Let's stand for the reading of God's Word. Philippians chapter 3, we're going to read two verses. Philippians chapter 3, verses 20 through 21. And I'd like to read these verses together, pausing briefly at each punctuation mark. And remember that this is the Word of God, and we're grateful for it. Philippians chapter 3, verses 20 through 21, the Word of God says, For our conversation is in heaven, from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. who shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself." And let's pray. Lord, we're grateful for These words, eternal, inspired, preserved, and just such a small portion of your holy word, but yet opens up an idea and a thought we can trace throughout the scriptures that's truly meaningful. And I ask that you and your grace would open up the scriptures to us. Lord, save those that need saving. Encourage those that are discouraged. Strengthen the weak. Help us all to be more like thee. because of the message today and help us all to realize who we are in your sight after we trust you. We pray in Christ's name. Amen. You may be seated. We're in our series, The New You, Your Identity in Christ. And the thought behind the series is that after we get saved, after we're born again through faith in Christ, we become a new creature. Isn't that what the Bible says? We've talked about 10 ways we become new when we're born again. We've talked about the difference between the old man, the new man, and how the old man, that old fleshly sin nature, still wants to live according to the ways of the past and the lusts of the past, and that new nature that's born of God within us that cannot sin that's redeemed. That nature wants to live like Christ and we have been given the power to live a supernatural life if we choose to dedicate ourselves to that and to yield to the Spirit. And then, after those things, we began to look at ourselves through the scriptures. You know, I don't know what you see when you look in the mirror, but it's probably not what God sees. I don't know what you think about yourself, but it's probably not how God thinks about you. And oftentimes, we think about ourselves in very negative ways, don't we? You can hear something when you're six years old that stays with you forever. I've counseled people over the years, and a parent told them, I wish you'd never been born. You were a mistake. And at 45, 50 years old, that's still how they feel about themselves. I'm a mistake. I don't even know why I'm here. Some people have been told they're ugly, and they believe that their whole life. They've been told they're worthless, and they believe that. They've been told that there's nothing good about them, they have no skills, they offer nothing, and they believe that. To the place where some people, and again, I've counseled a lot of people, and then sadly, I've been at people's homes after loved ones have committed suicide. Sometimes people get to the place where my life is so worthless, and my future is so bleak, that I might as well just take my own life. Folks, can I tell you that's not how God wants you to think about you? And that's not how God sees you? And so in this sermon series, we've looked at who we are in Christ, but now we're looking specifically at when God looks at us, what does He see? And when we look at ourselves, we should learn to look through the eyes of God, and we'll find out that we are somebody. Not because of who we are, but because of who Christ is and what He's doing in us and through us. So we've learned that we're valuable, we've learned that we're known, we've learned that we're children of God, we've learned that we're special, and all of these things. But today, I want to show you an interesting thought in the scripture that perhaps you've never thought about, and that is that in Christ, your citizenship is in heaven. Your citizenship is in heaven. When God looks at you, he looks at you like a citizen of heaven. If I were to ask you what nation you're a citizen of, you would probably be able to give me the answer. For most of you, it would be America. You're an American citizen. For others, it may be something else. It may be that you were born somewhere else and then became an American citizen. But this idea of citizenship, And the word citizen has a lot of weight to it, a lot of power to it. I have a passport, and that passport shows people whether I'm in America and I use it to travel through airports in America or whether I'm outside of the country, that's my proof that I am an American citizen. And if you show your passport, even when you're traveling through America, they're just like, well, it's a passport, they double check it, and there's no question at all, you have a passport. If you're in a foreign country and you have a passport, they are supposed to treat you a certain way because you are a citizen of America. If you're in a certain country and you have a passport and you go to the American embassy, they give you access and that you have certain rights and privileges as a citizen of America. I'm thankful to be an American citizen. America is not a perfect nation. She's got her problems. but I still think she's the best nation on the planet. Where else would you want to live? And a lot of people today talk about how bad America is. Well, dear friend, there's a lot worse places to live for sure. And I'm thankful to be an American citizen. However, I tell you that as a believer in Christ, I'm a citizen of heaven. I have a heavenly citizenship, and that heavenly citizenship comes with rights and privileges of being a