“Your Passport to Heaven”
Philippians 3:20

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Pastor Kevin Vogts
Trinity Lutheran Church
Paola, Kansas
Second Sunday in Lent—March 13, 2022

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.

In today’s Epistle Reading, the Apostle Paul writes: “For our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.”

When Terry and I travelled to England recently for our son Jacob’s wedding, because of the pandemic there were many extra, new steps involved, compared to when we’ve travelled internationally before.  In the past, the one thing you had to always be certain to keep with you was your U.S. passport.  But, this time there were many added steps and requirements, and something else that we had to be certain to have with us, what you could call our “Covid passport,” proof that we had been vaccinated, and tested negative.

I mentioned to the confirmation students that I wouldn’t even be going to England, or might be coming back later than expected, if I tested positive before or at the end of our trip. Because, either way, they wouldn’t let me on the plane.  They asked naively, “How could they stop you from getting on the plane?”

I explained that at Kansas City International Airport the secure area where you board the plane is behind a big glass wall, and they have officers with guns to stop you.  You can only get past if you have proper identification, such as your passport, and these days your “Covid passport” too.

Like that glass wall at the airport, there is a much bigger barrier and a higher wall keeping us all out of HEAVEN.  For, keeping us out of heaven is a SPIRITUAL barrier called SIN.  In Ephesians, St. Paul describes sin as “the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility.”  Sin would keep you and me out of heaven forever.  And there is no way over that wall, or around or through that barrier.  The BAD news is, sin is “the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility,” totally separating you from God.

But, St. Paul goes on in Ephesians to tell us the GOOD News of how Jesus tore down the barrier of sin for you:  “For he himself is our peace . . . who has DESTROYED the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility . . . so you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household.”

When you stand at the gates of heaven there is only one passport that will let you in.  To get into heaven, an American passport or “Covid passport” will not let you in; the gate will stay shut.  The passport of your GOOD WORKS will not let you in; the gate will stay shut.  The passport of claiming to be INNOCENT will not let you in; the gate will stay shut.  The passport of saying that at least you are not as bad as other people will not let you in; the gate will stay shut.

When you stand at the gates of heaven, there is only one passport that will let you in.  Jesus said, “I am the gate; whoever enters through ME will be saved.”  Jesus IS YOUR passport to eternal life.  As we sing this morning in the Te Deum: “When you had overcome the sharpness of death, you opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.”

I’m a bit obsessive-compulsive, and throughout any trip oversees I’m constantly checking to make sure I have my American passport.  It’s essential that I keep my passport with me so that I can get back into my home country.  In the same way, always keep Jesus with you, because he is your passport to your ETERNAL HOME in heaven.  “For our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.”

YOU are right now a citizen of heaven.  And when your life on earth is ended, and you stand at the gates of heaven, YOU WILL BE LET IN, because you have the passport of faith in Jesus Christ.  YOU WILL BE LET IN, because you have the passport of Jesus’ blood, which washes away all your sins.

If you were on a trip overseas and lost your passport, but the ambassador at the American embassy happened to be a good friend of yours, the gates would be opened, and you would be let in.  YOU WILL BE LET IN to HEAVEN, because the Ambassador and the King of heaven himself is your friend, your best friend.

“For he himself is our peace . . . who has DESTROYED the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility . . . so you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household.”  When you stand at the gates of heaven with the passport of Jesus’ blood, the gates will fly open, the walls will fall down before you, and you will be welcomed HOME.

“For our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ. . . Therefore, my brothers . . . that is how you should stand firm in the Lord!”