The following is a sermon transcript from our Sunday Service at The Rock Church in Mount Laurel, New Jersey. Each week, we gather to worship, learn from God’s Word, and grow together. This transcript is provided as a free resource to encourage and equip you in your walk with Christ. While you’re welcome to read and share this content for personal use, we kindly ask that it not be redistributed or published elsewhere without prior written consent from The Rock Church.
Introduction
Well, whether you realize it or not, your life is an example. It’s an example of a set of values that portray purpose and meaning and influence. And because your example is influential, your example actually has power because it affects another person.
Now an example, by definition, is an illustration of something. It’s likened to a picture or a portrait or a painting. For some of you who have gone to museums and you may stand in front of the painting or the portrait, right, there’s interpretation that comes out of that, where our example is in the same way. An example is seen and it’s interpreted, it’s looked at, and it can be a potential pathway because it has the power to influence and to be followed.
Our choices regarding what we buy, what we view, what we read, what we listen to, it all has influence. And our responses regarding how we speak, how we behave, and how we obey God have influence. It’s a portrait of who we are. So how we love others, how we walk through conflict, how we respond when we’re sinned against or offended, how we respond when we’re tempted, how we live when nobody’s looking, when no one’s looking at all except for the Lord, how we obey God, and how we even walk by faith — all of this is an example, it’s a picture.
So I just want to ask you this morning, and I realize you all might be in different places, but have you ever considered how your life is an example, likened to a picture or a portrait or a painting, that is seen and it’s examined and it’s interpreted by those around you? Just something to think about. Because as Christians, as followers of Jesus, we are restored image bearers of God. And our calling is to imitate God through being conformed to the person of Jesus Christ. And God calls us as Christians to a standard that reflects His character, and therefore our example matters.
So in Philippians 3:17–21, Paul writes about the importance and seriousness of remaining heavenly minded in a world that distracts us as Christians, and he provides much encouragement to be godly examples. So I’ve titled this message, Heavenly-Minded and Earthly Good.
And the main idea of the message is this: Imitate godly examples, while embracing your heavenly identity, faithfully doing earthly good as you trust in God’s promises.
So there are three points to this message. The first one is keep good company. The second is know your identity. And the third is remember what’s promised.
Point One: Keep Good Company
Philippians 3:17–19
So let’s take a look at keep good company, which would be in verses 17 to 18. It says this — verse 17: “Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example that you have in us.”
It’s a bold statement, isn’t it? To invite a church to imitate you. And this is what Paul does. And when Paul invited the church to imitate him in verse 17, he continued on by saying, “and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.” The “us.” The “us” is referring to other leaders, possibly Silas and Timothy, amongst others.
But Paul’s confidence in calling the church to imitate him and other godly leaders was not because they were the focal point. It wasn’t because they were the answer to a successful life. Paul’s confidence in calling the church to imitate him and godly leaders was for another reason. And we know this because if you look back in the earlier chapters, at verse 3 and verses 8 to 12, Paul publicly denounced all his lifetime accomplishments and considered them trash, worthless in comparison to knowing Jesus.
Now, it’s not in our cultural tradition or vocabulary to really call our educational degrees, our careers, our talents and abilities trash. And I don’t think that’s what he literally meant. But his confidence was in something greater than that. Paul’s confidence was in something far more rewarding in comparison to all of his accomplishments.
And so prior to Paul becoming a follower of Jesus, he was a prominent Jew. He was a Jewish leader. He had stellar credentials. He was from the strictest religious sect, the Pharisees. If you were a Jew, Paul’s example would be someone to follow. And when Paul met Jesus on the Damascus road, his focus and his priorities began to change. Paul no longer boasted in his accomplishments, but rather in Jesus and His sufficient grace.
So life was no longer about Paul. It all became about Jesus and the gospel. Gain was no longer defined by his own ambitions and achievements and comfort, but rather gain was defined by a new identity in Jesus Christ and a sure hope of heaven, his eternal home with a redeemed body. So Paul gained much by coming to Jesus, but he also lost much when he left the Jewish faith. And for some of us, it’s the same way.
