Part 4: "CITIZENSHIP HELPS"

(turn to phillipians 3, Ephesians 2.

Story: i recently was texting with a friend who used to live in Australia. He an d i were talking about how amazing its going to be again when you can just travel anywhere you want and just be able to GO. We talked about Australia, he’d been there and like ANYONE who’s EVER been to Australia… KNOWS… Just how … AMAZING it is… The GREAT SOUTH LAND OF THE HOLY SPIRIT… the sun drenched beaches… the Cosmopolitan atmosphere..... The Country-side.... the Kangaroo’s you can have as PETS growing up! (thats my number 1 Joke i use on people when they ask me what Australias like and its amazing HOW many PEOPLE Fall for it.

But We were conversing and i told my friend Patrick i said i am trying to plan a trip for sometime this year to go to Sydney and to visit family and friends and spend some time. He remarked that for HIM its hard because globally of all the restrictions going on Australia is definitely some of those countries where you have to quarantine or wait or just not go at all until they said you can

To which i responded, man thats a bummer you wont be able to go but i should be fine with my passport

.... to which he responded with these words: “Yes, Your Citizenship definitely HELPS you”.

...... and then i thought about this series and how were talking right now about HEAVEN. and about HELL and About how ETERNITY IS BUT A BREATH away

and then i remembered the verse in Philippians .....where Paul describes it this way:

Phil 3:17-21 “17 Brothers, join in imitating me, and 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. 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.”

SO TODAY I WANT TO TALK TO US ABOUT WHAT LIVING AS A CITIZEN OF HEAVEN CAN AND SHOULD LOOK LIKE

A couple of Key NT Verses on Citizenship:

Acts 21:39 “39 Paul replied, “I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no obscure city. I beg you, permit me to speak to the people.””

Ephesians 2:19-20 “19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,”

Acts 22:28 “28 The tribune answered, “I bought this citizenship for a large sum.” Paul said, “But I am a citizen by birth.””

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Quick background on why this matters for you and for me: being a citizen in bible imes was actually a big deal.

it was an indicator of ones political value and also their social value and status.

Citizenship really became a thing under alexander the great and greek cities or colonies would have citizens with certain ranks and classes and that continued through the roman era which had 5 types of citizenship:

The Emperor.

The Senate. (or the ruling class).

The Equestrian Order (Local Rulers or Prefects)

The municipalities - Smaller cities where Citizens were automatically citizens of the empire, though with much less privilege than the riling class

The Military

Freedman - These were former slaves who had been freed to the status of half - or quarter-citizen, with some of all of the social rights but none of the political rights.

In The Roman Empire you could MOVE up or BUY citizenship in certain circumstances and many people did. Often bought with entire life savings so that the next generation would be able to be born AS citizens. Being BORN a citizen of ROME has INCREDIBLE privilege and Value and literally CAUSED someones VERY life to be CONSIDERED of MORE VALUE. Whats even more amazing was that you COULD BUY it for someone ELSE.

You could PURCHASE the RIGHTS to CITIZENSHIP with money

When the Apostle Paul wrote about Citizenship he gave us a picture of identify, about Authority… but VALUE.

Something to CHERISH

Which is WHATS HAPPENED TO YOU AND ME… Paul Told the Gentiles:

Ephesians 2:12 “12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.”

Now...

Everything HAS changed for us.

We are NOW CITIZENS..... & our CITIZENSHIP HELPS US.

LIVING AS CITIZENS OF HEAVEN. With RIGHTS purchased by THE LIFE of Another. Jesus Cheist.

his is HOW YOU CAN USE YOUR CITIZENSHIP

(Some parraells you’ll be able to see here hopefully!).

1.USE YOUR PAPERS.

The very first thing they ask you when you get to a new country is this: show me your papers. and Just like a passport document STATES that you are a citizen of a country. Listen very carefully to me. Your bible STATES and THEREFOR PROVES that you are a citizen of HEAVEN. But how often do we use our papers?

My papers will state:

who i am:.....They identify who i am - The Word of God, Your papers, tells you who it is that you are. If you are struggling today not knowing who you are and what your purpose is, can i just tell you before you go to instagram, or social media and allow the world to tell you who you are - USE YOUR PAPERS - They will REVEAL YOUR IDENTITY..... TO YOU. And others.

