Our Citizenship is in Heaven

and 95.

How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty!

My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord.

My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.

Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself,

where she may have her young.

A place near your altar, O Lord Almighty, my King and my God.

Blessed are those who dwell in your house, they are ever praising you.

Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.

As they pass through the valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs.

The autumn rains also cover it with pools.

They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God and Zion.

Hear my prayer, O Lord God Almighty.

Listen to me, O God of Jacob.

Look upon our shield, O God.

Look with favour on your anointed one.

Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere.

I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God

than dwell in the tents of the wicked.

For the Lord God is a sun and shield.

The Lord bestows favour and honour.

No good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.

O Lord Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

I think the last time I spoke I ended up adjusting the stand three times,

so you'll forgive me if I just make sure it's all okay this time.

well thank you Alex for leading this morning

and thank you David as well for reading

from that psalm for us

well we're reaching the home stretch

aren't we in our series on Philippians

we've been going through it over the summer

and we're now well into chapter 3

so as we're getting to the end

so is Paul

Paul is getting to the end of his letter

to the church in Philippi

and this morning

he wants to share with us

how we should continue

to press on towards Jesus

that's what he wants to share

how do we continue

Paul is in a Roman jail

facing death

and he wants to make sure

that all of us

all of us with heart

and body

and soul

are facing and pulling

in the right direction

on the road ahead of us

so let's look at chapter 3

and we're going to read from verse 12

to the end of the section

so it's page 1180

Philippians chapter 3

Philippians 3 · chapter mention

Paul writing

not that I have already obtained all this

or have already been made perfect

but I press on to take hold of that

for which Christ Jesus took hold of me

brothers

I do not consider myself yet

to have taken hold of it

but one thing I do

forgetting what is behind

and straining towards what is ahead

I press on towards the goal

to win the prize

for which God

has called me heavenwards

in Christ Jesus

all of us who are mature

should take such a view of things

and if on some point

you think differently

that too God will make clear to you

only let us live up

to what we have already attained

join with others

in following my example brothers

and take note of those

who live according to the pattern

we gave you

for as I have often told you before

and I will say again 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 on earthly things

