Citizenship
Witness to the world: Book of Acts • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 51:34
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Citizenship
Citizenship
As Christians we have special citizenship, dual citizenship that comes with benefits and responsibilities too. This evening we will look at what transpired with Paul regarding citizenship and then come to our responsibilities for our dual citizenship too.
A Christian has citizenship in heaven (Php3:20)
20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;
Question: I want you to think about this for a minute, the word “wait” is used in (Php3:20) is this to sit patiently or do you think it is to do something?
We are fellow citizens, members of God’s family (Eph2:19)
19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household,
We are citizens with the saints, members of God’s household. We are part of a family that’s been born again, born of God! No longer strangers, aliens, separated from God (see Eph2:11-13).
So, in this world we are but pilgrims and sojourners (1Pt2:11)
11 Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.
Since we are not of this world, our citizenship is in heaven we need to abstain from fleshly lusts.
(Transition) dual citizenship at times can work to the benefit, it did for Paul as you will see in our passage tonight. We will get to our passage (Act22:22-30) in a minute let me give some background, reminder stuff first.
Paul received a converted heart on the damascus road (Act22:6-11)
Paul was saved when calling on the name of the Lord at baptism (Act22:12-16)
Paul recounts from his conversion and his vision with the words from the Lord (Act22:17-21)
(Transition) That is where we are now. Paul was probably OK until mentioned the Gentiles for no respectable Jew would have anything to do with Gentiles.
Paul had been told to get out because of the plot of the Jews previously (Act9:29-30)
29 And he was talking and arguing with the Hellenistic Jews; but they were attempting to put him to death. 30 But when the brethren learned of it, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him away to Tarsus.
But the Lord told him to get out! It is now 15 years later and Paul is in hot water again.
(Transition) Paul in hot water was going to stand his ground, not compromise his witness but use his citizenship to fulfill God’s purpose and for God’s glory. So tonight here is what I want to touch on:
Paul’s spoken citizenship (Act22:22-30)
Our citizenship (things to consider)
Paul’s spoken citizenship
Paul’s spoken citizenship
Paul was in a pickle, in a hard place and he was not going to compromise his his witness but chooses to use what God had made him (Roman citizen) to God’s glory here.
I think to keep things in context I need to back up one verse, let’s look at the passage together, glean from it and go from there.
21 “And He said to me, ‘Go! For I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’ ” 22 They listened to him up to this statement, and then they raised their voices and said, “Away with such a fellow from the earth, for he should not be allowed to live!”
23 And as they were crying out and throwing off their cloaks and tossing dust into the air, 24 the commander ordered him to be brought into the barracks, stating that he should be examined by scourging so that he might find out the reason why they were shouting against him that way.
25 But when they stretched him out with thongs, Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, “Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman and uncondemned?” 26 When the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and told him, saying, “What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman.”
27 The commander came and said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman?” And he said, “Yes.” 28 The commander answered, “I acquired this citizenship with a large sum of money.” And Paul said, “But I was actually born a citizen.”
29 Therefore those who were about to examine him immediately let go of him; and the commander also was afraid when he found out that he was a Roman, and because he had put him in chains.
30 But on the next day, wishing to know for certain why he had been accused by the Jews, he released him and ordered the chief priests and all the Council to assemble, and brought Paul down and set him before them.
What did you see, what did you notice, what sticks out to you?
Gleaning from the scripture
Question: In looking at (vv.21-22) what did Paul say that would ant them to not be allowed to live?
For I will send you far away to the Gentiles (v.21)
Question: In a Jewish tradition in showing disgust (vv.23) what did the people do?
They threw off (tore off) their cloaks and threw dust in the air.
Question: In the fear of an uprising, a riot again what did the commander order in (v.24)?
To be brought to the barracks again and to be scourged.
Question: How did Paul stop the scourging (v.25)?
By asking the question about if it is lawful to scourge a Roman, and one who is uncondemned.
Question: In (v.28) How did the commander obtain his citizenship, and how did Paul, his?
The commander by buying it; and Paul by being born a citizen.
Question: Why did they let Paul go (v.29)?
Because he was a Roman citizen
(v.30) is a link between this section and chapter 23 and we will get more into that verse next week.
(Transition) we see a couple more things in this chapter that we can grab from, glean from conceptually.
(Insert PowerPoint Paul’s life threatened)
Because of his Christianity his life was threatened (Act22:1-2, 22-24; Act21:33-34)
They listened intently, quietly until mentions the Gentiles (Act22:1-2, 22)
(Scriptures below are not on the screen just read them; briefly)
1 “Brethren and fathers, hear my defense which I now offer to you.” 2 And when they heard that he was addressing them in the Hebrew dialect, they became even more quiet; and he said,
then in (v.22)
22 They listened to him up to this statement, and then they raised their voices and said, “Away with such a fellow from the earth, for he should not be allowed to live!”
Jews would not want anything to do with Gentiles and they would have been fine with Paul until the Gentiles came into the picture, there was still a dividing wall between Jew (Jewish Christians) and Gentiles (Gentile Christians). if it was Jesus and adherence to the law and was for Jews there would be no issue.
