"Citizens of a Heavenly Kingdom" (2 Corinthians 4:16-18) Purpose Driven Series Sermon Six

1. God’s home is heaven

God’s home is heaven. This is from where God hears and answers our prayers. This is from where God seeks and receives our worship. This is from where God has sent his Son Jesus to earth to bring the gift of salvation. This is from where God sends his Holy Spirit into the lives of all believers, so that they can experience the intimate presence of God and some really discernible guidance on a daily basis. This is where God will take us home when our lives on earth are over. To be at home with God in heaven is to be in a state of eternal joy. And this is a journey we are already on.

Currently, although we are spiritual beings on a journey toward God, we are earthbound and subject to the ups and downs of human life lived in a fallen world. What does it mean then (to you) to still be described as a citizen of a heavenly kingdom??? Growing up I was taught about being “in the world” but not “of the world”. What does this really mean? What is meant by being a citizen of a heavenly kingdom??

(a) It says something about where our allegiances lie. If we are a citizen of Australia, our national allegiances are with the interests of Australia. So, if we are first and foremost a citizen of heaven, then our allegiance lies with the interests of that kingdom. While we live on earth, and are subject to the laws and environmental realities of the world, our focus lies on what functions above and beyond the earth (for the good of the earth and it peoples). The kingdom of heaven is where God’s will reigns – and reigns perfectly. It is the reign of God that we want to tap into and bring forth to this world. Our allegiance to the heavenly kingdom and the reign of God will thus set our focus and determine our priorities.

(b) It says something about our behaviour. Because we live above and beyond the mediocre standards we often experience, this will be reflected in our everyday actions, especially in terms of our interpersonal relationships and interactions. God’s character of love, compassion, mercy, peacemaking, forgiveness, faithfulness, patience and kindness should be reflected more and more in us. For the believer, our life-long pursuit is becoming more like our Saviour Jesus. If we want to apply some form of measurement to our progress we could turn to the beattitudes in Matthew 5 and consider our level of humility, repentance, teachableness, gentleness and courage.

(c) It says something about our purpose in life. This has nothing to do with success in the worldly sense. This even has nothing to do with happiness … whether we consider ourselves to be happy or not. Being happy is really quite difficult while in exile on the earth (we’ll come back to this point). Purpose is about undertaking the role or roles God has given us, and reaching our full potential to fulfil those roles. Such roles are part of the big-picture heavenly-kingdom scheme of things. And we will reach that potential, not through everything being rosy, but through working with the trials and tests that come across our path (and growing through them).

(d) It says something about our future. We will not just be reduced to decay or dust. Our spirits will rise into the presence of God in heaven. We will have a new dimension of being. We will spend eternity in perfect harmony with God and all the other inhabitants of heaven (which I personally think will resemble how God’s glorious creativity was once expressed in his creation of the universe and specifically earth but without the impact of the fall).

The power of sin over us has being completely done away with by the death and resurrection of Jesus and our positive and accepting response to this. As Edward Hastings wrote so beautifully long ago, “The longing soul that has followed its Lord on earth amid many failings and obstructions is there set free to run in the way of God’s commands, the path in which it has always wished to go”.

(e) It suggests something about living as an exile, an alien or a foreigner on earth. This means that sometimes we don’t feel like we fit in; but also that this is natural and expected and even right and proper! If we easily fit in, then this is when we would have to evaluate ourselves in terms of our spiritual growth and effective witness. This is not to say that we should ever be aloof or separated away from societal functioning, although there are clearly some things we should stay right away from. But rather this is to say that we should be the trendsetters and not the followers. We’re not meant to fit in – we’re meant to lead people back to God.

And we should not become too attached to anything that belongs only to the earth! God does not take away our sense of discontent or our feelings of unfairness about our life in the world, so that we can never become too comfortable or content in our current lives on earth. Pain and loss and the frustration of ambition and experiences of failure all lead us to look past the seen (and obvious and limited) to the unseen (and mysterious and infinite). There must be something beyond this! And yes there is!! And that is God!!! A good prayer for us is: ‘May the peace of Christ move to disturb us all’! This is so that we will not miss the very essence of life because we have become too transfixed on earthly attachments.

Here are some biblical texts to refer to on this matter:

1 Peter 2:11 > “Dear friends, I warn you as ‘temporary residents and foreigners’ to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls” (NLT). Over attachment to something that is not of heaven (and is not of great worth) is not a neutral option, nor a safe alternative, for this will eat us up and destroy our spiritual well-being.

Philippians 3:18-20 > “For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth. But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Saviour” (NLT).

2. Providing a Contrast

Being a ‘citizen of a heavenly kingdom’ is to be counter-cultural, is to stand out in a good way, and is to provide a bit of a contrast. In what ways should we stand out??? What do we have of value to offer??

