Morning, Gateway. It is good to be with you. My name is Carlos. I’m our senior pastor at Gateway Church, and we are joined by all of our campuses and those watching online, especially those of you who couldn’t brave the wet streets of Austin. We’re so glad that you have joined us. If you’re in the room, help me welcome everybody. Join us from across our city and watching online or maybe watching later on in the week. We’re so glad you’re with us.

You know, there are seasons in the world where it’s just loud. I don’t know about you, but my text messaging is crazy right now—loud by people who I don’t know, asking me for money. Anybody else in that boat? Social media is loud, our conversations can be loud, and everyone seems to have an opinion. But I am still struck, and in awe at times, by the things that I learn as I continue to get a little bit older. I didn’t know that included in “loud” was my mailbox. Did you know your mailbox can get loud? In the last six days, my mailbox, which I have had for my entire adult life, has never screamed at me until the last six days—screaming who I should vote for, who I should not vote for, how someone is the devil incarnate, and how someone else is Jesus’ second return.

This is just the last six days. My mailbox is loud, everything around us is loud, and if we’re not honest with ourselves, there are times the noise can get in us, causing us to be frustrated. It can cause us to be angry. It can cause, for a lot of us, an anxiety in our hearts and in our lives. We begin to ask questions like, “What is happening in our country? What is happening to our world? Who really is in control, and where is God in all of this?”

Today, I want us to look at a passage that does not minimize those questions or the activity of our world, our hearts, and our community. What it does do is put those questions and ideas in their proper place. The Bible does not tell us the government is not important. The Bible does not tell us that justice does not matter. The Bible doesn’t tell us that we should not care about our communities; we should be active participants and do our civic duty in every community that we live in. But it does tell us there is something much more important than the loud screaming that we’re currently experiencing.

No earthly authority is ultimate because Jesus is the King. I know we have a lot of people here at Gateway who are deconstructing, learning, and relearning. Maybe it’s your first time here, and I want to give you space to understand what that looks like. But for those who do believe, we’ve been in existence for a few thousand years because we’ve had the posture that on the throne of our heart serves the King, and His name is Jesus. It’s about keeping that in perspective.

As we go to the New Testament with Paul writing to the Ephesians in chapter one, notice how Paul begins. He doesn’t ask if they can change their circumstance; his posture is whether they can see in light of their circumstance. Ephesians chapter 1, starting in verse 15:

“For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age, but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.”

Notice that Paul doesn’t pray that God makes the Ephesians powerful enough to overtake Rome. He actually says, “Open the eyes of their heart.” Why is that important for us? Because we serve King Jesus, who does not sit on the thrones of humankind; He sits on the thrones of men and women’s hearts. Did you know that your heart has a throne? Your heart will be ruled by something or someone—an idea, an ideology, or a person. Yet Jesus seeks dominion, rule, and authority over every one of our hearts. Collectively, when our hearts are surrendered to King Jesus, amazing things take place.

If Jesus seeks to sit on the throne of our heart, Paul is praying, “God, give them eyes to see; open the eyes of their heart.” Sometimes the biggest problem is not necessarily what’s happening around us, but that we may have lost sight of what’s happening above us. He wants the people in Ephesus to see Jesus—the author and perfecter of their faith—far above all rule, authority, power, and dominion. That phrase “far above” means Jesus is not one equal among many leaders. Jesus is above all those things, and everything else is underneath His authority.

We have man-made laws, governments, and separation of church and state, but the kingdom of God primarily starts with the heart. Jesus is over every ruler and government. The question is: Is Jesus above them all in our own hearts?

Think of it like our justice system. You have lower courts, and if you appeal a decision, you can move it up until you reach the ultimate authority—the Supreme Court. Jesus is that ultimate authority. Is He sitting in the ultimate place on the throne of our hearts? That means our affiliations—the schools we graduated from, the teams we cheer for, political parties—are not ultimate. They matter, but none of those affiliations should hold the throne of your heart. A government isn’t ultimate, nor is the country it represents. Everything falls short of Jesus. Political parties and candidates aren’t ultimate. Every candidate will fall short because they cannot be king of our hearts. Jesus is.

