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Citizens of Heaven

Philippians 3:17-4:1

A Sermon by Pastor Jim Scott Orrick

November 12, 2000

“Visitor here to see Paul!”

“Epahproditus, is that really you?”

“Yes, dear brother, it is really I!”

“Why, you’re hundreds of miles from Philippi. What are you doing here?”

“Paul, we heard that you were here in prison, and the dear people wanted to send you this gift to help you in your time of need. I have brought you some food, and I have money to buy more for you. I’m going to stay and take care of you. Why are you crying? Are you alright?”

“Yes, Epaphroditus, I’m alright. I’ve learned to be content whatever my circumstances, but my heart is deeply touched by this expression of love from your precious people. They were the first church to share with me long ago. Even when I was in Macedonia they sent me aid again and again, and now this! How good of them to share in my troubles. I thank God every time I think of you all.”

“Here, while you eat this, let me tell you what is happening in Philippi.”

When the Apostle Paul wrote the letter to the Philippians, he was in prison. I don’t suppose that prisons have ever been happy places, but compared to first century prisons, the prisons of our day, (at least in the U.S.), look like holiday resorts. In the U.S., prisoners are at least fed every day, and that fact alone makes our prisons drastically different from the prisons where Paul was confined. If Paul was going to get any food, it had to come from friends who brought it to him. The Philippian people had heard that Paul was in prison, and they had sent Epaphroditus to minister to him. You can well understand that when Paul received this precious evidence of their love for him, his heart was filled with gratitude. One of the main reasons for this letter was to say, “Thank you” to the Philippians. His love and appreciation for them is apparent throughout the letter. He does not criticize them for one single thing!

But he knows that they are in danger from two enemies, and so he warns them to be on guard against these enemies: Judiazers and Epicureans. The Judiazers taught that in order for someone to be a Christian, he must be circumcised and live according to the Old Testament laws. Judiazers undermined the gospel of the cross by insisting that what Christ did on the cross was not enough to satisfy God – we must add something to the cross. The Epicureans were devoted to the pursuit of sensual pleasure, especially to the enjoyment of good food and comfort. They were enemies to the cross of Christ because they taught by their lives that a person could be a Christian and live a life devoted to sensual pleasure. You might say that the Judiazers insisted that a Christian must be a citizen of Jerusalem, while the Epicureans insisted that any sensible person would be a citizen of Corinth or some other city noted for its sensual pleasures. Both of those corruptions of the gospel are still with us today. The spiritual descendents of the Judaizers say that our good works must be added to God’s grace to make our salvation complete. The spiritual descendents of the Epicureans insist that we ought to take every advantage to enjoy the pleasures of this sinful world. But Paul insists that we are citizens, not of Jerusalem, the city of legalistic righteousness, nor are we citizens of Corinth, the city of sensual pleasure, but we are citizens of heaven, and our heavenly citizenship ought to affect everything that we believe and do.

Notice first in verse seventeen, Paul gives us a pattern or example for those who are citizens of heaven. “Brethren, join in following my example; and note those who so walk as you have us for a pattern.”

This past week my wife did some sewing. She was making dresses for a couple of our daughters and she didn’t know exactly what size the pieces of the dresses needed to be, so she went to the piece goods shop and bought a couple of patterns. She cut out her cloth according to the patterns that she had, and the dresses turned out beautifully.

Paul says, “I am going to give you a pattern for how to live as citizens of heaven: it is my life.” Now, that does sound a bit arrogant to us, doesn’t it? I think that any smack of arrogance will disappear as we see what the pattern of the Apostle Paul’s life was when he puts it forth as an example for the citizens of heaven. But, before we do that, think about this. Could you venture to say to someone else, “If you want to know how to live the Christian life, follow my example; follow the pattern that I lay down?” We should strive for such a style of life so that we would be able to say to others, “Follow me, as I follow Christ.”