but our citizenship is in heaven

and we eagerly await

the Savior from there

the Lord Jesus Christ

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

therefore my brothers

you whom I love and long for

my joy and crown

that is how you should stand firm

in the Lord

dear friends

and as we come to the second half

of chapter 3 this morning

I want to begin by giving us

the big picture

what is it that God

through the writings of Paul

wants us to really grip onto

and hold onto this morning

and in a way we can look at this

whole section here

in chapter 3

as falling between

two bookends on a shelf

you can picture your bookshelves

and you have those nice little bookends

little ornate ones

and all the books in the middle

and it's almost as if this section

has those two kinds of bookends

the first one is in verse 1

isn't it

the first part of verse 1

that simple phrase

finally my brothers

rejoice in the Lord

and that's the starting point

that's the first bookend

and Paul says

rejoice in the Lord

find your contentment

and your peace in him

and that's what Ken was explaining

to us last week

if you were here

you know

joy isn't just about happiness

it may be happiness

but it's really about having that peace

and certainty

and contentment in life

and then if we go right to the end

and actually into chapter 4

verse 1

and just the last phrase then

there it says

that is how you should stand firm

in the Lord

dear friends

that is how you should stand firm

in the Lord dear friends

and that's like our second bookend

in a sense

this first bookend

and second bookend

and if these are the bookends

of chapter 3

then we can say

that this chapter

is really about

how you

and how I

are meant to rejoice

and stand firm

in the Lord

that's the big idea

that's running

through this section

well we want to look

more closely this morning

from verses 12

to the end of the chapter

and within that

I think there is a very helpful

centre point

now I know this is all

kind of beginning

end centre point

but I just

if we can hang

what's been said this morning

on these things

I think it will help us

and that centre point

between the bookends

is what I want to focus on

it will help us

to understand

what it is

to rejoice in the Lord

and it's going to help us

to understand

what it means

to stand firm

in the Lord

it's in the form of a contrast

between two ways of living

and two different destinies

and it comes right

at the end of verse 19

their mind

is on earthly things

but our citizenship

is in heaven

their mind is on earthly things

but our citizenship

is in heaven

dear friends

we are going to see

this morning

what it is like

to live

out

a heavenly citizenship

a heavenly citizenship

to be citizens of heaven

rejoicing

and standing firm

in the Lord

which is going to mean

pressing on

towards Jesus

our prize

and our goal

and that's the summary

done

simple isn't it

we can all head home

now

short sermon

everyone's very happy

well

I think even if we've only lived

a very very short time

on this earth

we know that life

this may be a shock

for some

life is not always easy

no shocked faces

whether we're people of faith

or whether we're people of unbelief

life is not always easy

it's not always as simple

as a phrase written down

on a screen

you know

sometimes this

phrase of

you know

earthly and heavenly

living

is plucked out

isn't it

I think it's

probably from this section

and it's used to say this

Christians are so

heavenly minded

that they are of no

earthly good

Christians

you know

you can be so heavenly minded

that you're of no

earthly good

have you heard that

phrase before

have you used that

phrase before

has that phrase

been applied to you

maybe

well

yes

it's something we've heard

it's something we're familiar

when I think it comes

from this passage

the idea is that

that Christians

well

some of them anyway

or maybe even most

they're kind of naive

aren't they

they only think about heaven

they're only thinking about

their own spiritual life

and spiritual journey

and they kind of ignore

what's happening

around them

you know

Christians are

the kind of people

that are too busy

going to the weekend

spiritual retreat

instead of helping out

with that family emergency

too heavenly minded

no earthly good

but that's not actually

what the text says

that's not what the Bible says

it's not what the scriptures say

the heavenly minded

and practically useless

versus the earthly minded

those that care for those around them

and getting things done

that's not what it says

and see

it's always a mistake

to take little phrases

and lift them out of the passage

and make them into

a little saying

and say

well that's what the Bible teaches

or that's what it says

we need to stop that

and we need to take the text

and take the passage

and put it back into the Bible

and see what it says

in context

and what it says

as God intended it to be

and what Paul intended it to be

firstly and most importantly

we want to see verse 18

for as I have told you before

and I will say again

even with tears

many live

as enemies

of the cross

of Christ

this is what it means

to be earthly minded

in this context

to be an enemy

of the cross of Christ

is to live

in opposition

to Jesus

it is to be opposed

to humility

it is to be opposed

to having a love

for people

how do I know that?

