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Philippians 3:12-16, Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. 13 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you; 16 however, let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained.
Last week we talked about justification by faith alone in Christ alone in verse 9. Through faith in Christ, your sin and guilt were transferred to Christ – He who knew no sin was made sin for us. And Christ’s perfect righteousness (His active obedience) was imputed to your account before God, and God declares you righteous or justified. This is purely by God’s grace. We don’t earn it or contribute anything to it except to believe, and we discover that even our faith is a gift from God through regeneration when God gives us that new heart as He calls us to Himself through the gospel. That is all packed into verse 9.
But now what? What does a justified, born again, regenerated, reconciled, redeemed, adopted, heaven-bound child of God do next? Justification always leads to progressive sanctification. Justification is instantaneous; sanctification is a life-long process. God declares you righteous in justification. He begins to actually make you righteous or holy in sanctification. In justification our works have no place at all; in sanctification God calls us to vigorous running, fighting, watching, praying, pursuing or pressing on as in our text this morning. Sanctification is God working in us, energizing us by His Spirit to pursue godliness or holiness. It is a progressive work of continual spiritual growth, putting off the deeds of the flesh and putting on the fruit of the Spirit.
That’s what Paul is talking about in our text. Paul uses his own life and testimony to give us insight on what it means to live for Christ, to be fired up for Christ. Did you notice the little phrase “press on” in verses 12 and 14? It’s really a present tense verb, meaning “I keep on pressing on.” That’s your Christian life – pressing on to the finish line. In these verses Paul uses the picture of the Greek foot race. You’re watching a Christian athlete in hot pursuit of the mission God gave him. It’s exciting and I hope God fires up all our hearts to press on to win the Christian race. I’ve got seven insights for running this race.
YOU HAVEN’T ARRIVED YET, SO PRESS ON.
Philippians 3:12-13, Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. 13 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,
Someone wisely said, “If you think you’ve arrived, think again.” Paul says, “I haven’t crossed the finished line yet.” Paul wants us to know there is no such thing as perfection this side of glory. He’s not kicking back, smug in his accomplishments, full of self-praise, preening his feathers as if he’s already finished the race. He’s not satisfied with how far he’s come. One author wrote, “Self-satisfaction is the death of progress.” Jerry Bridges adds, “There’s no place in authentic Christianity for stagnant, self-satisfied, self-righteous Christians.”
Paul describes his race in Acts 20.
Acts 20:24, But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.
Paul’s is not perfect and he’s not finished. It’s not perfection but direction that counts. There are actually some who have taught perfectionism. John Wesley taught a form of perfectionism called being “perfected in love,” which taught you could get to the place where you had a totally pure heart. I have Adam Clark in my e-Sword program. He was a Wesleyan Methodist who thought Paul was not talking about still being polluted with indwelling sin. But Paul clarifies his belief in Romans 7:24: “Wretched man that I am. Who will deliver me from the body of this death?”
You and I are going to fight sin all the way up to the Celestial City in Heaven. We’re going to slug it out with the lusts of the eyes, the lusts of the flesh, and the pride of life from now till we die or Jesus comes back. One preacher claimed he hadn’t sinned for several years. Someone asked him if his wife agreed. He said she didn’t believe in the doctrine of perfectionism.
So here in verses 12 and13 Paul examines himself and wasn’t satisfied with how far he had come. Press on as long as you’re in this body. It’s not time to ease up. There’s always more prayer, another verse to memorize, another gospel tract to hand out, another good book to read, more Bible to study, more of God’s people to serve. Press on. You haven’t arrived.
CHRIST LAID HOLD OF YOU SO YOU WOULD LAY HOLD OF HIM.
Philippians 3:12b, I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.
I love this phrase “lay hold of.” It means to seize, apprehend, grasp, possess, overtake, even tackle. Notice who laid hold of whom first? Christ first apprehended Paul. Christ came running after us, we ran the other way, but Christ was more powerful and laid hold of us. Jesus said in John 15:16, “You did not choose me, but I chose you.” I’m reminded of the poem about “The Hound of Heaven,” where the subject is running day and night as fast as he can away from God. The Spirit does chase down God’s elect, and like a heavenly hound dog chases us down and runs us up a tree till we surrender! Christ laid hold of Paul, and now Paul is pressing on and running the race to lay hold of the purpose for which Christ laid hold of him.
