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Sermon Transcript

Let me invite you to open your Bibles to two different places. First of all, find Psalm 2 and put a bookmark or your husband’s finger there, and then turn back to 1 Peter chapter 2. We’ve been taking our outline for this series from a particular passage there in 1 Peter 2 that describes for us the identity of those whom we call kingdom citizens. We’re learning that we are citizens of two different countries: we’re American citizens, but we are citizens of a holy kingdom, with a holy King. As dual citizens, we have dual responsibilities.

We’re born into America and we become citizens. We’re reborn into this kingdom citizenship—and so we have this dual citizenship going on. But we recognize that, while we’re here on this earth, this is not our home. We’re living for a better homeland. As we get started, let’s just read this description of these kingdom citizens from 1 Peter 2, beginning in verse 9: “But you are a chosen race…”

Last week, we talked about how we are a chosen race as Christians redeemed by God—from all the peoples of the earth, from all tribes and tongues and nations—we’re a chosen race that views all other races through the lens of Scripture. Today, we’re going to look at the next two descriptions of these kingdom citizens [continuing in 1 Peter 2:9]: “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. . .” We’re going to unpack those two descriptors.

Did you know that you are a priest? How many of you, that’s news to you? I don’t see anybody here wearing the little collar, or a big hat, or swinging any smoke in church. So what does it mean to be a priest? We’re going to find out what it means to live as a priest in an unholy nation. Because, not only are you a royal priesthood, you are a holy nation. Did you know that you are holy? Some of you men have been trying to convince your wife of that for years, and she is yet to be convinced! But, this passage says that you, as a citizen of Heaven—a citizen of this kingdom—are a royal priesthood and a holy nation. Those two terms are tied together in several different places in the Scripture.

By way of introduction, let me show you this Old Testament scripture that is very much parallel to what we just read. In Exodus 19:5-6, God says this, “If you [speaking to the nation of Israel] will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me [notice] a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” That’s why we’re grouping them together. They’re inseparable throughout the Scripture.

God was talking to a literal nation, the nation of Israel, which He had chosen from among all the nations of the earth. God had established that nation by covenant. He had given them His law; they were to be governed by this law. He established a theocracy. It was the only theocracy God ever established. God Himself was King.

Sometimes, when people make accusations against Christians who are trying to involve themselves in leadership or in political elections, they say, “Well, you’re trying to establish a theocracy.” No. As Christians, we understand, America is not a theocracy. There was only one theocracy. It had a king, His name was Jesus. We read that He established this nation, Israel, through a holy covenant, and He wanted it to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.

But, as we read through our Old Testament Bibles, we understand that that was a corrupt nation, and there were evil kings. Finally, because of their disobedience, their idolatry and their [lack of] morality the whole kingdom imploded in on itself. And that was not the end, because we read the promises that there is a better King coming, and we know who He is. He’s King Jesus, and He is the King of this kingdom of citizens who have been redeemed and purchased by His blood. You, if you’re a Christian, are a part of a kingdom of priests, and you are a holy nation. So, let’s talk about these two terms, again just by way of introduction.

In just a minute, we’re going to turn in our Bibles over to Psalm 2 and walk through that. But I want you to understand what it means to be a holy nation. Understand this first of all: do you recognize that we no longer have home-field advantage in America? Do you understand that? How many of you have ever played on a sports team, and when you went into the visiting court or the visiting field, you recognized there was a lot of pressure on you?

There were actually two men who got together and wrote a book called Scorecasting. One was an economics professor from the University of Chicago, and the other was a sportswriter. They did a scientific study to find out, why is it that there is this phenomenon called “a home-field advantage?” This is what they found, in their research: The home team in baseball wins fifty-four percent of the time; the home team in football wins fifty-seven percent of the time, and the home team in basketball wins sixty percent of the time. So they found out there really is a home-field advantage.

Then, they did some research to figure out what is going on. Could it be something to do with the players sleeping in their own bed that night? Could it be getting a home-cooked meal? Maybe it’s just the pressure the fans put on the team, and maybe it helps them throw a ball better or catch it better. Well, they found out that none of that was true, but they found out why there is a home-field advantage. And I’m about to share it with you. Aren’t you glad you came to church? You’re learning something! It’s the referees! It’s true! It is scientifically proven by the research that the refs give slight advantage to the home team.

