Citizenship
July 5, 2020

If you’ve ever been out of the country, especially for a long time, it is sweet relief to arrive at the airport, go through customs, and see a portrait of the current president of the United States of America hanging on the wall of the hallway through which you’ll have to pass.

It doesn’t matter who it is. It’s the elected president of your country. Seeing this photograph is an indicator you’re one step closer to being back in the country where you reside and make your home.

The longer you’ve been away, the sweeter it is to see the face of that national leader, because he represents the fact that you are a citizen of the country he leads.

To be a citizen of a country is a privilege we probably take for granted. If we’re born into a country and choose to make it our primary residency, we don’t have to do much to be a citizen. We just need our birth certificate. Or passport.

For some, however, they have to show a certificate of citizenship, or a certificate of naturalization. For many, it may take years, or even decades, to become a citizen of our country. There are people who are in our church and in our communities right now who worked very hard for a very long time to obtain the right to be called a citizen of the United States. They are to be commended.

They have to first meet certain criteria. Then start the application process. Then interviews. Then pass English and civics tests. Then, after all of that, they can finally take an oath of allegiance and become a citizen. Congratulations to everyone who has completed all of this and become a citizen of our country. We are blessed to have you.

Just for fun, I invite you to look up the basic civics test questions and see how many answers you might get right.
For example, Do you know who the 13 original states were?
(N.H., Mass., R.I., Conn., N.Y., N.J., Penn., Del., Mary., Virginia, N.C., S.C., Georgia)

And here’s a tricky one: What did the Declaration of Independence do?
a) announced our independence from Great Britain
b) declared our independence
c) said that the United States is free

Correct answer: b. It is a “declaration,” after all.
So. Happy Birthday America. We are 244 years old now.
On July 4, 1776, we declared our independence and became free from Great Britain. We officially became the United States of America. It is this birthday of our country that we celebrate every 4th of July.

And, yes, to become free and continue to be free has cost us many lives throughout many wars. It is good for us to take time and be grateful.

After Sept 11, 2001, we came together in a mighty way in response to terrorist attacks. Lee Greenwood’s song “I’m proud to be an American” still echoes in the hearts of everyone who went through that tense time.

Now we’re in another tense time. And yes it’s good for everyone in our country to stop and be thankful we get to live here. We enjoy many privileges many people throughout the rest of the world do not. We have clean, running water; access to good medical care; garbage and sewage services; sturdy homes and abundant food. And freedom to express our various point of view. National patriotism is a beautiful and important thing. But it must not be the most important thing.

We live in a free country. We need to not take that for granted. And as Christians we live in freedom from sin and death through Jesus Christ.
In Galatians 5:13, Paul writes, “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. Use your freedom to serve one another humbly in love.”

When we believers lose the motivation of love, we become critical of others.
We stop looking for good in them, and see only their faults.
(Don’t forget, everyone is made in God’s image.” Genesis 1:27.)
Soon we lose our unity. On this 4th of July weekend, let’s resolve to continue to strive to love. Not judge. And do our part to make us truly a United States of America.
Let’s build people up. Not tear them down.

You see, though we are indeed citizens of this country, if we call ourselves Christians, or followers of Christ, we have another citizenship which needs to be our highest priority.

This is from where we derive our identity. As much as we may love our country, that is not our main identifier. And neither is whether we’re male or female. Old or young. Black or white or Asian or Hispanic. From N.Y. or W.Va. It’s not our job that defines us. Or anything else. The most important identifier of you and I and anyone watching this video who calls themselves a child of God is that we belong to His Kingdom!

Priscilla Shirer says “God did not come to take sides, but to take over!”

Paul states it very clearly in Philippians 4:20 “But our citizenship is in Heaven.”
Paul is telling the Christians at Philippi this, in contrast to “setting our minds on earthly things.”
Our ultimate and total and highest priority is our Heavenly citizenship! It is living out Heaven’s interest on earth and leading lives worthy of Heavenly citizenship.

How would we do today if we were given a civics test on the Kingdom of God?
Do we know the Leader? Do we spend time with Him? Do we read His Word, the Bible? Do we know it in our guts and by heart? Do we pray and stay in close communion with Him, our Leader?
Do we go to His throne room every morning and await our orders from Him for how we will live out the gift of the rest of the day He has given us?

How are we doing at living out His two most important directives to us:
Love Him. Love others?

Paul gives us inspiring instruction in the book of Philippians on how to live and grow as a good citizen of the Kingdom of God.

The definition of a citizen is the status of a person recognized as a member belonging to that place.

Do we have enough evidence in our lives to be recognized as a citizen of Heaven?
In Philippians chapter 3, Paul gets wound up about how passionate he is to give everything he’s got to live 100 percent and then some for Christ.

After five stirring verses, he proclaims with passion the words for all of us to live by, as the most successful citizens of Heaven anyone’s ever seen. Hear these words with me this morning, and memorize them too. Hide them in your heart. Live them out loud:
Let’s look together at Philippians 3:12-14:

Paul writes “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do. Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me Heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

The goal is to win the prize. The prize is the upward calling of God in Christ Jesus.
He has a call for each and every one of our lives. And finding and living for that call will bring us the greatest peace and the greatest joy and the greatest identity we can ever hope for.

