The sermon 'Citizenship and Pattern of Life' by Jason Dohm explores the alignment of a Christian's heavenly citizenship with their earthly pattern of life. Dohm discusses Paul's exhortation to the Philippians to follow his example as a mature Christian and warns against those who are enemies of the cross, characterized by their focus on earthly desires and shameful pursuits. The sermon emphasizes the role of Christians as ambassadors for Christ, sent to represent the heavenly kingdom on foreign and often hostile soil. Christians are called to maintain their distinctives and advance the interests of their heavenly homeland while eagerly and patiently awaiting the return of Jesus Christ. This anticipated return brings the promise of transformation, where believers' lowly bodies will be conformed to Christ's glorious body. Dohm encourages believers to stand fast in their faith, reclaim lost ground in their spiritual lives, and fix their eyes on their ultimate future hope in heaven.

Brethren, join in following my example and note those who so walk as you have us for a pattern. For many walk of whom I have told you often and now tell you even weeping that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their mind on earthly things. For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to his glorious body according to the working by which he is able even to subdue all things to himself. Therefore my beloved and longed for brethren my joy and crown so stand fast in the Lord beloved." Amen. Please be seated.

The title of the sermon this morning is citizenship and pattern of life. Paul sets these two things before us, our citizenship and our walk, our pattern of life. And he's arguing that they should correspond, meaning they should match. Your citizenship should match the pattern of your life, and the pattern of your life should match your citizenship. That's what this text is all about.

Last week's title of the sermon was, The Thoughts and the Wonks of the Mature. What Paul was teaching us in last week's text is that there are commonalities in the way that the mature in Christ think. There are commonalities in the way that the mature in Christ live, their pattern of life. And we should identify those who are mature, those who think like Paul and walk like Paul, We should note them, identify them, and then chase after them. That's what he was teaching us.

And so Paul, as a man who had been brought to maturity over the period of probably three decades at the time when he wrote this letter, says, come and benefit from my three years of chasing after Jesus Christ. That was the point of the text. The Spirit has been working in his life for three decades and producing spiritual fruit, conforming him into the image of Jesus Christ. So while you can't see and touch the Lord Jesus Christ, you can see and touch Paul. And you can watch how he lives, and you can imitate him as he imitates Christ as a way to help you make progress in the faith.

There was also a stark warning, and the stark warning was this. In addition to the mature who have been conformed into the image of Christ, there are also those who by their walk prove that they are enemies of the cross. So regardless of what they say, regardless of the talk, regardless of how good the talk is, when you look at their lives, you can see that they stand in opposition to the cross of Christ. And if you follow them, then you follow them into destruction. And Paul gives us the identifiers.

Their God is their belly, meaning they worship their appetites. Their appetites demand something, they offer it in worship to the appetite. They glory in shameful things. Things we should blush about are the things that they glory and that they love. They set their mind on earthly things.

They love the world and the things of the world. You follow them regardless of how good the talk is. If you follow them, you follow them into destruction. So that was last week. As we come to this week's text, let's go to the text in prayer.

God, I pray that you would use this text in a mighty way among us. Please send your Spirit to form us and fashion us into a people whose citizenship is always in full view so that our walk, our pattern of life would be changed by fixing our eyes on heaven where Christ is. Please use this word. Don't let us be your hearers only. May we be doers of your word in Jesus' name.

Amen. Well, what I'd like to do today, it's a little different than working verse by verse. I'd like to give a basic explanation of the text. This text is very straightforward. I don't think we have any particular exegetical challenges that would make us work hard to understand what Paul is saying here.

So If you're taking notes on the handout, this first part is the basic explanation. I'm going to go back and read what Josh just read. I am going to back up because while of course this fits into a larger context, It is most closely tied to the immediate context which starts in verse 17. So we're going to go back to 17 and read through 4 verse 1 and then I'll just give you a very basic explanation. And Then I'll begin to draw some major points out of the text.

