Pressing Toward the Goal - Philippians 3:12-14

I'm this next Little Portion from burst 12 down through verse number, really 16. But we're going to kind of focus on verses 12 through 14 this morning. So why don't we just begin their? I want to read this and see what the Lord has for us.

Paul says, not that I have already obtained this or not, that I'm already perfect. But I press on to make it my own because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers II, don't consider that I have made it my own. One thing I do forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead? I press on toward the goal for the prize of the awkward call of God in Christ Jesus. What those of us who are mature, think this way and if anything, you think otherwise God will reveal that also to you only let us hold true to what we have attained.

Lord help us as we look at the scripture. I was the first to see what is in it for us. Not nearly what it means for us. Lord, it's it's your message. You, you give it the meaning of your word is, is from you. We don't get to decide what it means. We just need to read it and study it to know you, but but we do need to apply it because all of our wives, the similar are very different, in our minds, and our struggles, in our griefs, and our losses, and our Temptations. In our weaknesses. The are all quite different. You had your word meets all of us squarely where we need it. So for your spirit, help us to see that today and then maybe you maybe have this passage as a, a reminder, as a motivator. And, of course, as word from you, a living word. Would pray this in Christ name, amen.

Title of the sermon today, is pressing toward the goal and I put a subtitle there for us a call out of complacency call out of complacency.

How many of you know, recently in the last couple years they've become popular again, the the Polaroid instant cameras, where you take a picture and it prints, it out that new view had one of those before when they were really popular and probably a lot of you did. In fact they were they were really one of the best selling most popular cameras ever made and they had different iterations and models of them. But they were just they were amazing. I mean you could take a picture and it would print it and it was there for you instantly the company, Polaroid was founded in 1937 and they originally were known for inventing polarized, sunglasses of all things. Of course, that technology polarisation quickly found its way into photography and film business as well, but then, of course later, they became most well-known for those little instant film cameras. Part of their history in the late, 70s and early 80s. They had a kind of a scuffle with another big company Kodak because they as well, we're making instant cameras and Polaroid successfully actually sued Kodak for nearly a billion dollars in 1985 for infringement on their ideas. They were one of the most well-known and prosperous companies when it came to photography. And in fact it has been said by by modern people who study businesses and then trends that they really would have been the apple of their day back in the thirties and forties so as far as Innovation and just coming out with new things that amaze people Well, fast forward to the year 2001 and what happened while the company Polaroid filed, chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Something that no company ever wants to have to do or admit that they've had to do. What's the change? What took place? Well, they have come back and recent years Under New Management and new ownership and that time their failure came down to a few key things, one, this little invention called the digital camera We're now not only could you snap a picture and it would print out for you instantly. Now you could snap 500 pictures and look at them all on your screen. You never even had to print them if you didn't want to look at them on your computer, you didn't have to buy film.

Polaroid though. Understandably said what we've got a good thing going. We don't really have to worry about this digital camera Market. Well, that was a mistake. That was a mistake. Another critical mistake they made is, is making huge Investments right up in that time frame of into new film technology and they were banking on a new film. That would be used in the medical industry. Well, It didn't take long, of course, for the medical industry, to realize that, wait, we don't need to tell them. We can use these digital cameras as well. And at the top and behind all of this really was a reluctant leadership, who wouldn't see? They wouldn't look at the times around them and make changes to move forward. Now, all of these things, spell, one word and its word. We're going to talk about today and that's the word complacency complacency complacency has been the downfall of many, many, many companies over the years complacency has been the downfall of in fact many nations throughout the years back. Many historians claim that it was. In fact, complacency, that was the demise of the Roman Empire. Arguably, one of the most powerful empires in all of history. Complacency is a feeling of satisfaction. It's a shortness. That doesn't see any need for change. Off and doesn't see any need for new effort. That doesn't see any need for movement. That was we read this section begins with the Apostle, Paul saying, twice to his readers, both, inverse, 12 and 13, something very similar. He says, I have not already a pain. He says, again I am not perfect. I have not claimed it as my own yet. In other words, he was stressing to the Philippian church and to us that she had not arrived. He had not arrived at perfection.

