Good News: The Gospel Changes Our Citizenship
Notes
Transcript
Philippians 3:17-21
Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 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.
Being a citizen of the United States comes with great privileges. As a US citizens we have the freedom to worship, we have the right to trial by jury, he we have the privilege to vote for elected officials, and even have the right to run for elected office if we so chose. There’s freedom of press, speech, assembly, and the list could continue. As our Declaration of Independence summates, we have the right of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
But along with our rights and privileges, there are also responsibilities. We are to support and defend our Constitution, we are to participate in the democratic process, we are to respect and adhere to laws at the federal and local levels. We are required to pay taxes (or least find a loophole in the tax law to keep from paying them), we are responsible for jury duty if called upon, and we are responsible to defend our nation from outside threat if the need should arise.
For those of us that are natural born citizens of the United States, I believe that the rights and privileges far outweigh the responsibilities of being a United States citizen.But for those coming from outside of the United States and are considering going through the process of naturalization, there is an added layer of commitment that must take place.
When a person has gone through the naturalization process, they must denounce their allegiance to any prior sovereignty and swear their complete allegiance to the United States. They are declaring that they have a new home, a new people, a new priority, a new authority. The laws of their prior country no longer apply to them because they have placed themselves under the governance of the United States. If a war was to break out between their homeland and the United States, they are saying they would fight on the side of the US. It requires a deep commitment to denounce your allegiance to the place of your birth, and pledge your loyalty a new nation. But if they want the privileges of being a US citizen, this is what it takes. While they may still love their nation of origin, the United States is now their home and their heart with all the rights and responsibilities that come with being an American.
This thought of changing our mind, changing our hearts, and changing our allegiance is the thought that Paul is trying to drive home in verse Philippians 3:20 where he says
But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
Paul is illustrating that when we become a follower of Christ, we are like a person who is receiving a new citizenship. We have new rights, we have new privileges, but we also have new responsibilities, and a new authority. It’s a reminder that this world is no longer our home, we are citizens of heaven, and God is our King.
Before salvation, out citizenship belonged to this world which is influenced by Satan himself. Bible tells us in Ephesians 2:1-3
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— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
This world is filled with hatred, violence, and immorality. People celebrate things that God hates like drunkeness, sexual promiscuity and deviation, and covetousness. Our values are driven by pride, greed, and lust for power. It’s a dark world, and if you are a citizen of the world, you walk in darkness. But I have some good news: The gospel changes our citizenship
This idea of citizenship was something that would resonate loudly in the Philippian church. Philippi was located in the region of Macedonia, but remember Philippi was a Roman colony. Although the people were not Romans, they were given Roman citizenship. That means that their allegiance was to Rome. Rome was the authority, but also their protector. They were afforded all rights and privileges of the people that were in Rome. And the Philippians took great pride in this. The city was often called “little Rome” because they had adopted the culture, architecture, and values of the Romans. It was an outpost of Rome in a foreign land.
And in similar fashion, Paul wanted them and us to understand that the church is to be an outpost of the Kingdom of God. Our culture, our values, our lifestyle should look like heaven on earth. When we choose to follow Jesus, there is a change in our citizenship. And the change should cause a dramatic shift in the way that we live our lives. It should be completely evident that we are different from the world around us.
I was playing ball the other day at LA fitness, and there was the guy on my team that I really like playing with, and I immediately knew this guy isn’t from Memphis. People from Memphis play a very specific style of basketball, and I hate it. Because I don’t play the way they do because I think it’s selfish and inefficient. Thank you John Calipari. This guy didn’t play like that, so I automatically assumed he wasn’t from Memphis. Then I heard him talk in a complete sentence. Yeah, this guy is definitely not from Memphis. So I asked the guy after the game where he was from - Northern Ohio. He was in town on business. You see just from a few observations, I could tell this guy was not from here.
If someone were to observe your life for a few moments, would they be able to identify you as someone who is a citizen of heaven? Would it be evident by your actions, attitudes, and passions that you are not of this world?
This morning, we are going to talk about three things that should change as a result of being citizens of heaven. All have to do with where we look.
Transition: First, we need to look to godly examples
I. Look to Godly Examples
I. Look to Godly Examples
Philippians 3:17
Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.
Remember in the previous paragraph of Scripture, Paul is seeking to motivate the believers, even those who had become mature in their faith, to continually pursue a deeper knowledge and relationship with Christ until their life on earth was over and the finally met Jesus. Now in verse 17, Paul urges the Philippians to join in imitating me. Now that phrase join in imitating me is a little difficult to translate into English. But maybe a little more clearly it would read something like Become a joint imitator of me. The picture is that you are mimicking the actions of someone who is mimicking the actions of someone else. So Paul is not saying here follow after me because I am the perfect example. He is telling the Philippians to join with him as he is imitating Christ. Be a joint imitator. Paul continues be encouraging them to not only look towards him, but look to others who are godly examples of what it means to live after Christ. He says, “Keep your eyes on those who walk (or have a lifestyle) according to the example you have in us.” The us is mostly like referring to Paul along with Timothy and Epaphroditus who would be delivering the letter to the church. Paul wants the church to follow the examples of those who were living a life that was pleasing to God.
