Paul Daugherty - Citizens of Heaven
If you got a Bible go to Philippians, chapter three you can make some noise this morning. Paul gives us this term citizens of heaven because he's talking to a group of people who are Roman citizens. And they take pride in being Roman citizens. They love being part of the Roman Empire and being part of the Roman Empire makes them. You know, it's kind of a big deal. The area in Philippi, these people they feel like they've got all these rights and they put their hope and even their trust and security. In who's in office in the Roman empire and what laws are being passed what's going on. We need to remind ourselves before we are citizens of any other country.
If you're a believer, Paul says you're a citizen of heaven. In Philippians 3:20. He says, "We are citizens of heaven". Why was he saying this? He was saying church at Philippi, don't get it mixed up, remember where your allegiance lies. I know you're getting worked up and maybe even confused and getting into debates with family members and friends about all the political issues, but you are citizens of heaven where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly awaiting for him to return as our savior. He was trying to remind them Caesar is not your savior, your president is not your savior, your congressmen is not your savior, your Senator is not your savior.
Hey, American church, in 2020, Jesus Christ is still your savior. Don't get it mixed up, His agenda, His platform is unshakable, no matter what's going on in America. I think the question I wanna preach at today is how do I live as a follower of Christ during the crazy times right now in America. And I know we have people watching from all over the world. And by the way, to every nation out there, you are valuable, you are loved and America needs your prayers. Paul says, in verse 21, "He will take our, our weak mortal bodies. And he will change them into glorious bodies like His own using the same power with which he brings everything under His control". Everybody say, "we are citizens of heaven".
What does that mean? Jesus is, you know when He shows up in his time He is so radical that the conservatives don't know what box to put Him in the liberals don't know what box to put Him in. He's radical to everybody. He's calling people to a peaceful way of life but He's also calling people to a radical way of life. He's saying when someone slaps you turn the other cheek. When someone takes your coat, give them more. If someone asks you to walk a mile, walk a second mile with them, love people, forgive people. When people do things mean to you, treat them with kindness. Jesus was preaching this radical message and then his followers were expecting Him to overthrow the Roman empire to stir up a violent revolt. And He didn't do it. Instead he lays His life down, dies on a cross.
And then He leaves after he raises from the dead. And He calls his disciples to go and preach this gospel in Jerusalem, Samaria, to the ends of the earth. And that's the kingdom that God's called us to be a part of a kingdom, citizens of heaven. When Jesus first met with his followers he said in Luke 9:23, "Follow after me. And anyone who wants to come after me must deny himself, must deny herself and take up their cross daily". Everybody say, daily. Following Jesus is gonna cost you something. Salvation is free, you can call on the name of the Lord and get saved like that. But following Jesus cost us something. Does the Jesus that you're following right now, American church cost you anything?
There was a group of people who wanted to be vegetarians but they didn't wanna be all in on the vegetarian thing. So they called themselves flexitarians. And what they said, no true story. What they said is, "We are vegetarians except for sometimes we eat meat". Not all the time, just occasionally. And when like meats being served we're not gonna reject it, we will receive it. We will eat it but other than that, we are vegetarian. So we're gonna call ourselves flexitarians. In other words we'll do it when it is easy, we'll do it when it's comfortable, we'll do it, we'll eat vegetables when it's okay, when it fits with our agenda. There's people who live with that same mindset with Christianity. They live with a picking and choosing of what they're going to believe.
I'll take a hamburger with no tomatoes, no lettuce. I'll take Christianity without the commitment. I'll take Christianity without the morals and the values about marriage. I'll say Christianity without. You know I'm gonna pick and choose because you know, Paul, like I'm political I've got a political party I'm connected to, before I start diving into everything. How far are you gonna follow Jesus American church? How much are we committed to this? Well, I want all the blessings. I want the blessings and the benefits without the sacrifice I'll give as long as the economy's good, I'll be happy as long as my president gets elected, but if he doesn't, I'm out in the streets and I'm screaming and crying and moving away and I'm angry at everybody.
