The House of the Lord, Part 1: Politics and the Mission of God
Victory Life Church November 3, 2024
Isaiah 2:1–5 (ESV) 1 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. 2 It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it, 3 and many peoples shall come, and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. 4 He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. 5 O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord.
There is no avoiding politics. Politics simply means “public life and affairs involving authority and government.” Our lives are lived in such a way that involves the public sector. The Word of God, the Kingdom of God, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ address and transform every aspect of life in creation, especially so in communal life.
For the next couple of Sundays, we’re going to talk about politics. This will make some of you more excited than you should be and some of you more uncomfortable than usual. I will go too far for some of you and not nearly far enough for others. My responsibility as a pastor is to “keep watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account.” (Hebrews 13:17). There is not just corruption in the halls of Washington, I also see the corruption and malformation of our souls when it comes to our political engagement in this country, and therefore this becomes an important domain of discussion that must be addressed through the lens of the Word of God.
Politics and the Mission of God
Eugene Peterson, in his chapter entitled “The Last Word on Politics (Revelation 12 – 14)” from his 1988 book, Reversed Thunder: The Revelation of John and the Praying Imagination, he says:
“The gospel of Jesus Christ is more political than anyone imagines, but in a way that no one guesses. The ‘kingdom of God,’ an altogether political metaphor, is basic vocabulary in understanding the Christian gospel.” ~ Eugene Peterson
The gospel is the good news that there is a new kingdom available to the world, a new way of ordering life and society; no longer around self and no longer corrupted by sin, and that there is a King of that Kingdom: Jesus Christ, himself. Jesus Christ is Lord, not by popular vote or electoral process, but by his death, resurrection, and ascension God has done this; and there is no dethroning him for all eternity.
“The good news is that the one true God has now taken charge of the world, in and through Jesus and His death and resurrection…God’s plan to put the world right has finally been launched.” ~ N.T. Wright
The Kingdom of God under the Lordship of Jesus is how God is setting the world right. This is God’s agenda and his mission: to rescue and restore people and the world through Jesus Christ.
God’s mission is to rescue and restore people and His world through Jesus Christ.
This is what God is up to all around the world and throughout history. This is his mission and this is his aim. How does he do this? By what means does God achieve this aim? What is Through a rescued and redeemed people. Put another way:
God’s ultimate aim is to advance His Kingdom and manifest His glory through His people.
Isaiah 2:2–3 (NLT) 2 In the last days, the mountain of the Lord’s house will be the highest of all— the most important place on earth. It will be raised above the other hills, and people from all over the world will stream there to worship. 3 People from many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of Jacob’s God. There he will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths.” For the Lord’s teaching will go out from Zion; his word will go out from Jerusalem.
God’s aim “in the last days” is to elevate the “mountain of the Lord’s house” as the most important place on earth. In the New Testament, the “house of the Lord” is the church. God wants to elevate his church as the most influential people on the planet, regardless of nationality or ethnicity. The church is called to be infused into every sector of society and influence others for the sake of God’s Kingdom and his glory.
Habakkuk 2:14 (ESV) For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.
It is the plan of the enemy to intimidate and deceive the church into an isolationist approach to the public sector. It is a scheme of enemy to remove the church from politics; the strategy then is to make everything political, which means the church has no voice into politics. Many of the national issues that have become political are not really political issues, they are biblical issues. In other words, it’s not political, it’s spiritual. (Abortion, sexuality, medical care, poverty, education, the orphan and widow, the immigrant, etc.)
Should Christians be involved in politics? Absolutely. Do I personally prefer the policies of one main political party over those of the other main party? Definitely. Do I believe that the spiritual and political realms often overlap? Certainly.
However, to the extent that we confuse or conflate the Gospel of the Kingdom and King Jesus with American politics, or identify one political party as “God’s party,” or we seek to advance the mission of the Gospel largely through politics, to that extent we will fail our true mission.