But let’s see from the scripture just exactly what Paul’s pattern and example were for those who are citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven. And to see the various parts of this pattern we are going to go back to verse 2. The first piece of this pattern that Paul lays down for citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven is that we must not have any confidence in the flesh. Notice verse 2: “Beware of dogs.” Now let me stop right here and say that he is not talking about literal canine; he is not talking about four-footed beasts with fangs. Instead he is using dogs to refer to the Judaizers—people who were saying that in order to get to heaven you have got to add something to the cross of Jesus Christ. He calls them dogs. You get the impression that the Judaizers upset Paul. They made him angry. Later on, we’ll see that the Epicureans also made Paul upset, but they made him cry. Verse two continues, “Beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation.” He calls them the mutilation because they were saying that in order to be a Christian you had to be cut on. He says they’re a bunch of mutilators. They’re butchers. Watch out for them.

“For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus; and have no confidence in the flesh; though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: circumcised the eighth day; of the stock of Israel; of the tribe of Benjamin; a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.”

So Paul, warning against the Judaizers, says you’ve got to watch out for these people who say that you must have a great pedigree of holiness in order to be a Christian. And then he gets into a bragging contest with the Judiazers: “You guys want to boast about who has the most righteousness? You’re boasting in who you are and what you have done. You’re boasting your pedigree? Well top this! I’m an Israelite, of a privileged tribe, the tribe of Benjamin. I was circumcised the eighth day. I was so zealous for the law that I was a Pharisee. I was so zealous for the law that I persecuted the church because I thought that they were undermining the law of God. Concerning legalistic righteousness I was faultless—no one could point his finger and say, “Paul, you’re not living up to what you say you believe.” No one could say that. Paul had made great advancements in the religion of the Jews.

But he says I have no confidence in the flesh. Every citizen of the Kingdom of God should not have any confidence in the flesh. Instead of having confidence in the flesh, we worship by the Spirit of God. Paul gives three characteristics of those who are the true circumcision: we worship by the Spirit; we glory in Christ Jesus—we glory in Christ Jesus instead of what we have done—and we put no confidence in the flesh.

Some of you children have probably been down to the Science City at the Union Station in Kansas City. There is a section of Science City that teaches about coal mining. If you have visited there, perhaps you remember the display that consists of two seats on which you may sit. A person sitting on either of those seats can raise himself up into the air by pulling on a rope that is attached to the seat. The display is intended to demonstrate that when a rope is threaded through pulleys, the work of lifting anything by the rope is made easier. Someone sitting on one of the seats can more easily elevate himself by pulling the rope that has the most pulleys. Well, there are some people who think that the cross of Jesus Christ is like a pulley system: Christ helps you pull yourself up easier, but it’s really you who’s pulling the rope. And, Paul says that’s not true at all. We put no confidence in the flesh. We are not pulling ourselves up by the pulley system of the cross. We glory in Christ Jesus. We can’t pull ourselves up. Instead Jesus Christ finds us dead on the floor of the mine, reaches down and grabs us and throws us over his shoulder, and then climbs out of the mine with us, on his back. We are trusting entirely in Jesus, and not in ourselves plus Jesus.

So the first part of the pattern that Paul lays down for citizens of heaven is that we put no confidence in the flesh.

Let’s go on and, we will see in verses 7 & 8 another part of the pattern. “ But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ….” The second part of the pattern is that the citizens of heaven count everything loss for Christ.

Now there had been a time in Paul’s life when he valued very greatly all of the various parts of his pedigree that he has just mentioned. He was proud of the fact that he was a Pharisee. He was proud of the fact that he had been so strict and meticulous in observing the law. But when he saw who Jesus Christ was, the significance of all his former accomplishments paled in comparison. And what he had previously highly valued, he now considered a loss. He said, in fact, not only have I lost those things, but I have lost everything for the sake of Christ Jesus. What is more, I do not only consider them to be negatives, I consider them to be loathsome, filthy garbage. I consider them rubbish that I may gain Christ. This is a characteristic of those who are citizens of heaven. Jesus Christ is more valuable to us than anything in the entire world.

There was once a man who was a janitor in a school, and he was a good janitor. He was especially proud of an unusually fine broom that he had. He was always very careful about that broom. He wouldn’t let anyone sweep with that broom but himself. But one day, while he was sweeping the hall with his prized broom, someone came down the hall asking if he were Mr. Tom Smith. He said, “Yes, I am.” He said, “Well, I represent the law firm of Dewey, Cheatum, and Howe, and we have come to inform you that you have just received an inheritance of a million dollars from your rich uncle!” Do you know that Mr. Tom Smith got so excited that he left his broom and forgot all about it, as he went to claim his inheritance of a million dollars? What had been formerly been so valuable to him became relatively insignificant when a higher prize was in view.

