INTRO:
Before the Israelites were defeated by the Babylonians and many of
them carried off to Babylon, where they lived for 400 years, they were a
kingdom, an autonomous nation, living by laws that God had given them
under leaders that God provided.
While they did return to their land and rebuild the walls of Jerusalem
and the Temple, they never really regained the autonomous status they
once enjoyed. After the Babylonians came the Medo-Persians, then the
Greeks, and finally the Romans. Israel was little more than a vassal state.
They were not an independent country that could exercise their sovereignty.
They had no supreme ruler; they were given a governor, and he wasn’t even
Jewish. Even Herod was Idumean. O how they longed for the days of King
David!
God was going to restore the Davidic dynasty, but it would be restored
as a spiritual kingdom. That’s why Matthew’s gospel account, aimed at the
Jews, begins with a genealogy that shows that Jesus of Nazareth was from
the lineage of David. As such, He had the proper credentials to be the
promised king. However, those who saw Him as such were crushed when
He was killed by the Romans, who had no king but Caesar. But God raised
Him from the dead so that He could reign over His kingdom, which would be
the church.
He reigns over that kingdom today and awaits the time when God the
Father tells Him that it’s time to bring that kingdom to the New Jerusalem.
The congregations of the church in today’s world are like embassies in
a foreign land. We who make up the church live here as ambassadors –
ambassadors for Christ. That is, we represent Christ wherever we go.
That’s why it’s so important that we conduct ourselves accordingly. No
country (or kingdom) wants an ambassador who is an embarrassment.
You and I have what could be called “dual citizenship.” We are
temporarily American citizens, and we are eternally citizens of God’s
kingdom. However, there should be no question as to where our first
loyalties lie. We are, first and foremost, followers of King Jesus.
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As far as our American citizenship goes, we are to be salt and light, so
that we can spread God’s terms of peace (the gospel message) to everyone.
You see, Satan is the god of this world, and he has turned most of the
people in this world against God. Our mission is one of reconciliation –
leading people to be reconciled to God through His Son Jesus.
One way to do this, among others, is to be a good Christian citizen. In
Philippians 1:27 Paul wrote: “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in
a many worthy of the gospel of Christ.” Interestingly, the Greek word
he used that is translated “conduct” is POLITEUO, the word from which out
word “politics” comes. So, Paul says that our “citizenship” should reflect
favorably on the gospel of Christ. Today I want to try to describe what a
good Christian citizen is, on the basis of God’s word.
First of all, a good Christian citizen…