Now, it’s not that the referees are immoral or unethical. They’re not trying to favor the home team. It’s simply this: Like you and me, they are human, and they are influenced by momentum and emotion. I used to be a referee, and I found that I could be the most popular guy or the least popular guy in the building depending on the call I made. What they found out is, because of the emotion and the pressure of the crowd, subconsciously the refs found themselves making just little, slight favoritism rulings toward the home team because the home team crowd would cheer or boo based on what they would do.

I share that illustration with you because you and I need to understand something. We, as Christians, used to have a home-field advantage. No longer do we have a home-field advantage. As a matter of fact, every day you walk out into this world, you are the visiting team. You are no longer popular. As a matter of fact, it has become something that even those who make the rules and make the rulings, just like the referees, are now ruling against those of us that declare our allegiance to a higher King as kingdom citizens. So, we are a holy nation living in an increasingly unholy earthly nation.

So, how do we live this out? First of all, let’s talk about this word “holy,” here, because that’s kind of spooky. What does it mean to be holy? Well, of course, we know that that exclusively, in its most intense sense, belongs to the description of God. It means that He is set apart. It means that He is “other.” He is not human, and He’s not limited by any human characteristic. He is entirely perfect—there is moral perfection. He is entirely righteous and He is unstained by evil. Anything God does is right! And anything He says is right. That’s what makes Him holy.

Now, in Scripture, we need to understand that for us, we are called a holy nation. What makes us a holy nation? You could say it in two different ways. First of all, we have a positional holiness. We are holy because God said we are. God is holy, and whatever God says is holy, is holy. That’s what we would call a positional holiness. That means that we are not everything that we want to be, or one day will be, but because God said it, it’s true.

We are, as a kingdom citizenship, set apart from everything and everyone else and all the things that are going on in this nation. We’re set apart by a holy God. We’re separated by His designation; we are called out of an unholy nation to be a holy nation. That’s what we mean when we say there’s a positional holiness that’s true. No matter your behavior, no matter your conduct. You’re holy.

But, the Bible also talks about a practical holiness. That has to do with your behavior. Jesus, in John chapter 17, when He prayed for us, He prayed that we would be sanctified by truth. And then He said, “Father, Your word is truth.” So, every time we open our Bibles and every time we hear truth, that is God’s way of increasingly making us holy. When we hear the declarations of God, we change our behavior, we change our language, we change our attitudes, so that our behavior can match our description of what God said – “a holy people.”

In 1 Peter 1:15 and 16, you could turn back to it—just the previous page there, the passage says this: “But as he who called you is holy…” Does everybody agree with that—God is holy? “…You also be holy in all your conduct…” You say, “Oh, that’s positional.” No, that’s practical. He says you must be holy in all your conduct, “…since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’” There is absolutely no room for unholy talk, unholy behavior and unholy attitudes in a holy nation. And wherever we find it, we’ve got to crush it, because it is inconsistent with who God called us to be. Be holy, for God is holy.

So, we’re a holy nation. What does it mean to be a nation? We think about geopolitical boundaries. Christians don’t have geopolitical boundaries; what we have are distinct moral boundaries, and God wants us to stay within those moral boundaries. Listen. We are called out by a holy God. We read and study a holy Bible. We preach a holy message—the gospel. We are indwelled by the Holy Spirit. And we are commanded to live holy lives, because we are a holy nation. And so, it’s not enough just to blend in with whatever’s going on in your neighborhood or in your school or in your family. We’re called out of that to be something distinctly holy. We’re a holy nation. That’s what we learned—that was the first descriptor.

Here’s the second descriptor of this kingdom citizenship. Not only are we a holy nation, we are a royal priesthood. A royal priesthood. Let’s break that down. What does it mean to be royal? What does it mean to have royalty? Well, it typically means that you have a family connection, a blood connection—to a king. That’s why he says, “You are royalty.” If you have been redeemed by Christ—Christ is a king—you are in the royal family. You are to be treated as royalty! You’re members of His family by blood and by status.

Here’s another thing it means: You’ve got access to the family treasure. Whatever Jesus has, by relation it belongs to you. You’re royalty! Did you know that? Some of you are tempted to turn, right now, to your neighbor and say, “I am royalty!” Don’t do that—that would be not a good move for you in church, okay? But to believe that, and to be indwelled by that truth: “I am part of a royal family.”

