Acts 22:22-29 Are We Citizens of Heaven or Just Tourists
Notes
Transcript
Are we citizens of heaven or just tourists?
Are we citizens of heaven or just tourists?
24 The commander brought Paul inside and ordered him lashed with whips to make him confess his crime. He wanted to find out why the crowd had become so furious. 25 When they tied Paul down to lash him, Paul said to the officer* standing there, “Is it legal for you to whip a Roman citizen who hasn’t even been tried?”
26 When the officer heard this, he went to the commander and asked, “What are you doing? This man is a Roman citizen!”
27 So the commander went over and asked Paul, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?”
“Yes, I certainly am,” Paul replied.
28 “I am, too,” the commander muttered, “and it cost me plenty!”
Paul answered, “But I am a citizen by birth!”
29 The soldiers who were about to interrogate Paul quickly withdrew when they heard he was a Roman citizen, and the commander was frightened because he had ordered him bound and whipped.
Introduction:
So to give you a little background as to what is going on here in this passage of Scripture. Paul is in Jerusalem and he is there for seven days with no issues in and out of the temple. Then some Jews show up and accuse him of doing something in the temple worthy of death but before they can kill him the roman commander of the area comes down to see what is going on and he ends up taking Paul into custody in order to save his life. Before Paul is lead inside he starts trying to explain himself to the Jews and they get even madder. The commander then takes him inside and tells the soldiers to whip him to find out what his crime is. Some translations say he was to be examined by flogging. This means they were about to stretch him out and whip him until they were convinced that he was telling them the truth.
They have him stretched out and are just about ready to start whipping him and he looks at the centurion that is standing there and asks this question “Is it lawful for you to whip a Roman citizen?” This is significant because a Roman citizen is provided certain protections under the laws. Had he been whipped without a trial they could have all been subjected to severe penalties.
Illustration:
Have you ever been on vacation somewhere? The beach maybe to the mountains or where ever it was that you went. What were some of the things that you did when you got there? You went sight seeing maybe….took lots of pictures…you maybe went and found something to eat…you got in some shopping and guess what those clothes you bought…. everyone that lives there in that town your visiting they know that you just bought’em and shocker they can likely tell you what store you bought them at…..then you hung around and decided what sights you were going to see tomorrow and then turned in for the night.
What did you not do? Well you didn’t go to looking for a house to buy. Another thing you did not do is look up local churches and start attending to see which one the Lord wanted you to join. You were not interested in investing in the community at all because after all you are not intending to stay you are only there for visit and then you are going back home.
Body:
There are a few differences between a citizen and a tourist that I hope we can zoom in on this morning. So back to our passage of Scripture there are couple of things in here that show us what it means to be a citizen of heaven…although Paul is a citizen of Rome there are still a couple of things that are the same for us as believers. These soldiers are about to stretch Paul out and whip him. They are trying to beat the “truth” out of him because they assume he is going to lie about why everyone is so mad at him. So they have him on this rack and have tied him down stretched out spread eagle on his stomach….but
Before they can whip him Paul tells them that he is a Roman citizen by asking a question. Acts 22:25
When they tied Paul down to lash him, Paul said to the officer* standing there, “Is it legal for you to whip a Roman citizen who hasn’t even been tried?”
Paul did not demand and yell and scream from the roof top that he was a citizen. No he asked a quiet question that instantly stopped them in their tracks. He was proving that he knew the Roman law. In asking his question he showed them that he was a citizen of the Roman empire because he knew the law….the rules so to speak.
By whipping him without a trial they are gonna face some pretty serious consequences because there were protections in place for citizens of Rome. Being a citizen of Rome meant that you had protections from those who would do you harm. As a citizen of heaven you have protections from those who would do you harm. When you are a citizen and not a tourist you are protected. When you are a citizen and not a tourist you know the rules and the laws that govern where you live….whether you choose to obey or not is your choice but you do know them. When we accept Christ as our Savior we become a citizen of heaven. We are no longer just visitors…we are no longer just going to God’s house on Sunday we are going to our Father’s house and we are in His presence and He promises us that we are citizens of heaven above….however, we have to act like we belong there….remember the promise came with stipulations…we as citizens follow the established customs and laws of where we live.