citizen of heaven. As a 16-year-old boy in the back row of Blessed Hope Baptist Church on a Saturday afternoon after a youth revival, I bowed my head and trusted Christ as my Savior. I confessed that I was a sinner. I confessed that I was going to go to hell without a Savior. I confessed that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, that He died on the cross for me, was buried and rose again, and I asked Him to forgive me of my sins and take me to heaven. You know what He did? He did just that. He kept His Word, and He saved my soul. And at that very moment, I was born into the family of God, and my heavenly passport was stamped, and I am a citizen of heaven today. If you are born again, if there's been a time in your life where you've trusted Jesus as your Savior, you are a citizen of heaven. And today we're going to talk about what that means and just how wonderful that is. Now I want you to notice in our scripture, if you look at our text verse in verse 20, the Bible says, for our conversation is in heaven. That word conversation is an old English word. Most of the time you see the word conversation in the New Testament, it actually has a Greek word that speaks of behavior. So think about your conversation, this old English word, most of the time in the New Testament, it speaks about the conversation that your behavior has with the world around you. Did you know that 70% plus of all communication is nonverbal? Only about 30% of what you're getting from me is coming from my voice. If I was preaching to you like this, you know, every teenager knows this look, don't they? I'd be saying something to you, wouldn't I? What about the rolling of the eyes? That says something, doesn't it? And sometimes I'll tell teenagers that means the same thing in every culture in the world. If you're in Uganda and you look at your parents and go, they know exactly what that means. if you're sticking your tongue out at somebody. They know what that means. 70% of all communication is nonverbal. You don't know it, but right now you're not talking, but you're talking. and I know exactly what you're saying. No, I'm kidding. And it's amazing what preachers see up here. I mean, we see people yawn, we see people take naps, we see people pick their nose, we see people do all kinds of stuff, and we see them fight with their spouses, and it's a wonderful thing. But do you know, even now, You're communicating by your body language and your facial expressions and all of these things. So that's usually what the word conversation in the Bible means. Most of the time, when you see the word conversation in the New Testament, it's talking about your behavior and how your behavior speaks to the world around you. You know the old saying, your talk talks and your walk talks, but your walk talks louder than your talk talks. What's that mean? What you do speaks louder than what you say. So it's important that we get our behavior in line with what we say and believe, isn't it? However, in this verse, the word conversation has a different meaning. And it's the only time this Greek word is used in the entire New Testament. And when you see the word conversation here in Philippians 3, verse 24, our conversation is in heaven. It's a word that literally means community, but it's used for the term citizenship. So this verse is saying, for our citizenship is in heaven. Think about that. Our citizenship is in heaven. Citizenship means the state of being vested with the rights and privileges of a citizen. So as a citizen of the United States, I have certain rights and privileges. Webster's 1828 Dictionary defines a citizen as the native or inhabitant who enjoys the freedom and privileges of the city or nation in which he resides. And so we have this idea of Citizenship, as a citizen of God, there are certain privileges. A citizen of heaven, there are certain privileges that come into view. And do you know the Bible says that as a citizen, we have access to the place of our citizenship? That as an American, we have access to live in America, we have permission to come home if we're away, we have access to come. And I think one of the greatest things about being a citizen of heaven is the fact that we get to go to heaven. Citizenship basically is God's, at salvation, when you choose to be born again, God stamps your passport and says your trip to heaven is planned, your place is reserved, and your citizenship is settled. See, a lot of people think, well, when I die, I'll have to figure out if I get to go to heaven or not. No, your eternal destination is determined long before you take your last breath. You decide while you're alive where you want to go when you die. That's not decided when you die. If you wait until you die, you waited too long. The Bible says in Hebrews 9, verse 27, it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this, the judgment. So we each have a date on God's calendar where we're going to die. We're going to pass into the next life. We're going to kick the bucket, as my grandma used to say, my country grandma. And we're going to kick the bucket one of these days. And we're going to go off into eternity. And after that, there is judgment. It's not a judgment determined where I go when I die. It's a judgment that if I have not been born again while I was alive, then my judgment, the penalty of my sin will be conferred upon me. But I'm thankful that I've been born again, and many of you have been born again. And if you've not been born again, if you've never been saved, if you've never had your sin forgiven, if you've never accepted