But, then, what about this word “priesthood?” In our culture, if you have a background in the Catholic Church, you may have had a relationship with someone who is called a priest. If you come from a Jewish background—and maybe you’ve read the Old Testament—you understand that the priesthood, and the office of priest, is all throughout the Old Testament.

So, we read our Bibles here. When we read in 1 Peter 2 that we’re a royal priesthood, we need to understand some things about that. What that means is this: a priest, very simply, could be described as someone who represents people before God—and represents God before people. A priest is someone who stands in-between God, who is holy, and man, who is unholy. Because there can be no unholiness in the presence of a holy God.

So, if you’re a thinking person, you should be able to reason: “How in the world can I, stained by sin (I am not holy!) even come into the presence of the holiness of God?” The answer is, “You can’t! And you shouldn’t try!” For any unholiness to come into the presence of holiness means that whatever is unholy would be incinerated! So, don’t try it without a priest. That’s what we read in the Old Testament.

In order for people to have access to God—the holy place, the Holy of Holies—there had to be a man who was called out by God, designated as a priest, dressed in royal attire, and he was to sanctify himself and cleanse himself. And then, only one day out of the year, he could come into the Holies of Holies and offer sacrifices for the people—representing the cleansing that was necessary for unholiness. And there he would serve God, he would worship God, he would pray to God, representing the entire nation of the people.

Not all in the nation were priests. There was only one designated tribe—the Levites—that were to act as the go-between. They were to stand in the gap between holy God and unholy people. Now, do you understand what’s happening?

When God calls us in the New Testament, we need to understand—He’s calling us to stand in the gap between the holy nation that we are (the kingdom that we one day will be in, fully and completely) and the unholy nation in which we currently live. We are the royal priesthood. And we’re the ones that have the message of holiness. It is our job, as kingdom citizens, to take hold of the holiness of God with one hand, and take hold of the unholiness of this nation with the other, and pull with all of our might! Because we have the message that can give access to unholy people, to become citizens of this holy kingdom, and citizens of this holy nation! You’re a priest! You represent the people before God.

How do you do that? In prayer, we cry out and ask God to forgive our sin and cleanse our land and heal us and bring us into His holiness once again! We stand before an unholy nation—in your cubicle and your schoolroom and your factory—and you represent God before the people. That’s why it so important that you live a holy life. It’s not just what you say, but they should be able to see the reflections of holiness, because you are a part of a holy nation.

So, we are a holy nation living in an increasingly unholy earthly nation, and we are standing in the gap as a royal priesthood between holiness and unholiness. Now, it’s important to understand: We don’t need a priest anymore to gain access to God. There are no more priests. This is where we differ from our Catholic friends. We don’t need priests. We don’t need priests anymore. Jesus Christ is our high Priest. He, once for all, sacrificed His life as the Lamb of God (we sang it earlier) so that we could have direct access to God. And through His blood and His sacrifice, once for all, we have been cleansed and we can have direct access to God, to boldly approach the throne of God in a way that people in the Old Testament never could.

We are a holy nation and we are a royal priesthood. That’s the introduction! Now, I want you to turn over to Psalm chapter 2, okay? Psalm chapter 2 gives us an understanding how we, as a holy nation, can live in an unholy nation. I want you to notice here. The first verse is even kind of a description of the headlines. Let’s read it, beginning in Psalm 2, verse 1: “Why do the nations rage. . .”

Underline that word, “rage.” Did anybody ever see on the news any nations raging lately? Any enraged people in a nation? Well, guess what? It’s not new! As a matter of fact, all unholy nations, characteristically, are raging out of control, chaos and calamity all around, because they have declared war on God!

So, here’s what we’re going to learn today. First of all:

 

  1. Nations are (v. 1-3)

 

Can I get an amen on that? So, how can we—as a holy nation—live in this raging nation? Psalm 2:1-3 goes on. “Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying, ‘Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.’”

What a description of what is going on in our culture, even right now. There was a time when there was a high percentage of people who would identify with Christ, call themselves Christians, and attempt to live a life that was governed by our holy King Jesus. That was true in America. America was founded by many men who proclaimed Christ and had seminary degrees. Fifty-two out of the fifty-five signers of the Declaration of Independence were born-again Christians and were unapologetic about that. We see all kinds of religious history and Christian history. You visit Washington, D.C. and you find Scripture on the monuments and on the national treasures there, because the men who founded our country understood, “We do not want to declare war on God!”

