Pressing on Toward the Goal
Text: Philippians 3:12-21
Core Idea: We must learn to press on to take hold of Christ because Christ first took hold of us. Then as citizens of the Kingdom of God, may we run in such a way so that we would win the prize that God has prepared for us in Christ Jesus.
INTRODUCTION
Well, we are currently going through the Book of Philippians – reflecting on what it means to press on with joy in all circumstances. And last week, we learned that a Christian is someone who boasts in Christ (in that, they’re obsessed with Him); a Christian is someone who treasures Christ (in that, they consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Him); and lastly, a Christian is someone who desires to know Christ (in that, there’s this explosive longing in their hearts to know Him more). All that to say, a Christian is someone who goes through a radical reorientation of life and begins to center their lives around Jesus. They no longer live for themselves but for Christ – to bring Him glory. Now, one of the things that I wanted to clarify was that the goal of that message wasn’t to say, “If you’re not doing this, you’re not a Christian” – because the truth is that, more often than not, many of us including myself don’t boast in Christ as we ought to, we don’t treasure Christ as we ought to, and we don’t desire to know Christ as we ought to. Whatever the reason may be (whether it’d be the burdens of this life, the distractions of this world, or the sinful ambition of our hearts), we continue to find ourselves falling short – which is why I was so thankful that we were able to end our time together with the Lord’s Supper. As you know, the Table before us is a visible reminder that our salvation isn’t the result of our faithfulness to Christ but His faithfulness to us – we’re saved not because we treasured Christ but because He treasured us. This is important to point out because what this means is that we boast in Christ, treasure Christ, and make every effort to know more about Christ not as a way to get saved but because we are saved – we do this because we love Him. Now, scholars estimate that Paul must have been in his late 50s when he wrote this letter to the Philippians. And considering that he became a Christian in his late 20s, it’s been more than 30 years since he walked with the Lord. Then it wouldn’t have been strange to see him slow down. He has done so much for the Lord already – he preached the gospel in many different cities, he led countless people to Christ, he planted multiple churches, he was persecuted for his faith, he wrote a number of letters that were theologically rich and life-giving, and much more that we are not even aware of. Here was a man who knew Christ better than anyone else at this time – and yet it still wasn’t enough for him. He wasn’t satisfied. He felt like he hadn’t arrived – which is why he said in verse 10, “I want to know Christ.” He wasn’t ready to slow down – he wanted more. In fact, that’s exactly what we’ll see in our passage today. So, with that in mind, please turn your Bibles to Philippians 3:12-21. Let me read this for us.
12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. 15 All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. 16 Only let us live up to what we have already attained. 17 Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do. 18 For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body.
Amen. This is the Word of God for you today.
If you didn’t know, many years ago, I was enrolled in the life science program at the University of Toronto – thinking that I would go into dentistry. Now, I did okay in most of the courses but there was one course that I just could not understand – biochemistry. I don’t know why I took it – maybe it was one of the requirements. But either way, despite all my efforts (going to all the tutorials and reading the textbook cover to cover), nothing made sense to me. It was like the prof was teaching in a language that I didn’t know. And that’s when I realized that my goal shouldn’t be to understand the material but just pass the course. That’s all I cared about. So, I went into the final exam deathly scared – and when I got the result back, the only question that was on my mind was, “Did I pass?” Miraculously, I passed – I think the prof was being gracious because I ended up with 51%. But it didn’t matter – I was just happy that I passed. Now, it’s clear that I didn’t really care about this course because I don’t remember anything from that course. I spent so much of my time thinking about this course then but today, I don’t remember a thing. In contrast, when I was in seminary, I worked hard in all of my courses as well – I read all the assigned books cover to cover and I put a lot of work on each paper I wrote. The only difference was that I wasn’t doing this just to pass (though that was important) – I did it because I wanted to be a good pastor. I wanted these truths to transform and equip me so that I would be effective in my ministry. So, if I didn’t do well on a paper, I carefully read through the comments that my prof made – hoping that I wouldn’t make the same mistake again. And I can honestly say that these courses were instrumental in shaping who I am today. Then what’s going on here? Why is it that I couldn’t care less about biochemistry but care so much about the courses in my seminary? Because the goals were different. With biochemistry, I just needed to pass – but in seminary, the ultimate goal was to learn and grow. Paul told us in verse 9 that we were made righteous not by our own obedience but through faith in Jesus Christ. In other words, Christ’s perfect score became ours – so, through Him, we passed already. Our salvation has been made secure in Him. Then what’s next? Is the goal of salvation just to secure a ticket to heaven or is there something more? What is the goal of your Christian life? And are you running toward that goal? In fact, what are you doing to achieve that goal? Or, as tragic as this sounds, are you just mindlessly drifting in life – passively waiting for Christ to take you home? Paul pressed on – and that’s what we should do as well. Then here are three questions that I want to answer from this passage.
· WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO PRESS ON?
· WHY SHOULD WE PRESS ON?
· HOW DO WE PRESS ON?
1) WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO PRESS ON?
The Greek word for “press on” in verse 12 is dioko. Now, what’s interesting about this is that the same word was used in verse 6 but was translated completely differently. Here’s what verse 6 said, “As for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.” Can you guess which word has the same Greek word as “press on”? It’s the word “persecuting.” One word but two different translations – how can that be? Well, this is easy to explain if we realize that the word literally means “to pursue or run after something with great obsession and zeal.” The same word can bring out different nuances according to the object of your pursuit. In verse 6, Paul was intensely running after churches to destroy – which is why it was translated as “persecuting.” But in verse 12, Paul was passionately running after Christ to know Him better and to take hold of Him – which is why it was translated as “press on.” Now, this is not the first time Paul used the imagery of a runner to describe the Christian life. Just to name a few – Acts 20:24, “I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me – the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.” 1 Corinthians 9:26-27, “I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.” And 2 Timothy 4:7, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” Now, why did Paul use the imagery of a runner to describe the life of a Christian? I’m sure there were many reasons but one of them must have been because he knew that runners do everything they can (whether it’d be submitting themselves to rigorous training or exercising self-control) to accomplish one thing – to win the prize. Because they so desperately want that prize, they control everything they do in life. They may be tempted to eat whatever they want, but they choose to restrain themselves. They may be tempted to sleep in, but they get up to exercise. They may be tempted to rest, but they push their body to the extreme so that they’ll be ready to perform when the pressure is on. All that to say, they are intensely devoted to winning that prize. Now, Tim Keller uses a magnifying glass to describe this intensity. He shares that a simple magnifying glass can focus the rays of the sun in such a way that it’s able to ignite a fire. How? He explains that without a magnifying glass, light rays travel everywhere – they’re moving in every direction at once. But what a magnifying glass does is that it gathers up all the light rays and causes them to travel through one single point – and it becomes powerful enough to burn through anything. Then, in the same way, we can say that Paul’s life was being gathered up for one purpose – to know Christ. That’s all he wanted – which is why everything he did was to accomplish just that. Then let me ask you, “What is your one thing? What is that one thing you’re trying to achieve? Are you gathering up your life for the sole purpose of knowing Christ or are you spreading yourself too thin – trying to do everything but failing to do anything well?” Or let me ask you this, “What is one thing you can give up today in order to press on and take hold of Christ better in your life?” This is what it means to press on – gathering up your life to make it focused on one thing.
But there’s one more thing to consider. Verse 13, “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead.” Every good runner knows that you shouldn’t look over your shoulder in the middle of a race because you might get distracted and stumble – causing you to slow down. So, even though they may be tempted to look back at their competitors, they keep their eyes fixed on the finish line because they’re not going to let anything get in the way of their victory. This is how Peter O’Brien explains this phrase, “He will not allow either the achievements of the past (which God has wrought) or, for that matter, his failures as a Christian to prevent his gaze from being fixed firmly on the finish line. In this sense, he forgets as he runs.” I love that expression: “He forgets as he runs.” In fact, this should really encourage us because it means that our past doesn’t determine our present identity or future reality. Let me explain. Some people think that they’ve committed an unforgivable sin, and that God will not be able to forgive them, love them, and use them again. As a result, they stop running – crushed by the weight of their guilt and shame. For others, a horrible sin may have been done against them – and they believe that that scar will never be healed. They feel like damaged goods, and they no longer feel like they’re valuable or precious to anyone – even to God. So, they stop running. Friends, if this describes you today, if you think that you’ll never be freed from your past, I want you to know that Jesus is stronger. He has the power to forgive and the power to heal. In fact, that’s exactly what Paul experienced in his life. Think about it. He was a zealous persecutor of the church – being responsible for killing countless Christians. Then he could’ve said, “After all that I’ve done, how can I now say that I love God? How can I represent Christ? I don’t deserve this. I shouldn’t be an apostle.” No, that’s not what he said. Instead, he said, “I know that I can’t take back what I did in the past. If I could, I would. But I can’t. Then I’m not going to let my past sins slow me down. I’m going to forget what is behind me and strain toward what is ahead because Jesus said that I am forgiven in Him. I’m just going to do everything I can to know Christ and help others to know Christ because I firmly believe that everything we need and everything we’ve ever wanted is found in Him.” Now, how do we know if we’re forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead? You have the courage to talk about your past with others. If you say, “I don’t want to talk about it,” you really haven’t moved on from your past – you haven’t forgotten it. But when you’re able to share your past with others (whether it’s the sins that you committed or the sins that were committed against you), it shows that you’re no longer paralyzed by the fear, regret, or shame that comes from your past. In fact, they just become part of your testimony – in that, sharing your past becomes an opportunity to honor God. Then this is what it means to press on – not just gathering up your life to make it focused on one thing but also forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. Becoming a Christian is not about adding some knowledge to yourself, but completely reorienting your life to press on to know Christ. Yes, it’s true that you may fall and fail along the way, but you forget the past and move forward knowing that His grace is enough, knowing that Jesus is stronger. Then, friends, are you pressing on to take hold of Christ with this kind of great intensity today?
