Citizens of Heaven
March 4/07

Read Philippians 3:17 – 20 

Pray.

	Citizenship has received more focus recently as people scramble to get passports so they can travel into the States. I’ve had the privilege of being the guarantor for many, many passports in the past months!

	All of a sudden we have to think about our citizenship more since we need to give proof of citizenship to apply for a passport.

	When Karen and I moved to Austria at the end of 1990, we gained a new appreciation for our Canadian citizenship. In Austria we stuck out; especially at the beginning when we couldn’t speak their language very well. We had to stand in long lines to apply for visas to stay in the country. We needed to go to driving school so we could get Austrian driver’s licenses – even though we had been driving for over 10 years at that time. We couldn’t receive child support or medical benefits. We were foreigners! 

	Then, when Karissa (our oldest daughter) was born in Salzburg, we had to apply for Canadian citizenship for her. Austrians don’t give citizenship just because you may be born in their country. Things were so much simpler when Natasha was born here in Canada!

	Most of us were born Canadian citizens, so we may not be familiar with the procedures that must be followed before one can become a Canadian citizen. Once you meet the residency requirement of being in Canada for at least 3 years, you submit an application along with $200/adult, 2 photographs, and your existing passport. 

The government conducts a security check to determine whether you have a criminal record and once you are cleared, you have an interview with a citizenship judge. Pass the interview and wait for the next appointed day when you will be officially made a Canadian citizen. 

By the way, in preparation for the interview, you have to take a bit of a citizenship test. They give you a booklet to read that gives you an abridged version of Canada’s geography, history, government structure, etc. You are supposed to know the names of the present Prime Minister, Governor-General, Premier of the province and other such trivia! The correct answers to these questions are supposed to qualify you to become a Canadian citizen. 

Those questions are probably good to know, but they should also ask some that have to do with everyday living as a Canadian citizen. How about asking questions such as: 
What are Timbits? Name at least 3 varieties. Or, what is the national sport of Canada? Or, True or false: Francophones & anglophones are devices that do not communicate well with one another.

Canadian citizenship is one of the most prized in the world. Every year about 150,000 people become citizens. As wonderful as it is to have Canadian citizenship, the Apostle Paul tells us this morning that we have something even better. He reminds us that we are citizens of heaven. The question we need to ask ourselves is, “Can people tell where our citizenship lies? Are we living lives that characterize our citizenship? 

As we look at these verses from Philippians this morning, I want to talk about what it means to be a true citizen and contrast that with Paul’s description of pretend citizens.

First of all, true citizens live a life worth following. Let’s read Phil. 3:17 again.

In the New Living Translation this verse reads like this: “Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example.”

Paul was confident enough to give his own life as an example to follow. 

You might be thinking that it’s a bit prideful to ask people to follow your example – or possibly a bit scary! If others were to imitate our Christian life, what would happen? Knowing our own weaknesses, it’s a sobering question. And not too many of us would invite people to strive to be like us. 

Read with me from 1 Cor. 11:1. Paul writes, “Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ.”

Paul was asking the Philippians to imitate Christ since that’s whom he followed. In order to imitate Him we need to get to know Him. Spend time with Him; spend time in His Word by journaling; spend time talking to Him.

As we imitate Christ and live as citizens of heaven we will be citizens that others will want to follow. Show off your citizenship like a proud Canadian living in a foreign country. Fly the flag; put the pin on your lapel; live as true citizens so others will be interested in becoming citizens of heaven.

This has to do with loving our community and showing what it really means to be a Christian. In some parts of the world, especially the Muslim world, it’s impossible to be vocal in sharing Christ publicly. And so, one of the main ways to show one’s heavenly citizenship is by loving others with Christ’s love. 

This passage in Philippians is one of contrasts. One of those contrasts comes out loud and clear in the next two verses. 
Let’s read verses 18 & 19.

We have citizens of heaven on the one hand and we have the enemies of the cross of Christ on the other. We can imitate those who imitate Christ or we can imitate those who are enemies of the cross of Christ. These are those who pretend to be citizens of heaven but who are living a life to be avoided.