The resurrection is God’s declaration that Jesus has conquered humanity’s greatest enemy: death itself. We believe Jesus lived a sinless life to be the final, ultimate sacrifice for our sin and shame on the cross, and the Spirit of God raised Him from the dead. Look at the attitude Jesus had to do this: Philippians chapter 2 says He humbled Himself and became obedient to death on a cross. Then God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name above every other name, that at the mention of His name every knee should bow and every tongue confess.

When you see people in worship raising their hands or kneeling, you are seeing someone say, “I’m not the ultimate authority in my life. I have surrendered my life and authority. I have a King, His name is Jesus, and I bow at the mention of His name.”

King Jesus conquers differently:

• Our world says climb; Jesus says humble yourself.

• Our world says make people serve you; Jesus says serve others.

• Our world says protect your power; Jesus says lay it down.

• Our world says win at any cost; Jesus wins by giving Himself away.

He is conquering the hearts of men and women.

We live in a culture that says we don’t want a king, yet our human paradox is that our hearts clamor for one. The Kingdom of God is where the reign and rule of God exist. It’s where three things take place:

1. God’s authority is recognized.

2. God’s will is done.

3. God’s character becomes the pattern.

In Matthew 6, Jesus teaches us to pray, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” The Kingdom of God invades the earth through your life by living under God’s authority, doing His will, and reflecting His character. It begs the question: “What does my King want?”

Humbling ourselves means setting aside our fleshly desires to walk in wisdom and the Father’s will. Some of us are in difficult financial or relational situations because we have been the king of our own hearts for far too long. When you enter the Kingdom of God, that authority is given over to Him, changing who you become.

Every human being lives under some kingdom. Something will fight for that seat on the throne of your heart—money, family, success, acceptance, politics, or basic comfort. Many of these are good things, but good things become crushing things when we ask them to be ultimate things. No political leader or earthly entity can bear the weight of your ultimate hope.

Matthew 6 says, “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness.” When Jesus is your priority and ultimate authority, it frees you:

• You can participate in politics without making politics your identity.

• You can have convictions without turning an opponent into an enemy.

• You can pursue justice without believing your side is always righteous.

• You can engage the culture without allowing the culture to disciple your heart.

In John 18, during His interaction with Pontius Pilate, Jesus says, “My kingdom is not of this world… My kingdom is from another place.” He isn’t telling us to withdraw from the world, but to take the Kingdom of God in our hearts into the world. We are ambassadors. An ambassador lives in another land, learns the culture and language, but never forgets who sent them. We participate, serve the poor, love our neighbors, vote, and seek justice because we represent another King.

If Jesus is King, victory doesn’t make us arrogant and defeat doesn’t make us hopeless. When elections finish, your candidate winning shouldn’t make you arrogant, and your candidate losing shouldn’t make you feel hopeless. If it does, Jesus may not be the King of your heart. The Kingdom of God is bigger than any single nation; it is an everlasting kingdom active across the global church.

As Isaiah 9:6-7 says: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and 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 and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.”

Jesus’ authority is matched by His sinless character. Leaders, administrations, culture, opinions, and headlines change, but Jesus remains.

How do we live this out?

1. Identify where your ultimate allegiance lies.

2. Trust Christ more than earthly powers.

3. Live as ambassadors for Christ.

Let’s close with Psalm 145:8-14: “The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made. All your works praise you, Lord; your faithful people extol you. They tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might, so that all people may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does. The Lord upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down.”

Let’s pray. God, as we seek Your kingdom, open the eyes of our hearts. Help us recognize what sits on the throne of our hearts and surrender fully to You. Guide us as we seek Your kingdom above all else. In Jesus’ name, Amen.