Lent 2
Philippians 3:17-4:1
What value do you place on your American citizenship? At first, this question might catch you off guard, because on an average day, you probably don’t think about your citizenship all that much. But I have thought about that very question a bit more in the recent past. It’s so easy to take our American citizenship for granted until we run into people that don’t have that. I remember how Luciana felt a couple of weeks ago when her family was flying into town for her wedding. They weren’t flying in from New York or Wisconsin or California. That wouldn’t have been a big deal at all. But because Luciana’s family was coming from Brazil, and because they don’t enjoy the American citizenship that most of us take for granted, it was not a given that when they got off the plane, they would be able to enter the US even for a visit. And now even that Aaron and Luciana are married, I’m still learning about the long process that it is going to take before she gets to be a citizen and enjoy the rights that we don’t think twice about.
Citizenship is vital. It’s something that when you have it, it is easy to take for granted, but if you would lose it, you would dearly miss it. Our text for this morning talks about a citizenship that every believer enjoys. Jesus has taken care of all the necessary paperwork and procedures and has made you a citizen of a country called “heaven.” This morning, the Lord teaches us how citizens of his country live while we are here on Earth, away from our native land. 1) Citizens of heaven focus their eyes on fellow citizens. 2) Citizens of heaven turn their backs on the enemies of the cross of Christ. 3) Citizens of heaven devote their hearts their Savior, Jesus Christ.
Part I
Philippi had a Christian church that was very dear to St. Paul. True, Paul loved all Christians, but the Philippians especially had that same mission-mindedness and love for God’s law as Paul did. If you look at terms just in the last verse of our reading, you get a sense of the closeness that Paul shared with these believers, “my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown…dear friends!” And yet, even though these were some strong Christians, Paul writes about things that they should watch out for, since as we heard last week, the devil sure works hard on those who call themselves followers of Jesus. And one thing that Paul had seen happen in other churches was Christians who ran with the wrong crowd, and figured it wouldn’t hurt them. Instead, believers are to embrace what is spiritual and avoid what is worldly. Often times Christians forget this, so even this strong little church in Philippi was reminded of that important fact by Paul.
So he says in our first verse, “Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you.” This almost sounds like bragging on Paul’s part. I mean, I would sound pretty arrogant if I stood here this morning and said, “hey, you Crown of Glory people, you gotta be more like me.” Now we know that Paul was a sinner. Before he became a Christian he called himself a “blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man.” And even after Jesus found him on that road to Damascus and worked faith in his heart, Paul still lamented about this constant struggle against sin that was raging in his heart. Remember in Romans 7, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate, I do.” Let’s be clear: St. Paul was a sinner, just as much as you and I are. I want to stress the fact that Paul is a sinner, because I am about to drop a bombshell on you: As much as I’ve read the Bible, I could not find any story where after Paul’s conversion, a specific sin of his is recorded. The Bible isn’t a book that will gloss over the faults of believers. On the contrary, the sins of Christians are right there out in the open. I mean, we could talk about Noah getting drunk and lying in his tent without clothes, or Abraham sleeping with his wife’s servant, David’s famous adultery and murder, St. Peter’s rash words and actions and his infamous denial. Even St. John, sometimes called the “Apostle of Love,” after some towns rejected Jesus, John wanted to hatefully call down fire and make them like Sodom and Gomorrah. The Bible never attempts to hide the faults of believers. And that makes it all the more amazing that we can’t dig up much dirt on St. Paul. Paul is such a shining example. And it’s all the more astounding because he was the most unlikely candidate, given his shady, violent past.
But Paul knew that he was on display. And he knew that his message of forgiveness through Christ and his encouragements to live holy lives would all ring hollow if he was only talking the talk and not walking the walk. So Paul went out of his way to conquer those sins in his life so that they wouldn’t be a detriment to the Gospel. Was Paul perfect? No. But he lived as if he were an example he wanted other to follow.
He said, “take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you.” Notice what he’s doing here. He isn’t egotistically tooting his own horn, but he’s saying to the Philippians that there are a lot of other examples of good Christian people out there. He calls these kinds of people a “pattern.” The Greek for this word has the idea of “carbon-copy.” If you look through your change sometime, compare one penny to another penny of the same year. You will find that they are exactly alike. Abe’s head is always facing the right side of the coin. He’s always wearing a beard. Abe always has the same suit on. On every single penny. Paul’s will for the Philippians is that they use him for their model. Paul wants to be their cookie-cutter and have them all look just like him. The things that Paul regularly does, like wrestling with God in prayer, studying the Word, witnessing his faith, encouraging the depressed, he wants them to do. The things that Paul places a high value on, like his faith, his Savior, his heavenly goal, his Christian-living, he wants them to value as well. The things Paul can’t stand, like selfishness, the pursuit of worldly pleasures, rejection of the Word, Paul wants them to be revolted at these thing just as he is. If Paul were living in our day, he might have encouraged the Philippians to be Xerox copies of him: like him in every spiritual detail.
Though there are many different people in this world, different races, different languages, different backgrounds, different incomes, different skills, different interests, different ages, and so on, on the Last Day, you will witness the fact that there are really only two types of people: citizens of heaven, and those who have rejected citizenship. Obviously, on that day, you will want to be standing there with your fellow citizens, but what about right now? Whom do you stand with? Is your pattern, your example, what you strive every day for, is it to be like fellow Christians you know? I have to thank the Lynds for taking me to the gun range a few times in the recent past. They taught me how to fire pistols and rifles, and it’s been a lot of fun. But I did learn one thing about shooting: if you aim at nothing, you are going to hit just what you’re aiming for: nothing. It’s the same thing with our Christian lives. We need something to aim at. Citizens of heaven find Christian patterns; they focus their eyes on fellow citizens, and follow their example.