Christ as your Savior, then today is the day of salvation. You can be born again today. You say, well, I'll do it tomorrow. There's a problem with that. Because when tomorrow gets here, do you know what it is? It's today. I'll do it next week. Well, when next week gets here, you know what it is? is today. The truth is, if you're ever going to get saved, if you're ever going to trust Jesus, it's going to have to be today. There's no putting it off. And so you either accept Him today or you reject Him today. And then when it's today again, you accept Him or reject Him. But thank God, if you have rejected Jesus Christ as your Savior, then you get to go to this wonderful place called heaven. The Bible in the book of Revelation peels the curtain back a little bit and shows us a little bit what heaven's like. And I want to show you that here this morning. Look at Revelation chapter 21. You ever wonder what heaven's like? The Bible tells us. And heaven's a real place. It's as real as Wakefield, Rhode Island. It's as real as Curtis Corner Baptist Church. Revelation chapter 21, verse 4. The Bible, excuse me, verse one, Revelation chapter 21, verses one through four, look at this with me. And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away, and there was no more sea. The corrupt heaven, the corrupt earth, God is going to pass that away and make it all brand new. Verse two, and I saw John, the holy city, new Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven. prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. Imagine how beautiful a bride is on her wedding day, and the pomp and circumstance of the bride walking down the aisle. This is what John saw, God revealing this holy city, New Jerusalem. This is where the saints are going to live, and he begins to show it as a bride coming down the aisle. Verse 3, and I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men. and I will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them and be their God." So we learn something about heaven. It's a city. It's beautiful. And he says this is the place where God is going to live with His people who believed in Him. We get to live with God for eternity. Look at verse 4, and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. Have you had any tears lately? There's a lot to hurt about in this life, isn't there? You had any suffering lately, any fears, any worries, any struggles, any sickness, any hardship? Folks, this is a tough world. One of these days, there's going to be a place called heaven where God's believers, he's going to wipe away all the tears from their eyes and there'll never be a tear shed again. Isn't that a blessing? Look on, and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes and there shall be no more what? Death, no more death, no more murder, no more tragedy, no more car accidents, no more heart attacks, no more strokes, no more death. Neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more, what, pain. Some of you struggle with pain, you suffer. Your body hurts. Your body's failing you. Maybe you've got cancer or disease or maybe it's an emotional pain of losing a loved one or the suffering of just getting older and not being able to do the things you used to do. The suffering of missed opportunities. The suffering of broken relationships. and the hardships and suffering of not having enough money to pay the bills and wondering where you're gonna live or how things are gonna work out or what the future holds. Dear friend, in heaven there will be no more pain. Isn't that a blessing? Wouldn't you like to go there? Hey, can I tell you, I got my passport stamped. I'm a citizen already. I've never been there, but I'm a citizen of heaven. And it's a wonderful, wonderful thing. Look at Revelation chapter 22. We could look at a lot of verses here. Revelation 21 talks about the streets of gold and the gates of pearl and the walls of all different jewels. But just look at chapter 22, verse 1, and he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. So get this picture in your mind, there's a beautiful throne where God sits, there's a water of life coming out of it, just clean and pure as anything you can imagine. Then verse 2, in the midst of the street of it and on either side of the river there was the tree of life which bare twelve manner of fruits and yielded her fruit every month and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations and there shall be no more curse but the Lamb of God Excuse me, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him, and they shall see His face, and His name shall be in their foreheads, and there shall be no night there, and they need no candle, neither light of the sun, for the Lord God giveth them light, and they shall reign forever and ever." Oh, do you see this picture? We're in this beautiful city, streets of gold, gates of pearl, walls of precious stones, and in the main square, if you will, of the New Jerusalem, there's the throne of God, and the river of life coming out, and the streets on either side, and the tree of life lining the streets, and all this beautiful picture, and God Himself is there, and we see His face, and we serve Him with no pain or sorrow or suffering. Isn't that a wonderful place? This, dear friend, is heaven. And when you are born again, when you put your faith in Jesus, you become a citizen of heaven, and you're vested with all the rights and privileges of being a resident of this eternal home. Isn't that a great news? Let me give you just a few thoughts today about our citizenship being in heaven, we're citizens