Foreigners here for a short time...

This week, we are looking at a section of a letter that the Apostle Paul wrote to early followers of Jesus who were a part of a church in Philippi, Greece. So far this week, we have discovered the timeless truth that our joy that comes from Jesus should result in us paying careful attention to how we live as followers of Jesus. As followers of Jesus, we are to pay careful attention to how we live so as to take notice of the practices and patterns that characterize the life of a spiritually mature follower of Jesus so that we can imitate those practices and patterns in a way that results in us growing into a spiritual maturity that reveals and reflects Jesus to others.

 

And in Philippians 3:17-4:3 we see the Apostle Paul reveal three different reasons why our joy that comes from Jesus should result in us paying careful attention to how we live as followers of Jesus. Yesterday, we saw Paul reveal for us that we should pay careful attention to how we live as followers of Jesus because there are many who are hostile to Jesus and the message of the gospel. Today, we will see Paul reveal for us a second reason why our joy that comes from Jesus should result in us paying careful attention to how we live as followers of Jesus in Philippians 3:20:

 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.

Now if you grew up in church, or spent any time in church, you are probably at least somewhat familiar with the phrase “For our citizenship is in heaven”. But what exactly does this church mumbo jumbo talk phrase mean? The word citizenship here was used in the culture of Paul’s day to refer a colony of foreigners or relocated veterans who used the laws and culture of their homeland for the colony instead of that of the culture and country that they were residing in.

Paul’s point here is that as followers of Jesus, we belong to a commonwealth that finds its law and culture in Heaven. And because of that reality, we are to live our day to day lives in a way that follows the message and teachings of Jesus instead of assimilating into a lifestyle that follows a culture that opposes Jesus.

As followers of Jesus, we are a part of the Kingdom of Heaven now, even though we are presently living here on earth. And because we are a part of the kingdom of heaven, we are to live our lives as kingdom people while here on earth in a way that engages people who are not a part of the kingdom of heaven so as to reveal and reflect Jesus to them. We are to live in such a way that we brings the light of the kingdom of heaven to those who are far from God instead of allowing ourselves to be assimilated into a lifestyle that is marked by the darkness of those who reject Jesus.

And it is here that we see Paul reveal for us the timeless reason that we should pay careful attention to how we live as followers of Jesus because we are foreigners here for a short time. In these verses, we see Paul reveal for us three reasons why we are to live our lives as foreigners who are here for a short time.

First, we are foreigners because our true citizenship exists in heaven. As followers of Jesus we are to live out the kingdom practices of the kingdom of God, because that is where our ultimate destination will be. Paul then reinforces this reality with the phrase “from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ”. Paul’s point here is that as followers of Jesus, we are foreigners awaiting the return of our Rescuer and Leader.

As followers of Jesus, the person who is ultimately in charge of our lives is Jesus. Jesus is our rescuer, our deliverer, and our Leader. There will be a day when Jesus will return to usher in the Kingdom of Heaven in its fullest sense. And that is what we are to eagerly wait for and that is what we are to place our hope in. As followers of Jesus, we are not to place our hope in the political processes of the kingdoms here on earth. Instead, we are to place our hope in Jesus as our ultimate Leader.

Third, in verse 21, we see Paul reveal for us the reality that we are foreigners waiting to receive our heavenly bodies. Upon Jesus return to usher in the kingdom of Heaven in its fullest sense, Jesus will transform our lowly, material body that has been corrupted by the effects of living in a fallen and broken world into a splendid heavenly body. In addition, when Paul uses the phrase “by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself”, he is revealing for us the reality that Jesus will transform our bodies because He has the power to do so. Jesus has the power to subject all things to Himself. In other words, Jesus has the power and authority to do all things because He is large and in charge over everything.

Tomorrow we will see Paul conclude this section of his letter by revealing for us a third reason why our joy that comes from Jesus should result in us paying careful attention to how we live as followers of Jesus…