Philippians 3:20; Citizens Under The King

PastorRodney’s Weblog

07/21 Philippians 3:20; Citizens Under The King; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20240721_philippians-3_20.mp3

In chapter 3 of Philippians, Paul is warning of threats to the Christian life. He warns of Jews who put confidence in the flesh, and not in the finished work of Jesus alone (3:2). He was there once; he had a righteousness according to the law (3:4-6), but he joyfully counted it loss in order to receive the greater and more perfect righteousness of God that comes through faith in Jesus (3:7-10). The real pursuit of the follower of Jesus is to know him, and to be conformed to his humble self-sacrificial lifestyle. He warns of the danger of thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought to think, thinking that we have arrived, that we have become perfect (3:11-14). Paul has not yet arrived, but he presses on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. He invites us to imitate him, and those among us who pattern their lives after Jesus in his humble sacrifice for others (3:17). There are some who pattern their lives after Jesus and his apostles, lives worth imitating; and there are many who we must not imitate. There are enemies of the cross, those who refuse to take up their cross and pattern their lives after Jesus (3:18-19).

Philippians 3:18 For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.

Paul draws a contrast between these many, and us.

Philippians 3:20 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.

Citizenship

In contrast to those whose minds are set on earthly things, he says that our citizenship is in heaven. This is not the first time Paul brought up issues of citizenship in this letter.

Philippi was a Macedonian city, named after Philip II of of Macedon, father of Alexander the Great. When Rome conquered the Macedonians, the city came under Roman rule, but it wasn’t until after the assassination of Julius Caesar, when the liberators were defeated in the battle of Philippi by Mark Antony and Octavian, and after Octavian was established as emperor, that Philippi was reorganized as a Roman colony. As a colony, Philippi became a miniature Rome. It came under the laws of Rome, was colonized by veteran Roman soldiers who would bring with them the culture, values, and ideals of Rome.

In Acts 16, when Paul and Silas brought the gospel to Philippi, after casting a demon out of a slave girl, they were accused of these charges:

Acts 16:19 …they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers. 20 And when they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, “These men are Jews, and they are disturbing our city. 21 They advocate customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to accept or practice.” 22 The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders to beat them with rods. 23 And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely.

The citizens of Philippi took their Roman identity, their Roman customs, Roman laws, and Roman peace seriously.

Roman citizenship was a big deal. It came with responsibilities, rights and privileges. So the next day, when the magistrates sent to have Paul and Silas released from prison,

Acts 16:37 But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us publicly, uncondemned, men who are Roman citizens, and have thrown us into prison; and do they now throw us out secretly? No! Let them come themselves and take us out.” 38 The police reported these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Roman citizens. 39 So they came and apologized to them. And they took them out and asked them to leave the city.

Paul was a Roman citizen. As a citizen he had rights under Roman law. He was able to assert those rights on more than one occasion. The city magistrates were afraid because they had not acted in accordance with Roman law, and could be held accountable to Rome for their failure to act consistent with Roman ways.

Live as Citizens

Back in Philippians 1, Paul said:

Philippians 1:27 Only let your manner of life [v. πολιτεύεσθε] be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, 28 and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. 29 For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, 30 engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

Paul instructs the Philippians to ‘live as citizens’; conduct yourselves as citizens in a way that is consistent with the gospel of Christ. Live as citizens whose central truth and guiding principle is the good news of Jesus Christ. Live as citizens who are made one by the Spirit, united in mind, contending together for the gospel, considering it a gift to be counted worthy to suffer for the name of Jesus.

Here in Philippians 3, he contrasts those who are enemies of the cross, enemies of the gospel, with us whose citizenship is in heaven.

In Ephesians 2, Paul tells Gentile believers

Ephesians 2:19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens [συμπολῖται] with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.

As followers of Jesus, we have a new identity; we belong to a people, we are fellow-citizens with the saints, members of the household of God. Our citizenship is in heaven, with all the attendant rights and responsibilities of that privileged position.

We are citizens of a heavenly country living in an earthly context. The church is to be a colonizing outpost of heavenly community, living under God’s rule, living out gospel shaped community in the middle of a lost and broken world, spreading the good news of God’s sovereign rule and gospel shaped culture into this foreign culture. We are not to have our minds set on earthly things, but heavenly. We are not to be conformed to the culture around us, but rather be a transforming force to bring culture into glad submission to its Savior.