(a) Countering negativity with hope

Despite what life on earth has done to us, we have a lot to be excited about. Just like Paul states it, we will never lose heart or hope! And this is not just about the destination, but also the journey along the way! We can offer hope to those suffering under feelings of hopelessness.

A lot of people are down on themselves, down on others, down on God, certainly down on the (institutional) church for a whole range of reasons. They have had bad experiences, have had their trust abused, or they have succumbed to the various addictions that are so well promoted to the vulnerable in our communities. Or some people truly suffer under loneliness, loss and disability. Some others have collapsed under strong feelings of failure.

Yet we have a Living Saviour who can transform our whole lives. (Yet) we know a God who answers our prayers according to ultimate wisdom. (Yet) we have a life filled with purpose and at least a degree of effectiveness (derived from God’s Spirit within us). And because of this we just wouldn’t lose heart! This should paint a very clear contrast and counter societal negativity with divine hope.

Whilst humanly speaking we are growing older, and for some of us, many of our parts aren’t working as well as they used to, each day that we continue to journey with God, we become more mature in a spiritual sense, also more competent in many ways, and more useful to others, more whole in our personhood, more focussed and more disciplined and more God-centred.

This all happens as we keep our mind and heart attuned to God, and as we consider those things that matter most. In reflecting on these words of the Apostle Paul, M J Harris suggested that Paul seemed to be saying that, the more he expended himself for the gospel’s sake, and the more he focussed on the sharing of the gospel, the greater his spiritual resilience became. It’s not just that we talk about ‘hope’ – it’s that we live ‘hope’!

(b) Countering selfishness with compassion

This is that whole Jesus self-sacrificing mercy based mission, in the face of a dog-eat-dog, looking after number one, if someone is down walk over them world. We understand the troubles people have got themselves into trying to live life without God. We know that such people are often left behind, ignored or further abused. Yet they too have been created in God’s image, so there must be in almost all cases some spark of God’s life in them that can be ignited.

G R Martin wrote that: “It is the Christian’s business to believe in others until they learn to believe in themselves”. This is because God sees in people, way beyond what we can see – even those people we might squirm about – way beyond their current deficiencies, to possibilities and potential and qualities way beyond where they are at now. For this is how God has viewed us and believed in us!

(c) Countering individualism (or its partner in crime isolationism) with community

People often want to suit themselves despite how this might affect others. Sometimes people want to build big fences around themselves or their family unit so they won’t be touched by the need outside of them, or hopefully won’t be asked to help. Many will look at need and say … ‘it’s not my problem’. Sometimes there are good reasons behind such isolationism, as interaction with society has brought hurt and suffering. For others, compassion fatigue may have set in.

We, collectively, in the church, have something of value to offer here – that is, evidence of good-functioning, mutually supportive, community. This is where everybody counts and everybody can make a contribution and be encouraged for it. This is where everybody can find a welcome and a place to sit and a kind word and reason to belong. We would be weaker without them, and stronger with them. We should live in the spirit of that open invitation to friendship!

(d) Countering self-interest with worship (of God)

Many people would see it as strange that we would gather here and worship the completely unseen God Sunday by Sunday. Many would only see all the other options they could be doing. One wonders what all the workers at the recent school working bee made of all this as some were confronted by song and message coming out of this room.

But worship is so valuable, because it affords us the opportunity to come out of ourselves and any of our self-interest, to consider the bigger picture of life and the Creator of all things, and come to terms with why we exist and where we are heading. We open the big book of wisdom and delve into the endless narratives that bring meaning to life on earth. We have direct access to the One who can bring such transformative change and healing.

Some would think it strange to sing all these worship songs to God and pray out into space, but we are preparing, and indeed more than just preparing, for we are already citizens of a heavenly kingdom in our hearts, and this should be the most natural thing for us to be doing. And if it’s not the most natural thing for us to be doing, then we probably need more practice. This is just like hitting the golf ball straight down the fairway becomes more natural the more we practice doing it.

Hope, the compassion of Jesus, welcoming church community and the worship of God is what we have to offer as a contrast … being as we are ‘citizens of a heavenly kingdom’.

3. Being an Ambassador (2 Corinthians 5:20)

In the next chapter of 2 Corinthians, Paul says, “So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, ‘Come back to God!’” (NLT)

An “ambassador” is one who represents the interests of their own country whilst living in a foreign country. We represent the interests of heaven as we live our lives on earth. This involves what the Bible calls a ‘ministry of reconciliation’.

An “ambassador” brings messengers from their own country to the country in which they serve. We bring the message of the gospel – the good news of Jesus – to the community we serve. This is vital and tremendous news!

An “ambassador” speaks as if it is the one who appointed them who is actually speaking. We speak to others as if God or Jesus is directly and personally offering them an invitation to salvation.

An “ambassador” must represent their country and convey their message in a way worthy of the one who commissions them. We represent a God who cannot be indifferent or careless, but a God who is earnestly concerned for the welfare and salvation of the peoples of the world.