No one causes more suffering to the name of Christ than those who claim to be Christians, but live as his enemies. These people were pretty much everywhere in the churches Paul founded. Under the influence of a popular philosophy in the Greek world, these were people who adopted Christianity and then adapted it to their own preferences.

Paul identified them for us by what they do. First he said, “…their god is their stomach.” Or as the NLT puts it, “…their god is their appetite.” They thrive on satisfying their bodily appetites. 

In 2 Tim. 3:4 they are described as, “…lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.” 

Have you recognized these pretenders? It’s easy to think of sexual appetites like pornography that is so easily accessible on the Internet or alcohol or drugs. Yet it may not be as overt as these. It could be any obsession or desire that is given into with the excuse that it’s “just the way God made me.”


Paul also says, “…their glory is in their shame.” They are proud of what they should be ashamed of! 

Instead of feeling a sense of shame and guilt as a result of giving in to these appetites and sins, these pretend citizens actually flaunt what they’ve done. Romans 1 describes it in very similar terms. In verse 26 Paul says, 

Romans 1:26

The following verses then describe sexual sins of women lusting after women and men lusting after men. 

Romans 1:28-32

I think it would be safe to say that we all struggle with some of the sins listed in these verses. Have we ever disobeyed our parents? Have we ever gossiped? Have we ever been boastful?

Yet I hope that we have felt remorse for our sin! I hope and pray that we did not continue to do these things and “approve of those who practice them.” That’s the difference between a citizen of heaven and an enemy of the cross of Christ.They are proud of what they should be ashamed of.

Paul finishes verse 19 by saying they set their minds on earthly things. All they think about is this life here on earth (NLT). That doesn’t sound so bad, does it? It’s hard not to be consumed with this life. What is Paul saying? 

In Colossians 3:1-2 Paul says, “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”

Pretend citizens will not care about the consequences of their actions because all they see is what happens in this life. If there is no eternity, why not get as much out of life today as we can? Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die! 

It’s what feeds our materialistic society. They say, “Just think about yourself and your desires. Get as many toys as you can. Build a bigger home; buy a newer car; don’t worry if you can’t afford it. There’s always more credit available.”

Once again, it’s hard not to get sucked in by those pretend citizens who say we need to “fit in”. We have many rationalizations for how we live. We need to ask if we are living as citizens of heaven or as enemies of the cross of Christ. Can people see a difference?

Paul not only identifies these pretend citizens and the things about them that we should avoid, he also describes their destiny when he says, “Their destiny is destruction…” 

They are on a road to death and eternal separation from God. There’s nothing pretty about the picture that Paul is painting. You can’t help but see the seriousness of living as an enemy of the cross of Christ. 

Sure, there are consequences in this life, but nothing like an eternity of being separated from the One who created us and loves us. An eternity with Christ is hard for us to imagine, but an eternity filled with torment and pain is something I don’t want even think about. 

Thankfully Paul didn’t stop with verse 19. Verse 20 starts with a resounding “but”! “But our citizenship is in heaven.”

This is a declaration of true citizenship. True citizens live a life worth living. We receive our mail at 2802 Victoria St. But that’s just our temporary address. Our permanent address is heaven. We’re just passing through here! We are resident aliens. 
There’s a song that talks about this fact – “This world is not my home, I’m just passing through. My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue. The Angels beckon me from heavens open door. I don’t feel at home in this world anymore.”
The temptation of being a citizen of heaven while still living on earth is to think that we have dual citizenship. Since we’re not in heaven yet, we think that we don’t have to act like citizens of heaven and can instead act as citizens of the world. After all “When in Rome do as the Romans do!” right? 
That would be acting like the enemies of the cross of Christ.
The Apostle James put it this way: “…don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God” (James 4:4b).

Are we living as true citizens – living a life that is worth living and imitating? We need to prove our citizenship by the way we live.

Let’s read Phil. 3:20 again. “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Two weeks ago Pastor James talked about the second coming of Jesus Christ and challenged us to be longing for it. The question was posed, “If we’re not longing for Jesus’ return, why not?” It’s an important question to consider and one that pertains to our message today as well.

