Philippians 3:12-4:1 | Two Kingdoms

Intro

Hey y’all

How is everyone?

Everyone have a good break? Anyone do anything cool?

Aquarium.

So, question for you.

Have you ever thought, what is the story of the bible about? Of course God. But in the whole of the bible. What is God telling us. What is the story?

If you were a journalist reporting on the whole of the bible, what is it about.

It is about Two Kingdoms.

The Kingdom of God, and the kingdom of this world.

In the beginning was the kingdom of God.

Rebellion. Sin. Brokenness.

The story is how the Kingdom of God is restoring this world and destroying the kingdom of this world.

That God has made for himself a people. In his kingdom are people.

In the OT it is the Hebrew people, in the NT Jesus opens the gates of the kingdom, and says join us, follow me to restore this world.

The people of the church. The Church is an embassy of the kingdom here in this worldly kingdom. as a beacon.

So, the story of scripture is the story of the two kingdoms.

This is the story we still live in, the story of the Two Kingdoms,

Scripture is presenting two kingdoms.

This where we are going to live tonight, how do we live in the story of the kingdoms.

Context

So, if you have your bible great, if you don’t have your bible throw and hand up and let us give you one. Who needs a bible?

Cool,

So we are going to be in Philippians 3:12-4:1 tonight, so the rest of chapter 3 and the first verse of chapter 4.

So before we read it, let me give you the set up for what we are reading.

Paul is setting up the idea of the two kingdoms as the back drop of this.

Basically saying, there are no neutral parties, everyone is in one of the two kingdoms, and you con’t be in both.

And he sets this up with the picture of walking. All of us are on a journey, walking somewhere.

So when we read this in just a second. Look for marks of the two kingdoms. Look for what is marking who is in what kingdom.

So, let’s get in to it. Let’s read this together, but before we do that, let’s pray for our time in the word.

pray

Philippians 3:12–4:1 ESV

12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. 16 Only let us hold true to what we have attained. 17 Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. 18 For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. 1 Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.

Okay so we are going to work through this text kind backwards. Well not kinda, very backwards. So this may feel a little out of sorts, cause I’m going to start heavy application so just stick with me.

But there is a foundational truth at the end, that I want us to view the rest of the scripture through.

P1 - Citizenship is in Heaven.

So the first thing I want you to see is this, in verse 20, Paul writes.

Our citizenship is in heaven.

So that’s where I want to start. Because it is going to inform how we think about the rest of the passage.

So what does it mean that our citizenship is in heaven?

First it means that our citizenship is not here.

This word citizen, and citizenship is kingdom language. It is defining which kingdom are you in? It’s telling us, what you are like, who you are.

So let’s think of who we are. Where we are all from.

I’m going to guess all of us in here are born here in the US of A right? Got any Canadians? Didn’t think so.

So what’s it mean to be an american? Freedom. The Flag. Guns. Red State/Blue State.

We all grew up in american culture. We are on the whole going to watch football over soccer. We’re all gonna watch the Super Bowl way more than the Champions League final.

We all are familiar with college sports. That’s not a thing anywhere else in the world.

We are a car centric people.

Most of us probs will only speak one language fluently, cause English is the universal language of business because we are the most powerful nation.

And I know the US is very diverse and american culture is huge and different.

But on the whole the culture we live in shapes us. It just does.

We are all Americans which is very different from say, Japanese or Australian or where ever, American culture has molded us to be americanized. Our citizenship has played a role in making us who we are.

Tracking?

So here is the truth I want you to see right here at the beginning.

Paul is saying, look, your citizenship isn’t here.

So if our citizenship isn’t here where is it? it’s in the kingdom. It’s in heaven. It’s in the kingdom of god. He wants to remind the Philippians and us of this.

and That citizenship is going to shape us. It should mold us into a person like the kingdom.

Which more and more is going to increasingly cause us to rub up against our earthly citizenship and culture. I want you to see that

and this is what Paul is trying to get them to see.

That they are citizens of a different kingdom, which means their lives are going to be different from the kingdom of the world.

It’s going to be different, you engage in politics different, you spend money differently, you view justice differently. You live and act differently.