2) WHY SHOULD WE PRESS ON?
We find the answer in verse 12, “I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” We press on, we forget, and we strain toward what is ahead because we were taken hold by Christ first, because Christ has made us His own. That’s the reason for our explosive longing. Christ didn’t take hold of us because we took hold of Him. No, we take hold of Him because He took hold of us first. It’s all been initiated by God. Then Pastor Tim Keller was right when he said, “Christianity is not something that starts with you but something that starts upon you.” That’s not what the world says. If you’re going through depression, if you’re going through financial trouble, if you’re going through character deficiency, the world says that it must start with you. You have to make certain decisions. You must commit to disciplining yourself. You have to do this and that. Your journey to better yourself is completely dependent on your own performance. But that’s not the case with Christianity. Paul says that we press on because Christ pursued us first. Then if you’re a Christian, was that your experience? Do you know that that’s what happened? We are Christians because God first sent His one and only Son Jesus Christ to be the sin-bearing, wrath-absorbing substitute for our sin so that it would be made possible for us to be forgiven of our sins and made righteous before Him. We are Christians because Jesus stayed on the cross. We are Christians because God did not leave Christ in the grave but raised Him up so that we would be victorious over death in Christ. We are Christians because God made sure that the gospel was preached to us. We are Christians because the Holy Spirit opened our hearts to not just hear the gospel but to be captured by it. We are Christians because Christ took hold of us and made us His own. That’s what happened.
Now, does this mean that all Christians must have a dramatic conversion experience? Absolutely not. A number of people have shared with me, “I don’t really have a testimony to share.” And what they mean by that is, “I don’t have anything exciting to share. I never encountered a near-death experience. I was never in prison. I never got in big trouble. I never experienced extraordinary things. My testimony is boring. In fact, I’m not even sure when I became a Christian.” They don’t want to share their story because they feel like there’s nothing impressive about it. Now, if this describes you today, let me ask you, “Do people tell their love story only if it happens in the most dramatic way possible? If it’s not love at first sight, do people say, ‘I don’t want to share how I met my spouse because it’s boring’?” Of course not. People in love can’t stop talking about their lovers. Even if they can’t remember the day that they started liking each other, they still talk about how things led up to that point – and more. Why? Because they’re in love, because their hearts have been captured. It doesn’t matter how it happened – they won’t keep this to themselves because they want to share their joy with others. Then, friends, it doesn’t matter how you met Christ – your story is not superior because it’s more dramatic than others and it certainly isn’t inferior to others because it’s not very dramatic. What matters is that Christ pursued you. In fact, no conversion story in the Bible is the same. Paul was on his way to persecute Christians when he heard the audible voice of Jesus. Peter was just fishing when Jesus called him to follow. Zacchaeus was on a sycamore tree when Jesus looked for him. Timothy was raised in a Christian home under his grandmother Lois and mother Eunice – and gradually came to Christ. Nicodemus came to Jesus at night in fear of other Jews but was born again after hearing the truth. All stories are unique. But one thing is for sure – they all couldn’t stop talking about Jesus. Their hearts were exploding with love for Christ.
Now, you might say, “But if it’s not dramatic, how do I know I’ve been taken hold of by Jesus? How do I know that Jesus intensely pursued me?” The answer is simple: You begin to intensely pursue Jesus. Brothers and sisters, when we understand that Jesus gave up everything to give us everything, that He humbled Himself and became a servant for us, that He was ridiculed, mocked, and beaten on our behalf, that He went to the cross to receive the fullness of God’s wrath, that He pursued us so intensely even though we’ve constantly rebelled against Him, how can we not respond by intensely pursuing after this King? Why would we desire anything else but Him? Now, if you’re still hesitant to share your story because you feel like you don’t have an exciting story to tell, please remember that the most dramatic portion of your testimony is not an event that you went through but it’s an event that Jesus went through on your behalf. Brothers and sisters, your testimony is not ultimately about you – which is why at the end of your story, you shouldn’t get the glory. God should. Then share your story with others because you love Him, because your heart has been captured by His beauty and glory. We are Christians not because we took hold of Christ but because He took hold of us. Then let’s press on – let’s intensely pursue after Him knowing that everything we need and everything we’ve ever wanted is found in Him.
3) HOW SHOULD WE PRESS ON?
