Live as Citizens of Heaven
Philippians 1:27-30 NLT
27 Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News. 28 Don’t be intimidated in any way by your enemies. This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be saved, even by God himself. 29 For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him. 30 We are in this struggle together. You have seen my struggle in the past, and you know that I am still in the midst of it.
Examine the scriptures:
Philippians 1:27-30 NLT
Live as Citizens of Heaven
27 Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven,
The Philippians were Roman citizens.
Philippi prided itself on being a Roman colony.
Philippians knew the privileges that came with being a Roman citizen.
Paul reminded the Philippian church that, more importantly, the Philippian Christians (like us) were citizens of a heavenly kingdom.
Paul encouraged the Philippian believers to look to Christ, not Caesar, for their model of behavior.
- Remember that you are a citizen of Heaven.
Philippians 3:20 NLT
20 But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior.
1 Peter 2:9-11 NLT
9 But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.
10 “Once you had no identity as a people;
now you are God’s people.
Once you received no mercy;
now you have received God’s mercy.”
11 Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls.
Live your life in a way that reflects what you believe.
If you call yourself a Christian, live like a Christian.
conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ.
1 Thessalonians 2:12 NLT
12 We pleaded with you, encouraged you, and urged you to live your lives in a way that God would consider worthy. For he called you to share in his Kingdom and glory.
What would that look like?
Ephesians 4:1-3 NLT
Unity in the Body
4:1 Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. 2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. 3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.
Pray that your life would honor and please the Lord.
Colossians 1:9-10 NLT
9 So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10 Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.
- Live your life in a way that is worthy of the Gospel of Christ.
- Live your life in a way that would honor and glorify Christ.
Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News.
- As a body of believers, stand together in unity and steadfastness.
As a body of believers, have a common purpose,
fighting together for the faith.
- Christians need each other and must stand together, especially when the Gospel is under attack.
Apparently, there was some disunity in the Philippian church.
Philippians 4:2-3
2 Now I appeal to Euodia and Syntyche. Please, because you belong to the Lord, settle your disagreement. 3 And I ask you, my true partner, to help these two women, for they worked hard with me in telling others the Good News. They worked along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are written in the Book of Life.
An appeal for unity.
1 Corinthians 1:10 NLT
10 I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.
Psalm 133:1 NLT
1 How wonderful and pleasant it is
when brothers live together in harmony!
28 Don’t be intimidated in any way by your enemies.
Stand strong despite persecution.
Live courageously for Christ.
- Do not be intimidated or frightened by persecution.
This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed,
Stand up for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In the end God wins.
Romans 1:18-19 NLT
18 But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. 19 They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them.
- Persistent opposition to the church and the gospel is a sure sign of eventual destruction.
KJV (and other translations) uses the word perdition – a state of eternal punishment and damnation into which a sinful and unpenitent person passes after death.
John 3:18 NLT
18 “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son.
2 Corinthians 2:15-16 NLT
15 Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. 16 To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume. And who is adequate for such a task as this?
but that you are going to be saved, even by God himself.
Don’t be intimidated by your enemies.
When Christians are persecuted for their faith, it is a sign of the genuineness of their faith.
2 Thessalonians 1:3-5 NLT
Encouragement during Persecution
3 Dear brothers and sisters, we can’t help but thank God for you, because your faith is flourishing and your love for one another is growing. 4 We proudly tell God’s other churches about your endurance and faithfulness in all the persecutions and hardships you are suffering. 5 And God will use this persecution to show his justice and to make you worthy of his Kingdom, for which you are suffering.
- Live courageously for Christ in the midst of opposition and persecution knowing that you are going to be saved.
29 For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him.
- Both faith (trusting) and suffering are gifts (or privileges) from God.
Acts 5:41 NLT
41 The apostles left the high council rejoicing that God had counted them worthy to suffer disgrace for the name of Jesus.
Matthew 5:10-12 NLT
10 God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right,
for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
30 We are in this struggle together. You have seen my struggle in the past, and you know that I am still in the midst of it.
When Paul and Silas first visited Philippi they were imprisoned.
Acts 16:19-24 NLT
19 Her masters’ hopes of wealth were now shattered, so they grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities at the marketplace. 20 “The whole city is in an uproar because of these Jews!” they shouted to the city officials. 21 “They are teaching customs that are illegal for us Romans to practice.”
22 A mob quickly formed against Paul and Silas, and the city officials ordered them stripped and beaten with wooden rods. 23 They were severely beaten, and then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape. 24 So the jailer put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks.
1 Thessalonians 2:2 NLT
2 You know how badly we had been treated at Philippi just before we came to you and how much we suffered there. Yet our God gave us the courage to declare his Good News to you boldly, in spite of great opposition.
- It is not uncommon for Christians to struggle.
- As Paul says to the church, We are in this struggle together.
