Philippians 3:12-21

The Joy of Heavenly Citizenship

Introduction

SFAS - unknown distances

Same with our Christian walk

It is a race/marathon

It has hills and valleys

It has dangers and times of respite

But Christians have citizenship in the celestial city, where despite the long perilous road, there is a place set for you

Paul grounds this in the rightouesness of Christ imputed to Him

Philippians 3:8–11 “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.”

Dennis Johnson entitles his commentary chapter on these verses “The Restless Race of those who rest in grace”

The grace the Lord has given you is a joyful pursuit of the heavenly citizenship that awaits you

Main points

Striving toward Christlikeness (vv. 12-14)

Imitating Godly Examples (vv. 15-17)

Living as Citizens of Heaven (vv. 18-21)

Striving toward Christlikeness (Philippians 3:12-14)

Perfectionism and John Wesley

Not attainable in this life

Therefore, in striving toward Christlikeness, we must acknowledge our imperfection

3 Ways we strive toward Christlikeness

Acknowledging imperfection

Pressing forward

Forgetting what lies behind

1.1 Acknowledging Imperfection

Pursuing what is unattainable

Scripture reading, never fully mine the depths of Scripture

Yet we do it anyway

Paul admits he has not yet achieved perfection but continues to pursue it.

Encourage believers to recognize their ongoing need for growth and grace.

Paul was never the perfect Apostle

Neither was Peter or James

Acknowledging our imperfections reminds us who we must rest in, Jesus Christ

1.2 Pressing Forward

Pressing on - to move rapidly and decisively toward an objective

Advancing forward with diligence

“to make it my own”

Means to come into possession of an inheritance

Beautiful metaphor because the only way Paul is actively able to “make it [his] own”

Is that Christ has made Paul his

Pressing on, advancing, persevering is rooted in Christ Jesus

Paul also acknowledges in v. 13 that the salvation received he has not made his own

Again, it is what Christ has done for him

App” Challenge the congregation to actively pursue spiritual growth and maturity.

How do we do it?

Hebrews 12:1–2 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

1.3 Forgetting What Lies Behind

Relient K

I'd rather forget and not slow down / Than gather regret for the things I can't change now / If I become what I can't accept / Resurrect the saint from within the wretch

Attitude of Christians

Forget what is behind you, the old man

Ephesians 4:22–24 “to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”

Emphasize the importance of leaving past failures and successes behind to focus on the future.

Instead, we are to “strain forward” to what lies ahead

Olympics/marathon imagery

Reaching out with the biggest stretch to finish the race

The goal we reach for is far better than a wreath, it is the prize of God in Christ Jesus

Motivate believers to focus on current obedience and future hope.

Imitating Godly Examples (Philippians 3:15-17)

2.1 Mature Mindset

Those mature in the faith are to “think this way”

The word to think is the same word that means having wisdom

Maturity means having wisdom, not only knowledge

Wisdom is applying the knowledge you have

Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit, wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad

The mature are to “hold true” to what they have attained

This is a reference to Scripture and the knowledge given by the HS

Word means - to be in line with a person or thing considered as standard for one’s conduct, hold to, agree with, follow, conform

Paul calls those who are mature to adopt the same attitude and reveals God’s guidance for those who disagree.

- **Application**: Encourage growth in spiritual maturity and openness to God’s correction.

2.2 Following Faithful Examples

Obvious = Christ is the ultimate example

We can also look toward those in the faith as rolemodels

Paul says to be a joint-mimic-er

Imitate his conduct

What is his conduct?

Evangelism to the lost - Jew first and also Greek

Disicpleship - Trains up beleivers

Discipline - gives some over to Satan

Prayer - Philippians 1:3–4 “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy,”

Encouragement - not putting people down for simple mistakes

Highlight the importance of looking to role models who embody Christlike living.

Better role models are those who have endured hardship/suffering and have kept the faith

Living as Citizens of Heaven (Philippians 3:18-21)

Pilgrim’s progress

Christian meets Mistrust and Timorous

They flee the path, returning to the city of destruction because they hear there are two lions on the hill

As Christian comes closer to the path it narrows and each lion is on the walkway

Watchful encourages Christian that the lions are chained

Thus Christian concludes

“To go back is nothing but death; to go forward is fear of death, and life everlasting beyond it. I will yet go forward.”

For Christian, his heavenly citizenship was far greater than the danger that awaited upon the path

3.1 Avoiding worldliness

Paul warns about those who live as enemies of the cross, focused on earthly things.

“enemies of the cross”

Means one who is hostile and hateful

Paul’s interaction with Elymas in Acts 10:4–12 “And he stared at him in terror and said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. And now send men to Joppa and bring one Simon who is called Peter. He is lodging with one Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea.” When the angel who spoke to him had departed, he called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among those who attended him, and having related everything to them, he sent them to Joppa. The next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray. And he became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance and saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth. In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air.”

Three marks of enemies of the cross

Their god is their belly

They glory in their shame

Same with what Paul writes in Romans 1.18ff.

Their minds are set on earthly things

Counter to what Paul admonishes in Colossians 3:2 “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”

Similar with Asaph and Psalm 73.

There will always be those who challenge the authority of the Gospel

Paul assures Christians that God will take vengeance upon them

End = telos

Destruction is something that they experience, related to annihilate but not annihilationism

They will perish in hell enduring God’s wrath, specifically with regard to false teachers

2 Peter 2:1 “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.”

2 Peter 3:15–16 “And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.”

For you all: Examine your lives and be careful not to fall into this category

Jesus warns us of the reality of false teachers in Matthew

Matthew 7:21–23 ““Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’”

How do we joyfully live as citizens of heaven? First, Avoiding worldliness

3.2 clinging to your citizenship

Analogy of going to another country that is not your own

Culture shock, rules/customs, etc.

Longing to return to your home country

That is what the Christian life looks like

Something to wait for (ἀπεκδέχομαι)

Means await eagerly

Something we will experience as Hebrews 9:27–28 “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.”

How will Christ “deal with us”?

μετασχηματίζω

Schematic fr. previous passage

Refers to a transformation

He transforms our lowly bodies

refers to an unpretentious state or condition, lowliness, humility, humble station

Our lowly insignificant bodies, like Christ taking upon humanity, will be raised and glorified like his

Like his = σύμμορφος

Comes from preposition “syn” or with, and morphe

This is all 100% because of Christ’s power, not our own

- Declare the hope of transformation and the promise of a heavenly home.

One aspect of the Gospel that always shocks is the amount that Christ continues to do for us

Not merely savings us, but adding so many additional blessings on our behalf

Often think of the Gospel as a one time event which we grow out of

That’s not Paul’s reasoning

It is something we preach to our hearts daily

Which should: Inspire hope and perseverance by focusing on the eternal home and promise of transformation in Christ

Conclusion

Reiterate the themes of pursuing Christ, following godly examples, and living as heavenly citizens.

Prayer is that we can conclude our ministry on earth in the same words of Paul

2 Timothy 4:7 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

Christian life is a life worth fighting for

Finishing the race well, even if you hobble

Between 95-99% of marathon runners finish the race

100% of Christians finish the race

Keeping the faith

Holding fast to the word of Christ and letting it dwell richly in you