260705 Living for an Eternal Kingdom

Jul 05, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Roots by the Stream in Times of Heat

Trust grows deepest when life’s droughts test our grip on God’s faithfulness. Like a tree anchored near water, those who sink their trust into the Lord remain unshaken when trials scorch. Green leaves don’t signal perfect circumstances but roots drinking deeply from an unseen source. Heat reveals where hope is planted. Anxiety withers when our thirst is met by the stream of God’s promises. [14:43]

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”
(Jeremiah 17:7–8, ESV)

Reflection: What “heat” in your life right now exposes where your roots are anchored? How might trusting God’s faithfulness, not your own strength, bring greenness even in drought?

Day 2: When Prosperity Breeds Amnesia

Full hands often forget the Giver. Israel entered a land of ready-made blessings—houses they didn’t build, vineyards they didn’t plant—and Moses warned prosperity’s danger: amnesia. Familiarity with God’s gifts can dull gratitude, replacing awe with entitlement. The greater miracle isn’t the provision but the Provider who withholds no good thing. True thankfulness guards against the lie that we’ve earned what grace gave. [27:45]

“Take care lest you forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today, lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them… then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God.”
(Deuteronomy 8:11–14, ESV)

Reflection: What blessing in your life have you started to view as a “right” rather than a gift? How can you actively remember God’s hand in it today?

Day 3: No Lasting City, Only the Coming Kingdom

Babylon’s walls crumbled in a night. Rome’s empire dissolved like sand. Earthly kingdoms promise permanence but leave ruins. Hebrews redirects our gaze: the only city that lasts is the one built by God, unseen but unshakable. Tourist hearts settle for gate B12; pilgrim hearts press toward home. Our citizenship isn’t in what we defend but where we’re headed. [26:40]

“For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.”
(Hebrews 13:14, ESV)

Reflection: What “gate B12” have you been tempted to decorate and settle for? How does fixing your eyes on Christ’s eternal kingdom free you from clinging to temporary comforts?

Day 4: Honoring the Emperor Without Forgetting the King

Peter told persecuted believers to honor rulers while fearing God alone. The order matters: allegiance to heaven shapes earthly service, not the reverse. Christians navigate two citizenships—planting gardens in a land they’re passing through. The kingdom advances not by seizing power but by serving in love, knowing even flawed nations are tools in the hands of the true King. [40:06]

“Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.”
(1 Peter 2:17, ESV)

Reflection: Where do you feel tension between earthly loyalties and heavenly priorities? How can fearing God first reshape how you engage with politics, culture, or community?

Day 5: The Anthem That Will Never Grow Old

Flags fold. Anthems fade. But the song of the redeemed—"Salvation belongs to our God!"—echoes forever. John’s vision in Revelation isn’t a dirge for dying nations but a chorus for the conquering Lamb. Our hope isn’t in a country’s endurance but a cross’s victory. The tomb emptied so our citizenship could be secured. [50:13]

“Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
(Revelation 7:10, ESV)

Reflection: What earthly anthem (success, security, legacy) competes with your worship of Christ? How might living today in light of eternity’s song quiet those lesser melodies?

Sermon Summary

Jeremiah’s tree by the water names the posture God wants planted in the heart: blessed is the one who trusts the Lord, who stays green in heat and fruitful in drought. Gratitude rises first. James says every good and perfect gift comes from the Father, so the freedoms, opportunities, and protections many enjoy are received, not earned. Birthdays still whisper that time passes. Egypt, Babylon, Rome, the British Empire all looked permanent. Each had a start, a story, and a limit. So the cross must stand higher than any flag. Rough wood, stained with the blood of the Son, declares a kingdom with no beginning and no end. Hebrews says there is no lasting city here. Paul says citizenship is in heaven. The deepest hope belongs to Jesus Christ.

Moses knows prosperity’s danger. In Deuteronomy 8 he warns that success breeds amnesia. Gratitude fades, familiarity dulls wonder, and gifts start to feel like entitlements. Sunsets can become background noise; so can grace. Yet the gifts are signposts, not destinations. God’s kindness is meant to lead to repentance. When the heart trusts the gifts over the Giver, the gifts turn into idols, and idols are terrible gods.

Hebrews’s warning cuts through the fear cycle. There is no lasting nation, economy, or court. Babylon learned that in a night when a hand wrote judgment on the wall. Darius later confessed what endures: the living God, whose kingdom shall never be destroyed. That frees the heart from asking a nation to do what only Jesus can do. No election forgives sins. No constitution conquers death. Only Christ does. So seek the city that is to come. Treat this place like an airport gate. Necessary, useful, but not home.

