Sunday Message

"WHO ARE YOU ... in Christ?"

Look Up: Colossians 1:9-14

INTRODUCTION: How many times this week did you think of your citizenship in heaven? Honestly? With all the earthly responsibilities--kid’s activities, house work, yard work, schedules at work—and sports programs that are on television, golf outings, social events, etc. how many times did your citizenship in heaven come to mind? The Bible does tell us [Christ-followers] that:
Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ [Phil. 3:20 ].

The Bible tells us that we are pilgrims here and are just passing through [Hebrews 11:13 ]. So how much did these thoughts come into play this week?
            I have heard all my life the statement that some Christians are so heavenly minded that they are of no earthly use. I don’t know where that statement comes from, because I really don’t know Christians like that. I certainly don’t have that problem. We shouldn’t be that way. But on the other hand, we shouldn’t be the other way either—so earthly minded that we are not of any heavenly use. What we need is the proper balance.
            How do we find the balance of living here as citizens but knowing we are really citizens of heaven, the balance of being in the world but not of the world, the balance of functioning here but at the same time setting our minds on things above, etc.? How? We understand our identity in Christ. We understand who we are/whose we are/and our role here.
            So what is my identity in Christ? I am forgiven [in Him I have redemption, the forgiveness of sins]. I am strengthened with all power according to His glorious might [I am an overcomer]. I have been qualified to share in the inheritance of the saints [knowing what I have to inherit, I can share a spiritual legacy]. And finally, from this passage in Colossian, I am a citizen, a member of God’s kingdom.
            For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves….[Col. 1:13].
        I am a kingdom person. I have been brought into the kingdom that Jesus ushered in. I have become part of the kingdom of light [vs. 12]. I was born at Sternburger Hospital in Greensboro, North Carolina, of earthly parents and am a citizen of the United States of America. But I have been born again of a heavenly parent and am a citizen of the Kingdom of God.
            Christianity has this incarnational piece to it. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came “in flesh” to live among us. In the New Jerusalem that comes down out of heaven, God will dwell with His people on earth. Jesus will be with us again. We, as the adopted children of God, now live “in flesh” here, although we are citizens elsewhere. We talk about “incarnational missions” where people plant themselves and minister somewhere other than where they came from or where their citizenship is. We are part of this incarnational living and ministry. So how does this understanding of who we are because of redemption, our identity in Christ, work?
            I think it involves two things:

1. Discipline. We need to continue to make conscious efforts to remind ourselves who we are in Christ. I need to live in light of that truth. Living with that awareness.

2. Expressing my heavenly citizenship. I should do that as naturally as I express my earthly citizenship. .

Let me develop both of these thoughts further. First the discipline—conscious effort part.
          Several years ago when I was in Africa for an extended period, I began to think of home like a dream that wasn’t real. The extreme conditions I faced coupled with the extended time period of living in those conditions began to take a toll on my mind. But home was real and I was going to go there and I had to keep telling myself that.
        I see people who come here from other countries making conscious efforts not to lose touch with their homeland and customs. This is true of many in our Chinese congregation. People from other countries come and begin to get Americanized or see their children get Americanized. They get use to where they are and get acclimated to it and the thoughts of the other place begin to wane. So, many of these individuals participate in the discipline of studying the language of their native country and keeping certain traditions alive. Though they live in a new place they don’t want to lose their other identity.
        We must not lose our identity as the citizen of heaven. We must make a concerted effort that we do not forget who we are.
I need to understand that I am not home—my home will be in heaven—the intermediate heaven and the eternal one.
I must not make many of my decisions without considering the eternal perspective. I need to see my life under the watchful care of a sovereign Father who has guaranteed my future. I need to hold things loosely, for I am a leaser not an owner. I need to stay in the Word and talk with “home” so that I keep my perspective clear. I can leave injustice in the hands of a righteous God who will handle it. I know my sickness will soon be wellness.
            Secondly, we should live our lives naturally expressing our citizenship. When I am in another country I don’t have to practice Southern English. I just open up my mouth and talk. I don’t have to start dressing like a Westerner. Those are the clothes I took. My way of life—dress, speech, actions—are in keeping with my citizenship. That should be the way it is with my heavenly citizenship. My speech should reflect my heavenly citizenship—wholesome, edifying, truthful, etc. My dress should reflect my heavenly citizenship [dress suggests where from: Saris, burquas, golfers from Europe ]. My dress is not dictated by Hollywood or a rock star/idol. It is in keeping with my citizenship. I ought to serve rather than be served.
Truthfully, the difference that Kingdom citizenship has made in me ought to be naturally reflected. It is not pretended or contrived. It just happens.
            When we live like that, there will be times when we will feel like strangers in this world. Some of this “pilgrim” feel will just naturally happen. There are times when I feel so out of place. Don’t you? When we feel like that, our inclination is to isolate ourselves and just be with fellow Christ-followers. But we cannot do that. We are called to be ambassadors. We are sojourners, pilgrims, but while we are here, we are ambassadors, making an appeal on Christ’s behalf.
          We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God [2 Cor. 5:20 ]
[Dr. Lewis Shafer, founder of Dallas Theological Seminary had a good illustration of reconciliation using his hand]. That is our identity. If I do not understand my identity, I do not understand my role. Countries send ambassadors because there is misunderstanding between nations. The ambassador tries to help bridge that and act with diplomacy. We should promote the interests of our true homeland. We plead on His behalf. We tell people that He loves them and wants to deliver them from their weariness and loneliness and estrangement. So here is a good question. How do those who do not yet know what we know or believe what we believe view us? Do we fail in our role either because we do not realize our identity or because we are not good ambassadors. In 1958 a book was published by the title of The Ugly American. It was a political novel that I read at some point in school. The premise of the book was that the US was losing the struggle with Communism [then seen as our number 1 threat] because of arrogance and failure to understand the local cultures in foreign countries. A Burmese journalist speaking in the book said: “Mysterious changes seem to come over Americans when they go to a foreign land.” He went on to say that they isolate themselves socially. They live pretentiously. They are ostentatious and rude. The term Ugly American came to be applied to those who acted like that.
            Is there an “Ugly Christian” syndrome when it comes to our role as ambassadors?

Sometimes I don’t think it looks like Christ is making His appeal through us. When you look at the people in the NT who encountered Jesus but need to be reconciled to the Father, what did they think of Jesus? I know the religious people didn’t like Him and stirred up others against Him. But think of those that needed to be reconciled to God. What about Zacchaeus [Lk. 19], the woman at the well, Nicodemus, the woman who anointed Jesus’ feet, the woman taken in adultery, etc.? They liked Him. They felt His love. They knew He wasn’t condemning them. They stood before the judge of judge, they talked to the holiest person who ever lived [and didn’t call Him holier-than-thou], they talked to the One who never condoned what they were doing—who never dodged dealing with their sin—who told them the truth about themselves—but they liked Him. Lost people would like Jesus if He were here. Do they like us? Why not?
We are to be salt and light. I know that salt can burn and light can expose but basically these two influences are presented positively. Salt seasons and preserves. Light helps in darkness. Are we that positive influence?
Our identity as a pilgrim is to be an ambassador. We need to take our identity seriously and be the best ambassador we can be.

Where do we fall short of being a citizen of heaven?
Where do we fall short as an ambassador? [isolated? Judgmental? Arrogant? ]
What do we need to do?
What if all of us were to understand our identity?