So hopefully you've got your finger in Philippians chapter 3 I'll be reading starting in 17 Paul writes Brethren Join in following my example and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern. For many walk of whom I have told you often and now tell you even weeping that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their mind on earthly things. For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which he is able even to subdue all things to himself. Therefore, my beloved and long-for brethren, my joy, My crown, so stand fast in the Lord beloved." A wonderful text. In verse 17, Paul is essentially saying, I'm mature, follow me.

People who walk like me, people who have a pattern of life like me, you've identified me as mature, identify others as mature, who have these mature thoughts, who have this mature pattern of life, identify and follow. In a sense he is saying, this is a gift from heaven for you. This is a pattern. In raising up believers to maturity, God is giving a pattern to help you be raised up to maturity. In verse 18 and 19, Paul is essentially saying there is another pattern of life, a pattern that is opposed to the cross.

So there are people who make a profession of faith, but if you look at their life, you find them standing in opposition to the cross of Christ, and they live unchristian lives. They use Christian words. They talk like Christians, but they don't walk like Christians. They have unchristian lives. Beware.

And now the flow of our text is this. That cross-hating pattern is incompatible with our citizenship. So of course he's writing to Christians, right? He's exhorting Christians and he's pointing to the cross-hating life where the belly is God, where there's a glory in things that should make you blush, where there is a fixation on earthly things. That cross-hating life, he is saying, is incompatible with the citizenship of the Christian.

So Christian, keep your eyes on your homeland. This is the flow of thought in our sex. Keep your eyes on your homeland. And stand fast in everything that is compatible with your homeland. Fix your eyes in heaven, and then stand fast in every thought, in every pattern of life which is compatible with what you see when you gaze into heaven where Christ is.

So here's the overriding point. As Christians, the consideration of the homeland that we belong to, and that we'll be joined to in the future, should govern our lives today. I'll say that again because it is the main point of the text. As Christians, the consideration of the homeland we will be joined to in the future. We belong to it now, but we'll be joined to it, reunited with it in the future, this should govern our lives today.

So think about that so that you'll act in a certain way today. Now I'd like to draw four major points of the text. Hoping that I've not missed one or more. These are the ones I think I should talk about. Major point number one, we are on foreign soil.

If you're taking notes on the handout and filling in the blankets, it's foreign. We are on foreign soil. Verse 20, for our citizenship is in heaven. In case you haven't noticed, this is in heaven. Praise the Lord.

Our modern, current experience is not heaven. There are more glorious things, much more glorious things in the future of the Christian. So your citizenship and location are different. Your citizenship and your current location are different. There are two kingdoms.

This is what is taught in all of scripture. There is a kingdom of darkness and a kingdom of light. There is a kingdom of death and a kingdom of life. There is the kingdom of the world and the devil, and there is the kingdom of Christ the King. And if you are a Christian, Your citizenship and your location used to match.

In other words, no one is born saved, no one is born in the kingdom of life. You are translated into the kingdom of light, out of the kingdom of darkness. So in your past, if you are a Christian, somewhere in your past, your citizenship and your location, your dot on the GPS, they matched perfectly. You were of the earth, you loved everything of the earth, you were at peace with the earth. But listen to what Jesus says about this.

Turn with me to John 15. I'm going to touch down in John 15, and then John 17, and then John 18 quickly. We'll be able to do this together quickly because it's just turning a page at a time. John 15 verse 19. I want you to know what Jesus has taught on the topic on which Paul is teaching in Philippians.

In other words, where did Paul get this from? He got it from Jesus. John 15 verse 19. Jesus says, if you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you." Now this is true of every Christian.

If you are a Christian now it's because Jesus chose you out of the world. You used to belong here. Your citizenship used to reside here in the world. There was peace between you and the world. But Jesus chose you out of it, and so now, as a result of that, the world hates you.

Because the world recognizes that you have a different citizenship. So this is not just foreign soil, it's hostile foreign soil. It is your occupying enemy territory. Now turn to John 17. John 17 is Jesus' great high priestly prayer.

That's what John 17 is known as. I'd like to read what Jesus says as he's praying to his father for the disciples and all future disciples. In John 17, I'll be reading 14-18. Jesus is praying to his father. John 17-14, I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

I do not pray that you should take them out of the world, but that you should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by your truth. Your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I also have sent them into the world, the disciples and all future disciples.

