Christian Patriotism

Introduction

Yesterday was a big day as we celebrated the 250th anniversary of our nation. We had a blast watching the fireworks last night and being proud Americans. And I have loved all the extra attention to our heritage over the past few months, because our national story is amazing.
George Washington, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson were great men. The Declaration of Independence is a great document. And the Revolutionary War is one of the most surprising, dramatic, and consequential upset stories of all time. We should be so thankful for what God has done.
But before we burst out in “America the Beautiful,” we must consider where patriotism fits in a Christian’s life. It’s certainly not settled in our culture. For example, in the months following 9/11, 90% of Americans considered themselves extremely patriotic, but today only 40% of Gen Z consider themselves very patriotic and only 58% of all adults in general. That’s a massive shift, and I will argue it is not good.
But is it the church’s job to teach patriotism? How do we square devotion to God with devotion to country? What about national pride and the global vision of the Great Commission? Should we even be patriotic considering how we treated Native Americans and slaves or considering all the corruption in government? 
I imagine that almost everyone in this room would say, “Yes, we should be patriots.” I agree. But we must anchor all our convictions in Scripture, and we must foster a distinctly Christian patriotism built on rightly ordered biblical priorities. 
So, this will be a different sermon. We will look at several passages that will call you to love America and labor to preserve it. My key text is Jeremiah 29:7 (read vv. 4–7). Verse 7 is fascinating and instructive, especially considering Israel’s situation. We’ll get to that but first, we can’t think rightly about patriotism unless we see in relationship to the Lord and his will for our lives. So, my first challenge is…

i.  Give the Lord and his mission first place.

That may seem so obvious that it doesn’t need to be said, but American churches haven’t always seen the obvious. If the Apostle Paul dropped into many American church services this weekend, he’d probably wonder who they really worship. 
Do they worship Christ or America? Are they about the gospel or about politics? Too many churches get cozy with politicians instead of calling them to repentance. Or pastors waste precious time in worship to go on political rants that have little to do with pursuing godliness and everything to do with worldly cares and concerns. 
Politics matter, especially when they concern fundamental issues of righteousness and goodness. The church must speak up about abortion, the definition of marriage, racism, and many other such things. 
Live for eternity. But never forget, as Jeremiah says, we are “exiles” in this world. Instead, “Our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil 3:20). The Philippians were proud Roman citizens. They were patriots. But Rome was not their home, and America is not ours; our home is in heaven with the Savior. 
And Jesus demands our highest loyalty. Once upon a time, the Jews tried to pull Jesus into a heated political debate about paying Caesar the poll tax. He replied, “‘Why are you testing Me, you hypocrites...Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and to God the things that are God’s” (Matt 22:18, 21). Jesus doesn’t dismiss their concern. Israel needed to know how to relate to an invasive empire. But getting politics right is worthless if you fail honor the God who made you in his image. Jesus is our only Lord.
So, we don’t have an American flag in our auditorium, and I rarely preach on the latest political controversy because Life Point belongs to Jesus. We gather to worship him. And debates about masks or the national budget matter, but they mean very little compared to your appointment at the judgment seat of Christ. 
Prioritize the Great Commission. And Jesus’ last command was, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” (Matt 28:19). Don’t miss his global focus. You are a citizen of the USA, but the church is for the world. A godly Christian from any country or valid political persuasion should feel at home with us because we worship the same Christ.
Jonah lost sight of that. He only saw Nineveh as a political rival, and he let national interests take priority over souls. God was angry because the gospel is bigger than any nation. 
Jesus illustrated this by making two of his closest friends Matthew the tax collector and Simon the Zealot. One worked for Rome, and the other was a revolutionary. Democrats and Republicans are nothing compared to that. But Jesus, the gospel, and the Great Commission were big enough to unite them.
Don’t look at the world and especially not individual souls like Jonah, bowing to national idolatry and temporal concerns. Hope in heaven more than the next election. Your first concern when you look at your neighbor or a church visitor should never be his politics; your first concern is that he knows the Savior. 
Don’t come to church for political theatre; come to prepare for eternity.  When you think of a place like China, your first concern should not be Communism or spies but a billion lost souls. When a classmate celebrates Charlie Kirk’s assassination, you want to win him to Christ, not Charlie Kirk. 
If you are going to be a truly Christian patriot, it must start with giving the Lord and his mission first place. “The fear of the Lord is (always) the beginning of knowledge” (Prov 1:7). Christian patriotism begins with faith in a sovereign Creator who is on a mission to reach the world with the gospel. Give the Lord and his mission first place.
But does this mean nations, politics, and wars don’t matter? Should you hide from it all and only talk about the gospel? No, nations matter. This week the Supreme Court handed down several decisions that directly address fundamental issues of the Christian worldview. So, my 2nd challenge is…

ii.  Love your neighbor by loving your country (Jer 29:7; 1 Tim 2).