Paul’s ambitions have been redefined for one sole purpose. And this is outlined in chapter 3, verse 10: to know Jesus and the power of His resurrection, with everything he had, at any cost. That was his aim. That was his focus. Paul’s encounter with Jesus shifted his focus off the here and now and on to heaven. Paul’s focus became heavenly minded, and everything he set out to accomplish until his earthly death was deemed as earthly good, because all of his pursuits — everything — led to following Jesus, proclaiming the gospel, and making disciples.
So in verse 17, Paul is inviting his audience to join him, to join him in this endeavor, in a way of following his example in this way.
An Example That Leaves an Imprint
And in the latter part of verse 17, the word “example” actually, in the Greek, literally means “a blow that leaves an imprint.” A blow that leaves an imprint. Kind of like a stamp or a seal. Have you ever stamped something? That’s the example in the Greek that Paul is writing about.
So Paul, basically, in other words, is saying in verse 17: I made an imprint upon the lives of my fellow servants, and they are worthy of imitation. Watch them and imitate them. They are trustworthy. So he’s saying, watch me and watch them. They are trustworthy. They’re making an imprint for the gospel.
And one person, as many of you know, Paul made an imprint on, is Timothy. He’s written two letters to Timothy. And in 1 Timothy 4:12, Paul writes to Timothy and says, “Set the believers an example.” Same Greek meaning. This example is the same one. Set the believers an example — a blow that leaves an imprint. And he says this in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity.
Think about this. We’re to set an example in how we speak. You know, there’s the temptation, right, to use profanity. There could be the temptation to gossip. There could be the temptation to slander. And we’re to set an example, right? We’re to set an example in our conduct — how we behave, what we do, how we react. Do we have outbursts of anger? What do we do? Do we come alongside people that offend us? How do we love people? How are we walking by faith and trusting God and not worrying and not being weighed down by the pressures of the world? And how are we walking in purity — staying pure in all kinds of ways, in our minds, sexually, relationally — just what does purity look like? We are to set an example.
And so Paul goes on in Timothy, as he’s imploring Timothy, encouraging Timothy in this way, and he says, “Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this.” And so to keep a close watch on yourself means to have a sober assessment, really, of yourself. We’re not going to be prideful or too confident or too arrogant, but we’re going to be like, “You know, I really don’t do that, but I probably should have a sober assessment, because I’m probably capable of doing that. I’m way worse than really what I’m aware that I am.” That’s a sober assessment — to be humble, to be accountable to others, to keep a close watch on our teaching. In order to do that, we need to be in the Word, and we need to be keeping good company with other people in the Word, and be accountable to others.
So the main reason Paul was writing to the church, really to Philippi — if we were to summarize the whole book — was really to express his gratitude. They had given him a financial gift while he was in prison, and he wanted to provide a thank you, and he wanted to provide encouragement for them to remain united, to remain joyful, to remain faithful to Jesus, and to remain true to the gospel while in the midst of their hardships. Because they were going through hardships, just like every church goes through hardships. We’re all going through hard things, and we need to be encouraged.
Who You Associate With Matters
And so in the first three chapters of Philippians and in 1 Timothy 4, Paul is providing encouragement — just how to walk as Christians and how we live. And he’s saying, hey, you know, it’s important to set an example, and we need each other to do that. And so who you associate with and who you’re hanging around with — it’s important, because it has an influence.
And God talks about this in Proverbs. He says in Proverbs 13:20, “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” In Proverbs 22:24–25, it says — and that proverb isn’t just talking about someone who is angry, but really — don’t associate too much with someone that’s going to have an unhelpful or harmful influence on your life. You need to keep a distance, right? We need to love these people and we need to come alongside them, but we also need to be careful. And we need to be careful because we can also fall into the same patterns as those we associate with.
And so Paul is saying, set a godly example. And so Paul’s encouragement for the church of Philippi was that they would walk in a way reflected by the true message of the gospel and keep good company worthy of imitating.
So in verse 17, Paul calls the church of Philippi to imitate him. They were trustworthy guides, such as Timothy, because they were following Jesus. And that’s what’s important. You’re thinking, what makes me a trustworthy example? Well, what would make any of us a trustworthy example is: Are we keeping our gaze on Jesus? Are we loving Jesus? Are we walking humbly with Jesus?
