Living Between Two Worlds - Part A

How do you strike the balance between being a citizen of heaven. That's were going to end up Philippians 320, our citizenship is in heaven. While at the same time being responsible as a citizen of this earth. How do we live in between these worlds moving to heaven or on the earth. Philippians gives us real good structure on how to do that Christians have a dual citizenship on earth and heaven and our citizenship in heaven to make us better people hereunder today on connect with skip-Skip shares when you can overcome one of the biggest challenges you face as a Christian fool would begin. Here's a resource that will help you become the difference maker God created you to be. I've enjoyed watching the growth in the ministry of my friend Levi Lustgarten this month's connect with Skip resource.

Take back your life new book by Levi Lesko usually bided tell you about it's all around this idea taking back your life is a 40 day interactive journey thinking right so you can live right is can be really powerful and special. I think some people to have this bellies in hardcover, which just makes me happy because I never had a booklist hardcover but has a ribbon so you really keep track of your progress through these 40 days. It would be an incredible gift to someone who is looking to grow in their faith or for any of us you want to maybe conduit will change for your heart. Check online on your wellness on where you're at it all deal with internal difficulties and help you deal better with external circumstances that are challenging as we explore how we get to the very best version of ourselves that we are meant to be just the book take back your life with a donation of $35 to connect with skip: 1-800-922-1888 online and connectwithskip.com this hardcover book by Levi Lesko will help you take back your life. It's a 40 day interactive journey to thinking right so you can live right 1-800-922-1888 let's get into today's teacher Philippians chapter 1 begin our study with skip-spent four months we've been studying eternity. We followed the Christian from the grave to glory from death to eternal life from the temporal into the eternal from Earth to heaven and we've seen all of the different stages in all of the different phases and that's one journey you want to make sure you're ready for Rogge to take it you want to make sure that you're ready, because the Bible says it's appointed and every man to die once and after this comes the judgment, but to get to heaven you have to have the right approach. You can't just say why just decided I want to go there. That's a good decision but you gotta make sure that you come to the right channel just like if you were to go to a foreign country, you could just decide to buy a plane ticket you can get into a country unless you have one of these I brought mine this morning because there was a time when I forgot mine at the airport in Los Angeles. I had flown from Albuquerque to LAX.

I've been doing domestic travel and I just didn't think about the passport and so I got to my connecting flight at LAX. They asked for this in my heart sunk as I know I didn't packet. Try to stay overnight in LA airport. While this was being overnighted to me. The passport allows you entrance into a foreign country and so to to get into heaven you have to come with the right documentation not because you have a big Bible or a bumper sticker on your car or because you attend a certain church to come the way of Jesus Christ alone. So I want to sum up all that we have studied with today's message there's two things you need to be sure of. You need to be ready to die and you need to be ready to live until you die first, you need to be ready to die because that moment could come at any moment I heard a story of a bank in Binghamton New York that wanted to send flowers to a competitor bank that had moved to a new location so they sent the flowers with the flower shop got the card mixed up so you imagine their surprise when this new bank at their new location saw a card on the flowers that read with deepest sympathy is when the right message. The flower company was embarrassed but there were even more embarrassed because they realize at that moment.

There's a funeral home in that town in a flower bouquet in front of a casket with a card that said congratulations on your new location which is pretty accurate. Actually, if you think about it, that person in the casket is no longer there there at a new location question is where are they may or may not be a cause for congratulations so you want to make sure that you're ready to die.

But are you ready to live until you die. This is where we now come to Philippians how do you strike the balance between being a citizen of heaven. That's were going to end up Philippians 320, our citizenship is in heaven. While at the same time being responsible as a citizen of this earth. How do we live in between these worlds were were moving to heaven but were on the earth. Philippians gives us a real good structure on how to do that, I'm taking you to chapter 1 to read a section of verses together, to give you four words that will describe how Paul strikes the balance between the present and the future. Those words are simple and there in your outline. Rustling wanting willing and waiting and will see how that impacts as we go together.

Let's read the entire section beginning in chapter 1 verse 19 for I know that this will turn out for my salvation through your prayer and the supply of the spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and hope that nothing I shall be ashamed that with all boldness, as always. So now also Christ will be magnified in my body whether by life or by death.

For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain. But if I live on in the flesh. This will mean fruit from my labor yet what I shall choose I cannot tell I'm hard-pressed between the two having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless, to remain in the flesh is more needful for you and being confident of this. I know that I shall remain and continue with you for your progress and joy of faith that your rejoicing for me may be more abundant in Jesus Christ by my coming to you again, it's pretty obvious from this paragraph that the Paul is wrestling with something he struggling with how he feels about what the future might bring you see he's in prison is been arrested and he doesn't know how the trials going to go if he's going to get a death sentence or if he's gonna be released. He may live you may die no and so he's very honest emotionally about how he takes the situation and that they are right.

First read this paragraph what they would came to my mind immediately. Member fiddler on the roof. Remember, the patriarch of the family name 10 via his three daughters are getting married this guy thinks out loud.

He processes out loud in one of his daughters wanting to marry this guy.