well

if we go back

to chapter 2

if you just turn back

the page

a very familiar passage

one we've looked at

already this summer

and those verses

from verses 5

to 11

very well known

it tells us

of the cross of Christ

and what the cross

of Christ

means

here is the God

of the universe

the creator

of all things

and he is humbled

and he is brought low

and he is put to death

on a cross

to rescue

the people

of the earth

the cross

of Christ

this is the cross

of Christ

it is a cross

of love

it is a cross

of humility

it is a cross

of sacrifice

so what does it mean

then to be an enemy

of the cross

of Christ

well it is to be an enemy

of all those things

of love

humility

and sacrifice

Paul shows

the seriousness

of this

doesn't he

in verse

19

so verse 18

he tells us

that these

earthly minded people

are enemies

of the cross

and then verse 19

their destiny

is destruction

opposition

to the cross

of Christ

ultimately leads

to destruction

and this

in a sense

is path

number one

the earthly

things

the earthly

minded

the path

that we all

start out on

you don't have

to choose

this path

I mean we do

every day

but we don't

have to make

a conscious

decision

even to be

on this path

we are born

with this instinct

we are born

with this desire

to put ourselves

as number one

you see

earthly mindedness

is opposed

to humility

and sacrifice

and love

it is about

being number one

it means to be

me minded

earthly minded

means to be

me minded

our selfish

and sinful ways

put us

put us

in direct

opposition

to humility

and being

other centred

our destiny

then is

destruction

this is a path

we did not

need to choose

we were there

but we continue

to choose

every day

by our actions

it is the path

we start down

as unbelievers

in Christ

and it's the one

we choose

to walk on

Paul then

tells us

that to be

earthly minded

is to be driven

by your stomach

to be driven

by your stomach

now that

doesn't mean

that you

like food

or not

or anything

like that

but what he's

saying is

the God

that we look

to

the God

that we look

to is not

the God

of the universe

the God

who is beyond

us and outside

of ourselves

and is the creator

and just judge

of the whole world

the God we look

to is

in our stomach

and the stomach

in this case

is the source

of those selfish

desires

and those selfish

appetites

Paul elsewhere

in the book

of Romans

Romans 16 · chapter mention

chapter 16

he puts it

this way

talking again

of earthly

mindedness

for such

people

are not

serving

our Lord

Jesus

but their

own appetites

that's the

God of the

stomach

to be

earthly minded

is to serve

ourselves

finally

he says

the last

phrase

their glory

is in their

shame

their glory

is in their

shame

it's not

beauty

or love

or hope

or joy

or humility

or all the

things that we

see in the

cross of Christ

that the

earthly minded

strive for

it's not really

about mending

the neighbor's

car

or volunteering

for the

tidy towns

or giving

money to the

cats and dogs

home

they might do

those things

but it's

really to ease

their own

conscience

no

the earthly

minded

instead

ultimately

are boasting

in the

very things

they should

be ashamed

of

glory

in being

able to

spend

my money

and to

spend

my time

on myself

purely on

myself

because well

I deserve

it and that's

what I want

and that's

what makes

me feel

good

boasting

and continuing

in destructive

and immature

behaviors

maybe it's

glorying in

having sex

with whoever

you want

casting off

all restrictions

living so

called free

lives

or the case

yesterday

where two

Irish women

live tweeted

on the internet

their trip to

England to

carry out

an abortion

glorying in

the shame

of ending

a life

in the womb

they glory

in their

shame

as a

parent

will warn

their own

flesh and

blood

so Paul

warns his

spiritual

children

in verse

18

for as

I have

often told

you before

and now

say again

with tears

many live

as enemies

of the cross

of Christ

and these

tears

of Paul

for his

spiritual

children

are no

different

to the

tears

of a

mother

or father

who will

who will

plead

with their

child

to stay

home

and not

go out

in that

car

with those

drunken

friends

into the

city

because the

parents know

can only

go wrong

it's very

simple

brothers and

sisters

this morning

there are

those

that should

not be

followed

in this

world

there are

those

that should

not be

followed

in this

world

and in

this

life

they are

not

ultimately

followers

of Jesus

even if

they utter

familiar

sounding

words

and wear

the clothing

of a

sheep

they are

in fact

wolves

enemies

it says

of the

cross

of

Christ

the cross

that shows

humility

is not

their cross

it is

shameful

and sinful

actions

that they

are boasting

about

the cross

that lifts

our eyes

and lifts

our gaze

upwards

and towards

Jesus

it's not

their cross

no

it is

satisfying

sinful

urges

in the

stomach

that is

their God

the cross

of Christ

that brings

rescue

and it brings

resurrection

it's not

their cross

because their

destiny is

destruction

this is

the wrong

path

there are

many examples

of this

peers

people we

know

who say

they are

following

Christ

yet by

their

behavior

and by

their

example

they are

just

constantly

pushing

