1 Peter 2, beginning at verse 4. This is the holy word of the holy God. As you come to him, the living stone, rejected by men, but chosen by God and precious to him, you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in scripture it says, see I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame. Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone and a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall. They stumble because they disobey the message, which is also what they were destined for. But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God. Once you have not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Dear friends, I urge you as aliens and strangers in the world to abstain from sinful desires which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us." That's as far as we'll read this morning in this part of God's holy word. Now, friends, ever since the Tower of Babel, The world has been made up of nations, nations which often clash and experience turmoil and strife as they seemingly increasingly rub up against each other in our shrinking world. Of course, it's not just trouble between nations. There's enough sin in the people of any one nation to cause trouble within its own borders. But national differences often seem, sadly, to bring out strife. And the world, of course, has its own solutions and structures to try to deal with the situation. In recent history, we've seen the League of Nations and the United Nations, but the problems don't go away. I'm reading a book describing the great meeting that took place in Paris in 1919, coming up on 100 years, of great world leaders after the First World War to try to broker a peace and to solve the world's problems. Woodrow Wilson, the American president, came. And as he came, he uttered the phrase of the right of self-determination of nations. that nations should have the right to self-determine who they are. But as soon as he said that, people started questioning, well, who's a nation? Who is a nation? Is it geographical? Is it ethnic? Is it cultural? Is it religious? Who is a nation? Who gets this right of self-determination? And we're really still reaping the bad fruit of what was going on after the First World War. A nation against nation. We want to be a nation. You have to let us be a nation. What is a nation? Who's a nation? Who gets to be a nation? And how can we all get along? The world can't figure that out. It doesn't have the answer. There's lots of talk these days about issues like globalism. Should we all just be one big happy human family? Or nationalism. Make your nation great again. Whatever it is, the world can't get it right. The world will never get it right. As we think about these things in the world around us, and as we continue in 1 Peter to look at the four identities of the church, who we are, not just as individual Christians, but together as the Church of Jesus Christ, the third identity in the list is very striking. You are a holy nation. That's what the Church is, a holy nation. Among all the other nations of the world and what's going on in nations and between nations, there is a nation. a holy nation, the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, built on the living stone that is Jesus. Again, this language is Old Testament language. We didn't read Exodus 19 again. We could have, where God says, you are a royal priesthood, a holy nation. It's Old Testament language. And in the Old Testament, of course, it was clear that the church, the people of God, were also very clearly a nation. Although not exclusively, because Gentiles were added in the Old Testament as well, but for the most part that nation was ethnically and geographically defined. But here is that same language, as we saw last time with royal priesthood, here's that same language applied to the church in the New Testament, the Church of Pentecost. We too are a royal priesthood, a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. So there are similarities that need to be seen, but also, of course, great differences after the cross of Christ, after the pouring out of the Spirit on Pentecost. But the church, undeniably, in our day, in the New Testament age, till Christ comes back again, is a holy nation. Now, it's a huge topic. Those two words present to us a huge topic in Scripture. How much we could say about holy and holiness in scripture, it runs from beginning to end. And the whole topic of nation, a nation and what that is on all sorts of different levels. The more you start thinking about this title of the church, it's huge. Many different angles, so many applications. But for this morning, and hopefully it's something that you'll continue to think about, but for this morning, very simply from 1 Peter 2.9, the church is a nation. So it's a nation. Secondly, it is one nation. And thirdly, it is a holy nation. We'll just take that in turn and just draw out a few biblical truths and applications from it. First, the church is a nation. Now, you remember, of course, there are many different ways that the church is described in the Bible, different imagery which highlights various realities that are all true of the church. Even the word church tells us something about the church. Our English word church, which is related to the Scottish kirk, the way they say kirk in Scotland, or the Dutch kerk, or the German kirke, These words all relate to a biblical word. It's not the most common word for church. It's a word in the New Testament that means belonging to the Lord. Kyriake, the Lord's day. It's the Kyriake day, the day belonging to the Lord. So our word church comes from that Greek word Kyriake, which