They cried out to put him to death (Act22:22-23; ref Act21:31)
At the mention of the Gentiles they then thought he was not worth living and needed to be done away with, killed.
22 They listened to him up to this statement, and then they raised their voices and said, “Away with such a fellow from the earth, for he should not be allowed to live!” 23 And as they were crying out and throwing off their cloaks and tossing dust into the air,
This was similar to what was said back when all the ruckus got started
31 While they were seeking to kill him, a report came up to the commander of the Roman cohort that all Jerusalem was in confusion.
Back to the barracks so to keep the peace (Act22:24; ref: Act21:33-34)
24 the commander ordered him to be brought into the barracks, stating that he should be examined by scourging so that he might find out the reason why they were shouting against him that way.
this too was similar to the other
33 Then the commander came up and took hold of him, and ordered him to be bound with two chains; and he began asking who he was and what he had done. 34 But among the crowd some were shouting one thing and some another, and when he could not find out the facts because of the uproar, he ordered him to be brought into the barracks.
Claudius (the Commander) wanted to ascertain the truth and how the truth was oftentimes extracted was through scourging. They were prepared to have this done to Paul when he asked the question to caused his life to be spared.
(Insert PowerPoint- Pauls life spared)
About to be scourged Paul asks a question (Act22:25)
An accusation got him in trouble, and a question is going to get him out of trouble.
25 But when they had tied him up to be whipped, Paul said to the officer standing there, “Is it lawful for you to whip a Roman citizen who hasn’t even been tried for any crime?”
The question led to a report (Act22:26)
The Centurion ran to the commander and gave a report that Paul was a Roman Citizen
The report led to questioning (Act22:27)
27 So the commander went to Paul and asked him, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” “Yes,” answered Paul.
The questioning led to discussion on citizenship (Act22:28)
The Commander and Paul have a discussion about Roman citizenship now
28 The commander said, “I became one by paying a large amount of money.” “But I am one by birth,” Paul answered.
One purchased his citizenship the other was by birth (I am going to expand on this for application in a few minutes)
Citizenship led to Paul’s life being spared (Act22:29)
It was illegal to whip, beat, scourge, even bind an uncondemned Roman citizen so they set him free.
Being spared left still more questions (Act22:30)
30 The commander wanted to find out for certain what the Jews were accusing Paul of; so the next day he had Paul’s chains taken off and ordered the chief priests and the whole Council to meet. Then he took Paul and made him stand before them.
(Transition) and that is where we will pick up on the story next week. But I want to talk about citizenship some first .
Our earthly citizenship
Our earthly citizenship
As citizens of heaven (Php3:20); fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s family (Eph2:19) we have great benefits, eternal life with God through Jesus Christ but while here we have some responsibilities as citizens too.
We receive our citizenship at a price, but not one we pay (1Cor6:20)
20 For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.
We need to glorify God with our body, we have some duties. So let me unpack some scripture on this along the say.
We have a duty to obey (Rom13:1-5; 1Pt2:13-14; Act5:29)
1 Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.
3 For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; 4 for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.
5 Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience’ sake.
Be in subjection to authorities; God given authority
Do good for conscience sake
Let me give you another
13 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, 14 or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right.
Submit for the praise of ones who do right.
We have a duty to pay (Rom13:6-7, 1Pt2:17)
6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing. 7 Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.
As much as we may not like it, it is commanded that we pay our taxes.
Render unto Caesar what is Cesar and to God what is God’s - think may have heard that before maybe it was in (Mk12:17)
17 Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.
We are called to honor all and honor the king
It says to fear God, this is reverential fear but it is God who gave the authorities the authority in the first place. So to not honor would be to not honor God.
We have a duty to pray (1Tim2:1-2; 1The4:11; ref: 1Pt3:12)
1 First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.
We are to pray for all men, all in authority so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness, and did I mention dignity.
11 and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you,
and when you pray, and lead the quiet, tranquil life in all godliness mind your own business and work with your own hands.
By doing such you are serving our God and our Country in a powerful effective way, when those who do not, well look.
12 “For the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, And His ears attend to their prayer, But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
so you are in God’s army as prayer warriors for our country, ministering to the needs of fellow soldiers in the army and the leaders too.
(Insert Citizenship picture here)
Earthly citizenship:
We are citizens of our Country by birth or by naturalization and God has given us duties, responsibilities as citizens we need to fulfill them.
Paul utilized his rights as a citizen to fulfill God’s purpose for him, to further the gospel to the Gentiles
Heavenly citizenship:
As citizens of this world we also have a dual citizenship in heaven that comes with responsibilities too. To make intercession for all, to be peacemakers as we serve the Prince of Peace.
We are just pilgrims (a person who journeys to a sacred place for religious reasons); Sojourners (a person who temporarily stays somewhere) we have a heavenly home that is waiting for us one day, so until then may we work out our salvation with fear and trembling (Php2:12).
(Pray) (Exit)