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Ephesians 2:19–22
“Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.”
There has been a gap of two weeks. If any of you have forgotten what I was preaching, we are in Ephesians 2. Paul wants to fill us with wonder and gratitude by showing us how big our salvation is, and he brings two contrasts.
First, in verses 1–11, he shows our individual sinful condition—the worst—and we saw what God did in His Word—the best. Then, verse 12 tells of God’s glorious salvation to us as a group. Paul shows our hopeless condition as Gentiles: we were enemies and far from God and God’s people, and how Christ brought peace and brought us near by His blood.
Verses 14–22 have a structure of 5 Ps:
- Person of peace
- Procurement of peace
- Proclamation of peace
- Participation of peace
- Privileges of peace
The glorious high point in this passage is verse 18: “For through Him we both have access in one Spirit unto the Father.”
The glory of salvation we realize only when we see it as the work of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The path to experiencing that glorious salvation is through Christ, who takes away all our guilt and makes us stand justified before God, and in the Spirit, who takes away our sinful, strange nature and makes us feel the Father’s love. Through Christ, in the Spirit, we have access to the Father. The highest blessing of salvation is access!
It has been a great blessing to my own prayer life to practice coming to the Father through Christ in the Spirit. I am realizing that when we go in prayer with a Trinitarian sense, our hearts are filled with gratitude for the Son and the Holy Spirit, and as if heaven’s doors open, we see and feel the infinite love of God for us. It is as if He loves us just as He loves Christ—an ocean of love!
Now, moving to verse 19, we can call it the privileges of our great salvation. Verses 19 through 22 tell us the inevitable implications of what Christ has done. That is why verse 19 begins with, “Now, therefore…” This is the grand conclusion! I told you that Christ is peace—how He purchased, proclaimed, and made you partake in peace. You are participating in this peace, enjoying access to the Father through the Son, in the Spirit, but you have to realize the privileges of peace. The reason you are not enjoying access to the full is because you do not realize these great privileges. Here is the tremendous status given to all Gentile believers by the grace of God.
He states four things as privileges: one negative and three positives. Notice verse 19: “You are no longer strangers and foreigners.” The former status has been negated! Then he tells us about our present status—you are three positive things now:
- Fellow citizens with the saints,
- Members of the household of God, and
- A temple or dwelling place of the living God.
Then he goes on to explain the nature and parts of this glorious temple: the foundation, the cornerstone, and how we are fitted together as God builds this glorious temple to the end of the chapter. That is the flow of Paul’s thought.
Someone might say, “Pastor, I have 101 problems—financial, family, and some unspeakable problems. Instead of giving some comforting things or a solution, is all this needed? How will grasping all this complex doctrine help me?”
Before we look at it, let me show you how, as a believer, God’s great will and our greatest need is to grow in sanctification. We saw in Leviticus that most of the troubles we face in life—whether personal, family, or financial—are the result of our disobedience and sin. If we grow in sanctification and obey God, many of our self-inflicted troubles will disappear.
But the question is, how can I grow in sanctification? The answer is not “try harder.” Sanctification always begins and grows when the mind understands the glorious things God has done for the believer in Christ. When a believer grasps his glorious privileges as a child of God, that encourages him to more and more enjoy close access to God the Father. The strength for sanctification comes in the increasing enjoyment of access to the Father.
That is why the Apostle Paul, who earnestly prayed in chapter 1 that “the eyes of their understanding may be enlightened, that they may know what is the hope of His calling, what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power to usward who believe.” Paul goes to great lengths to describe these privileges of the believer because he knows sanctification always begins in the mind grasping these realities.
When you stop looking at your messy circumstances of life and start intelligently contemplating your glorious position in Christ, you receive the spiritual strength needed to handle, fix, and endure your 101 daily problems. This is why Paul spends the first three chapters of Ephesians explaining massive concepts—you are chosen, redeemed, sealed by the Spirit, and made alive in Christ. Now he lists four privileges for what? For an intelligent grasp of your identity! He wants you to first deeply look at your new spiritual reality before he says in chapter 4, “Now, walk worthily of your calling.” You cannot walk worthily without grasping these privileges.