means belonging to the Lord. And certainly we'll see that next time. That's who we are as the people of God. We belong to the Lord, a people belonging to God. The regular word for church is the word where we get the English word ecclesiastical, or in French, église. And that Greek word means called out, called out. That's what God does. You've been called out of darkness into his marvelous light. That's the church. So even the word church tells us lots about the church in the Bible. But there's so much imagery in the Bible about the church. It is a body. And we consider that from Romans 12 very recently. It is a building. We considered that in the first part of 1 Peter 2, verse 4 and following. It's a bride. We heard that from Isaiah 62. You'll no longer be called desolate, but married. And Hephzibah, my delight is in her. A bride. So a body, a building, a bride. But here, a nation, a nation. What does that kind of imagery, that title or description, convey? What are we to be reminded of? What are we to think of when God calls us here a nation? Well, first, it's very interesting that there is a connection between cornerstone and nation in the Bible. Remember, Jesus is the living stone. We're built upon him. But then Peter seems to shift imagery radically to say we're a nation. Royal priesthood, yeah, because we're a temple. But here, a nation. But listen to what Paul says in Ephesians 2. Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Jesus Christ himself as the chief cornerstone. Citizenship and cornerstone brought together. Interestingly, this is a nation built upon something. It's built on Jesus Christ. That's so important to remember. But what does it mean to be a nation? And how is the church a nation? Well, nations have leaders. Boys and girls, it's the way you need to think. The church is a nation. What's true of nation? What's biblically true of the church? Nations have leaders. Well, who's the leader of the church? Do we have a leader in the church? Please don't say Pastor Kingswood. I'll have to speak to you if you say that. There's a sense that that's true, but that's not the first answer. The elders have leadership in the church. But who is the leader of the church? Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ. The church is not a democracy. The church is not a republic. It is a monarchy. We are monarchists. Christians are monarchists in the highest sense of the term. The resurrected Jesus Christ is the King of kings and the Lord of lords, and all authority belongs to him in all of the world and preeminently in the church. He's the head over all things for the church, and he's the king and head of the church. For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given. The government will be on his shoulders, and he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. of the greatness of his government and peace, there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The leader of our nation as the church is Jesus Christ. And the church, as a nation ruled by a king, King Jesus, Jesus rules his nation by his word and spirit. A nation has laws. It has a constitution and laws. The Bible is our constitution, and the law of God is the law of our nation as the church. Our law code as a nation is summarized in the Ten Commandments. And the Ten Commandments are summarized by the law of love. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. And the first, remember always, is proven by the second. James reminds you, how can you say you love God if you don't love your brother? God whom you cannot see, if you don't love your brother whom you can see. James 2, James says, if you really keep the royal law found in scripture, love your neighbor as yourself, you're doing right. We are a nation, and we have a law, and it comes from our king. It's a royal law, and it's the law of love. Love God. Love your neighbor. That's the law of the church as a nation. What a beautiful law to have. You can have the law code of Hammurabi. Give me the law of Jesus. Love. Love God. Love your neighbor. So it's true, you see, of the church, as it was true in the Old Testament, when God says, what other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him? And what other nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees and laws as this body of laws I am setting before you today? It says in Deuteronomy 4, the church is a nation. We have a leader and we have laws. They're glorious. The church as a nation has a structure as well laid out in scripture, an organization to it. Often there's a debate that's been in the church between the churches as a living organism and as an organization, the debate between, is it organism? Is it organization? People often tend to one or the other even in their personalities, but really it's a false dichotomy. Of course, it's both. It's both. We are a living organism and we are an organization. We are organized. To focus on one of those to the exclusion of the other only brings trouble or harm. The church has a structure of leadership and worship and discipline, and it's all laid out in the Bible for us. There are other ways, too, that we can think of the church as a nation, as you think of the nations of the world. Have you ever traveled, boys and girls, to another nation? We have one pretty close to us, not Quebec, just that's still Canada. But you can go just a little bit south and you're in the United States of America. It's a different nation. And though we are all North Americans, you can notice things that are different there. And they notice different things about you because you're from a different nation. Well, the church as a nation has