True citizens will be identified by their focus. They will have a focus on Christ’s return. They will eagerly wait for it. How do we do that? Some have looked so forward to it that they have sold everything and have gone to the top of a mountain to wait! Is that what Jesus wants?

Should we feel guilty for living a certain lifestyle? I believe the critical thing is to keep a proper perspective on this life. This earth is only a temporary residence. We won’t be here long, so we shouldn’t get too attached to what we see here. Paul writes about this in 1 Cor. 7:31:
“Those in frequent contact with the things of the world should make good use of them without becoming attached to them, for this world and all it contains will pass away." (1 Cor. 7:31 NLT)

As Rick Warren writes, “In order to keep us from becoming too attached to earth, God allows us to feel a significant amount of discontent and dissatisfaction in life – longings that will never be fulfilled on this side of eternity. We’re not completely happy here because we’re not supposed to be! It’s not our final home; we were created for something much better.”

Hold your possessions with an open hand instead of a closed fist. Live as if you will have to give them up at any time. And use what God has blessed you with to bless others. 

True citizens have a focus and longing for Christ’s return. I remember as a child the day Queen Elizabeth came to visit Abbotsford. It was a big deal! Only a few kids got chosen to attend and since I really wanted to go, I got my permission slip from home filled out right away. I really looked forward to seeing the Queen. It was a day I will probably never forget. Maybe you’ve experienced something similar. It might have been when the pope came to town or another dignitary. Maybe it was some singer or musician that you really wanted to see.

Our king is coming for us! Jesus is the King of Kings and Lord of lords! We should be looking forward to his coming. We have to keep an eternal perspective so that we will be ready at any time. This focus will help us to live a life that others will want to imitate.

When faced with death, it becomes clear whether a person is a true citizen of heaven or not. Those that have an eternal perspective face death differently.
In the year 1899, two famous men died in America. The one was an unbeliever who made a career of debunking the Bible and arguing against the Christian doctrines. The other was a Christian. Colonel Ingersoll was the unbeliever. 
He died suddenly, his death coming as a shock to his family. His dead body was kept in the home for several days because Ingersoll’s wife could not bear to part with it; and it was finally removed only because the corpse was decaying and the health of the family required it. 
Ingersoll had used his great intellect to deny the resurrection. When death came there was no hope, and the departure was received by his friends as a huge tragedy.

In the same year the evangelist Dwight L. Moody died, and his death was triumphant for himself and his family. Moody had been declining for some time, and his family had taken turns being with him. 
On the morning of his death his son, who was standing by the bedside, heard him exclaim, “Earth is receding; heaven is opening; God is calling.” “You are dreaming, father,” the son said. Moody answered, “No, Will, this is no dream. I have been within the gates. I have seen the children’s faces.” 
For a while it seemed as if Moody was reviving, but he began to slip away again. He said, “Is this death? This is not bad; there is no valley. This is bliss. This is glorious.” 
By this time his daughter was present, and she began to pray for his recovery. He said, “No, no, Emma, don’t pray for that. God is calling. This is my coronation day. I have been looking forward to it.” 
Shortly after that Moody was received into heaven. At the funeral the family and friends joined in a joyful service. They spoke. They sang hymns. They heard the words proclaimed, “O death, where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Moody’s death was a part of that victory.
We celebrated Anna Schroeder’s home going yesterday. She was looking forward to meeting her Savior and now she is enjoying seeing Him face to face.

If we continue reading in Phil. 3, verse 21 talks about the hope of a transformed body – something Colonel Ingersoll denied and Moody embraced.
 “…who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.”

True citizens are not only identified by the hope of Christ’s return, but also by the hope of transformed bodies. Some of us like our bodies, but most of us, as we get older, tend to wish our bodies would hold up a bit better. What would eternity be like if we had these same bodies that kept deteriorating? 

We have the hope of having bodies like Christ’s; i.e. bodies that will never die. This hope that we have is made possible because of God’s awesome power. Paul says that God brings everything under His control. 