Jeremiah 29 is a remarkable passage considering the context. Babylon had invaded Jerusalem, they set up a puppet king, and they carried many of the brightest and best of the nation into captivity. It was devastating. Jeremiah wrote from Jerusalem to the captives in Babylon.
Everyone loves a prophet who tells them what they want to hear. False prophets were telling the captives not to settle because they were just about to go home. But God says in v. 10 that they will be captives for 70 years. Most of them would die in Babylon. Jeremiah delivered the hard truth.
That’s why vv. 5–6 tell them to build homes, get jobs, and start a family. Settle in. And then shockingly, v. 7 tells them to be good citizens of Babylon (read). “Welfare” translates shalom. They were to be good citizens who helped Babylon prosper. They were to “pray” for the good of Babylon. 
Imagine if China kidnapped you and took you to Shanghai, how would you pray for China? God’s not excusing Babylon’s sin. Other passages pray for God’s judgment on Babylon. But the exiles must also pray and work for the peace and prosperity of Babylon because, “In its welfare…” By extension your friends, your family, and your neighbors will also have welfare. 
The NT says the same. “First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity” (1 Tim 2:1–2).
These commands are simply an extension of the 2nd great commandment. “You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord” (Lev 19:18). Christians should love everyone, and we want everyone to prosper; therefore, we pray that the government will facilitate peace and prosperity, not undermine it. 
But Jeremiah 29:7 and many other passages teach that we are especially obligated to the neighbors who are nearest to us—our family, our own community, and our own nation.
That’s important because many on the political left flatten the plane so that we are equally obligated to seek the welfare of everyone in the world. It comes out, for example, in their convictions about immigration and borders. 
Yes, Christians must love everyone, and we should have compassion toward all human suffering. But Genesis is very clear that neighbor love prioritizes the people closest to us and then progressively fans out. 
So, Genesis 2 teaches that the basic civil unit is the family. The most important way you love your neighbor is by seeking the welfare of the people in your own house, and it simply grows from there. And God condemned globalism at the tower of Babel. He confused their languages so that people would spread throughout the earth and build smaller civilizations, nations, vs. a one-world system. And Genesis 10 gives a “Table of Nations.” 
So, the liberal inclination to centralize power and erase distinctions is not biblical. The Bible teaches that people and societies flourish under local control and when communities and nations build their own identity and civic pride around shared heritage and customs. 
For example, we live in Apple Valley, and Apple Valley has its own history and feel. We’re the proud home of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. We love to play in the desert. We should be proud of who we are and embrace who we are. We don’t want to blandly blend in with the rest of our state or country. 
And the best people to control what happens in Apple Valley are the citizens of Apple Valley. We want local control. And this pattern should continue up the chain. The founding fathers invested a lot of power in states, and the American states have always had their own unique flavor. 
And the USA also has its own identity, and the best way for Americans to thrive is not to blend into some bland one-world-order. No, we love our neighbor best by cultivating national pride and remaining distinct. 
A lot of people will cry foul. They think it’s selfish and arrogant for us to love our country and prioritize it over the rest of the world. They claim that nationalism produced the Nazis, so the only way we can guarantee peace is to tone down patriotism. But we know that only Jesus can bring world peace, and he won’t do so by eliminating nations. The nations remain distinct even in Revelation around the throne of God.
Some Christians would also say patriotism is contrary to global missions. And sadly, some missionaries have tried to transport American culture to foreign fields and to make everyone American. It’s really the globalism of Babel. Good missionaries don’t want to make the world American; we want the people of Wales to be proud Welshman, and we want Welsh Christianity. 
That’s because smaller communities give important identity. And people thrive when communities and nations are all healthy. Many of the Bible’s most important characters understood this. Abraham rescued Sodom from foreign invasion. Joseph and worked for the good of Egypt. Daniel was loyal to Nebuchadnezzar, and he pled with him to repent “in case there may be a prolonging of your prosperity” (Dan 4:27). Mordecai saved King Ahasuerus from an assassination plot, and Nehemiah was Artaxerxes’ cupbearer. And in the NT, Paul expressed good will toward King Agrippa. 
They all challenge you to love your neighbor by loving our community, our state, and our country and by playing your part in seeing each one thrive. That’s good for you, for your family, the people of this church, etc. 
So, vote knowledgeably, especially at the most local level. We tend to focus on federal elections, but the most consequential vote you cast is for the school board because a good schoolboard can profoundly impact the children of our community. Improve your neighborhood. Help in a community organization. Do what you can to better California and, ultimately, the USA. 
The Bible is clear that your community and country matter, and they directly affect the people you love most. Take pride in them, pray for them, and seek their welfare. Loving America is loving your family. My 3rd challenge is…

iii.  Love your country because it is a great country.