its peculiarities, but they're beautiful as well. The church as a nation has its own language, don't we? It's not some made up language. You know, the New Testament, earlier on when people studied it, it wasn't classic Greek of the philosophers of the classical Greek age. It was different. And some people thought it was some special Holy Spirit Greek that was given just for the church until the classical Greek scholars realized that the Greek of the New Testament was just the common people's Greek of the time. And so it was called Common Greek or Koine Greek. It wasn't a special language, and the language of the church as a nation isn't a special language in that sense either. It's rather how we speak that marks out our language. Therefore, each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor. That's the language we speak. We don't tell lies. We speak the truth. Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." You know that's true. You go to school, university, you go to work, and you know the language. And if you're a man or a woman or a boy or a girl who goes into some places in the world and you don't take the Lord's name in vain, you don't swear, and you don't tell inappropriate jokes, and they'll look at you like you're a foreigner and say, well, where are you from? Who are you? Your language sets you apart because you're a Christian. You belong to the Christian nation, and it affects your language. the accent with which you speak everything, whatever you say. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how to answer every man." We have language, peculiar language as a nation. We have customs as a nation. Luke 4.16, Jesus went to Nazareth where he had been brought up and on the Sabbath day, He went into the synagogue as was his custom. All kinds of nations and ethnicities, that's the word here, ethnos, ethnicities, have customs. And some of them are neither here nor there. They're in different things, probably in lots of respects. But we have customs as a nation that set us apart. And here's the big one that we see in Jesus' life in Luke 4. We keep the Sabbath. That's our custom. That's the custom we keep. More important, do you put up a tree or not put a tree? I don't really care. Do you keep the Lord's Day? Christmas, Easter, all these, do you keep the Lord's Day? That's our custom. It marks us out. Who are you Christians? Oh, they keep the Christian Sabbath, the first day of the week. It's their custom. It marks us out in this world. Be very careful how you live, not as unwise, but wise, making the most of every opportunity. Do not be foolish. Understand what the Lord's will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Be filled with the Spirit. speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. That's our custom. It marks out our ethnicity in Christ. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. In humility, value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests, but to the interests of others. That's our custom. It marks us out. It's who we are. And so the church is a nation. In many ways, we can see national identities, or we should, in the church, just like nations of the world. The church is a nation. Our citizenship, it says in Philippians 3, is in heaven. Our citizenship is in heaven. So you have to think, this is Peter writing to these these Christians, the people of God. And remember, they are the scattered people of God. They're facing persecution. They're being dispersed. They're going into exile, as it were. And what does Peter say to encourage them? Well, all this is encouragement. You're a chosen people. People rejected Jesus. They're rejecting you. You're a chosen people. You're a royal priesthood. They treat you like the scum of the earth. You're princesses and princes in the kingdom of God. You are being kicked out of every nation? You're a holy nation. You see how comforting and encouraging it is? He's reminding them of their identity in Christ. To this dispersed, despised group of Christians in the first centuries, strangers in the world, he calls them. Strangers in the world, but what does God say? But you're a nation. You are a nation. Never forget it. In Christ, you're a holy nation. The importance, again, of identity. Knowing who you are will help see you through the troubles and trials of this life. A Christian can never, in that sense, be exiled. Humanly speaking, from one country to another, doesn't matter. Doesn't matter where you live. Doesn't matter where you go, voluntarily or involuntarily. Because wherever you go, you're a holy nation. You're a nation. Especially when the world says you're nothing or worse, you're a people to be silenced or disposed of. No, no, we are a holy nation. We're a holy nation and that never changes. It's a comfort, but it's also a challenge. Have you heard of third culture kids? Samuel and Zachary and Amin Award, not to put them on the spot, but they would tell you this, they're like third culture kids. Because they were raised, two of them were born in Sudan. And so Sudan is their home, it's their culture. But they don't look like the Sudanese kids, boys and girls. If you see pictures, you know, those don't look like Sudanese kids. They're Canadian in a sense, they're Sudanese in a sense, and so they're really neither. They're like third culture kids, and they often struggle with that, find it hard. Where is our home? Where do we belong? But that's like Christians in this world. It's like Christians in this world. We don't really belong here, do we? And we aren't in heaven yet. We're in this in-between time. Hebrews 11 says, all these people were still living by faith. When