Heavenly Citizenship - Philippians 3:17-4:1

Welcome to God's Word for You, a ministry of Sharon Arby Church in Southeast Iowa. We want to thank you for listening today, and we pray that you'll be blessed by both hearing God's Word as well as having it applied to your life and your heart. Philippians chapter 3, and we're going to be looking at verses 17 through chapter 4, verse 1. Philippians chapter 3 can be found on page 1044 of your Pew Bibles. Philippians chapter 3, beginning at verse 17, hear now the word of your God. Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern, for many walk of whom I have told you often. and now tell you, even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their mind on earthly things.

For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly bodies that it may be conformed to his glorious body, according to the working by which he is able even to subdue all things to himself.

Prayer for Illumination

Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, Stand fast in the Lord, beloved. Let's pray. Lord, we thank you so much for your word, and we pray now that your Holy Spirit would indeed be with us and would bless us, Lord. Transform our hearts, lift up our eyes into heaven. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Sermon

How can you be a good Christian? Have you ever found yourself struggling with your faith How do I become a good Christian? How do I do the things that a Christian is supposed to do? Do you understand the type of responsibilities, the amount of work I have to do, the things that are on my mind, the burdens I carry? How is it possible to be like the saints of the New Testament? I don't know how to do it. How did they do it? How do you in your life, Christian, how do you live like a New Testament believer?

The zealousy that we find in the New Testament wasn't meant to die after the closing of the New Testament. But you can have it in your own life. And one of the ways you start to cultivate a good Christian life is to walk as a citizen of heaven. And that's your call today, is to walk as a citizen of heaven. Now, walk as a citizen of heaven.

First Point

First, you need to follow the example set for you. Follow the example before you. Look with me at verse 17. Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern. Last week we spent the whole time looking at the reality that you are in a Christian race. You are running and you know what your prize is, but if you've ever looked at the life of any athlete, every athlete who's become famous always had someone before them they looked up to. always had a role model that they thought, I want to be like that person.

One of my favorite stories from the last Olympics was a picture of Michael Phelps and this kid from Malaysia. And they had this picture of this amazing multi-gold medal winning Michael Phelps standing next to this little kid from Malaysia. And then in the next frame they showed that little kid who's now a grown man competing in the Olympics in swimming against Michael Phelps. And he decided when he was a little kid, I'm going to beat him.

Who are you chasing after? What are the models that you have set before you in your own life as you run the Christian race? Well, Paul here in verse 17 starts out with himself. He says, Brethren, join in following my example. Join in following my example. If you've read through the New Testament before, Paul is an amazing example of what it means to have Christian hope and Christian perseverance.

The guy gets shipwrecked and he's preaching the gospel as he's just been shipwrecked. The guy is getting lashed with whips and then thrown out of the city and stoned. One of the most amazing stories of Axis, he gets taken outside the city and they stone him. They think he's dead. The other disciples in the city, they come and they get him. And he goes back into the city. Imagine getting a death sentence, the death sentence failing, and then going back and doing the exact same thing you were just trying to be killed for. That's a model to follow. But some of you might go, well, hold on here.

Isn't that kind of a little pompous? Isn't that kind of a little bit prideful for Paul to say, follow me? Isn't last week, wasn't your whole point of last week supposed to be that we follow Jesus? Isn't Paul putting himself up on a pedestal here? Well, no, it's not. Remember what he said in chapter 3, verse 12. Look down there with me. Not that I have already attained or am already perfected, but I press on that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Paul says, I'm not already perfect, but yet I've put an example in front of you. You can follow that example.

I think one of the things that God has blessed us with is the point of discipleship. That God told the disciples to go out into all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and making disciples, teaching them to obey all which I have commanded you. He gives the disciples the responsibility to go out and to make more disciples. And that continues down in the line of the church. That's the pattern that God has given us. But it's not just Paul. Notice the shift in verse 17. He starts with I and me, and then he switches. Brethren, join in following my example. And then the switch happens in the middle of the verse. And note those who so walk, as you have not me for a pattern, but us for a pattern. Who are the people Paul's talking about? Who are the us? Who are the other patterns that we can look at and follow?