Do you believe that? We must trust that His power can transform our bodies when we go to heaven, but also that His power can help us to control our bodies right now – to control the appetites that are so strong; appetites that are allowed to dominate those who are enemies of the cross of Christ.

	I read a story about a young man named Billy. He had just been baptized as a teenager when he went off to camp for a week. This was not a Church camp and there was nothing spiritual on the agenda. 
The minister who baptized him was quite worried about how would fare as a sheep among wolves. So he gave the new Christian a good pep talk and sent him off. When Billy returned from camp, the minister said: 

“Hey, Billy, I was really worried about you. Tell me now, how did the others react when they found out that you are a Christian?” 
“Well, sir” replied Billy, “you had no reason to worry, because I got so involved in everything that everyone else was doing that they never found out I was a Christian!” 
“But, son”, replied the minister, “didn’t I remind you that you are a soldier in the Lord’s army?” “Yessir”, said Billy. “I did remember what you said. It’s just that for this week, I chose to be a member of the Secret Service!” 
Do your neighbours, your friends, your co-workers know that you are a citizen of heaven? Do other members of your family know? Or are you in the Secret Service? I want people to like me and they may not like me if they know I’m really a foreigner!
If you’ve chosen Christ, you ARE citizens of heaven. That is why you are here this morning. You have chosen to march to the beat of a different drummer. You have opted to live by a different set of values. Your perspective is different than the worlds. You are a true citizen that lives a life worth living; a life worth imitating. Though you may be considered a citizen of a country like Canada, your ultimate allegiance is to Jesus Christ, your King.
At the beginning of the message I talked about a citizenship test that potential citizens have to take. God has laid out a citizenship test for us and demands that we get a perfect score on it. Any little slip-up and we are disqualified from citizenship forever. 
This test is not about knowing facts about God. It’s not about being able to recite the books of the Bible. It’s all about how we live. We are to be loving and considerate of others with every thought, word, and action. No one in the world has come close to passing this test – that is except for Jesus. He was perfect and, now, he gives us credit for his perfect test score.
With our completed citizenship test in hand we’re one step away from becoming members of heaven. What still keeps us out is the payment. It is surprising how relatively little it costs to become a citizen of Canada but it’s not like that with heaven. 
The cost is more than we can pay, for God demands that we pay for all our sins. That’s something we could never finish doing. So Jesus came to fulfill this part of our citizenship requirement too. He paid for our sins through his death on the cross. 
So how do we become citizens of heaven? By doing nothing! Jesus has fulfilled all the requirements. Put your trust in him for he holds a heavenly passport with your name on it, signed in his blood. The only way to heavenly citizenship is through the blood of Jesus.
We want to conclude our service by taking Communion this morning. Those who are citizens of heaven are invited to take part. Communion is another way that identifies us as true citizens. We take the bread that symbolizes Jesus’ broken body and we take the cup that represents His blood that made our citizenship possible, and we declare together that our allegiance is with Christ. 
We remember what our citizenship cost Jesus, and it helps us not to take it for granted. It helps us to live lives worth following. We declare that we are not enemies of the cross of Christ, but rather, we embrace our citizenship  and all that it stands for.
Are you a citizen of heaven? If your answer is yes, you are invited to take part in Communion. If you can’t say for sure that you are or maybe you know that you have been living more like an enemy of the cross than a citizen of heaven, we’re going to take some time to allow you to talk with God. As the bread is being passed out, there will be a time of silence. Don’t be afraid of the silence. Use the time of silence to get things right with God.
Prayer
Ushers, please come and distribute the bread.
	We’ll wait to eat the bread until it has been distributed to everyone who is taking part and then we’ll eat together.






1 Cor. 11:23 – 24 
“The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.’”

This cup symbolizes the blood that signed your heavenly passport. It didn’t cost you anything, but it cost Jesus his very life.
1 Cor. 11:25-26
“In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”
As the cup is being distributed, just hold it and then we’ll drink together when all have had a chance to be served. 
The worship team will sing a song that will help focus our thoughts on the cross.
Ushers, please come and distribute the cup.
Prayer
Closing song: Thank You For the Cross
Closing Prayer