Heavenly Citizenship
Philippians: A Letter of Encouragement • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Heavenly Citizenship
Philippians 3:17-22
I. Introduction
A. Woman treasured Citizenship
II. Imitate the right examples (17)
A. Explanation
1. Brothers – a term of affection for the people of the church at Philippi. Their close relationship stems from their common salvation in Jesus
2. Join in imitating me
a. Paul is not saying that he has it together – He has made that clear
b. What he wants them to imitate is His humble faith in Christ
c. They are to imitate him only insofar as he imitates Christ
d. He is also asking them to willingly do this – This is no authoritative command, but a suggestion to follow him that they too might humbly submit to Christ.
3. And others – keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us
a. There are others like Paul
b. We have already explored Timothy and Epaphroditus
B. Application
1. There is a humble spirit in the one who can look to imitate a Christian who is farther down the path of maturity
2. Each of us ought to look at those people and seek to be more like them
3. The truth is we all have our eyes on someone who we want to be like – You may be too proud to admit it, but we all know of people that we think have it all together and we want to go in the same direction
4. Too often the people that we want to imitate are those who look nothing like Christ – especially true in our celebrity culture
5. For me – There are some in the church here that I look to and try to imitate. I won’t mention their names so that I won’t embarrass them. There are some from my previous churches and life. (Dan Summerlin) a mentor from my past who was an amazing pastor and leader. Todd Gray and Darrell Crawford are amazing evangelists
6. I know these are areas I am not as good at, but God has already done great work in them
7. It is not actually them, but I want to imitate God’s work in them
III. Don’t walk as an enemy to the Cross (18-19)
A. Explanation
1. These are people who profess faith – in opposition to imitating Paul
2. They walk in opposition to the Cross
a. They deny the power of the cross and believe in their own self-righteousness
i. Probably some were Judaizers/legalists
ii. Others were people in the church who had professed faith, but still put faith in their own works
b. They lack humility
c. They refuse to die to themselves
3. Attributes
a. End is destruction – Not Salvation
b. Their god is their belly – They seek to please themselves and serve their own pleasures
c. They glory in their shame – Those who give up righteousness and assume grace
d. With minds wet on earthly things – They are not thinking of Christlikeness or godliness. They are simply thinking of what brings pleasure in this world
B. Application
1. For Paul, the opposite of imitating his dependence on Christ is dependence on self and the world
2. The end is destruction – There is only one way to know the life found in Christ and that is complete dependence on Him.
3. When our desires are our god and we glory in our shame, we are going the opposite way of finding our life and righteousness in Christ
IV. Know your Lord and Savior (20-21)
A. Explanation
1. Our citizenship is in heaven –
a. Lisa coming to the States – Immigration and Naturalization. She had a whole life in front of her and she had to be willing to leave everything behind. When she actually takes up her citizenship, she must renounce the old, but the benefit of her new citizenship is greater. After all, it is where she lives.
b. We are to remember where we are from and who we represent
2. Lord and Savior
a. And from it we await a Savior – This is huge in Paul’s theology – there is something greater to come
b. The Lord Jesus Christ – Lordship, as in the one who is in control
c. These are words generally reserved nor the emperor – at this point it is Nero
d. To say that Jesus is Lord and Savior is to say that they are no longer under the rule and leadership of Nero, but not they are under the authority of Jesus, the King of Heaven
3. His power is greater than Nero’s
a. He can make us new - He will transform our lowly bodies to be like His glorious body
b. He can subject Nero to Himself – by the power that enables Him to subject all things to Himself
B. Application
1. Jesus is making the point that Jesus can do what even the most powerful on earth cannot do
2. He is the power and authority that stands above all others
3. We must see Him as the final authority in our lives
4. The body we have now is not the body we will have – Quit concentrating on it
V. Conclusion
Stradivari Taught Others through "Elbow Learning"
In the late 1600s and early 1700s a half-literate Italian craftsman named Antonio Stradivari designed and made a series of beautiful musical instruments. Today, those violins, named after the Latinized form of his name, Stradivarius, are considered priceless. In 2010, a Stradivarius was purchased for $3.6 million. It is believed there are only around five hundred of them still in existence, some of which have been submitted to the most intense scientific examination in an attempt to reproduce their extraordinary sound quality. But no one has been able to replicate Stradivari's craftsmanship.
Today we do know that Stradivari used spruce for the top, willow for the internal blocks and linings, and maple for the back, ribs, and neck. He also treated the wood with several types of minerals, including potassium borate, sodium and potassium silicate, as well as a handmade varnish that appears to have been composed of gum arabic, honey, and egg white.
But the genius craftsman never once recorded his technique for posterity. Instead, he passed on his knowledge to a number of his apprentices through what one scholar called "elbow learning." The apprentices of the great Stradivari didn't learn their craft from books or manuals but by sitting at his elbow and feeling the wood as he felt it to assess its length, its balance, and its timbre right there in their fingertips. All the learning happened at his elbow, and all the knowledge was contained in his fingers.
Source: Lance Ford, Unleader (Beacon Hill Press, 2012), pp. 177-178
Woman Treasured U.S. Citizenship Above All Else
In his 2010 memoir, A Journey: My Political Life, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair shares the following story:
A friend of mine whose parents were immigrants, Jews from Europe who came to America in search of safety, told me this story. His parents lived and worked in New York. They were not well off. His father died when he was young. His mother lived on, and in time my friend succeeded and became wealthy. He often used to offer his mother the chance to travel outside America. She never did. When eventually she died, they went back to recover the safety box where she kept her jewelry. They found there another box. There was no key. So they had to drill it open. They wondered what precious jewel must be in it. They lifted the lid. There was wrapping and more wrapping and finally an envelope. Intrigued, they opened it. In the envelope were her U.S. citizenship papers. Nothing more. That was the jewel, more precious to her than any other possession. That was what she treasured most.
Source: Tony Blair, A Journey: My Political Life (Knopf, 2010), p. xvi
The Gospel Is Not a Generic Jingle
In the early 80s, an image campaign began in the city of Atlanta with the hopes of encouraging Atlantans to see their city with pride and hope—despite some of its darker issues of race relations, violence, poverty, and unemployment. The jingle was endearing, if cheesy, chirping birds in the background and all: There's a feeling in the air, that you can't get anywhere … except in Georgia. I taste a thousand yesterdays and I still love the magic ways of Atlanta.
All of it was meant to inspire nostalgia, loyalty, and camaraderie—and to counter all the city's negative images. Those who remember it speak fondly of the "Hello Atlanta!" song's ability to highlight Atlanta's unique brand of urbanism and the pride.
Makes no difference where I go, you're the best hometown I know. Hello, Atlanta. Hello, Georgia. We love you on 11 Alive!
The song served as something of an anthem for the city, so much so that Ira Glass recently featured it on his program This American Life. He interviewed people who remembered the song. And then he completely burst their unique sense of city-pride by playing for them the exact same song and lyrics with "Milwaukee" or "Calgary" substituted out in chorus and pictures. As it turned out, this "image campaign" was a syndicated campaign that took place in 167 different cities worldwide. There's a feeling in the air, that you can't get anywhere, except … fill in the blank.
The Bible does not give us an image campaign about God's good news. It is not meant to play on a sense of nostalgia for generic people and places. The promise of the gospel is for particular people in particular places. And this good news can be for you today.
Source: Adapted from Jill Carattini, "No Place Like Easter," Slice of Infinity blog (4-27-16)