they died, they did not receive the things promised. They only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting they were foreigners and strangers on earth. People who say such things shows they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country, a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them. This earth is not our home. Our citizenship is in heaven. And so we feel that in a way. We're in the world. We're not to just separate ourselves physically that way, some kind of monastic movement. But we're in the world, but we don't really belong here. And so we need to watch out, too, that we don't, as someone once said, don't put your roots too deep here, because this isn't our home. This isn't our home. We're a heavenly citizenship nation. And so there are challenges, but comforts as well. And we could go on, but you get the point. There are many ways that the people of God are like a nation. But one striking thing is that the church is one nation. That's our second point. The church is one nation. Peter doesn't say you are holy nations. There are lots of nations represented here. Yeah, it might have to go back a few generations, but they're represented here. But Peter doesn't say, you are holy nations. He says, you are a holy nation. It's the unity of the church here, again, that's being addressed. Holy nation is singular, but what is clear from the Bible is that the church as one nation is made up of all kinds of people, many different nationalities as one nation. Again, that wasn't completely unheard of in the Old Testament, but it's especially seen in the New Testament. Abraham was promised to be a blessing to all the nations of the world. He'd be a great, but the blessing was to be to all nations. Pentecost was the great reversal of Babel. They were staying at that time in Jerusalem, God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. And when they heard the sound, the preaching, the crowd came together in bewilderment because each one heard their own language being spoken. Utterly amazed, they asked, aren't all these who are speaking Galileans? How is it that each of us hears in our native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, residents of Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and parts of Libya near Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and converts to Judaism, Cretans, Arabs, we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own language. See, Pentecost was the great reversal of Babel and all the nations of the world coming together in the gospel, in Jesus Christ, into one nation. And one day in glory, you remember Revelation 7, John says, I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people, language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. the beautiful gathering of the one nation from so many nations, like living stones. We're not living bricks, all exactly the same. Living stones, we're different, lots of differences, personalities, interests, gifts, nationalities. Boys and girls, don't get caught when the world can press you this way and feel out of place, places, especially in the church, because you say, well, I'm different from other people. And sometimes you see that that can weigh on you and the devil can use it against you. He's, well, I'm different. I'm not the same as everyone. No, you're not the same as everyone else. And they're not the same as you. Good in lots of ways. That's good. We're not all the same. Remember, we're a body with different parts. Don't wish away your differences. Are you tempted to do that sometimes? Lots of ways, that's not a right thing to do. Don't wish away your differences, your personality, everything. Don't let it be an excuse for sin, but don't wish it away. We're living stones, and we're many different people. And here, nations, many nations into one nation. Many different personalities, interests, gifts, and nationalities. What a glorious witness this is to the world. It has been from the beginning and it continues to be a glorious witness to the world. The church is the true United Nations. This is where nations can come together and lay down their swords and embrace each other. What else could bring the group of people that are here this morning together other than the gospel? With all our differences, R.B. Kuyper, in his book on the glorious body of Christ, says at one point, diversity, short of sin, instead of detracting from the glory of the church, enhances it. He uses that, it's a catch word, diversity. But you see, the world today takes diversity as an absolute. But of course, they don't mean it. They don't mean Christians in that diversity. They don't mean pedophiles. They don't mean arsonists or rapists. You can't just say diversity is an absolute good. Who would ever say that? That's foolish. Diversity short of sin, what a good way to put it. Diversity short of sin, instead of detracting from the glory of the church, enhances it. Jesus is the cornerstone and a sufficient cornerstone in the gospel for such an amazing international nation that is the church. What a blessing it is to go anywhere in the world, and if you find a Christian or a Christian church, you've found your people. You know, I was born here in Canada. I'm a Canadian from birth. My parents both came to Canada after the Second World War from Holland. When I was about 20, I had the opportunity to go to Holland. It was my first time. Never been there before. And when I stepped off the boat, the ferry at the hook of Holland, I had such a strong impression These are my people. I was shocked by it myself. These are my people. It was so clear to me in so many ways