Subject: Declaring Your Citizenship
Text: Acts 22:22-30 (NKJV)
22 And they listened to him until this word, and then they raised their voices and said, "Away with such a fellow from the earth, for he is not fit to live!"
23Then, as they cried out and tore off their clothes and threw dust into the air,
24the commander ordered him to be brought into the barracks, and said that he should be examined under scourging, so that he might know why they shouted so against him.
25And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said to the centurion who stood by, "Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman, and uncondemned?"
26When the centurion heard that, he went and told the commander, saying, "Take care what you do, for this man is a Roman."
27Then the commander came and said to him, "Tell me, are you a Roman?" He said, "Yes."
28The commander answered, "With a large sum I obtained this citizenship." And Paul said, "But I was born a citizen."
29Then immediately those who were about to examine him withdrew from him; and the commander was also afraid after he found out that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him.
As we are faced with this fifth and final Sunday in the month of June, God has provided a powerful Word from heaven in that relates to the subject of citizenship. In that Word, I thought it would be robbery if I didn’t mention how this subject correlates to a couple of special events that are specific to, and occur annually in, the month of June.
One of these June events is Flag Day. This used to be a very celebrated day of the year. This was a day where Americans were encouraged to fly and to honor the flag which was formulated from a simple design created by Betsy Ross and adopted to represent a nation. On this day, we are encouraged to hold our nation’s flag in the highest of esteem. We are led to fly the flag from our homes and/or our cars, from our businesses, from our local, state, and federal government buildings showing not only the support for our country, but also the deep love we have for our citizenship in these United States of America. Have I got a witness?
Inasmuch as all of us are citizens, I can almost guarantee that at least 95% of our homes have a flag in it somewhere. It may not be on display or in the most visible area of our home. It may not be hanging on special holidays for all to see. But the bottom line is that most of us own at least one flag, whether it’s a little teeny weenie hand-held flag; a triangularly folded flag given by one of the military branches of service for a deceased loved one who has served this country; or a flag requiring a flagpole for public display. As a matter of fact, the new thing is to have a sticker of the flag that we can proudly display on our automobiles all year long. Am I right about it?
And even if we forget to fly our flag on Flag Day, most of us are quick to pull out our flags on the Fourth of July when we celebrate Independence Day in these United States. On that day most of us can remember the words of Francis Scott Key saying:
“Oh, say can you see, by the dawn’s early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight,
O’er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
Can I get a witness up in here? We know our flag. We honor our flag. We respect our flag because we are citizens whose ideologies and beliefs, as varied and diverse as they may be, are represented up under that flag. Can I get a witness?
But what about the other flag that we should fall under?
Most of us do not own a Christian flag. We do not fly a flag to show our citizenship in society that’s even bigger than our nation. We do not display a flag that lets the world know that we are loyal to and have an allegiance to our Christian roots. Have I got a witness? I mean, there are some churches that display the Christian and the American flags throughout the year and even if you were to ask some of those Christians in those churches what the Christian flag looks like, they couldn’t begin to give you an accurate description. It’s just there for show. Am I right about it?
The other citizenship event in June that I want to mention today is called Juneteenth. This is a celebration that began down in Texas to commemorate the announcement to the slaves in that state, that the Emancipation Proclamation had been signed and that they were no longer slaves but free men, free women, free boys, and free girls. Now mind you, the Emancipation Proclamation had been signed on the first day of January in 1863. And yet, for 6 full months, the word did not get down to Texas and the slaves harbored there remained enslaved. For 6 full months, these slaves continued to work the land of their masters. For 6 full months, these slaves continued to be whipped and beaten like savage beasts. For 6 full months these “so-called” slaves didn’t know who they were and had a false perception of their citizenship. Have I got a witness in here?
However, my brothers and sisters, the Bible tells me that by Jesus’ stripes, by his beatings, by His whippings, by His scourging, we are already healed. Have I got a witness? Because of His beatings we don’t have to be beat anymore. Because of his suffering we don’t have to suffer that way anymore. Because of his life, death, and resurrection, I am free born. And history tells us that back in 1863, the word of freedom finally arrived in Texas somewhere in the middle of June.
It was then that those who were serving as slaves were enlightened that they were no longer subject to their master. They were no longer required to work from can’t see to can’t see at the crack of another man’s whip. Instead, they were now subject to the constitution and the laws of the United States of America. They were now citizens of this great country and were allegedly allotted and afforded all of the rights and privileges of American citizenship. I hope ya’ll don’t mind me taking my time this morning.