Most of the problems in our daily life stem from the fact that we don’t realize the privilege of our position. If the Holy Spirit opens our eyes, we will never envy people who are not Christians. If we could but rise to the height of our high calling in Christ Jesus and realize what we have in this position, oh, most of our problems would automatically disappear! Most of your trials, troubles, tribulations, and problems would be viewed in an entirely different manner. We would view our problems like a little mosquito bite; they will not only seem small, but we will grasp that they are all for our good and sanctification.
And still more important, if the whole church only realized what she is, there would be true revival and a mighty spiritual awakening! Our main problem as a church is that we do not realize the high privilege of our position as members of Christ’s church. Because we as a church do not realize what a glorious thing it is to be part of the church, we fail to attract those who are outside. We give such a poor impression of the church that they are not interested in coming. So true revival starts in the church when the church realizes the glorious blessing, high calling, and position of membership in the Church of Christ. May we prayerfully hear, so that the Holy Spirit may open our eyes.
In verse 19 onwards, Paul brings four different pictures: one negative and three positives. All are standalone, yet they are different pictures presented all at once. First, he says what we are not—strangers and foreigners. Then he says what we are: he says the church is a nation or kingdom, then we are a family, and then he says we are a temple.
Why this variety of pictures? Because one picture is not enough! The spiritual glory and greatness of the church and the believer is so great, so many-sided, that he has to multiply his pictures and images. He uses colorful, varied, and mixed metaphors to show profound concepts. Each one shows a particular aspect of our glory. Paul jumps from the concept of a nation, to a family, to a temple that is growing, living, and expanding—tremendous concepts, all thrown together, as it were. You sense something of the frustration of his own heart as he tries to lay out the glory and the wonder of the new status of the people of God. Even these three do not exhaust the whole glory, so he goes on to give a detailed explanation of the temple. Why does he struggle like this? Because he knows sanctification comes from an enlightened understanding of what God has done for us as a church.
Let us remember these four blessings with the word BOND, as verse 22 ultimately says we are bonded together as a dwelling place of God:
- B – Brought near (no longer strangers and foreigners)
- O – Official citizens (fellow citizens with the saints)
- N – New family (members of the household of God)
- D – Dwelling temple of the living God
B – Brought Near
Verse 19: “Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners…”
Why is he saying this? Speaking of us Gentile Christians, previously in verses 11 and 12, he said to remember that at that time, you were Gentiles in the flesh, separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise. You were earlier aliens and strangers, but now, being brought near by the blood of Christ, your former status is negated: “Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners.”
The word stranger was used to describe someone visiting from another country. When I was in Thailand last week, I was a stranger to that country. I didn’t know their language, and their food was strange to me—at one market, I saw they ate everything: a crocodile shop, insects, cockroaches! I had no intimacy with its culture or way of life. I was conscious that I was a stranger, and others were conscious that I was a stranger. I felt that stare continually during my entire stay. Thank God I was there for only a few days—a brief stay. I was a non-resident stranger.
Now Paul says that God had chosen a people in the Old Testament and made a covenant with them. When the great Queen of Sheba saw the tremendous things God had done for the nation of Israel—the might and the glory of the kingdom under Solomon—she wished with all her heart she could have been born in that kingdom. But she came as a stranger to observe it. The only way she could be a citizen was to be born there, but she was not welcome to stay and make that her home. She went back to her heathen kingdom. Paul says that you were very far from God’s covenant blessings and a stranger to all that, but you are no longer in the posture and position of strangers.
Then he says you are no more foreigners or sojourners. Now, a sojourner had more advantages than a stranger. This is someone who gets a work visa to live and work in a foreign country. We have relatives who live in America or Dubai; they are foreigners to that country, but they are working there. They do not have all the rights and benefits of a citizen—no citizenship. A sojourner is a person living on a passport. He may have lived there for many years, almost settled and adjusted, feeling like it is his own country, but his visa can expire. A passport can be canceled. In case there is war between his native country and his host country, he suddenly realizes he is a foreigner, and everyone looks at him with suspicion. He may very well be deported back to his own country.
