Heavenly Citizenship - Where are you from?

Where are you From?

You’ve probably been asked that question thousands of time. When we meet someone and are able to talk for a few moments it doesn’t take long to get to this question, Where are you from?

How you answer this question, probably depends on how far away from home you are, and how familiar you think the person you are talking to is with Indiana.

If we are speaking to someone from this area we might be specific and say Cambridge City, Greens Fork, Centerville, Hagerstown or Richmond, but if we are speaking to someone who doesn’t live nearby, our answer might be “close to Richmond” but if the person is from another state we might phrase it this way, we live about an hour’s drive east of Indianapolis close to the Ohio line.

To others we might joke and say, I live in the middle of nowhere. In fact that’s how many people from the coasts view us isn’t it. We’re often referred to as the “fly over” states, because who would want to live anywhere near here. But to most of us, eastern indiana is our home. We either were born and grew up here or we have lived here long enough that we consider this our home.

But as a Christian where should we really consider our home? The bible points us to another home, and as Chrisitans living here we should all be having a sense that we are not quite where we should be. Let’s look at our text for today’s message which comes from Phillipians 3:20

Philippians 3:20 NIV

But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,

The bible is clear isn’t it. We are citizens of heaven.

But does that make any sense? How can we be citizens of heaven when we live on earth? And how do we develop a mindset that says this is not our home?

First, lets define citizenship. What exactly is it? What does it imply? What are the duties and responsibilities of a citizen?

According to Britannica.com

Citizenship is the relationship between an individual and a state to which the individual owes allegiance and in turn is entitled to its protection.

Notice that citizenship doesn’t have to include residency. Our first reaction to citizenship is that it is where we live. We’re citizens of Wayne County, Indiana, United States. If someone asked you where you were from you respond with the location of your home. (Were from Cambridge City. Well not exactly, you see we live 1 mile north of 1-70 on state road 1, and actually we live closer to Hagerstown, but my address is Cambridge city, we go to the post office, the bank and the grocery there, so we would say we are from Cambridge City.)

Amy grew up in Zimbabwe. That was her home, and while Bruce would bring the family home every three years or so to visit supporting churches, to Amy. Zimbabwe was her home. Even today, she doesn’t think of herself as a Citizen of the united states, because her childhood years were mostly spent in Zimbabwe. She may be a resident of the United States but her heart is elsewhere. I don’t want you to think that Amy is anti-American, or that she hates the US, that is not true. She just doesn’t have the same feeling for America that we might have.

We may not yet be living in heaven, but our hearts and minds should be longing to go “home.”

What does it mean to be a citizen of heaven?

Citizenship comes from God the Father.

John’s gospel explains how we became citizens of heaven.

In that first chapter of John, after explaining that Jesus the Word took part in creation, John then mentions that many did not recognize Jesus as the Messiah, in verses 12 & 13 He says this:

John 1:12–13 NIV

Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

Upon believing and obeying Him we become children “born of God,” not by natural or human means, but because of God’s decision, fulfilling the promises made to Abraham and David.

Paul writing to the Galatians explains it like this:

Galatians 4:4–5 NIV

But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.

Christians have been adopted into sonship!

While we weren’t naturally born we have been adopted into God’s family!

And as part of God’s family we become His heirs. Heirs are entitled to family benefits! Benefits which include citizenship in Heaven!

2. Citizenship comes with responsibility.

1 Corinthians 6:19–20 NIV

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

I doubt if any of you would tell someone you were from heaven would you? No, they would think you were a crazy religious fanatic who had lost their mind.

But are we citizens of heaven?

Let’s look at what the bible says about those what the bible says about those who aren’t citizens of heaven.

Philippians 3:18–19 NIV

For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things.

No doubt our world gets crazier and crazier each and every day. You may say that you’ve had enough, or is it a reminder to Christians that we are just temporarily living here?

Christians throughout the ages have struggled with this idea

One foot in heaven

Romans 12:2 “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Philippians 1:21-26 “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.”

citizenship, relationship between an individual and a state to which the individual owes allegiance and in turn is entitled to its protection. Citizenship implies the status of freedom with accompanying responsibilities. Citizens have certain rights, duties, and responsibilities that are denied or only partially extended to aliens and other noncitizens residing in a country. In general, full political rights, including the right to vote and to hold public office, are predicated upon citizenship. The usual responsibilities of citizenship are allegiance, taxation, and military service.

We can understand this in our allegiance to our hometown, or the state we grew up in or the city where we went to college. We all have allegiances to someone or someplace.

As citizens of Heaven our allegiance should start to change to one of allegiance to God the Father.

Conclusion.

As Christians we should get that same feeling for heaven as we get when we think about the home we grew up in.

Maybe you’ve experienced revisiting your childhood home that no longer belongs to your family. The feelings of love and nostolgia are sometimes buffered by the changes the new owners have made. I experience that when i go to my boyhood home that is now owned by my nephew. It’s no longer my home that I can freely walk into. It’s no longer exactly the same, so sometimes it’s easier for me not to visit. But my memories remain strong.

As we grow and mature, we should be longing for the time that we will get to be with God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit in heaven. We should get a similar feeling for heaven as we get when we think back to the nostalgic times of growing up.