Heavenly citizenship shapes faithful service on earth. Peter tells persecuted Christians to fear God, honor the emperor, and live as free people who use freedom to serve. The order matters. Avoid both ditches. Do not baptize a nation into messiah-status, and do not silence the church into privatized irrelevance. Jesus is seated at the right hand. The earth is his footstool. So pray, do good, defend the vulnerable, love opponents, and aim at hearts, because laws on paper do not resurrect people. The gospel does. Rome did not fall to arguments but to resurrection life.

This hope is anchored in a different kind of King. Other rulers send others to die, wear gold, and wield scepters. Jesus wore thorns, carried a cross, and shed his own blood. On Easter morning, the kingdom that looked defeated proved death-proof. So identity is not party, state, or tribe. Identity is in Christ. One day history will be complete and every tribe will sing a greater anthem: salvation belongs to our God and to the Lamb.

Key Takeaways

1. Gratitude fights prosperity’s amnesia [23:26] Gratitude tells the truth about gifts. Prosperity tempts the heart to believe it earned, deserves, or built what God gave. Thankfulness keeps the eyes on the Giver, not the gift, and turns blessings into worship rather than entitlement. Gratitude becomes repentance in motion, steering desire back to God. [23:26]
2. Hope belongs beyond any nation [26:40] Hebrews names the limit baked into every earthly city, which is why anxiety spikes when headlines shake what is shakable. When hope sits on a flagpole, the heart rides every political wind. When hope sits on a cross and an empty tomb, the heart can endure loss without losing itself. Jesus holds what no nation can promise. [26:40]
3. Travel light toward the coming city [38:08] The airport gate is useful, but it is not home. Treat this life that way. Hold opportunities, rights, and comforts with open hands, and set the deepest grip on the kingdom that is arriving. That freedom loosens fear, recalibrates priorities, and keeps the soul moving toward what lasts. [38:08]
4. Heavenly citizens serve earthly neighbors well [40:06] Peter’s order is clarifying: fear God, then honor the emperor. That posture avoids the two ditches, refusing to divinize a nation or discard public faith. Freed by Christ, the church does the durable work of mercy, truth, and neighbor-love, trusting that hearts, not headlines, mark real change. [40:06]
5. Only the crucified King can save [48:35] No court, market, or military can absolve guilt, conquer death, or give a clean conscience. Jesus does, because he bled, died, and rose. His crown of thorns, not a scepter of force, is the sign of a kingdom that outlives every empire. Live out of that identity, and lesser loyalties fall into place. [48:35]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[13:22] - No judgment zone and prayer
[14:09] - Greater kingdom than America
[14:43] - Tree by the water promise
[22:22] - Gratitude for national blessings
[25:57] - The cross above every flag
[26:40] - No lasting city, seek another
[27:22] - Give thanks for God’s gifts
[30:41] - Familiarity can dull gratitude
[32:35] - Guard against misplaced hope
[39:02] - Citizens of heaven on earth
[40:06] - Fear God, honor the emperor
[43:25] - Avoid the two ditches
[48:35] - The crucified King and his crown
[50:26] - Hope anchored in the Lamb

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Jeremiah 17:7-8 (ESV)
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”

Observation Questions

What imagery does Jeremiah 17:7-8 use to describe someone who trusts in the Lord, and how does this contrast with anxiety during hardship?
In the sermon, the “airport gate” analogy was used to describe our relationship to earthly life. What does this analogy suggest about how we should view temporary comforts or opportunities? [38:08]
Hebrews 13:14 (referenced in the sermon) states, “For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.” What specific examples of “earthly cities” or kingdoms were mentioned as temporary? [24:34]
According to 1 Peter 2:13-17 (quoted in the sermon), what two priorities are Christians called to balance in their engagement with earthly authorities? [40:06]

Interpretation Questions

Why does Moses warn Israel in Deuteronomy 8 that prosperity can lead to spiritual amnesia, and how does this connect to the idea of gratitude as a “repentance in motion”? [27:45]
The sermon states, “No election forgives sins. No constitution conquers death. Only Christ does.” How does this truth reshape our response to political or cultural anxieties? [36:43]
What does it mean to “seek the city that is to come” (Hebrews 13:14) while still living faithfully in the present? How does this tension affect daily priorities?
How does the contrast between Jesus’ crown of thorns and earthly rulers’ crowns (Revelation 7:10) redefine our understanding of true power and victory? [48:35]