Is Jesus, your savior, or as the president your savior? I came to offend everybody with the cross today. And if you get offended, send an email to the Bible because that's what I'm preaching. John chapter 6:60 Jesus said something very strong something similar to what I just said. And he said, "In this moment, people were angry and offended. Disciples, people who had been with Him they were with him as long as he was feeding them the bread and the fish". But now once he starts preaching a message that offends them, it says, "They were angry". And in verse 66, "At this many of his disciples deserted Him and left Him. And Jesus turned to Peter and John and a couple of the close ones. And he said, 'Do you want to leave too?'"
And I love how Peter responds he says, "Where would I go? You are life for me". Is Jesus life for you? Is this all like are you all in with Jesus? Peter said, "I don't care what I lose. I don't care who thinks I'm popular? I don't care how many Instagram followers stop following me. I don't care who doesn't like my posts. I don't care if I lose my job, or if I lose my reputation, you are life to me. You are everything, I wanna go all in. I'm a citizen of heaven, Jesus". That's what he was calling his disciples to radical devotion. Like if I truly say that prayer, "You are Lord of my life".
If He's not Lord of all, He's not Lord at all. If I'm not giving Him my emotions my mindset, my beliefs, if I'm not surrendering to His word, then what am I doing? Am I just wasting my time? Am I just playing games. Right now there's 2 billion people who claim to be followers of Christ. But I wonder how much our lives would line up with our prayers. I wonder how much our life would line up with the words that we say. Jesus wanted people to count the cost. In Matthew seven, he tells a large crowd on judgment day. Anytime Jesus had a large crowd he always like started subtracting the crowd. I think his followers were like, "Hey, can you calm it down? Just preach like, feel good messages. 'cause we all came for the feel good message".
But Jesus didn't care about the crowd, He wanted followers. He wasn't interested in building a fan base, He wanted followers, He wanted truly devoted, committed followers after him. He said, "On judgment day, there will be people who come to me and say, I preached in your name. I casted out demons I went on mission trips. I came to church". And he said I will say to them, "Depart from me, I never knew you". Why would Jesus say that? He was saying these people have exchanged intimacy for information. They know a whole lot about me they don't know me. They know my stories, they know Daniel and the lion's den. They know David and Goliath. They know their parents encounters with Christ but they don't have a personal revelation and a personal intimate relationship with me.
See, Jesus doesn't want the American church living a relationship with God through their pastor. He wants the American church, the Romanian church the Russian church, the Canadian church, the African church the Chinese church, whatever country you're from. He wants the church capital C Church to have personal relationships with Him. Jesus came to do away with the whole idea of the priest is who talks to God for me, the pastor talks to God for me. No, God wants to talk to you, God wants you to know Him. God wants you to have a revelation of His word. And the same way you get excited about hobbies and sports and celebrities and politicians and elections. All these things that we get in to and news channels and Netflix and episode shows, whatever it is that you love.
God says, I want you to have that same even higher love and admiration an intimate relationship with me In Philippians 1:9, Paul continues on this citizens of heaven message. And he says in verse nine, "This is my prayer church. That your love will flourish". Notice that he says that your opinions will flourish. He doesn't say, that it's your opinions will get bigger. He says, "Let your love get stronger that you will not only love much but you will love well".
Learn to love appropriately. There's an appropriate way to love. Use your head, this is a time church do not lose your head. Oh my goodness, don't lose your head. Don't don't let your feelings run your mouth. Don't let your feelings run your reactions. Test your feelings so that your love is sincere. Listen to what Paul is saying. He says, "Live a lover's life. Circumspect, exemplary, a life that Jesus would be proud of". At the end of our lives we do not answer to the Republican party, the Democratic party, the Libertarian party, to a politician, to a person who's pressuring us to have the same opinion as them. We answered a Jesus Christ. He is the ultimate judge of our life. At the end of my life I will not answer to the people who are offended by me, I will answer to Jesus.
Go on to verse 15. He says, "It's true that there are some here who preach Christ because without me, with me out of the way, they think they can step into the spotlight. They preach with the wrong motives". But Paul says, "I just want the name of Christ to be lifted up". And then he goes to verse 27. Watch what he says in verse 27, he says, "Stand United singular in vision, contending for people's trust in the message, the good news not flinching or dodging in the slightest before the opposition". Your courage and your unity church will show them what they're up against, defeat for them victory for you both because of God. There's far more to this life than trusting in Christ. There's also suffering for Christ and the suffering is as much a gift as the trusting. Three Amen's on that one.
