Citizenship in Christ

Good morning, everyone. As we sit, let's bow our heads and pray together.

Our gracious Father, we hear Paul's exaltation to stand firm in the Lord.

And Father, as we look at the world around us, we begin to see that your people really do need to step up and to stand firm.

So Father, we pray this morning that you would inspire us by your Holy Spirit to do just that.

To step up and to stand firm in Jesus.

In whom our citizenship depends.

And we pray these things in Christ's name. Amen.

Amen.

So I want to preach to you on a verse from our reading this morning.

Paul says this in Philippians 3 verse 20.

Philippians 3:20

Our citizenship is in heaven.

And we eagerly await a saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.

So a couple of months ago or thereabouts, I was really looking forward to a trip up to my hometown in Cheshire.

To see my friends from the days when I wasn't a Christian.

And just to hang out with them for a few days.

And so I had booked early.

And because I'm old and creaky, I get a senior's rail card.

Which means I can get a third discount.

And that's about the only thing I like about getting old.

So I'm at the station, Yatom.

Get on a train to Temple Meads.

Where according to my ticket, I have to change trains and get to Newport in Wales.

And then get a train that will take me up to Chester.

And then from Chester to Stockport.

And then from Stockport to Knutsford.

By the time I got to Newport, I was still eager.

Eager to get there and hang out.

Unfortunately, when I got to Newport, there was no mention of my train on the digital sign.

So I went up to a nice porter and said to him,

did he have any idea what had happened to the 1021 to Chester?

I don't know, he said.

But it is a...

I can't remember what they call the Welsh Railway Company.

But he said it's a Welsh train.

And he said, anything could happen.

And I'm like, well, that's encouraging.

And then he came and found me about three minutes later.

And he said, I'm afraid your train's cancelled.

Oh, and by the way, you need to know,

you've told me you booked a first class fare.

I said, yeah.

He said, there is no first class service on that train anyway.

By this time, my nose was feeling strangely

as though it might start to bleed.

So I got on a train, went back to Bristol Parkway,

got on a train to Birmingham,

had 35 seconds to cross the station to get on a train to Stockport.

By that time, I was hoping the defibrillator was in useful distance.

In the end, I got there, and during that day,

I have made eight changes on various railways.

As it happens, I had a great time.

But what I do want to say is the eagerness that I had as I started my journey

had just about drained out through my shoes by the time I got there.

We're waiting eagerly, eagerly, said Paul,

for the Lord Jesus Christ to return.

Let me ask you a question.

Is that your experience?

I mean, this was just, in the end, can you believe this?

I was just an hour late.

Some of us want to say to the Lord, come on, Lord,

it's been 2,000 years now since you told us you were coming back,

and we're still hanging on.

Is it fair to say that our eagerness can be tempered

once whatever it is we're seeking to achieve gets very drawn out?

I think that's a reasonable thesis.

So I want to talk to you today about something that Russell made very clear

a few weeks ago for those of you who are here,

and that is our primary identity as Christians is in Christ.

Paul puts it a slightly different way here.

He says our identity is as citizens of heaven.

Today, I think you could say that our culture is very interested in,

maybe even obsessed by identity.

Everything now becomes an identity issue.

It was interesting to me that in the feedback from the first question,

as far as I know, only one person said that the primary factor

that determines their identity, who they are,

only one person in church today said,

my identity is in Jesus.

Not telling you off when I say that.

Mostly.

So everything becomes an identity issue.

Recently, there was an article in the news

about something that is really terrible in our culture,

and that is we are not recruiting enough women to be engineers.

This obviously was a result of dreadful oppression

and abysmal behavior,

but not many women are showing up to be engineers.

It didn't occur to the author of this article.

There may be some women who don't choose to be engineers,

but it became an issue about the identity of women.

That example could be reproduced thousands of times,

not just about gender issues, race issues, whatever.

And I want to try and explain to you very briefly today

two reasons why it is that identity has become such a critical issue.

And part of the reason it has become a critical issue,

almost an obsession is partly due to the fact

that it has been given a free ride on social media.

So here are two reasons why we're obsessed with identity today.

One is called, a philosophical concept called determinism.

That is, everything you are is buried in your past,

and they're all external factors.

So they could be disadvantages

that are perceived to be disadvantages in today's culture.

Could be to do that you had awful parenting when you were a child.

Could be to do with your genetics.

It could be to do with the fact that you came from a household

which had no educational aspiration and no money.

Could be to do with any of these things.

But the big deal is, who you are is not your fault.

All to do with external factors that happened to you in the past.

And of course, of course there is truth in that.

