If you were to ask my wife, she would tell you that there are times when I can be physically present but I am somewhere else. My mind and my thoughts are somewhere else. I wish I could say that happened only occasionally, but it probably happens a little bit more than occasionally. I think all of us have those times. We are in one place, but our minds are somewhere else. Now, in a relationship or in a marriage, if that is always the way is then there are problems there. But that is a common experience for many of us: To be physically in one place but with our minds somewhere else.

So you are right this morning to be suspicious of this statement: The contented Christian longs for heaven. We are immediately suspicious (and perhaps naturally should be suspicious) of this kind of idea. The contented Christian longs for heaven. This is counterintuitive. Isn't the essence of contentment to be content where we are, not longing to be somewhere else or thinking about being somewhere else? Isn't that the essence of contentment?

On the one hand, we can say yes, that is true. Wherever you are now you are to be content there, because God has ordained for you to be there, and you are to live there for his glory. Yet at the same time, the Christian lives in this world recognizing that this world is not our home. As Paul says here in Philippians 3:20: “Our citizenship is in heaven.” This world is not our home. We are just passing through, as the old spiritual puts it. We are to live as citizens of heaven. As Jeremiah Burroughs put it in his wonderful classic The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment, heaven is found in the one who longs for heaven.

I want us to see a few things today. We are going to begin here in Philippians 3 and then we are are going to look at a few other passages.

Our Citizenship is in Heaven⤒🔗

First of all, I want us to see that the contented Christian recognizes that his citizenship is in heaven. That is precisely what Paul says here (verse 20): “Our citizenship is in heaven.”

It is interesting that Paul would write this to the Philippians. Let's look a little bit at the historical context. The ancient city of Philippi was a Roman colony. That meant that it had a special relationship with Rome, the centre and the capital of the world in the first century. The citizens of Philippi were Roman citizens. Not every city in the ancient world could claim that. And the citizens of Philippi guarded that relationship with Rome. They were structured according to Roman ways of doing things. In fact, historians refer to Philippi as a miniature Rome. “We are citizens of the Roman Empire; we are Roman citizens”—they cherished that and they guarded that. And it is precisely to these people, the Christians in Philippi, that Paul says, “No, no, our citizenship is in heaven.”

We have something of that in our country, don't we? Most of us are proud to be Americans. We love living in this country. The blessings of God in many ways have been poured out on us. We have freedom to worship here that many people in other parts of the world do not. We can worship without the fear of persecution. We have tremendous blessings. We are Americans! We swell up with pride on the fourth of July. We may get a little teary eyed when we hear those patriotic songs. But Paul says to us today, “Our citizenship is in heaven.”

Now, most of you have heard the old saying that many people level against Christians: “Those Christians are just heavenly minded, they are no earthly good.”

I think we can respond in two ways to that. First of all, I love the response of the preacher Eric Alexander. Eric Alexander, who has ministered for many, many years, says, “Never in all my years of ministry have I met such a person.” The problem is we are not heavenly minded; we are earthly minded. The second response is to say this: The more heavenly minded we are, the more earthly useful to God we are. We must be heavenly minded to be of earthly use to God.

We could look at a number of examples of this in Scripture. Turn over with me to Colossians 3. Paul says:

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. Colossians 3:1-2, ESV

Be heavenly minded, set your mind on those things. What is the result when we do that? Paul goes on. It means a change in our behaviour:

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you. Colossians 3:5a, ESV

“Put away these things,” Paul says. There is a change that happens in our character that goes along with that. In verses 12ff Paul goes on to show how our life together is changed. Not only is our character changed, but life together then is changed:

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. Colossians 3:12-14, ESV

Do you see that? Heavenly mindedness affects life here—how we treat one another. Our lack of forgiveness is the result of our lack of heavenly mindedness. Why? Because I want my rights now! I want justice now! I want my way now!

Look at how it affects broader relationships. Colossians 3:12ff. deals with the church. Beginning in verse 18 we see that this affects our marriages:

Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives…Children, obey your parents…Fathers, do not provoke your children.Colossians 3:18-19a, 20a, 21a, ESV

It affects our family life. It affects our work life. In verse 22 Paul addresses slaves—essentially, that can be addressed to us in our working lives:

Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. Colossians 3:22-24, ESV

It affects how we work. As we set our minds on things above, we see this life as ultimately serving Christ for his reward, not earthly rewards and earthly pleasures. So the bottom line here is: The more heavenly minded we are, the more earthly good we are to God. So we need to be a people who have a mind for the things above.