This is true of us. Jesus again says that the world hates the citizens of heaven because they're not of the world. Just like Jesus wasn't of the world. He wasn't praying that they would instantly be lifted out of the world and instantly sucked out of the world and taken to heaven, But he was praying that they would be kept from the God of the world, which is the devil. That they would be kept from the evil one.

So Jesus' intent is that we be here. What we learn in John chapter 17 is that we are not on foreign enemy soil by accident, but we have actually been sent here. We are here on purpose. Jesus wants us to be here and intends us to be here. So It is problematic that our citizenship is somewhere else.

It creates all sorts of problems and tensions and opposition between us and where we live. But it is what Jesus had in mind. Now, John 18, one more verse. In John 18, Jesus stands before Pilate. Pilate is questioning him about this charge that he is the king of the Jews.

Here's Jesus' response in John 18 verse 36. Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would fight so that I should not be delivered to the Jews. But now my kingdom is not from here." So Jesus is saying much of the same thing. But to the point of our text in Philippians, what is being taught in Jesus' response to Pilate is that the fact that Jesus' kingdom is not of this world, if our citizenship is in heaven and our citizenship is not of this world, it changes our conduct.

Jesus says this here, if my kingdom were of the world, my disciples would act this way. My disciples would by force make sure that I am not apprehended by the Jews, but I act differently because my kingdom is not of this world. And they act differently because their citizenship is from somewhere else. That is exactly what Paul is teaching. We act differently because our citizenship is not here.

It doesn't belong to the world. This is why Paul says, now then, we are ambassadors for Christ. As though God were pleading through us, we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. Now this is 2 Corinthians 5 verse 20. If you want to look that up later, I'm actually going to be sort of launching onto some points out of 2 Corinthians 5 verse 20.

Let me read that again. Paul says, Now then we are ambassadors for Christ. This is all having to do with our citizenship being somewhere else, but We've been sent here. This was in the mind of Jesus that his people would be ones who were chosen out of the world and sent into the world for his purposes and his glory. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ.

As though God were pleading through us, we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. Here's the definition of an ambassador. Are you ready for this? An ambassador is an accredited diplomat sent by a country as its official representative to a foreign country. This is what Paul is teaching in his letter to the Philippians.

We as Christians should view ourselves because we are accredited, meaning approved by God, have the stamp of approval by God, sent by a country where your citizenship resides as its official representative to a foreign country. This is what Jesus taught. This is what Paul is teaching. We are ambassadors on foreign soil, on hostile soil, on enemy soil, and that's just how Jesus wants it. Because he's going to take some of that soil, a lot of that soil.

He's going to claim it for his own, he's going to expand his kingdom. So This is major point number one, we are on foreign soil. Point number two, this means our pattern of life should be strange. If you're filling in blanks on the handout, it's strange. This means our pattern of life as foreigners ought to be strange.

Let's continue to think of an ambassador. It is the nature of an ambassador to be in the strong majority, meaning to be way outnumbered. That's the whole nature of ambassadorship. You are sent as an approved representative, as a mouthpiece for the king of a foreign country to a place where you are way outnumbered to speak the words of your king. Your citizenship is back there and your king is back there, but you are in foreign territory to be a mouthpiece for your king.

The nature of it means you are way outnumbered. Even so, it is the expectation that the ambassador will maintain the distinctives of his homeland or of her homeland. This is crucial, essential, fundamental. The expectation when a country sends an ambassador is that when an ambassador from America goes to France, you stay American, you maintain your American distinctives and that the ambassador represent his or her home country's interests. If you're the ambassador, you get sent from America to France, you maintain your distinctives, you stay American, want to advance the interests of the United States anymore.

I want to advance France's interests. That ambassador is going to be called back to Washington, and President Trump is going to say, You're fired. Now, King Jesus is different than our president or any president, praise the Lord. So he wouldn't fire you, he would just lovingly discipline you. But no discipline seems pleasant at the time.

If as an ambassador you would say, I'm really comfortable in the place. I'm not a citizen here, and I'm sent from there. I belong to that kingdom, but I've gotten really comfortable here. And so I don't want to maintain my distinctives. I don't want to advance the interests of that kingdom.