And so it is with us citizens of heaven; before we see Christ, we value our works and think that surely God must be impressed by my goodness. Surely God must be pleased with me because of who I am and what I do. And we come offering our little offerings to God. But then, when we see Jesus Christ and what God really requires, and what God is really pleased with, then we hurriedly put away our little treasures behind our back, let them drop, and then show our empty hands to God, saying, “Nothing in my hands I bring, simply to Thy cross I cling.” We consider all things loss for the sake of Christ.

Let’s go on and look at verse 9. So we consider them rubbish “…that we may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law; but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith….” The third part of Paul’s pattern for the citizens of the kingdom of heaven is that we desire the righteousness of Christ. Now this is similar to the last point that I made, and so I’ll not spend much time here. But, I do want to emphasize my point with this question: True or False—The only way to get to heaven is by a life of perfect righteousness? That’s true. The only way to get to heaven is by a life of perfect righteousness. But, it’s not your righteousness, and it’s not my righteousness. It’s the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ that gets us to heaven. The holy God receives us, because a perfect righteousness has been credited to us, even the righteousness of Jesus Christ. And citizens of heaven value the righteousness of Christ above any of their own righteousness.

I once had a teacher, named Roy Beaman; he is dead now, but he was a dear man. And one day in class he told us how he had determined the mental competence of a boy who was mentally retarded. The boy’s parents had come to Dr. Beaman and said, “He wants to be a Christian but we’re not sure that he understands what’s going on. Is there any way that you can talk to him and find out?” And, so Roy Beaman performed this experiment on the little retarded boy to see whether or not he knew what he was doing. Dr. Beaman said that he gathered from his pocket a number of coins, making sure that an especially shiny penny was among them. Then he told the boy that he could have any coin he wished to have. Of course the penny was the coin of least value in his hand, but because the penny was the shiniest, the retarded boy chose that coin, and Dr. Beaman said that he concluded from that action that the boy didn’t have sufficient mental competence to know what he was doing. He didn’t choose the coin of greatest value; he chose only what was most shiny.

Now whether or not you agree with his assessment methods, I am going to use that as an illustration of how the Lord God holds out to us the righteousness of Jesus Christ and our own righteousness, and bids us choose. If we choose our own righteousness, we are showing that we are worse than spiritually retarded; we are positively depraved. The worth of our own righteousness does not begin to compare with the value of the righteousness that is provided for us in Jesus Christ. Citizens of heaven, then value the righteousness of Jesus Christ above their own righteousness.

Now verse 10. Another part of the pattern is here: “…that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection; and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.” This part of the pattern is that citizens of heaven want to attain the resurrection life. Now Paul is here using the resurrection as a paradigm, or as an example of the kind of life that the citizens of heaven should live. He is not saying that, if I only live a life that is holy enough, then God will raise me from the dead when I die. Instead, he is saying, (and I think that already he has in mind the Epicureans, who were saying that you can live any way that you want to live, and any sinful life that you want to pursue is legitimate, as long as you are just believing in Christ), “I want to attain to the sort of holy living that is exemplified by Christ’s resurrection from the dead, even though that may entail by undergoing much suffering. I want to share in the sufferings of Christ. You see, an Epicurean would never say something like that. An Epicurean wants to avoid pain and have all the pleasure that he can get. But Paul says, “I want to share in the sufferings of Christ, so that I might attain to the resurrection life; so that I might lead a holy life.”

Paul was continuously constrained to defend the gospel against the false accusations that the doctrine of salvation entirely by grace leads to sinful living. Today the accusation is often phrased like this: “If I believed as you believe, that salvation depends entirely upon Jesus Christ, then I would sin all that I wanted to.” Well, one response that I have to that is, “I do sin all I want to, and a whole lot more than I want to. I don’t want to sin at all.” And anyone who wants to continue living a life of sin is simply showing that they are not walking in the light with the Father. For if we say that we have fellowship with the Father, and we walk about in darkness, we lie, and the truth is not in us. Anyone who is a recipient of the great salvation that is bestowed on us through faith in Jesus wants to keep the law of God. We want to live the resurrection life. Jesus pictured the kind of life that we are to live when he came out from the dead. We are to come out of a life of sin and to walk in newness of life.