And why did Christ lay hold of Paul? The same reason Christ laid hold of you if you are a believer – to transform you into the likeness of Christ. Romans 8:28-29 says God causes everything to work for the believer’s good and for God’s purpose. And what is that purpose? God’s purpose for us is to be conformed to the image of Christ. That’s what God predestined you to become, and that’s why you’re pursuing Christ. You want to go after Him to become more and more like Him, and that’s a daily pursuit. Jesus apprehended and appointed you to go and bear fruit.
So, Paul is pressing on to become like Christ, and he isn’t satisfied with how far he’s come. He’s vigorously expending energy, pressing on, just like he did when he was persecuting God’s people. In fact, “press on” and “persecute” are the exact same Greek word dioko. Paul didn’t believe in a passive Christian life, or the Keswick theology of “let go and let God.” No, you can’t float into holiness or godliness. First Timothy 4:7 says, “Discipline yourself for godliness.” J. C. Ryle wrote his book Holiness to refute the false teaching of instant sanctification.
STAY FOCUSED ON ONE THING.
Philippians 3:13, Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
Here’s a huge key to successfully running this race: “This one thing I do; not these many things I dabble in.” The apostle Paul ran the race of a spiritual athlete by sweeping away all the stuff that would distract him. He got up every day with a clear purpose: “I’m living this day for the glory of Christ.” J. C. Ryle wrote, “A zealous man in religion is a man of one thing. He only sees one thing, he cares for one thing, he is swallowed up in one thing; and that one thing is to please God.” Paul laid it out succinctly in 2 Corinthians 5:9, Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. That is a verse worth memorizing. It’s a banner-verse for your life. It’s like those huge banners the cheerleaders hold high for their school as they run around the gym. Keep that banner of pleasing God always flying in your mind.
This one thing I do. The power of a hammer is the concentrated energy on that one thing – a nail. Back in the day some of my construction buddies could drive a nail completely in with one strike. They weren’t gazing at the clouds when they did that. The “one thing” they did was disciplined themselves to focus on the nail head. The “one thing” for Christians is discipline, self-control, and ignoring distractions. Greed and lust can distract and destroy a man. Remember that fellow in Proverbs 7 who failed to stay on the one way and was met by the strange woman, spent the night, and ended up with an arrow through his liver. Jesus reproved Martha for all her distractions. “Martha, Martha, one thing is necessary, and Mary has chosen the good part.” Mary was sitting at Jesus’ feet, listening to His word. (Luke 10:42).
Paul said, “This one thing I do.” One thing is necessary – pressing on to know and love and serve your Lord. David said in Psalm 27:4, One thing I have asked of the Lord, that I shall seek; To behold the beauty of the Lord and to meditate in his temple. Press on with one thing in mind.
DON’T LIVE IN YOUR PAST – GO FORWARD.
Philippians 3:13, Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,
You can’t run forward by looking backward. What does Paul mean? Paul is using the footrace to illustrate. You run down the track and you don’t look back to see how far you’ve come or where everyone else is. This word “forgetting” has the preposition “epi” prefixed to the verb, not just forgetting, but completely forgetting. And it’s a present tense participle, so Paul was determined he would never let his past in any way slow him down. In a famous race called the Miracle Mile in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1954, two fast mile-runners named Roger Bannister of England and John Landy of Australia competed with 35,000 fans watching. Landy was in front but made a fatal mistake – he looked back to see where Bannister was. That’s all it took for Bannister to storm by Landry and win the race by five yards.
So what things in the past slow Christians down? Some keep looking back to the “I used to….” I used to really serve the Lord. I used to memorize Scripture. We used to have this really great Bible Study. We had this really wonderful church. Great. Thank God for His blessings and press on! Some look back in self-pity, “You don’t realize how deeply I was hurt, abused, wounded.” Carrying a bitter spirit can chain you to someone who hurt you in the past. What happened may be really sad, but you’re going to have to give it to God, get over it, and press on. Others may get hung up on past actions, “But you don’t realize all the terrible things I’ve done in the past. I just can’t get them out of my mind.” Did you murder someone? Steal from your neighbor? Use the Lord’s name in vain. Remember, Paul persecuted Christians! Whatever you did confess it, repent of it, ask forgiveness, forget it, and get going for Christ. Looking back can be costly. Israel looked back to Egypt and it cost them 40 years of wandering instead of entering the promised land.
