“Look Out, Look In, Look Up!” Philippians 3.17–4.1, Lent 2C, Feb. ’16

1. Please pray with me.  May the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer.  Amen.  Since Lent is a time of self-examination and personal preparation as we remember our Savior’s passion, with God’s help it’s a good time to take personal inventory and stock of oneself.  Today in the Epistle from Philippians Paul pointed to the “enemies of the cross of Christ,” as he urged the believers to remain steadfast in the face of the world’s hatred. We as Christians should remember our citizenship in Christ’s eternal kingdom of heaven.  Today St. Paul speaks to us from Philippians 3:17-4:1. He tells us to: look out for the world (vv. 18, 19), look into the Word (vv. 17, 20), and finally to look up to the Lord (vv. 21; 4:1).  The message from God’s Word today is entitled, “Look Out, Look In, Look Up!”  Dear brothers and sisters in Christ.
2. The preschool teachers instructed their students to fold their hands and bow their heads when they went into the church sanctuary. Such pious posture was fitting for the house of God. On one occasion, a young pietist ran into the end of a pew and fell down, skinning his elbows. The teacher and the principal took him outside to see if he needed medical attention. As the teacher held him, she asked what happened. Between sniffles the boy answered, “I was so busy being reverent, I forgot where I was headed.”
3. Here in Philippians St. Paul holds out before us our upward calling, his example, and the promise of our transformation in the resurrection. In contrast, we often focus on earthly comforts, worldly examples of success, and maintaining a youthful appearance for this life. But, while doing this, we starve our souls and forget to look out for the world, look into God’s Word, and look to where we are headed. For our citizenship is in heaven!  Just like that little boy we can get distracted from where we are headed. Our life is in Christ, who rules over all things in heaven and earth.
4. As foreigners in this world, we should never feel as though we are completely at home on this earth. We live here for now, but we don’t belong here. Our home is with our Father in his heavenly kingdom. In fact, as foreigners in this world, we should view the ways of this world as also foreign to us. This is what Paul wanted the congregation at Philippi to know as he wrote to them the words of our Epistle.
5. We are called to imitate Paul, an example of heavenly citizenship.  In Philippians 3:17 St. Paul says, “17Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.”  Not Paul who’d been a Pharisee, a legalist—zealous in behavior, but captive to the law of sin (Rom 7:23).  But Paul the new man, delivered and forgiven by Christ.  This Paul had abandoned what lay behind: the “worldly way” of trying to earn God’s favor as well as the way of gratifying one’s basest appetites (3:13).  This Paul was straining forward to the upward call of God—living each day as a momentary investment in his and others’ eternity (3:14).
6. Unfortunately, even heaven’s citizens are tempted to worldliness.  This is why we are to look out for the temptations of the world that can lead us into sin.  Paul says in Philippians 3:18-19, “18For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.”  Their mind can become set on earthly things.  Their god is their belly; their glory is in their shame.  They can become secure in their sins.  Thus some citizens of heaven fall away.  They come to walk as enemies of the cross of Christ.  Their end will be destruction, body and soul, in hell.

7.                        We grieve with Paul for the lowness of many people in our time. Their end is destruction.  Our culture defines a “glorious body” by good looks, exercise, diet, shampoo, deodorant, cosmetics, clothing, medication. Our culture teaches people to boast without any sense of wonder, “It’s my body.”  Madness, unreal! Jesus tells us, “You can’t make one hair black or white”—though our culture defies that too, or pretends it can. It claims there is no God, but enslaves people to the gods of pleasurable desire—foods, alcohol, hallucinating drugs, sex without restraint.  Their “end is destruction.” They live under a tyrannical illusion. Their minds know nothing of God and “gift.” They explain “body” by animal “evolution,” but know nothing of the “person-self” that controls the body. “My life starts with me,” is the empty assumption, as though I am the only god there is. “It’s end is destruction,” yes—of personal self, body, family, society, everything.

8.  But, God has made us heavenly citizens who wait anxiously for our Savior’s return.  Philippians 3:20-4:1 says, “20 Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.  1Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.”  We have been made citizens of heaven!  Our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, opened heaven to us by his life, death, resurrection, and ascension.  By grace, God has made us citizens of that heaven through Holy Baptism.

9   As heaven’s citizens, we anxiously await our Savior’s return, we look up to our citizenship in heaven.  We occupy our minds with heavenly thoughts through worship, personal devotions, Bible study, and prayer.  We eat heavenly food in the Lord’s Supper, where we receive the forgiveness of sins and eternal life.  We walk according to those examples of citizens of Christ’s kingdom.  We stand firm to the end, anxiously awaiting the transformation of our bodies to be like his glorious body.

10. As heavenly citizens, we endure our time on earth and long for the day when our heavenly Father will take us home.  We look out for the world that seeks to call us away from our citizenship in heaven (vv. 18, 19), we look into the Word (vv. 17, 20), and finally to look up to the Lord (vv. 21; 4:1).   As foreigners who live for news and mail and word from the country we love, we count down the days to set foot in the land that will always be home.  Amen.