See, Paul’s call to imitate him and others in leadership was not an end in itself. It was a means to a greater end. And that greater end is Jesus Christ. And this is important, because we, as the church of Christ, if we’re going to be examples of the faith, well, we need to know Jesus. We need to experience Jesus. To be a godly example, we must be knowing Jesus. We can’t imitate Jesus if we’re not knowing Him. If we’re not knowing Him, if we’re not experiencing Him, how do we imitate Him? We can’t. It’s difficult.
So I’d just like you to think about: how are you knowing and experiencing Jesus right now? Just in your journey of life, how are you knowing Him? How is the gospel changing your life, like it did for Paul?
Who Is This Jesus?
And what I’d like to do is take a little bit of a deep dive into who this Jesus is. And so Colossians 1:15–20, I’m just going to read that, because it portrays such a magnificent example of who Jesus is. And it says this:
“Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”
That’s amazing. Think about that. I just want to pause right there. He is before all things. What that means is nothing can touch you unless it goes through Jesus first. So any trial you’re going through, any blessing you’re going through, anything — it goes through Jesus first, because He is before all things and He holds all things together.
“And He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything He might be preeminent. For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of His cross.”
This is the Jesus we’re talking about. There’s no one like Him, church. There’s no one like Him. There’s no one that can even come close to Him.
So in John 8:12, maybe this might have a little bit more impact for you. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but he will have the light of life.” In John 14:6, Jesus is recorded saying, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” And that’s a bold statement. It could actually be an offensive statement. He’s saying He’s the only way to the Father, that He is the only truth, and that He is the only one that could give you life. And that’s a bold statement. It could be an offensive statement, right? Because it’s like, who is He to say that?
Well, I just read Colossians 1. Do any of us match what Colossians 1 talks about? If so, come and talk to me — I’d love to meet you.
But Jesus made this claim, that He is the sole, primary source of truth and the only guide and the only mediator toward knowing God. And so, church, that’s a comforting truth. It’s a comforting truth that just verses earlier, or a chapter earlier, in Philippians, Paul is talking about how we are to consider others more important than ourselves, and we’re to look to Jesus because He’s the ultimate example, because He left glory. He left His throne and He became His creation. Would God, out of all the religions in the world, become their creation, humble Himself and become their creation, and live the life that you’re living and I’m living, allow Himself to be persecuted, to be spoken harshly to, to be treated harshly?
He lived humbly. He lived really humbly. He could have lived in any place, any home that He wanted to, and He chose the most humble means. And then He went to the cross, right, for you and me. But it wasn’t just the cross, being nailed to the cross, which was the most heinous way to be punished — He was identifying with the harshest criminal in that time, and He took the harshest punishment in that time, and then He absorbed God’s wrath for you and me. This is what He did. And if we choose to trust in Him for the forgiveness of our sins, and we choose to follow Him, we actually are accredited His righteousness. His righteousness. That’s just an amazing truth, church.
And so when Paul is saying, be an example — this is the example: the God who has really pardoned our guilt, pardoned our sin, given us His righteousness, and then He says, “Follow Me.” But there is a cost. And the cost isn’t hell if you follow Jesus. The cost is what you’re going to have to deny yourself in some areas. You’re going to have to deny your comforts in some areas. And you know what? There’s going to be some things in this world that you’re not going to enjoy as much as you want, and you’re not going to have. Could you do that? Could you do that in light of what I’m giving you?
Don’t Drift
And so this is our biggest challenge, church: as Christians, we’re constantly being pulled by our own ambitions that rub against the gospel call. We do. I do. And we can easily lean into a worldly and fleshly way of living. And it’s subtle. And we can drift. And I don’t know if any of you are fishermen, but if you’re fishing for flounder, you have to drift. And I used to fish, and I was just so amazed at how far the boat would go in ten minutes. I’d be like, oh my goodness, we’re way down the other side of the bay, just like that. And I had no idea. Well, that’s what drift is like. You do something, and you say, “Oh, this isn’t that bad. This is not that bad. I got this.” And before you know it, you’re like, “What in the world just happened? How did I get here?” Well, we got here through drift, right? There are just little things you don’t think are a big deal.
And so Paul’s saying, no, no, let’s be examples. Let’s keep good company, because we need each other. We can’t do this on our own. We need each other. We need to be spurred on by one another so that we don’t compromise the gospel and we don’t drift.