In But Not Of The World

In John 17, Jesus said that although we are in the world, we are not to be of the world (Jn.17:14-16). We are not of the world just as Jesus is not of the world. Jesus came to be the light of the world (Jn.8:12; 9:5; 12:46), and now he tells us ‘you are the light of the world’ (Mt.5:14-16). Paul tells us how in Philippians 2:14-16

Philippians 2:14 Do all things without grumbling or disputing, 15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.

We are to be a colonizing community that looks attractively different than the dark and twisted culture around us, holding fast to the gospel.

Dual Citizenship

As citizens of heaven, who live in this world, we have a dual citizenship, but we submit to a higher authority. Peter calls us ‘sojourners and exiles’ (1Pet.2:11). He calls us to

1 Peter 2:12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. 13 Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, 14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. 17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.

Conduct yourselves in a way that brings glory to God. For the Lord’s sake submit to every human institution, do good, live ultimately as servants of God. When human institution comes into conflict with serving God, as Peter said: “we must obey God rather than man,” (Act.4:19; 5:29), and be willing to suffer the consequences.

Jesus tells us that we are to be citizens who bring the culture into conformity with our King through prayer:

Mathew 6:9 ​Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10 ​Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 ​Give us this day our daily bread, 12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

We seek to bring God’s kingdom, God’s name, God’s will, God’s rescue, forgiveness, and provision down from heaven to where we live.

Eagerly Awaiting Our King

As citizens of heaven we have a higher authority; we submit to a better king. Our king is not physically present but seated at the right hand of his Father in glory, but he promised that he is coming back for us (Jn.14:3,18,28).

Jesus told multiple parables to describe how we are to wait for him; we are to watch and wait, be prepared, be busy about his business until he comes, remember what we have is not our own, use his gifts to advance his interests in the world, treat other believers in such a way that we won’t be ashamed when he comes.

The word used here for waiting indicates an eager anticipation, a full expectation, a looking forward to receive from. We are living as citizens now, but we are not yet complete; we strain forward to what lies ahead; we press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (3:13-14). Ultimately we long to know our King Jesus more fully. We long to see him face to face.

The Savior and Lord

We are eagerly awaiting a Savior. Savior was commonly used for the Roman emperors; they were saviors in the sense that they were victorious over their enemies and provided rescue and protection to their subjects. When Paul was on trial before Porcius Festus, who wanted to do the Jews a favor and send Paul off to be ambushed, Paul appealed to Caesar for justice and protection as a Roman citizen (Ac.25:9-11).

But our Savior is no merely human king. He is the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Christ, the promised long hoped for Messiah King. He is the Lord, YHWH God of the Old Testament. He is Jesus, YHWH is salvation, God come down, the Word made flesh, God with us, mighty to save. He displayed his mighty power not through victory in battle, but by laying down his life in humble surrender to the will of his Father. He defeated death by dying. He conquered our sin by taking it all upon himself and paying the price in full. This is the Savior we are waiting for; the Lord Jesus Christ.

Anticipation of Future Salvation

This waiting for a Savior from heaven points to a future anticipation and expectation of salvation, as we see so often in Paul. Paul can say that God saved us (2Tim.1:9), but in 1 Corinthians 1:18, the word of the cross is the power of God to us who are being saved. When he reminds us of the gospel in 1 Corinthians 15, it is the gospel ‘by which we are being saved’. In 1 Corinthians 3:15 and 5:5 Paul points forward to the salvation at the judgment, in the day of the Lord. In Romans 5:9, Paul says that we have now been justified, and that we shall be saved by him from the wrath of God. He makes distinction between our past justification, present sanctification, and our future salvation. We have been saved, we are being saved, and we will one day be saved.

In 2 Timothy 4:18 Paul lays out his future hope:

2 Timothy 4:18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom [καὶ σώσει εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ τὴν ἐπουράνιον·]. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

That ‘bring me safely’ is the same word for salvation; the Lord will rescue me from evil, and save me into his heavenly kingdom.

Our salvation is past; we have been justified. It is present; we are being saved by the gospel. And it is future; we will be saved from his wrath and into his his heavenly kingdom. It is this future aspect that Paul focuses our attention on here; we eagerly anticipate the coming of our Savior from heaven.

This is how Paul can say

Philippians 1:6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

This future salvation stands as the polar opposite of the enemies of the cross, whose minds are set on earthly things, whose end is destruction. Many, Paul says through his tears, will have their end in destruction, not salvation. Jesus will say to many who did many things in his name ‘depart from me, you workers of lawlessness; I never knew you’ (Mt.7:22). Paul trades in his works righteousness for the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.

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Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org