Now, we need to be reminded as we think about this and before we dig into the rest of the passage, what, what is the definition of his goal? If, if Paul is saying I haven't yet arrived, I haven't made it yet. What is his goal? What's the definition of being completed in perfect? But let's back up for a minute to where we were last week because it really picks right up from verses 10 and 11. Paul again, giving this this lofty and wonderful vision of of savoring, the Lord Jesus Christ of seeing his infinite value of looking at him above all things and he gives as a stated purpose and verses 10 and 11. These things that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and may share in his sufferings becoming like him in his death that by any means. Possible, I may attain the resurrection from the dead. So what is the definition of Paul's goal? And he says, I haven't made it yet, but we can put a simply in three things. It is to know Christ fully to become like him and his dad, and to make it to the resurrection from the dead. The last week we saw that knowing Jesus is worth more than everything we are. And everything we have and that he is worth rejoicing in so we want to stand on that. The Christ is a worthy goal, he is a fixed point of reference. He is the price of our Salvation believing that truly is, is saving Faith. It's it's how we and her relationship with Christ and it's the Bedrock of our relationship with him. We also want to see that simply believing and knowing that isn't the end of our purpose here on Earth. It's not So today we want to add to that and see this that knowing Jesus which is worth more than everything knowing Jesus goes hand-in-hand with following Jesus knowing Jesus goes hand-in-hand with following Jesus. Since we are Christ we have his call to press on with him toward eternity. We want to look at this, passage really again verses 12 through 14 and it really does cut into our tendency to complacency. And then that's we're going to see three principles in following Jesus. And then from the passage will see three practices and following Jesus. You have them there on your bulletin in front of you three principles in following Jesus. the first thing is something to know and that is this, that we are Christ's That is apostrophe-s. We are his we are his possession. Paul says that inverse number 12, I press on to make it my own because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Now this goes all the way back to the book of Deuteronomy in a a fact and a principle that the Lord stated through Moses to his people, he said to them in Deuteronomy 7 verse 6, you are to be a people, holy to the Lord your God, the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession of all the peoples who are on the face of the Earth. And of course with a statement and a promise made to National is real early in their history as they had come out of Egypt and we're working toward the promised land, the lord gave them this message, I have chosen you to be my treasured possession. Well, we can come into the New Testament, keeping that in mind and we would know, of course the history not ignoring that, but in the New Testament, we know that this truth is no less true but it is realized even more fully in the Lord Jesus. And that is realized as not just referring to National is real, but actually referring to all who know the Lord and follow him. So that when Jesus comes and we see him and John 17 in his prayer to the father before his death. he said to the father in prayer, And he said this about his people, people that were his then and people, that would be his in the future. It says, father, I desire that they also who you have given me. Maybe with me where I am. To see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. And here it is in this transaction that in the plan of God's redemption in his grace that he gives to his son as a gift. People people to be his possession and through that relationship. Those people people like you. And I come to know the perfect love of God, which he gives to his son and gives to all who are in his son. We are Christ's. If we are his children, if we believe in him, he has made us his own. In terms of a motivation, the terms of a motivation, there is nothing greater

in terms of assurance, there is nothing greater And another place Jesus says that you that we as his disciples are are in his hand. And then he is in the father's hand and nobody is greater than the father and nobody can pluck us out of his father's hand. In terms of motivation, nothing. Greater in terms of assurance, nothing greater in terms of knowing real love, there is nothing greater than to hear our lord. Jesus say your mine, your mine. I did hear it of course repeated here and it's we can repeat it truly as well. Like Paul did that Christ Jesus has made me his own. We are Christ's.

The Apostle Peter also carry this idea is he wrote his epistle, his letters and you rode in 1st Peter 2 verse 9 to the church, which is mixed of both of both Jews who are following Jesus and Gentiles who were following Jesus much like the church at Phillipi. He said, to all of them, you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession. People for his own possession. Notice the pictures of a group of people a priesthood, a nation of people, which is made up of all different, kinds of people, all different kinds of Nations, And there are people, we are people for God's Own possession. Never seen Peter though. Goes on because it takes us really even further into where we see in Philippians 3. We are his people for his possession that or you could say. In order that we may proclaim the excellencies of him who called us out of Darkness into Marvelous Light. That's the second principle first. We are Christ second letter B. He has a call. And in scripture, the call of Christ is often seen in three different ways. The first call is to Salvation, it's a call to face a call to relationship. It's where are beginning with him? Start from that there is an ongoing call which is to follow in his steps. And really overarching. All of this is an eternal call and that is the resurrection eternal life Glory. It is in this passage stated as the upward call of God.