You're putting yourself in the line of loving corrective discipline. The king's loving corrective discipline. So even though we're far from home, and even though we're in a culture radically different from our home, The culture from where our citizenship is to govern our walk of life, our pattern of life. We're far from home and we're in a radically different culture than our home culture. Even so, our home culture is to govern our patterns of life.

Not here. You can't get comfortable here and say we're setting aside those distinctives and we won't advance those interests anymore. It is those distinctives and those interests which are to govern our lives every day. This is what Paul is teaching. The ways of heaven seem strange here, so be it.

The ways of heaven seem even contemptible here, so be it. We are called to stand fast, Hold firm to the distinctives and the interests of the place where our citizenship is. Because it is the nature of ambassadorship to influence, not to be influenced. This is so central to what Paul wants us to grab a hold of here. It is the nature of ambassadorship.

In other words, why do you send an ambassador? You don't send them, you don't, America doesn't send an ambassador to France for them to become French. You don't want them to be influenced. You want them to influence, to remain distinct, and to advance the interests of the sending country, of the sending king. That's what it's all about.

So Paul, When he contrasts to those who set their eyes, set their minds on earthly things, he is saying, you cannot get comfortable here. You cannot lose the distinctives that ought to mark everyone whose citizenship is in heaven. You cannot cease to advance the interests. That's why you are here. That's why Jesus has chosen you out of the world and sent you into the world to remain distinct in order to advance the interests of this king.

Here's what Peter says, 1 Peter 2 verse 11. 1 Peter 2 verse 11, Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul. So Peter is acknowledging Christians have fleshly lusts that war against the soul. In that sense we are not any different than anyone else on the planet. In other words, we have bellies that want to be worshipped too.

We have fleshly lust that war against our soul. Our bellies want to be worshipped too. But it's our citizenship that needs to stay before our eyes, so we remember that we ought to be abstaining when our bellies cry out to be worshiped, when our appetites Demand to be satisfied. Turn to Hebrews 11. Of course, Hebrews 11 is known as the great faith chapter.

You have the chronicles of so many in the Bible who were just they were dripping with faith. They trusted God. They believed Him. They followed Him. And we have this interjected really sort of in the middle of the list.

I'll be reading Hebrews 11 verses 13 through 16. This is what is said by the author of Hebrews about those who are known for trusting God and following God by faith. Hebrews 11 verse 13, These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return.

But now they desire a better. That is a heavenly country. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them." God has prepared a city for us. Our citizenship is already there. The writer of Hebrews says, If those people who are examples of saving faith that are listed in the chapter had called to mind the country from which they had come out, They could have gone back.

But there was no going back from them. Their citizenship transferred. And so they began looking forward, not backwards, to the old country, the old citizenship, the old kingdom, but forward to where their citizenship resided. The author of Hebrews is calling us to a stranger mentality, a pilgrim mentality, that keeps before our eyes the fact that our citizenship is not here. We should consider ourselves every day of our lives, every hour of every day of our lives, as pilgrims and strangers.

We don't belong here. This is a perfect transition to point three, just the thought of looking forward to the city that God has prepared for us. Point three, our ultimate hope is future and glorious. Having been transferred out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light, and as ambassadors of the kingdom of light we have many privileges to enjoy today. So it's not right to say that Paul is teaching in our text that everything waits till the future.

That's not what's being taught. There are many privileges that are purchased for God's people by the blood of Jesus Christ to be enjoyed today. You don't have to wait another second for it. Enjoy your privileges. But, our great hope is future.

The big one is future. So we have many privileges, they are wonderful privileges. And We should take advantage of everyone that has been bought for us by the blood of Jesus Christ. But the big one, the big privilege, is a future privilege. The most glorious privilege is a future privilege.

We are eagerly waiting for our Savior and King, Jesus Christ, to come. We have His promise of return. This is the big one. Jesus is coming back. He said He is coming back.

Christians live every day, must live every day, as if their Savior and King, Jesus Christ, is coming back as he promised and they are watching the skies. You better be watching the skies. It helps you so much in the pattern of your life to think about the right things and to do the right things. Watch the skies! Jesus is coming back.