In order to really understand this citizenship thing and its importance, we must first understand what it means to be a citizen. The American Heritage College Dictionary defines a citizen as a person owing loyalty to and entitled by birth or naturalization to the protection of a state or a nation. A citizen can also be defined as a resident of a city or town, especially one entitled to vote and enjoy other privileges there. In other words, there are benefits for a citizen in his citizenship. There are privileges granted to a citizen because of his or her citizenship. There is protection guaranteed by the society, by the city, by the state, or by the nation because of the citizenship of a citizen. And on the flip side, if the grantor of the citizenship is going to make all of these provisions for the citizen, then there must be some loyalty required of the citizen. Have I got a witness in this place?
If we are to really develop this powerful message on citizenship from the Lord as presented by our text this morning, we must first go back in time and explore the background and history of the early elements that shaped the life of the Apostle Paul, and established his citizenship.
Background history will show that the Apostle Paul was born around the year 3 A.D. in the Jewish community of Tarsus. Tarsus was the chief city and the capital of the province of Cilicia, located in Southeast Asia Minor. Upon his birth, Paul’s very strict Pharisee parents dedicated him to the service of God, and did all they could do to bring him up as a good Jew. His family was Pharisees. They were Jews by their faith. They were Jewish in accordance to the religion of Judaism in which they practiced. They were Jews and lived in a community full of Jews. And yet, they were Romans because they lived in a Roman society and were a part of a Roman nation. Paul was Roman because he had been born a citizen of the Roman Empire. Can I get a witness?
At eight days old, history tells us that Paul’s parents named him Saul after the first king of Israel who was from the tribe of Benjamin. However, it is a little known fact that his parents also gave him the Latin name of Paul because of their Roman citizenship. It was the name Saul that Paul shed along with his Pharisee upbringing when the blinding light on the road to Damascus struck him down. It was his religious experience that changed and not his citizenship credentials when he was converted from the traditionalism of the Jews to being a born-again follower of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Have I got a witness?
And my brothers and sisters, much of America is just like that today. We have Protestants and Catholics; we boast Jews and Muslims; we have Buddhists and Hindus. In some cases, there are communities that are set up specific to these religions. This is where you will find that those living in the community are a part of the same religious establishment. And yet, all of them are citizens of the United States of America. They are American citizens despite their religious background. They are American citizens despite their ethnic and/or genealogical background. They are American citizens because some were born here, some applied for it, and some were granted naturalization status. And there are even some who are Americans, although they were born on foreign soil, because their parents were Americans at the time of their birth. Have I got a witness?
My brothers and sisters, Paul’s citizenship status always remained in question, mainly because he was a traveling man. He was known for traveling from country to country, from region to region, from city to city, spreading the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. As a traveling man, Paul would have assuredly been questioned on his citizenship. These questions would have come because people were treated differently based on their citizenship. People were treated differently by the Roman rulers if they were Romans, than if they were an Israelite. Pharisees were treated differently by other Pharisees, than if they were a Sadducee. Sadducees were treated differently by other Sadducees than if they were a Pharisee.
And today in 2003 America, there is not much difference in what most of us face in our lives on a daily basis. Blacks treat other blacks differently than they would treat someone who is not black. Whites treat other whites differently than they would treat someone who is not white. Muslims treat other Muslims differently than if they were Christian. And Christians treat other Christians differently than if they were not Christians. And the reason for this difference in treatment is because like minds think alike. The reason for this difference in treatment is because like minds have like experiences. Can I get an AMEN?
If you don’t know my experiences, it’s hard for you to afford me the same opportunities as someone with whom you can relate to. If you don’t know what I’ve been through it’s kind of hard for you to know what kind of person I am if you haven’t been through those same kinds of experiences. If you don’t talk like I talk, don’t eat the same kinds of foods that I like to eat, don’t like the same kind of music that I like to hear, don’t dance that same way that I’ve learned to dance, let me tell you, it’s hard for me to grant you the same opportunity, same privileges, the same protection that I would grant to someone who is just like me. Can I get a witness?
And that’s why in most cases, you will find in the church that all of the good Christian folk who are trying to do right, who are trying to study their bible, who are trying to attend Sunday school and Bible Study, who are trying to raise their children in the church, who are trying to walk by faith and not by sight, who are trying to look to the hills for their help; will tend to migrate together, worship together, talk on the phone together, praise God together, support the pastor together. They will do thing together because they have the same citizenship and they are loyal to their brothers and sisters who also walk under the blood stained banner. Have I got a witness?
And you need to understand that according to scripture this kind of separation is okay. For over in the 15th Chapter of Romans, the Bible says “be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.” It is okay for us to be likeminded folk and treat one another in a likeminded way. Have I got a witness?
But oh my brothers and sisters, the problem lies in that just like you have some good Christian folk who are likeminded, you also have some hell raisers in the church who are also likeminded. And today, we’re just going to call them what they are, they are evildoers. You see we water down stuff too much. Instead of calling homosexuals or lesbians what they are we want to say that they’re living an alternative lifestyle. Have I got a witness?
Instead of saying that a whoremonger or a prostitute is a fornicator, we want to say that they’re dating or sleeping around. Instead of saying that someone is committing adultery, we say that they are having an affair. Instead of calling an evildoer what he or she is, we want to say that they just make a lot of mistakes.
Well let me tell you this today, some people do make some mistakes. As a matter of fact at one time or another, we’ve all made mistakes because the Bible tells us that ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God. But I’m here to tell you, GOD knows the heart of every man, woman, boy, and girl, and you can try and water down sin all you want, but if you are living an unrighteous lifestyle, then you are headed for an all expense paid trip to a place called hell where you can hang out with some likeminded hellions! Is there anybody in here praying with me this morning?
You’ve got to be careful where your citizenship has been established. You’ve got to be careful with what crowd you call yourself running with. And you ought to know that when you change sides and start running with the right side; when you change your citizenship an denounce the wickedness of your old citizenship, then I’m here to tell you there are going to be people who will not like the new things that come from your mouth. Am I right about it?
The Bible tells us that Paul had transferred a portion of his allegiance from being a ruling Pharisee to that of being one of the greatest writers of Christian literature. He had changed from being a cold-blooded murderer and persecutor of the saints to being one who loved and encouraged the brethren. But there was some backlash from this transformation. There were people who did not like Paul’s new message. There were people who did not like what Paul had become a part of. There were people who would rather see Paul dead than to see him continue preaching about Jesus. Have I got a witness?
I can hear my bible telling me in verse 22 of our text that they listened until they had had enough and someone cried out “Away with such a fellow from the earth, for he’s not fit to live.” Have I got witness in here? I don’t know about any of you up in here today, but sometimes I feel like I’m not fit to live, but neither am I fit to die. Do I have at least one witness up in here?
Oh can’t you see Paul’s enemies, his old hanging buddies, beginning to act a fool. Verse 23 says that they began to tear off their own clothing. Not only that, but they also began to throw up dust in the air. In other words, they had decided to kill this man who had been one of them, but was now exposing them for who they really were. Paul was no long conformed to their world, but He had been transformed by the renewing of his mind and he was no longer likeminded with the wicked.
And these men, not only did they need to get comfortable to carry out this task, but they also began to get active to the point that they were stirring up dust. My Lord.
My brothers and sisters, Paul must have been in a bad way about this time. I would be reasonable to presume that he was beginning to have some flashbacks of his own horrid past. He must have been thinking about how the tide had certainly turned against him. Because the bible tells me, that when Stephen was stoned on the outskirts of the city, there was a young Roman soldier by the name of Saul who had held the clothing of those throwing stones to take Stephen’s life. And now, here was an angry crowd who wanted to stone Paul and put him to death. Can I get one Bible reader to say AMEN up in here?
But my brothers and sisters, that’s when Paul stopped and declared his citizenship. I can hear him in verse 26 asking a rhetorical question. A rhetorical question is a question that you already know the answer to, but you’re just asking it for the sake of producing a certain response from the listener. And I can hear Paul asking those men who had him bound with thongs, “Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman and uncondemned?” In other words, what Paul asked them was is it legal to punish a citizen, who has not been tried. Can I get a witness?
Oh can’t you see the guards, stopping in their track. Can’t you see those who were preparing to slay Paul looking at him as if they had seen a ghost. Can’t you see those who were tearing off their clothes and kicking up the dust trying to get their clothes back on so they could leave the scene of a crime. Ain’t the Lord alright?
The bible tells me that the centurion didn’t want any parts of it, so he went over and told the commander of the army, I think we done goofed. I think we’ve messed up now. For the man in our custody is a Roman citizen. He has not been tried; he has not been condemned under Roman law. Do you really know what you’ve gotten us into, and what you’re doing to this man? Ain’t the Lord alright?
Can’t you see this commander, getting up from his desk and going to where Paul was being held? Oh can’t you see him looking at old Paul standing there with his hands and feet bound? Oh can’t you hear him asking the question: Paul, are you a Roman citizen? And I don’t know about you, but it excites me to hear that Paul boldly proclaimed his citizenship, not by boasting on it, but by simply saying with authority “yea.” Am I right about it?
But then, can’t you see that Roman commander being knocked back off of his feet, looking down at Paul, dressed in his lowly rags. Looking like something less than what he was proclaiming to be. Oh Lord. Every now and then people will look down on you and think that they’re better than you are. Can I get a witness in here?
For I can hear the commander saying, I paid a whole lot of money for my citizenship. I paid a whole lot of money to call myself a Roman. I paid a whole lot of money for my privilege; for my protection; for the ability to declare myself a Roman citizen.
And my brothers and sisters, I can imagine the commander thinking this man has nothing. How can he afford to proclaim what I’ve had to pay a whole heap of money for? Ain’t the Lord alright?
Well, well my Bible tells me that Paul answered the commander and told him I was born a citizen. My Lord.
And can’t you see them, immediately withdrawing from around Paul. Can’t you see all of that commander’s confidence turning to fear? Can’t you see them, hurrying trying to get the chains and the shackles off all because he was the right kind of citizen.
Well my brothers and sisters, I want you to know this morning. That you and I have also been given the right to a citizenship that we can declare in the time of our troubles. You and I have also been given access to a citizenship that we can declare when our enemies are all around us. And you should be able to declare today that you didn’t have to pay a whole lot of money for your citizenship. Because 1 Corinthians 6 and 20 tells me, you were bought with a price. So it wasn’t our place to pay for our citizenship. As a matter of fact, our citizenship didn’t have a purchase price, because just like Paul, we were born into our citizenship. For I can hear Jesus saying, that if you want to be a citizen in this new nation, you must be born again. Have I got a witness?
And just like there are benefits to being an American citizen, there are also benefits to being a citizen of God’s kingdom. The Bible tells me to seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all things shall be added unto you. In other words, if you’re loyal to the kingdom, financial blessings will be added unto you. If you’re loyal to the kingdom, spiritual renewal will be knocking on your door. If you’re loyal to the kingdom, you will find peace deep down in your soul. If you’re loyal to the kingdom, you can declare your citizenship and doors will be opened for you.
Let me tell you what I mean. When I was living out in California, every once and a while I would go down into Mexico. On the way, there was no security and anybody could just walk right in. But on the way out, you had to stop and get in a line, and declare your citizenship on your way back into the United States. When you declared your citizenship, they would sometimes ask you to produce a picture identification to prove your declaration. And if everything was in order, they would let you pass through and enter back into the United States.
Well, being a citizen in God’s kingdom is just like that. Every now and then, you may get stopped on your journey to get into the kingdom. But when you get stopped, just declare your citizenship. Have I got a witness?
After you declare your citizenship, if you look like a foreigner, you may even be asked for some kind of identification. That’s when you should be able to reach down and pull out your I.D. they won’t be looking for your date of birth; they won’t be looking at how good your picture looks; they won’t be trying to see what your blood type is. But if someone at the gate, is verifying your identification to get into the kingdom, when they look at you’re I.D. card they ought to find: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance. Ain’t the Lord alright?
And if they can’t find any of these, then they ought to look and see who signed your I.D. Oh Lord.
And I’m glad today, that I know that my I.D. card has been signed in the blood of the lamb. I’m glad today, that I know that my I.D. card has Holy, Holy, Holy right across the top of it. I’m glad today, that I know that my I.D. card has been signed, sealed, and delivered by a man named Jesus Christ.
Jesus – the lily of the valley.
Jesus – the bright and the morning star
Jesus – the rose of Sharon
Jesus – the great I am
Jesus – the rock of ages
Jesus – Lord of Lords and King of Kings
Jesus – the Lion of the tribe of Judah
Jesus – the author and finisher of my faith.
(CLOSE)
