Welcome to Connect with Skip Heidzig. We're so glad you've tuned in today. At Connect with Skip, our passion is to help you grow in your relationship with Jesus through solid verse-by-verse Bible teaching that's both clear and practical. Every message you hear is designed to strengthen your faith and help you live out God's truth wherever He's placed you. But did you know that you can stay connected beyond the broadcast?
When you sign up for Pastor Skip's free weekly devotional, you'll receive biblical encouragement, exclusive content, and free resources to help you go deeper in God's Word, all delivered straight to your inbox. It's quick, easy, and completely free. And it's a great way to stay rooted in truth every week. Sign up today at connectwithskip.com. That's connectwithskip.com.
Now, here's today's message from Pastor Skip Heitzig. Philippians chapter 1, verse 1 and 2 read: Paul and Timothy, bondservants of Jesus Christ. To all the saints, In Christ Jesus, who are in Philippi. With the bishops and deacons, grace to you and peace. from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
One of the most misunderstood words in all of The Christian language. Is a word found in verse 1. It's the word saint.
Now I grew up hearing a lot about saints. in the church that I was raised in. But I always thought a saint was a dead person who was made into a statue. I didn't understand what the biblical significance or definition of a saint was. Yeah.
Now The way it turns out is you won't get much help. From the Webster's dictionary. If you want to find out what a saint is according to Webster's dictionary, it is not the same according to the New Testament. The Webster's Dictionary defines a saint. As someone officially recognized through canonization.
as being preeminent for holiness. Second definition, according to Webster, it's one of the spirits. of the departed who are now in heaven. In other words, according to Webster's dictionary, a saint is a near-perfect person now dead. In heaven.
Well, how did all that come about? It came about throughout church history. when early on Third century, fourth century AD. Because the persecution was so rampant. The killing of Christians was so rampant that it was believed that anybody who died as a Christian martyr would be declared a saint.
But then as time went on, The Vatican in Rome Decided there needs to be a process so that unworthy people don't get declared saints.
So they came up with a process of canonization.
Now, if you want to become a saint according to that process, there's a few things you have to do. Number one, you have to die. and wait five years. During that time, a local devotional group grows up around your memory. They discuss your life and they want to emulate things about you.
That's number one. Number two, your life is then investigated by local bishops to see if you are worthy of the title saint. Number three, your case is sent to the Vatican to a special group called the Congregation. for the causes of the saints. There is a group called that.
They will review your case. Number four. People start praying to you for a miracle.
So you better cough one up. They start praying to you for a miracle. If the miracle occurs, it is investigated. Fifth, The Vatican, if the miracle is legit, the Vatican then declares you blessed, blessed. and officially declares that you are in heaven.
So By now, you've known that for some time. And you are then given a feast day to celebrate your life. And I was special note. If you were a martyr, you will Skip all the intermediate steps and just be declared blessed. Yeah.
And then sixth, if you can do another miracle. That'll push you over the edge.
Now, you will be canonized a saint, declared officially a saint, and you will be in what is called the great communion of the saints. That's how you become a saint according to the Vatican. That's an elaborate process. It's going to take you some time. I got a better idea.
Trust in Jesus Christ now and Skip the line. That is a New Testament idea of a saint. The New Testament knows nothing of canonizing a dead person. It knows everything about recognizing a living person. You see, Paul the Apostle writes to saints.
In the book of Philippians chapter 1. He writes to saints in the book of Romans, chapter one. He writes to saints. In the book of Colossians, chapter one. And He writes to the Corinthians.
And he calls them saints. If you know anything about Corinth or the Corinthian church, you know that the term saint has a latitude then. Saints who are at Corinth. When Paul was writing these letters, he wasn't writing to dead people. It's not like he's the kid in sixth sense who said, I see dead people.
Paul was writing to living, breathing saints. Those who were on the earth and declared to be God's people, set apart as God's people. Not only is there an elaborate process of canonization in that church, the church I grew up in that I have just mentioned, but there are saints that are given sort of jurisdiction over special areas in life. They're called patron saints. They're guardians of special areas.
