Press On Toward Knowing Christ!

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Introduction

Good morning, church!
Announcements about
Member Meeting
Our next family member meeting will be this evening 4pm.
This will be an "open" family member meeting - all are welcome to join, member or not. 
Dinner
Life of Jesus Equipping Hour - Next Two Weeks
Join us for an inspiring journey through the life of Jesus from Birth to Ascension. We will be exploring His teachings, miracles, and ultimate sacrifice that transformed the world. 
Gravely Weekend Events
On March 14th and 15th, the Redemption Family of Churches has the privilege of hosting Dr. Ed Gravely from Charleston Southern University, along with his wife Angela Gravely for an amazing weekend of evangelism and equipping.
On Friday, March 14th at 6:30 PM, Dr. Gravely will be giving a lecture on New Testament Origins at Weber State University (Wildcat Theater).
On Saturday morning at 10:00 AM at Redemption Ogden, Dr. Gravely will offer a message on how “Eschatology (study of end times) Leads to Mission.”
Finally, on Saturday afternoon at 5:30 PM, Angela Gravely will offer a message on how theology impacts biblical womanhood. Everyone is invited to participate in the events of the weekend! 
First Time Guests
If this is your first time visiting RND, we are so glad you are here. What you’ll find here is an imperfect people, worshipping a perfect Savior.
After our time together, I’ll be standing at the front door—we would love to give you a gift, mug and free movie tickets, and have the opportunity introduce myself!

Recap

Good morning, church!
Would you turn with me to Philippians 3?
Our text today starts in verse 12, but we are going to start reading a little earlier—back from verse 4—as the previous verses contain some keys to help us best understand our text today and how it fits within Paul’s overall letter to the Philippian church.
Philippians 3:4–11 ESV
If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish . . .
You may recall, as Nathan led us through this text last week, that Paul was presenting his religious resume, as it were. In the eyes of his Jewish contemporaries, he had done it all. And yet, he said, I count it all as loss and, even more, as rubbish, to be thrown out. Why? Let’s continue.
Philippians 3:4–11 ESV
in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
This is key to understanding our verses today and I don’t want us to miss it—Paul here is showing us the primary goal of our lives: to know Christ; to gain Christ; to be found in Christ.
He knows that none of those things that he’s done—things that would be considered righteous in the eyes of others—will ultimately lead him there. No, he depends on the righteousness that comes through faith in Christ and it is only in this way that we can truly know Christ.
But, the question becomes, is that it then? Once we through faith receive the righteousness of Christ, can we now sit back and wait until He comes again? Can we chill the rest of our lives?
Thankfully, he lets us know what he has to say to that:
Philippians 3:12–16 ESV
Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But 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 upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained.
Pray
So, can we set our cruise control on our 1976 Cadillac Eldorado that is the Christian life and coast into the sunset, into heaven?
Paul here is saying negative ghost rider.
No, Paul’s decision to count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ, Paul’s reception of the righteousness of Christ that comes through faith—This was only the beginning of the race that is the Christian life. It’s only the starting line toward a daily discipline to press on toward the goal of knowing Him in the fullest sense when our faith becomes sight.
You could say Paul was somewhat of a sports guy. He uses sports analogies throughout his letters saying things like “we wrestle not with flesh and blood” and “I do not fight like a boxer who hits nothing but air.”
But, the analogy he uses the most to describe the Christian life is that of a runner in a race.
1 Corinthians 9:24–26 ESV
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly. . .
and
Hebrews 12:1–2 ESV
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith. . .
The Christian life is a race that only starts when we come to faith and new life in Him.