This is what discipleship looks like. You follow me as I follow Christ. Paul isn't trying to be arrogant, but he does believe that his example is worthy of following as long as he is following Christ.
We all need spiritual mentors. We need people we can look to and say, "That is someone that loves God, and I want to be like them." The person may not be present. Paul was 800 miles away in Rome at this time, but the Philippians could still recall how Paul conducted himself. They were witnesses of how Paul put his life on the line to share the good news of the gospel. They saw his example of humility and servanthood. Even though he wasn't there, it was still an example that they could follow.
We may even have deceased mentors. You may have a family member or pastor who has passed away, but you have memories of the godliness and faithfulness. There are great men and women of God who have biographies that we can read that tell of their commitment to Christ and their growth in the faith to inspire us to be morel like Christ.
Whether it’s someone near or far, who is here in the present or a memory from our past,we all need spiritual influences and mentors in our life. If you don't think you need that, you probably need to go back to chapter 2 and read about humility some more.
I believe it's great to have multiple influences as well so that you can draw from the strengths of several different people in order to become a more well-rounded believer in Christ. Godly examples are vital to our spiritual growth.
In addition, we all need to be a positive example for other believers as well. We should be inviting others to be joint imitators like Paul did here. Maybe there is a struggling Christian at your job, or someone who has recently became a Christian, or maybe a family member who looks to you as their spiritual influence. We need to make sure that we are living a life that is worthy of the gospel so those that are looking at us will not be led astray. So who are you imitating and are you an influence worth imitating. We often say we need a Paul someone that we can look to as a spiritual influence, and we need a Timothy someone that we are influencing. Having these relationships will greatly impact your relationship with Christ. This is what discipleship is all about.
We can't just hear good teaching, we need to observe good teaching. Christianity is not just taught it's caught as we see others live these truths out. are One danger is that we shouldn't be seeking to make carbon copies of ourselves. God has created each person with a unique personality and skill-set. We aren't seeking to make Christian clones, but we should be seeking to pass along values, virtues, compassion, all with a gospel focus.
Transition: But not only do we need to look to godly examples, we need to look away from worldliness
II. Look Away from Worldliness
II. Look Away from Worldliness
Philippians 3:18-19
For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.
Paul here is warning the church about those who are the enemies of the cross, and he says that he is giving this warning with tears because of the destruction that that these enemies are causing inside of the church. Now, he doesn’t specifically say who he is talking about, but remember earlier in this chapter Paul had warned the church about Judaizers who were teaching that keeping the Jewish law was a requirement for salvation. Basically they reduced Christianity down to a list of rules. It’s possible that Paul is still referring to this group when he is referring to enemies of the cross. These are people inside of the church who are drawing people away from the truth of the gospel.
Or, Paul could be referring to a different group of people outside of the church. Maybe those prominent in the Grecco-Roman culture. In our day, think about the prominent people in movies and music and sports that whether we want to admit it or not, have an enormous impact on the way our country thinks and acts. Perhaps that church was beginning to emulate the culture around them rather than emulating Christ.
Whether Paul is talking about the Judaizers, the surrounding culture, or both. Paul gives us a description of those who we need to look away from as citizens of heaven.
In his description he says that their end is destruction indicating that these are not just saved people with doctrinal errors they are not misguided Christians. They are enemies of the cross, enemies of the gospel because they are in the church, but are not followers of Christ. Their end will be destruction. When their life is over, they will find themselves separated from God in hell.
He says their god is their belly. Now this doesn't mean that all these people are fat because they are constantly eating. Although it could. What Paul means is that they are constantly given to their fleshly appetites. They worship whatever feels good to them, and lead others to do the same. They are all about pleasing themselves.
Then he says that their glory is their shame. They aren't shy about it. These people are self-absorbed. They are the opposite of the humble servant leader that we have talked about at other points in the book. They enjoy and celebrate those things that offend God and should be avoided.
Finally, he says that they are focused on earthly things. They are more delighted by the things of this world than the things of God. Their minds are completely on the things of this world rather than eternity.
As followers of Christ, as citizens of heaven, these are not the characteristics that we should be emulating. We cannot be looking at those who are constantly indulging in their flesh desiring to be like them. We cannot be those that are finding joy in things that are shameful. We can’t follow the examples of those who glory in sexual sins, greed, disrespect, drunkeness, and laziness.