See if we are citizens of heaven we are not just looking around at the beauty of belonging. We are not just wandering around taking in the sites at church…….we are not just going to church anymore we are going there…. to that place…… to worship our God and to be in His presence. I am not saying that you have not to come here to worship but a citizen is going to be of service to the community they belong to. They want to gather together with their fellow citizens and be part of the community of believers.
I am here to put down roots to belong but to also act like I belong. A citizen knows where the good stuff is found. A tourist will search and search trying to find what it is that they need but as a citizen…… I don’t have to go looking for grace and mercy because I know where to go get it. I don’t have to look for the forgiveness that I need…I don’t have to go and try to pay for my Salvation…I know where to find it…this is where I live all the time I am not a visitor I am a citizen.
In Philippians 3:19 the Apostle Paul writes this about citizens of this world….
They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth.
People of the world are only interested in God in as much as He brings them comfort when they are in pain or they are sick or they are in need….other than that they live for themselves. He tells us that citizens of heaven in contrast live another way Philippians 3:20
But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior.
See I should already be living like I belong in heaven. I ain’t got there yet but I know I am just visiting here taking in the scenery till I get home. This is not your home church if you are saved you are a citizen of another land one not here on this earth. One that is in the presence of our Lord and Savior. We have a home in heaven not made with hands that lasts forever.
The other point I want to make is this….In order to be a citizen it costs….Acts 22:27-28
So the commander went over and asked Paul, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?”
“Yes, I certainly am,” Paul replied.
“I am, too,” the commander muttered, “and it cost me plenty!”
Paul answered, “But I am a citizen by birth!”
So what does this mean…It means that it costs something to be a citizen if you are not born there. The commander tells Paul that he bought his way into citizenship …..just how this happened he does not say and the Bible does not really tell us. It could have meant simply that by serving in the military he was buying his place because this was one way it could be done back then….at any rate it was very costly for him.…it was a high price to pay.
Paul says he is a citizen by birth meaning he was born into his citizenship as a Roman. The commander had to pay something for his citizenship. Do you know it costs something for you to be a citizen of heaven? Did you know the protection you have from God costs a lot? Did you know that you were bought for a price? 1 Corinthians 6:20
for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.
That price was the life of His only begotten Son. The Savior of the world bought you and me with His precious blood. He paid for our right to be a citizen of heaven. That was a heavy price to pay for a sinner like me. In light of the sacrifice that my Lord made for me….I am going to live like I belong there….I am going to make every effort to let everyone know that I belong there with Him…that this is not my home….I ain’t made it yet but praise God because of what Jesus did I will one day. I was adopted into God’s family as His child but more than that I am born again as a citizen of heaven. I didn’t have to pay for it……Jesus did that for me.
As a tourist you don’t pay a lot to live there. You are only there for a visit. You come to see the scenery and because it helps you relax and escape this world for a time. You can forget your cares and all the weight that you carry when your home. You can just get away from it all for a little while.
The biggest difference is that when you leave from your visit everything you left behind is waiting there for you when you get home. You leave all the beauty behind and return to “normal life.” Some folks that come to church they are not citizens of heaven they have never been born again into God’s Kingdom…..they don’t have the protection that we have as believers….they have visited so much that they start to dress like a believer…they look like a believer….they pick up the language and the accent….they sound like they belong but deep down they don’t….they can even find their way around locally…but they really don’t live there. They haven’t bought property and put down roots. When they leave they go right back to where they came from.
See as a true believer I act like a citizen of heaven….because I am. I don’t have to try to fit in my Lord knows I belong. He sees my heart and knows that I am trying my best to live out the teachings of my Lord and Savior. I am invested….
I want to ask you today are you a tourist or are you a citizen. If you are a citizen have you plugged yourself into the community of believers. Are you just wandering through looking around or are you really digging in and finding your place in the community. If your a tourist and you feel the calling to move to a better place…the invitation is here this morning for you to do just that.
Invitation…..