The first word, stranger, carries the idea of a family bond or blood relationship. The second word, foreigner, refers to citizenship in a country or kingdom. The reason he uses these as negatives is that when we move to the positives, he will say we are both citizens and family members!
Now Paul, by this beautiful combination of words, says: here is the status that has been utterly, completely, and finally negated through union with Jesus Christ. You are no longer—and from henceforth shall never again be—strangers and sojourners. Our place in God’s kingdom is not a temporary permission; it is a settled status! That is the first negative blessing.
Oh, what an experiential blessing this is when you try to access God! Are there not a thousand and one hindrances when you try to commune with God? Don’t you feel it? Personal, social, and psychological guilt, and then cultural distance—you often feel like a stranger when you try to go to God in prayer and seek His grace. There is a strange distance between a holy God and us. But Paul says every single Gentile has access to the one God as Father in the Holy Spirit and through Christ. He says you are no longer strangers; you are no longer sojourners. This should dramatically change our approach to God: When you come to God in prayer, do you come like a stranger begging for attention, or like a citizen welcomed by the King?
O – Official Citizens
Verse 19: “…but fellow citizens with the saints…”
That is the first picture, and it contains very rich teaching. He compares the church here to a country or a kingdom. It is a glorious kingdom, and we are citizens of that glorious kingdom. The verb used indicates a completed act—a settled, irrevocable citizenship!
If tomorrow you received citizenship in the most powerful, secure, wealthy, and peaceful kingdom in the world, would it change the way you live? Would it change your confidence, your fears, and your future plans? Paul says something far greater has happened to every believer: you are now a citizen of the greatest kingdom! Paul is not merely giving us doctrine to admire; he is giving us an identity to live from.
In ancient times, there were great kingdoms, and citizenship in those kingdoms was a great privilege. Paul was a citizen of Rome. Rome was the vast metropolis and center of a great Roman Empire spread across the known world. Rome controlled the whole world at that time through a central government and ultimately the emperor. If you were a Roman citizen, you enjoyed many privileges. Wherever you went, you had great honor and respect as a Roman citizen. You did not pay heavy taxes, and people could not insult, unjustly arrest, or punish you.
You remember once when they beat Paul, and when he said, “I am a Roman citizen,” even the commander trembled and pleaded with him, not knowing that he was a citizen! If you had any problem, you could appeal directly to Caesar, and he would ensure justice. When the Jews wanted to kill Paul, he appealed to Caesar, and no one was able to touch him. Such were the great benefits of citizenship! When Paul thinks of the privileges of the church, his first picture of the church is that of the greatest nation and highest kingdom. By that picture, he helps us grasp what glorious blessings it is to be a citizen of that kingdom.
This is not a new idea from Paul. This is an idea found running right through the Bible. We cannot understand many sections of the Bible if we do not grasp this concept. God has always spoken about His people as a kingdom. He started a shadow of that kingdom by forming a nation through Abraham, intending through him to bless all the families of the earth. The whole concept of God’s nation started with Israel. In Exodus, at the giving of the Ten Commandments, He called them a “holy nation.” Before God took them into the Promised Land, they were to realize they were God’s citizens—that they belonged to Him, that He was their King, and they were His people. That controlled the whole outlook of Israel. It was called the City of Zion. There was only one way you could be a full citizen of Zion: you had to be born a Jew.
In the New Testament, the central theme our Lord repeatedly spoke about was the Kingdom of God. He said the kingdom was at hand, and He came to establish a final kingdom. He was the King of that kingdom! All His teaching was about the kingdom; the Sermon on the Mount was the constitution of that kingdom. He always thought in terms of the kingdom, and His parables were parables of the kingdom. He was crucified because, on a political level, He claimed to be a King. The New Testament Epistles speak of the church as being God’s kingdom now.
