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Bringing Heaven to Earth -- Philippians 3:17-4:3

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Bringing Heaven to Earth -- Philippians 3:17-4:3 Catalog No. 1305–12 Philippians 3:17–4:3 Central Peninsula Church Justin Buzzard July 22, 2007 Bringing Heaven to Earth SERIES: Philippians: A People and A Place Transformed by the Gospel Several decades ago an anthropologist by the death and our urge to secure our lives and the lives of name of Donald Brown took it upon himself to dig up our loved ones. Agreed? and study all of the documented findings on every Second: the fear of the future and the society and culture known to man. Dr. Brown devoted corresponding need for clarity. All people groups think years of his life to this project. And what he found was a about the future and experience a level of anxiety and list of 372 human universals, 372 traits that are common fear over what could possibly happen in the future. So among all societies and cultures. Upper class people it’s not just you and me, but everybody wants to get some who live in estates on the Peninsula and poor people measure of clarity about the future, some sense that who live in huts in the jungles of Papua, New Guinea whatever’s coming, things are going to be okay. It’s share these 372 universal traits. Here’s some of what Dr. actually this fear that I personally succumb to the most. I Brown found. think that 75% of the sin in my life can be traced to a Joking is common to every society. Every culture fear of the future, not trusting God, and making an idol tells jokes and enjoys laughter. Tickling is a universal out of this need for clarity about what’s to come. Agreed? trait. In every society there are ticklish people who fall Third: the fear of the outsider and the victim to those annoying people. Most of the time corresponding need for community. Children in every they’re relatives who get a kick out of quickly moving society fear strangers. In every society people feel the their fingers against another persons’ skin in hopes of need to seek out community, to establish safe causing them to convulse, scream, or, if you’re super relationships, and we fear outsiders who could be a ticklish like me, perhaps wet their pants! And in hopes of threat or danger to our community. Agreed? preventing such accidents, all societies include toilet Fourth: the fear of chaos and the corresponding training in the education of its children. There isn’t a need for authority. Every society dislikes disorder and society that leaves this out, that thinks children can just chaos. All societies feel a need for authority, for an figure this out on their own. Also on the list is the habit authoritative figure or figures who can take charge, of sucking a wound, the habit of taking turns, the fact provide order, and lead a way out of the chaos. In every that in most marriages the husband is older than the culture you find figures who people look to for wife, and every society has a word for pain. It’s sad but authoritative leadership, whether that’s a president, a true, every society has weapons, murder, and rape. policeman, a pastor, or a psychiatrist. Agreed? Those are just some of Dr. Brown’s 372 human Fifth: the fear of insignificance and the universals. corresponding need for respect. Every society makes a Now those are interesting, but I think this is even distinction between the individual and the group, more interesting. This week I was reading a book by a believing that the individual has a worth and value that’s guy who studied Dr. Brown’s long list of human distinct from the group. Every society has a word for self- universals, and through studying all the traits on this list image and operates under the idea that a positive self- he was able to funnel these 372 traits down to five fears image is better than a negative one. And along with this and five corresponding needs that every society, every comes the idea that, to a significant degree, our self human has. Now, see if you agree that these five fears image is in the hands of other people—we pay attention and needs are true of people here on the Peninsula and to what other people think of us and we fear not being true of other places and societies that you’ve been to or noticed, being insignificant in the eyes of others. So, in that you know about. all societies people feel a need, a craving, for respect. First: the fear of death (our own and our family’s) You and I want, at least in some way, to be recognized and the corresponding need for security. In every society and respected by others. Agreed? people are afraid of dying, afraid of their loved ones Now, I think these five fears and five needs can dying, and they feel a need for security. So much of travel through one more funnel and be filtered down to how you, me, and people everywhere operate on a day one universal longing that all societies, all people, to day level can be explained by this deep down fear of share. What these fears and needs reveal is a longing for heaven. We all long for a place where our deepest understand this. needs are met and we no longer have to fear death, the In 42 BC, about a hundred years before Paul future, chaos, outsiders, or what other people think first visited Philippi, it was the setting for one of the about us. It’ll take heaven to meet these needs and great battles in the Roman civil war that broke out calm these fears. The universal longing among all after the death of Julius Caesar. After winning this societies, the longing of this fearful and needy battle at Philippi, the two victorious generals, Antony Peninsula, whether people are aware of it or not, is and Octavian (who would later become Emperor ultimately a longing for heaven. Augustus) found themselves with a bit of a problem. Today’s text speaks to this longing. Today’s text They had a whole lot of soldiers there in northern is about heaven. We’ll see that today’s verses address Greece with nothing left to do. They didn’t want to the five universal fears and needs of this world, and of suddenly bring thousands of soldiers back home to your life and my life, by talking about heaven. But the Rome because it would’ve been dangerous to have way in which this is done is surprising. What the apostle such an influx suddenly take up residence in the Paul has to say about heaven in Philippians 3:17-4:3 is unstable and overcrowded capital city. So, the different, is unexpected, from what many of us might generals’ solution was to give their soldiers land in think he’d say. So, let’s read this intriguing passage, and Philippi and to make Philippi a colony of Rome. then we’ll talk about it. And once this colony was established other “Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your veterans from other battles and other migrants from eyes on those who walk according to the Rome also made this new colony their home. By the example you have in us. For many, of whom I time Paul arrived on the scene, Philippi had become have often told you and now tell you even a city full of Roman citizens. Close contact was with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of maintained between Philippi and the mother city. Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is The Philippian colonists were proud of being their belly, and they glory in their shame, with Romans and they did their best to order their civic minds set on earthly things. But our life, the life of their city, so that it matched the way citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await things were done in Rome. So, if someone in a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his Philippi said, “We are citizens of Rome, our glorious body, by the power that enables him citizenship is in Rome,” they wouldn’t mean, “so we’re even to subject all things to himself. looking forward to going to live there, to live in Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long Rome.” A colony works the other way around. The for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the task of a Roman citizen in Philippi was to bring Lord, my beloved. I entreat Euodia and I Roman culture, Roman ways, and Roman rule to entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord. Yes, I Philippi—to expand Roman influence where they ask you also, true companion, help these were stationed. The residents of Philippi were to women, who have labored side by side with make their city an outpost of Rome. Their charge as me in the gospel together with Clement and Roman citizens was to bring Rome to Philippi. the rest of my fellow workers, whose names When these Christians in Philippi heard the are in the book of life.” words, “our citizenship is in heaven,” they would’ve I. Thesis: Christians bring heaven to earth (v. 20a) thought not about going to heaven, but about their There’s a lot going on in these nine verses, but responsibility to bring heaven to earth.
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