Paul says, "This is what comes with the territory". You're gonna follow Jesus. You're gonna walk through times where it's painful. The cross is not a symbol of, you know everything going your way, the cross is a symbol of death. Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote, during the time where he was following Jesus. When Hitler was, was killing millions of Jews he said, "Christ bids us come and die. Christ bids us to come and to die, to die to our selfishness, to die, to fear, to die to worry to die to our own agenda and to allow His agenda, His platform to become ours".
So Paul says this in chapter three verse 15 "Let's keep focused". Church let's keep focused, focused on what? CNN, Fox News, MSNBC. Focused on on Vice-President Biden, President Trump focused on Kamala, focused on Pence, who should we focus on? He says, "Let's keep focused on the main goal. Keep the main thing the main thing". What's the main thing? Jesus, the cross stands between it all. The cross stands above it all. Those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision. In other words, go all in with Jesus, go all in with Jesus. Let's stay on this track citizens of heaven.
In Matthew chapter seven Jesus tells this story, and he says, "This wise man built his house on the rock. And he put to practice everything that he heard me say. And because he put to practice everything you heard me say, he was building his house on the rock. And then the storms came, the rain, the wind blew and the streams rose and the house did not move because it was built on the rock". And then he says, "There was a foolish man who heard my words but he did not put them into practice. And he built his house on the sand. And when the storms came," by the way, the storm falls on the just and the unjust, just because we're Christians doesn't mean we are exempt from difficult storms. Following Jesus is going to, you're gonna walk through all kind. If you're experiencing attacks from every side you're following Jesus.
If you're experiencing persecution, you're following... If people hate you sometimes because you believe in the word of God, you're following Jesus. If everybody loves you and everything's easy, get back in your Bible and see if you're lining up with everything God's... What I'm trying to say is, Jesus says, there are gonna be hard times on both but those who build their house on the rock those who put this word into practice, they'll be able to stand those who build on the sand it's gonna fall apart. I remember in 2004, when I went to ORU and I was a freshmen and I could tell people were building their life on certain things. Everything going their way. Is that a firm foundation to stand on? Everything's gonna go my way, everything, I'm gonna get all my prayers answered and I'll have faith in the wild as long as everything goes my way and then it doesn't. And I watched even in my own life.
Do I have faith when everyone gets healed or do I have faith even when people don't get healed? Like when my father passed away and I prayed for his healing from cancer, and then he went to heaven. Or what about when America goes through times that are shaky? When the Roman Empire was going through shaky times and the Philippian church, they were trying to figure out where their allegiance was at where their security was at, where their hope was at, where their happiness was at. I can trust in America Paul, America will never let me down. I pledged allegiance to America, I know America's gonna be there for me. Yeah, I'm thankful for everyone who's fought for this nation but I will not idolize this nation, I will not make this nation my God.
When I die, I don't go to America I go to heaven. When you die, you don't go to America. Jesus gave us a prayer to pray and he said, "Our father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven". God has a destination for all believers. Let's be careful that we don't make America a God. It's good to vote, it's good to love your country. Whether you live in America, whether you live in Canada or you live in Russia, or you live in th Congo or Ghana or Tanzania it's good to love your country, love your roots, but do not idolize your nation. 'Cause it will disappoint you at some point. I wanted to make this one 'cause I think some of us, we like this. My pastor preaching sermons that make me feel good.
Let me tell you what happened today. That's not gonna work out long in this church. You better find a different church if you want every sermon to be feel good. And listen God has not called us to a feel good always get things our type of way. God has not called us to stake our life. Well Paul, I can count on my family and friend, life comes down to family, family, family. I could count on my wife, I can count on my husband. I can count on my son, I could count on my dad. I could count on my family. Family will disappoint you. Friends will disappoint you. I didn't realize that I'd built my faith on my dad until he was gone. Sometimes you don't realize where your foundation is at until it's gone. Your job, your husband, your wife, your son, your daughter. Your choice for president.