Well, we spent a whole week looking at two of those examples that Paul gave us in chapter 2. He gave us Timothy as an example of godliness and righteousness. And he also gave us the example of Epaphroditus, who is also an example, someone who is even willing to die for the gospel. We have examples before us of two godly disciples of Paul.

But it's interesting, if we move past that and we realize that Paul might also be talking about the elders of the church there. Keep your finger in Philippians and turn over with me to the book of 1 Timothy chapter 4. 1 Timothy chapter 4. 1 Timothy chapter 4 can be found on page 1054 of your Pew Bibles. And this is what Paul is talking to the elders here. Paul is talking to Timothy and the elders.

And he specifically says of Timothy in 1 Timothy chapter 4 verse 12, let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Paul tells Timothy, be an example. In all these ways, in all your Christian life, be an example. And then if you turn over to another one of Paul's disciples, Titus.

Titus chapter 2. Just turn over a few pages. Page 1059. Titus chapter 2, verse 7. What does he say to Titus? In all things, show yourself to be a pattern of good works. in doctrine, showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, and he goes on about how he's supposed to be an example or a pattern of good works. So Paul has told Timothy he needs to be an example. Paul tells Titus that he needs to be a pattern. And this isn't just Paul talking.

Turn over to the book of 1 Peter, just a few more pages down the road. 1 Peter 5, verse 3. 1 Peter 5, page 1078. 1 Peter 5, verse 3, we see that this is not just a Pauline doctrine or something that Paul has given us, but this is a biblical principle that there are to be godly examples in the church. 1 Peter 5, verse 3. We'll start at verse 2.

"...Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers." That word can also be translated, elders. "...Not by compulsion, but willingly." Not for dishonest gain, but eagerly. Nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being what? Being examples to the flock.

The shepherds, the elders, the overseers, the presbyters of the people are the examples that God has placed in the church in Philippi. In all the churches. This is why the qualifications for elders and deacons is so important that Paul gives. He says they have to be godly men. They have to be above repute. Please don't take it lightly when you do elder elections to pick the most popular person. Pick the most godly person. Not the person who has the biggest bank account or wears the best clothes, but the person who knows the Lord most. Those are the examples that we are to follow.

Praise God there's an even bigger example than Paul, an even better example than Timothy, than Titus, than Epaphroditus, than Peter, but the Lord Jesus Christ himself. This is what Paul told us in Philippians chapter 2 verses 5 through 11, that it was Jesus Christ who set the example for us of humility. That it was Jesus Christ that even though he was God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but set aside, set aside heaven itself and came in the likeness of man. He came as a servant. Jesus Christ is your great example. He is the pattern you have set before you of how you are to live your life. Look to Jesus Christ. He's our model.

Have you ever seen someone cast something in metal before? It's amazing what will happen is somebody will make something really well and it might take them a lot of time because they want to get it exactly perfect. I remember watching a man, he wanted to forge or to cast swords. And so he spent lots and lots of time on this sword. He used a mill to make sure that the blade was absolutely perfect. There was no imperfections in the metal. He polished it off to make sure that there would be nothing, no pits in it. It was absolutely perfect.

And then he took that sword and he put it in a type of sandy clay and he packed all the sand around it. And then after that, he took the two sides apart and he took the sword out and he put it back together. And that was the mold. And then the hot metal was poured into the top, into a hole, and it would go down in there, and it would fill up the crevice that the old sword had made, so that when the metal was poured in, it looked exactly like what the original was.

Jesus Christ is the original. And you're being poured into the mold of Jesus Christ. He is our pattern. He is our example. He is the one that you are becoming more and more like. Who are you following? Who are you following in this life? What's the pattern you've set for yourself? Are you looking to Jesus Christ in your decisions and how you live your life and what you love and what you find joy in?

And I'm gonna be honest with you, sometimes that means you just gotta slow down. We are in a go, go, go, go, go, go, go culture. Always this, always that, this activity, this thing. Your kids have to go there, your grandkids have to go there. You have so many things to do. Social media is always in front of you. And if you don't take a time to just step back, And to just evaluate your soul, you're going to miss it. The world wants to keep you busy.