The New King James says, eagerly waiting. The word that is rendered eagerly literally means attentively and patiently waiting for. So there wasn't an English word that really does that Greek word justice, because there are two elements to the Greek word. Attentively, waiting for, which eagerly does a good job of collecting up that one, but patiently waiting for. There are people who eagerly wait for things.

When it doesn't materialize in a day or a week or a month, they stop. They just can't maintain it. So there are these two elements to the Greek word that are important for us. Both of them. We do want an eager expectation to be attentively waiting, but also patiently waiting.

It's the year 2017. It might happen in our lifetime, but it might happen at the very end of your lifetime, or it might not happen in your lifetime, we're not sure. So we do want to be eager and attentive and looking to the skies but if you can't be patient about this then generations of Christians would have left off and can't benefit from what Paul is teaching at all. They didn't have the patience to benefit from it. So our waiting, our expectation has to be both eager and patient to get the benefit that Paul is aiming at for us.

The citizen of earth wants what his or her belly wants. The citizen of earth puts his or her eyes on different things. We see all that, we live among all that, and we count it as rubbish that we might gain Christ. Christ is the big hope! And the change that being united with Him, when the citizenship and the proximity come together, whenever that is, That great hope is what should drive us day by day.

Our patterns of life should be formed out of that. Our patterns of life, our day to day conduct should be formed out of that. An eager expectation and a patient expectation of being united with the King. Being joined with our homeland. And what will happen at this great union of ambassadors and kings, this is what verse 21 says, who Jesus will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to his glorious body according to the working by which he is able even to subdue all things to himself.

It's the transformation of these lowly bodies to his glorious body. The new King James renders it, who will transform our lowly body. The Expositors Bible Commentary and Matthew Henry both say that it's most literally translated the body of our humiliation. So, if you are proud of your body, time for that to be over. Most literally this means the body of our humiliation.

The body of our humiliation, your current body is going to be transformed and conformed into the glorious body of Jesus. In Romans 7, Paul is agonizing that he still finds himself doing what he doesn't want to do. And not doing what he does want to do. It's really sort of, until you read through it a few times, it's sort of confusing. He says, all the things I don't want to do, I find myself doing those things, even though I don't want to do them.

But all the things I do want to do, I have a love and affection for them. I find myself neglecting them. And then he says this in Romans 7, 24 and 25. Oh wretched man that I am. This is Paul just saying the same thing.

O man in a body of my humiliation. Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. This is the Savior and this is what He is saving us from. The body of death, the body of humiliation, the body with a thousand frailties.

Here's a note from the Nelson Study Bible. Our body is weak and susceptible to sin, disease, death. But God will change our bodies to resemble Christ's glorious resurrection body. Our body is weak and susceptible to sin, disease and death. True?

You've got a weak body, you've got a body that is susceptible to sin, a body that is susceptible to disease, a body that is susceptible to death. Of course it's true. But God will change our bodies to resemble Christ's glorious resurrection body. That's true. That's taught multiple places in the New Testament.

We're going to get new bodies and it won't be susceptible to any of this. It will not be susceptible to sin. Right now, Christians have a resurrected spirit, born again, new life, that delights in the law of God, in the inward man, but there's another law at work in your members dragging you like a boat anchor. It's headwinds. You're trying to make progress in the face of this hurricane in our flesh.

The hurricane's not going to be here forever blowing against you. With the glorious body, it becomes a tailwind pushing you in the right direction, so that you no longer have to swim with all your might against the current, but the current will be all in your favor. Every impediment that your body is now, it will all be in your favor. The force will be in your favor. When you get your glorious body, the body that is conformed to Jesus' resurrection body.

Think of how much trouble we get from this body. Are you longing to be free? Paul's putting the bait out there. He's putting the bait out there, and he wants you to take the bait. He wants to set you longing to be free.

Are you tired of the same old sins? Are you tired, especially us ones that are gaining in years, the aching and the creaks and the more frequent sicknesses and the longer recoveries? This is how it's working for us. Are you tired of that? Are you ready to be free?