how much more the church, how much more the Christian church. Last summer we had the blessing of the opportunity to go to the Irish International conference, ten different nationalities represented, and it didn't matter which one people were from. You know what we said? These are our people. These are our people. Far above any cultural, ethnic, national difference. Those things fade away in the glory of the unity of Christ. I hope that happens in this congregation. I hope that's what the world sees. I hope God brings more and more people of very different backgrounds here because there's a glory not in getting along with everyone who is exactly the same and likes the same things, but in those differences when we love each other. What a witness that is to the world. What a blessing it is. Well, we are a nation. We're one nation. You see how much is here? There's much more than just one sermon, but let's press on. Then the adjective, holy nation, holy nation. Holiness, the word holy is used in different ways in the Bible. The basic meaning that is usually stated is that it means separated from, separate from. And so holiness, in one sense, is being separate from sin. And to a large degree, that's true. But Sinclair Ferguson, in his recent book called Devoted to God, a book on sanctification, which just means to make holy, makes a good point. He says, God is holy. And God should be ultimately defined by something outside of himself, especially something temporal like sin. So he suggests that instead of separation or separation from sin, that a better way to understand holiness is to understand in terms of total devotion. Total devotion. So God is the Holy Trinity. And the Holy Father and Holy Son and Holy Spirit are totally devoted to one another. They're holy in that sense. And so that can describe holy things in the Old Testament like the tithe or the articles in the temple, they're holy because they have been devoted to God exclusively. You see, of course, that then flows out into lies. If you're devoted to God, you will be separate from sin. And so it does get to the same place, but it starts at a better place. Devoted to God. You are a holy nation. That's who we are. Sometimes holiness or sanctification is seen in two ways in the Bible. Theologians say it's positional in one sense or progressive in another sense. We are holy and we are to be holy. We have been set apart in Christ, we have been set apart unto God, and we ought to be more and more devoted to God and set apart and separate from sin. You see that in scripture. Sometimes Paul says, to those who are holy, positional, done, fact, be holy in all that you do, progressive, until perfection of holiness in heaven, perfection of sanctification. And of course, the one leads to the other. It's out of our positional holiness, that progressive holiness, ought to flow. And we ought to think of that in terms of the church as a nation. We are a holy nation. As a nation, what marks us? We are devoted to God. Devoted to God. What does that mean? What does that mean? Does it mean we're not devoted to our earthly nation? Is it a sin to be patriotic? No, as one person said, whatever makes men good Christians makes them good citizens. That's Daniel Webster, who said that. We should be good citizens of our earthly nations. Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there's no authority except that which God has established. The authorities have been established by God. We pray that we'd be able to live peaceful, quiet lives, but Christians make the best citizens. We should. We pay our taxes. We give honor to those whom honor is due. We're diligent. We love our countries. We do what we can for the prosperity of our country, like the Israelites even were called to do in Babylon in exile. That's how we live. But it's okay to be a patriot to a certain degree, but a Christian never, ever can say, my country right or wrong. That's wrong. Peter and the apostles said we must obey God rather than men. Andrew Melville said to James VI, the king of Scotland, when he tried to enforce his will on the church, Andrew Melville said to him, you need to remember there are two kings and two kingdoms in Scotland. There is James VI, and there is King Jesus, and you are the servant of King Jesus. In September 2017, the Chinese government began implementing the regulations called the Regulations on the Administration of Religious Affairs. And in recent days, a violent persecution has erupted in China, and leaders are being arrested. They're disappearing. But the church there, and thanks to one of the brothers who sent around the article, put out a statement of who they are as the church, as a holy nation, and it's so good. Christian churches in China believe unconditionally that the Bible is the word and revelation of God. It is the source and final authority of all righteousness, ethics, and salvation. If the will of any political party, the laws of any government, the commands of any man directly violate the teaching of the Bible, harming men's souls and opposing the gospel proclaimed by the church, we are obligated to obey God rather than men. And we are obligated to teach all members of the church to do the same. I'm tempted to read the whole document. It's good. Read it on the website. Look it up. They are a holy nation. because they are devoted to God. Devoted to God. We're not facing that same kind of persecution, but we are still called to be a holy nation devoted to God, and our supreme alliance is to Jesus Christ. And it's coming here more and more. Just check a box on a summer jobs funding application. Just check the box. That's the thin edge of the