Christian men ought so to live that it were idle to speak of a comparison between them and the men of the world. Plato with his upturned finger is right. Reading Philippians, as we do today, he would have been perfectly comfortable with the notion that our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. In order to ensure that we accurately view life as a heavenly citizen – with a Kingdom perspective – we need to examine what we believe and why we believe it. It should not be a comparison but a contrast. I have talked some already about how in Philippians we have all these really famous verses, but sometimes in their familiarity, we can lose the gravity of what is being said. . " Philippians 3:17-4:1. So expect something like that, only much, much better the next time around. The first heaven is what we consider the daytime sky or atmosphere (where the birds fly, clouds form, and the rains fall). It is commendable for Christians to be patriots of the nation where they are citizens. God created the Garden of Eden in the beginning, and it was a real physical creation with real people having real bodies. Just as our spiritual birth is from Heaven, so is our new-found citizenship. [⇑ See verse text ⇑] In contrast with false teachers who focus on "earthly things" (Philippians 3:19), believers should have a much different perspective on life. I knew where heaven was – it was “up there” somewhere – way, way, way up high in the sky, so high that no one but Jesus could reach it. He said that our citizenship is in heaven. Those in power do not hold sway over us. Our conversation," he says, or as another translation gives it, " our citizenship is in heaven." Posted by washingtoncitycob on September 28, 2014 October 6, 2014. Each of us needs to look into our own heart and ask how faithful we have been to this covenant. "OUR CITIZENSHIP IS IN HEAVEN." Our strength and sustenance is from the heavenly, and our hopes and purpose is towards the heavenly. But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. To accept anything less would frustrate the Holy Spirit within us, and it would be similar to having an identity crisis. Remembering our ultimate rootedness in this reality keeps the world from possessing us. Since our citizenship is in Heaven, these things are true: Our names are written in Heaven. Thus, our loyalties and submission go to it before everything else. In our passage last week, we had this phrase But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, - Philippians 3:20. Our citizenship is in heaven. What does Philippians 3:20 mean? It is with this in mind that St. Paul says in the second reading that our citizenship is in Heaven. He will transform the body of our humiliation, that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself. When we get saved, we become citizens of Heaven even though we don’t live there, and our names are written down there. This place is bad. Philippians 3:20 As people of faith who have professed that our citizenship is in the kingdom of heaven, how do we square the current debate about who is a citizen of the US? The history of the Christian people does not offer us any more reason to be confident. Today our citizenship is in heaven. Jeff Davidson When I was a little boy I sometimes wondered what heaven was like. Our allegiance transcends national or cultural boundaries. Focus . Philippians 3:20-21. Our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 3:20, CSB: "but our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly wait for a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ." . We are thus reminded of the titles granted to us in Baptism, that we are then made the children of God, and heirs of His heavenly kingdom. It is a temporary sojourn. Certain words of St. Paul to the Philippians are very striking. " Our community is the community of all the baptized, from every time and place, from every tribe and nation. Our Citizenship is in Heaven. Philippians 3:20 reinforces this: "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ." Make social videos in an instant: use custom templates to tell the right story for your business. Philippians 3:17 – 4:1. And when we owe our allegiance to our fellow-citizens, we live our lives in this world, as citizens here in the United States, in accordance with those values. Create. True believers morn over the current sinful state of the world, they feel the vanity of this life. We believers are not citizens of this world. CITIZENSHIP. THERE can be no comparison between a soaring seraph and a crawling worm. Paul concluded in verse 20, “But our citizenship is in heaven.” In ancient Jewish society, the common view was that the term heaven (ouranos in Greek) existed in three realms or planes. The history of the Jewish people does not leave us with much reason for confidence. Our citizenship is in heaven [Philippians 3:20]. Our Citizenship Is in Heaven. Our travels here are relatively short compared to eternity in heaven. Citizenship in Heaven “For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.” — Philippians 3:20 . The apostle Paul, writing under Roman house arrest to the church in Philippi, admonishes his readers, “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (3:20). He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself. Our citizenship is in heaven. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.. Philippians 3:20-21 (ESV) Reflection. Our true citizenship is in another world. With all that is happening — poverty, pandemic (COVID-19), suffering, pain, depression, chaos, anxiety, etc. Their names were on the registry of Roman citizens. Our citizenship is in heaven. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.” —Philippians 3:18–21 . Our citizenship is in heaven, but it will not be a heaven where we are just floating around on clouds like Casper the Ghost, mere ethereal wisps. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.” This is God’s word. People born in Philippi had the privilege of being Roman citizens even though they were hundreds of miles from Rome. After all, this is a very biblical theme: our citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20) and we Christians recognize Jesus Christ as the true King. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power … Christians should live with the hope of heaven and the purpose and plan of God for earth. And when we die, we escape out of here, leave our bodies behind, and go up to heaven because that’s our home. The world is not our real home. Heaven is eternal — more real in a sense than this world, and closer than we know. 20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; 21 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,” Philippians 3:12-21. There is nothing in this world that is more valuable than knowing our Savior — abiding in Him and His word — and taking up our cross and following Him. 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. Let us now look more closely at this concept of our heavenly citizenship. However, we are already considered its citizens. In God’s Word we can see that we are to exercise our citizenship by walking out on the truths of the seven Church Epistles, claiming all the rights and privileges we have been given through the accomplished work of Jesus Christ. We are pilgrims on this earth. This world isn’t our home. Let’s see what the Church Epistles have to say about our citizenship. Heaven’s Citizens Wait Eagerly for the King. The Kingdom of God is still in heaven and will be established on earth at Christ's return. Heaven is our home. For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly await the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform the body of our humiliation that it might become similar in form to His glorious[glorified] body, according to the working of His ability to subject all things to Himself (Phil 2:20-21). On this earth, we are strangers and aliens. Our Master said: "Lay not up for yourselves treasures in earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven . Just as when the letter to the Philippians was written, citizenship is highly prized. But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. “But our citizenship is in heaven,” Paul says as one who on the road to Damascus caught a glimpse of heaven. The Word declares that we are citizens of heaven. Every Sunday morning when I enter this chapel, I look around at the many flags that surround us. 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