WORKING OUT KINGDOM CITIZENSHIP (6 OF 10)
Scripture: Philippians 2:12-30
This content is part of a series.
Working Out Kingdom Citizenship (6 of 10)
Series: Philippians
Patrick Edwards
Philippians 2:12-30
Introduction
We're halfway, this morning, through our study through Philippians, in which we've been focusing on the reality of Kingdom Citizenship. We started this series simply by defining what it means to be a citizen of the Kingdom of God, exploring how in Christ Jesus we are set apart from the kingdom of this world, and yet we still live here as aliens and sojourners, as the book of Hebrews puts it. In other words, to tie it back to our winter series through Genesis, once we have been redeemed by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus alone we are now made citizens of the City of God while we remain here in the City of Man.
So that was the first point we hit on. Understand who you are. You are first and foremost a citizen in God's Kingdom. That's your identity now and that should be demonstrated or visible to those around you. Jesus is your Lord and Saviour, not Caesar. You have been saved from the realm of sin and death, so your priorities in life need to now reflect the new life you have. In chapter 1 we saw that this entails adopting God's mission as our own, that our lives exist in order to see the name of Jesus recognized and exalted by this world. In other words, God keeps us in the City of Man in order to testify to others about our heavenly citizenship. Of course, this mission is not without challenges. The City of Man is hostile to the City of God. Caesar does not like the claim that he is not lord and saviour. Those who find their identities in this world do not like being told that there is a better way. And so, Paul reminded us that our citizenship and our accompanying proclamation of Jesus will bring persecution and suffering.
But, he told us that how we endure hardship is a powerful witness to those around us. Moreover, how we as a citizenry collectively love one another will show the kingdom of this world the truth of the Gospel. ...
Series: Philippians
Patrick Edwards
Philippians 2:12-30
Introduction
We're halfway, this morning, through our study through Philippians, in which we've been focusing on the reality of Kingdom Citizenship. We started this series simply by defining what it means to be a citizen of the Kingdom of God, exploring how in Christ Jesus we are set apart from the kingdom of this world, and yet we still live here as aliens and sojourners, as the book of Hebrews puts it. In other words, to tie it back to our winter series through Genesis, once we have been redeemed by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus alone we are now made citizens of the City of God while we remain here in the City of Man.
So that was the first point we hit on. Understand who you are. You are first and foremost a citizen in God's Kingdom. That's your identity now and that should be demonstrated or visible to those around you. Jesus is your Lord and Saviour, not Caesar. You have been saved from the realm of sin and death, so your priorities in life need to now reflect the new life you have. In chapter 1 we saw that this entails adopting God's mission as our own, that our lives exist in order to see the name of Jesus recognized and exalted by this world. In other words, God keeps us in the City of Man in order to testify to others about our heavenly citizenship. Of course, this mission is not without challenges. The City of Man is hostile to the City of God. Caesar does not like the claim that he is not lord and saviour. Those who find their identities in this world do not like being told that there is a better way. And so, Paul reminded us that our citizenship and our accompanying proclamation of Jesus will bring persecution and suffering.
But, he told us that how we endure hardship is a powerful witness to those around us. Moreover, how we as a citizenry collectively love one another will show the kingdom of this world the truth of the Gospel. ...
There are 22616 characters in the full content. This excerpt only shows a 2000 character sample of the full content.
Price: $5.99 or 1 credit