Peter, quoting Exodus in 1 Peter 2:9, talks to a church full of Gentiles and says: “You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people…”
What is Christ’s kingdom? Christ’s kingdom is wherever Christ reigns by His Word. That kingdom is the church today. He reigns in the hearts of all who belong to Him, and all who recognize Christ’s reign and authority, submitting to His Word, are part of His kingdom. This is an eternal kingdom that will continue through all eternity!
So in Ephesians 2, Paul picks up that rich biblical idea and says the first privilege of the church is that you are citizens of that eternal, glorious kingdom. He says that now, through Christ, we have been made citizens of God’s eternal kingdom, even though we are Gentiles without being born as Jews according to the physical seed of Abraham. God has done this marvelous thing in your salvation: you were once dead in sin (verses 1–10) and Gentiles far off (verses 11–13), but God not only made you alive, He brought you near. By nature, we all belonged to the kingdom of the devil.
But God saved you from the kingdom of the devil and the kingdom of darkness, and translated you into the kingdom of light. As Paul says in Colossians, we have been translated out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God’s dear Son. Our status now is as citizens of the highest, greatest, and everlasting kingdom in the universe! Oh, we should realize the wonder and glory of this, and rejoice in this privilege! How do you see yourself? Do you think of yourself first by your job, your family, your problems, or your earthly nation—or by your citizenship in God’s kingdom?
To help us rejoice and understand the blessedness of this citizenship, let us consider its privileges and responsibilities through five aspects: the King, His government benefits, His domain, His citizens, and the kingdom’s future.
1. Our King
The first and greatest privilege is our King! People boast about their citizenship because of their government, their freedom, their king, and their nation’s achievements. They quote their history, their great heroes, their famous kings, and prime ministers. They erect monuments and write about them in books. If their country has progressed and the government has done good work, the citizens enjoy the benefits and take pride in their leaders, their freedom, their parliament, and the privileges provided by their government.
Think of our kingdom: we have a King who is no ordinary king! He is the King of kings and Lord of lords—the Son of God Himself! We are under His government. Oh, what can we say about the supreme privilege of being a citizen of a kingdom where the eternal Son of God is King? Earthly kings are supremely selfish, and most politicians prove to be liars who never keep their promises. But our King left all His glory, came into the world to die for His citizens, and gave Himself for them! He rose, ascended, and now reigns with all authority in heaven and earth, blessing His kingdom from heaven and ruling the whole universe.
2. Benefits of His Government
What country or government benefits can compare with the benefits of this King’s reign? They are endless! Let us consider three: welfare, protection, and right of access to the King.
- Welfare Benefits: This King has done everything for our benefit and blessing. Under His government, as Ephesians 1:3 says, He “has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” This is a summary statement: all spiritual blessings in heavenly places are yours in this kingdom! Why has He given us all this? Because our King is infinitely gracious, and it is His good pleasure that we should be infinitely blessed. He delights in doing it! He is deeply interested in His citizens, and their welfare in every single aspect is His primary care.Not only spiritually, but even in this world, Ephesians 1:22–23 says He put all things under His feet and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body. Though He sustains everyone in the world—making His sun rise on the evil and the good—He has a personal, special, and peculiar interest in His people in the church. You and I, as citizens of the kingdom, are the recipients of these special benefactions—these unique blessings He has for His own people. Everything in the world, in a sense, is ordered and orchestrated for our good! Can you believe that? God, who controls the whole universe, cosmos, governments, and global events, orchestrates everything for the good of His people in the church! He has given us this promise: “All things work together for good to those who love God.” You cannot get anything beyond that to make you thrilled to be a citizen of this kingdom! Under His government, all the resources of the Godhead are deployed for us.