After the Civil War, Robert E. Lee came upon an elderly southern lady who took him outside and seething with resentment, showed Mr. Lee a majestic magnolia tree the northern army had destroyed. Mr. Lee wisely stood back and counseled her, “My dear madam, cut it down and forget about it.”
Don’t live in the past. Don’t lick your wounds or gloat over all the wonderful things you did for Jesus ten years ago. Paul did not live off his past spiritual experiences. Remember the manna in the wilderness? God told the Israelites to not save yesterday’s manna for today. You need fresh manna today, every day. Press forward; don’t live in your past. In Exodus 14:15 God told Moses as Israel faced the Red Sea, “Tell them to go forward.”
RUN FOR THE PRIZE – CHRIST HIMSELF.
Philippians 3:13-14, Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
First, we have a sesquipedalian (multi-syllable) Greek word here. Reaching forward is three words: epi – toward; ek – out; teno – to stretch. Plus, it is a present participle. We see here a picture of a runner who is stretching out, his body straining forward, his hand and eyes drawn onward towards the goal out front. Spurgeon describes Paul as throwing himself forward, his whole body leaning forward, running as though he would project himself to the end of the journey before his legs can carry him there.
What is the prize Paul is pressing on toward? It’s the upward call of God. It’s not a mystery. Why did God call you? What did he call you to? Paul gives us the answer in 2 Thessalonians 2:14, It was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Here’s why God called you – to gain the glory of Christ! This is exactly what Jesus prayed.
John 17:24, “Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.”
Paul knew this life was all about pursuing Christ, pressing on to the final prize of actually being in Christ’s presence, to see and gain His glory. It’s all heart pursuit, isn’t it? When you see people delighting in the things of God, in the fellowship of God’s people, in the study of God’s Word, and it continues over time – that is pursuing Christ. And even while going through trials and severe troubles, they continue pressing on and pursuing God. They aren’t living in the past but are focused on pleasing Christ today, running forward, a little further along at the end of today leading into tomorrow. These are the evidences of grace in the heart of the believer, pressing on to gain the prize of Christ Himself.
LET GOD’S CALL IN CHRIST KEEP YOU MOTIVATED.
Philippians 3:14, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
The “upward call” is the effectual call of God for you to gain Christ forever. It’s pure grace and at the end we receive the prize of fully embracing Christ Himself, like a bride coming down the aisle into the groom’s presence. What a beautiful truth. Here’s where we’re going. Here’s the goal of all our pressing on through this Christian life. And just think, you may have grumbled along the way and felt like quitting. You may have let your past consume you and destroy the joy. Did you lay up treasure on earth instead of heaven? Did you waste time scrolling through media junk-food? Did you carry unnecessary weights or allow that sin to trip you and entangle your pursuit and make you stumble along the way (Hebrews 12:1)?
Let’s review…
You’re not perfect; you’ve not arrived yet. If you think you’ve arrived, think again.
Christ saved you to pursue Him.
Stay focused on one thing: looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith.
Forget the past. Go forward.
Press on for the prize of Christ Himself.
Let God’s call in Christ keep you motivated.
DON’T QUIT.
Philippians 3:15-16, Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you; 16 however, let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained.
Paul may have been sarcastic when he said, “as many as are perfect.” Or there may have been some in Philippi who thought they were perfect. Either way, Paul calls us to get in the race. Press on with me. Stretch out after Christ with me. But you’ll only press on if God reveals this upward call to press on. God can truly light up a heart to blaze for His glory and pursue Christ wholeheartedly, like Paul.
It’s March Madness time. These young men on the basketball courts are pouring their all into the games, aren’t they? Can you imagine being the player who in the last few seconds shoots a three-pointer and misses his shot and his team loses by two points. I feel for that young man, regardless of which team he’s on. But that is no time to quit. He’s going to have to move on, get over it, learn from the past, press on, practice more, and look forward to the next game.
Thank God, Christ has already won the race for us. Justification is instantaneous, and it gets you in the race. Now you press on to become more Christ-like. When you fail and when you fall, you rebound, ask God to forgive you, get back in the race, and press on. Don’t live in the past. Remember that Magnolia tree – “Cut it down and forget it.” Some things you just cut down and forget about. Don’t live with vain regrets. Press on, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of your faith. Hymnwriter Esther Kerr Rusthoi put it beautifully:
It will be worth it all, when we see Jesus.
Life’s trials will seem so small, when we see Christ.
One glimpse of His dear face, all sorrows will erase.
So bravely run the race, till we see Christ!