Beyond the Ballot: Finding Identity in Jesus

Oct 18, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Buried and Raised: Identity Anchored Beyond the Ballot

Baptism declares a reality deeper than political allegiance. When believers go under the water, they proclaim death to old identities defined by earthly divisions. Rising from it, they step into a citizenship secured by resurrection power. This act mirrors Christ’s victory over every system, including Rome’s demand for Caesar’s lordship. No election can revoke the eternal "yes" spoken over those hidden in Christ. Their true home transcends zip codes, ideologies, and ballot measures. [39:13]

"Having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead."
(Colossians 2:12, ESV)

Reflection: What current political anxiety or frustration might shrink if you rehearsed your baptismal identity daily? How would living as “hidden in Christ” shift your posture toward this election season?

Day 2: Ultimate Hope in a Penultimate World

Bread, housing, and justice matter deeply, but they are penultimate—preparing the way for God’s ultimate restoration. To treat these temporary needs as ultimate is to demand from politics what only Christ’s kingdom can fulfill. Yet ignoring them risks dismissing the very needs Jesus used to demonstrate divine compassion. The early church fed the hungry while proclaiming the Bread of Life, holding urgency and eternity in tension. [30:32]

"Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God."
(Colossians 3:2-3, ESV)

Reflection: Where are you tempted to make a penultimate issue ultimate? How might addressing that issue change if you saw it as preparation for Christ’s ultimate restoration?

Day 3: Spheres of Sovereignty: Government’s Role, God’s Reign

God ordains governments to pursue justice and order, but they cannot heal marriages, resurrect hope, or reconcile enemies. When churches outsource discipleship to policies or politicians demand messianic loyalty, both spheres crumble under misplaced expectations. Like a neighbor planting flowers in a pothole, believers engage systems while trusting God’s larger story. [33:57]

"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light."
(1 Peter 2:9, ESV)

Reflection: What specific problem in your community requires governmental action? What aspect of that same problem needs the church’s distinct, Christ-centered response?

Day 4: When Politics Becomes Primary, Identity Becomes Fragile

Campaigns promise belonging, but elections expire. Platforms shift. Allies become opponents. Only an identity rooted in Christ’s finished work remains unshaken. The Colossian church faced imperial pressure to find their worth in Roman citizenship. Peter’s exiles discovered their true citizenship flourished precisely when earthly power faded. [36:28]

"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."
(Galatians 2:20, ESV)

Reflection: What political loss or win feels existentially threatening to you? How might Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection reframe that fear?

Day 5: Sojourners in Babylon: Faithful Witness Without Power

First-century believers transformed empires not through ballots but by living as “God’s own possession” in hostile cultures. Their peculiar love for enemies and care for orphans confused political elites. When stripped of influence, the church’s countercultural integrity shone brightest. Modern believers inherit this call: to vote responsibly while embodying a kingdom no vote can limit. [50:05]

"Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation."
(1 Peter 2:11-12, ESV)

Reflection: What “honorable conduct” in your daily life could speak louder than your political opinions? How might serving someone who votes oppositely reveal Christ’s kingship?

Sermon Summary

Baptism frames the day as a public declaration of personal faith in Jesus. Baptism pictures believers being buried with Christ and raised with him, receiving an identity that cannot be earned, repaid, or defended. Jesus calls people to go public because faith in him is not meant to stay private, hidden away from the world.

Politics matters because ballots carry real consequences for housing, schools, health care, transit, work, and neighbors. The election matters, but it cannot bear the weight of ultimate hope. Bonhoeffer’s contrast between ultimate and penultimate things gives the right scale: Jesus, his grace, and his kingdom are ultimate; government, justice, bread, housing, and civic life are penultimate, deeply important things that are still not the final thing.

Radicalism throws away penultimate concerns as though daily life does not matter. Compromise makes penultimate concerns ultimate, so that elections, policies, and political victories become substitutes for salvation. Political campaigns regularly borrow ultimate language, promising a future they cannot actually deliver and stirring fear that turns complex problems into simple enemies.

Kuyper’s circles of sovereignty show that government, church, family, work, school, and neighborhoods each have God given work to do. Government can pursue justice and order, but it cannot make someone a good neighbor, sit with a widow, pray with an unhoused person, or repair a broken relationship. Subsidiarity asks what level is actually fit for the problem, rather than demanding that politics solve everything.

Paul roots Christian identity in union with Christ. Colossians does not offer an escape hatch from the world below; it calls believers to bring their heavenly identity into voting, money, family, friendship, and every other part of life. Jesus must edit politics, rather than politics editing faith. The gospel will eventually make every political side uncomfortable because Jesus does not fit inside anyone’s platform.

Peter writes to Christians without political power, living as sojourners and exiles in a world that could slander and harm them. Peter calls them a chosen race, royal priesthood, holy nation, and God’s own possession, a people nobody voted into existence and no election can vote out. Their calling is not to take over, check out, or strike back, but to live as thoughtful witnesses whose good deeds point others toward God.