Paul is throwing out the challenge to truly live as a citizen of God.
Throughout chapter 3, there is much tenderness and affection, along with his appeals, to persuade Christians to devote themselves to answering the call of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The Philippians knew Paul well, and they couldn’t help but feel his passion for them to make this their top priority.

Paul says his goal is to:
a) know Christ, b) to be like Christ, and to c) be all Christ has in mind for him.
[Pray over everyone that we, too, will be all that Christ has in mind for us!]

Let’s determine this week to do at least one thing to get to know Christ better. Read His words from His Word. (The Bible) Talk to Him. (Prayer) Listen quietly and hear what He might say back to you. It’s ok if you think it’ just your mind speaking. It might be Him. Listen to and enter into worship music that helps you center on Him.

And then there’s the second goal, to be like Christ.
Again, His Word, the Bible, tells us what He was like. His Spirit living within us, the Holy Spirit, will continually direct us to be more like Him too. If we are willing. Someone with Christlikeness is a person who has qualities like Jesus Christ.
Some examples include being kind, forgiving, sincere, caring and compassionate.
In Matthew 9:36 we’re told “When He saw the crowds, He had compassion…”
Matthew 14:14 says “He had compassion on them and healed their sick.”
In Matthew 15:32, just before the big feeding of thousands, He said to His first citizens, His disciples, “I have compassion for these people.”

Paul was someone who went from having zero compassion for Christians, and in fact hunting them down to kill them, to turning it totally around to the point of giving his life for them, just as His, and our, Savior did.

In pressing on for the prize of the upward calling of God in Jesus Christ,
Paul says I’m not there yet. And I’m certainly not where I want to be.
But, by golly, I’m gonna give it everything I have! [How about us?!]

This goal of Paul is to know Christ, to be like Christ, and to be all Christ has in mind for him absorbs all of Paul’s energy. [Does it, ours?!]

With the single-mindedness of an athlete in training, we must lay aside everything harmful and get rid of anything that distracts us from being effective Christians.
Our vision statement is to be comprised of “fully devoted followers of Christ…”
Not halfhearted. Not lukewarm. But passionate. Fully devoted. People whose primary identity is that they are a citizen of Heaven.

So what’s that one thing which might be holding us back from keeping this foremost in our minds and in our lives? [Pause…] What’s one change we can make this week to move closer to the goal to press on for the prize of the upward calling of God in Christ Jesus in our lives?

We can blame busy schedules or too many demands from too many others, but we are ultimately the ones responsible for our schedules, and what we say yes to, and when we say no to the demands of others. Let’s start putting God first. Let’s carve out time to be alone with Him to begin with.

God will direct us if we ask Him and if we let Him and He will give us His strength to persevere.
2 Cor. 12:9, 10 “His strength is made perfect in our weakness.” When we just don’t think we can do it, He will give us His strength to be able to accomplish His purpose.
Ask Him for direction. Constantly. He will give it.
And yes, perseverance, not giving up, is key.

Janet Sauder is a member of the Dove International Apostolic Council. She and her husband give oversight to DOVE churches and leaders in Canada, India, South Africa and the USA.

She wrote a recent article about not giving up. Her and her husband were youth ministry leaders for many years. She says people have often asked them for advice on how to lead a successful youth group.

The first thing that comes to her mind, she says, is: “Don’t quit!”

They have seen the fruit of not giving up. Many youth they shepherded are now serving our Lord and the Body of Christ at large. But it didn’t happen quickly.

At the end of her article she says, “Only you will know exactly what the Lord is asking you to do or to persist with!”
“The world’s amazing game changers persisted. They stayed the course. They didn’t get mad, bitter, disillusioned or quit, but took one day at a time.”

She ends with these words: “Be obedient to what God is telling you to do; God will give you the stamina and renew your vision as you pursue His purposes with all your heart.”

Let’s be the very best citizens of the very best Kingdom that we can be!
“Following Christ is not for the fainthearted.” (Lindsay Gray, U.R.)

So what helps us persevere in this citizenship? Or when we are discouraged or feel far from God?

Here are three things that will help:
1) Look back over your own experiences of persistence. Remember how God has guided you through tough times before.
2) Look for signs of God’s Presence. They are all around us all the time if we will only take the time and open our eyes to see.
3) Hold on to the hope of new and continually renewed life in Christ!

As citizens of God’s country, of Heaven, of identity as a follower of Christ, we are encouraged to stand firm.

Paul writes in Philippians 4:1 “Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends!

Dear friends, let us rise up and find our identity, our purpose, and our life as beloved and empowered citizens of the Kingdom of God. The number one thing Jesus talked about is the Kingdom of God. And we get to be a part of it.

{“Altar call… if led…}

Let’s encourage one another to press on. Persevere. Don’t give up. Don’t give in.
Live the abundant life He has for us. Encourage everyone you meet. Share life.
Keep finding and offering hope. And love one another deeply.

That’s what Kingdom citizens do.


Let us pray. Transition to Holy Communion…