Application Questions

Gratitude is described as a way to “fight prosperity’s amnesia.” What daily habit could you adopt to intentionally recognize God’s gifts instead of taking them for granted? [23:26]
The “airport gate” analogy encourages holding earthly blessings with open hands. What is one practical way to loosen your grip on a comfort or opportunity you’ve been treating as permanent? [38:08]
How can you honor and serve your community (e.g., neighbors, local leaders) this week in a way that reflects your primary identity as a citizen of heaven? [40:06]
When have you felt tempted to place hope in a political outcome, financial security, or cultural trend? What step could you take to redirect that hope to Christ’s unchanging kingdom? [26:40]
The sermon warns against making gifts into idols. What “good thing” in your life (freedom, success, relationships) might be competing with your trust in the Giver? How can you surrender it? [32:15]
How would your daily decisions change if you fully believed that “laws on paper do not resurrect people—the gospel does”? [46:21]

Sermon Clips

64s

#FaithOverFlag

“``Because across the country today, millions of Americans are flying flags and they remind us of courage, sacrifice, freedom, service, and they should. And we honor those who have gay so much that we could enjoy the blessings we often take for granted. But there is another symbol that stands even higher than every flag. It isn't stitched with stars and stripes. It's rough wood stained with blood of the son of God. It's the cross of Jesus Christ. And today, we celebrate a nation that has endured for two hundred and fifty years. But we worship a king and a kingdom that has no beginning and whose reign will never end. And our deepest hope is not found in the rise and fall of any nation. It's found in Jesus Christ.”

75s

#IdentityInChrist

“See, ultimately, this is not about America. It's about Jesus, about eternal king. Well, earthly king send people to defend their kingdom, send soldiers. Our king defended his kingdom by becoming a sacrifice. Other kings wear a crown of he didn't wear a crown. He wore a crown of thorns. He didn't carry a scepter. He carried a cross. He didn't shed someone else's blood. He shed his own. See, on Easter morning, the kingdom that looked defeated and hopeless proved to be the only kingdom death could not conquer. That's why the greatest identity isn't American or Republican or Democratic or Independent or even Floridian. But Floridian's close. No. I'm just kidding. Our deepest identity belongs in Christ. Through your baptism, he claimed Through his word, he speaks forgiveness. At his table, he feeds you with his own body and blood. And through his resurrection, he promises a citizenship that is already secured.”

81s

#OnlyChristSaves

“I mean, think about it. A pagan king understood something many believers forget. God's kingdom outlasts every earthly kingdom. And so when our hope is tied to what can be shaken, then eventually our hearts can be shaken. And see the temptation for us is a simply isn't simply just loving America. I hope we love America. We should. But our temptation is expecting believing America can do what only Jesus can do. our sin is also not just believing, but trying to make it do what only he can do. See, no election, no economy, no military, no supreme court, no constitution can forgive your sins. They give you peace that passes all understanding. None can conquer death. None can raise you from the dead. It's only Christ. Christ can.”

60s

#KingdomNotCountry

“And that's what God's called the church to do. See, we don't live in fear of losing a country. We live with the already certainty of the kingdom that cannot be lost. And the kingdom that matters most. And that's where our true freedom and that's where our real freedom comes. See, ultimately, this is not about America. It's about Jesus, about eternal king. Well, earthly king send people to defend their kingdom, send soldiers. Our king defended his kingdom by becoming a sacrifice. Other kings wear a crown of he didn't wear a crown. He wore a crown of thorns. He didn't carry a scepter. He carried a cross. He didn't shed someone else's blood. He shed his own. See, on Easter morning, the kingdom that looked defeated and hopeless proved to be the only kingdom death could not conquer.”

75s

#HeartsNotJustLaws

“We hold to a heavenly citizenship without forgetting our earthly citizenship. He doesn't say forget your earthly citizenship. In fact, Peter's gonna say, remember it. Remember it. That you have a place and a purpose and a calling in this world, in this time now. Because the truth is heavenly citizens make the best earthly citizens. We pray. We look for endless truths that are not shaped by culture, but timeless truths. We we help our neighbors. We volunteer. We defend the vulnerable. We care for the for the marginalized. We love even those who disagree with us. And we realize that the battle of changing the the party or the names and the laws, that is all on paper. But the real game that God is interested in, the real game that God works in is changing hearts. Because you could change all the laws you want, but it won't change hearts. Only God can do that. Only the gospel does that.”