Eric Liddell

Whether you consider yourself a fan of sports or not, you are probably aware that the summer Olympic games were hosted in Paris last summer.
For some of us, this brings us back to some feelings we may have had about the opening ceremony.
For others, our minds are brought back to the most glorious display of athleticism in break-dancing, which made its debut as an olympic sport last summer.
I will spare you the joy of seeing me recreate the routine of the Australian breaker named “Raygun”, but needless to say this was the first and last time the summer Olympics will be hosting the sport.
In any case, it was significant that Paris was the host of the games last year as it marked the 100th year since they hosted it the last time in 1924.
It was at that 1924 Paris Olympics, that a young Scottish runner named Eric Liddell captured the world’s attention.
You may recognize that name from the 1981 film “Chariots of Fire” with that iconic opening scene of a bunch of guys running on a beach,
which doesn’t sound too iconic when I say it out loud,
but if I played the theme song, you would understand.
As the movie depicts, Liddell was a devout Christian who saw his athleticism as a gift from God and was to be used to the glory of God.
But there came this moment in his life when his commitment to his faith was put to the test.
He was preparing to run a qualifying heat for the 100 meter race which was his strongest event.
The only problem for Liddell was that it was scheduled on a Sunday.
Liddell believed that Sunday was the Sabbath, a day of rest and worship, and he refused to compete on that day.
This experienced a ton of pressure from the British Olympic committee and from the public.
His decision to not compete for something he had been training for and equipped for caused a national controversy
Many criticized him for not putting his country first.
But Liddell was resolute on this, believing that honoring God was more important than any athletic achievement.
So, he withdrew from the 100-meter race and instead focused on the 400-meter, which was held on a weekday.
The 400-meter was not his specialty, so this was a big sacrifice
Yet, Liddell ran his race with everything he had, and
to everyone’s surprise, he won the gold medal and set a new Olympic record.
But Liddell’s story doesn’t end there.
At the height of his athletic fame, he made another decision that shocked everyone.
He gave up his running career to serve as a missionary in China.
People were trying to convince him to stay in Britain, continue to achieve athletic success, and use his platform to share the gospel if that’s what he wanted to do.
There were lost people here too, after all.
Yet, Liddell wanted to take the gospel to a people and place where there was not even an opportunity to hear about the gospel if people wanted to.
He wanted to take the gospel to unreached people and he was willing to leave behind all the accolades and recognition to pursue that calling.
Transition:
Liddell’s life was a testament that life itself was a race and
he was committed to pressing on toward its goal of knowing Christ
and, you could add, of making Him known.
It’ll be this exhortation from Paul and this example from the life of Eric Liddell that will serve as our main point for today and that is:

Main Point: Press on toward knowing Christ!

If you’re here as a visitor and you don’t know Christ,
We are glad you’re here.
What I hope you see from this text and our time here together this morning is that
You and I and everyone in this room were created in the image of our Creator. And
He created each and every one of us with one purpose: to know Him, enjoy a relationship with Him, to glorify Him with our lives.
And, though we all ran our own way and tried to live our lives to other ends, He has made a way to be reconciled back to Him and know Him in the fullest sense
And that is through His Son Jesus.
Would you look to Him with us this morning?
With that main point in mind—to Press On Toward Knowing Christ—I want to give us four takeaways from this text that will help us run our race well.
The first is to “Embrace the Pursuit”

1. Embrace the Pursuit (3:12a, 13a)

Look at v. 12

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own

and also at the start of v. 13a

Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own.

Obtained

What is he referring to when he says “this” or “it”?
Interestingly enough, those objects are not in the original greek—they’re supplied from the context in our English texts as that’s the way we speak.
More literally, it would read “not that I have already obtained or have already been perfected”,
but the question remains “obtained what”?
Well, we referenced it throughout our time already, but the answer is found in the verses before this where Paul’s states that his ultimate goal is “knowing Christ”
or, as he expresses in other ways as “gaining Christ” and “being found in Him”.

Already, Not Yet

This is another instance of the Christian life being an “already, but not yet” kind of life.
The kind of life in which we, as Christians, are:
already adopted in Christ, but as Romans 8 describes, still eagerly awaiting adoption
already sanctified in Christ, but are still being sanctified
already raised with Christ, but not yet raised
In the same way, we already know Christ and yet we live this life to know Him more and more.
1 Corinthians 13:12 ESV
For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.
Paul makes clear that he hasn’t arrived at the finish line of knowing Christ in the fullest sense—that time is coming when as he says in v. 11 he and we “attain the resurrection from the dead”.