As long as my president gets elected, I'll be really happy. I'll be at church next Sunday as long as my president's elected. If he's not, I'm gonna be out in the streets going crazy. "Oh Paul you're breaking my heart". No, I'm just reminding you that any foundation except Jesus is collapsible. Any foundation, except Jesus is shakable. It's breakable, it's collapsible. This will disappoint you, this will collapse. And I love my dad I know he's in heaven, but I had to realize after a few months of him being gone, I had to realize, I had to come to the hard realization that I had put a lot of my happiness in him. And I watched even people leave Christianity after he passed away, 'cause they were banking everything on him. You don't realize how much you've put your security and identity and so much in people or in jobs.
I remember talking to this one guy who worked at his job for 30 years, it was a good job, good paying job. He felt valued, he felt loved. He found his identity in his job, his job meant everything to him. And then it was taken from him. The housing market crashed in 2008, collapsed and it was gone it collapsed. And he realized I had put everything on something that could not stand. That's what happens when we put our hope in that kind of stuff. That's why as citizens of heaven we've gotta remind ourselves, okay yes social status Paul I'm so like Instagram means everything to me, Facebook, everybody likes me. I've got followers and then they censor you. Or they remove, what's gonna happen when Instagram gets removed? I don't know our world's gonna be a whole lot better and a whole lot less toxic that's for sure.
I'm kinda done sometimes with... I'm thankful for the opportunity. But I think we've gotta remind ourselves. We've gotta remind ourselves, that I am not defined by my salary, I'm not defined by my popularity, I'm not defined by my family. That I've got to build a firm foundation right here. This is the only thing that will not collapse. "On Christ the solid rock stand. All other ground is sinking sand. On Christ the solid rock I stand. All other ground is sinking sand".
As citizens of heaven our foundation must be built on Christ. We gotta remind ourselves Christ is a firm foundation. No one who's running for public office is the ultimate solution for what ails a nation. Only God can heal America, only God can save America. 15 of you believe it. As a citizen of heaven, we're called not just to wear a cross on our necklace but to carry a cross into our business. To carry a cross into our campus, to carry a cross into our schools. Whether you go to Jenks, Union, Victory, whatever school you're at, whatever place you go whatever company you work for, God has called us to carry a cross.
Well, is that biblical? Yeah it's in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Jesus says it. "Anyone who wants to follow after me must deny himself and take up their cross daily, daily". Not just once in your lifetime but every single day to say no to self and yes to Jesus. Yes to the way of the cross. In Revelation 3:16, John said that "The church has become lukewarm". And because they are lukewarm, Jesus said, "I will spit them out of my mouth". This is a call for Christians to get radical. This is a call for Christians to get done with the comfortable convenient consumer, Christianity what's in it for me, how do I benefit from this? It's time to live with the sacrificial full commitment, to find your calling to forsake your comfort, to go all in with Jesus.
Jesus came to confront comfortable Christianity. He came to shake up the religious political platforms. He came to undo the systems and turn it all upside down. It's time that we get our convictions, not from CNN, MSNBC the Democratic party, the Republican party. We can need to get our convictions from the word of God. What does God's word say? If you're a believer, you should be finding your convictions in the word of God. What is the platform of Jesus? Loved God, loved people. I was hungry and you fed me, I was naked and you clothed me. You fought for the vulnerable, you lifted your voice up for the widow and the orphan you stood for for what God's word for. You stood with truth and with grace.
In Romans 14, Paul said, "Welcome with open arms believers who don't see things the way you do". Welcome people with open arms. Don't jump all over them every time they do or say something you don't agree with. Paul goes on to say, He says, "It's not your job to make it difficult for people. It's your job to love people. It's not your job to try to judge everyone. That's God's job". It's your job to love them. It's your job to treat them with kindness and respect.
Who does God call us to love? All people? The president included. The vice-president? The senators, the congressmen, the Supreme court justices everyone who's running for office. God calls us to love all people to treat all people with kindness and respect. So I'm not following Ben Shapiro or Joe Rogan. I'm following Jesus Christ. I am not following President Donald Trump or vice president Biden I'm following Jesus Christ.
The more I look at you the more I just wanna hug the cross. This is where I find my identity, this is where I find my convictions. This is where I find my love, my forgiveness. America didn't save my life Jesus saved my life. A president didn't break chains off me Jesus broke chains off of me. It wasn't a political group that gave me forgiveness for my sins, it was Jesus who gave me forgiveness.