These are the types of things that our culture pushes as normal behavior. There’s no shame in sex outside of marriage because everyone does it. There’s no shame in families being broken by sin because everyone’s family is broken. There’s no shame in getting high or passing our drunk. People are just trying to relax and have some fun. Many Christians have become desensitized to shameful things because they are normalized by our culture and practiced by our friends, family and coworkers, and instead of looking away we look to these examples and many Christians find themselves engaged in worldliness.
But even in the church, there are those who have laid aside the truth of God’s Word in favor of worldly, sinful things that are more appealing to the flesh. That’s where the name and claim, prosperity gospel crowd gets its philosophy. It comes from the world. They are more concerned about earthly things than the things of God. Making money is held in higher esteem than making money.
But worldly thinking can go to the extreme on the other end of the spectrum as well. Take the groups like the Judaizers and the Pharisees who stressed the moral perfection of keeping a set of rules over a relationship with Christ. Their goal was not to please God, but to please their own flesh. They were seeking to boost their pride by trying to be better than everyone else. This again is a worldly mindset that we must avoid. It’s not about making ourselves look good here on earth. We live in obedience to build our relationship with Christ, not to glory in our pride.
As citizens of heaven, we must look away from worldliness. We need to shun those that are enemies of the cross, and seek rather to follow the godly examples that we spoke about before.
Transition: So we need to look to godly examples, look away from worldliness, and third, we need to look forward to glory.
III. Look Forward to Our Savior
III. Look Forward to Our Savior
Philippians 3:20-21
But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 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.
This has been a major theme throughout the book. Looking forward to meeting Jesus. In this passage Paul says that while we are hear we should be eagerly awaiting the return of our Lord and Savior - Jesus Christ.
Paul uses powerful words to describe the one they are two be waiting for. He uses Savior which means the one who will deliver from great danger. Jesus means God who saves. Christ means the anointed one. And Lord means the Sovereign ruler.
By using these descriptions, Paul may have been reminding the Philippians who were proud citizens of Rome not to lose focus on where their true citizenship lies.
The Roman emperor was often called savior because he would save the people from their enemies, and also lord because he was the sovereign ruler of the empire. But Paul I believe Paul wanted the Philippians to know that even though Caesar may have been a great ruler that had built a great kingdom and promised to protect them from danger, Caesar was not the one that they should look to for salvation.
And likewise, for us today there is no political figure that is going to be our Savior. In this last election cycle, there were far too many Christian who were placing their hope in their presidential candidate. It doesn’t matter who you voted for whether your candidate won our lost, the people sitting in the white house and the congress chambers cannot change your eternity. Our eternal king is far greater. It’s Jesus. He is Savior. He is Lord. He alone has the power to change your eternal destiny .
Paul reminds the church here that it’s our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ who will transform our bodies to be like his glorious body through His Resurrection power. His power is supreme power. Every thing in this universe is subject to Him. So by exerting His power over the natural laws of sin and death, we will be transformed into a new body that free from sin and it's scars. We will finally be glorified and be in the image of Christ. To me that sounds better than being a billionaire here on this earth.
This is what we should all be anticipating as followers of Christ. We can't get so bogged down with the affairs of this world that we lose sight of eternity to come.
Yes, we are citizens of the United States while we are here on earth, and it is OK to have godly pride in being an American. We should participate in all the rights and responsibilities of being a citizen of the United States. But America cannot come before the Kingdom of God. We have a higher citizenship with a greater ruler. Many Christians have aligned themselves more with American values or political party values than with Biblical values. Many are more adamant about exercising their political freedoms than they are their freedom in Christ. But the Constitution and the Bill of Rights should not hold the same weight as the Bible in the heart of the Christian. I know people probably wouldn’t admit to that, but I’ve seen it.
We’re citizens of heaven. Heaven and the United States are not the same. There are people all over this world who are citizens of this greater kingdom. Let’s look forward to when Jesus returns and establishes himself as King and transforms us into His image.
So how do we live as citizens of heaven when in reality, we are living here on earth? Where some of us may struggle is finding the balance between a genuine care and concern of the things of this world and a longing for eternity. I think that we naturally lean one way or other. Some of us make get overly concerned about trying to figuring things out in this world that we lose focus on the fact that this is not our home. Then there may be some of us who are always looking towards heaven and we neglect what is going on around us right now. As DL Moody said, how do we avoid being"so heavenly minded that we are no earthly good." So how do we find that balance . How can we be engaged in our culture, but at the same time focused on eternity. How can we be in the world, but not of the world?
I think the contrast in two verses can help us out.