The word Resurrection, which is the last part of the last phrase we see, in verse 11, where Paul says all of this that, by any means, I might attain the resurrection from the dead that word in the original is, is anastasis. If you know, anybody heard the name Anastasia, that's where it comes from the word resurrection. And that first part Anna, that is up. Well, as we get to verse number, 14, where Paul says, I press on toward the prize, the goal for the prize of the upward call, that's the same word, Anna, the call-up. And we should know this that Christ call in all ways. Both initially ongoing and forever is a call-up. It starts at the call up because just as Christ, Jesus was raised from the dead that very first call to his children, is to be raised up from the grave spiritually reminded in Ephesians 2 that we were dead and trespasses and sins but God has made us alive together with Christ. It's up from the grave price. Call is up from the pit as some 40 says in a paraphrase in here. But David says I love the Lord because he's heard me and listen to My Cry and he Has Lifted Me Up from a Miry clay and set my feet upon a rock. Call up from the grave up from the pit. Another image and scripture is to call Up From Slavery to family It's a call-up from from bondage to send to victory over it and in the future it is a call up again this time either from this Earth or from the physical grave for those who've gone on already a call up to Resurrection to Perfection into Glory. Now, all of these apps really go together, they're not separated in the Longview but we have course. See them in time. The first up are our spiritual call from God salvation? We would call it that first call Up is real and that assures and and and and start the ball rolling on the rest of the UPS. The final up, which we are all waiting for, Resurrection, Glory Heaven. That is a promise that is it. Sure is reality. The middle up, which is up from bondage up from slavery. That one is an ongoing up. It's what you are in your follower of Christ right now. In in that we find purpose which brings us to the letter c, he has a car. He has a, we are Christ, he has a call and he has a purpose. No purpose in that middle up the call-up from bondage to Freedom Up From Slavery, to Victory. The purpose in this passage Philippians 3 is seen in this little phrase where Paul says, I press on, I press on the sea that inverse. Number 14, I press on toward the goal. Motivated and fuelled by the fact that we are Christ. Assured by the promise of final victory. And Perfection we Press On. It goes right back to chapter number 2 and verse 12 where we studied a number of weeks ago that we are to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling because it is God who works in, you both to Will and work for his. Purpose. It is a working out an ongoing purpose. We're God has a start a beginning for you and he has an ending for you and he has a right now for you as well. And that brings us into the second main point, which is the practices. We saw three three principles now. Three practices and following Jesus.

Often we speak of of coming to Christ and receiving him. In terms of a point in time for you, it was, it may have been a prayer that you prayed with somebody who who led you to cry. It may have been a short-season where were you saw your faith, why do your eyes opened? It may have looked a little different for each one of you but we think of it often as a point in time when we first believed confessed, our sins came to know Christ as our savior. Now that is true in right but it is also true that coming to Christ is just the beginning of a wonderful lifetime Pursuit. We can think of it with the analogy of a marriage or even before that an engagement or the beginning of of dating. Someone there is some kind of agreement, some kind of transaction, maybe not a piece of paper. Although some of you may be real official in and had your future spouse sign a sign, an agreement before you ever even move further into a relationship. I don't know. I could be true but there was some kind of agreement, it could have been as simple as will. You go out with me? Will you be my girlfriend? And things went. Well, you got that initial. Yes, and that started something wonderful. And if you were like me with the only woman I ever dated, when I got that first, yes, I felt like I could have gone on for all of eternity on cloud nine. Just having heard that word. Yes. Oh, she said, yes, it's so wonderful. Now, fast-forward, 5 10, 20 more years. And somebody would come maybe and ask me will tell me about your relationship.

Tell me about what it's like and I say, oh, it's it's so wonderful. 16 years ago, we were in Petersburg Virginia taking a walk and I asked her to be my girlfriend and she said yes. And then I stopped and they're kind of waiting. And I say OK, Google tell me what it's like, what she what is she like what what kind of things have you done? What have you learned? What have you accomplished? And I say, what I really haven't seen her since then. But she said, yes. Is that great?

That's, of course, silly and not a perfect analogy. Because of in Christ, of course they're the real face of that initial. Yes. It's a call from the grave again to spiritual life. It comes with promise, it's real, it's significant. But the analogy is this that the relationship ongoing is where we get our strength. It's where we mined The Treasure of knowing Christ and it's where we are allowed by his grace to do the wonderful work of glorifying him. Paul describes this, his following of Jesus with this phrase in, verse 14 again, sorry. Excuse me, and verse 13. He says, one thing I do, Now, he says, one thing I do and then he gives free things. Sometimes preachers do that, right? Just one thing but really the first two are are, qualifying statements. And the one thing we see in the end of verse 13 is that he's the first 14, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God. So the one thing is is he presses on toward the goal? The final and full complete knowing of Christ of gaining him of experiencing his resurrection. Price for whose every stake. Everything has been counted loss.