Untrustworthy Examples
So Paul gets direct in verse 18. Verse 18 is a hard verse, and I’m going to unpack it for you. So let’s remember, Jesus loves you. Jesus wants to rescue you. Jesus, He’s here to help you. This is rescue today. So there’s no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
So verse 18 says: “For many, of whom I have often told you, and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.”
Now Paul had a large following, and there were many who were under his teaching at one time, and some began to walk in a manner contrary to his teachings. So in the earlier verses of Philippians chapter 3, Paul referenced those who confessed Christ and responded to the gospel call, but some had adhered to ceremonial law. So it was the gospel plus the ceremonial law. It hindered the gospel. Some of them were known as Judaizers. Judaizers were like, well, we’re going to take the gospel, but we’re going to also apply the Mosaic law too. And Paul’s like, no.
Actually, Paul was so upset that he wrote a whole book about this — Galatians. In Galatians, he actually doesn’t start off the first chapter as graciously as he’s done in other books and other letters. He’s like, the gospel was being compromised in a serious way. And so Paul was addressing that.
Also, in the Corinthian church, there was a faction of Gentile believers who were influenced by Roman and Greek philosophical ideas, and they wrongly believed that as long as you were saved by God’s grace, you could do whatever you want. And that’s not true. But it’s possible Paul is addressing this audience, because they’re accepting the gospel, but then they’re also doing other things that actually chafe against the gospel. So it’s hypocritical. And it’s not hypocritical in a way — look, we’re all functional hypocrites in a way, but we have repentance to rescue us. So when we’re convicted by the power of the Holy Spirit and we realize, “Oh my, I shouldn’t have done that, that was wrong,” we go to Jesus and we recognize His forgiveness for us. We confess that, and we turn away and we turn toward. That’s healthy. But then there’s another category — hypocritical, where you’re just living in a completely different way. There is no repentance whatsoever, let alone a conviction.
So it’s likely that Paul was addressing this audience. He could be addressing the unbeliever as well — it’s very possible. But the main point that Paul was making here is that there are untrustworthy examples in the church of Jesus Christ that are misrepresenting the gospel. And Paul describes them living in a way contrary to the gospel, and therefore, with a grieved and sober spirit, he called them enemies of the cross of Christ.
Now, “enemy” is a strong word. Like, when I read this — enemy — I was like, ouch. Like, wow, enemy. Don’t we have enemies overseas? That kind of enemy? Like, this, this? Well, Paul used the term “enemy” because living contrary to the gospel meant you’re living in an ungodly and worldly manner, which opposes and conflicts with the gospel call. So anything that’s opposing or conflicting, right, by definition, is enemy. An enemy goes against you. So Paul’s saying that if you go against the gospel in how you’re living, you’re its enemy.
Their End Is Destruction, Their God Is Their Belly
So in verse 19, Paul is having a real moment, and he’s being truthful, and he writes: “Their end is their destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.”
So what I want to do is break this down a little bit. Like, what is he talking about?
Their end is destruction. Well, “their end is destruction” means that their example is not profitable in pointing you to Jesus. They’re heading down an opposite path that is dangerous. Paul is saying that if you’re compromising your example, you’re really living a derailed lifestyle and you won’t finish well. Your selfish ambitions will eventually lead you into a train wreck, and you may train wreck others along the way. For others, the destructive end could possibly be an eternal separation from God, because they are not truly a Christian but possibly a false convert. Some confessing Christians in Paul’s day thought they had spiritual life insurance, that they could do whatever they wanted with their life because they confessed their belief in Jesus. And unfortunately, in this case, they got the gospel wrong. That’s not a correct understanding of the gospel, church. The gospel is so important to understand that if we get it wrong, we really get all of life wrong, because our interpretation of that gospel is going to influence a lot of our decisions. And if that is wrong, our decisions will be wrong. And our lives are meant to be a testimony, right, of the true gospel.
Their God is their belly. What is he talking about? Well, a confessing Christian who is living in a way that their God is their belly is basically a person whose appetite is rooted in their own desires, their own pursuits, and their own comfort alone, apart from God. Their life is more important than the cost to follow Jesus. So this kind of person will say, “I’ll only follow God where it’s comfortable for me. But where it’s not comfortable, I’m going to do what I feel I need to do.” Their love for God is more rooted in what God can do for them, not what they can do for God.