Nobody's pretending that part of us all in church this morning

isn't a product of stuff that happened to us in the past.

We'll come back to that.

The second thing I want to try to explain to you

is a word that I hope you will forget

the moment you leave church this morning.

And the word is intersectionality.

Okay?

This is kind of taking determinism

into a kind of more extreme form.

A lady called Kimberley Crenshaw, 1985,

developed this theory.

And the theory is this.

That certain people suffer from serious disadvantages in our culture.

What intersectionality does is

it kind of creates a sort of grid, a matrix,

whereby all those factors are factored in.

So, I'm not trying to parody any particular kind of person here,

but if you are black,

if you are a person of colour,

if you are a woman,

if you are a white heterosexual male,

if you are a lesbian,

if you are gay,

all that,

we're told,

creates disadvantage in your life.

And what intersectionality does is

it kind of gives you a score

on how disadvantaged you are.

And of course,

there's an element of truth in all that.

But there are some things in life

that if you blowtorch them so much,

if you focus on them so much

and get them out of kilter,

then they become very difficult,

I think,

for societies to process

and to live with healthily.

Let me give you an example

of another human characteristic,

which broadly we would agree is good,

but if taken to an extreme,

can become extremely not good.

Loyalty.

Loyalty is really important.

It's important.

It's important in organizations.

It's important in marriages.

It's important in all kinds of areas.

But there comes a point

where loyalty becomes a cop-out.

Why do I say that?

Because we still give people

who whistleblow,

as we say in organizations,

who break ranks with loyalty

to try and tell the truth

about what's going wrong

in the organization.

If we didn't have people like that,

people would continue

to get away with appalling behavior

in the name of loyalty.

So these two things,

intersectionality and determinism,

basically have this one

profound disadvantage,

and that is,

together,

they create a kind of factory

for victims.

People who can say,

this is not my fault.

I don't have to take responsibility

because this wasn't me.

There was a church up in Leeds

where the guy was trying

to attract young families,

so he started a toddler group.

It was a great idea.

And then he kind of thought,

how can I move this

from being a great toddler group

to being a place

where people might find

Jesus Christ?

So he talked to the women,

mostly women then,

who brought their kids

to the toddler group.

He said to them,

what is your greatest anxiety

about bringing up children?

Oh, they said,

as one,

this is simple,

it's potty training.

Guy scratched his head,

he said,

seriously?

You know,

you're not worried about famine?

No?

Potty training.

He discovered

the reason for this was

that some kind of

hacked doctor

had written in the local

newspaper,

basically an article

which said,

if you get potty training

wrong with your children,

you are breeding

the next generation

of serial killers.

Mark my words.

So he did a course.

And the course was run

by a responsible GP

who came in

and did five sessions

on healthy potty training.

Must have been

a real blast,

mustn't it?

The last one,

the vicar did.

He studiously avoided

potty training

and talked to them

about the need

for them to recognize

the spiritual seed

that God had put

into every child

which needed

to be nurtured.

The result was

a great playgroup

became into

a great recruitment group

for Jesus Christ.

Someone say amen.

So those two things

mean that

we get very focused

on identity

in such a way

that we persuade

ourselves

that actually

nothing much

is our fault.

And to a point,

let me say,

I'm not taking

extreme view of this.

To a point,

there is something

in both those

ways of thinking.

But if pushed

too far,

they become

very difficult,

even nonsensical

in our society.

So Paul,

in Philippians

Philippians 3 · chapter mention

chapter 3,

has just been

talking about

how he considers

all that went

before as,

this is his words,

not mine,

as rubbish,

that he may gain

Christ and be found

in him,

not having a righteousness

of his own

that comes through

the law,

but that which is

through faith.

At the beginning

of our reading,

Paul said this,

not that I have

already obtained

all this.

See,

those of you who

know Jesus Christ

in church today,

would you say

that you have

obtained

all the blessing

that God wants

for you?

And the obvious

answer to that

is no.

Why?

Because you've

not found

your way

into heaven yet.

The blessings

to come

are very real,

but they are

in the future.

We have not

yet obtained

them.

He said,

neither have I

been made perfect.

Listen,

hands up.

If you think

you're perfect.

Hands up.

Of course

not.

Most of us

still have

glaring things

in our lives

that we know

are not right

and the people

we live with,

if we're blessed

to live with

somebody,

know about them

only too well.

But,

says Paul,

despite the fact

that I'm not

where I will be

one day,

despite the fact

that I'm not

perfect,

he says,

I press on.

You repeat

that after me,

just say,

I press on.