of heaven. Let me give you three thoughts and then we'll go to the house today. Number one, believers are legal citizens of heaven. Believers are legal citizens of heaven. Philippians chapter three, verse 20, for our conversation is in heaven. You know, the concept of citizenship has been watered down in our nation in recent years. For much of our nation's history, we are a nation of immigrants, but people would come to our nation and the goal was citizenship. How many of us have known people that have worked very hard and waited years to become a citizen of the nation? And you know what's interesting when you look at the current polls? Some of the people that are most against illegal immigration into America are the legal immigrants that went through the system. They're the ones that are saying, you're making it meaningless. You're making it meaningless to be here. This cost us something. And there's a lot to do with that. What's a nation held together by? A common language. A common set of laws. common beliefs, and to be a citizen of America, you had to learn the language, you had to learn some of the laws, you had to understand your place, you had to want to be an American. And this is not a political statement, but I'll just say that one thing that all the open border and just letting millions of people into our nation that are not becoming citizens is, it dilutes the very meaning of citizenship. What does it mean to be a citizen? And then in some places, if you're not a citizen, you can drive, you can get healthcare, you can, basically they're taking all the rights and privileges of citizenship and giving them to people who are not citizens. What's it doing? It's diluting the entire concept of citizenship in America. And can I just say, there's no nation on the planet that does that. You know if you and I tried to even break into Mexico, we'd end up in jail? Not that I want to, I don't mind going there to visit, but I don't wanna sneak across the border. If you and I tried to break into France or just walked across the border in just about any country in the planet, we would go to jail for that or we'd be apprehended, why? You don't have the right to be here. You didn't come the right way. And can I say that there will be no people sneaking into God's heaven. There will be no one in heaven illegally. And you say, well, no one's illegal. And of course, the arguments are ridiculous. Of course, every person has value. Every person is meaningful. They're a child of God. But every person also has to respond to a certain set of laws. Do you know when my friend pastored in Haiti? In Haiti, in the part of the nation where he was, they didn't observe personal property rights. If someone could break into your home, they were allowed to be there. It's your fault for not making your home stronger. If someone could take your stuff, it was your fault for not hiding it better. I told you the story that they saved up money and bought hymnals for the little church house they had there in Haiti. And the first week, everybody grabs their new hymnals and starts walking out with them. And they're like, well, the pastor's at the door shaking hands. He's like, well, hold on a minute. That's the church's hymnal. He said, oh, no, this is my hymnal. It was just sitting there. It's mine. He said, well, the church bought it. He said, well, thank you very much, the Haitian said. And they said, well, that's God's hymnal. And the Haitian said, well, God said I could have it. It's, there's just a different way of thinking. And oftentimes in America, we take a lot of things for granted that people around the world don't have the understanding. But you've got to understand that in heaven, there's not going to be anybody sneaking in. Jesus said, I'm the door in John chapter 10. If anybody tries to sneak in a window, they're a thief and a robber. If you want to go to heaven, you've got to come through the door. And as we trust Christ, we become citizens of heaven. But look at Ephesians. Look at Ephesians chapter three. Ephesians chapter three. And we see that before we were saved, we were not citizens of heaven. We were not citizens of the family of God. We were actually, the Bible calls us strangers and foreigners. Ephesians chapter three. and look at Ephesians chapter two. Ephesians chapter two and look at verse 17. and came and preached peace unto you which were afar off and to them that were nigh." So we were far off from God, verse 18, for through Him, that's Christ, we both have access by one Spirit into the Father. So since Christ came and died on the cross and was buried again, buried and rose again, that now Jews and Gentiles have access to the Father through Christ, Look at verse 19. So before we're born again, we don't have access to heaven. We don't have access to all the rights and privileges of someone who's going to heaven when they die. We would be foreigners. Strangers, we would not be allowed in that perfect and beautiful land. But once we're born again, once we put our faith in Christ, we become fellow citizens with the saints. So not only am I a citizen, if you're saved, you're a citizen, and that means we are all citizens of the same beautiful country. Isn't that a blessing? Do you know that you can go anywhere in the world and if you meet a Christian, there's almost like this kinship? There's like this fellowship that you feel. I've been to the countryside, I mean the smallest villages of Mexico, and if you meet a Christian or you lead someone to Christ, there is almost an immediate connection. And it's not where you live, it's