Let's look at all three of these things letter. A first he says I forget forgetting, what's behind forgetting the past? Know what is meant by that? What is meant by forgetting the past? Well, it doesn't mean ignoring it. Or not learning from it. You can complete this phrase. Commonly said, those who fail to learn from the past. Are what? Yeah, destined are doomed to repeat it all the way. I forgot, it all together and I didn't learn anything from it. Is also not saying I forgotten the good things that happened. I forgotten the wonderful things I've learned, I forgotten the grace of God. Now he's not forgetting that forgetting the past in this context is this. It is when we stopped letting things in our past, be bigger than what is present or what is coming. It is stopping from resting on yesterday's accomplishments. And seeing the need for today and tomorrow is Grace. We find a perfect example for this, in the story of Israel. In the wilderness. Firstly, we can see them in their their quest for food when God gives them mana and he gives it to them everyday and he tells them to gather it everyday and he says, don't gather it for tomorrow or else it is going to spoil. And what happens when they gathered it for tomorrow except on the Sabbath. That was a special one. But what happens when they gathered it for Tuesday on Monday, they woke up in the morning and there were maggots and they couldn't arrest on yesterday. They need to be reminded of their need and their faith for today. another example is in that same story when they were hungry and they look back to their slavery and they said if we were still be still in Egypt, we would all just be sitting around by the meat pot eating our filth forgetting that they were slaves. Both of those things are what is meant by not looking to the past or forgetting the past? Now, this is very important for us both in, in resting on our own work. And it's also important for us and not resting in our guilt. I'm one side of that which we might call legalism we would look back and say look at all that. I've done all that. I am that's enough for the future. I've I've I've arrived. Paul says, I have not arrived. On the other hand of that we could look back and say look at all I've done, there is no way possible to move forward. Oh, but the Cross of Christ is our Ground Zero in that regard.

You must forget what's behind. Not be caught up in it so that it is bigger than what's ahead. And that's the very next thing. Forgetting what's behind seeing then? Let her be. What's ahead. Now this case the Longview is what lets its Resurrection. It's, it's Heaven. It's eternity. It's knowing Christ perfectly. It's us being made. Perfect, we know it's coming. This Wednesday, I in the morning I took a little time. I had it been a while since I had an actual day off from either work or or things with church and I took a day off and I did something I really enjoy and I went hiking and I drove up to Huntington and I hiked up the borough's trail, which goes up the the backside of Camels Hump and I enjoy hiking but just enjoying something doesn't mean you're good at it, right? So don't imagine you know running up this mountain know about a mile into it. I felt like I was going to die. I mean, it's a steep Trail. It's a very steep Trail. You and yes, a mile into it. My legs were okay, I walk a lot, but my heart, my lungs were, they were on fire ice, Hutch. I could have just laid down there, right? Then and there. And I really wanted to give up honestly and I said, nobody's, nobody's told me to do this. Or why am I punishing myself? But I kept reminding myself of the goal. Now, I had never hiked up, camel's hump, but I've hiked up other mountains like Killington Pico, and I knew, especially a camel's, hump at the top, there are no trees, it's a, it's, it's Alpine Tundra and there's a 360-degree view and that morning was the most beautiful morning I've seen in a long time and I had to keep reminding myself. This is going to be worth it. It's going to be worth it. So I went a little further, I would give myself a goal. I'm going to take 100 more strides up up this and then take a little breath while all along the way. Not only did I have that goal in mind but they were also little glimpses. I started early in the morning and being on the West Side of the Mountain, The sun hadn't really come up there yet, but as I went up, I started to see the little rays of sunlight coming through the thick trees. And a little further up as a tree's got shorter, I would come into little clearings and I could turn around and say not the whole of you, but I could see a little bit. I could see Lake Champlain, start to see into the Adirondacks. And I got a pretty close and I said that plane is a lot closer to me than I would like it to be and I realize well I'm up higher now. Little things little Glimpse says that reminded me. It will they were checkpoints of the goal. Oh, they weren't the end but they were motivating, weren't they? So it's not like that for us in our walk with Christ. 1st Corinthians, 13. Paul reminds us this. Now we see through a mirror dimly But then we will see face-to-face. Now I know in part but then I shall know fully even as I have been fully known all along the way as we see what's ahead Christ and his grace gives us glimpses of his glory glimpses of what heaven will be glimpses of knowing him. And while he knows us and holds us, fully we go on as we will see in the third and letter C pressing toward the goal. By God's grace moving toward the mark, in the race that we call life. We should know that Paul is using an analogy here Ava, raise an athletic trainer. The Finish Line. The goal is eternity. But that's he still talks about this and verse 14, notice. He makes two stops. He says I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call. That he could have just said, I pressing on toward the prize, or he could have just said, I'm pressing on toward the goal. But in an athletic term in a race, Paul is giving this analogy. But the marks we press on toward the ultimately, are the Finish Line. There are many checkpoints along the way. There are many little goals along the way. Let's go back for a second to that idea of being called by God Romans 8:28. We, all know, we know it that we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. There we see his grace, his purpose, and reminded that they are both good, but the next verse gives us a little more insight and it says, for those who he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son. Not to be conformed is a process. And it's like running a race. The finish line is heaven. And there we are promised that we will be perfect. That's for sure. But there are many, many checkpoints of Grace and many, many legs of the journey where we are being conformed along the way. And what are these checkpoints? You can look at it in a number of ways. A simple one though is to think of it this way, every day, every day is a checkpoint. Why do you think the Lord's Prayer and Christ model for us? Tells us to pray this. Give us this day, our daily bread. Oh, I think there is something that we miss, the something that I mess, when I continually look 5, 10, 15 years away. And I forget that today is a gift of God. And there is purpose and Grace, and need of him in today. we're reminded of that when the battle gets tough, Because in those moments, we are likely to pray. Lord just get me through today. But we ought to pray that even when the battles not so tough. Florida, can't be true today. Keep my eyes open today. Give me your daily bread for today.

