Becoming Like Jesus: Who Am I?Sample

Citizen of Heaven

In the very beginning, God created everything as an act of love. His greatest act of creation was making human beings, in His image. After creating us, God looked on all that He had made and called it very good. Then, a few chapters later, we rejected God as our King and tried to rule in His place. It was in this act of rebellion that God’s good world was infected by sin and death. Even though we never stopped being made in the image of God, we were now sinners overwhelmed by shame and selfishness. But, through the grace of Jesus, it is now possible to be forgiven of our sins and to have our relationship with God fixed.

And that is really good news. That’s why we call it the Gospel. When Jesus started telling people about what God was up to, He included a detail that we don’t want to miss.

“The time promised by God has come at last!” he announced. “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!” Mark 1:15 NLT

This is the message Jesus came preaching: “The Kingdom of God is near!”

So, what exactly is the Kingdom of God? A kingdom is a group of people ruled by a king. The Kingdom of God is the people of God ruled by God. When Jesus says the Kingdom of God has come near, He is saying God’s way of doing things, His rule and reign, is taking root in history, and all of us have been invited to be a part of it. So, how do we join in? By repenting and believing.

The word repent carries two really important meanings. First, it means to “change the way you think.” Second, it means to “return.” Specifically, return to God. When Jesus calls for people to repent, He is inviting them to change their thinking and their lives by returning to God as the one true King of the world.

When it comes to believing the Good News, it’s important to recognize that the kind of belief Jesus is asking for is more than just agreeing that something is true. Jesus wants us to trust that God is good. And, as an expression of that belief, commit our lives to Him and His Kingdom.

When we respond to the Gospel in this way, we become citizens of heaven.

But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. Philippians 3:20 NLT

This is why the Gospel is such good news. It’s news because something really happened that has changed the course of history. It’s good because that something is the Kingdom of God coming on earth as it is in heaven. A Kingdom where love is the law of the land, where righteousness and justice permeate the air, where sins are forgiven, evil is eradicated, hurts are healed, outcasts are welcomed, and the lost find their home. The Kingdom of God is the place where the damage of the Fall is undone and the goodness of God’s original plan is present.

That is what Jesus proclaimed. That is what we have been invited to be a part of. And it’s something we’ve been called to bring others into.

But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. “Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.” 1 Peter 2:9-10 NLT

So, who are you? You’re made in the image of God. You’re a sinner saved by grace. You are a citizen of heaven.