And that’s what we picture when we follow the Lord in baptism. We are dying to this world and its ways. We are dying to our previous sinful style of living and to picture that we are buried in the waters of baptism. Then when we come out of the waters of baptism, just like Jesus came out of the tomb, we are stating that we are committed to living a resurrected life. And I believe that’s what Paul is saying here. Living the resurrection life is a piece of the pattern for the citizens of heaven.

Now in verse 12 you’ll notice yet another piece of the pattern that he wants the citizens of heaven to follow, namely, we ought to exhibit humble persistence. He says in verse 12, “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not consider myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” So do you see that when Paul encourages the Philippians to follow his example, even though such an exhortation sounds arrogant at first, he’s really not being arrogant in the least? He is saying, “I have not obtained all of this—I have not yet been made perfect. I’ve still got a long way to go. But I’ll tell you this: I’m pressing on. I’m forgetting those things which are behind...” What things are you forgetting, Paul? “All of those past accomplishments that might tempt me to sit down and take it easy and grow complacent. I forget those things which are behind. I strain toward what is ahead. I press on toward the goal.” Notice that he is using athletic metaphors here as if he were a runner who is racing for the finish line. And if you have seen races then you know that runners are expending their utmost effort as they approach the finish line. They stretch out their necks, and they lean forward, hoping to be the first runner to cross the finish line. Paul says, “Just like those runners, I strain toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” I’m not there yet, but I’m pressing on with all my might. So, there is a humble persistence that characterizes those who are citizens of heaven.

And then the final part of the pattern that I’ll mention this morning is in verses 15 and 16. “Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk the same rule, let us be of the same mind.” Let us live up to what we have already attained. And that’s the other part of the pattern that I want to mention. Citizens of heaven want to live up to what they have already attained. Paul begins in verse 15 by saying, “All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And, if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.” You see, due to the varying degrees of maturity that will be present in any church, Paul allows for some difference of opinion to exist with regard to nonessentials. We also should. Not everyone is going to be at the same level of maturity, and we don’t need to get all upset, when someone disagrees with us on some non-essential of the faith. Now Paul could get quite upset when the gospel was threatened. But on non-essentials what does he say? “If on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.” But don’t get hung up on these small, relatively insignificant differences. Let us live up to what we have already attained. You obey what God has shown you that you should do. And if you live up to the light that you have already received, then God will give you more light. “In your light, we see light.” So we should live up to what we have already attained.

And so that’s the example, I believe, that Paul has in mind when he says in verse 17, “…join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern.”

Now secondly, let’s take note of the pitiful destiny and condition of those who are not citizens of heaven. Verse 18: “For many walk, of whom I have told you often; and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ.” Paul then proceeds to mention four characteristics of these enemies: “whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things.” I believe that the particular enemies of the cross that he has in mind are the Epicureans. Under any circumstances it is deplorable to be an enemy of the cross of Christ. But while it is always deplorable, it is also pitiful. It is pitiful when we remember the damage that such enemies do to themselves and to those around them. I have already noted that while the Judaizers seemed to make Paul angry, these Epicureans made him weep. He tells the Philippians, even with weeping about these enemies of the cross of Christ.

I dare say that the Epicureans did not perceive themselves to be enemies of the cross of Christ. But listen, any doctrine that says that we can saved and on our way to heaven while still living a life of sin is a doctrine that is antagonistic to the message of the cross of Christ. Jesus died to save us from sin. He did not die primarily to secure our pardon, but to save us from sin. And so anyone who says otherwise, is indeed an enemy of the cross of Christ.

He describes these enemies four ways: First of all, their destiny is destruction. This is what they are headed for. They are going to be destroyed. Now you mustn’t think that destruction means total annihilation. We read in I Thessalonians chapter 1 of everlasting destruction. So the kind of destruction that they are facing is the kind of destruction that Jesus talked about when He said, “What shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? Or, what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” He’s lost his soul. That’s what’s going to happen to people who live lives of sinful indulgence and sensual indulgence, even if they claim to be Christians. Their destiny is destruction.

