We Are Above All Citizen's Of Heaven

Philippians 2: 1-11

Here is the background to the Apostle Paul’s magnificent narrative here in

Philippians 2: 1-11

It’s very important to remember that Philippi was a Roman colony

Acts 16: 12

Philippi was a very popular city to live in because the city enjoyed the same rights as other cities in Italy, like Rome, the capital of the Roman Empire

Philippi used Roman law, the Philippian Romans spoke Latin, they were exempt from some Roman taxes and they observed Roman customs

Acts 16: 20-21, 38-39

The Philippian Greeks though were not considered to be Roman citizens but were still subject to Roman laws

Philippi enjoyed the protection and the prosperity of Rome and because of that, being a Philippian resident became a source of pride

But Paul reminded the Philippian Christians that although they lived in a prestigious city, they were ‘above all...citizens of Heaven’, and because of that they should live their lives ‘in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ’

Philippians 1: 27a ‘Above all, you must live as citizens of Heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ’.

Yes, Caesar Nero (54-68 AD) was the Roman Emperor and the Head of the Roman Empire – his laws were to be obeyed

But Paul said that the Philippian Christians, as ‘citizens of Heaven’, owed a higher allegiance to Jesus Christ the King of Heaven

Now, let’s get into the exposition

Philippians 2: 1-4

Paul was saying: if we ‘belong(ing) to Christ’ (1a), then we have an obligation to show love towards our fellow believer, ‘Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others too’. (4)

Then, Paul goes on to use the example of Christ laying down His life for our salvation to inspire the Philippian believers, and us, to show sacrificial love towards one another

Philippians 2: 5 ‘You must have the same attitude that Jesus Christ had’

John 5: 30b “I carry out the will of the One who sent Me, not My own will”.

Philippians 2: 6-8

8 ‘He humbled Himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross’.

Let’s remember Jesus' path of obedience to the cross to save us

“So, Pastor David, does sacrificial love for one another mean that we too must lay down our lives in death for one another like Jesus did”?

No, not usually; on the night of His betrayal, Jesus taught us how to show sacrificial love towards one another as He washed the feet of the Disciples

John 13: 12-17

17 “Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them”.

When Paul first went to Philippi, he, Silas and Luke went to the river just outside the city in the hope they would meet some people there

When they arrived, sure enough there were some converts to Judaism there who had gathered for prayer and the Lord ‘opened the heart’ of one of the women by the name of Lydia and made her willing to believe the Gospel that Paul was preaching

Acts 16: 13-15

14 ‘As she listened to us, the Lord opened her heart, and she accepted what Paul was saying’.

Lydia was born again and immediately she showed the right attitude of sacrificial love towards Paul, Silas and Luke and invited them into her home

15 ‘She and her household were baptized, and she asked us to be her guests. “If you agree that I am a true believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my home.” And she urged us until we agreed’.

It was in the home of Lydia that the Church of Philippi was ‘planted’

Earlier I asked the rhetorical question: “So, Pastor David, does sacrificial love for one another mean that we too must lay down our lives in death for one another like Jesus did”? And I said, “No, not usually”

Sometimes though the Lord will call upon us to lay down our life in death for a fellow believer

1 John 3:16 ‘We know what real (sacrificial) love is because Jesus gave up His life for us. So, we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters’.

True testimony: WW1 soldier rescuing his wounded friend from the battlefield

He went out into the battlefield to retrieve his wounded friend and in the process of bringing back his friend, he was shot and wounded as well. He carried his friend back to the trenches and the Officer said to him “it wasn’t worth putting your life in danger, your friend is dead” to which the soldier replied, “it was worth it Sir, my friend was still alive when I reached him and he said to me, “Jim, I knew you would come for me””. Later, the wounded soldier who retrieved the body of his friend died of his own wounds that he had received in rescuing him

Remember what the Apostle Paul said

Romans 15: 1b-3a ‘We must not just please ourselves...for even Christ didn’t live to please Himself’

After sacrificial love comes exaltation

Philippians 2: 9-11

Christ’s death on the cross was not the end!

On the 3rd day, early Sunday morning, Christ was raised from the dead

He wasn’t raised from the dead just to die again – He was raised from the dead and exalted to Heaven’s throne to live forever more

Paul uses this passage describing Christ’s sacrifice for our salvation to inspire the Philippian believers and us to demonstrate sacrificial love for one another knowing that by humbling ourselves in this way, one day, like Christ, we will be exalted to Heaven

Luke 14:11 “For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Yes, we live in this world, but first of all and ‘above all’ we are ‘citizens of Heaven’ and have an obligation to live our lives ‘in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ’ - and that means loving one another sacrificially as Christ loved us

Philippians 1: 27