See,

the idea of that

is,

we will have

disappointments

in our walk

with Christ,

but as Paul says,

I have them,

but look,

I'm going to

press on

with Jesus.

And then he

tells us

that he has

a strategy

for pressing

on.

First of all,

he says,

forgetting

what is

behind.

My goodness,

that is so

challenging,

isn't it,

for those of us

who are in a

more determinist

mindset.

Some of you

have had

horrific things

happen to you

in your past.

Some of you

have had those

things and have

managed to kind

of rise above

them and get

past them,

but some of you

haven't.

And maybe today,

this is the day

that Jesus speaks

into your ear

and says,

look,

do as I ask.

Let go

of what is

in the past.

In 2 Corinthians

2 Corinthians 5:17

5,

verse 17,

Paul tells us

we're new

creations.

What Paul

meant about

that in that

context was

simply this.

I have

become a new

creation and

the past

has become

wiped out.

The problem

is,

we can know

we're forgiven,

we can know

that there is

a possibility

that we can

leave the past

behind,

but unfortunately

the devil uses

that stuff to

trip us up.

in Isaiah

Isaiah 43:18

chapter 43,

verses 18

and 19,

some of my

favorite verses

in the Old

Testament.

Verse 43,

sorry,

chapter 43,

verses 18

and 19.

forget the

former things,

says the

Lord.

Do not dwell

on the past.

See,

I'm doing a

new thing.

Now it

springs up.

Do you

perceive it?

Do you not

perceive all?

I am making

a way in the

desert and

streams in the

wasteland.

See,

for those of you

who feel

that your lives

are a bit like

a desert,

there is hope

because God

wants to do

a new thing.

But to do

that new thing,

some of you

are going to

have to let

go of stuff

from the past.

And here's

the tricky

thing.

See,

some of us

are so

messed up

by our past

that it

identifies us.

I mean,

it might well

have been,

I wouldn't

expect any of you

to say this

in a kind

of public

forum like

that.

But the

bottom line

is,

it would be

very difficult,

not impossible,

but very

difficult,

if you were

physically or

sexually abused

at some stage

in your past.

It would be

very difficult

to let go

of that.

I appreciate

that.

But I want

to say it's

impossible because

God wants to

do a new

thing in your

life.

Friends,

are you

pressing on?

Or have you

just become

stuck in

your spiritual

life?

And the

problem is,

there's a part

of our culture,

what I call

therapy culture,

that encourages

us to dwell

in our past.

It's been around

for a very long

time.

Therapy culture

didn't just

begin in the

20th century.

It began

with Job.

Remember Job

who lost

everything,

could have

spent the rest

of his life

dwelling in

what happened

to him.

And the

only advice

his friends

could give

him were,

look into

your past,

Job.

There must

be something

that you've

done wrong.

And Job

could find

nothing,

and the

Bible declares

him as

righteous.

And this

can become

kind of

pan-generational.

people.

You know,

the way I

am is not

my fault,

it's my

parents,

it's my

grandparents.

Even people

now, you

know, have

these DNA

tests done

to tell

what kind

of racial

background

they have.

My sister

told me,

I am 3%

Anglo-Saxon.

And he

mentioned

the next

time,

next time,

if I get

caught speeding

and wind down

the window

and a policeman

says,

you were

speeding them,

do you

recognize that?

And I

say,

well, give

me a

break.

I'm 3%

Anglo-Saxon.

You think

that would

work?

I don't

think so.

Not my

fault.

And Ezekiel

tells us

that it's

the soul

that sins

that will

surely die.

Not my

relatives,

but the

soul that

sins.

Forgetting

what is

behind.

Second

part of

Paul's

strategy

is

verse 15

where he

gives us

the analogy

of a

running race.

It tells

us that

we've got to

keep our

eyes on the

prize,

if I can

summarize it

like that.

Here's what

he says.

Can't find

it.

Can't find it.

Can't find it.

Can't find it.

Can't find it.

Can't find it.

Can't find it.

For

getting

what's

behind and

straining

towards

the

reason,

I press

on towards

the goal

to win

the prize

for which

God has

called me

heavenwards

in Christ

Jesus.

See,

if there's

part of

our

culture,

therapy

culture,

that asks

us to

dwell in

the past,

the kind

of current

culture

of well-being,

of mindfulness,

tells us to

live in the

moment.

I mean,

as far as I

can best tell,

I don't have

much choice

about that.

You know,

the moment is,

I'm living in

the moment

right now.

Any minute now,

my knees could

buckle.

But I'm living in

the moment.

Stop yawning at

the back.

The analogy of a

running race.

