What's your goal? Philippians 3:1-21

Introduction: Explain Goals and give examples

A Goal is: The end toward which effort is directed.

(Get the picture of a goal as a emoji)

Trans sentence: A biblical worldview should have an ultimate goal of being transformed into the likeness of Christ Jesus.

Buried in this passage I found three goals that a biblical worldview should contain.

Know Him

Be Perfect

Be transformed

So, goal number One - Know Him

21 verses is a lot to cover in a short time so I am going to paraphrase 1-6. Paul is telling us just how great he was doing as a Jew.

Its the same thing we can do. Tell about me in the US Army.

But then we come to verses 7-11. Philippians 3:7-11

Philippians 3:7–11 NASB95

7 But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, 9 and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; 11 in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

All of a sudden all of this doesn’t matter anymore. Now Paul wants to know Jesus and have His righteousness. He doesn’t want righteousness based on what he did. So, it all goes into the rubbish bin. Put your past and everything about it in the past. Move forward seeking to know Him.

There’s that goal - Know Him. There are three specific things here that Paul wants know.

The power of His Resurrection - Romans 8:11

Romans 8:11 NASB95

11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

2. The fellowship of His sufferings (explain)

3. Be conformed to His death - Romans 8:12-14

Romans 8:12–14 NASB95

12 So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— 13 for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

That is knowing Him.

Goal number Two - Perfection - if we are perfect we will lack nothing.

Wow - anybody there? I’m not. So, what does verses 12-15 tell us? Philippians 3:12-15

Philippians 3:12–15 NASB95

12 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;

Well that’s disappointing. Paul isn’t perfect. So what is perfect, there must be perfection somewhere.

How about this balloon? Is it perfect? blow it up some - it’s perfect just before it explodes.

Verse 14 tells us what the goal is - the upward call of God. God wants us to seek Him. He wants us to look up. What happens when we press on to that goal?

Tell about the balloon getting bigger as it goes up.

The upward call of God is to know Jesus and to become more like Him. Just like the balloon, as we draw closer or higher up we become bigger and more like Jesus.

Unfortunately what eventually happens to balloons as they get bigger? They pop. What happens to Christians as we draw closer to God and become more Christ like? The evil one begins to throw more darts. What happens when a dart hits a balloon? Pop. James 1:3-4

James 1:3–4 NASB95

3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Endure the darts - become perfect lacking nothing.

Transformed is to: make a thorough or dramatic change in the form, appearance or character of something.

So, what thorough or dramatic change are we to make? Well, a change in character is a good answer. Before Christ we are worldly creatures, sons of disobedience that are spiritually dead. After Christ we are children of God. Shouldn’t there be some kind transformation? Philippians 3:16-21

Philippians 3:16–21 NASB95

16 however, let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained. 17 Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us. 18 For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, 19 whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things. 20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; 21 who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.

In other words stop being earthly and start being a citizen of heaven. Sons of disobedience keep there hearts and minds fixed on worldly things, never looking into the light or thinking about the things of God. But the transformation turns us into Sons of God. Sons of God seek to please their Father.

The great thing about this transformation is that we don’t have to do the work. the Lord Jesus Christ will do the transforming. There’s really only one catch to it. We have to allow Him to do it. If we stand in the way and remain disobedient we will always be disobedient.

So be transformed - from a worldly son of disobedience to a child of God and citizen of heaven.

There you have it. The three goals of Philippians 3.

Know Him

Be Perfect

Be transformed

We know Him when we know the power of His resurrection - The Holy Spirit living in us. We know Him when we suffer persecution for our faith just as He did, and we know Him when we are conformed to His death. That’s when we are freed from sin and death and given the hope of eternal life with Christ Jesus.

We become perfect when we receive the prize of the upward call of God. So keep looking up. Keep striving to grow as the balloon when it rises up and becomes more perfect.

And we can be transformed into the likeness of Christ Jesus when we allow the Holy Spirit to work in us.

These three goals work together. Knowing Him more intimately draws us closer to Him. As we draw closer to Him we become more like Him - more perfect. And as we become more like Him we will be transformed from this humble state into one of glory.

So what are you going to do? Are you going to remain a nice worldly christian with goals that keep your thoughts on this world and the things of it? Or, will you take on these three goals and begin the process of transformation that will make you something entirely different than you are now.

Me - I want to be transformed. I don’t like this humble state so much anymore.

Pray!