Philippians 3:20-21 - Homiletics

The grounds for following St. Paul and other holy men.

I. Our conservation is in heaven. The false brethren mirth earthly things; follow us.

1 . Our commonwealth is in heaven ; we are citizens of the heavenly country. Here we are citizens of this realm of England; we have our sovereign, our magistrates, our fellow-subjects, our duties, our privileges. It is a shadow of heavenly things. The heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God , is our true home, our continuing city. The almighty God, King of kings and Lord of lords, is the center of that vast communion. The blessed angels, our guardians, are his ministers, standing before him, to do his will. The saints, living and departed, are our fellow-citizens, the general assembly and Church of the Firstborn who are written in heaven, and the spirits just men made perfect. There we have our privileges, the sacraments, the means of grace, the help of the Holy Spirit of God, the hope of everlasting blessedness. There we have our duties, all growing from the one highest law of love: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart;… thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."

2 . Our real home is there now ( ὑπάρχει ). We are citizens of the heavenly commonwealth first, then of our earthly country. We are Christians first, then Englishman. The first given at Antioch is cur highest title; it pledges us to unity, to holiness; pledges us to the service of the great Master, whose love passeth knowledge, whose life stands alone in its gracious beauty, in its perfect purity. Our home is in heaven, where he is; it is so new . " Ye are come to the city of the living God;" "Ye are fellow-citizens of the saints." Therefore "seek those things which are above." There must our treasure be, there must we set our hearts. We should try by God's grace to fill our minds with the blessed thought of heaven, to accustom ourselves to meditate daily upon its occupations, its never-ending worship, its unclouded contemplation of the Divine beauty. For there we hope to spend the ages of the everlasting life. will be, we trust, our last, our unspeakably most glorious prize; let us try to fill our thoughts and imaginations with it now, not with the poor prizes of earthly success. Thus let us seek to realize those striking words, "Our commonwealth is in heaven."

II. CHRIST IS IN HEAVEN NOW ; WE WAIT FOR HIS COMING .

1 . We are citizens of the heavenly country now ; we have not yet its full privileges ; we are heirs of the kingdom of heaven. But Christ is there now; he will come again as a Savior. Then he wilt make us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light. For flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; we must be changed. He is changing our souls now (if we abide in him) by the power of his grace. Then he shall change our body, this body of our humiliation, the body which is now subject to disease and death, and sometimes, alas! to the defilement of sensual sin. He shall make it like, in true and deep resemblance, to the body of his glory. Then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, "Death is swallowed up in victory."

2 . For he is able to subdue all things unto himself. All power is given unto him in heaven and in earth. Therefore we may not doubt his power. He can raise these bodies of ours from the dust of the earth, no longer natural, corruptible, mortal; but spiritual, incorruptible, immortal. He can do this, for he can do greater things than these.

LESSONS . Learn:

1 . To regard heaven as our home.

2 . To practice its employments, to learn the new song here on earth.

3 . To remember that the eternal life begins here. "This is life eternal, to know … God and Jesus Christ."

4 . To love the appearing of the Lord, to look earnestly for his coming.

5 . To rejoice in the hope of rising in the glorious resurrection-body.