I grew up with us knowing about Saint Christopher, the patron saint of travel. Saint Anthony, the patron saint of lost things, Saint Jude, the patron saint of difficult circumstances. But if you do a little research on this, and you'll find it interesting, you will find. Hundreds and hundreds of patron saints over virtually every possible category in life.
Some are quite surprising. For example, there is Saint Barbara, who is the patron saint of fireworks. There is Saint Isidore of Seville, the patron saint of the internet. I kid you not, I had to triple-check this at a few different sources to make sure I was accurate. There is Saint Drogo, who is the patron saint of unattractive people.
Hey, everybody needs a saint. And then there is Saint Genesius of Rome, who is the patron saint of actors and comedians. And we all know they need a lot of help.
Now, most people do not associate sainthood With what we noted last week as the theme of this letter, which is joy. When most people think of a saint, they think of somebody sort of gloomy and sad and serious. like all those saints portrayed in ancient Christian art.
So Allow me with you to look back at Philippians chapter 1 and let me give you some qualities that describe a biblical saint. First quality is this: a saint is somebody who belongs to two spheres. Two spheres. Look at in verse one: Paul and Timothy. bondservants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus.
who are in Fell apart. They're in Christ. That's the first address. They're in Philippi. That's the second address.
So think of it this way. God's people Have dual citizenship. We live here. We live here on this earth. But according to Paul We live and move and have our being.
in him.
So I have a physical address here in town. I also have a spiritual address. in Christ And because of that, I have an eventual address. In heaven.
So you may live at 1611 Comanche Court Northeast. That's your physical address. Jesus said, In my father's house, there are many mansions, and I'm going there to prepare a place for you.
So you might live on earth, but you long for heaven. You dwell on earth, but you're destined for glory. as we will read about when we get to chapter three, whenever that will be. In verse 20, Paul will say, For our citizenship is in. Heaven.
So it's good, and we'll look at each address a little deeper in a moment, but it's good to think of yourself as having two addresses, living in this world with two different spheres. In Christ. But in wherever I live, Albuquerque.
Now let me say a word to those of you who Consider yourself as living only in one address, a physical address. You're bound to this earth. You live for the pleasures of this earth. You are not in Christ, and you have no intention of ever being in Christ. You are content to go to church from time to time, to take part in whatever your family wants to, but you're not weak like those members of your family that have accepted Jesus Christ.
You're content with just living for the here and now. If that is your stance, if that is your posture, then let me just encourage you to make sure that you suck all of the pleasure you can out of your earthly address. Because it's the last good time you'll ever have. You might as well get all the gusto right now, right here, and just take every ounce of fun you can out of it. But Paul believed that he could live in the sphere of the here and now, but also in Christ, knowing that he would be in heaven, and it would add a fuller.
Life. That's what brought him joy. Look at the spiritual address mentioned in verse one to all the saints. in Christ Jesus.
Now eighty-seven times in your New Testament is that phrase In Christ Jesus. It's repeated over and over. We are in Christ Jesus, which means simply we are united to his life. The life of Jesus Christ is in you. And so when Jesus prayed in John 17 to his father, he said, Father, I in you and you in me, that they, his followers, may be one in us.
It's very unique to the Christian life to say you are in. Christ. You will never find a Buddha saying, I am in Buddha. They'll follow the teachings of that leader, but they're not in Buddha. You'll never hear a Muslim saying, I'm in Muhammad.
Or a Mormon saying, I'm in Joseph Smith or I'm in Brigham Young. or a Jehovah Witness saying I'm in Charles Taze Russell. Or a Christian science thing, I'm in Mary Baker Eddie. But you'll find a Christian Like Paul, saying you are in Christ Jesus, you share the same life as Him. This is Connect with Skip Heitzig.
As we reach the end of 2025, generous support from friends like you is vital to keep Connect with Skip Heitzigs strong and sharing God's unchanging truth around the world. Your year-end gift helps more people hear the gospel and find lasting hope in Jesus. And to thank you for your generosity, we'll send you the Daily God Journal, Pastor Skip's new year-long prayer journal, together with the digital devotional, the Daily God Book. These resources will guide you through scripture day by day, helping you align your heart with God and experience His peace. Request yours when you give a year-end gift at connectwithsgift.com slash offer or call 800-922-1888.