To be clear, American exceptionalism can easily become idolatry. We must be honest about how we treated the Native Americans, slavery, and racism or about the sins of our national heroes. But consider how the Bible handles its heroes. It’s brutally honest about the sins of Noah, Abraham, David, and Peter, but that doesn’t stop it from celebrating their greatness. You can love our country and our heroes without condoning everything about them.
And I believe it is appropriate on this occasion for us to celebrate several exceptional qualities of our nation that stem directly from the Christian worldview of our founders and God’s obvious grace toward us. First…
Our most important document is built on the conviction that we are all made in the image of God, and we all have rights that come from God. The entire argument of Declaration of Independence is built on the first sentence of the 2nd paragraph, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
That is a phenomenal, earth-shaking statement, and it is the bedrock of what makes America great and unique. We believe people are made in the image of God. They have value that is different from any other creature and goes beyond what they add to the economy or how they help a king’s war effort. As such, our rights don’t come from the government; they come from God. Most kings and dictators like Hitler believe people are disposable tools for the state’s good. But America wasn’t built on utilitarianism; it was built on a doctrinal creed anchored in Scripture. It shapes us, and it has shaped the world for 250 years. We should praise God and be proud of that. 2nd…
Our conviction about the image of God created our conviction about individual liberty. Our founding fathers believed that every person has a God-given right to religious liberty, to freedom of speech, to work hard, make a profit, and pursue happiness. It was profound because most kings use people like draft horses to serve the state. Communism is built on big government that functions as the savior of men. Most countries coerce people to follow a national religion in service of national unity. 
But Jesus stands at the door and knocks. He reasoned with Nicodemus and also with the Samaritan woman. God is sovereign, but he never bypasses the human will. He urges people to respond willingly. Our founding fathers breathed that biblical air, so they understood that the government is not man’s savior. People and civilizations thrive when they are free. Liberty is a glorious blessing. We should praise God that he gave us the right to be free and that our nation began with recognizing that right. 3rd…
Our conviction about liberty is checked by realism about depravity. Our founding fathers had seen firsthand how corrupt unchecked power would become. And they didn’t believe in the inevitable progress of humanity based on a belief in mankind’s inherent goodness. No, they believed that people are sinners. So, they built a government loaded with checks and balances. 
And while they were committed to democracy, they also feared that depravity would ruin it. George Washington said in his first inaugural Address, “There is no truth more thoroughly established, than that there exists in the economy and course of nature, an indissoluble union between virtue and happiness; between duty and advantage, between the genuine maxims of an honest and magnanimous policy and the solid rewards of public prosperity and felicity” (Spalding, p. 115). That’s good!
And they understood that people are inclined to laziness, so they built an economy that rewards hard work and punishes laziness, not one of dependence on the government. This fact has led to a 4th blessing…
Our convictions have made America the land of opportunity and prosperity. Most of you have seen some of the chatter as people from around the world have toured our country during the World Cup. They are dumbfounded by free bathrooms, bottomless chips and salsa, and huge supermarkets. Liberty, rooted in a Christian worldview, has created unparalleled prosperity. 
Give thanks to God that we live in America and that we enjoy incredible abundance. I know you have pressures and things may be tight. But most of the world would give anything to have your life. The Lord has been kind to us. 
American liberty and prosperity has fueled profound, worldwide gospel impact. We saw earlier in 1 Timothy 2 that we should pray that government would allow us “to lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.” Then Paul adds, “This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Tim 2:3–4). Paul said we should pray for a government that leaves us alone so that we can preach Christ without restriction.
Our government has done that. And liberty has allowed the American church to thrive far beyond any state church. And American dollars and American missionaries have profoundly blessed almost every corner of the world. It is incredible to consider how far the gospel has gone in just the past 250 years. Millions of people have been saved, and communities have been transformed through the work of the American church.

Conclusion

I hope that you love the United States of America because you love the Lord and you love your neighbor. Always keep the Lord first. Live for eternity, and always remember that the family, the Great Commission and the local church come first. But secondarily love America and be a proud Christian patriot. We should rejoice this weekend at what God gave the world 250 years ago. We should be proud of who we are and where we have come from. We should pray that God would bless America. And we should labor to preserve the convictions that have made our nation great.