“We must not confuse the kingdom of God with our country. To say it another way: ‘We should not wrap Christianity in our national flag.’” ~ Francis Schaeffer
You can love your country without committing idolatry to it. You can do what is good for it and advance good within our country without selling your soul to a political party. You can have and love a national identity as long as you recognize that it is a secondary identity.
God is neither Republican nor Democrat. God’s cause is not the party’s cause. A vote for one party does not necessarily mean a victory for the Kingdom of God. We as followers of Jesus are in this world, but we are not of this world (John 17:16).
Politics will always be a mixture of believers and unbelievers. It will alway have a gravitational pull towards corruption by power and greed. That’s why we must never put our full trust in the political system or a party or a candidate. Politics has its place, but it is not the Kingdom of God.
Joshua 5:13–15 (ESV) 13 When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?” 14 And he said, “No; but I am the commander of the army of the Lord. Now I have come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, “What does my lord say to his servant?” 15 And the commander of the Lord’s army said to Joshua, “Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.
God is not left or right, He is up. He is Lord of ALL. He is not Democrat or Republican, He has a different way altogether. It’s the family table to unites us and brings us together, not the ballot box. We will most certainly have church members of varying parties, and what brings us together is not our politics, but that we have the same Dad, our Heavenly Father. Jesus paid an immeasurable price for their to be unity in His Bride, the church. The church of Jesus Christ is bigger than politics, it’s bigger than America. The church is a unified community of believers worldwide through all generations. It has been purchased at the highest price imaginable: the blood of Jesus Christ.
Jesus’ Bride consists of hundreds of Millions of redeemed men and women from every background, ethnicity, and color. Those who are a part of this blood-bought community live in every nation on the earth, yet our ultimate citizenship is in heaven, our real home-town is the Heavenly Jerusalem. We live in this world without being of this world. Our spirit is different. Our methods are different. Even our allegiance is different, since for us there is something higher than the national flag, or party platform, or presidential candidate. Jesus and Jesus alone is our Lord, and we do not bow the knee of ultimate submission to anyone but Him.
Philippians 3:20 (ESV) But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
This is our primary identity, our primary citizenship, and this is our primary allegiance. We live as citizens of heaven in order that we might bring heaven to earth. This is the mission assigned to us by the Lord Jesus:
God’s ultimate aim is to advance His Kingdom and manifest His glory through His people.
Ephesians 1:21–23 (NLT) 21 Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. 22 God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. 23 And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.
Think back again to the prophet’s imaginative future: Habakkuk 2:14 (ESV) For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.
Ephesians 1:23 (NLT) And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.
Ephesians 1:23 (MSG) The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the church. The church is Christ’s body, in which he speaks and acts, by which he fills everything with his presence.
In a very real sense, the church is to flood every sector of society and every corner of the globe with the presence of the Lord. This is what it means for the Lord to elevate the mountain of the house of the Lord above all the other mountains: our churches must be houses of his presence, a house of prayer and worship, a house of his glory; but also a house of discipleship. This is the commission Jesus gave to his followers.
Matthew 28:18–20 (ESV) 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
We have a sacred calling that transcends beyond human politics. Yet let me be crystal clear, just because our holy calling to advance the kingdom and manifest the glory of God transcends human politics, this does not mean that it is excluded from it. Followers of Jesus in every nation should have political involvement, since politics and morality and culture all intersect with the Kingdom of God. However, we interact as citizens of a heavenly Kingdom not owned by a party or a politician, standing for causes and issues more than for politicians or parties. We are above politics, even while we vote and lobby and work within politics. We breathe a different spirit and carry a different identity, one that is beyond party affiliation. We are called to be far better known as followers of Jess than as supporters of a candidate.
We get involved as members of a third, higher party, casting our votes and calling for action in keeping with our moral code and ethical values that are shaped by the Word of God, not cultural acceptability or party platform. We should transcend politics just as a disciplined elite athlete transcends the jeering crowd. He or she doesn’t run into the stand and scream at the heckler, but simply performs for something greater: the win.
God’s ultimate aim is to advance His Kingdom and manifest His glory through His people.