Perfect

Nor has he been made perfect
telei-ō in the Greek which can mean complete or bring to an end
Paul’s saying he’s still a work in progress.
He could’ve been using this word to correct any misunderstandings that the Philippians might have had regarding what spiritual maturity looked like.
Some false teachers in Philippi had adopted a perfectionistic view of spirituality.
That it was possible to actually reach perfection or sinlessness.
I don’t know if you’ve ever heard the old tale of how 19th century British preacher Charles Spurgeon debunked the idea of perfectionism, but as Matthew Payne from TGC retells it,
Spurgeon was at a conference where a preacher taught perfectionism in an outspoken manner and even claimed to have reached a state of sinless perfection himself.
Spurgeon didn’t challenge him on the spot.
Instead, the next morning he poured a pitcher of milk over the man’s head, to which the ‘perfectionist’ responded with the kind of rage and hostility that you’d expect from any sinner.
Perfectionism debunked.
The Bible’s clear that we cannot reach perfectionism this side of heaven and Paul is an example of one who recognizes this, saying explicitly, I’m not perfect—I have not arrived!
Now, after seeing all that Paul accomplished in his life which we read through at the beginning—and if you remember, he noted on his resume, “as to righteousness under the law, blameless”
if Paul humbly acknowledges that he can’t hang up his cleats just yet, we definitely can’t either.
There’s still a race to be run.
And so, until that day when he sees Christ face to face, Paul says “I press on to make it my own”

Motivation

And he gives the supreme motivation behind this pursuit:

I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.

The NIV translates this a little more literally (lol) as “I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me”
It’s an awkward way of saying it, but Paul’s making a play on words here, which the English translations do a good job representing.
But, he’s also emphasizing the order of things.
It was Christ who first pursued him, taking hold of him in a powerful way on that Damascus road as we walked through back in Acts 9.
Now, Paul lives to pursue knowing Him.
The order reminds me of 1 John 4:19
1 John 4:19 ESV
We love [God] because he first loved us.

Application

To be good runners in the race, we have to embrace the pursuit.
We can’t become complacent nor think we have already arrived.
Winning runners don’t stay on the starting blocks when the starter pistol goes off.
nor do they get half way and say, “you know that’s about enough—I’m content with how far I’ve gone. I have no need to push further.”
nor do they start looking around them to see how they compare to the runners behind or beside them, thinking as long as I’m running faster than that person, I’m doing okay.
No, they run their race with all their might until they reach the finish line.
So should we.
Coming to faith in Christ is only the beginning of a lifelong pursuit of knowing Christ more and more.
As one commentator put it, “The authenticity of faith in Christ cannot be measured only by the intensity of one’s initial decision to receive Christ. Receiving Christ is a lifetime adventure.”
So, church, let’s press on in this life, embracing the pursuit of knowing Christ.

2. Focus on the Priority (3:13b)

Secondly, let’s Focus on the Priority

One Thing

Look at v. 13.
After reiterating that he has not arrived in this life, Paul begins his next phrase with

But one thing I do:

This phrase “one thing” pops up a lot throughout the Bible.
After the rich young ruler told Jesus that he had kept all the commandments, Jesus told him

You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”

Lk. 10 tells us how Martha was busy doing things around the house and was frustrated that Mary was just sitting there at Jesus feet to which Jesus told her:

Martha. . .you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary

David declares in Psalm 27:4
Psalm 27:4 ESV
One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. . .
No athlete succeeds by doing everything, but by specializing in one thing.
Michael Phelps is the most decorated olympic athlete—grabbing 28 medals. . .10 more than the second most decorated athlete.
And he devoted his entire career to swimming, to excelling at that one thing.
When I ask you who the GOAT of basketball is, who are you thinking?
It better be Lebron James.
I mean the guy is now 40 years old, and after 22 years, he’s still dominating in the NBA
But you were probably thinking Michael Jordan.
Jordan is considered the GOAT of basketball by many because he concentrated on one thing
And then after he won 3 straight championships, he tried his hand at Minor League baseball
And what resulted was a reminder to everyone why he and we should just focus on one thing.
Commentator Warren Weirsbe would agree, giving us this convicting word
The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Eight: Let’s Win the Race! (Philippians 3:12–16)

Too many Christians are too involved in “many things,” when the secret of progress is to concentrate on “one thing.”

That is to running the Christian race, to growing as a believer, to knowing Christ more and more.