The first is John 3:16
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
The second is
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
In one verse we are told that God loved the world, and the other we are told not to love the world. I believe reconciling these two passages can help us to know how we are to live at citizens of heaven while we are living in the world.
In John 3:16 where the Bible says that God so loved the world, he is referring to the people of the world. The souls that are in the world. God loved the people. You and me that he sent Jesus to die for our sins on the cross. John 3:17 adds to the thought.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
Jesus loved the world so much that He was willing to sacrifice in order that we may receive the gospel, begin a relationship with Him, and be saved from eternal separation from God in hell.
In contrast in 1 John 2:15 where we are told not to love the world, the Scripture is referring to that world system, it’s that sinful culture that we have been talking about this morning.It’s characteristic of those that are enemies of Christ. As Christians we should not be in love with worldly things. That word love is the agape love it’s the highest form of love. And as citizens of heaven we should not have an utmost type of love for things of this world. 1 John 2:16-17 gives further explanation.
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
We shouldn’t have a love for things that that are rooted in sinful fleshly desires, sinful things that are appealing to our eyes, things that are designed to build our sinful pride.
So how do we need to live as citizens of heaven while we are living on earth? We need to love the world. We need to love people, and be willing to sacrifice that others may here the gospel and receive salvation. But we cannot be in love with the worldliness.
Another key verse that can help us with this is Colossians 3:1-2
If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.
-As citizens of heaven , we can’t vie to be live like worldly people. Our desires should change as our citizenship changes. Get this key thought this morning.
As citizens of heaven, our inspiration and aspirations should come from God.
As citizens of heaven, our inspiration and aspirations should come from God.
Every year, around 1 million immigrants come to the United States, and many of them come in pursuit of what is often called the American dream. They’ve been inspired by the stories of those who have come to America and built better lives for themselves. So they come seeking a better life for their families. They come to escape tyranny in their home countries. They come with aspirations of starting a business or building a career. They feel that the possibilities are limitless when they come to America. But many immigrants feel that until they becomes citizens of the United States, those dreams are in jeopardy. They seek citizenship so that they can never be deported. Their is no chance that their green card will be denied. So family that is still in their homeland will have an easier path to get to the United States. They will be able to live with peace and freedom as a US citizen as the pursue life, liberty, and happiness. That’s why many people see US citizenship as a dream come true.
When we receive the gospel and choose to follow Christ making us citizens of heaven, it gives us new freedom to pursue a better life as well. As a citizen of this world, we were slaves to sin, but through the power of Jesus we are no longer slaves to sin. God has freed us from that yoke of bondage. And though we me still struggle, we must remind ourselves that we are no longer under Satan’s jurisdiction, sin no longer our master. . Before salvation we may have been chasing after after the things of the world and dreaming of having all the fame, or all the, power, or all the money, or all the sexual pleasure. Because as a citizen of the world, this is the best that you can do. These are the things that the world says is going to bring you happiness.
But as a citizen of heaven, we have new aspirations. As we spend time in God’s Word and listen to testimonies of saints that have going before us, we should be inspired to seek God’s kingdom first. We can pursue things that are of eternal value rather than just things that will pass away when our life is over. We are free to pursue a deeper relationship with Christ. We are free to live a life that is pleasing to God. We are free to love people the way that Jesus loved people because we are not afraid to sacrifice for the sake of the gospel. Far better than seeking the American dream, we can seek Jesus dreams. We can seek after what God can do in and through our lives that will impact eternity. Our life has been changed because our citizenship has been changed.
As citizens of heaven, our inspiration and aspirations should come from God.
Look to godly examples, look away from worldliness, and look forward to our Savior.
My first question this morning is are you a citizen of heaven? As the person seeking US citizenship, you must denounce loyalty to your former home, and pledge allegiance to the new. For us, that means that we must choose to turn away from the world, and choose rather to follow Jesus. Jesus died and rose again for your sin. Without the shedding of His blood, we would be doomed to life in hell. But Jesus gave us a path to citizenship, and if we will repent and believer the good news of the gospel, he can save you. If you want to know more about what it means to be a follower of Jesus, just contact me and I would love to share with you more about how you can change your citizenship.
For those of us that are saved. Are you living as a citizen of heaven, or are you still showing loyalty to the world that you left behind? Can people tell that you have changed your citizenship by the way that you live your life. Do you have Jesus dreams, or does all your inspiration and aspiration still come from the world? I know we often think of worldliness as some of the more egregious sins, but realize that worldliness can take on many different forms. Think about how you use your time, how you used your money, and where do you find peace and satisfaction. That it will show you where your allegiance truly lies. It’s time that we get our mind off of building our kingdom here on earth, and start building God’s kingdom in heaven. So I just want to challenge you to pray Psalm 139:23-24 this morning.
Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting!