“Living A Joy-Full Life: Furnish Your Memory”
Phil. 3:17-21
What is in our minds largely determines our perspective. What we think influences what we see. For example, look at these words on the screen. WOMAN WITHOUT HER MAN IS A SAVAGE. What’s in your mind will determine how you punctuate the phrase – and how you punctuate the phrase makes a huge difference. How many of you immediately saw WOMAN: WITHOUT HER, MAN IS A SAVAGE? ... How many of you saw WOMAN, WITHOUT HER MAN, IS A SAVAGE? … What’s in your mind determines your perspective.
So as Paul continues to consider the prize for which God has called us heavenward, he wants to furnish concepts for our mind. He has used the image of the accountant and dealt with profit and loss, he used the figure of the runner and the race to deal with focus, and now he moves to the picture of an alien to deal with citizenship. We need to consider where, to whom, to what, we truly belong.
First, Paul says that to furnish our minds we must REMEMBER OUR HOME BASE. We need to remember where we are from. It is not uncommon to be a citizen of one country but to travel to or live in another. There are, for example, Americans living in most every country of the world. And there are citizens of most every country of the world living in America. But it’s not where we live but where we are born that determines our citizenship. (20) “Bur our citizenship is in heaven.” As John 1:12-13 reminds us: “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God – children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.”
Being born of God WE ARE CITIZENS OF HEAVEN. Our Baptism establishes and confirms who we are - not children of earth but children of God. As someone has said, “The Christian is not a person who, standing on earth, looks up to heaven; but who, being in heaven, looks down upon earth, and throughout his life recognizes that he is a foreigner indeed.” We are resident aliens on earth.
This was true for Jesus. Often He pointed out that He was not of this world but that He had come down from heaven, and therefore He was to do the Father’s will. The Gospels all describe Jesus’ life on earth as a visit. He was born in a borrowed manger, was buried in a borrowed tomb, and He often had no place to lay his head. When his disciples went home, He went to the Mount of Olives to be with his Father. His whole life was framed by his heavenly citizenship.
The same was true for Paul - he knew his dual citizenship. On more than one occasion he used his earthly Roman citizenship to fend off punishment and gain more favorable treatment. Yet he also knew that his real citizenship was heavenly. He therefore built his entire life around that. His citizenship provided the framework of his life.
This means WE ARE TO MAKE HEAVEN OUR PRIORITY. Jesus Christ, not any earthly leader or government, is our leader and ruler. Our allegiance is to Christ’s Kingdom and the nation in which we live is our secondary loyalty. Is it any wonder Jesus said (Mt. 6:19-21, 33)) “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also…seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Is this the priority of your life? As you travel this life, remember your home base.
We are also to REMEMBER OUR DESTINATION. Our destination is to return to our home base.. Our names are inscribed in heaven’s register. Our rights are secured in heaven. Our interests are promoted in heaven. Our inheritance is stored in heaven. Our mansion is being prepared in heaven.(i) And WE ARE HEADED FOR HEAVEN because Jesus has promised to bring us home. (John 14:3 GNT) “And after I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to myself, so that you will be where I am.”
WE HAVE AN APPOINTMENT WITH JESUS! (3:20), “And we eagerly await a 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.” When I think of getting to heaven I get excited about seeing what heaven is really like. I can only imagine. But that can wait – because I’m more excited about meeting Abraham, Joseph, Moses, David, Isaiah, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul and so many others. I can only imagine. But they can wait – because I’m more excited to greet my loved ones. I’ll greet my mom and dad, my sister, my grandparents, my aunts and uncles – and so many of my friends. I can only imagine. But they can wait – because I want to see my Savior first of all. As Carrie Breck so poignantly wrote,(ii) “Face to face with Christ, my Savior, Face to face—what will it be, When with rapture I behold Him, Jesus Christ who died for me? Only faintly now I see Him, With the darkened veil between, But a blessed day is coming, When His glory shall be seen. What rejoicing in His presence, When are banished grief and pain; When the crooked ways are straightened, And the dark things shall be plain. Face to face—oh, blissful moment! Face to face—to see and know; Face to face with my Redeemer, Jesus Christ who loves me so. Face to face I shall behold Him, Far beyond the starry sky; Face to face in all His glory, I shall see Him by and by!” I can only imagine.
What I do know is this meeting with Jesus will be radically transformative. OUR BODIES WILL BE TRANSFORMED. In the 15th chapter of Corinthians Paul tells us that in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, we will all be changed. That’s really good news, since most of us have real concerns about our body - how we look, or don’t look; how we will look as we get older; about keeping our bodies healthy and together, and so forth. Forget plastic surgery; forget all the money spent on cosmetics; forget all the workouts; Jesus will give us a new body! The Bible tells us that this new body will be OUR BODY, BUT DIFFERENT. A couple of generations ago an old farmer took his family to the big city for the very first time. They had never seen tall buildings or sights so impressive. The farmer dropped his wife off at a department store and took his son with him to the bank - the tallest of all the buildings. As they walked into the lobby, they saw something else for the first time - an elevator. As they watched, the doors opened and an elderly woman got in. The doors closed behind her and a dial over the doors went to the right and then back to the left. The doors opened again and out came a beautiful young lady. The farmer was amazed. He turned to his son and said, “You wait right here. I’m going to get your mother and run her through that thing.”
I’m not sure it will work quite that way, but our bodies will be different! The Heidelberg Catechism (Q & A #57) states: “...even my very flesh, raised by the power of Christ, will be reunited with my soul and made like Christ’s glorious body.” Remember the resurrection appearances of Christ. He had His body, but yet could not be recognized until he revealed himself. He passed through doors and walls and appeared and disappeared at will. As Paul says, it’s a mystery, but it’s true. We will be perfectly suited for heaven, like Christ. I can only imagine.
But that’s not all – notice Paul wrote “…the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control…” Even now, through Jesus’ power, OUR LIVES ARE BEING TRANSFORMED. Jesus has the power to bring everything under his control. If He can change our lowly bodies to be like his glorious body, then THERE IS NOTHING IN THIS LIFE THAT JESUS CANNOT TRANSFORM. Jesus can make the wilderness blossom. Jesus can make leprous skin clean. Jesus can make an adulterous woman a saint.
Jesus can make the blind see, the lame walk, the dumb speak. Jesus can bring the dead to life. When our passions are wrong and strong - Jesus is able. When we are weak in the flesh or in spirit - Jesus is able. When our will is off track - Jesus is able. When temptation is heavy – Jesus is able. When the task is difficult - Jesus is able. When the sorrow is overwhelming - Jesus is able. When our body is disintegrating - Jesus is able. When our marriage or our family life is rocky - Jesus is able. Jesus is able to do far more abundantly than we could ever ask or even imagine. I can only imagine, becuase JESUS IS ABLE!
That’s why we can claim with Paul (2 Cor. 4:8-10, 16-18): “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our slight and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” And (Rom. 8:18): “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”
No wonder Paul said that we eagerly await a Savior. OUR PERSPECTIVE IS ONE OF ENERGETIC ANTICIPATION. At the first church I served, our son was 3 years old. Since the church was only a couple blocks up the street, I often walked to and from. On those days when I walked home for lunch he would be waiting by the front door; when he saw me coming Barb would open the door and he would, as fast as his little legs would allow him, run up the street to greet me. Is that the desire and energy you feel, that you want to run to greet Jesus? Are you straining and making plans for heaven? Does this anticipation drive your life?
Joni Eareckson Tada has been paralyzed from the shoulders down since a diving accident while a teenager. For years she has had her heart set on heaven. It shows in her conversations, her radio messages, and her artwork. Those who know her often say that talking with her draws one to the very edge of heaven itself. Listen to what she says: “I still can hardly believe it. I, with shriveled, bent fingers, atrophied muscles, gnarled knees, and no feeling from the shoulders down, will one day have a new body, light, bright, and clothed in righteousness - powerful and dazzling.... It’s easy for me to ‘be joyful in hope,’ ...and that’s exactly what I’ve been doing for the past twenty-odd years. My assurance of heaven is so alive that I’ve been making dates with friends to do all sorts of fun things once we get our new bodies...I don’t take these appointments lightly. I’m convinced these things will really happen.” )iii) Joni remembers her destination. Are you headed for heaven? Does it drive you now? ARE YOU SETTING PLANS AND MAKING THE ARRANGEMENTS?
In the Movie Madagascar, Marty is a well-cared-for zebra at the New York City zoo. But in front of his treadmill is a mural that depicts a scene of the wild places he longs to go. Marty notices a disturbance in the grassy part of his enclosure. Suddenly, a penguin head pops out. The penguin asks Marty, "What continent is this?" And Marty, puzzled, replies, "Manhattan." The penguin is disappointed, "Still in New York!" and then to the other penguins, "Abort, dive, dive, dive!" But Marty is interested now, he says, "Wait a minute! What are you guys doing?" One of the penguins pipes up, "We're digging to Antarctica!" The boss penguin, stunned by his underling's lack of discretion, slaps him. He asks Marty if he has ever seen penguins "running around in New York City?" The penguin whispers that there aren't any, "We don't belong here. It's just not natural." The penguins say that they are "going to the wide-open spaces of Antarctica. To the wild." The words are magic in Marty's ears, "To the wild? You can actually go there?" One by one the penguins begin to disappear down the hole. Frantically, Marty shouts, "Hey! Hold up! Where is this place? Tell me where it is!" Waving his flipper like a Jedi master working a mind trick, the penguin intones, "You didn't see anything . . . right?" And Marty says, "Right. Right. Yes, sir!" But his desire to escape has been ignited. Marty longs for a place he has only seen in murals — representations in paint, not even a photograph — the wild. He longs for it because deep down inside he knows that he was not created to live in a zoo. Even though he is looked after, he recognizes that his life is unnatural. This is not how it is supposed to be. So when the chance for escape presents itself, Marty is excited.
Just like Marty, deep down inside us there is a quiet voice that reminds us that this world we inhabit is not where we are meant to be. What we are made for is heaven, and God gives us glimpses of it in our everyday lives. Like Marty, we need directions. (iv) Fortunately we have them. Through the cross of Calvary Jesus Christ has shown us the way. He is, in fact, the way, the truth and the life and no one can get to the Father except through Him.
So as we gather around the Table of our Lord, furnish your memory. Come to Jesus. Remember the cross. Anticipate heaven. Be transformed.
Let us pray. Grant, O God, that we may never lose the way through our self-will, and so end up in the far countries of the soul; that we may never abandon the struggle, but that we may endure to the end, and so be saved; that we may never drop out of the race, but that we may ever press forward to the goal of our high calling; that we may never choose the cheap and passing things, and let go of the precious things that last forever; that we may never take the easy way, and so leave the right way; that we may never forget that sweat is the price of all things, and that without the cross, there cannot be the crown. Amen.
(i) Hendriksen, W., & Kistemaker, S. J. (1953–2001). Exposition of Philippians (Vol. 5, pp. 182–183). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.
(ii) Carrie E. Breck, Face to Face
(iii) I have been unable to locate the source of this quotation
(iv) www.movieministry.com
