Sermon Tone Analysis

Citizenship

Please open your Bibles to

Read .

In March of 2017, Amanda and I took a trip to New York City.

We did all the typical tourist stuff.

Saw a Broadway play.

Took a carriage ride through Central Park

Walk down a dark alley on a rainy night.

Take a subway.

Go to Brooklyn on accident.

But one of the coolest parts of the trip was the day we went to the Statue of Liberty and afterwards Ellis Island.

It was amazing to walk the path that many took as they journeyed to this great nation.

Amanda and I wondered how our ancestors made it to the United States.

It’s moments like that, where we realized our citizenship as Americans is something special.

And now when I meet people, who are not born US citizens, but have immigrated here, I appreciate what they went through to not only call this home, but how they now identify as citizens of the United States of America.

Citizenship is something special.

Likewise, the Philippians were very proud of their Roman citizenship.

They were not originally a part of the Roman Empire.

Eventually, they were acquired by Rome, and many Roman army veterans would settle down in Philippi.

They weren’t born citizens.

With the huge Roman presence in Philippi, the people of Philippi were granted full citizenship.

They were exempt from certain taxes.

And they proudly adopted Roman culture.

They dressed as Romans.

They built buildings like Romans.

They spoke like Romans.

They were proud of their Roman Citizenship and they imitated those who lived in Rome.

And in the same way, none of us are born into God’s kingdom.

We don’t enter the world already citizens of God’s kingdom.

Even if you are born to Christian parents, into a Christian family, you are not born a Christian.

You must be born again.

Think of the language that Jesus used when talking to Nicodemus one night in , “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Or Paul’s language in , “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—”

Those are words to Christians.

This is how you used to be.

The powerful language of conversion is found in , “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

And such were some of you.

But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”

What are the key words there?

“And such were some of you.”

They needed to be born again.

We are not naturally citizens of God’s Kingdom, but by the power of the Holy Spirit we become a part of God’s immigration process.

says, “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

Just as people took cruise liners and boats to change their citizenship from one nation and become US citizens; God is taking people from Satan’s kingdom, and bringing them into Christ’s Kingdom.

So we are not naturally citizens of heaven, we don’t naturally follow the customs of God’s Kingdom.

But upon conversion, like the person who immigrates to a new land, or like the Philippians who adopted Roman culture, we too must adopt the lifestyle of our Christian citizenship.

We don’t naturally live that way.

That’s what this whole passage is about.

What does it mean to be citizens of God’s kingdom?

How do we learn to live like a citizen?

What are we to watch out for?

And what are the benefits of being a citizen?

Let’s answer the first question, How do we learn to live like a citizen, or to put it another way, What is the Pathway to Citizenship?

You see Paul’s answer to that in verse 17.

“Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.”

How do you live like a citizen?

You find someone who is one, and you live like them.

You imitate them.

You copy them.

There’s a dark period of time in my life, that I’m ashamed of.

And in the spirit of full transparency and honesty, I’m going to confess it to you.

And prayerfully, the Elders will respond in mercy to what I’m going to tell you.

When I was in middle school … I was a … line dancer.

Every Wednesday, the Italian Cowboy, a country bar, would open up its doors to families.

And every Wednesday, I’d put on my boots, grab my cowboy hat, and go to the Italian Cowboy and line dance.

I knew most of the dances.

The Boot Scootin Boogie

The Achy Breaky

The Tush Push

The Electric Slide

I’m sad to say … I liked it.

Occasionally, there’d be a dance I didn’t know.

I would awkwardly stand on the side and watch those who knew what their doing.

I always about 2 steps behind trying to pick up the moves.

I’d watch over my shoulder, trying to learn from the drunks on the dance floor.

The whole thing is embarrassing to even think about.

I would watch those, and imitate those who knew what they were doing.

And in regards to our Christian citizenship, you watch those who know what their doing.

You imitate those who know what their doing.

If you want to live like a citizen, you need to watch how a citizen lives, and then imitate them.

You find a mature Christian and learn from him.

Learn under him.

Observe him.

How does he pray?

How does he spend time with God?

How is he involved in the church and in the body?

You imitate him.

We need this, because remember, none of us are naturally a part of the kingdom of God.

The Christian life is not something we grew up doing.

It’s not our custom.

It’s not our habit.

Prior to our conversion, the self was the rule of law.

Do what you want.

Do what makes you happy.

We need to be taught.

We need to learn.

Maybe you think the idea of imitating is weird.

It’s been said that imitation is the highest form of flattery.

In 1979, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, founders of Apple Computer, were invited to Xerox to look at some of their prototypes.

While there, they found an early computer with a mouse attached to it.