Citizens of Heaven
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Live as Citizens of Heaven
Becoming and living as a citizen of heaven is not based on what you do, but who you know.
Lord, we come before you thankful that before we could know you, you knew us and you chose us to be our followers, you chose us to be here this afternoon.
Thank you Jesus.
We are talking about and Paul is sincerely concerned that the people in the church at Philippi, the brothers and sisters there, may be misled by those who add religious stipulations to salvation. Those who have been following behind him preaching that to get to heaven you must be circumcised-obviously this for men only. Already it doesn’t make a lot of sense. But of course, the devout want to do what they can.
of sense. But of course, the devout want to do what they can.
What things do we do to try to please God? Why should God let YOU into heaven?
Because you studied for working with Hebron Home? Emmanuel says YES that might do it!
Because you are a pastor?
Because you visit the sick and the poor?
Of course we know, that nothing we can do will get us into heaven but still we worry
BECAUSE HEAVEN IS JUST A HOPE
BECAUSE HEAVEN IS JUST A HOPE
BUT WE ARE CITIZENS OF HEAVEN RIGHT NOW
BUT WE ARE CITIZENS OF HEAVEN RIGHT NOW
IN A SENSE
The “Already, But Not Yet” of Being a Citizen of Heaven”
The “Already, But Not Yet” of Being a Citizen of Heaven”
Let’s read together
Further, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you. Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh. For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh—though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.
Further, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you. Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh. For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh—though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.
To my shame I admit that we were too weak for that! Whatever anyone else dares to boast about—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast about. Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham’s descendants? So am I. Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.
To my shame I admit that we were too weak for that! Whatever anyone else dares to boast about—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast about. Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham’s descendants? So am I. Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.
Philippians 3:-
Philippians 3:1-6
All that he did and it didn’t get him any closer to heaven. It got us closer but not him.
But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.
Philippians 3:
Most translations say “I consider it RUBISH!”
He considers it Rubish
What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, 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 is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.
Philippians 3:1
There is nothing you can do to become a citizen of heaven. You have to be born one.
It’s not WHAT YOU KNOW It is WHO you know.
It’s not WHAT YOU KNOW It is WHO you know.
i”m obviously NOT A CITIZEN OF NIGRIA, SO When I came to Abuja last Friday I flew in a state of the art jet aircraft. My trip had been planned for months. I had packed and planned and studied. But no matter what I did back home to be the perfect visitor, if I didn’t know anyone hear, If I came to Abuja by myself and stepped out of the airport without knowing anyone, with no cash, no reservations, I would have no idea where to go, where to stay, how to eat, I couldn’t have gotten around. But because I know Emmanuel and Grace, when I stepped out of that airport, I was immediately at home.
Becoming a citizen of heaven does not depend on how well you plan, how hard you work, how good you are, it depends entirely on who you know. Knowing Christ Jesus, personally knowing Him in a way that allows you to walk and talk with HIM is what it takes.
The hope of the resurrection lies not in our own keeping of the law, not in luck, not in hard work, but only because we know Jesus Christ.
Paul lived an exemplary religious life, yet, he couldn’t find his way home to heaven despite it.
We know the Pharisees, who were the lay leaders in the synagogues, kept every Old Testament rule to the letter. Not only that, they kept the rules made to keep you from breaking the rules.
4 …I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh...If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.
We know the Pharisees, who were the lay leaders in the synagogues, kept every Old Testament rule to the letter. Not only that, they kept the rules made to keep you from breaking the rules.
Yet Paul knew that was not what was needed. To find your way to heaven it depends not on how well you keep the OT rules or how well you know your Bible; it depends entirely on who you know!
Look Forward not Back
Look Forward not Back
Knowing Jesus makes the difference between going home to heaven and not. No matter Christian zeal or our Bible knowledge.
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Even our service for him, all the things we have given up in order to serve Christ, all that is rubbish, because our righteousness comes only from our relationship with Jesus Christ, our belief in His ability to save us
.
The Already but Not Yet Hope of Heaven
The Already but Not Yet Hope of Heaven
Paul says: For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 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—
The power by which our resurrected bodies will go to heaven is the same power that resurrected Jesus Christ from the dead.
But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.
Philippians 3:
The Humble Hope of being resurrected means we may share in suffering as Christ did and even death. We hope to one day know the power of his resurrection. But for now it has been granted to us to share in His sufferings. In all this we already have the same kind of power that will one day cause us to be risen from the dead. But for now, we must die to self like he died to self. Our hope, is not that our good works will make us rich or godly but we hope for the resurrection from the dead. We press on towards that.
Even Paul did not want people to consider him perfect or as having attained the resurrection.
10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
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.
We seem to think that we can climb the ladder to heaven. We can climb the ladder of success and climb the ladder of faithful living. Lots of ladders we can climb but the only way to heaven, short of the resurrection, is death!
The power of the resurrection, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead, is the same power that carries us through our sufferings. In fact, when we suffer, we share with Jesus. The only way to attain the resurrection of the dead is to die!
So do not consider or worry about what you have done for God in the past but strain forward to the future. The future that will ultimately end in the upward call of Christ Jesus. Our future is in heaven-THAT is our goal. Our goal is upward.
What does being heavenly minded, thinking for the future mean?. What does that look like? How can we do that? (Spending time in the Word, in prayer, singing praise, reading Psalms, caring for children, caring for the poor who cannot help themselves, and daring for the elderly who are close to heaven.
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.
Interesting that Paul says the mature do not focus as much on what’s happening down here as they do on what’s going to happen UP THERE. Don’t be focused on what your will eat or drink or if you will gain fame or fortune on this earth. Glorying in earthly things brings shame. But keep your eyes on Jesus Christ’s life. Live as Paul did.
Yes, there are many enemies of the cross of Christ. The promise of God is that they will end in destruction. The wicked may prosper for a time but we will be blessed for all eternity.
17 Brothers and sisters, join in imitating [Paul in this}…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.
That is how the enemies of God live-focused on the day to day, what they will eat drink, and wear.
I have a dog and I can honestly say his god is his belly, or rather his nose. He thinks about himself. He has no concept of truly loving me except that he knows I will feed him and care for him and pet him on occasion. It’s all about him.
My prayers give away the fact that I AM A LOT LIKE MY DOG. I PRAY FOR THINGS OF THIS EARTH not for things of heaven.
You and I, know we are children of the king, adopted into the royal household, Paul says “CITIZENS of HEAVEN” and we must, not for our salvation which Christ has already done the work for. We work as grateful children of the king. We work while there is still day, we want to serve God, but none of those things will necessarily make us rich, quite the opposite.
But what Paul is talking about here is the mature believer, you and I, we know we are children of the king, adopted into the royal household, Paul says “CITIZENS of HEAVEN” and we must, not for our salvation which Christ has already done the work for. We work as grateful children of the king. We work while there is still day, we want to serve God, but none of those things will necessarily make us rich, quite the opposite.
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.
LIVE AS CITIZENS OF HEAVEN
LIVE AS CITIZENS OF HEAVEN
So, live not as citizens of Nigeria or members of your single church, but live as what you really are, citizens of heaven. That is what we wait for, that day when Christ calls us home to heaven to be with him there. We look forward to the upward call of Christ and already we live as sojourners on earth. For this is not our true home, but the believer is indeed truly a citizen of heaven.
IT IS NOT WHAT WE’VE DONE BUT WHAT HE DID THAT COUNTS
IT IS NOT WHAT WE’VE DONE BUT WHAT HE DID THAT COUNTS
Press on, don’t look back whether you are looking back on glorious days or bad days. It is n’t what we’ve done that counts, it’s what HE DID.