so called

boundaries

they are not

the example

to follow

it is the

wrong path

and Paul

tells us

in verse

15

all of us

who are

mature

should take

a view

of such

things

verse 15

and he

says

even if

you don't

fully see

the danger

even if

on some

point

you think

differently

you can't

quite

see why

this is a

problem

Paul says

God will

make it

clear to

you

God will

make it

clear to

you

but then

he says

only let

us live

up to

what we

have

already

attained

verse 16

only let

us live

up to

what we

have

already

attained

or what

we have

already

understood

and what

he is

saying

whatever

stage

of your

Christian

life

whether

you are

a new

Christian

been a

Christian

for a long

time

whether

you are

struggling

whether

you are

a mature

Christian

or

maybe

immature

in some

areas

regardless

of where

you are

in the

Christian

life

you

know

enough

to

follow

Jesus

you

know

enough

to

follow

Jesus

follow

godly

examples

verse 17

join

with others

in following

my example

brothers

and take

note of

those who

live according

to the

pattern

we gave

you

you are

not to

follow the

path of

those that

are pushing

the boundaries

of so

called

Christian

freedom

such

freedom

is really

just chaining

yourself

to the

path

of sin

and

destruction

we spent

some time

looking at

that path

that is

one path

or one

destiny

that of

the earthly

minded

but there is

another path

that Paul

wants us

to show

wants to

show us

this morning

and that is

the path

of those

whose

citizenship

is in

heaven

the first

11 verses

of chapter

3 have

been about

Paul

letting go

of his

own wrong

path

I don't know

if you

remember the

sermon last

week or

familiar with

those verses

but it's

Paul

letting go

of the

wrong

path

letting go

of family

history

he's letting

go of his

academic

achievements

he's letting

go of his

good reputation

and his

high standing

among the

community

his peer

group

done

he says

it's actually

a stronger

word than

that but

I'm going

to say

dung

dung

he says

rubbish

compared

to taking

hold

of

Christ

he casts

it all

off

he casts

himself

away

from that

path

that way

of living

all

even all

the good

things

that you

could look

on and say

isn't Paul

great

he casts

them all

off

so he

gets to

verse 10

and this

is he

falls into

almost a

yearning

of praise

and desire

he wants

to know

Jesus

in verse

10

he wants

to know

the power

of his

resurrection

the fellowship

of sharing

in his

sufferings

becoming

like Jesus

in his

death

and so

somehow

to attain

to the

resurrection

from the

dead

and experience

life in the

heavenly places

where Jesus

is

and he has

to stop

and that's

where we get

to in verse

12

he catches

himself

because he's

run ahead

he's almost

run too far

ahead of us

in what he

said in

verses 10

and 11

so he

slows down

and he

lets the

readers catch

up

verse 12

not that I've

already obtained

all this

for I've already

been made

perfect

but I press

on to take

hold of that

for which

Christ Jesus

took hold

of me

I haven't

reached the

end of the

path

don't mistake

me here

I know

I'm getting

really excited

and my

thinking

and my

perspective

on life

has so

changed

it's been

so

transformed

that I

can almost

feel like

I'm there

at times

in the

heavenly

places

with

Jesus

but I

haven't got

there yet

brothers

verse 13

I do not

consider myself

yet

to have

taken hold

of it

I think

the single

greatest

help in

my working

life today

came in

the very

first year

I started

I was

back in

2001

September

it was a

week after

the 9-11

attacks

in the

US

it was

the 17th

of September

my first

job for

Motorola

based here

in Cork

now shut

down

but at

the time

there was

about 400

engineers

working out

in Manhattan

I was a

graduate

I'd done

electrical

engineering

and now I was

getting paid

to be a

software

developer

I won't

get into

details

but it's

a little

bit different

from what

I'd done

in the

degree

I didn't

even know

what I

didn't know

have you

ever been

in that

position

you don't

even know

enough to

be known

that you're

ignorant

but here's

the thing

as a

graduate

engineer

this older

senior

more experienced

engineer

he took

this graduate

under his

wing

there was a

big new

engineering

project

very important

to the

company

and he

reached out

and he

pulled me

into his

team

divided up

the work

found a

really

critical

bit

I was

completely

ignorant

and he

said

Ralph

you do

this

bit

is that

okay

and I

went

yeah

it's

all

the same

to me

I'll

do

something

and I

had

little or

no

experience

in the

area

I got

a big

thick

manual

with the

computer

chip

information

and some

sample

code

and that

was it

the

confidence

of a

mentor

the

support

of a

team

we got

there in

the end

by the

way

just in

case you're

all worried

but you

know

as Paul

writes to

the

Philippian

church

in a

sense

he's like

someone like

that

isn't he

he's been

yanked

he's been

pulled

he's been

taken hold

of

into

God's

kingdom

my work

mentor

reached down

from his

position

and he

took hold

of me

for a

particular

goal

and

Jesus

in a

similar

way

has

reached

down

and he's

taken hold

of Paul

in verse

12