Application

If someone were to look at your life, how you live it, how you speak, how you spend your time, how you spend your money
What is the one thing they would think matters most to you?
CJ Mahaney, author of The Cross-Centered Life, asks a helpful question that could follow up with this
“What one change could you make in order to pursue the one thing that matters the most?”
Negatively stated, what sin or habit or activity could you throw off in order to run the race better (Heb 12:1–2)?
Positively, what could you begin doing that you aren’t doing right now?
As Christians, let us keep the main thing, the main thing.
Let us focus our lives on the priority which is Christ and pursuing Him above all else.
Transition: So, how does Paul pursue his one-thing here?

3. Forget the Past (3:13c)

He says,

forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on. . .

It’s funny because Paul says there’s this one thing and then gives us two things.
Like when I go to the store to go get eggs and I come back with eggs and a giant sized Hershey almond bar.
Not really the case here, because as we implied the idea is that Paul has a single purpose, one focus for all his efforts.
Nonetheless, he shows that his pursuit involves “forgetting” and it involves “straining forward”
Both are essential for running a good race and both are essential for our spiritual maturity.

Forgetting What Lies Behind

When Paul says that he “forgets what lies behind”, he doesn’t mean that he doesn’t remember the things in the past, failures or achievements.
As we walked through last week, Paul remembers his accomplishments full well and listed them out for us earlier in this chapter.
He also remembers the pain and persecutions of his past and even lists them out in 2 Cor. 11, the times he was imprisoned, stoned, lashed, beaten, shipwrecked, etc.
Rather, what he’s communicating is that he’s not going to allow the achievements nor the failures of the past to hinder him in the race.
He won’t let them take his gaze off the finish line.
Every good runner knows that you can’t look over your shoulder in a race, whether its to see how much ground you’ve covered or to see how well you’re doing compared to others.
If you do, you will stumble, lose momentum, and get distracted from the finish line.
Runners, in a sense, have to forget “what is behind” and keep running.
Failures/Wounds
For some of us, the past can feel like a heavy weight, a burden that holds us back from fully pursuing Jesus with our lives.
Maybe you’re here and you are carrying the weight of past sins, failures, regrets that make you question whether God would ever forgive you.
Maybe for others, you’ve been wounded by someone you loved or experienced something traumatic that makes it difficult to trust or connect with others.
Whatever it is, know that God sees you, He loves you, He gave up His life for you, and He rose again as Conquerer over sin and death.
And He gives abundant life to everyone who calls upon Him.
That doesn’t mean pursuing Him with the rest of our lives is easy—we wouldn’t be talking about all of this today if it were—but it does mean its worth it.
That He’s worth it.
And still yet, there may be some of us who have been following Jesus for some time and still struggle with our past in these ways.
Be encouraged by and find freedom in this word from Paul of “forgetting what lies behind”
it doesn’t mean erasing our memories or denying our experiences
But it does mean we don’t have to let these things define us or hold us captive.
You may recall that Paul was a persecutor of the church—he had Christians killed, those who are now his brothers and sisters in Christ.
And yet, he is determined to not let his past determine his future.
Achievements
I want to point out that what Paul probably also has in mind here in “what lies behind” is past achievements.
These can also hinder us in our pursuit of Jesus as we may be tempted to cling on to those, to find our identity in them.
That’s certainly what Eric Liddell could have done.
No one would have blamed him for staying in Britain to work on his craft and strive to set more records.
In fact, in the eyes of others, it was ludicrous for him to do anything else.
Why in the world would he go to China to become a missionary?
After winning a gold medal and setting an olympic record?!
In his own words, Liddell would reply “Because I believe God made me for China.”
He would serve there for 20 years, preaching the gospel to unreached peoples
Until he was rounded up into a Japanese internment camp when they invaded China in 1944
A place in which he continued to minister to those around him until he died there in 1945.
Liddell didn’t let his past, as decorated as it was, hinder his pursuit of knowing Christ and making Him known!
Application: If God called you to the nations, would there be anything holding you back?
Transition: But this pursuit is not just forgetting the past, it is also as Paul continues

straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus

Which brings us to our next takeaway application from our text: “Strive for the Prize”

4. Strive for the Prize (3:14)

I could’ve used the actual word Paul uses here to say “Strain for the Prize”, but straining just seems a little intense.
Granted, that is the point Paul is making here.

