Living as a Christian in uncertain times | Phil 3:20.21

When we look at what is happening in the world today, we quickly realize that we are living in difficult and uncertain times. World peace is not even under threat. There is no world peace. Wars and conflicts, political unrest, climate change, economic difficulties and social crisis dominate the headlines. Fear and uncertainty are increasing every day. Many people are deeply concerned about what the future may bring. And perhaps you have asked yourself the same question. Where is all this heading? As Christians, we are not unaffected by these developments. By no means we see the sufferings around us. We hear about wars, violence, injustice and the many problems that are troubling our world. We just have to open the newspapers. But in the midst of all this uncertainty, we as Christians have something wonderful. We have a wonderful, living hope. And this hope is not based upon political developments, economic stability, or the ability of human beings to solve these world’s problems. No, our hope is centered on a person, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. And in Philippians chapter 3, verse 20 and 21, we read those wonderful words that the apostle Paul writes. He said, For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the lord Jesus, Christ, who will transform our lowly body, that that it may be conformed to his glorious body according to the working by which he is able even to subdue all things to himself. Let us consider what these wonderful truths mean for us today. In times of uncertainty, people naturally hope that things will improve. They hope for an end to wars, for economic recovery, greater security and for solutions to the many problems facing humanity or their locality, their community. But what are we as Christians actually waiting for? Are we simply waiting better times? are waiting governments to solve the world’s problems? Waiting for humanity to establish lasting peace? The Bible tells us that the problems of this world will indeed be resolved one day. They will, but not by humanity. The Lord Jesus Christ, the true Prince of Peace, will return to establish his glorious kingdom on this earth. That will happen and there will be peace on earth! He will bring worldwide peace, righteousness and justice. It is connected to him. The things that are so often missing in our world totally today will characterize his reign. And that is truly a wonderful prospect that we have. However, the Bible also tells us that before this glorious time begins, God will bring judgment upon the world. Human wickedness and rebellion against God, will not continue forever. God Will intervene in the affairs of this world and prepare the earth for the glorious reign of His Son. And that is something I think that it’s good for us to know, also this part of the truth. Because history is not moving toward an uncertain destination. It is moving towards the fulfillment of God’s counsels. And His counsel always will come about. Nothing that happens in our world takes God by surprise. And He has a wonderful plan. Everything will ultimately unfold according to what He revealed in His Word. And that is why we as Christians, as those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, do not need to look toward the future with fear or anxiety. Many Christians many people today live in anxiety because of the uncertainty of their future. But our God is in control. and His promises will certainly be fulfilled. But now we come to something that is even more wonderful and that now is concerning us directly. Paul says in Philippians 3, verse 20, for our citizenship is in heaven. Well, what does that mean? Our citizenship in in Heaven. It means that although we are still living on this earth, our true home is in heaven. That’s where we truly belong. We belong to another world. Through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, we have become children of God. He is our Father and our eternal future is connected with Him. And of course, responsibilities here on earth. We work, we care for our families, We serve the Lord Jesus, and we seek to be a blessing to those around us. But this world is not our permanent home. That’s the other side. And that’s something that we need to bear in mind. Our true citizenship is in heaven. that where we as children of God belong. and that is where God wants us to And that should fundamentally influence the way we look at life. Because we have that hope, we also have a certain perspective at live. When everything around us seems uncertain, then we can remember that our eternal future is secure in Christ. When the things of this world disappoint us, we can remember that we have something far greater that awaits us. And when we are troubled by the developments in this word, We can lift our eyes above our present circumstances and remember where we truly belong. Our hope is not attached to this earth. It is NOT. And we need to remind ourselves that it is Not attached this Earth. Our Hope is in Heaven where our Lord Jesus Christ is. There He is! And this hope that we have, this blessed living hope, that is a real hope. Is connected to Him who is In Heaven. Now notice what Paul says next. He does not simply say that, we are