I press

on to

take hold

of that

for which

Christ

Jesus

took hold

of me

for the

believer

this is

always the

starting point

for the

path

to heaven

verse 12

I press

on to

take hold

of that

for which

Christ

Jesus

took hold

of me

or he

puts it

in another

way in

verse 14

doesn't he

I press

on towards

the goal

to win

the prize

for which

God

has called

me

heavenwards

in

Christ

Jesus

Christ

takes

hold of

us

and then

we learn

to take

hold of

Christ

that

is our

starting point

this morning

brothers and

sisters

it's the

starting point

for everyone

God

the father

has called

you

heavenward

he's called

you

heavenward

and his

anointed

son

has

stooped

down

he has

stooped

down

and he's

taken hold

of you

and he's

bringing you

into his

kingdom

and he's

bringing you

into his

purposes

God

calls us

and then

it's as if

his right

arm

his own

son has

been extended

from the

heavenly

realm

realm

and grabbed

on to

us

and Paul

was captured

in this

way

wasn't he

his path

in life

Paul's

path

was literally

the path

of destruction

he was an

enemy of the

cross of

Christ

we see that

in verses

four to

seven

he was a

persecutor

of the

church

the most

ignorant

and earth

bound

slayer

of God's

plans

and God's

people

he spent

his time

ensuring that

Christians were

rounded up

put in prison

and executed

that was

Paul's path

yet he

like of all

of us

who believe

was grabbed

by Christ

on the road

to Damascus

he was

powerfully

converted

he was

grabbed by

Christ

and in

faith

he turned

to Christ

for salvation

and forgiveness

that is a

starting point

for all

heavenly

bound

people

Jesus

Christ

has

reached

down

and

taken

hold

of

us

but

that

has a

massive

massive

effect

on our

lives

it

truly

does

because

it's

placed us

now

between

two

worlds

or two

kingdoms

we are

still

truly

part

of this

current

age

we

experience

it

just like

everyone

else

we can

stand on

the beach

and feel

the breeze

and we

can hear

the water

coming in

and out

and we

can enjoy

that

we can

we can

be in

the hospital

holding

a perfect

newborn

baby

and just

feel the

joy that

that brings

and we

can experience

the anger

when our

children are

bullied

can feel

the confusion

when a

loved one

becomes

seriously

ill

and ultimately

the searing

pain

when someone

close to

us

dies

we

experience

all of

that

as

everyone

else

does

but

something

or someone

has changed

our world

Christ

came

and he

brought

with him

his

kingdom

and the

bible

talks about

it as

being the

age

to come

a

spiritful

age

an age

of

blessing

and

godly

rule

and

Jesus

has brought

that age

his

birth

his life

his death

his

resurrection

his ascension

back to

heaven

that means

that this

age to

come

is here

it is

now

it's not

just a

future

thing

but it

is really

truly

here

yes

the old

age

is here

as well

and it's

passing

it is a

passing

age

the age

of sin

the age

of decay

the age

of death

it's a

passing

age on

the earth

but it's

still

it's still

the world

we feel

and experience

every day

events on

the world

stage can

still shock

us

you know

sometimes

we see

things in

the news

and we

think

am I

becoming

immune

to this

over the

summer

we were

confronted

with many

cases

but one

I think

stands out

and that's

Islamic

based terrorism

this time

in Nice

in France

carnage

carried out

by a single

man in a

truck

running

over

people

who were

out

celebrating

that evening

80 people

or more

than 80

people dead

and over

300

injured

a friend

or maybe

not as strong

as a friend

someone I know

reasonably well

on Twitter

sent a simple

response to this

he said

I thought I

kind of understood

this world

I don't

he's an

atheist

he ultimately

has to deny

that there is

any real

meaning

or purpose

in a

materialistic

universe

of atoms

just bouncing

around

yet when

confronted

with the

hurt

and such

obvious

evil

he knows

that his

attempt to

understand

the world

has failed

it is utterly

failed

he cannot

understand

there is no

framework

or understanding

for the

atheist

as to why

he should

feel that

to really

feel such

sadness

shows us

that there

is true

meaning

and true

purpose

we have

moral

obligations

that we

can't

ignore

and other

people have

similar moral

or exact

same moral

obligations

as we

have

the world

is out

of joint

it is

broken

in many

ways

even the

atheist

knows

that

or what

about when

illness

hits home

when illness

hits home

and plans

for our

future

are just

blown

apart

you know

you're going

along

what we're

going to do

this year

what we

assume

and illness

just runs

amok

work

disappears

our governments

promise that if

you work hard

keep your head

down and

contribute to

society

you'll be

fine

and then

we lose

our job

and those

empty promises

are gone

or our

close friends

even our

church family

hurt us

first in

small ways

and then

big ways

there's no

apology

there's no

reconciliation

why is

life such

a struggle

with the

people

that I

should

count on

for comfort

and for

help

you see

this age

this passing

age is not

as it

should be

and we can

give hundreds

of more

examples

at times

in fact

it's just

completely

unjust