Let's return now to today's message. Galatians chapter 2. Verse 20, Paul says, I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life that I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God.
Who loved me and gave himself For me.
So what that means is though we are in this world, we're not of this world. Because we're in Christ. You see, when you're in this world and you're in Christ, you're in this world, but not of this world, which means as you live in this world, you live with a light touch. A light touch in this world because you're only passing through it. It's not your permanent home.
It's simply transitory. It's temporary. You're on your way to something far better. I want you to listen to a portion of a letter written from the second century AD. To a man by the name of Diognetus, who was actually the tutor of Marcus Aurelius, the Roman emperor.
And this letter to him was describing Christians that were the new phenomenon in the Roman Empire. This author says to this unbelieving Roman government official these words: Christians are not marked out from the rest of mankind by their country or by their speech or by their customs. They dwell in cities both Greek and barbarian, as each has his own lot. Following the customs of the region in clothing and in food and in outward things of life generally, yet. They manifest the wonderful and openly paradoxical character of their own state.
They inhabit the lands of their birth, but as temporary residents thereof. And they take their share of all the responsibilities as citizens and endure all the disabilities. As aliens. Every foreign land is their native land. and every native land is as a foreign land.
They pass their days upon the earth, but their citizenship is in heaven. What a testimony. They live responsibly here, but they're citizenship. is in heaven. That's important because some have accused Christians of being so heavenly minded they're no earthly good.
And to that, Paul would say, well, you haven't understood the next part of the address. They're not only in Christ Jesus, but notice what it says in verse 1: who are in. Philippi. In other words, On this earth, you happen to be citizens of the Roman Empire in the Roman colony called the city of Philippi.
So We are residents of two realms. In this case, if we were in Philippi, where In Christ, but in Philippi.
So, because we're residents of two realms, we should live responsible. In both realms, be responsible citizens in Christ and in Philippi. Jesus I prayed this. My prayer, praying to his father in John 17, my prayer is not that you take them out of the world. but that you keep them from the evil one.
Please understand his heart cry. Father, don't take them out of this world. Just keep them from the evil one while they're in this world. In other words, Jesus never intended for you to live in a cave. or a monastery is a hermit.
and to be uninvolved and disassociated from your world and your society. In fact, Jesus said this, and it must have startled his disciples. Jesus said, Behold, I am sending you out. Like sheep. in the midst of wolves.
If I heard that, I would have said. Why? You don't love me very much if you want to send me your sheep in the midst of wolves. You must be cruel. No, he's kind.
He loves wolves so much that sending his sheep out in the midst of them may turn some of those wolves into some of his sheep. That's the purpose of it. But this then becomes a struggle to us. Part of our struggle is. Knowing how to balance.
Both passports. I'm in Christ, but I'm in Albuquerque. I'm in Christ, but I'm in Philippi.
So, we have responsibilities to both. How do we balance that? One of the ways we balance it. is make sure that you are talking to Christ. about your solipi.
and talking to Philippi about your Christ. When you talk to Jesus, when you pray to him, tell him about your neighbors, your neighborhood, your city, the problems in your city. Pray about where you live. And then tell your Philippi about your Christ. Tell people who don't know the Lord about what following Jesus is like.
That will keep you and I in the balance of carrying responsibly. Two passports in this dual citizenship in which we live. We're responsible to him, but we're responsible in our culture. Back in the days of what is called the Jesus movement, I always feel like I need to explain that nowadays because that's so old. From Memory.
The Jesus movement was a phenomenon in the 60s and 70s, whereby thousands upon thousands of young people were coming to Christ in droves, especially on the West Coast. It was a phenomenon. But we all believe that Jesus was coming soon. I still believe that. But we believe what that meant is he's coming so soon, might as well just do nothing, just sit around and wait for him.
Just enjoy yourself because he'll be here well any minute.
So it created a lot of people who were irresponsible. And I remember when I announced to some of my friends that I was going to go to college. They go, college? Jesus will come back before you graduate from college. I say, well, if he does, he'll find me a college.