Strain

This word is vivid and intentional, and Paul draws it from the ancient olympic games which he was obviously familiar with.
It is meant to invoke the picture of a runner with his eyes fixed on the finish line, his body bent forward as he comes down the final stretches of the race, his hand stretched out towards it.
If it wasn’t evident until now, Paul does not have “coasting in life” as an option in mind for the Christian life.
He’s not telling them to “keep on keeping on” here. He’ll does say that in a way elsewhere.
But This along with the phrase “press on” imply the Christian life is one of running hard.
Can that be said of us? That we are straining toward the goal of knowing Christ more?
Athletes can’t become good just by watching tutorials on Youtube, at some point they have to put in the work.
Are we “putting in the work” in our spiritual life like we do for our degrees, our hobbies, our careers?
What if we put the same amount of effort into our spiritual life and growth as we put into those?
As Paul shows, it is definitely not an aimless pursuit that we are on.
It is toward a goal and for a prize.

Toward the Goal for the Prize

From the very beginning of our time in God’s Word this morning up to now, we have been speaking of the goal of our Christian pursuit being to Know Christ.
So what is Paul saying when he says

I press on toward the

What is the prize of the upward (that is, heavenward or toward heaven). . . the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus?
Very simply, it is a call into the kingdom and glory of Christ.
Paul sees the whole Christian life in terms of “God’s calling.”
It begins as a call—a call into fellowship with his Son
1 Corinthians 1:9 ESV
God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
and it is a call that will culminate in glory, that is eternal life with and enjoyment of God.
Let’s let Scripture flesh this out for us—this heavenly calling—I’ll throw these on the screen so we can follow along together as there is a handful:
Hebrews 3:1 ESV
Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession,
1 Thessalonians 2:12 ESV
we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.
2 Thessalonians 2:14 ESV
To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 5:10 ESV
And after you have suffered a little while (reminds us of Php. 3 where Paul says that I may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death), the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
Romans 8:30 ESV
And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
Romans 11:29 ESV
For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
I’m sure many of us in this room can remember a time when we were sitting by the phone waiting for a phone call.
From a boss, a friend, a spouse or bf/gf.
Some of those times, we may have wondered, “will they ever call?”
It’s been 2 whole minutes!
Maybe you weren’t thinking that for the call from your boss.
This is not a call you have to wait for.
If you are here and have put your faith in Jesus, that is evidence that that call from God has already taken place—He has called you to Himself.
And we can be sure of what we are to find at the end of this life—the glory of Jesus in the fullest sense.
And with all of Heaven we will sing,

Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,

to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might

and honor and glory and blessing!”

To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb

be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”

That is what we have to look forward to.
That is the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
That is a prize worth striving for.
Is it for you?
I mean really think about this. Consider that the prize of the Christian life is:
not perfection
it is not material blessings
it is not escaping hell
it is not to be with our loved ones forever
and on that note it is not even heaven itself
According to what we’ve read in verses 8–11 and from these texts,
The prize of the Christian life is God Himself.
Is He enough for you?
Consider this question that Piper presents in his book “God Is the Gospel”:
“The critical question for our generation–and for every generation–is this:
If you could have heaven, with no sickness, and with all the friends you ever had on earth, and all the food you ever liked, and all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties you ever saw, all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no human conflict or any natural disasters, could you be satisfied with heaven, if Christ was not there?”
“The best and final gift of the gospel is that we gain Christ.”
And it is for this prize that we strive.
Transition: Finally, our last takeaway found in v. 15–16 is to:

5. Follow the Pattern of Mature Believers (3:15–16)

Paul says to,

Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you.

At first glance, this is quite an off-putting way to say this.
I wouldn’t suggest throwing this into your next debate over which sauce is best for your fries or whether you hear Yanni or Laurel from that audio illusion that went viral in 2018.
Well, those of us who are mature think this way, but if you think otherwise, God will reveal it to you.