Listen,

most people who

are competitive

don't enter

a race

with the idea

that the most

exciting thing

about entering

the race is,

I'm going to

have to train.

Now,

most people

enter the race

because they

think with the

right schedule,

training schedule,

they might have

a possibility

of actually

winning.

I don't know

how that happens.

You know,

we used to have

to do cross

country in my

school.

I remember

you know,

I normally

come in about

33rd when we

had competitive

running races.

And one day,

I can't remember

I'd been training

with any more

diligence.

In fact,

I don't think

I'd been training

at all.

And suddenly,

it all came

together.

And I won

the race.

Couldn't believe

it.

Nor could our

games master.

Here's the thing.

We're supposed

to keep our

eyes on the

prize.

Don't forget

that you have

a future

in Jesus

Christ.

And it's

based on

the promises

of God

and also

what Paul

mentions here

in verse

20.

Our

citizenship

is in

heaven.

And we

eagerly

await a

saviour from

there,

the Lord

Jesus Christ,

who by the

power that

enables him

to bring

everything under

control,

will transform

our lowly

bodies,

so that they

will be like

his glorious

body.

Paul,

before that,

and interestingly,

I would always

think,

you know this

business,

when we get,

you know,

some of you are

in age where

you kind of

walk through

town,

and you're like,

oh my goodness,

you know,

what are these

people doing?

Why do they

behave like that?

You know,

why do people

throw litter?

Why do people

smoke cigarettes?

Why do people

do all this

stuff?

In other words,

you become

just a little

bit judgmental.

And

interestingly,

my perception

of St. Paul

is that he

might have the

kind of character

that might

become a little

judgmental.

But when he

talks about

the people

who are not

Christian,

who have not

accepted citizenship

in heaven,

he talks about

them,

he says,

with tears.

And then he

says,

many live as

the enemies

of Christ.

Sorry,

enemies of the

cross.

What does

that mean?

I mean,

most of the

people who

walk around

Clevedon,

who don't

know Christ

stand,

don't show

any interest

in knowing

Christ.

They probably

never think

about the

cross.

Probably

even know

about it,

probably never

heard about

it.

You know,

in Tokyo,

I mean,

I know Tokyo

is a long

way away,

but I read

in an article

that in a

shop window

in Tokyo,

there was a

figure of

Father Christmas

on a cross.

How confused

is that?

see,

one being

the enemies

of Christ,

the cross,

means that

they have

no interest

in the

currency of

seeking the

best kind

of forgiveness

that can be

achieved on

planet Earth,

and that is

the forgiveness

of God

through the

shedding of

Christ's blood

on the cross

of Calvary.

Enemies of

the cross

show no

interest in

wanting to

be healed.

Paul goes

on,

then destiny

is destruction.

Has it ever

occurred to you

when you look

at our world

and its current

state,

that there seems

to be a kind

of deep

self-destructive

facet

to the way

we're behaving?

I mean,

you could look

at that in a

number of

areas,

in political

life,

in moral

life,

you could look

at it in terms

of the environment,

you could look

at it in lots

and lots

of different

terms,

but listen,

Paul nails

it.

They are into

self-destruction.

Third thing

is,

he says

they're hedonists,

all they're

interested in

is pleasure.

That's what it

means when he

says their God

is their belly

or their stomach

and their glory

is in their

shame.

Has it ever

occurred to you

when you hear

celebrities or

whatever,

when they

are kind

of making

themselves

popular

off the

back of

the most

despicable

behavior?

Glorying in

their shame,

says Paul.

But no,

he says,

we are

citizens in

heaven.

Citizenship

implies a

privilege.

You're a

citizen of

the United

Kingdom.

There are

certain things

that you are

allowed to do

that if you

are not a

citizen,

you cannot

do.

You have a

right of

entry into

this country.

You're allowed

to live here.

I'm going to

say you're

allowed to

pay taxes,

but you

might not

be too

keen on

that.

Citizenship

in heaven

also implies

privilege.

If you are

in Christ,

you have a

right of

entry into

heaven.

You're not

going to get

a passport,

but you

will get a

free pass

into heaven

if you

are in

Christ.

Citizenship

in heaven

needs to

be lived

now in

the light

of what

will be.

That means

we need to

start thinking

differently,

friends.

In that

Matthew

Matthew 5 · chapter mention

chapter 5,

you remember

on the

Sermon on

the Mount,

Jesus

talks to

us about

something that

have been

called the

Beatitudes.

These are

what you

might call

the values

what it

means to

be a

citizen of

heaven,

to be in

the kingdom

of God.