waiting for Heaven, even though that Is true. He says that from heaven, we are eagerly waiting for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. And that is so important for us to notice. Our Christian hope is not merely about escaping the difficulties of this world. Even though that is many times what motivates us and makes us longing for heaven. No, it is not simply about entering a place where There will be no more suffering, no pain and no sorrow, even though that is true. Wonderful as these blessings will, our hope is centred on the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. He is the centre of our hopes and we are waiting for Him, for a person, somebody who comes for us. The one who loved us and gave himself for us, Galatians 2.20. The son of God who love me and give himself, and that is something that we individually can say, he is coming for, us the one, who suffered and died on the cross to save us from our sins. He is Coming. the One who rose again from the dead and now is seated at the right hand of god. He is the one that is coming. This very same Jesus has promised to come again and take us to be with Himself. That is what we learn in John chapter 14 verses 1 to 3. The Lord Jesus, He speaks to His disciples about this wonderful promise. And remember when God or when the Lord Jesus Christ, who is God, when he makes a promise, it will come about. He cannot lie. And he told them there in the upper room not to let their hearts be troubled. he spoke about his father’s house, about the place he was about to go to to prepare for them and about His promise to come again to receive them to Himself. And then He gave them the wonderful reason for His return. He said He would come again, He will return, for what reason? For what purpose? That they might be where He is, that you might where I am. And in chapter 17 there’s another reason He gives, That you may see My glory. Think about that. The Lord Jesus wants His people to be with Him. That is our destiny. That is the heart of our Christian hope. We are waiting for the One who has loved us with an everlasting love. And He’s coming to take us home. This world is not our home, but where He takes us, that is our Home. And later in Scripture, we see that God reveals further details about this glorious event through the Apostle Paul. And we may turn to 1 Thessalonians 4, verses 4 to 18, and we learn there that when the Lord Jesus comes for His people, those believers who have died in Christ, they will rise first. And then those believers who are still alive at that time will be caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air. Oh, what a moment that will when we hear His voice the first time. When we will see Him the 1st time, Him that we have not seen yet, but who we love. And when will we be with Him? From that moment onward, we’ll always be the with the lord Jesus Christ, the one that died for us. And that is what Paul concludes now. He concludes this wonderful passage by telling believers to comfort one another with these words. And these are indeed comforting for us, for our souls, our hearts that are so many times filled with anxiety. And this, I think, is really what this truth is meant to do. It is mean to comfort us. it is men to encourage us, it’s men, to fill our hearts with hope, It’s meant, direct our our heart towards heaven, away from this earth, Away from these problems, towards Heaven, Towards Christ. Think of all the believers who have gone before us. Those we loved, those we miss, Those who we have fallen asleep in Christ, they will rise first. And then together with them, we will be with the Lord Jesus. We will see the lord Jesus, often times we think about the reunion with him. I think the main factor is that we’ll be the with Lord jesus. The one whom we have believed in, although we haven’t seen him with our physical eyes, we will see him then. The One whom have we loved and sought to serve here on earth, and at last we see Him face to face. And we’ll be with Him forever. There’s another wonderful detail that we see in Philippians 3, verse 21. Paul says that when the Lord Jesus comes, something wonderful will happen. He will transform our lowly bodies to be like His glorious body. At present, our bodies are weak and are subject to the consequences of sin. Since sin came into this world, also sickness came to this word and suffering. That is one reason why we also suffer still as Christians, because we are a subject of the consequence of sins. We experience sickness, pain, tiredness, aging, And yes, ultimately also death, if not the Lord Jesus Christ comes before. But if the Jesus allows it to happen, then we also will have to die. Still with the glorious future ahead. Even as believers, we are not exempt from these things. When the lord Jesus comes, All this will change. And there’s another passage that I would like to turn to, and that is 1 Corinthians 15, verses 51 to 52. Paul speaks about a wonderful mystery. He explains that not all believers will die. We saw this already. But all will be changed. Not all die, but all be change! In a moment, in a twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet, the dead will be raised incorruptible and the living believers will transformed. And again we have to say, what