And we can do this with one another. I do a lot of marital counseling, and in marital counseling — when they get to me, I’m a biblical Christian counselor, so usually when people get to me, it’s pretty bad — and the one thing that I see is, in their conflict, I can see how they’re loving each other for what each other can do for them. So the one spouse is not doing what the other spouse wants them to do, and so then they don’t respond in kind unless they’re doing what they want them to do. So it’s like, “Well, I’ll love you for what you do for me, but if you don’t do for me, I’m not going to really treat you in a loving way.” And we can do the same thing to God.
They glory in their shame. Paul is basically saying, if you glory in your shame, this person is okay about the things they really should be remorseful about. So where you should be upset, where you should be convicted, where you should be having an issue with yourself, you don’t. You’re actually fine. You don’t feel convicted, and therefore it’s okay, when it’s really not.
Look, we’re not always going to experience conviction in the exact moment. So for those of you who are striving to walk with Jesus, and you’re in the Word and you’re walking in the power of the Holy Spirit, conviction is going to come on God’s time. But when conviction does come — and that’s why it’s important to keep good company, because we need each other to point things out that we’re going to be blind to about ourselves, because God has created us not to be able to see everything accurately about ourselves.
So right now, while I’m up here, I could have something on my mustache or my beard. I don’t know. I can’t see. But you can see, and you could point it out. So if there was cream cheese right here before I came up, and one of you said, “Hey, Joe, you have some cream cheese here” — “Oh, thank you so much. Wow, that’s great.” That just stopped me from some embarrassment, and I could get it off. Well, it’s the same way spiritually. We need to be in each other’s lives. We’re going to see things in each other’s lives that we don’t see. That’s going to be rescue, right? We need to keep good company in that way.
Minds set on earthly things. So they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. What does that mean, with minds set on earthly things? This means that your ambitions and pursuits are not on the kingdom of God, but rather on the kingdom of self-gratification and preservation.
In Philippians chapter 2, verse 3, that I referenced earlier, Paul starts out saying, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” And in 2 Corinthians 5:9, Paul says, “So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please Him.” So in everything that we do, the mindset should be: I need to have my eyes on You, God, while I am doing earthly good. Because there are earthly things that we are called to do. We are called to live in this world. We’re called to enjoy this world. We can enjoy things. God has created gifts. He’s created food and He’s created all kinds of things that we can enjoy. But we have to enjoy these things secondarily — primary is we need to keep our gaze on Him. We need to keep our gaze on God, and He’s the filter — He’s the filter to what I enjoy and what I don’t enjoy, and what I do and what I don’t do.
Deny Yourself and Follow Jesus
So verse 19 describes what an ungodly and untrustworthy example looks like. To be godly and to be trustworthy, we must be willing to deny ourselves and to take up our cross and follow Jesus. And you know, Paul didn’t come up with this — actually, Jesus did. Jesus initiated this. He said in Matthew 16 — He doesn’t just say, before I read this, just say the sinner’s prayer, “God, I’m sorry for my sins, please forgive me, I trust You, come into my life and save me.” That’s not the whole thing. This is what He says. He says, “Let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. But whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. But what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?”
And so Jesus Himself is saying, hey, you want to follow Me? I will credit you My righteousness. You’re going to get it. You won’t have to pay for your sin, but I’m going to ask you to deny yourself in certain areas for the kingdom. And I’m going to ask you to take up your cross. I mean, there’s going to be burdens. There’s going to be suffering sometimes. But I’m going to cause it to work for good in your life, and I’m going to grow you and conform you into the image of Christ, into His image, right? But so He’s going to ask us to do things, and so we need to be encouraged in that way.
Summary of the First Three Chapters
So in the chapters leading up to this text, there’s a theme here. There’s a theme in chapter 1, and in chapter 2, and in chapter 3, all the way up to verse 17. And the theme is this. In chapter 1:21, all of life is captured in Christ, in the gospel — living is Christ and dying is gain. Live in a way worthy of the gospel of Christ. Chapter 2: if we were to summarize it, look to Jesus as the ultimate example of self-sacrifice — He’s the example, He’s not asking us to do anything that He hasn’t already done. Chapter 3: embrace self-denial, suffering, and loss for the sake of knowing Christ and the power of His resurrection and His superior worth. And still in chapter 3: endure and persevere in the faith, do not give up, but hold on to what is true and press forward.