They don't really approve of the guidance. Ottavio says on one hand he's not the one I would've chosen but on the other hand, she loves him.

And on one hand he goes back and forth deliberating with this choice let's what Paul is doing here. He's thinking about the possibility of living and continuing his ministry or dying and going to heaven. Notice verse 23.

I'm hard-pressed between the two we'd say I'm in between a rock and a hard place. In fact, the idea the picture behind the language, the Paul uses is the picture of a traveler on a narrow road with our canyon walls on either side. And as he travels there pressing in further and further in constricting his travel more and more so think of it this way.

On one side is the wall of what Paul wants for himself in the light of his situation. I'd rather just be in heaven on the other side is the wall of what they, the Philippian church need for Paul, the continuing to minister to them and to live as an example, let's apply that sometimes our lives become confined things narrow our options are less today than they were yesterday.

We feel like life is closing in on us at those times could be an illness that we face loss of a loved one loss of a job, career change, death of a vision breakup of a relationship with feel like our life is being constricted those moments, our choices are very critical and and we as Christians are faced with the choice Mike Mike in a land on choosing to live for God's glory, or for my personal comfort. Typically, when we go through a hard time. Our first responses. How can I get out of this. It should be. What can I get out of this for the glory of God not tell you why that's a critical choice because in those times, if our motivation is for personal comfort rather than God's glory would end up in one of two different camps number one son become fatalistic that is.

This is hard. Heaven is better to be better fighters die. I know people who live their whole life that way. Never happy dollars is a bummer to drag life horrible. We get to heaven soon to be better did I know, those people can develop suicidal tendencies. It can be a very dangerous way to think others rather than becoming fatalistic become totally materialistic, yet life is hard as the drag I know I'm going to heaven. But till I get there I'm gonna make it all about me and have as much fun and spend as much money as I can on my own personal comfort become materialistic, I know that she didn't really completely understand what she was saying but I meditate a story about a girl that I met years ago we were all talking about.

She is a believer were all talking about the Lord coming soon and she was just getting engaged to a young fella, never, never forget what she said was it yet.

Jesus could come at any moment and she said will I hope you didn't come right away because are still a few things I haven't done yet. There's a few experiences I haven't made it through like marriage and children and I like to buy a house and she had a little list of things she wanted before the Lord can know.

I understand that kind of emotion, but she really sold the Lord short on that. Not understanding what eternity had in store for her as a believer for reminds me of Mark Twain when he was told about heaven. He said you can have heaven. You just give me Bermuda in a for him the temporal role was more important than the eternal. So here's Paul. He's in a predicament he's in prison. He doesn't know which way the vertex going to fall and so he's wrestling. He tells us also in the same paragraph what he wants. Personally, he's wrestling with a predicament he's wanting to push off and I'll tell you why use that language in a moment. Look at verse 23 he said I'm hard-pressed between the two constricting walls of my emotion having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.

So what is you want what is you want to do is a desire to what depart the word he chose is a very telling and descriptive word on a loose side and on a Lucite means to let loose of, or to break up or to undo it was a word couple thousand years ago in the Greek language that was used number one of mariners who were leaving port and what they would do is they would loose the ship of the mornings they would untie the ropes they would bring up the anchor and it would give them the freedom to set sail. That's what they meant by the word departure and it's a beautiful description of Christian death, to pick up the anchor and I move in on Paul used it that way when he wrote to young Timothy in second Timothy chapter 4 is toward the end of his life and he said I'm already being poured out as a drink offering at the time of my departure on a Lucite is at hand Timothy I'm I'm already untying the ropes. I'm bringing up the anchor. I know my time is short on setting sale of this imagery has found its way into him knowledge.

He some of the hymn writer speak about gathering together on the other shore were setting sale.

There's a second way. The word on a Lucite was used in ancient times and that was for striking a camp or breaking up the Soldiers would camp out in their tents was time for them to move on. They would fold their tents up they would take out the tent pegs they would wind up courts and they would move on.

That's a beautiful description of death as well were pilgrims were traveling through work camping out on this earth. This is impermanent now camping is a lot of fun for like a day okay for a week or two, but you know you have to like two or three weeks in a tent gets really old and it you long for something more permanent belong for a shower for your smelling pretty ripe after a few weeks I do care what KOA's have. It's just different, and so the Bible is very descriptive to say this life is like living in a tent work camping out and when we die we strike the camp we move on to something more permanent.

Second Corinthians chapter 5.

We know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down. That is when we die and leave these bodies will have a home in heaven, and eternal body made for us by God and not by human hands. And if you're an honest person. The longer you live, you realize you it is very temporary, and I am in a tent.

I woke up this morning and looked at my tent in the mirror and I saw the flaps and the tent is stretching out a little bit.

The cordially going a little bit looser in the you can't wait for something more permanent. A few days before he died a guy by the name of FB Meyer is a pastor last generation wrote to a friend that here's a guy in his deathbed and he says this. I have just heard to my great surprise that I have but a few days to live. It may be that before this letter reaches you. I shall have entered the palace and he closes don't trouble to write, we shall meet in the morning so beautiful here I am writing you. You may not even get this before. I'm in the palace. I get to heaven.