You need to give yourself buffer room to be able to slow down and ask yourself, am I running on the right road? Am I following the right leader? Have I been going after the right example? But there's another reality of how we walk as citizens of heaven. That's a hard thing we have for us in verses 18 and 19. You need to remember the warnings. You need to remember the warnings. Look with me at verses 18 and 19.

For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, they are enemies of the cross of Christ. whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things. You have been warned again and again and again by pastor after pastor after pastor from this pulpit about those whose way of life as a pattern is walking the way of death. Paul is telling here, I've been with you as the pastor. Remember, Paul is the pastor of Philippi. He's told them, I've warned you about them. I've warned you that their walk, their pattern of life, the things they do habitually over and over again, shows that they're enemies of the cross of Christ. You've been warned about them. And I hope you hear the urgency and the pleading in Paul's voice. He's telling them, this is a salvation issue. If you are walking in the way of hellions, you're going to go to hell.

You cannot live your life deliberately seeking the things of darkness and believe you're a Christian. F.F. Bruce, when he was commenting on this section, said, those who deliberately indulge in sin, and repudiate the will of God, deny all that the cross of Christ stands for. Do not be those who deny all that the cross of Jesus Christ stands for. There are those in this world who would seek to pull you from Jesus Christ. Satan would love nothing more than to suck you into the things of this world.

I can't tell you how many times I've heard pastors beg and plead with people in the church to flee from the sin that they were following. Hearing a pastor with tears in his eyes tell a woman, don't leave your husband. There's no biblical warrant for it.

You're going to ruin your children. You're going to ruin your family. You're going to send shockwaves through the congregation. Don't do it. To men saying to them, don't you dare go sleep with that woman. You're going to ruin your family. You're going to put scars so deep in your wife that she'll have a hard time healing. Hearing pastors plead with a drunkard, stop. Stop. You're ruining your life.

Paul is pleading, even now with tears here, warning them that there are those who have set a pattern of their lives, an example that shows that they are enemies of the cross of Jesus Christ. Stay far away from them. Stay far away from them. They might be the most popular people in your social group. Be an outcast with them and be in with Jesus Christ.

Paul doesn't hold any punches here. The Scriptures specifically tell us their end is destruction. Their God is their belly. Their glory is in their shame. The last great day, the enemies of the cross of Christ are going to have to sit before the judgment seat of the Lamb. Don't stand before them in that same place. Their end will be destruction.

Don't follow those whose pattern of their life is all about fulfilling their own desires. Again, it's easy to pick on culture, but flick on the TV and everything you'll find in commercials is nothing but, you want more of this, you want more of that, you want more of this, here's the best food, here's the best drink, here's the best alcohol, here's the best false life we can possibly offer to you. And our consumerist buying culture is founded on this very idea, our very economy is founded on this lie. Fulfill every desire you have and you'll be happy.

Brothers and sisters, it is Jesus Christ who will give you joy. Look to him, go to him, run to Jesus Christ. Praise God that's not the end of the sermon. Praise God that's not where the Lord ends us with warnings, but he gives us a great promise. Look with me at verses 20 and 21. For our citizenship is in heaven. from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body, that it may be conformed to his glorious body, according to the working by which he is able even to subdue all things to himself." Realize, Christian, this is your third point. Realize you are a citizen of heaven. realize you are a citizen of heaven.

You might walk away from the last point and be asking yourself, okay, so does that mean we can't enjoy anything in this life? Are we meant to be stoics? Are we meant to just fast all the time and pray all the time? Can we not enjoy the good things that God has given us?

Yes, absolutely yes. You are able to enjoy the good things that God has given you. But your life must not be consumed by the things of this world. We must not just look horizontally, but you need to realize that your kingdom is vertically oriented. You don't just find satisfaction in the things of this world. You find satisfaction in God, in the kingdom whose you're a part of. This is not your home, Christian. You might be an American citizen, but you better believe you have a more important citizenship. Your citizenship is in heaven.