an Incredible prospect, our present bodies marked by weakness and mortality will be transformed to be like the glorious body of our risen savior. No more weakness? No more sickness, no more aging, and no death. We will be perfectly suited for the heavenly glory into which the Lord Jesus will bring us. Perfectly suited. And how can we be sure that this will happen? Paul gives us the answer at the end of Philippians 3, verse 21, the Lord Jesus will accomplish this transformation of our bodies through the mighty power by which he is able to subject all things to himself. The one who has power over all thing is certainly also able fulfill his promise. There is no obstacle too great for him, nothing that can hinder him. He has the power to bring about this great transformation. Nothing can prevent him from completing the wonderful work he has begun in those who belong to him.” But now, let us return to the question with which we began this message. And the question was this, what are we as Christians waiting for? What are expecting for our future? And what do we expect our futures to be like? The Bible speaks clearly about future judgment that will come upon this world. God will judge this word and He has given all the judgment into the hands of the Lord Jesus. But as children of God, we are not waiting for those judgments. We will not be on earth when those judgment come over this world. we’re waiting our Lord Jesus Christ to come to rapture us to himself, to snatch us away out of this worlds. That is what we expecting. And in 1 Thessalonians chapter 1 verse 10, Paul describes believers As those who wait for God’s Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus, who delivers us from The Coming Wrath. Who delivers from us The coming wrath. And in Revelation chapter 3 verse 10, the Lord Jesus, He promised to keep His own from the hour of trial that is coming upon this whole world. There has never been an hour trial or judgment tribulation like this one ever in the history of mankind. This is something totally new. But these passages, they remind us that our expectation is different from the expectation of those who do not know Christ. We have a different expectation, we have hope, We are not like the others who have no hope but we are living and we’ve a blessed hope. we’re not looking for the judgment that will fall upon this earth. for the Savior who has promised to come and take us to Himself. What a wonderful truth that is. This is the wonderful hope of the rapture of believers as we have seen it already in 1 Thessalonians 4. And here we see another truth. The Lord Jesus Christ could come at any moment. There is no reason why we should not expect him today. Maybe today! Perhaps he will come before this day is over. Perhaps we will hear his call and be taken into his presence. What a wonderful thought! The difficulties of this world will be behind us. and we will be with our Lord forever. But this wonderful truth is not intended to give us only information about the future, to satisfy our longing for information. It should have a practical influence on the way we live today. If we truly believe that the Lord Jesus Christ could come at any moment in this very hour, and that is what scripture calls us to have this expectation. Should that not change our priorities? Should it not influence the way we spend our time, the decisions that we make, those things that value and the ways we serve our Lord? We can become so occupied with the things of this world. Our work, our plans, possessions, worries and our daily responsibilities can easily fill our minds and hearts. And without realizing it, we may begin to live as though this world were our permanent home. But Paul reminds us, he says, Our citizenship is in heaven. We belong to Christ and we are waiting for Him. This expectation should not make us indifferent to the needs of the world around us. No, by no means quite the opposite. It should encourage us to live faithfully for the Lord while we are still here. We are here with a purpose, but at the same time, we should allow the difficulties and uncertainties of this world to overwhelm our hearts. our future does not depend upon the success or the failure of human efforts. Our future is secure in the hands of the Lord Jesus Christ. So as we look at our troubled world, let us remember where our hope truly lies. The world may become increasingly uncertain. Peace may be threatened even more. Economic and political circumstances may change even further. And the future may appear dark from a human perspective. But none of these things can change the promises of God. They cannot. Let me leave you with a personal question. When you think about the Future, What is it that fills your heart? Is it fear? Uncertainty? Concern about what might happen in this world, what may happen to yourself? Or are you and I looking forward with joy to the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ? May this wonderful promise encourage us to lift our eyes above the troubles of this world. May it give us peace in difficult times and may it encourage to live each day in the joyful expectation of His return. Remember, our citizenship is in heaven. And from there, we eagerly await our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.