The first three chapters of Philippians can be summarized: living your life worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ in this way. So I’m going to change the wording. So what I just went through in those three chapters, more simply put: obey God, don’t assert your own rights. Follow Jesus’ example. Love others by considering their needs above your own. Suffer where it’s appropriate to suffer for the sake of Christ. And endure, pressing on in the fight to know Christ. This is a true definition of a godly and trustworthy example.
Now it might be more understandable to know why Paul cried when writing to those who were living an example that was contrary to what he gave his life to. Because to live contrary to Jesus makes one His enemy. Jesus even said this — He said it too. He said in Matthew 12:30, “Whoever is not with Me is against Me, and whoever does not gather with Me scatters.” So Paul’s not making any of this up, he’s really echoing what Jesus has already said. So if we’re not living for God, we’re living against Him. This is a sober statement.
But remember, church — this is really important, I want you to hear this — it’s not your perfect obedience that pleases Him, because that’s impossible. Jesus is the only one that perfectly obeyed. It’s not your perfect obedience. He wants a humble and contrite and repentant heart. That’s what He wants. That marks a true believer. A true believer does not get A-pluses in their example. A true believer in Jesus Christ — he’s humble, he’s contrite in spirit, he trembles at God’s Word, and he knows it’s only by God’s grace, God’s sufficient grace, that he can do anything for God through the power of the Holy Spirit. And so he’s dependent on the Holy Spirit.
But you need to be humble, right? Contrite in spirit means to be humble. I think it means to be like broken down to dust, like beaten down. So we need to realize we’re broken, church. We’re nothing in comparison to who Jesus is. We are broken vessels that God wants to restore, but we’re in these broken bodies, and we need to realize that. We need to be humble about that, and we need to repent when we’re convicted.
So we’re all examples — whether good or bad, we’re always making that imprint, right? So let me ask you, and this is just for reflection: what kind of example or imprint are you making on others right now? If you’re falling short, I encourage you to look to Jesus. Jesus humbled Himself, not asserting His own rights, and loved us by considering our needs above His own. He suffered and He sacrificed by giving His life in our place, so that we could be forgiven of our sins and made right with God. So let’s look to Jesus as the ultimate example to imitate, and let’s invite Jesus to work in us, to become the godly and trustworthy examples He calls us to be. Let’s do that together, church.
As Christians, our lives can be the most effective witness of the gospel. Think about this — there are all kinds of ways to preach the gospel, to share the gospel with people. There’s ways to learn, you could take classes on how do you come alongside different audiences and stuff like that. But really, the true example, the most powerful example of the gospel, is really your personal testimony. That’s a powerful, powerful tool. So a life that points to Jesus and is striving to be heavenly minded while doing earthly good is the most powerful testimony.
Point Two: Know Your Identity
Philippians 3:20
So we’re going to go to point two — now this, point two and point three are much shorter, if you’re wondering, timewise. That was the longest point.
So point two, know your identity. Look at verse 20: “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Now Roman citizenship was highly esteemed in Philippi. Philippi was a Roman colony, although it was 4,600 miles away from Rome. And so Paul intentionally uses this word “citizenship,” because it’s a familiar and meaningful term to the church. And so, having the status of a Roman colony, the church of Philippi considered themselves citizens of Rome and to be under the Roman laws and the Roman customs. So they understood what it meant to be a citizen of Rome.
So when Paul provides a reminder to them that their true citizenship and true identity is not Rome, but to remember who you are — that spoke to them, that landed. He’s saying, do earthly good, but remember your heavenly citizenship.
Paul also referenced this in Philippians chapter 1, verse 27. It says, “Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel.” Well, that phrase, “only let your manner of life,” in the ESV, the English Standard Version, the verb form in the Greek literally is translated “live or behave as citizens.” Only let your manner of life live and behave as citizens worthy of the gospel.