For us, You become a person who is not ultimately american first person, but a citizen of the kingdom of God first. That may feel uncomfortable at first, but look, USA ain’t gonna be here forever, the kingdom of God will.

P2 - The Two Kingdoms

So this is what Paul is trying to do, he is telling them how to live in the kingdom of God. How to walk as kingdom people. How to prepare to fully live in the kingdom of GOd.

Basically, there is a way that those in the kingdom walk and there is a way that those of the world walk.

And what Paul is reminding them is, — don’t fall for the world, you are not here long term, become a citizen of the king.

And for us, we used to live in a world where the lines of kingdom people and worldly people were very blurred.

We lived in a world where the dominate value system was Christianity.

Historians have literally started calling it Christendom.

Western Values are based on Christianity. But with in the last 30 years, the world has shifted.

We now live in a Post Christian world. A world that no longer claims Christianity as a valid belief system.

Even if it borrows from it, Christianity is seen as a negative thing in our world.

And so what has happened is we have shifted back to a world that is more similar to Pauls world where the lines would have been clear between the kingdoms.

And what Paul is telling them is don’t blend in, don’t be like this world, as a citizen of the king, you live a different life. You life looks different. You stick out.

The progression of the world we used to live in and how it is now is kinda like this.

So if you know me pretty well you know that I love cities. I know not all of you like big cities. But I love being in them. It gives me life. And when I go to a city, I have a goal it’s a weird thing. but It is to blend in, I do not want to be seen as a tourist. I want to disappear into the ethos of the city.

I love figuring out what makes those people them, and how can I blend in, how can I feel like a local. When I spent a summer in NYC working for NAMB, that was one of my goals. Become a New Yorker. by week two I had it down. I even tempered my accent.

And that was USA, wasn’t too hard to do. But when you go to other places, it’s different.

So a couple years ago. I got to go to London. And same thing, I want to blend in. A couple days in, I had the walk, I had really figured out the subway system. I knew how to get where I needed to go without constantly looking at the map, I knew how many stops, I knew how man block, around which corner. I even had a coffee shop that I found that I went to, cause that was what they all did in the morning.

But I couldn’t fully blend in, but I was close.

But when I opened my mouth, guess what happened, America Came straight out. I might as well said, “hi my name is 1776, these colors don’t run”

But I spoke the language, the customs weren’t too wildly different. We just use more salt and seasonings and less beans in our food,

And that is like the world we used to live in as christians.

It’s not like that anymore. And I got a first hand experience with what it’s like to not be in a culture remotely like yours.

Last year I got to go to Israel. Guess who couldn’t blend in there. My big self. Walking through the streets of Jerusalem one with a tour group and two I’m about a good 8 inches taller than your average Israeli. So I stuck out, and it was okay. I wasn’t from there. Nothing I did was going to make me blend in. Anything I tried to do was gonna make me look more like I didn’t belong.

And this is what Paul is getting at, he is telling them, this world is going to be uncomfortable to be at times, you are going to be different. And that’s okay.

And so He gives them a way to walk in the kingdom, and ways to avoid walking in the way of the world.

P3 - Press on toward the Kingdom of God. Stand Firm in your ultimate home.

So this is what he says back to the top, Phil 3:12-14

Philippians 3:12–14 ESV

12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

So here is what he is saying. And we have been hitting on this a good bit over the past few weeks

But walking in the way of the kingdom is the process of sanctification. It is the process of becoming like Christ.

What he tells us here is this

we will not obtain perfection in this life, and that’s okay, we aren’t striving for perfection, we are striving for a life that is marked by holiness.

Paul says, “But I press on.” — I keep moving toward Christ.

Paul says it twice, I press on. Which tells us, we need to also press on.

Keep walking toward Christ. One step at a time.

There will be days where it feels like he is a mile away, there will be days where it feels like he is right beside you.

Paul is saying, he is with you, press on with him.

Sanctification takes a whole life. To live a sanctified life, takes your whole life.

Randy has this thing, it’s prob not theologically true, but it makes a good point. We are being sanctified and the day we finally get it, we are finally holy, he calls us home.

It takes your whole life.

Look at verse 13, Phil 3:13

Philippians 3:13 ESV

13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,

Basically there is not a magic formula for sanctification or spiritual formation.

