Render to God: Allegiance Beyond Coins and Kings

Yet these Jews have the very thing that demonstrates that in their pocket. And so what does Jesus do? Jesus springs the trap. He takes this yes or no question, and he shifts it to a question about ownership, divine ownership, and image bearing. Look at verses twenty one and twenty two. So they answer. They say unto him, what? Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's and unto god the things that are god's. When they heard these words, they marveled and left him and what? Went their way. [01:00:22] (41 seconds)  #RenderToCaesarAndGod

The purpose of the message is this. You and I get so worked up about the material physical things that actually don't even belong to us. We ought to be brokenhearted that what does belong to God isn't being rendered back to him. Let me say that again because I I make sure people in the back can hear me. I'm joking. But let me say it again. How much how much emotion I'm gonna ask you, and I want you to just don't answer this. Over the last two weeks, as Olympia has debated this new set of taxes and spending, how much mental and emotional investment have you made into that [01:05:42] (40 seconds)  #PrioritizeGodNotPolitics

and literally not thought once about, god, am I giving myself entirely to you? Am I submitted, surrendered? I'm made in your image. What about me? In fact, you and the soul that God has given you is infinitely more valuable than what's in your bank account. And we spend a whole lot of time worked up about taxes and whether they're right and just. And what really belongs to god just gets overlooked. They're astonished. The bible says they marveled. The response of a savior devise defies their expectations. It leaves them speechless. [01:06:23] (43 seconds)  #SurrenderYourselfToGod

Not because I've been watching Fox News or whatever is your poison of choice or I've been on Twitter or Facebook or Instagram or Rumble or whatever, and my favorite political commentators have gotten me all fired up. And so now everybody that doesn't think like we think is the enemy. That's not god, by the way. That's the world system. God's people say, I'm his. Every person even if I disagree with your the choices you made about your life, you are created in God's image. And I'm gonna speak the truth in love and understand god, Jesus Christ, get this, he died for their souls just like he died for yours. [01:20:32] (54 seconds)  #PeopleOverPolitics

You and I, brothers and sisters, we are God's coin. We are stamped with his image. Yes. Lost in sin but sought by the lord Jesus Christ. There was a parable that Jesus gave. You remember that? In Luke chapter 15? The parable of the lost, remember, sheep, the lost son, and then there's a third parable, the lost coin. Evidence that the father through the son seeks that which was lost. In fact, Jesus said, I am come to seek and to save that which was what? Lost. You and I, every person, every person, every person, get this, [01:19:02] (41 seconds)  #StampedWithGodsImage

every person is stamped in the image of god. Created in his image, precious in his sight. Get that. And if there's one place where people should know that there's an irrational love and generosity, it ought to be the lord's church. Yes. We speak the truth, but we speak it in love. We care. We may have to say hard things, but we say hard things. And people know we say it because we love them. We care. [01:19:48] (40 seconds)  #ChurchOfRadicalLove

Have you prayed for Bob Ferguson's salvation? I I can't say I have been. Come on. I'm really quiet right now. Process it. Come back to me later. Alright? Now there's a limit to the rendering. Faith, trust, and allegiance are reserved for God. Let me say it again. Faith, trust, and allegiance are what? Reserve for God. That's what Jesus is saying. The things made in God's image belong to who? Amen. There's a moment where we have to disobey. When Caesar when government demands God's prerogatives, things that god is in control of, things that god only gets to decide, [01:13:58] (62 seconds)  #AllegianceBelongsToGod

The temptation we have when it comes to government as well as money is that we see money as success, as security, as fulfillment. But do you realize that no earthly economic system eradicates scarcity or ushers in utopia? If The United States was perfectly capitalistic, it would not be a utopia. There would still be poor people. Right? Again, we we we start thinking that the government and that money is the answer. It's not. It's never been. Under understand this. The wisdom of the king says, guess what? I call on my children to be irrationally generous in the lord Jesus Christ. [01:16:46] (52 seconds)  #GenerosityNotGreed