I've moved on. Don't even bother to write see in the morning. I also discovered that departure can come at any moment you might think. Today all I won't depart from this life for years. You might not be here next week. There are just no guarantees. It can happen at any moment. Here's Paul Singer today what I want. I would love to depart. I love to set sail. I'd love to strike the camp and move on to something more permanent. Notice what he continues to say in that verse having a desire to depart and be with Christ.

That's the best part. The best part is the departure. It's the arrival encounter.

I think I told you about JB Phillips who wrote the great translation of the New Testament and he conducted so many funerals in his lifetime he never spoke about a Christian who died as the dearly departed. Give your pastor say that at a funeral here. The dearly departed is you didn't say that he talked about them is the one who has arrived at your believer when you die really arrived.

So there's the departure but there is immediately the encounter. I have a desire to depart as a means I'm to be with Christ, we have spent four months talking about the arrival four months talking about what it's like a moment we die and were in glory, and we get reunited with loved ones were in the throne room of God. We see the Lamb and the choirs of heaven and with the resurrected bodies will be like and all of that hope. Upon the arrival you know there's there's two modes of transportation to heaven. Number one death and so far that's how everybody has gotten there's gotten her death.

Number two is when the Lord comes back and the saints who are alive are instantly translated into heaven is the rapture of the church.

That's another way to get there, was the only two modes of getting to heaven as described in first Thessalonians chapter 4 it says we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air enters the best part, and so shall we always be with the Lord is the departure there's the encounter.

The encounter is the best part is what you're with him. You'll always be with right what you're caught up in the air or you die and are instantly in heaven will always be with them to be with him when he returns to the earth will be with them in the millennial reign you be with them in the eternal city forever you'll be with the Lord. No wonder he says that in the same verse having a desire to depart and be with Christ.

This which is far better to words far better in Greek.

It's three words note it reads literally, which is much more better if you're an English teacher that's repulsive you bad English happens to be good Greek and it's great theology. Heaven is much more better than earth. The arrival is much more better than even the departure and being here now for Paul to say this is pretty obvious that he believed the moment he died he would at that very moment be with the Lord. There's no holding pattern is no waiting. There's no going somewhere else. There is no limbo there's no purgatory there's no soul sleep is some hold that if you die as a Christian you going is this sort of suspended state of unconsciousness, until the Lord returns, then you're awakened in your with Paul witness said that if you believe that as he thought when he departs will be with Christ, which is far better. He was anticipating to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord I'm in review something else.

Dwight Lyman Moody.

I've quoted him on many occasions a great evangelist and pastor of Moody Bible church last generation.

He was on his deathbed while he was there and he did know what the future state would be. He told his family gathered around him.

I'm not discouraged. I want to live as long as I'm useful when my work is done.

I want to be up and off when a pushoff. That's my desired to depart when it's my time. After a particularly restless night. The next morning with a very careful, measured speech. He said this earth recedes heaven opens performing was signed.

It was at his bedside, but Pops is dreaming, and Dwight said to his son know this is not a dream will it's beautiful. If this is death.

It is sweet. There's no valley here God is calling me and I must go when a great way to go.

It's so great to have lived that kind of a life so that the any this is it. I'm graduating now this is sweet so go back to Paul. He's in prison in Rome writing to the Philippians doesn't know which way the verdict will pass on his behalf or will he be killed and SEs wrestles with this.

He says let me just tell you where I'm at where I'm at my own personal desire be a lot easier a lot better for me to leave this earth and be home with the Lord. However, the 24th verse switches gears. That's what he wants. The third word he's willing to persist. He's willing to stay and work for the Lord on earth, for he says nevertheless, to remain in the flesh or in my physical body is more needful for you and being confident of this. I know that I shall remain and continue with you for or excuse me, I forgot the word all and continue with you all.

He's from the South for your progress and joy of faith. So the Sunni saying as much as I want to go home. I understand that I have some unfinished work here I have a hunch that I'm in a stay around for you all is what I want you to notice. Here's a spiritual man caught between two worlds, earth and heaven, and as a spiritual man, though he would live just be in heaven because it's a place of comfort and joy and reward.

He's balancing out what he wants with what they need any places what they need before when he wants is a spiritual man that Skip message from the suit from the edge of eternity. Now you Skip to share how you can keep these messages going strong to connect more people to Scripture.

Even believers can hear from God's calling for their lives. But God will always do what it takes to bring you back into his fold while our heart is to come alongside listeners like you as you follow God's calling on your life and you can help do the same for others. Help share these encouraging teachings with more people through your generous giving. Here's how you can give a gift today you should connectwithskip.com/donate to give a gift that's connectwithskip.com/domain: 800-922-8800 922-1880 thank you for your generosity and come back tomorrow. Skip hi six years, the apostle Paul's like model and challenges you to evaluate what you're looking for is his motto. This is the slogan for me to live is Christ, the die is. I wonder what one sentence would sum up your life there is to be something on your tombstone marked were in this life and how you live so Skip presentation of connection communications through