- Protection: A good government protects its citizens. His government so cares for its citizens that the very hairs of our head are all numbered! On a human level, citizenship means that all the power, might, and resources of a kingdom stand behind the defense and protection of even its humblest citizen.In 1739, there was a conflict between Britain and Spain called the War of Jenkins’ Ear. A certain Captain Jenkins, a British sailor on the high seas, was boarded by Spanish officers who attacked him without justification. To add to the infamy of their action, they cut off one of Captain Jenkins’ ears! Captain Jenkins eventually returned to Britain, preserved his ear in a bottle, and presented it before Parliament. Because of that insult to a single citizen, Great Britain declared war upon Spain in 1739! Who was Captain Jenkins? Just an ordinary citizen among thousands. But it didn’t matter—he was a citizen of Great Britain, and he was not to be insulted by Spain or any other nation. Because they insulted him, the full power and might of Britain went to war in his defense. That is how it works in the secular realm!Do you know that as citizens of God’s kingdom, whenever an indignity or insult is hurled upon us, all the power and resources of the kingdom stand behind us? All the angels and Almighty God Himself come to our defense! It happens spiritually, even when we do not realize it. Psalms like Psalm 3 or Psalm 18 depict this graphically: when enemies surround the believer, he calls upon the Lord, and the earth shakes, the mountains tremble, and God bows the heavens and comes down in flaming power to deliver His child!Zechariah says: “For thus says the Lord of hosts… ‘He who touches you touches the apple of His eye.'” Do you want any protection beyond that? God says to you, as a Christian citizen of His kingdom: “Whoever touches you touches the apple of My eye—the most sensitive spot in My whole being!” That is our protection! Our Lord said: “I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand.” Is there any safer place than that? If God be for us, who can be against us? The Lord is my helper; what can man do to me? Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world! The enemy may attack and hurt you, but Paul says, “Do not retaliate; Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”
- Right of Access to the King: The greatest blessing is that we have direct right of access to the King! Just as Paul, as a Roman citizen, could appeal to Caesar when in trouble, you and I have the right to appeal directly to our King. Though He is the King of kings and the Ruler of the ends of the earth, He knows and is personally interested in His citizens one by one. Are you burdened? Are you heavy laden? Are you struggling and straining? He says, “Come unto Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Do not worry about anything; whatever your case, you can take it directly to Him!Let us never think that we are so small and insignificant that this great King is not interested in us. Whatever mighty things He is doing, when you appeal to Him, He has time to listen to you, look at you, and care for you. He will stop, listen, and heal you. Didn’t He demonstrate this when He was on earth? On His very last journey up to Jerusalem, followed by a great crowd, a poor blind man cried out, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David!” The people tried to silence him, saying, “Keep quiet! He is going to Jerusalem; He doesn’t have time for you!” But Jesus heard him. He had time to stop, speak to him, heal him, and deliver him! He had time for lepers, the sick, the paralyzed, and the woman with the issue of blood. All of that is written to assure you that in your need and desperation, as a citizen of this kingdom, you are known to your King, and He is ever ready to hear your petition and answer your cry.
3. Extent of this Kingdom
Consider the vast domain of this kingdom! Rome prided itself on ruling most of the known world. The British Empire was so vast that they boasted, “The sun never sets on the British Empire.” A kingdom’s expansive sway and wide domain have always been a source of immense national pride. Nations fight with their lives for their borders and strive to extend their territory.
Do you know the extent of our kingdom? Our capital city is the New Jerusalem—heaven itself! It rules over the whole earth, from one end to the other, encompassing every tongue, tribe, race, and nation. The citizens of this kingdom are scattered throughout the entire earth. Earthly kingdoms last only a few years or centuries, but this kingdom lasts from generation to generation, unto all generations! What a great empire! What a wide domain! Do you realize that you are a citizen of such a vast kingdom—headquartered in heaven, with the eternal, immortal, everlasting King as your Ruler, and fellow citizens in every nation, land, continent, and clime? What a privilege to be a citizen of such a state!
4. Fellow Citizens of this Kingdom
On a natural level, people are proud to be citizens of a country where great historical figures were born—Alexander for Greece, Shakespeare for England, Einstein for Germany, or Gandhi for India. People say, “This is the land of these great men—statesmen, poets, and artists.” We are proud to belong to such a nation because such great men were born here; they belong to our land and our race.
Do you know who your fellow citizens are in this kingdom? Notice that the apostle mentions we are not lonely citizens, nor are we fellow citizens with foolish or corrupt people. We are “fellow citizens with the saints.” He is not referring merely to physical Israel, because not all who are descended from Israel belong to true Israel, nor are they all saints. The word saint means “separated ones unto God”—those who were chosen by God in eternity, and in time called, set apart from the world, and included in the true kingdom of God across all ages.
