Sermon by Senior Ps Daniel Khong at the Faith Community Baptist Church at 10th Aug 2025.
Question: should Christians be patriotic or should they just focus on the kingdom of heaven?
Scripture: Jeremiah 29 talks about the letter that Jeremy send to the exiles from Jerusalem to Babylon. The letter asked that the people live well, marry and work hard, and pray for the prosperity for the city.
Jerusalem 29:11 is probably one of the most famous versus in the Bible where it talks about God having a plan to prosper and not to harm. Despite Jerusalem being destroyed and and many people exiled to Babylon, the letter instructed the people of Israel to seek the peace and prosperity of the city. God intentionally placed all of us in Singapore, and it is not a coincidence.
Why should we care for our country?
1. God prepared our country for us
Where we are born is spiritually significant. Psalm 139 tells us that God is intentionally crafted us from our mother's womb, so God also decides where we are born. The Israelites have sinned and God has given them to the Babylonians. It may not their true home, but God asked them to seek the prosperity of Babylon, and the Israelites will also prosper.
2. God calls us to our country
What makes the country are its people. Jer 29:4 says that God carried carried the people into exile to Babylon. When God calls Singapore, he is calling the people of Singapore.
3. God fulfills his plan for our country through us
God promises that he will bring us to a new home, and reminded that we have a hope and a future. Babylon as a result was blessed by 4 men who were exiles sent to Babylon. Because of these 4 - Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego - even the king admitted that he is blessed. Babylon and Singapore is not perfect but God is perfect.