But, here we are two-hundred-and-forty years later, and we’ve watched the progression. We’ve watched our country go from a group of people who believe the gospel to, maybe, a group that at least respected Christians and respected the mission of the gospel. But then, time passed, and it was as if they didn’t want to respect; they just kind of tolerated Christians. “That’s fine, you do just kind of do your thing over there.”

But it’s gone even from tolerating Christians to now hating and raging against Christians and maybe even eliminate this message of Christ, which is so divisive. And it’s because the nations have declared war on God, and those who are citizens of His kingdom end up bearing the brunt of His rage. So, the nations are raging. What are they raging against? Why are they so upset? Why are they so mad?

Here are four things I just kind of thought of, as we think of this:

  • Objective truth

They are raging against transcendent truth—moral boundaries that were given to us, outside of time and space, by a holy God, to say, “If you live within these boundaries, you’ll be safe.” But it’s as if no one wants to listen to truth anymore, and now we’re living in an age where people even deny the existence of truth—and truth can be whatever you want it to be.

We even see that here in the Scripture, when it says, “The kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel.” It’s as if they gather together in boardrooms or the halls of Congress or the Oval Office and they scratch their heads and say, “What do you think the rules should be?” And they’re rewriting the rules because they’re no longer listening to objective truth. It didn’t used to be that way.

In 1787, the Constitutional Convention was going on there in Philadelphia, and representatives from the thirteen colonies were trying to hammer out the Constitution: “What would our rules be?” It looked as if the whole Union was going to dissolve, even before the Constitution was passed. In the midst of the fussing and the fighting and the raging and the arguing, a man named Benjamin Franklin interrupted the Convention, and—though not a believer himself—he said this (by the way, he was eighty-one at the time; the average for an adult male then was forty-two): “The longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth–that God Governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid?” Answer: No! “We have been assured, Sir, in the sacred writings, that ‘except the Lord build the House they labour in vain that build it. . .’ quoting from Psalm 127. And then he said this, “I therefore beg leave to move that henceforth prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven, and its blessings on our deliberations, be held in this Assembly every morning before we proceed to business. . .”

Do you know what he was saying? “We’re not smart enough to figure this out. We need God!” That’s the way our nation was begun, and here we are two-hundred-and-forty years later, and the nation is raging against someone who would stand and declare that we need to pray. And so, the nations are raging against objective truth…

And the nations are increasingly raging against:

  • Religious freedom

Right now, in California, state lawmakers are considering a bill that would penalize Christian colleges and universities that would “deny equal rights or opportunities on the basis of gender-identity, gender expression or sexual orientation.” If that law were to be passed, it would shut down or completely strip those schools of the right to teach a biblical worldview, especially on marriage and sexuality, and it would outlaw them if they did. That’s the kind of environment that we’re living in, politically. They’re raging against religious freedom.

And they’re raging against:

  • The exclusivity of Christ

Look at it here in the second part of verse 2: [They’re raging] “against the Lord and against his Anointed…” The word “anointed” there is actually, in the Hebrew, the word that was translated into the word “Christ.” It’s a marker to the anointing of the King. Samuel anointed King Saul, and it was a precursor to the fact that God the Father would anoint His Son, Jesus, to be the descendant of King David, and to be the king of this kingdom.

So, they’re raging against the exclusivity of Christ, and then, they’re raging against all moral boundaries.

  • Sexual fidelity

Notice in verse 3: “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.” They want absolute autonomy; they want absolutely no barriers, no borders on their behavior—especially when it comes to sexuality. And they want no one to determine for them what is right and wrong. They want to burst those bonds and live in complete sexual freedom, instead of valuing what God considers holy—in marriage, and in gender and for our children and for our families, and for the next generation—and for the nation itself. That’s the raging that’s going on against all kinds of moral boundaries.

God is laughing while the nations are raging.