Turn to Philippians 1:23, where Paul says, “I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.” “I desire to go to be with Christ” What we are going to see in a few moments is that what this leads to is a commitment to doing Christ's work on earth and to serving wherever Christ wants him to serve. The one who longs for heaven and the one who longs to be with Christ is the one who faithfully serves Christ in this world. Citizens of heaven live with heavenly values, and this leads to peace with God and contentment in this world. 

In addition, I think we can add this: When we keep heaven in mind, it itself brings contentment. The fears and the restlessness of this age do not control us. The things of heaven control our thoughts and our minds. We know that God is in control. Jeremiah Burroughs says this: “There is a Heaven in the soul of a godly man…no soul shall ever come to Heaven, but the soul which has Heaven come to it first” (The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment, 2010, p. 80). Don't you love that? We need to be a heavenly minded people for contentment and for godliness to serve Christ in the world. 

Longing to Be with Christ, Yet Doing Christ’s Work on Earth←⤒🔗

Secondly, I want us to see that the contented Christian longs to depart and be with Christ, and yet carries on the work that Christ has given him to do. Look with me at Philippians 1. Paul longs to depart and to be with Christ. It is one thing to know that our citizenship is in heaven, and it is a completely other thing to long to be there. Many of us, because we read our Bibles, know we are citizens of heaven. But to long to be there is another story. Paul says both things. He not only knows that he is a citizen of heaven, but he longs to be there to be with Christ. And this determines his earthly life.

Let's pick up the context here in Philippians 1. Look back to verse 18, which is where a lengthy discussion really begins. Most of our Bibles make a break and begin a new paragraph at the end of verse 18 (and I think that is probably right) where Paul says here, “Yes, and I will rejoice.” Remember we have said that Philippians is about joy and the life of joy. 16 times the noun “joy” and the verb “rejoice” occurs in Philippians. It is a letter of joy. We have also said that this is closely tied to contentment. Joy comes by finding contentment in God's sovereign control of our lives. So Paul says here, “Yes, and I will rejoice.”

How? Why? Paul goes on to tell us. In fact, if you look with me, you see that this passage is a tightly constructed passage. Verse 18: “Yes, and I will rejoice.” Verse 19: “For I know.” The word “for” here ties verses 19-20 to Paul's rejoicing. In verse 21 we see that little word “for” again: “For to me to live is Christ.” And then verses 22-26 actually further expound Paul's statement in verse 21. So this passage builds on itself, but it is all tied together, showing the nature of Paul's rejoicing (how and why Paul can rejoice).

Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance.Philippians 1:18b-19, ESV

The ESV here translates ‘deliverance’. If you have a different version, your Bible may read ‘salvation’. In fact, the Greek word that is used here is the word that Paul typically uses to refer to salvation, in the sense of being saved from sin. It is possible that he does mean deliverance in this context from this current circumstance…which is what? He is in prison. He is perhaps saying, “Through your prayers and the help of the Holy Spirit, I may be delivered from my current physical plight in prison.” Yet I believe Paul here is referring to actual salvation. I think Paul at this point is wrestling with the question of [whether he will] remain faithful. Will he be asked to deny Christ? Is he going to be faithful in this current plight? And Paul says, “Yes, by the help of the Holy Spirit and through your prayers, this will turn out for salvation.”

Paul recognizes that our salvation is all of God's grace, but God also uses other means. So we pray for one another. We pray for holiness, but we also pray for faithfulness. And that is a God-ordained means that God brings us ultimately to salvation. So he is thankful for the Spirit’s help and for their prayers. And he goes on to say:

…as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. Philippians 1:20, ESV

Christ will be honoured in his body. That is his hope; that is his expectation; that is his confidence. Why? He tell us in verse 21:

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Philippians 1:21, ESV

Christ will be exalted. Why? Paul says, “Because my life is Christ. For me to live is Christ and to die is gain. Christ be honoured!” Why? “Because I live for him and I will die for him.” And more than that, he says, “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Why? Because if life is Christ now, death means more of Christ! That is why death is gain. More of Christ: That is his longing.

Then Paul goes on in verses 22ff. to show how this affects his life in the world:

If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again. Philippians 1:22-26, ESV

There are a lot of questions that we can raise about these verses, but we are not going to get into them today. But as Paul struggles with this desire to go and be with Christ, he says, “Okay, I will do Christ's will here. I will be faithful to him. And that will be good for you, Philippians.” So his life, being Christ, means faithful service now. His longing to depart and be with Christ affects how he lives now in faithful service to his churches. It is the Christ-centred nature of Paul's life that enables him to be eminently useful to Christ in the world. And this leads to a life full of confidence and full of contentment.