It is no a list of things to do, but a person to keep following.

in that, our lives and habits are transformed to become like Christ. If we are following Him then we will become like him.

What it calls us todo is keep our eyes on Christ and to press on following Him.

The call to consistently follow him. One of Paul’s other letters says the steadfastness is what following him looks like. One foot in front of the other.

I’ve said this before, but we are a people who like logical step by step reasoning, we want to know the next step. The now what. Doesn’t matter if it is a super complex thing, we want to know the steps. Cause Steps are easy. IF we do the steps, we do the thing.

But that is not the christian life. The Christian life is simple but hard. We love easy and complex. We can crush a to do list. But the Christian life isn’t a list, it’s a person to follow, and through out all the ebbs and flows of life, the call is to follow Christ, to take how he lived his life and to become a person who replicates that.

To go where he goes, to do what he does, and to be about what he is about.

And then These first couple verses are basically Paul restating what he stated earlier in the book, cause look what he is saying next. Its the how.

don’t do this alone.

You need community.

And in that community is where we learn to live in the kingdom. Where we learn to walk as kingdom people.

So back to the main question, what does it look like to live in the kingdom of God in this world.

Paul here gives 4 verses contrasting the two kingdoms.

Philippians 3:16–19 (ESV)

16 Only let us hold true to what we have attained.

17 Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. 18 For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. 2

verse 16, hold to Christ.

For us, what we have attained is scripture, Paul had the witness of Christ, we have scripture to attest to who Christ is.

Everything we do needs to be seen through the lens of the Christ we see int scripture. Of who Christ is.

So here is a thing you need in your life.

you need some older christians in your life who can show you how to walk, who have walked the path a little longer, and a little further.

Just thinking through my life, the older guys who have been in my life and have helped me walk toward the Lord. If it weren’t for some of them, I’m not even in this room tonight.

This is one of the reasons we do small groups. We want you to have access to some saints who are further down the path than you, that can show you the way to go. To give you community and to think through life with people who have been there before.

When you do that, when you have community like that, it guards you. Cause this world in tempting. It is tempting.

Go ahead and have the systems in place now. This is why we stress small groups and Sunday school. cause when you leave here, you need to know how to find community. and you won’t really be able to do that well if you don’t know what that looks like.

So Paul is telling them walk like this, because here is what can happen if you are not guarded.

If you get comfortable in the kingdom of this world, you will fall prey to it.

Paul is reminding them of people they know who have left for this world.

Philippians 3:18–19 ESV

18 For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.

Verse 19 is an idiom that gets lost in translation. Paul is saying, their end is destruction because they are taking this world for all the pleasures they can find.

This was the greek equivalent of you only live once.

Those who walk in the world have their mind set on earthly things.

All that you get in this world is all you can get. that’s the mentality.

and for us.

Thats the culture we live in right now. Everything is cheap, nothing is sacred, this is all you are going to get.

That is the mind set of the world.

But look what Paul says.

That’s not us. We look forward to something greater.

back to where we started, verse 20. Phil 3:20

Philippians 3:20 ESV

20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,

We are looking past the things of this world, looking toward the one who is going to redeem all things.

Verse 21, we will be made like him.

So therefore while we are here stand firm and press on towards him as a citizen and as a son or daughter of the King.

P2Christ | What are you walking towards

And so here is the question for you.

What are you walking towards?

You can’t say nothing, like we said at the beginning, there are no neutral parties.

What are you walking towards. If you aren’t sure, let me ask it this way.

Who are you becoming like? Who are you being formed in to?

That is what formation is, becoming something. So what or who are you becoming?

If you are sitting there and you are thinking I’m a christian but i’m not becoming christ like, you may want to rethink that. you may know about Christ, but not know him. You may see him, but you are not a follower, you are not apprenticing under Jesus.

I want you to answer that question. Who am I becoming, what am I walking towards?

Only two options, life or destruction.

So this is the invitation, come and follow Jesus. If you want to follow jesus, come and talk to me. If you feel the lord calling you, come and talk to me. While we are singing and praying and confessing, ask the Lord to save you. Come talk to me, talk to someone if you want to follow Jesus.

Come see Christ as Lord, come see Christ as king.

y’all pray with me.