And if

you read

them,

I'm not

going to

read them

all to

you now

because you're

looking like

you need

lunch,

but if you

read them

all,

these are

the complete

antithesis

of the way

the world

lives.

Blessed are

the poor

in spirit.

Who thinks

that?

blessed are

those who

mourn.

Who thinks

that?

Blessed are

the meek.

Does anybody

down in the

city of

London believe

that?

Blessed are

those who

hunger and

thirst for

righteousness.

None of

these things

play a part

in 21st

century

Western

culture.

Friends,

we need to

think a little

differently.

And

meditating on

those

Beatitudes

might be

something you

might like to

think about.

And we

need to

behave

differently.

Do you

remember Jesus

talked about

the need

for us

to be

lost

in order

to be

re-found

by him?

Even

Gandhi,

who actually

pinched quite

a lot of

his best

stuff from

Jesus,

Gandhi said

this,

the best

way to

find yourself

is to

lose

yourself

in the

service of

others.

Pretty

close to

what Jesus

was on

about,

in fact.

Citizenship

in heaven

means death

will not

be the

end.

In fact,

Paul implies

this very

strongly in

this passage,

that we

shall have

a new

body that

will be

more like

the risen

Christ.

When you

define yourself,

do you

ever think

about this?

Do you

ever think

that your

identity,

primarily,

if you're a

follower of

Jesus Christ,

is exactly

in that

truth?

Being in

Christ

is my

identity.

And what

do we need

to do with

citizenship?

We need

to gratefully

receive it

and not

put it to

the recesses

of our

thinking

or of

our minds.

My

own family,

according to

my sister,

came,

my mother's

family,

came here

from Germany

at some

point in the

past.

I think

my

great-great

grandfather

must have

seen the

writing on

the wall

for Jewish

people and

decided that

Europe was

not a safe

place.

So they

came to

this country.

If you

are Jewish,

most Jews

would say to

you that

their primary

identity,

even if

they don't

practice

Jewish

religion,

is that

they're

Jewish.

When my

family came

here,

they decided

the only

honest thing

to do

was to

deny

their

Jewishness.

And so

my grandfather

opened a

chain of

butcher shops

in the

north of

England,

northwest,

and sold

pork.

forbidden

in the

Torah,

the law.

Let me

ask you a

question.

Are you

hiding your

citizenship?

Are you

frightened

of being

found out

to be a

follower of

Jesus Christ?

Those of you

who still have

paid employment

in the West

would have

very good

reason to

be a little

anxious

about coming

out too

strongly in

your identity?

When I was

in the

House of

Lords,

I cannot

tell you

how many

maiden

speeches I

heard.

Only once,

only once,

did I hear

somebody in a

maiden speech

own up to

their citizenship

in heaven.

there was a

good friend

of mine

called

Michael

Farmer,

Lord Farmer,

as it is

now.

He stood

up in

that chamber

and he

nailed it.

I have

maximum

respect for

him.

And it

made me

think,

you know,

maybe I've

got to nail

it a bit

more often

than I'm

inclined to

do.

Anybody

sitting in

church today

who feels

the same,

I would

think so.

Friends,

we're

citizens in

heaven.

Someone say

amen.

Friends,

we are

citizens of

heaven.

heaven.

Someone say

hallelujah.

Friends,

we are

citizens of

heaven.

Somebody

shout,

thank you

Lord.

But you

shout a bit

louder if you

go down to

the football,

right?

I want to

just end by

saying to

you,

as I said

at the

beginning,

as I said

last week,

and as I

will say

till they

drag me

off this

planet.

Friends,

this may

not feel

like our

time,

but it

is our

time.

Stand up,

speak up,

pray up,

and let's

see what

happens.

Jesus

started with

twelve

men.

Think what

we could

do.

Imagine it.

God,

but it

needs you

to begin

by owning

your

citizenship.

Let's

pray.

Father God,

we thank

you that

we are

citizens.

Lord,

not because

we're any

great

shakes,

or because

we earned

our way

into your

presence,

but Lord,

because of

your grace.

Your love

shown to

us,

even though,

Lord,

we all know

that we

don't

deserve

it.

So,

Father,

come,

we pray

today.

Fill our

hearts,

fill our

minds,

fill our

souls with

this wonderful

truth that

we are

citizens of

heaven,

that we

can let

go of

the past,

and Lord,

you will

heal us

of anything

that today

distracts us

down.

so,

Lord,

bless this

congregation,

I pray

thee.

Lord,

that they

may bless

many in

your name

and to

your glory,

and the

people who

agreed,

said together,

Amen.