Psalm 139:14 “14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.”

My papers will state:

where i’m from:..... They tell you What place i came from (this is my testimony of GRACE), When you read the bible it reveals to you how far youve come. Much like stamps in a passport, my bible teaches me the more i read it how incredible the grace of God has been on my life.

Titus 3:5 “5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,”

Its your Story!

My Papers will state:

where i reside: Where i currently live. Your papers will make sense of where you currently are in LIFE. What season you are in, what it looks like. are you confused as to how God is using your life, or you direction: USE YOUR PAPERS. Allow the WORD to SHAPE the understanding of WHere you are and What God is DOING RIGHT NOW.

How do i use my papers now?

KNOW YOUR PAPERS: Claim Scripture over your life. Geta LIFE VERSE.

Know the WORD. Know what the WORD says about WHO you are.

2.HONOR YOUR KING

Citizens were expected to LIVE with an Adoration and an HONOR of the KING, The Ruling Authority. A level or WORSHIP was kind of expected.

It said something about “who you belonged to”......Worship is defined as: The practice of expressing praise, thanksgiving, adoration, etc. to a deity or perhaps to a regent or a king.

We belong to a king.

With Citizenship comes a sense of BELONGING.

When you become a citizen you become a person who is NATURALIZED.... to or with an allegiance to the governing authority - in this time,. it would be the Emperor, The king if it was another city but it was not unusual for the population of say Rome, to honor Caesar as like GOD. Not God as we know it but in Pagan Circles, with Many Gods, He was one of them and considered a deity.

We have a King - His name is Jesus Christ.

And as CItizen’s of our HOME Country HEAVEN, we Worship, we practice the expression of our praise, our Thanksgiving, our adoration.....We honor our King. But he’s not just a KING, He’s the KING of Kings and the Lord of LORDS.

Revelation 19:16 “16 On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.”

We should HONOR Our King.

(side note. its good to call Jesus KING (we often use savior we use friend - But lets never be afraid to remind ourselves and the people around us. He’s our KING: King Jesus. High King of HEAVEN).

Ways we can honor the King as Citizens: .... These are all Eternal Values.

Worship Him; He is worthy of our worship. He is the one TRUE God. Worship is “ascribing the highest value” upon someone or something. I Can worship my TRUCK but thats FUTILE, its Wasted energy and my value, But when we WORSHIP and VALUe and POUR OUT like Mary did for OUR KING. ITs NOT WASTED, ITS ETERNAL.

Talk about Him: It should be a feature of our lives that we continually share and talk about Jesus Christ, Our King, to people wherever we go. People go overboard with this bu

Give to Him: Citizens would have to pay taxes, we don’t have to but we CAN honor the Lord with our first fruits. we can honor him with our sacrifice. Where our MONEY goes tells us where our HONOR is.

(so 1. Use your papers, Honor the King.....

3.USE YOUR STATUS

Use your status as a CITIZEN everywhere you go.

Why?

I HAVE A STATUS NOW:

WHATS MY STATUS? ITS DIVINE STATUS.

Write this down: As a citizen of heaven, i live on earth with a divine status.

Because your STATUS gives you benefits.

Did you know that as a believer on this earth before we actually get to heaven we live with our heavenly STATUS NOW? this is not some pie in the sky

you and i, we have DIVINE privileges.

You have SKY-MILES. lol.

WHAT IS MY STATUS.?

Its not a slave

Its not even a freedman.

better than a client king or a military leader.

better than a council person or the ruling class or the senate.

are you ready?

You know what you status is? a SON. A Daughter. Bought with the highest of PRICES and BROUGHT INTO GODS INNER CIRCLE> HIS FAMILY.

Romans 8:15 “15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!””

Talk about STATUS.

YOUR STATUS IS DIVINE STATUS!

YOU CARRY PAPERS THAT GIVE YOU THE ALL ACCESS PASS TO EVERYTHING!

YOU HAVE THE ALL ACCESS PASS

Romans 5:2 “2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”

Ephesians 2:18 “18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.”

Ephesians 3:12 “12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.”

Hebrews 4:16 “16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

KNOW WHO YOU ARE: Not a CITIZEN of some OBSCURE city. YOURE A CITIZEN OF HEAVEN. AND IT MEANS SO MUCH IT COST JESUS HIS LIFE.