Verse 17, “Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do.” After challenging the Philippians to press on, Paul draws their attention to the importance of identifying and imitating godly people because he knew that they couldn’t do this on their own – they needed to observe the transforming effect of the gospel lived out before them. So, he invited them to first follow his own example. Just as he learned to consider all things loss compared to the supreme worth of knowing Christ, just as he was pressing on to take hold of Christ every single day, he wanted the Philippians to model their lives after him. But he knew that they needed someone they could observe from a close distance. And since he couldn’t be there with them, Paul encouraged them to look for faithful examples in their own community. In fact, he described two kinds of people.
First, the people they should avoid. Verse 18, “For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things.” It’s true that we can’t definitively identify who these people were. The Philippians must have known who Paul was referring to, but we don’t. But here’s something that all commentaries agree on – that they were Christians whose lives were a contradiction to the gospel. Even though they claimed to know Christ, they lived like the enemies of the cross. There was nothing about their lives that made people think that they were followers of Jesus. They didn’t talk about the cross – and they certainly didn’t take up their cross to share in Christ’s suffering. In fact, Paul says that their god was their stomach – in that, they sought to please themselves. They indulged in sinful, sensual appetites without any restraints because it was all about them. And if that wasn’t enough, their glory was in their shame – in that, they didn’t feel remorse for their sins. Instead, they actually gloried in them – they celebrated what they should be ashamed of. They rebranded their sin so that it looked less destructive. So, for example, they described their anger as passion, their gossip as care, and their gluttony as stress relief. But in the end, everything they did was completely opposite from the values of the Kingdom. They just lived for the moment – and they devoted themselves to the things that will ultimately pass away. No wonder Paul didn’t want the Philippians to emulate them. But one thing I do want to point out is that as Paul was describing them, he didn’t despise them – in fact, he grieved over them. Verse 18, “I say this with tears – many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.” In other words, he was broken for them. He was concerned for their destiny. I’m sure he prayed that they would repent of their sins. Then here’s something we should learn from Paul – we should learn to weep for the lost. We should learn to pray for them with tears in our eyes. Let’s learn to cultivate this kind of compassionate heart for the lost.
Second, the people they should emulate. Verse 20, “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body.” Paul was basically saying, “Unlike the ones whose minds are set on earthly things, my mind is set on heaven – which is why I’m not going to allow myself to be distracted by the things of this world. I don’t live for the present. I live for what’s to come. I invest in the things that will never pass away. Then look for people like me – those who eagerly wait for the glory to come. These are the kind of people worth emulating.” Then let me ask you, “Do you have people like that around you?” Think about the people you surround yourself with. How are they influencing you? Are they inspiring you to long for your home in heaven or teaching you to settle down here? Are they moving you to live for Christ or the things that will ultimately pass away? Are they empowering you to devote yourself to Christ or leading you astray to set your mind on earthly things? Whom you hang out with matters. Whom you follow matters because you’ll become like those you spend time with. Then find and emulate people who have been captured by heavenly realities and avoid those who are enemies of the cross. Learn from them how to love your spouse, how to parent your child, how to be a God-honoring single, how to spend money, how to deal with your temptation, how to manage your anger, how to grow in holiness, how to study the Bible, how to pray, how to share the gospel with others, how to love your enemies, how to forgive those who hurt you, how to let go, how to repent, how to give generously, how to serve humbly, how to cultivate friendship, how to grieve, how to pursue Christ when you don’t feel like it, how to count your blessings, and more. This is so important because sometimes it’s not clear as to how we can apply the gospel to every aspect of our lives. So, learn from these people and become like them so that we can become worthy examples for others to emulate. The truth is that, whether you like it or not, others are watching you – and they’re learning from you. Then let me ask you, “What kind of model are you? Will your life inspire them to desire Christ or live for themselves? Will your life teach them what it means to press on or be complacent?” Then, brothers and sisters, let’s find a wonderful example to follow so that we would learn from them but let’s also continue to press on so that we may be worthy examples for others to follow so that we would lead them one step closer to Christ.
CONCLUSION
Lighthouse family, we must learn to press on to take hold of Christ because Christ first took hold of us. Then as citizens of the Kingdom of God, may we run in such a way so that we would win the prize that God has prepared for us in Christ Jesus.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1) Read verses 12-13. The one driving force of Paul’s life was to know Christ – that’s what caused him to press on. Then what is your one thing? What is that one thing you’re trying to achieve in your life? What is one thing you can give up today in order to press on and take hold of Christ better in your life?
2) Read verse 12. How does knowing that Christ took hold of us motivate us to take hold of Him? In other words, how does the gospel move us to press on?
3) Have you ever shared your testimony with others? Take some time to share it in your CG.
4) Read verses 17-21. Think about the people you surround yourself with. How are they influencing you? Are they inspiring you to live for Christ or the things that will ultimately pass away? More importantly, what kind of influence are you making on others?