wedge. It's the thin edge of the wedge. And the church says, no, we are a holy nation. We are devoted to God. And we ought to be holy in our lives. Because if we're not more and more holy in our lives, our profession to be devoted to God will ring hollow at best. And they'll say, oh yeah, you're devoted to God. Look at the way you live. You're no different from anyone else. You're a holy nation. So be holy in all you do. Be holy in all you do. So many ways to apply this. Be holy in all your relationships and in all your allegiances. Watch out for your allegiances as the church as a whole and as Christians individually. You're a holy nation. Let me mention just one very practical application. First Corinthians 739. A wife is bound as long as her husband lives, but if her husband is dead, she is free to be married to whom she wishes only in the Lord. It's very practical. Why should Christians only marry Christians? Because you're a holy nation. You're devoted to God first and foremost. That's what it means to be holy, be devoted to God. So the church is a nation, it's one nation, it's a holy nation. We've gone on too long, but let me conclude with one very important point. And we need to come to this. We must note something very important. When we speak about being a nation and when people start thinking in terms of nationalism, human nationalism is often filled with pride and arrogance and bigotry. You know, we can do that with any of these. We are the chosen people. We looked at that before. We are the royal priesthood. All right? We are not a muse. We don't associate with anything. We're royalty in the world. We are a holy nation, and pride can creep in, just like human nationalistic pride. As someone recently said in light of a seeming resurgence of nationalism south of the border, he said, the last time I heard about nationalism was the nationalist socialists of pre-war Germany, the Nazis. Nationalism often goes bad. Because pride is always crouching at the door. But the nation that is the church must be marked out not by national pride, but by gospel humility. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God. How? Once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. What's the way to citizenship in God's nation? It's mercy. It's mercy. It's coming and acknowledging you don't deserve a thing from God, only His judgment. And marvelously, He meets you with blessing because of Christ. Who is in the nation that's the holy nation? You know, Paul said to the guard, or the guard asked, Paul, are you a Roman citizen? He said, yes, I am. The commander said, I had to pay a lot of money for my citizenship, but I was born a citizen, Paul said. That's true. That picture is true spiritually of every Christian. You must be born again to be part of the true nation, to be a citizen of heaven. Glorious things are said of you, city of God, Psalm 87. Rahab, Babylon, Philistia, Tyre, and they will say, this one was born in Zion. Well, they weren't, obviously. But spiritually, you are. You're born again in the gospel. Now, you can be born into citizenship in the church. This is where we have to think very carefully. If you are the child of at least one believing parent, 1 Corinthians 7.14 says you are holy, holy nation. But that is an external holiness of the visible church. You've been set apart by God's providence. There is a holiness that's there. But to be a citizen of heaven, you must be born of heaven. You must be born from above. To as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become children of God. To those who believe in his name, who are born not of blood or the will of flesh or the will of man, but born of God. It's a great privilege to be a part of the holy nation, even to be born into the church. But it comes with the severest warnings. as well of scripture. Listen to Hebrews chapter 10. If we deliberately keep on sinning after we've received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of a raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished? who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant. That sanctified him. That set him apart. That's the external holiness of the covenant. He can be part of the church, but not really of the church. Who has insulted the spirit of grace. For we know him who said it is mine to avenge, I will repay, says the Lord. This is a word to everyone in the church, but particularly to covenant children. I'm a Canadian because my parents chose to come to Canada. It's like Christians who come in from the world, they're Christians, but then they have a Christian home. I was born into the church. That doesn't mean I'm a Christian in my heart. Birth in a Christian family has great privileges and it's a great calling, but don't rest in your external citizenship in the church. Judas was a citizen of Israel, but he was not a true Israelite. True citizens of heaven are those in a living, personal relationship with the Savior, King Jesus, out of a new heart born again by His grace. You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. We are the true city on a hill that we may declare the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into His wonderful light. The horse in the last battle, C.S. Lewis described his homecoming like this, I've come home at last. This is my real country. I belong here. This is the land I've been looking for all my life. That will be the testimony of every true child of God when we enter glory. And as the holy nation of God, we need to remember this great hope we have, a present identity and a great hope. Our citizenship is in heaven. and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.