not your bloodline, it's the fact that you both believe in Jesus, you both have the Spirit of God, you're both citizens of heaven. It's a wonderful thing. I can meet a Christian for the first time, there's just a connection because we're fellow citizens. Isn't that a blessing? And so what a wonderful thing that we have a community, believers are legal citizens of heaven. And how do we get that? We get that, of course, through faith in Christ. Look at Ephesians chapter two and verse one. The Bible teaches us how we go from being strangers and aliens, it says in this passage of Scripture, to being children of God. Look at Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 1, and you have be quickened, the word quickens, an old English word that means to be made alive, and you have be quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins. It's talking about having your sins forgiven, being saved, being born again. Look at verse 2, wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, According to the Prince of the Power of the Air, that's a nomenclature for Satan, the spirit which now worketh in the children of disobedience, those are the people who don't want to trust Christ, who reject Christ. Verse 3, among whom also we all had our conversation or behavior in times past in the lust of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind. We did what we wanted. We went where we wanted. If it felt good, we did it. And then finishing out the verse, and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. So we were not citizens of heaven. We were condemned. Wrath was in our future. Verse 4, "'But God,' don't you love that? "'But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, by grace are you saved, and hath raised us up together and made us to sit in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.'" I want you to look at me. The Bible says He made us to sit in heavenly places with Jesus. The word made is past tense. And this is beautiful. When you and I got saved, God stamped our passport to heaven, we are citizens of heaven, and God already gave us a place in heaven. Remember, God is not bound by time. He doesn't experience time in a linear fashion like we do. He sees the beginning and the end and the middle all at the same time. He's outside of time. So when you and I get saved, God in heaven gives us a seat in heaven and made us to sit in heavenly places with Christ. What does this mean? This means that in the mind of God, our salvation is so secure that we are already placed with Christ in heaven. You are seated with Christ in the heavenlies. Why? You're a citizen of heaven. Your place has been reserved. Isn't that a blessing? And how do we get this place? Look at verse eight. For by grace are you saved, rescued from sin through faith. And that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. Nobody's gonna get to heaven because they're good enough, or because they gave enough, or they did enough, or they were baptized, or a church member. We go to heaven through heart, faith, in the person and work of Christ. Isn't that a blessing? We're citizens of heaven. Believers are legal citizens of heaven. Look back at Philippians chapter 3, and I'll just give you these last ones briefly. Just give you something to think about. Philippians chapter 3. We read verse 20, for our conversation is in heaven. From whence also we look for the Savior. By the way, keep an eye out for Jesus. He's coming back. From whence we look for the Savior. Keep an eye to the sky. the Lord Jesus Christ. But then look at verse 21. Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. So this is a beautiful thing. The Bible says, alright Christian, you're now legally a citizen of heaven. That's good news, but wait a minute. He says, one of these days when you go to heaven, God's gonna give you a brand new body. See, the Bible calls this body a vile body. This body is contaminated with sin. Age is simply the process of sin taking hold in our bodies. I'm starting to get some gray, right? That just means I'm getting old. I'm inching closer to the grave, as my kids would say. No, they wouldn't say that. My forehead used to be down here. Now it's back here. I tease my kids, if I was a superhero, I would be Captain Forehead. And I would have a forehead that would be impervious to bullets and all of those things. I could break through walls with my forehead. Captain Forehead! That's my alter ego. Aren't there better, wouldn't you rather be invisible or something? I don't know. To each his own, right? But this is, we're all getting older. The skin gets wrinkly, the body starts hurting different places, you get stiff. And all that is is age setting into this body. And age is just an outward manifestation of the corruption of sin. This old body is breaking down. And one of these days when we go to heaven, death is simply the transition. The word death literally means separation. Death is simply the separation of your eternal soul and spirit from this earthly body and whenever we get separated our soul and spirit goes this beautiful place called heaven but in heaven we will get a brand new body and the bible says it's a spiritual body notice it says that it will be fashioned like unto his glorious body or his glorified body. This new body will not be held to the same standards of physics and science and gravity that this old body is. We'll be in a new place called heaven. That body will not be contaminated with sin. Can you imagine not being stiff? Can you imagine not having your back hurt and a crick in your neck and you can remember