The headline practice gives that calling a small, concrete shape. Political outrage should be met with sixty seconds of stillness, attention, prayer, and honest reflection before sharing or reacting. Jesus frees believers to vote with conviction and compassion, lose without despair, win without gloating, and sleep on election night because their truest identity is hidden with Christ.

Key Takeaways

1. Jesus must outrank every ballot Jesus is King whether a preferred candidate wins or loses. Political decisions can shape real conditions, but they cannot secure a believer’s destiny or define a believer’s deepest self. Christ’s kingdom remains untouched by term limits, election cycles, and public panic. [26:32]
2. Penultimate things still truly matter Bonhoeffer’s framework refuses both apathy and idolatry. Housing, justice, food, and civic order matter because real people bear the weight of these decisions every day. God calls Christians to care deeply without treating temporary goods as final goods. [30:32]
3. Political identity makes souls fragile Politics becomes dangerous when it becomes the core answer to who someone is. Every election then feels like a referendum on personal worth, safety, and belonging. Christ gives an identity that remains secure even when headlines, platforms, and outcomes change. [36:28]
4. Jesus should challenge every side The gospel is more radical than any political movement because Christ’s kingdom exposes sin and misplaced hope everywhere. A political posture that never feels tension with Jesus has likely begun filtering faith through party loyalty. Discipleship requires allowing Christ to confront preferred assumptions, not merely opponents’ errors. [43:56]
5. Stillness interrupts the outrage cycle The headline practice creates space between emotional reaction and public response. Prayer for people on both sides resists the temptation to turn disagreement into contempt. Jesus patiently reshapes hearts through small habits of listening, waiting, and responding with care. [52:20]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[23:55] - Baptism Sunday and Going Public
[24:23] - Beyond the Ballot
[25:44] - Three Political Postures
[28:44] - Real Stakes in Local Elections
[30:32] - Ultimate and Penultimate Things
[33:37] - God’s Circles of Sovereignty
[36:28] - When Politics Becomes Primary
[38:30] - Baptism and Identity in Christ
[40:24] - Set Minds on Things Above
[43:56] - Let Jesus Challenge Your Side
[46:51] - Faith Beyond the Worst Case
[49:18] - A Holy Nation Nobody Voted For
[52:20] - The Headline Practice
[53:49] - Vote with Conviction and Compassion

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Colossians 2:12
“having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.” [39:07]

1 Peter 2:9
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” [49:18]

Colossians 3:1-4
“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” [40:01]

Observation questions

In Colossians 2:12, what two events are connected with baptism, and whose power makes this new life possible? [39:07]
According to Colossians 3:1-4, where are believers told to set their minds, and how is their life described?
What names and roles does Peter give to God’s people in 1 Peter 2:9, and what purpose is attached to those identities? [49:18]
What are some examples of important “penultimate” concerns named in the message, and what are some things government cannot accomplish? [30:32]

Interpretation questions

How does being buried and raised with Christ reshape the way a believer understands personal identity, especially when political outcomes feel threatening? [39:42]
Colossians calls believers to set their minds on things above while still living in the world below. How does this protect Christians from both checking out of civic life and making politics the center of life? [42:12]
Peter calls Christians a holy nation even though they had little political power. What does this suggest about the church’s calling when Christians feel overlooked, outnumbered, or disappointed by society? [49:45]
Why is it dangerous to treat a political party, candidate, or policy as an ultimate source of hope? What happens to a person’s identity when politics becomes primary? [36:28]

Application questions

When a political headline, election result, or public issue affects your emotions, what does your first reaction usually reveal: fear, anger, pride, hopelessness, or something else?
Jesus must be allowed to challenge every political side. What is one issue where following Jesus has made you uncomfortable with your own preferred political instincts or group? [43:56]
Which real needs in your community—such as housing, schools, health care, transit, loneliness, or poverty—feel especially important to you? How might you care about that need in a way that goes beyond opinions or voting?
Think about a problem in your life or neighborhood. Is it best addressed by you personally, your family, the church, a local community group, or government? What is one faithful next step at the right level? [35:05]
Try the “headline practice” this week: before sharing, texting, or reacting to a political story, pause for sixty seconds. What might it look like for you to notice your reaction, pray for people on both sides, and then choose whether to engage? [52:20]
What would it look like for you to vote with conviction and compassion, to lose without despair, and to win without gloating? [54:16]

Sermon Clips

36s

#JesusIsLord

“Jesus died on a Roman cross and walked out of a grave three days later and that resurrection is how God declared Jesus, Lord of everything. That's the announcement and what makes it good news for you and not just great news for the world is the king who now rules is the same king who went to the cross in your place. He carried your sin so you could be forgiven fully and for good, not because you did it, but because he did it. You can't earn your way into his kingdom.”

49s

#ExamineYourHeart

“And here's a warning light that I think we should all just check-in our heart and spirit. In the quiet of your own head right now, you don't have to tell anybody. Just name one issue, one policy, or one politician. Where following Jesus has made you uncomfortable with your side, not the other side. I know you know that one. If something came to your mind very quickly, good. If you had to think about it for a minute, pay attention to that. And if you can't think of anything, you're like, no, no, my side, my party, my platform, my politician is perfectly in step with Jesus. No, they're not.”