Biggest 5 years, maybe looming. The five years is made up a lot of a lot of today's in the God's grace, each day can be a checkpoint of growth. What's another one while there may be new areas of growth A little testimony, a few months ago in our in our marriage was he and I had had just come through, call it a task and assignment. You could say that was it was very challenging. It took a lot, a lot of effort and a lot of attention, a lot of capital and I don't, I don't mean to financially but as far as our our ability to give and honestly, we thought we were doing pretty well in his, we came through that, we had a sense of accomplishment and accomplish meant, we felt good. Very shortly after that. We started to have some real difficult troubles with communication in our marriage.

And it got uncomfortable. I'll just be honest, Lizzie's fine. If I share this I even had to reach out to to to Matt one day and other friends and say, Hey listen to World. We're not going away or anything but really pray for us. It's tough right now. And that is not the first time that has happened in life. You may be able to relate it. When you come through one thing, feeling a sense of accomplishment. Very quickly on its heels is something else that makes you feel like you're right back to zero again. Now in that case, where we back 20 know everything, we had learned all the lessons, all the, all the growth in the challenges that we had come through in that previous point. We're still very real. What God was telling us. Okay, that was one area of bros. Now, let me show you. This is another area of growth.

It's so many times life is like that where we are feeling done with one thing and then realized it behind the scenes, there was a storm brewing. And it doesn't mean it's a step back. It just means you've reached the checkpoint, and now you got to go up another Steep Hill.

Each day can be a checkpoint. New areas of growth can be a checkpoint. New means of service opportunities gold Ministries areas, where God opens up a door. And says, hey, this is something you could do and you say, I think I have enough to do in the Lord says, I think you can do this. It's an area, it's a checkpoint. All of these are areas for trusting, him going back to that that reminder in verse 13 that Christ has made us his own But all of these are also areas of obedience.

In the face.

I want to think about this. I want you to think about this since we close. What part of this? Do you struggle with the most? You have to tell me right now. You can tell me later if you want. What part of this do you struggle with the most? Are you won that? That too easily, rest on the past and says, I've accomplished a lot. The Lord has done a lot with me through me, and it's something for now. I'm just done. Are you on that? Rest are look to the past and says there's too much in my past. I'm not doubting the lord loves me but I just don't think he can use me.

Are you on that? Rest on goals? Matt and says, save this big goal. That's got to be the Pinnacle. There's nothing left.

We're on the other hand. Are you one that maybe like me looks too far into the future?

Or even all the way into the future and sees heaven. But just wishes you could ignore all the space between now and then.

Undoubtedly, we all struggle with one or two of these, and of the message of this scripture is the same price call for us as a call out of complacency. In him we must not be complacent like like some who say I'm already perfect or have already arrived. We must not also be complacent like some who say? I know I'm forgiven. So I don't need to worry about obedience.

Rather. Motivated and fuelled by the fact that we are Christ's and that he has called us and promised us and giving us a purpose. We Press On. Press on to the next checkpoint. Maybe for you. That's today, maybe for you. There's something big coming up. Maybe it's just a few moments from now. Oh dear one by the grace of Christ. Press-on press-on.

and if you don't know him, Well, now that's there is a call.

And that very first call. To believe on him to trust him. Maybe today can be a beginning.

New beginning of a wonderful relationship. A following him into eternity.