Let those of us who are mature…

At the same time, he is making an appeal to believers who are growing in spiritual understanding.
Not all of his Christian friends at Philippi have the same attitude that he has just expressed
That is, the way that Paul sees all that he has accomplished as loss compared to knowing Christ.
The way Paul desires to share in Christ’s sufferings and become like Him in His death
Not everyone yet shares the same vigor with which Paul forgets what is behind and strains toward what is ahead.
So, he’s encouraging the believers by setting forth his own example of spiritual maturity for them to follow.
In fact, in the next verse—verse 17—which Nathan will cover next week, Paul continues by saying

Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us

He would tell a similar thing to the Corinthians as he says “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ”
But we must remember that Paul is not presuming that he is following Christ perfectly
He already made that clear multiple times in our passage
But he does see it as an example worth following
Conan
It reminds me of a mentor of mine in college named Conan.
No, not Conan the barbarian—the other Conan
The guy was the most faithful evangelist I had ever met and loved to take people with him to share the gospel to students on campus.
Of course, not feeling comfortable doing that in any way, I always made excuses
Until one day, he called me up and asked me what I was up to
I said, nothing at all man, want to come play ping pong?!
He said, that sounds awesome, but I was actually going to see if you’d be up for coming with me to share on campus?
Oh no, what did I do?!
I was trapped.
I had no choice but to agree.
He knew I was afraid, but he told me—don’t worry, you don’t have to say a thing unless you want to.
Just come see how I do it.
Point: Conan did not at all presume that he did it perfectly. But he wanted others to learn and grow from his example of just being faithful.
Paul encouraged the believers to grow towards the kind of maturity that he exemplified in his outlook on life and in his actions.

If anything you think otherwise. . .

In any case, he trusts that if they just aren’t there yet,
that if they couldn’t express themselves in precisely the same way that Paul did
that God will help them.
After all, he told them from the beginning of the letter that
Philippians 1:6 ESV
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
and
while they are to do their part in “working out their own salvation with fear and trembling” that

it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

Only let us hold true. . .

He ends the paragraph saying

Only let us hold true to what we have attained.

Paul’s saying work towards spiritual maturity
But, in any case, hold on to what you’ve already learned and experienced in your faith up to now.
He could be saying this because of the opposition and internal division they’ve been facing
If you recall from last week, he just told them to look out for the dogs and the evil doers
And he’ll warn them next week of those who walk as enemies of the cross of Christ.
Paul wants them to hold tightly to the progress they’ve already made and to stand firm.
Point: Spiritual maturity is not about reaching perfection—we will never reach that in this life.
It’s about maintaining a steady commitment to growing in Christ.
And it is helpful to have the examples of other believers who have been following the Lord for some time.
Not perfectly, but faithfully.
Do you have someone in your life who lives this way? Whose pattern you’d love to follow?
Maybe it’s in the way they parent and lead their children in the Lord
Maybe it’s a faithful marriage that you want to model yours after
Maybe it’s someone who seems like the greatest prayer warrior and you’d love to learn how they commune with the Lord in prayer the way they do.
For me, that’s my nana whose always been a prayer warrior of mine.
I encourage you to
1. let them know that you are encouraged by their example
2. talk with them about it so you can learn and follow their pattern

Conclusion

As we close our time here together this morning, I want to invite the band back up.
I don’t know if you’ve ever watched those kids song videos from the animated band called “The Rizers”
Short for “memorizers” as all their song videos are just verses of Scriptures to help kids memorize God’s Word
It’s put to this pop-punk style of music which is what I grew up on, so I’m loving these as well.
Anyway, the very first song that we learned as a family was 2 Peter 3:18, which I would have Zeke come up here and sing for you,
but I don’t want to put him on the spot, so we’ll just read it
Peter says in
2 Peter 3:18 ESV
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Peter, like Paul, encourages us to always be growing in our knowledge of Jesus and we were given 5 encouragements from Philippians 3 to help us in this journey.
We were challenged to
Embrace the lifelong pursuit of knowing Christ
Focus our lives on Christ as the Priority
3. Not let past failures/wounds/or achievements hinder our pursuit of knowing Him
4. Run hard for the prize of knowing Him knowing He’s worth it and
5. Follow the pattern of mature believers who are running this race as well.
At the end of our lives, may we be able to say with Paul, through the grace and power of the Holy Spirit working in us,
2 Timothy 4:7–8 ESV
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day
Pray
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