We're promised freedom. Our citizenship comes with freedom. That's the end point for you and for me. Take the bait. Long to be free.

Look with eager, patient expectation to the day when Jesus is coming back to do this. You get that then. And if the sobering facts about our current bodies make us skeptical at all about Jesus' ability to transform us, we get this. According to the working by which he is able even to subdue all things to himself. So you have the promise and if there is any inkling of doubt in your soul about his ability to fulfill the promise, that is for you.

I think that's why Paul finishes the sentence that way. He's going to subdue everything. Every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Everything will be subdued to Him. Transforming the body of your humiliation and conforming it to His resurrection body is nothing to the one who can subdue all things to himself.

He can and will. He has promised and he has the power to perform it. This is your God. This is your Savior. This is why we're eagerly waiting for our Savior Jesus Christ.

Because he has promised to save and He has the power to save and transform. All of the infirmities of these bodies of our humiliation will be subdued. Everything else will be subdued too. It will all be a footstool for King Jesus. Point number four.

The expected result, standing fast, if you're filling in blanks, standing fast. This is the result that Paul hopes for and expects from making this investment in the Philippian Church and from making this investment in Sovereign Redeemer Community Church, that we would stand fast. That's why he has brought the subject before our eyes. Look at verse 1, chapter 4 verse 1. Therefore, my beloved and longed for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord beloved.

This is what Paul is driving at. Paul loves the Philippians. He says it three times in one verse. These Philippians are spiritual children to Paul. He wants to get out so he can get at them.

He wants to get out of his confinement so he can get back to Philippi and get his hands on these spiritual children. That's what he wants. He's already said this in chapter 1 verse 8. For God is my witness how greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ. So this is just Paul piling it up.

He said it at the beginning and he wants to make sure he says it again at the end. He calls them beloved twice in this verse. He says he longs for them. He says there is joy. He says they are his crown.

They are a great source of joy for him. And they are the crown of his ministry, a crown that he intends to cast at the feet of Jesus Christ. He can't wait to do that. And Paul has brought them to a consideration of their citizenship for one great purpose. So stand fast.

As a result of a contemplation of your citizenship, dig in your heels and stand fast. According to this great truth, stand fast. Even though you occupy a hostile enemy soil, even though you're in the strong minority, as ambassadors almost always are, they're way outnumbered, don't give an inch. These are Paul's instructions to the Philippians and these are Paul's instructions to us. Dig in your heels, don't give an inch, maintain your distinctives, maintain a total utter commitment to advancing the causes of your king.

This is a standing fast in the Lord. This is not just about general stubbornness. Of course not. It's about the distinctives of this kingdom and king and the interests of this kingdom and king. That's what we're standing fast in and we draw on Him for it.

That's what it means to stand fast in the Lord. It means that we have not been set adrift to try our best not to drift any further. Jesus Himself is our resource for digging our heels in and standing fast, even though there is a current rushing around us that would drag us into glorying and shameful things, worshipping our appetites, setting our eyes on earthly things. What Paul is saying here is akin to what he has already said in chapter 1 verse 27. Hopefully you are back in Philippians.

Look at 1.27 again. Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ. Let your conduct be worthy of the king and his country. This is about a call to acknowledge your citizenship back in 127. So that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs that you stand fast in one spirit.

This is Paul as a master teacher just teaching again, sort of coming at it from a slightly different angle, but saying the same things. Our citizenship calls for a certain type of conduct. Conduct worthy of the King. Let your conduct be worthy of Christ Jesus. He is the King.

If you are His citizenship, your patterns of life should match the citizenship. You should be loving the things that He loves. Walking in those things. Finally, turn to Colossians chapter 3. Colossians chapter 3.

Just a couple of pages over. I believe in Colossians chapter 3 verses 1 through 4, Paul is just unfolding. This is Paul's commentary on Paul. Paul's commentary to the Colossians about what he's written to the Philippians. Follow along as I read Colossians 3, 1-4.

If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth, for you died and your life is hidden with Christ and God. When Christ, who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. It's just more teaching on lifting your eyes off of the earth, Shunning comfort in a foreign hostile land. Christians are called every day of their lives to shun comfort in foreign hostile territory.

