

But I've never met anybody who's jumped all four feet in, uh all full in, and been able to set, you don't have four feet.

That's a dog.

You have two feet.

Feet and hands all the way in.

And regretted it.

And I promise you that's gonna be the case for you as well.

Ben, I just want to tell you one, thank you so much for being here.

Let's give Ben a hand and celebrate what God's doing in his church.

I mentioned we've already given quite a bit of money to various church plants.

We've actually already given some money to Trinity River, but we don't want you to walk away empty-handed.

We're gonna give Trinity River even some more money.

So let's just uh celebrate what God's doing.

We're so thankful for Ben and his leadership.

If you're ever in Fort Worth, uh go by Trinity River.

If we think about it, uh I want us to be a place that not only just gives finances, but we also send teams, but we also pray.

And I know that Ben would cover your prayers, he and Megan and their five children, uh all really little bitty, uh, but God's using this man in profound ways.

He'll be here in the future, I know for sure.

So thank you guys so much for being here.

You guys have a great Sunday.

Take care.