Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries
For our citizenship or politeuma is in Heaven, Part 2.
Sunday, February 11, 2001
Politeuma – a state, a commonwealth, a group of individuals who are residents in a foreign city while their citizenship and allegiance is elsewhere.
We are removed from the original readers of the letter to the Philippians by two thousand years, plus a cultural barrier, a language barrier, and a historical barrier.
To be a Roman citizen was the epitome of human dignity.
Philippi was 800 miles from Rome geographically, but it was very near in mind set and lifestyle.
There was great pride in the fact that they were a Polis (a city-state).
GAL 4:26 “But the Jerusalem above is free; she is our mother.”
Paul uses the word politeuma, because it is an excellent analogy to the members of the Royal Family of God, who live in the devils world.
The Philippians were aliens whose real homeland or commonwealth is in Heaven, where their Lord, to whom they owed their ultimate allegiance, dwells.
Politeuma – privilege.
If you lived in Philippi as a Roman citizen, you had no taxes for the rest of your life.
This Roman colony, exempt from taxation, became a thriving place even though it was on foreign soil.
PHI 1:27 “Only politeuomai your life [live in your Heavenly privileges] in a manner worthy of the good news doctrines of the Christ;”
PHI 3:20 “For our politeuma is in heaven,”
If you live your life in the light of the future than Bible doctrine will have number one place in your life.
Whatever problems and whatever adversities you have in this life, you realize they cannot compare with the eternal weight of glory which is far beyond all comparison, 2CO 4:17.
The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us;ROM 8:18.
MAT 6:19-20 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal;”
JOH 18:36 “My kingdom is not of this world.”
JOH 15:19 “If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”
Advance to spiritual adulthood, so that the problems, the adversities, the tragedies, the difficulties of life become a blessing.
For strangely enough the greatest blessings in life come to the believer who goes through undeserved suffering and reaches spiritual adulthood.
Grace Orientation,
Doctrinal Orientation,
A Personal Sense of Destiny,
Personal Love for God the Father.