Realize this: we who were Gentile dogs, strangers who were walled out for centuries, shut up in the terrible darkness of idolatry and superstition, having no hope and without God—now, by Christ’s finished work, we are brought so near! We are not second-class citizens or proselytes, but fully equal, full-fledged fellow citizens with all the saints and holy ones of all ages! Oh, Gentiles, listen to what grace has done!
The saints include all the holiest people who ever walked the earth: starting with Abel; Enoch, who walked with God for 300 years; Abraham, the greatest believer who ever lived, the father of the faithful, who was called the friend of God; Moses, who chose the reproach of Christ over the treasures of Egypt; David, the great king; Isaiah and Jeremiah, the great prophets; and Daniel, the wisest statesman. Isn’t it a marvelous thing to realize that you are an equal citizen with these great men? You belong to their nation and kingdom, and we stand together with all those mighty saints of the Old and New Testaments!
The thrill of thrills for me is that I am a fellow citizen with the Apostle Paul! We are one with him; we are citizens together with him. We will see him and live with him for all eternity as fellow citizens, along with all the other apostles and all the saints throughout church history—Saint Augustine, John Calvin, Martin Luther, John Knox, the Puritans, Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield, and Charles Spurgeon. We are all one! We are fellow citizens who belong to the same kingdom; we have the same King and the same capital city.
Do you realize what a glorious blessing this citizenship is? All have full, equal rights of citizenship now. No one is big or small here; all enmity and all distinction are gone. That is why we are fellow citizens with the saints.
The writer to the Hebrews shows that this is much, much higher than Old Testament Jewish citizenship. Hebrews 12:22–23 says:
“But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect…”
I don’t know about you, but while we have a great country that has had great people and great leaders, in this generation, I find myself frustrated with the citizens of our country—and it shows in the kind of leaders they select. When you look at the news, the government, and the politicians—their talk, their frauds—it is disgusting, and sometimes there are no words to express the disgust. But what joy it is to think: I don’t have to break my head over it! I belong to another kingdom. I have a different King. I am a fellow citizen with the saints. I am no longer tied to this little, perishing kingdom.
Finally, to make this picture complete, here is the ultimate privilege: to realize something of the future prospects and the future glory of the kingdom.
The church seems pathetically feeble this morning. The great masses are outside the church; military power, money power, glamour, and riches are all outside in the world, with Babylon, the mother of harlots, attracting everyone. Many a foolish Christian asks, “Shall I go on with it? There is nothing in this simple church; it looks powerless.” We are a despised, rejected few today, perhaps—oh, but there is a glory coming to this despised church! There is infinite glory coming for her, and she waits for that day.
Our Lord promised: “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” When all the glory of Babylon and the harlot burns away suddenly in a second, the true glory of the church will rise. All the glory of all earthly kingdoms is nothing in comparison with the coming glory of the church!
Like in Daniel’s statue—yes, it looked like a very big statue: powerful, possessing great political and military money power, dominating the world and crushing God’s people. This kingdom of God has seen all the great world kingdoms and has crushed every single one of them. The golden head of Babylon is crushed; the chest and arms of Medo-Persia are crushed; the belly and thighs of Greece are crushed; the legs of iron representing Rome are crushed and all gone with the wind! Now, only the feet of iron and clay remain—the different small democracies that are running today. Soon, all of this will be crushed.
All these kingdoms were towering over the earth as a colossus, but a stone was cut out without human hands which smote the image upon its feet of iron and clay, and broke them into pieces. The big statue became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors, and the wind carried them away so that no place was found for them. And the stone became a great mountain and filled the whole earth! That is the kingdom of God: it starts as a despised stone, but it hits that colossal statue, smashes it to powder, and becomes a great mountain that fills the whole earth.
Soon, as written in the book of Revelation, the seventh angel will sound, and there will be great voices in heaven saying: “The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign forever and ever.” It is going to conquer; it is going to prevail! At the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow—of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth—and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.