 

  1. God is laughing. (4-6)

 

Look at it here in verses 4-6: “He who sits in the heavens laughs; The Lord holds them in derision. Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, ‘As for me, I have set my King,” and it’s not you! Who is it? It’s Jesus, the King of Kings, “on Zion, my holy hill.” So, yeah, the nations are raging—but do you think God is stressed out about that in any way? Uh. . .no, He is not!

As a matter of fact, the passage says that God is laughing. It’s one of the few places in the Bible that we see God laughing. There’s another place in Proverbs 1:24-26. God says this, “Because I have called and you refused to listen, have stretched out my hand and no one has heeded, because you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof, I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when terror strikes you…” Your terror comes. Now, it’s not that God finds it comical. It’s just that He finds it ridiculous, that people would stand against Him!

Here are five things that make God laugh:

  • Attitudes of superiority,

Pride and arrogance and an inflated opinion of our intellect or our creativity or our ingenuity—that somehow thinks that we don’t need God anymore. And so, where you find countries that are proud, and you find leaders of nations that are proud and arrogant, dictators and tyrants, you will find God setting Himself against them.

  • Assertions of power

Somehow thinking that, because of our technology or our military or our economic prowess, that somehow we’re more powerful than God.

  • Affirmations of autonomy

Autonomy means, “I don’t need anybody or anything; I just need me, and I just need what I have.” Affirmations of autonomy are things that get a good belly laugh from God, because as the Creator, He knows how much we need Him!

And those who say we don’t need God, and some of us even in this room, we demonstrate that autonomy because we don’t pray. If you go through your life prayerless, what you’re basically saying is, “I don’t need God!” And God is laughing at you, because you don’t recognize how much you need Him. America was born as it declared its independence from a king. America may die declaring its independence from the King of Kings. We must not see ourselves as autonomous.

  • Accusations of indifference

Sometimes, people ball up their fists in the face of God, and they think, “God, where were You when this tragedy happened? God, if You loved us, You wouldn’t have let this happen. God, You must not be good. You must not be in control.” Listen, God laughs at those kinds of accusations! Understanding that God is there and God does care is what sends us, in prayer, to Him.

God laughs at:

  • Assumptions of invincibility

Somehow, to think that because we’re Americans and we’ve lasted this long, we’re probably not a threat to God—and there’s probably not another threat out there that could take us down. And yet, when we read that it is the Lord Who “terrifies them in His fury,”—God is still on His throne, and God has a King who can take down any ruler or any kingdom.

So, the nations are raging, God is laughing. Here’s the third thing:

 

  1. The King is reigning (7-9)

 

Amen? It was kind of depressing up to this point, right? I mean, come on! The King is reigning!

Look at it in verse 7:“I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, ‘You are my Son. . .’” Now, wait a minute. Are we in the Old Testament here? Has Jesus yet been born? And here we are reading, as a reference to the Trinity, God the Father has a Son that He says will sit on a throne. “. . .Today I have begotten you.” That’s one of the most quoted Old Testament verses in the New Testament. You can study that later.

Verse 8 says, “Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” Sounds a little violent, doesn’t it? Is Jesus violent? Sometimes He needs to be violent—with me.

Lest you think that this is a message about America and its raging against God, the kingdom that you should be most concerned with—and the king you should be most concerned with—is the kingdom of your heart and King Me, who always wants to sit on the throne. Because, the truth is, there is a little king inside of me who is always raging against God. It’s a battleground for control over the territory of my heart. There’s a battle going on constantly.

And, even for those of us who have surrendered to Christ, and we’ve made Him our King, until God gives us a new body and we are with Him in His kingdom, every moment of the day there is a battle over which king is going to sit on the throne. And it is impossible for King Me and King Jesus to occupy the throne at the same time.

The kingdom-nation that lives on the inside of me battles for control against King Jesus, who wants to bring His kingdom right here, right now. And both of these kingdoms—King Jesus and King Me—hold out promise.  King Me holds out promise of happiness if I will live outside His boundaries; King Jesus holds out promise of happiness and security if I live inside His boundaries. The kingdom of Jesus is greater and more glorious than the Kingdom of Me—and that’s what I have to preach to myself every day: “Get off the throne, surrender and be loyal to King Jesus!”