33s

#KingdomNotOfThisWorld

“Sooner or later, no matter how you vote, no matter what politician you think is incredible, no matter the golden era of the community you're in or the nation we live in, I promise you, I promise you, I promise you. Sooner or later, Jesus will challenge you at it. Because his vision of the kingdom is not of this world. It's bigger, It's better. The gospel, the good news of Jesus, it is isn't it just it isn't just advice for how you and I reach God or clean ourselves up. It's news about what God has already done.”

39s

#FaithInAction

“Now, penultimate literally just means next to last. It's everything else. It's everything that comes before what's ultimate. Bread, housing, justice, justice, a city, a state, a nation that all works. And the thing is we know that. All that stuff matters. You you can't love a hungry person exclusively by preaching at their stomach. You gotta feed them. And the things that are on our balance, they are penultimate things. They are really important. And often, they're important because of what's ultimate. It allows us to have credibility, voice, and hearing for the message and hope of Jesus.”

39s

#PoliticsAndFear

“When we're driven by fear, the people that are peddling in fear will take complex things and they'll make them seem very simple, and they'll take simple things and they'll make them seem very complex. Our brains sort of just filter down to the thing we're already predisposed to believe. Here's where we often get off track. When we treat good things like they're ultimate things and we treat these this idea of ultimate things like they're just good things And we ignore the circles of God ordained work. And so we make demands on our politics that they can never carry.”

32s

#FaithInEverydayLife

“And the idea is that Paul, he is not giving you and meet an escape hatch. That actually if you're a follower of Jesus or you're thinking about becoming one, there is a kingdom of heaven that God wants you and me to live out even in a broken world. He's giving you in me a vision of the way that we bring who we are in Jesus to everything in our life from how we vote to how we spend our money, to how we care for our family, to how we care for our friends.”

23s

#IdentityInChrist

“We have only ever received that idea. If you're a follower of Jesus, you have only ever received that identity. You can never achieve it. You can't pay it back. And the great news is you don't have to defend it. We seek to just bring it, be a witness of it in every part of our lives.”

25s

#MoreThanAnElection

“What's most important about you? Your core identity, yourself of... Your sense of self rises and falls with the results of a particular election. But you were made for something more than that. You were made for something beyond the ballot even this month, even this year, even with great stakes in your life, even with great stakes in our community or in the nation.”

32s

#SecureInChrist

“That he's taking care of you. That no matter what else happens, this is forever. Now this is a few years before Nero, a leader in that region, would turn on Christians in Rome. And Paul, he is giving them a view of who they really are and that what matters most, it isn't on the ballot that even when they experience persecution, even when things turn out against them, they can trust who they are in him.”

31s

#ChurchAndGovernment

“But government can't do the church's work and it isn't meant to. I think one of the biggest challenges that we've had in recent years is that the church has sometimes tried to do the government's job or at least said it knows how to do it better and the government is trying to do the church's job. This is what we're trying to address because see the government while it does some things that it should do, it can't make you a good neighbor.”

36s

#FaithOverTheFeed

“We absorbed it when we were scrolling our feed a few minutes at a time over the course of years. So, like, do the do the math on your week. Add up the minutes that you've spent with that feed, with those opinions, and then add up the minutes that you've spent with Jesus intentionally submitting your life, your heart, your mind to him. The bigger the total is probably the one that's doing forming even over the smaller one. And I get it. Staying informed can feel responsible. It can feel like loving your neighbor. And sometimes it is.”

30s

#FromInformedToInfuriated

“But without realizing it, sometimes what happens is that a lot of us, we've gone from being informed to being infuriated. We've asked our we've asked our news to go from entertainment or from information to entertainment to to something that just sort of makes us feel justified in our anger. That that makes the person that disagrees with us not just wrong but evil. How could anyone think anything different than I do?”

36s

#JesusOverAll

“Each sphere has God ordained work to do and the authority to do it. But his distinction is that Jesus is Lord over all of it. All of it is happening within the span of God's ultimate power and control. And so government, it has real work to do. Think about it. Justice, order, roads, and even how land gets used in Downtown Menlo Park. That's God given work and authority. And you're in my vote is how we take part in that. Aren't you glad we get one of those?”

34s

#CommunityCare

“So something maybe you would recognize this is a problem that's way too big for our family. I need the church for that. Something that's way too big for the church, I may need the state for that. Some problems though they're too personal for the state. Some problems are even more than what a family or a church. You need a neighbor. You need someone even closer. What does it look like to identify the right solution for the problem you are facing? Because both are true. We need all of it.”

24s

#KingdomOfHeaven

“The ultimate is the last word that God says over a life. It's the grace of Jesus. It's the kingdom of heaven. It's the thing that when the Bible says all these things will pass away, but the kingdom of heaven will last. The word of God will last. The declaration of him over your life is eternal. That's what we're talking about. That's ultimate.”

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