And you and I are citizens of that kingdom! Did you know this—that you and I are going to reign with Him? We will sit on thrones. It is a kingdom that cannot be shaken. It is a kingdom that shall have no end. It is the eternal, everlasting kingdom of God and of His Christ. And you and I are already citizens of it! Oh, my dear friends, if only we realized our privileges as Christians this morning. Whatever your problem, whatever your position, whatever your trial, I plead with you: remember the resources. Remember all that is true of you as a citizen of this great and glorious kingdom.
So in today’s verse, Paul says we are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints. Christian, your greatest identity is not what you lost, what you lack, or what you suffer. Your greatest identity is what Christ has made you. Shouldn’t we praise God for this glorious privilege?
Application
As every citizen knows, with privileges come responsibilities.
First: Develop spiritual nationalism—develop a pride in the kingdom. Every citizen in this world is proud of his country and his citizenship. “This is my own, my native land”—it is natural; it is instinctive. Some show their country’s colors or fly its flag; they shout for it, fight for it, and die for it. We can see that in cricket—oh, what shouts, what cheering goes on! They all want to show their support in many ways: big flags, posters, displaying the colors of India, faces painted with the Indian flag, wearing India T-shirts, and paying big money to watch India vs. Pakistan matches. What enthusiasm and excitement! We see it in war, and even politicians use nationalism to win election after election and move the whole country. We are proud of nationalism; we love to talk about what makes us proud.
But what about us, my friends? We are citizens of such a glorious kingdom. Are we proud of it? Are we showing our side? Are we showing our colors? Or are we ashamed of our kingdom, trying to hide our colors and conceal the fact that we are Christians? Why are we so ashamed to talk about this kingdom, the gospel, and the church? Isn’t it because we have realized so little of its glory? We are not thrilled by it. If we truly realized it, we would glory in it and boast of it. We would be ready to shout for it if necessary. We would extol it, its virtues, and all its high, great, and glorious privileges!
And we would be anxious for everyone to know that we belong to it, just as a person in a foreign country is. If people can talk freely about their country, their sports team, their leaders, and their heroes, why should we be silent about Christ? Talk with joy about the privileges of the kingdom! Learn to speak with delight about forgiveness, access to the Father, the church, eternal life, and the coming glory.
Stop feeling inferior because the church looks small or weak; remember that Christ’s kingdom cannot be shaken. Earthly kingdoms have glamour, money, power, and applause, but they are passing away. When was the last time someone clearly knew you belonged to Christ?
Second: If we are citizens of heaven, we are strangers to this world. This world is not our native land. When you are visiting another country, you do not become a part of that country. You cannot live like worldly people. Hebrews 11 speaks of true faith, listing all the men and women of faith, and says that all these people counted themselves to be strangers and pilgrims on the earth. They were looking for a city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. They dwelt in tents. They said, “I am but a stranger here; heaven is my home.” Peter says in 1 Peter 2:11–12: “Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.” You are to behave in such a way that brings glory to the King of your kingdom.
Third: We represent our King and our country. Today, in the land we live in, our country mocks Christianity. Many false preachers have brought shame and a bad repute to our King, making it seem as though He is one who makes false promises and takes money from people. Christ is ridiculed because of many traitors to Christ’s kingdom. Think of what a horrible thing it is when someone dishonors their country, insults the flag, or insults the king or government—a great punishment is given to them. In such a scenario, you and I are called to defend our country and our King’s name. Nationalism is tested not during celebrations, but during criticism, war, pressure, and shame.
Stand with your King in these difficult times!
Every country expects its citizens to walk in a way that brings honor to their country, not shame. In the same way, we must bring honor to our King and country. You take pride in your kingdom, and you tell people who you are and where your citizenship lies. Well, now they are watching you. Never forget it! They will judge your King and your country by what they see in you. If people judged Christ’s kingdom by watching your life, what conclusion would they come to?
Philippians 1:27 says: “Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ.” The whole theme is to live worthy of the gospel. How? Philippians 2:14–16 explains: “Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.”