everything you used to remember and your eyes can see and your ears can hear? The older I get, I'm constantly saying, what? What'd you say? Went to the eye doctor and he said, yeah, you went up another notch. So I'm getting new glasses and I'm just a little bit more blind this year than I was two years ago. That's just the process, the way it goes. Teeth get old, they get cavities, they fall out, you gotta get them pulled out, all that stuff. But folks, one of these days, we're gonna get a body that's not touched with sin, and that won't hurt, and won't grow old, and that will be an amazing heavenly body. So we'll get to experience this heavenly place with a glorified spiritual body. Isn't that a blessing? I like that. More we could say about that, 2 Corinthians chapter five, verses one through four talks about when this earthly tabernacle's dissolved, we'll have a new home for our soul in the heavens, and speaks about a glorified body. 1 Corinthians chapter 15 talks about a glorified body, and I'm glad that one of these days we'll get a brand new body. Then let me say lastly, Not only is heaven is our legal home, as we have citizenship, not only do we get a new body in heaven, but lastly, that means this world is not our home. This world's not our home. I'm glad to be here, I'm glad to be alive, I'm glad for every experience and blessing that this life affords, but folks, you can't take it with you. Whatever you do in this life, you can't take it with you. And even the most famous of men, most people when they die, even if they're remembered for a generation or two, we have graveyards all around us, old graveyards filled with people that nobody knows or has thought about in many, many years. The Egyptians used to try to take their treasures with them. And they would be buried with all the gold and the silver and the rubies. And you know what? Years later, somebody else came and found them and took those things out because they couldn't take it with them. We've got to just remember that as we walk through this world, that our eternal home is somewhere else. We need to live in this world according to Christian principles and then also invest in heaven. 1 Peter 2, verse 11 says, Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul. This world has an awful lot of opportunities that are not helpful. Addiction, sin, foolishness, distractions. And if we're not careful, we'll get so distracted living in this world that it does two things. First of all, it wars against the soul. Sometimes we're so connected to this world that all it does is wreak havoc in our hearts and minds because we know instinctively that we're not having enough, or we're not getting enough, or we're missing something, and it wars against the soul as we try to live nothing but a fleshly life, and that doesn't work for us. We are the children of God. But then it also distracts us from laying up treasures in heaven. Matthew 6, verse 19 says, lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." You know, sometimes we get so focused on this world, we forget to lay up treasures in the next. And as we live in this world, and hey, you know what I'm telling you, the Bible says, in this world, work hard. Work hard. Be a good steward. Save. Be a good father. Be a good mother. Be a responsible young adult. Take care of your neighbor. Be generous with your time and resources. Help others. All of those things are true. But you want to do it with an eye towards the sky because ultimately this is not our forever home. I've got a passport stamped in the blood of Christ that says I get to go to heaven someday. I'm a citizen of heaven. And if you're born again, that's who you are. If you've trusted Christ as your Savior, when you look at yourself in the mirror, when you're having a down day, when you're feeling rough, when you feel like everything's not working out, when you feel like what's the world coming to and what's America gonna be and all of these things, you can look at yourself and remind yourself, I'm a citizen of heaven. One of these days I get to go there and I'm gonna live here on earth so that it matters for eternity. And if you're not sure you're going to heaven, if you're not sure you're saved, today'd be a great day to make sure as you put your faith in Jesus. Let's pray. Father, thank you for the truth of your word, this amazing thought that when you look at us, we're citizens of heaven. Help us to know it, to believe it, to live like it. And Lord, we ask that if there's any listening or watching that are not sure they're going to heaven, boy, why, why, why? Why reject Christ another time? Why wait when salvation is so free and available for any who'll just humble themselves and recognize I'm a sinner. I don't deserve to go to heaven on my own. And Jesus is the Savior. Our heads are bowed, our eyes are closed. At the end of all of our services, we take just a few moments to process what we've heard, and we invite you to make a decision. Maybe there's someone here, you've been a little bit discouraged, and it's just encouraging to be reminded, hey, I'm a citizen of heaven. I've trusted Christ, I've got my passport. Maybe you're just getting a little worn out in this old world, and it's good to remember that God's going to give us grace to live while we're here, and he's going to give us the strength to make it just fine. But we've got a wonderful place to go after this life, a place called heaven. We need to live like it. Maybe you're not sure you're going to heaven. We'd love to take a Bible and show you how you can know for sure. Ask the Lord.