Voting
Now, let’s talk about voting… I will not tell you who to vote for. My job is not to tell you what to do in every case, but to teach you how to think.
Whether you consider yourself a Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Independent, or anything else, remember that this is not your PRIMARY identity. We must consider ourselves citizens of God’s Kingdom first and through that lens we should determine who we’re going to vote for.
We live in such a unique moment and country in history. Because we live in a democratic republic, or representative democracy, we actually have a voice and a vote that contributes to the politics of our country. That is rare in human history, and many people have died to secure that right and freedom for us, and we should take that seriously.
It is estimated that around 104 million “people of faith” will not cast a vote this election, including 32 million regular church-goers.
We have no right to complain about a system we have permission to take action within and yet do not. Please hear me: you can take action and vote and not be a partisan idolater. With this many believers not voting, it means that the righteous influence for biblical values and policies is not being expressed.
Example: Pilate washed his hands of Jesus and let the people vote — ”Crucify Him!” — and the malicious and evil vote carried the day.
“It’s just one vote, my vote doesn’t count.” That is a cop out; it’s just not true for the believer. Every act of obedience of a believer releases presence and power. There is no such thing as a single, solitary act that is insignificant.
“I will just pray for the government.” Good. We have a responsibility to pray for our leaders. But don’t tell me you pray for the government and don’t vote. Pray and act.
Prayer in Voting: Policies (Platform), Party, Person
In the American system as it is now, you are voting more for a platform than you are a personality. Look beyond the personalities to the policies of their stated platform, as well as their history and track record. You are not just voting on a President, you are voting on the 5000 people who are part of that administration who will enact those policies.
I recognize that there are divided interests in the people I am speaking to. You value certain aspects of a party’s platform that you feel are righteous, and again, do not mistake a party’s platform for the Kingdom of God. I am not going to tell you who to vote for or ask you how you voted. We do, however, have a responsibility as citizens of the Kingdom to vote values more than personalities.
Prayer in Voting: Go to the Bible, let God touch your heart with His heart on these issues, then ask, “Lord, what would you have me do?”
Conclusion
1 Timothy 2:1–2 (ESV) 1 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.
The ultimate battle is a spiritual battle, and that battle can be waged regardless of what kind of government we are under. In fact, it is often during the hardest times that the church grows the most. Just look at the explosive growth of the church in Communist China over the last 70 to 80 years. Or consider the church in Muslim Iran, which is growing as rapidly as any church in the world. The church often does much better under persecution than prosperity. But is that the future we want for our children when we have the ability to do something about it today?
We must guard the freedoms and liberties God has given us here in America. But let’s also be realistic: Donald Trump is not Jesus, and Kamala Harris is not the devil. Neither one of them are Nero—the emperor of Rome when the Apostle Paul was alive.
1 Timothy 2:2 (NLT) Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity.
The Left in America may support gay “marriage” and transgender activism, but Nero “castrated a boy named Sporus to make him womanlike, and then married him in a traditional ceremony, which included a bridal veil and a dowry,” according to the Roman historian and biographer Suetonius (circa AD 69). And I do not believe for a moment that Kamala would call for Christians to be set on fire and burned alive to illuminate the night, which Nero did. So while we work hard to preserve our freedoms and push back against those who seek to take them from us, we must never put our trust in the arm of the flesh; human effort alone.
Here in America, we should get involved in the political system as much as we are called to, and have opportunity to do so, but our trust is placed elsewhere. The invisible Kingdom is advancing, and no power in heaven or earth can stop it.
1 Timothy 2:1–5 (ESV) 1 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
There is one God, and there is one mediator between God and man. There is one Lord, one King, one ruler of all: Jesus Christ. His Kingdom will keep advancing and his glory will be manifested through a redeemed and surrendered people, the church. The House of the Lord is being raised above all the other mountains in our world for the nations to come to and worship. Let us be that house, let us be that people who live for the glory of his name and the advancement of his kingdom, until all of our cities are flooded with the presence of God.
God’s ultimate aim is to advance His Kingdom and manifest His glory through His people.