The next thing about them is that their god is their stomach. They’re more concerned about what they eat and the pleasures of life than they are concerned about God.

The third thing that he says about them is that their glory is in their shame. The very things that ought to make them ashamed make them proud. Doesn’t that sound like the day that we are living in? Today if you do some kind of outlandish evil, it will gain you the admiration of many people. It may even land you on a talk show where you can brag about it in front of millions of people. Their glory is in their shame.

I’m reminded of what Jeremiah writes regarding the people of his day, “Are they ashamed at all? They have forgotten how to blush.” They don’t feel bad about any of this stuff that they are doing. Similarly, Paul elsewhere writes, “Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them. (Romans 1:32). They ought to be ashamed of having done these wicked acts themselves. They ought to keep it a secret. But not only do they continue to practice these shameful deeds, but they actually encourage others in the same behavior by giving their approval to them. Their glory is in their shame.

There is a fourth characteristic of those who are enemies of the cross, and this is the one that hits me over the head like a sledgehammer. Their mind is on earthly things. They’re thinking about the things of earth! Instead of thinking about heaven! So many of us spend so much of our time thinking about what is on earth. It’s a bad sign—it should give us pause.

But in contrast to that, finally, Paul writes of the holy character and destiny of those who are citizens of heaven. Verse 20: “For”—or perhaps it would better be translated “But”, because it is in contrast to what has gone before—“But our citizenship is in heaven.” Before we are citizens of America, we are citizens of heaven. Before we are Republicans or Democrats or Independents, or whatever else we may be, we are citizens of heaven. Before we are proponents of Democracy or Socialism, or Capitalism, or Communism, we are citizens of heaven.

I don’t know what is going to happen in the vote this week—the vote that was taken last week and is being counted this week—I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I’ll tell you this: what is going on today as the Gospel is preached is going to have a lot more influence on America than what is going to happen this week in the vote counting. The moral ills of America are too deep to be healed by the superficial band-aid of politics. America has been stabbed by the bloody dagger of sin, and is hemorrhaging great drops of blood on the ground, and all the politicians can do is stick on a band-aid. It’s not going to do much.

Now I don’t want you to get the wrong impression and think that I’m saying that Christians should not be involved in the political process at all. I think that the Bible gives us grounds to be involved in the political process, saying that civil servants are in fact servants of God, and that we are to respect them and that we are to obey them. When we have a say-so in the matter, as we do here in America, we should try to see that persons get in office who will uphold the truth - not enforce Christianity - but uphold the truth. I think that we have the right to do that as Christian citizens of the United States.

But we’re citizens of a country that is far better, far bigger, than the United States. As great as the United States may be, the United States is still just one of the nations of the earth, and Isaiah chapter 40 says that, in God’s perspective, all the nations are a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales.” In other words, they are relatively insignificant. And so we will have made a very grievous mistake if we spend all of our lives thinking about politics, or thinking that politics is somehow going to effect the kingdom of God on earth, and neglect to think about our responsibilities as citizens in the kingdom of heaven.

Our citizenship is in heaven. I’ve noticed that citizens of a particular country, especially when they are in a strange land, enjoy being together. They stick together. If it’s a group of English-speakers in a place where they speak only Chinese, the English-speakers will find one another out. And, even though they may not be friends back in the United States, you can almost be certain that they will get together, and share meals, talk about what’s going on back home, be interested in home folks.

That’s the way it is with the citizens of the kingdom of heaven. We are not at home here. That’s one reason why it is so pleasurable for us to get together with one another in meetings like this one. We’re speaking the same language. We’re interested in what’s going on at home. Our citizenship is in heaven—we’re strangers here.

But we know that we won’t always be here. We know that one day we will go home, and we eagerly expect the Savior to come. You see that Paul and first century Christians expected Jesus to come back in their lifetimes, apparently. They were wrong—it’s been 2000 years now—but they still expected the Savior to come.