And if you've been at Chalk and Talk at all, this is striking for the Philippians. Philippi is like a little Italy in Macedonia. Philippi is like a little Rome in Macedonia. In Greece, there is Philippi and Philippi is ran by the rule of Roman law. If you are a citizen of Philippi, you are a citizen of Rome with all of its rights and all of its privileges.

And Paul says, don't worry about your Roman citizenship. You're a citizen of heaven. Your home is not here. Your rights are not here. We look to a greater home with Jesus Christ. The kingdom of heaven is your ultimate home. And when we look towards that kingdom of heaven, we also look towards our Savior and our Lord, the Lord of the kingdom of heaven, Jesus Christ himself. Look to Jesus Christ. Realize that He is the reason you are a citizen of God's economy. He is the reason why you are a citizen of His royal family. We wait eagerly for that kingdom to come in all of its fullness and all of its glory.

Do you remember, for those of you who have had children, what it was like to wait for a child to be born? Man, it's the most exhausting thing in the world. You never know when it's going to happen. You never know when that day is going to come. You have your cell phone ready, you have your backpack, your mom keeps calling you, is it here yet? Is it here yet? Is it here yet? because everybody is waiting and waiting and waiting for that baby to arrive. That's the heart of this idea here, that we eagerly await the Kingdom of Heaven, is that we are ready for it to come. Any moment, Lord Jesus, come quickly. Is that your hope, Christian? Is that your joy, that Jesus Christ is going to come?

Because on that great day, your body is not going to remain there in a grave, but you are going to be resurrected. and your body is going to be made like His body. You are going to be spotless. You are going to be clean. You are going to be made like Him in all of its purity and all of its perfection. Why would you settle for being happy with the things of this world? You have a great promise in heaven. You have a king who loves you, a savior who's died for you, and a glorious heaven, a richness that will never be exceeded. Realize you're a kingdom of heaven.

And when we live our lives in a way where that is before us, when the prize of Jesus Christ and all of his glory and all of his resurrection power is what we hope for, is what we long for, is what we strive for, when that is your ultimate goal, You're going to start organizing your life based on that priority. We all organize our lives based upon what is the most important priority to our hearts, to our soul. The Declaration of Independence enshrines that and what we think is most happy for us. you will never be satisfied more than in Jesus Christ himself. And when he's your greatest happiness, when he's your greatest joy, when he's everything you desire for eternity, you'll start to live like Paul.

You'll start to understand why Epaphroditus was willing to die for the gospel. You'll realize why Timothy was willing to go and travel thousands of miles and live a life seeking after God's kingdom. You'll know why Peter was willing to be hung on a cross upside down and die. Because there was a kingdom awaiting him. A kingdom he had held the keys for and had opened the gates for thousands to come into.

Christian, your last point is the stand firm. Chapter 4, verse 1. Therefore, my beloved brethren, and long for my joy and crown, stand fast in the Lord, beloved." Brothers and sisters, Christians, stand fast in the Lord. Do not let this world try to steal your hope away from Jesus Christ. Do not let any principality dupe you. Do not let your allegiance to go to some ruler, some president, some king, some political group. Don't let anybody steal your joy from Jesus Christ. This world is filled with false idols.

Your sin, your natural desires are going to want to be down here, horizontally. You need to keep your eyes where your citizenship is, in heaven. And as you run your Christian race, stand firm, dig in your heels, that that is your hope, that Jesus Christ is the one who you find the greatest joy in. That's the Christian hope. That's how we will live our lives, with gospel-centeredness, focused on the resurrected power of Jesus Christ. Live as gospels.

Closing Prayer

Let's pray. Thank you, Lord, for what a great promise you have shown us. Thank you for Jesus Christ. the guarantor of our resurrection. Thank you, Lord, for our King. God, we pray by the power of your Holy Spirit that we would orient, that we would prioritize you, Lord, that our whole lives would be brought into conformity with you. Lord, it's only you who can do this work in our hearts. God, keep us close to you.

Thank you, Lord, in Jesus' name, amen. Thank you for listening to God's Word for You, a ministry of Sharon Arkey Church in Morning Sun, Iowa. We pray that you would be blessed as you grow in your love for God, your love for His Word, as well as your love for His people. Until next week, God bless you.