And last time I checked, colleges need to hear about Jesus. They're not like the bastion of righteousness and goodness. I feel colleges need a good witness, so that's where I'm going to be. If he comes back before I am done. Fine.
Jesus said he was coming, but he also said, occupy until I come. Stay responsible, stay busy, stay involved, stay engaged.
So we are in Christ, but we are in Philippi. A saint belongs to two spheres. Yeah.
There's um A second quality of a saint, a New Testament saint, a saint behaves. Submissively. In other words, a saint is a servant. Again, notice in verse one, I know I touched on it last week. But there's always more in a verse, you know.
So I did one verse last week, I'm doing verse one and two this week. But just look at that word: Paul and Timothy, bond servants. of Jesus Christ. Don't you love How Paul introduces himself. He doesn't say, Paul and Timothy.
Big wigs. Or Dr. Paul and Dr. Timothy, eminent theologians writing to you, low lifers in Philippi. who really don't know theology like I do.
He came as low as you can get. We are bond slaves. Of Jesus Christ.
Now, Paul is writing as a slave, as a servant. Two Saints But look at it this way: he's writing as a servant to servants. You see, throughout this book, he's going to encourage them to become like him. Chapter 2, he's going to say, Let this mind be in you, which was also even in Jesus Christ, who being in the form of God did not think it robbery to be the same on the same par as God, but he emptied himself and became a bond servant.
So be servants like Jesus was a servant and like I am a servant.
So he's riding as his servant. Two servants.
Now, when they heard the term bond slave or bondservant. It sounded different to their ears than it does to our ears. We have eradicated slavery in our culture. In the Roman Empire, slavery was 40% of the population still. 40% of people in the Roman Empire were owned by other human beings.
at that time. But it was a enforced kind of a slavery. They were often despised and slaves were regarded as simply a piece of property.
Now, there was a slavery even in Judaism in the religious sector. But if you know your Old Testament, you know that You could have a slave for six years. You had to treat them very kindly, and then on the seventh year, you released them. But if the slave loved the master, Do you remember there was a ceremony? The slave could say, No, no, no, I want to serve my master for the rest of my life.
The ceremony was: you take your slave to the doorpost and you run a spike through his earlobe or an awl, like you'd get an earring, you pierce it. And you would designate that person as a servant. Voluntarily For life. That's the idea of a New Testament bondservant. I'm a bondservant of Jesus, not because I have to.
I signed up for this. I want to. A voluntary bondservant bound willfully to Christ.
Now, this is important terminology because there's another New Testament term that you hear a lot or read a lot in the New Testament, is the word redeem. Christians are fond of saying, I'm redeemed. We don't always. Understand what it means. Redeem, used 20 times in the New Testament, means to go to the slave market.
And pay a price for that slave, releasing that slave from the slave market. to be your slave.
So here's what redeemed means. When you say I'm redeemed by Jesus, it doesn't mean I'm set free to be me. I'm set free so I can do whatever I want. No, you are redeemed from the slave market to be a slave. Of Jesus.
You're called to a higher slavery. That's what it means. Romans chapter six. Paul says, once you were slaves of sin.
Now you have obeyed with all your heart. The new teaching that God has given you.
Now you are free from sin, your old master. And have become slaves to your New master Righteousness.
So being a believer means you've defected. You ran away from your old master. Sin used by Satan to keep you bound, keep you in fetters. You ran from that. to a higher form of slavery.
To willingly obey him. That's what surrendering your life to Jesus means. You are free to be his slave. bondservants of Jesus Christ. We're so glad you joined us today on Connect with Skip Heidzig.
And remember, before you go, your generosity today makes a real difference. As this year ends, your gift helps more people hear God's word and find lasting hope in Jesus. And to thank you, we'll send you the Daily God Journal, along with a companion digital devotional, the Daily God Book. These resources will help you start the new year aligned with God's heart and growing in faith each day. Give your year-end gift now at connectwisgift.com slash offer or call 800-922-1888.
Come back next time for more verse-by-verse teaching of God's Word here on Connect with Skip Heitzig. Make a connection, let the foot. Of the crossing. I can't so burning.
Some mis Connect with Skip Heitzig is a presentation of connection communications, connecting you to God's never-changing truth in ever-changing times.