My kingdom is filled with worry, anxiety and fear. His kingdom is filled with peace, joy and righteousness. My kingdom must continually be crushed by His rod of iron. My kingdom must continually be dashed into pieces like a potter’s vessel—every day—lest I would somehow try to gain control of that throne again. So, I understand that I must make a choice every day, who is going to rule and reign on the throne of my heart. Mark it down, you will either surrender to King Jesus and know Him as your King, or you will be crushed by His kingdom and only know Him as your Judge. But the choice is up to you: which kingdom is going to get control in your heart? The King is reigning.

Here’s the fourth thing:

 

  1. Kingdom Citizens are trusting. (v. 10-12)

 

Kingdom citizens are safe. Look at verses 10-12, which say, “Now therefore, O kings, be wise. . .” Who’s He talking to? He’s talking to that little king on the inside of you. “Be wise, o kings, which king you choose.” “…Be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.”

So, in this kingdom-citizenship, we’re a holy nation, we’re a royal priesthood. What did those priests do as they stood in the gap between the unholy and the holy? They served the Lord. As a royal priesthood, what are we going to do as we live among the raging nations—as we wait for our King to come one day? Here’s what we do:

  • Serve the Lord!

Quit bellyaching about how hard it is to live in this kingdom. Join the rest of the citizens of the kingdom; ninety-five percent of them who have ever existed have lived in a nation hostile toward what they believed. You don’t have home-field advantage anymore! So don’t give up! Keep serving the Lord. Don’t let any resistance or hostility keep you from loving Him and serving Him and proclaiming Him. Do it with humility and sincerity and unashamed passion—in light of the fact that He has been a servant to you.

Our High Priest serves us! He ultimately served us on the cross when He offered himself as the sacrifice to atone for sin. So what are you waiting for? What’s your excuse? Serve the Lord! What area of kingdom responsibility did you carry this week? How did you represent Him to those who have not yet known His holiness?

And then this: Scripture says:

  • Rejoice with trembling.

Only in a kingdom citizen would you ever find those two words existing at the same time: rejoicing and trembling. We don’t bury our heads in the sand. We’re not Pollyannas who think it’s not hard and that there aren’t dangers and threats out there, but we rejoice because we are living for the day when the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our Lord!

I was trying to think of a time that I’d actually seen somebody rejoice with trembling. And I actually saw it many times this week as I watched the Olympics. Have you seen any of those Olympic athletes that expend every ounce of energy? They’ve trained for this for three years, they finally get to the race, and they win the gold medal, and they fall exhausted, trembling. And yet they rejoice that they’ve won gold. That’s our attitude! We are victorious—and yet we are exhausted. We are victorious, and yet sometimes there are some things that make us a little afraid. But we rejoice with trembling.

And then he says this: “Kiss the Son.”

  • Love the Son.

His Name is Jesus, the Son of God! Love Him with an unashamed adoration. I went to a wedding this past week—one of my friends got married—and there is always the climactic moment, right? where the one officiating the wedding says, “You may now kiss the bride!” And up until that moment, it’s always kind of formal and you got to get dressed up and you got to wear a tie and you got to whisper because it’s a formal moment.

But when the kiss is planted, what happens? Everybody cheers, everybody relaxes and says, “I affirm this!” And you know what, the bride and the groom just start slobbering all over in front of everybody! They are unaware that anybody else is in the room. Why? Because there is a love relationship that has been building and has finally culminated in this moment when they declare their covenant love to one another.

What are we to do while the nations rage? We’re to be kissing the Son—not in a romantic, sloppy kiss, but in affirmation of the covenant love He’s demonstrated toward us, and us back to Him. Love the Son!

And then, finally, this:

  • Take refuge in Him.

Here’s the good news: “Blessed are all who take refuge in him.” You can live safe as a kingdom citizen in an unholy nation, as a royal priesthood. Because anytime you want to, you can go boldly and directly to access the Holy of Holies, the throne room of God, to ask boldly whatever you need. Take refuge in Him!

The truth of the matter is, you’re going to take refuge somewhere. Because as this nation becomes more unholy and things spin more out of control, you’re going to run somewhere for refuge. You’ve got to choose! Are you going to run to the treasures of this earth? Are you going to run to the next presidential candidate who maybe can pass a few laws that might be a little favorable to us? Are you going to go to Mom and Dad? Are you going to trust in your IRA? Is that where you’re going to find security and refuge? You have to choose who’s going to sit on the throne, and who your refuge will be.

 

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