46s

#HopeInTheResurrection

“It's not an anthem that'll ever grow old. It's not it is the kingdom that will never fail. It's the king who never leaves his people. So today, we give thanks for God's gifts. We guard our hearts against misplaced hope and live joyfully as citizens of heaven and faithfully serving here on earth. Because our deepest hope does not rest in a flag, it rests in a cross, it rests in an empty tomb, and it rests on the lamb who's on the throne, ruling his goodness and mercy.”

63s

#BewareFamiliarity

“The scenery hasn't become less beautiful. We simply become more familiar with it. And the same thing can happen with us with God. They we become familiar and we start marveling at his work. We start marveling at his amazing grace when he's provided and we begin we stop receiving it with gratitude. Moses knew the danger and that's why he warned Israel, take care, at least you forget the Lord your God. Because familiarity can dull gratitude if we're not careful. Because the greatest danger isn't losing God's blessings. It's becoming familiar with him that we forget to thank and honor the one who gave him.”

62s

#ThisWorldIsNotHome

“I mean, think about it. When you travel at an airport, it's necessary useful to know what gate you're going to. But you don't arrive at the gate and say, look, I made it to gate. It's B 12. This is wonderful. We should decorate it and stay here. You don't do that. You don't make a home at the gate. You wanna get out of there. Why? Because it's not your home. It's only temporary. It's only getting you to the place where you're going. And that's what Hebrews reminds us, that this is not home. is not the promised land. We're passing through. Heaven is our true home. And then it raises the question, if heaven is our true home, then how should we live?”

69s

#GiftsAreNotGods

“But our sinful hearts have a way of stopping short. Instead of trusting the one who gives every good and perfect gift, we begin placing our confidence in the gifts themselves. We put our confidence in our own abilities, our health, our wealth, our freedom, our nation, our success. We we have our confidence built around our comfort, our our our status, our lifestyle, instead of depending on the giver, God. And so instead of the gifts leading us to God, the gifts actually become our idols, our gods. That's why Moses warned Israel, take care, at least you forget the Lord. Because God's gifts are wonderful, but they're terrible at gods. They're terrible gods.”

55s

#EmpiresFallGodRemains

“History has proved that over and over again. Look at other countries in history whether it's Egypt, Babylon, Rome, the British Empire, each one looked permanent. Each one believed its influence would last forever. Yet today, we mostly just visit these as tourists and study them in history books because every nation has a birthday and every nation has a history and every earthly nation without exception has a limit. And that's where God word has us and brings us and ask us a deeper question. A deeper question than politics and bigger than patriotism. And the question that it brings us to is where do Christians place their deepest hope?”

52s

#FearGodHonorLeaders

“And so we get anxious, we get upset. It's really pointing to back to where is our hope. Is our hope only tied into leaders that we like? Is our hope only in the laws that we agree with? Is our hope only good when the stocks are good? Or our hope only good when the the gas prices get low or the the mortgage rates hit our hit the right place? Or is it in God that we are not trying to control, that we are trusting God is working all things in this and even things in us? Notice the order, fear God, then honor the emperor. Peter doesn't confuse the two, and neither should we.”

71s

#GospelChangesNations

“And that's what God does. He calls his church that he says, I promise I wanna work through you for my kingdom. so we as heavenly citizens work in earthly citizens. We work in all the realms carrying out where God has called us and placed us to be his vehicle, to be his messenger, to be his ambassador, Paul says, of what is true, what is right and good and solitary, what is great for all people, what God has designed and given. See, the church had its confidence not not rooted in winning arguments. It had its confidence in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And it was a little band of brothers by the power of the holy spirit that expanded, that took down the biggest emperor empire called Rome. That was more secular than you can imagine and more disgusting in many different ways. But what happened is people just had hearts that changed, and it changed the land. It changed the nation.”

78s

#EarthlyKingdomsFail

“But at the same time, we gotta realize that maybe we're being so energized by that that fear affects us. We get anxious. We get angry about it so much because it's reflecting where our hope is, where our grip is too much on the gifts and not the giver. God word says, for here we have no lasting city. Everything on earth is temporary. I mean, the kingdom of Babylon, its time, it looked unstoppable. It was a superpower in the ancient world. Its walls were massive. Its wealth was legendary. Its rulers believed this kingdom would stand forever. But one night, while king Belshazz celebrated inside the palace, a mysterious hand appeared and wrote on the wall, God's judgment had come. And before the night was over, Babylon had fallen. Another kingdom had taken its place. And that's how quickly earthly kingdoms can change.”