In one sense they were wrong about Jesus coming back to the earth in His glory. Yes, they were wrong about that. But Paul, and all of the other Christians who lived with him have been in the presence of the Lord for almost 2000 years. Now, Jesus might not come back in my lifetime, but here’s one thing that’s certain: before 100 years have passed, I’ll see the Lord. I’ll stand before Him. If He doesn’t come back for the whole world, He’ll come back for me, He’ll come back for you, and we eagerly expect a Savior from heaven.

When the Lord returns in his glory, then he will transform our lowly body, that it may be conformed to His glorious body. I have especially enjoyed this fall, with all of its colors, and the warm weather lasting so long, and, even now that it’s cold, I enjoy it. I do enjoy the outdoors so much. I enjoy the smells and the feels. I enjoy the world of sense. If I die before Jesus comes back, there will be a period of time when I don’t have a body, and I think I’ll miss it. And I think you will too. I think that we will groan inwardly as we long for our spirits to once again be clothed with a body. Our spirits go immediately to be in the presence of the Lord when we die. Our bodies rest in the graves until the resurrection of the great day. One day those bodies will be resurrected. And when they are resurrected, they will be glorious. No longer will our bodies be subject to the infirmities of sin. No longer will we be subject to sickness, or death. We will have glorious bodies. And while some people, not I, but some people, get tired of this three-dimensional world of sights and sounds and smells and tastes and sensations, apparently God is not tired of it, because He is going to give us a body where we can experience the place where Jesus is, and we can experience Jesus Christ. And we’re going to have a body like His.

The Bible says that, “When He comes” (verse 21), “He will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body according to the working by which He able to subdue even to subdue all things to Himself.” It will not be any problem for Him to change these weak bodies into strong bodies. 1 Corinthians 15 says that this body is sown in weakness, but it is raised in power. It is sown in mortality, but it is raised in immortality. Sown in dishonor, but raised in glory. We are going to be raised in glory!

And as we think about these blessed truths, we are helped in our efforts to live the Christian life here and now. Chapter 4, verse 1: “Therefore my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved.” By thinking about these things, by meditating on them, and by putting them into practice in your life, you will stand fast in the Lord, and you will be able to resist these enemies who are assailing you: from one side the Judaizers who say that it is Jesus plus your own works that get you to heaven, and from the other side, the Epicureans who say that it doesn’t matter how you live as long as you’re just believing the right thing. Both of those are false doctrines; both of these groups are enemies of the cross of Christ. Paul is moved to anger as he thinks about the one, and moved to pity as he thinks of the other. Beware of them, watch out for them, and stand fast in the Lord, my beloved.

Let’s pray.

Father in heaven, we thank you that you have provided us with a righteousness that is pure and spotless. O Lord, please help my lost friends here today who are holding onto their own righteousness and their own works, to quickly put those works behind their back and drop them, hoping that you don’t notice that they had any idea of recommending themselves to you by that. And help them like a little child, helpless, to reach up to you with their empty hands, and lay hold of eternal life.

And Father, we thank you that you deal so faithfully with us, through verses of Scripture like this. O Lord, our eyes are so full of earth, and we spend so much time thinking about and maintaining all our possessions. We pray that you will have mercy upon us. And Lord, if all of these earthly comforts and pleasures are going to keep us out of heaven, please take them all away. If it’s our right hand that’s offending us, give us grace to cut it off and throw it away from us, for it’s better to enter into life having only one hand than, having two hands, to be thrown into destruction.

Or, if it’s something that is so helpful and enjoyable as our right eye, if it causes us to stumble—please—give us grace to pluck it out and throw it away, for it would be better for us to live in your presence forever having lost one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into everlasting darkness where eyes will do us no good anyway.

Lord, forgive us for our hypocrisy. Make us real Christians. Make us real citizens of heaven. We confess to you that sometimes we go for days and don’t think of Jesus coming back. Please forgive us for loving you so little, when you have loved us so much. Cleanse us. We pray that it will be true of us that we will eagerly expect from heaven the Lord Jesus Christ who, by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies, so that they will be like His glorious body.

Help us to live like citizens of heaven. Amen.

Copyright 2000 Jim Scott Orrick
Permission granted for not-for-sale reproduction in exact form including copyright.

Other uses require written permission. Contact jimorrick@hotmail.com

Scripture from The Holy Bible, New King James Version.  Copyright 1982 by
Thomas Nelson, Inc.

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