PHILIPPIANS 3:20

April 1, 2012FIRST BAPTIST CHURCHJACKSON, MISSISSIPPI

"Praying For Our Jerusalem" Acts 1:8Praying For Our Jerusalem is a prayer effort by which we attempt to go into every home of our church family

for the sole purpose of praying with the people in that home. No gimmicks, no signing up for something, just to pray. Prayer Warriors will visit in

four homes and pray with our church families from April 1-30.

Thursday, April 5

Maundy Thursday

6:00 p.m. in the Chapel

Sunday, April 8 - EASTER

Worship and Sunday School at 9:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.

No Evening Services

BREATH OF LIFEA SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASS FOR THOSE WITH A CHRONIC COUGH*TIME: 8 AM APRIL 15th*PLACE: CHAPEL PARLOR

Men's Conference Life of Valor Madison Campus Friday, April 20 6:00 - 10:00 p.m.

COST: $10.00 each (includes supper)All men (age 13 and older) Register online at www.fbcj.org or call 601.949.1948

Thank You for Serving banquet to honor waiters & waitresses at: The South, 627 East Silas Brown Jackson, MS 39201Monday, April 23rd 6-8 pm

FRIEND DAY

SUNDAY, APRIL 29th Goal: 2,500 in

SSOffering warm

fellowship and refreshments!

What are we doing differently after the Greg Frizzell Going Deeper with God Conference and how do we now see God at work at FBCJ?  

The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, Copyright © Moody Press and John MacArthur, Jr., 1983-2007.

*Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

*Barclay's Daily Study Bible (NT)

*J. Vernon McGee's Thru The Bible

Wiersbe Expository Outlines

Philippians 3:20-21 “For our citizenship is in Heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; Who will transform the body of our

humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.” Phil 3:20-21

Since Christ is in Heaven, those who love Him must be preoccupied with Heaven, longing for Christ to return and take them to be with Him (1 Thess 4:17).

1 Thessalonians 4:17 17 “Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so

we shall always be with the Lord.”

1 Thessalonians 4:17

Paul had little interest in the comforts and pleasures of this world, as should we, and it is consistent for us to have a heavenly focus since our citizenship is in Heaven.

Politeuma (citizenship) appears only here in the New Testament, though Paul used the related verb in 1:27.

Citizenship refers to the place where one has official status, the commonwealth where one's name is recorded on the register of citizens.

Luke 10:2020  “ Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in Heaven.”

Revelation 21:25-27 25 “In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed; 26 and they will bring the glory and the honor of the

nations into it; 27 and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are

written in the Lamb’s book of life.”

Revelation 21:25-27

*We are members of Christ's kingdom, which is not of this world (John 18). *Though believers live in this world, we are citizens of Heaven.

20 “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”2Cor5:20

*We are citizens of Heaven and ambassadors for Christ in the USA.*We presently reside on Hotel Earth but our citizenship is in Heaven.

Our names are recorded in Heaven;our Savior is there; our fellow saints are there; our inheritance is there (1 Peter 1:4);

our treasure is there (Matt 6:20), andour reward is there (Matt 5:12).

OUR INHERITAANCE1 Peter 1:3-4 

3“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who according to His great mercy has caused us

to be born again to a livinghope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and

undefiled and will not fadeaway, reserved in Heaven for you,”

1 Peter 1:3-4

OUR TREASUREMATTHEW 6:19-2119“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves

break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break

in or steal; 21 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Matthew 6:19-21

OUR REWARDMatthew 5:12 12  “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in Heaven is great!”

Our names are recorded in Heaven;our Savior is there; our fellow saints are there; our inheritance, treasure and rewards are all there!

*Though we do not yet live in Heaven, we experience to some degree the heavenly life here on earth. *We already live in the heavenly realm (Eph 2:4-6):

Ephesians 2:4-6

4 “But God, being rich in mercy, made us alive together with Christ and raised us up with Him, and

seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ.”

Ephesians 2:4-6

We have the life of God within us, we are under the rule of Heaven's King (“Thy kingdom come”), and we live for Heaven's cause (the Great Co-Mission).

Paul's reference to citizenship may have been especially meaningful to the Philippians, since Philippi was a Roman colony.

The Philippians were Roman citizens, though obviously living outside of Rome, just as we are citizens of Heaven living here on earth.

To the disciples who watched as Christ ascended into Heaven the angels said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, Who has been

taken up from you into Heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into Heaven." Acts 1:11

In John 14:2-3 Jesus Himself promised, "In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare

a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also." John 14:2-3

*The Carpenter of Nazareth knows how to prepare a place for you.

*While You Were Out – “Driver, move that bus!”

*Jesus is preparing a place for you and He is also preparing you for a place.

We should think daily about Jesus and about Heaven.

Satan does not want us to dwell on Heaven nor to know about Heaven because when we know the truth about Heaven, we’ll grow to love God and as we

love God, we are emboldened to do His will.