Where's Your Passport

Where’s Your Passport

Phil 3:12-4:1

Intro: Has anyone tried to get a Canadian passport lately.  Because of changes now with travel laws to the states things have become more complicated.  You need a passport if you are flying anywhere other than inside Canada.  I have had some friends who recently travelled to the states, and they complained of how crazy it has been to get their passports.  I decided to look into the process of getting a passport.  There are lots of things you need to do.  Some of the tasks you need to complete involve sending a photo of yourself signed by a guarantor, sending identification that is either an original document, a photocopy signed by the guarantor, and something proving your Canadian citizenship.

Context:  The church of Philippi had been started by Paul during his second missionary journey.  One of the well-known stories from Acts was Paul in Silas in jail, which you can read about in Acts 16.  Philippi was a Roman colony, where most of its inhabitants had Roman citizenship, but may never have been to Rome.  However, the letter to the Philippians occurs later in his ministry.  Paul wrote Philippians in the context of prison.  Paul had been placed under house arrested because he appealed to Caesar towards the end of the Book of Acts.  While he is chains he writes to several churches, encouraging them in their faith.

In Philippians, Paul spends a lot of time encouraging the Philippians to conduct themselves as true believers in Christ.  One of the images he uses is that of a citizen.  The Greek word for citizen or citizenship is used twice in this letter, here, and 2:19.  We should be mindful that the idea of citizenship to Paul would have been a little different than ours.  Whereas everyone born in Canada or born to Canadian parents has Canadian citizenship, Roman citizenship was not automatic.  You often had to buy your citizenship, or perform some great feat.  However, being born to Roman citizens still allowed you to enjoy Roman citizenship.  There were many privileges that came with citizenship, such legal appeal rights and a level of diplomatic immunity

1st Point

Citizenship in the KOG is about faith character, not paper legalities

-          God’s people are not his not his people because of some ceremony, birthright, or reciting of a pledge, but is based on life changing faith.

-          Citizenship in Canada requires either birth in the country, or a paper application and due process.  As well, your citizenship does not take into account how you act.  Even criminals in prison still retain citizenship.  They lose certain rights, but they can produce a piece of paper to affirm their citizenship

-          The KOG is different.  The proof of your heavenly citizenship is your character.  Look at verse 17.  Paul exhorts his readers to pattern their lives after godly role models.  When we look at Paul’ life we can see the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control- Gal 5).  As followers of Jesus, our citizenship is proved in our conduct.  Also notice how Paul contrasts those who are not citizens of heaven in verses 18-19.  Paul is making clear that our beliefs are reflected in the way we live our lives.  So does that mean we must be perfect.  No, because…

2nd Point

While our character reveals our allegiance, the KOG is also about forgiveness and mercy

-          If we backtrack earlier in the passage, Paul spends time talking about striving for the goal

-          Often times, when we look at Paul’s life from the book of Acts, and his epistles, we forget that 1) he was still human, and 2) there is a lot of his life we don’t hear about.  The book of Acts covers a nearly 30-year period.  We can be sure that every detail of everyday is not covered.  And from Paul’s statements here, we can be sure that he did make mistakes and slipped every once and a while

-          So what happens when we slip, are we to dwell on our mistakes?  No, we are to press on, relying on the forgiveness of Christ, and moving on

-          Example: falling down and getting up

-          This does not mean we do not acknowledge when we sin; we still need to repent and seek forgiveness; it means we do not needless dwell on mistakes when what we need to do is follow Jesus and move on

-          So what are moving onto?

3rd Point

Citizenship in the KOG is in the here and now and is finalized when Jesus returns

-          the KOG is here, right now, today; when Jesus came 2000 years ago, He began the KOG here on earth.  But it doesn’t seem like it sometimes

-          Which also means the KOG is not yet fully realized.  When Jesus ascended into heaven, e promised that He would return and re-establish the KOG on earth

-          Some theologians have described this as the now/not yet idea of the KOG; Jesus started the KOG during his incarnation, he will complete when he returns, right now we live in the tension of two worlds

-          As citizens of heaven, we heading to our home, when we see Jesus, either by our deaths or by His glorious appearing

-          A good read is a Pilgrim’s Progress, which is an allegory written by John Bunyan

-          So what does all this mean

Disclaimer:

Citizenship in heaven does NOT mean that we are not subject to the laws of the land we live in.  We are to obey the laws of the land UNLESS they conflict with clear biblical teaching.  So, just because your citizenship is in heaven does not mean you can run red lights, double park, or park in handicap spots when you do not permission.  However, when the government does contradict Scripture, we are be obedient to Christ, expecting and accepting that we will face hardship.  Jesus warned us that we will face trouble in this world, but we rejoice, knowing that He has overcome the world. (Jn 15:33)

Application:

1)      We need to live lives worthy of our calling.  We need to lay our sin and selfishness and live for Jesus.  Hebrews 12:1-2

2)      While we are to live a holy life, we need to remember we are human; we will make mistakes and we will sin while we live on this earth in these earthly, fallen bodies.  We need to repent, deal with our mistakes then we need to move on, knowing that we are forgiven and that God has taken our sins from us are as far as the east is from west – Ps. 103:12

3)      We press on because we are promised that one day we will become everything God created us to be.  We will no longer struggle with sin and our sinful nature; we will have the relationship with Christ that we were meant to have from the creation of the world.  We start here, but our ultimate goal is to be with Christ, where we are meant to be.  Our citizenship is in heaven, so we are to act like citizens of heaven.

Closing

I am thankful I am a Canadian citizen.  I get to live in good country.  Is it perfect?  By no means, but we have brothers and sisters in Christ who do not enjoy some of the blessings we enjoy.  However, I am even more grateful that I am a citizen of heaven.  I have been forgiven by Jesus, and have assurance that I will see Him one day.  I hope my conduct shows the world I am a citizen of another country.  It is by His grace I have my heavenly passport.  So my question to you is this; do you have a passport to heaven?  If you do, do you look like you belong somewhere else…