This is where we are. If we get comfortable here, if we lose our distinctives here, if we cease to advance the interests of our King here, it's because we've taken our eyes off of heaven where Christ our King is. And the only alternative choice is to then become consumed with the flood around us. You stop digging in your heels and then the current just sweeps you downstream. Why these exhortations?

Why the exhortation in Philippians? Our text today, why The repetition in the letter to the Colossians in chapter 3. It's because of our tendency. It's because we need it. If it were easy and came natural to fix your eyes on heaven and keep them there Paul wouldn't say over and over to do it.

If it came naturally there would be no need for the repeated exhortation right? Of course. The reason there is a repeated exhortation even within Philippians is that our tendency is in the opposite direction. And so this takes proactive effort. This takes ongoing proactive effort.

If you're not committed to fixing your eyes on heaven where Christ is seated at the right hand of God, then your eyes will be on earth. You do not do that naturally. That's why the repeated exhortation. Applications. Three.

Three applications. First I want to start with another plug for the Lord's Prayer. I'm seeing this more and more and more. I'm sure you've heard me say numerous times, how can it be that there is unforgiveness among us when Jesus in the prayer that he taught us to pray, pray like this, it says, God forgive me of my great sins against you like I forgive him of his little sins against me." That's essentially what we are being taught to pray. The greatness of my sins against you, please forgive me.

And I forgive him of those little sins against me. How can it be when Jesus as God teaches us a short prayer and says, pray like this, and one of those few things is that We offer forgiveness because we recognize our great need of forgiveness. How can unforgiveness be running rampant in the church? It's unthinkable. In the same way, Look at these words from the Lord's Prayer, Our Father in Heaven, Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Brothers and sisters, this is the prayer of the ambassador, isn't it? This is the prayer of the ambassador, isn't it? This is the prayer of the foreigner on hostile soil. Let it help you set your mind on things above. If we'll just obey Jesus in how He's taught us to pray, He said, when you pray, pray like this, vain repetition is bad, the Lord's Prayer can be repeated vainly.

And Many of us come out of traditions where it really was that way. You just said the Lord's Prayer out of rote, and so maybe we've reacted against that to say, I don't want to do that anymore. But it's an outline of how we should pray and the things we should be praying for. And in this case, this is something that will help us dig in our heels and stand fast and fix our eyes on Christ in heaven. Our Father in heaven.

Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Pray the prayer of the ambassador. Number two, let this increase your yearning. Let this increase Your yearning.

The more clearly we have it fixed in our mind, the glories that await those who are His people, the more yearning we have, the more we take our eyes off of earth and we say no to our bellies when they demand to be worshipped. We say no I don't worship you. My citizenship is not consistent with the worship of this appetite. Our yearning for heaven will help us out. We should have hearts that say, come quickly Lord Jesus.

Hearts that are filled with an eager and patient expectation that Jesus is coming and we're watching the skies hoping it's today. Knowing what it means for these bodies of our humiliation. Thinking about what it means for these bodies of our humiliation. To be free from all of the headwinds that will become tailwinds when he returns. Number three.

Ask this question, where have I given an inch, a foot, maybe a mile, where have I given it? Go claw it back. Go get it. You've given some inches that you never should have given. You've given some feet that you never should have given.

You've probably given some miles that you never should have given. Go reclaim them. You are Christ's. It is Christ's territory. Go reclaim it.

The sin that you've been hiding and harboring and nurturing, go reclaim that ground, those inches and feet and miles. Go get them back. It's not consistent with your citizenship. It's not conduct worthy of the king. Go get that ground back.

Maybe you've lost some of your home country's distinctives in your pattern of life. There are things that should mark us. Maybe you've lost some of those distinctives. Go reestablish the distinctives of the kingdom in your life. Maybe you've stopped advancing the interests of this kingdom.

Give yourself wholeheartedly to advancing the interests of this kingdom. Jesus, how happy we are to have you as king. God, please forgive us for the many ways in which we've lived in a way that is inconsistent with our citizenship. God, raise our eyes to heaven. Raise our eyes to Christ who is seated at your right hand.

We pray in Jesus' name, Amen.