If you are not living in a way worthy of the gospel, you are dishonoring your country and your King. You have no right to live as you like. You cannot dissociate yourself from your citizenship. You cannot say, “It doesn’t matter to anybody what I do; I live my life in my own way.” No! The world will judge Christ and His kingdom by looking at you. We are to be His true witnesses.
Our King’s message in the Bible is twisted and attacked. We have to defend the Bible, fight for the true gospel, and contend for the truth. You cannot defend the Bible unless you study it and know its truths clearly. You also need to learn from books that will help you defend the Scriptures.
So, you must commit yourself to learning the Bible. You see, mere goodwill doesn’t defend a country. A person defending the country has to show it in action—perhaps joining the army to be trained, drilled, and disciplined. Our country is being mocked; our flag is trampled and spat upon; our Book is being attacked; our faith is under siege. We have to train ourselves! The kingdom is being attacked by a mighty foe, and you and I are called upon as soldiers to play our individual parts.
There is no greater honor. There is no higher privilege. Victory is certain and assured, and great rewards are waiting for those who fight and extend the kingdom. But it would be a tragic thing if, when that great and glorious day of celebration comes, any one of us should feel that we did nothing at all—that we just sat by while somebody else did the work, the defending, the fighting, and the laboring.
As citizens of this kingdom, our greatest desire and our highest ambition should ever be to see our King honored, His kingdom extended, more and more people brought into the kingdom, and to see her becoming mightier and more glorious until finally the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our God and of His Christ. All true citizens are involved in that work!
Up to this point, I have been talking to believers. But these blessings are not for unbelievers. Each one of you must ask yourself: “Am I a citizen of God’s kingdom?” Otherwise, you are a citizen of the devil’s kingdom. You are fully controlled by the devil, as we saw in Ephesians 2:1–4, and you are unconsciously being dragged along by the course of this world like a river dragging you to hell, with no power to swim against the current. You may not be a true citizen, even if you act like one.
Do you want to know if you are a true citizen? There are a few signs. First, there will be a general feeling within you. Do you feel truly contented, at peace, and at ease in the church? Are you comfortable among Christian people? Do you feel, “This is my family”? Do you feel at home, or do you have an uncomfortable feeling that you are somehow an outsider? Do you feel that you don’t belong, that you’re not quite at ease, and that you constantly have to watch your behavior? Can you not relax?
Are you at home in God’s house and among God’s people? Or do you feel a bit odd, like you don’t really fit in? Do you love to be with them, hear God’s word, and talk to them? Is your heart in it? Is it what you love and where you like to be? You like being at home; you like being in your own country. Do you understand what they are talking about, or are you like a fish out of water, gasping for breath? Do you sit there feeling like all the preaching is irrelevant, unable to engage in conversation, and as soon as church is over, you run away? Yet, you enjoy worldly company and relatives for hours together—laughing, telling jokes, and having fun—while at church you are holding your breath, waiting for it to finish so you can leave. That feeling shows that you are not a citizen of heaven; you belong to Satan’s dark kingdom.
How can I say that as a pastor? Because the apostle John says: “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren.” That is the general feeling. Every child of God will have a genuine love for the church.
How does one become a true citizen? Our Lord said: “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Notice that you cannot even see it, let alone enter it, unless you are born again. You have to be born again to become a citizen; that is the only way of entry. It is Christ alone, who died for you, who can give you new birth.
Today, the sad reality is that many people enter the church through a “passport”—they become church members—but they don’t have a “birth certificate.” They are not born again, so they don’t have this deep feeling for or attraction to the church. They might enter the church using a passport and do 101 religious activities for their entire lifespan, but finally, the Lord is going to tell them, “I never knew you; you are a stranger and a foreigner,” and He will send them to hell.
There is nothing more important this morning than to examine yourself: Are you a citizen of the kingdom? Do you have a birth certificate, or are you simply living on a passport? Be honest with God. If you know you are not a citizen of the kingdom, not only are you under Satan’s rule and being dragged to hell, but you truly do not know what glorious blessings you are missing. Cry out to God to save you!