So in 48 BC, Julius Caesar was declared to be the universal savior of mankind. Can you imagine? The universal savior of mankind. It was a common title for the ruling Caesar. It’s a sobering title in comparison to the supremacy of Christ outlined in Colossians chapter 1 that I read to you. But Paul’s reminding the church — he’s saying, look, don’t look to Caesar, the government, as your savior. Paul’s reference to citizenship to the church of Philippi came with a reminder that Caesar cannot save. Caesar cannot resurrect himself and anyone else from the dead into glory. And Caesar cannot subject all things to himself. He can’t do any of these things. But Jesus Christ can. And Jesus is coming back, and He’s going to make all things new, church.
And so Paul is saying, look to Jesus, He is the one who truly saves. Remember who you are. Remember we talked about drift, right? Even where we are, as citizens in New Jersey, or Burlington County, or Camden County, or wherever you live, right — we could get caught up too much, and over time, we could lose our gaze, and we could be more horizontal than vertical. And it’s important to remember who you are, right? You’re a new creation in Jesus Christ. You belong to God. He loves you. You represent heaven. You’re a sojourner. You’re passing through. This is not our home, right? We’re ambassadors for Jesus. We’re representing heaven. And oh, how hard it is to remember these things. That’s why we need each other. We need to keep good company to help us remember our identity.
And so Paul is hammering this. And so let me ask you, church: how are you doing in remaining mindful of your true identity in Jesus and your citizenship in heaven? To do this, we need each other. We need to keep good company so that we can spur one another on.
Point Three: Remember What’s Promised
Philippians 3:20b–21
So as we’re embracing our heavenly identity in Christ, we’re also to trust in God’s promises. That’s the third point — remember what’s promised. Verses 20b to 21: “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 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.”
And so, very quickly, as we’re going to be coming to a close soon, there are two promises that I want to highlight for you.
Promise One: Jesus Promises to Come Back
This is promise number one: Jesus promises to come back. We await a Savior. In John 14, Jesus said, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to Myself, that where I am you may be also.”
Knowing this promise, that Jesus is coming back, should motivate us to do earthly good for His glory.
Now I’m just going to take a minute to touch on Matthew 25 — there’s a parable of the talents there. And so, in summary, the master entrusted his wealth to three servants before going on a long journey, and when he returned, he rewarded the two servants but not the third, because the two servants — they invested and they stewarded well what he entrusted to them. But the third one, he didn’t. And so the third servant did nothing, and he was rebuked.
And Jesus told this parable to help us to say, hey, I’m going to come back, and as a reminder, right — steward well. Steward what I’ve given you. Steward what I’ve entrusted to you. Remain faithful, right, because He’s going to come back, and He’s going to reward us. Not that our motivation should be the reward — because we should put them right back at His feet again — but He’s going to be pleased and honored that we lived for Him. And that should be our motivation, that we would honor our Father.
So how we live right now, church, it makes a difference in eternity. So when Jesus comes back, just think about this — right now, will you be found faithful, or will you be found unfaithful? And if you’re thinking, “Oh man, I’m not sure” — well, there’s hope. There’s hope. Talk to someone. There’s opportunity. There’s grace for you to change. So let’s support each other in being found faithful.
Promise Two: We Will Receive a Glorified Body
Promise number two: we will receive a glorified body like Jesus. Paul references getting a new body in other verses, if you want to look them up. In Romans 8:23, our bodies groan now, but there’ll be a redemption of our bodies. In 1 Corinthians 15, we will be changed in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. In 2 Corinthians 5, our earthly body is considered a tent, which we groan and are burdened, but it will be destroyed, and God will provide an eternal body.
So our body — this is what’s amazing — our body will match the true nature of Jesus’ body. It’ll be imperishable, it’ll never age, never get sick, never be in pain or die. It’ll be glorious with power. There’ll be no physical limitations or weakness. It’ll be spiritual, yet physical. We’ll be able to eat. This is a sovereign act of God through Jesus Christ, and God promises that He will deliver us.
Closing
So in closing, let’s encourage each other, church, through our examples. Let’s spur one another on to not live for ourselves, for what we can get now, to not walk in arrogance, to not imitate the world, to not ultimately just be a witness that drifts to destructive places. But let’s encourage each other to obey God, to consider the cost to love Him, to follow Him, to not assert our own rights, to love others by considering his or her needs above their own, to suffer and sacrifice for the sake of Christ when He calls us to, and to endure, to remain faithful. Let’s be a trustworthy imitation.
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