Part II
This is so vital because the devil has his own pattern that he would much rather you follow. It’s the pattern of the world. Paul alerted the Philippians to this other dangerous example as he wrote, “many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things.” Paul’s reason for writing this isn’t to tell this church how good they look compared to all those sinners. Instead, he is concerned that some of them might be tricked into following the wrong pattern. Paul urges the Philippians to turn their back on such a way of life.
Let’s look a little closer at this ungodly pattern. First of all, the Bible says that MANY are enemies of Jesus. You might recall what Christ said once about how the road to hell is a wide highway with many people on it, but the way to heaven is a narrow, out-of-the-way path that only few find. Like Jeremiah in the O.T. Lesson, believers will be in the minority in this life. And so Paul could have easily said that most people live as enemies of Christ. We Americans have such a democratic mindset that we tend to think that the majority is right, or at least we should do what the majority wants. The kingdom of God is not a democracy. God didn’t ask people for their input as he decided what was right and wrong. And Satan wants you to feel all alone, as if you are the only one standing up for your beliefs, you’ve got to be wrong. Not so. “Many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.”
With three phrases God sums up this pattern. The first of those is, “their god is their stomach.” This isn’t saying that all unbelievers are overeaters, rather what controls them, what they are forced to serve, is their desires and passions. They make the cravings of their heart their god. Then the Lord says, “their glory is in their shame.” In other words, instead of being embarrassed by their sins, they are proud of them, and they flaunt them! Right after Adam and Eve sinned, they were filled with so much shame that they made coverings to conceal their bodies. What about today…in sports, in movies, in music, is there any shame left? At the grocery store where kids shop, magazine covers get more and more racy as models wear less and less clothing. Musical performances continue to push the envelope as stars not only show off their bodies, but perform songs with lyrics that glorify and encourage immoral behavior. As God predicted, their glory is in their shame. It’s so easy for the Christian to get sucked in to this way of thinking and suppose it’s all normal, because, hey, everybody does this, it’s all around us, so it much be OK! Paul sums up this sad lifestyle by saying, “their mind is on earthly things.” What makes these people tick is the here and now. They might give lip service to God and say that he is important to them, but their priorities and their lives tell a far different story.
Citizens of heaven turn their backs on the enemies of the cross of Christ. No, this doesn’t mean that we hate them, or that we are glad that many doom themselves to eternal destruction. In fact, these are the very people that need to be reached with the Gospel, because without the Word there can be no change in a life like this that ends in hell. But a citizen of heaven must turn their back on the worldly way of life with which we are constantly bombarded. Someone once said, “Christianity is one of the leading causes of Atheism these days.” I don’t 100% agree with that statement, but I do understand what the author of it was trying to say: too often, Christians are poor examples. What they spend their time and their money on so often are the same worldly things that their non-Christian neighbors do. Unbelievers look at Christians like this and think, “why would I want to be a believer? They live just like I live! If they’re going to heaven, I must be ok too.” My friends, for your own sake, and for the sake of those watching you, avoid the wrong pattern of living. Don’t let your money and your time be wasted on those who glory in their shame. God calls us to be Christians all the time. God wants us to be Christians everywhere.
Part III
God has called you to something far better. You are a permanent resident in heaven, so while you are living in the temporary tent of this frail body, devote your heart to your Savior, Jesus Christ.
We are not robots. God doesn’t want simply mechanical obedience from us. What he is really after is our heart.
About 6 miles outside of Watertown, WI, right off I-94, there is a restaurant called “The Gobbler II.” It’s called the Gobbler II because before that it was Redondo’s, and before it was Redondo’s, it was “The Gobbler.” I never went to this restaurant when it was the Gobbler, but I am guessing it got its name because of the turkey meals it must have prepared. While I was in college, I and a few friends of mine were hired to help renovate this old Gobbler restaurant. And you know, the first time I walked into that place, it was like walking into the Restaurant That Time Forgot. As soon as you entered those doors, boom, you were back in 1962. I guess back then someone thought that it was a good idea to put carpeting not only on the floors, but also on the walls. And not just any carpeting, but carpeting it turkeys all over the place. It was about the ugliest building I had ever seen. And it was only after months of work that this dated place was transformed into something nice-looking.
There was even a bigger transformation that has gone on with you. Before you came to faith you were ugly and filthy. But you were washed by the blood of Jesus and made clean and vibrant. Before, you were hell-bound. Since we all were born with original sin, we were by nature objects of wrath. But as we have been saying, a transformation has taken place: by the grace of God, you are now a citizen of heaven!
And now our text tells about one other transformation that is still to come. “[Jesus] will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.” Sin has really done a number on our bodies, hasn’t it? These things get sick, weak, tired. Bone can be broken. Wounds can bleed. And one day it is going to wear out and die. How awesome it will be when this body is changed into something better! Jesus is our ultimate pattern. We will be like him, not being a god, but having a body that will be glorious and will last all through eternity.
Since Jesus has and will bring about these transformations in you. Give him your heart. He gave you his all, so give him your all.
Conclusion
Aaron and Luciana were telling me one other interesting thing about how a Brazilian becomes an American citizen. Apparently, there is a lottery, where something like 1 out of every 1,000 people who apply are given a “free immediate” American citizenship. Those people are called the lucky ones.
You are one of the blessed. Jesus has worked to give you Heavenly Citizenship. It’s almost like you’ve won a citizenship lottery. Jesus did all the work, you get all the benefits! Of all the treasures that you have socked away in your house, this is by far the most valuable. This one will stand up to the test of time, and eternity. Don’t throw your citizenship away by falling for the trinkets of this world, but treasure it! Live your life on earth as if your heavenly citizenship was your most precious possession…because it is!
Amen.
sdg