Now, ultimately this is tied to his union with Christ—to be in union and communion and fellowship with Christ. And that union and communion now leads to a desire for greater intimacy: Death being more of Christ. Not that the Christian sits around saying, “I wish I would die.” That is not the point. The point is, “I know Christ and I want to know him so much better, and so death is gain.” This strengthens the Christian. This gives the Christian contentment in this life.

Compare this to the way people often think of heaven and what is to come. There was a popular country song a few years ago titled If Heaven. Let me give you some of the lines of it:

If heaven was an hour, it would be twilight,
When the fireflies start their dancing on the lawn.
And supper’s on the stove, and mamma is laughing,
And everybody’s working day is done.

If heaven was a pie, it would be cherry,
So cool and sweet and heavy on the tongue.
And just one bite would satisfy your hunger,
And there’d always be enough for everyone.

Don't cry a tear for me now baby.
There comes a time we all must say goodbye.
And if that's what heaven is made of,
You know I ain't afraid to die.Andy Griggs, 2004

“If heaven is these nice earthly scenes, if that what heaven is all about, I am not afraid to go,” he says. We can laugh. It is a fairly non-Christian depiction of heaven. But how do we sometimes talk about it? Why do we want to go there? “The streets of gold…no pain…no death.” Those are wonderful images, but the Christian longs for heaven not because it is a nice place to go, but because Christ is there and we long to be with Christ! Heaven is in Paul's soul. He wants more of the same. But that leads to a desire to serve Christ now, and that ultimately leads to joy, to rejoicing and to contentment in his life. “I will rejoice as I live for Christ now, even as I long for more of him in the world to come.” 

Recognizing the Glorious Things Laid Up in Heaven←⤒🔗

Third and finally, contentment comes by recognizing the glorious things laid up in heaven. Let's look at a couple other passages. Turn back to Romans 8. Paul says:

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. Romans 8:18, ESV

This life is a life of struggle and a life of suffering for God's people. There is a groaning:

And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. Romans 8:23, ESV

There is a groaning that takes place in the life of the Christian, longing for something more. There is a glory that is laid out for us: The redemption of our bodies.

For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Romans 8:24-25, ESV

There is something greater that is still to come! Turn forward in your Bible to 2 Corinthians 4. Paul here uses very similar language to what we find in Romans 8.

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, ESV

Then as we go on in 2 Corinthians 5, Paul uses the language of the image of a tent, a temporary dwelling. He refers to our bodies as a tent. He says in verse 2: “In this tent we groan.” This is the same word used back in Romans 8.

For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling…For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened. 2 Corinthians 5:2, 4a, ESV

And yet there is something greater that is to come! So he says in verse 6:

So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. 2 Corinthians 5:6-9, ESV

We long to be with Christ. So whether we are here or there, our aim is to please him. But notice the weight of this passage. It points us forward to that eternal weight of glory laid up for the saints: The riches of God's glory in heaven. The Christian is to look forward to that. We are to keep our eyes on that: The glory that is laid up for us. That keeps us going in the midst of our struggles in the present life.

Most of you know the name Florence Chadwick. She was a great swimmer. She was the first woman to swim the English Channel both ways. In 1952 she attempted to swim from Catalina Island, off the coast of California, to the shore of mainland California. On the day that she set out, the weather was very foggy. In fact, it was so foggy she could barely even see the boats that were accompanying her on this swim. She swam for fifteen hours. She was exhausted. She asked to be taken out of the water, but was told that shore was not that far off, and those accompanying her exhorted her to continue. “You can make it,” they pleaded, “It is not that far to go!” But finally, exhausted, she just gave up. They took her out of the water and they put her in the boat, and when she got in the boat she discovered that shore was only half a mile away. It was close. Later, in talking with a reporter, she said “Look, I am not excusing myself, but if I could have seen the land I might have made it.” And in fact, two months later she did, becoming the first woman to make that swim and setting the record for the fastest time. If I could have seen the shore, I would have made it!

That needs to be our attitude toward what is laid up for us. Look at that shore! Look at that golden shore! We keep our eyes on that to keep pressing forward in the Christian life. Because of Christ, the Christian longs for heaven. The thought of heaven and being with Christ keeps him going. We have a foretaste now of that heavenly glory, and we want more of it, but that longing enables us both to serve Christ and also to be content in serving Christ in this world. May God give us grace to keep our eyes focused on heavenly things.