59s

#StewardshipAndWitness

“He says, be a earthly citizen. Be an earthly citizen, but realize your citizenship is in heaven. You have a far greater citizenship. So what does that mean? That you still need to live out your faith. We live out knowing what the Bible has said about our life that Christ's kingdom rules and reigns. I mean, Jesus is sitting on the right hand of God because his work of freedom, his work of salvation for all is fully complete. He's at rest. The Bible says that the earth is a footstool for his reign. He's so much greater than the world. And so he's reigning over the world waiting for his time to come back, and yet he's entrusted us to be the stewards of his word and his creation and his gifts. So we honor him. We worship him, and we carry out what he's given us by sharing the truth.”

71s

#PatriotismWithThanksgiving

“Every freedom, the freedom we have, every one of them, like here, gathering on a beach in a public place, every opportunity, every peaceful transfer of power, every firefighter who runs to a fight a fire, every police officer protects our communities, every teacher invests in our children, every soldier who stood watch while the rest of us sleep, Every good gift ultimately comes from the hand of God. Patriotism is at its best when it begins with thanksgiving to God. But birthdays have a way of reminding us of something that we don't always think about. Every birthday is a celebration, and every birthday is also a reminder that time is passing. We celebrate because we have endured. We reflect because nothing on earth lasts forever.”

53s

#CelebrateWithGratitude

“This weekend, as we celebrate America's birthday, two hundred fifty years, I mean, think about that for a moment. Two and a half centuries. Generations have lived under freedom that we enjoy today. 13 colonies become 50 states. Wagons gave way to automobiles. Telegraphs became smartphones. We watched men walk on the moon, disease cured, families raised, churches planted, missionaries sent around the world, and the gospel preached from countless pulpits across the nation. That's worth celebrating. And as Christians, we don't apologize for gratitude.”

74s

#BlessedByGrace

“America has experienced extraordinary blessings. It's not because we earned it and we're better than any other nation. I mean, just take a look at it. Look at the news. We can see that there's sin and brokenness that abounds. And yet, God has blessed us. He's blessed us with this freedoms and and his freedoms to worship him. We're free we we've been blessed with abundance of food that we have pantries. We have freezers. don't get rations. He's blessed us with innovation and the freedom to discover, explore, and create. We've been blessed with opportunities and generosity. We've been blessed with medicine, hospitals that that we could choose and and schools and churches. But none of this exists apart from God's grace, his gracious hand. Like, living in the San Rosa Beach, we see this every day almost.”

82s

#ProsperityCanBlind

“But he warns that prosperity often brings amnesia. We slowly begin believing, I earned it. I deserve it. I built it. But Moses remind us Moses reminds us, no. Everything is a gift. America has experienced extraordinary blessings. It's not because we earned it and we're better than any other nation. I mean, just take a look at it. Look at the news. We can see that there's sin and brokenness that abounds. And yet, God has blessed us. He's blessed us with this freedoms and and his freedoms to worship him. We're free we we've been blessed with abundance of food that we have pantries. We have freezers. don't get rations. He's blessed us with innovation and the freedom to discover, explore, and create. We've been blessed with opportunities and generosity. We've been blessed with medicine, hospitals that that we could choose and and schools and churches.”

51s

#SeekHeavenlyCity

“Christ comes and says, yeah, serve. Yes. Love your country. But there's something greater. Don't get entangled. Don't get in slave. Don't let your heart and life get tethered and tied and put into a chain to the events that are going on in a earthly nation. You've been freed for something far greater. Hebrews says, these cities won't last. So seek what? The city that is to come. There's a greater city that is here. It is becoming that is invisible to the human eye, but only by the spirit do you see the kingdom of God. This reigning in the hearts and lives of every nation, every tongue, every tribe.”

56s

#GodSovereignOverNations

“And I hear it all the time. Why don't why don't we honor a president? I don't care what election it is. You gotta ask the question. Well, is God sovereign? Is God working things in this world? I mean, do you really believe that God is good and he's been faithful to his word? And that God in his goodness and his grace is working all things even good and evil for the purposes of not you, but his kingdom? And hasn't history shown us that his kingdom is stronger and better and bigger, in fact, persecution than it is in freedom?”

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