Philippians 3:12-14

[ Intro ]

We’re standing in that unique stretch of days between Christmas and the New Year. It’s a kind of in-between space. The excitement of Christmas and family gatherings is done and things are settling down again. But the new year hasn’t fully arrived yet. And in this small window of time, most of us are doing two things at once: looking back on the year that’s ending and looking forward to the year that’s coming.

Christmas has just reminded us of the incredible truth that God stepped into our world. That the eternal Son took on flesh and came near to redeem us. And the New Year now invites us to consider how we’re going to live in light of that truth.

We’re going to be going through Philippians 3:12-14 today, and in these passages Paul gives us a great approach to how we should be thinking going into the new year. He’s writing to a church he loves deeply, a church that is facing pressures from the outside and temptations from the inside. In this chapter, Paul has just finished rejecting every form of confidence in the flesh. All of his his achievements, his religious background, his successes. He’s made it clear that the only thing that truly matters is knowing Christ, being found in Christ, and gaining Christ.

But now, in the verses we’re about to read, Paul shifts from from what he believes about Christ to how he pursues Christ. These verses are Paul’s testimony of how a Christian presses forward, keeps growing, and lives with purpose.

It’s a picture of what it looks like to enter a new season - whether a new chapter of life or, for us, a new year - with a heart that is anchored in Christ.

So as we read Philippians 3:12–14, I want us to think about the writings here as how we can apply to our thought process as we start the new year. Because Paul is showing us how to move into the future with humility, with confidence in Christ, with clarity of purpose, and with perseverance.

Let’s read the passage together: Philippians 3:12–14.

Philippians 3:12–14 NLT

12 I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. 13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

1. HUMILITY — “Not that I have already obtained this…” (v. 12)

As Paul begins this section, the first thing he tells us is incredibly important, especially as we think about entering a new year. He says in verse 12:

“Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect…”

In other words: “I haven’t arrived.” “I’m still growing. I still fall short. I still need grace.”

And this is Paul talking. The apostle. The missionary. The church planter. The man who wrote much of the New Testament.

If anyone could claim spiritual maturity, it would be him. But instead of boasting, he models deep humility. He acknowledges that the Christian life is a continual journey.

And that’s exactly where New Year reflection should begin, not with pretending we have everything together, not with unrealistic expectations of perfection, but with honest humility before God.

Spiritual growth doesn’t begin with strength. It begins with going to God with honesty.

Humility allows us to look back at the past year and say:

“Lord, here are the areas where I struggled.” “Here are the places where I drifted.” “Here are the sins I need to confess.” “Here are the patterns that need to change.”

Humility is not self-loathing; humility is simply agreeing with God about our need for Him. It’s opening our hands and saying, “I can’t do this on my own.”

And Christmas actually helps us embrace that. Because Christmas is God’s declaration that we were so helpless in our sin that He had to come down for us. And it was something he wanted to do, because of his love for us.

Paul admits he isn’t finished yet, because finishing wasn’t his job. Growth is God’s work in us. Our part is humility.

So as we step into a new year, a very practical question to ask is:

Where do I need to grow? Where do I need God’s help? Where do I need to repent, return, or be renewed?

Before we can press on, we must first be honest about where we are.

Humility is the doorway to everything God will do in us next.

2. IDENTITY — “…because Christ Jesus has made me His own.” (v. 12)

After Paul admits, “I haven’t arrived,” he immediately gives the reason he keeps pressing on. And it’s not guilt. It’s not fear. It’s not religious pressure. It’s not human effort.

He says:

“…but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me His own.”

This is where everything turns.

Paul is not striving to belong to Christ, he is striving because he already does.

This is the foundation of the Christian life. Identity comes before effort. Grace comes before obedience.

Paul doesn’t press on so that Christ will accept him. Paul presses on because Christ already has.

This one phrase—“Christ Jesus has made me His own”—explains the entire Christian life. It’s the shift from performance to relationship.

This means:

I don’t pursue Christ to earn His favor.

I pursue Christ because I already have His favor.

I don’t follow Him because I’m afraid of rejection.

I follow Him because I’ve already been embraced.

I don’t chase Him to secure my identity.

I chase Him because my identity is secure.

Christmas is the proof of all of this. Why did Christ come? Why did the eternal Son of God take on flesh and enter our world?

To take hold of us. To make us His own. To rescue a people who could never rescue themselves.

John says, “The Word became flesh.” The angels declared, “A Savior is born.” And Paul says, “That Savior has made you His own.”

That means as you look into the new year, you don’t have to wonder who you are, where you stand with God, or whether He will stay with you. Your life is not an audition. You don’t have to perform your way into acceptance or perfection.

Your identity is already settled. It’s fixed. It’s secure. It’s rooted in Christ.

So here's the application: Before you write a single New Year’s resolution, decide this—

I am going to live this year from acceptance, not for acceptance. From grace, not for approval. From identity, not for identity.

Christ Jesus has made you His own, and that changes everything.

3. PRIORITY — “One thing I do…” (v. 13)

After grounding everything in humility and identity, Paul now tells us what actually shapes his life on a daily basis. In verse 13, he says:

“But one thing I do…”

That phrase is easy to miss, but it’s incredibly powerful.

Paul doesn’t say, “Here are the many things I try to balance.” He doesn’t say, “Here are the ten spiritual goals I’m working on.” He says, “One thing I do.”

Paul has clarity. Focus. Direction.

The Christian life, according to Paul, is not about doing everything, it’s about pursuing one central priority: knowing Christ, growing in Christ, and becoming more like Christ.

This echoes the heart of David in Psalm 27:4.

Psalm 27:4 NLT

4 The one thing I ask of the Lord— the thing I seek most— is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord’s perfections and meditating in his Temple.

It echoes Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:33

Matthew 6:33 NLT

33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

Many times Christians drift away from Christ not because they reject Him, they drift because they get distracted. Our lives slowly fill with good things, urgent things, necessary things, and sometimes the best thing becomes crowded out.

Think of Jesus when he had to give correction to Martha. She had great intentions, but she was distracted.

And the New Year often makes this worse with distractions that have good intentions. We add new goals, new habits, new commitments, new plans—without ever asking what they are centered around.

Paul is reminding us that spiritual growth doesn’t come from doing more, but from centering everything around Christ.

At Christmas, heaven announced what matters most: “Glory to God in the highest.”

So the question for us as we head into a new year is not simply, “What do I want to change?” but, “What is my one thing?”

What gets your best attention? What shapes your schedule? What fills your thoughts? What captures your affection?

Jesus Himself said in Matthew 6:21 that where your treasure is, your heart will be also.

Paul’s life was not perfect, but it was focused.

And when Christ becomes the “one thing,” everything else finds its proper place.

4. PERSEVERANCE — “Forgetting what lies behind… pressing on…” (vv. 13–14)

After Paul clarifies his priority, he now describes how he lives it out. And the language he uses is active, intense, and intentional. This is not passive Christianity. This is perseverance.

He says:

“…forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal…”

Paul uses the imagery of a runner in a race. A runner doesn’t keep looking backward. A runner doesn’t stop to admire the last mile. A runner fixes his eyes forward and keeps moving.

This is the posture Paul calls us to as we enter a new year.

First, he says, “forgetting what lies behind.”

This doesn’t mean erasing memory or denying the past. It means refusing to let the past control the present. For some of us, what lies behind is failure, sin, regret, shame, broken decisions. For others, what lies behind is success, accomplishments, spiritual highs, seasons where things felt easier.

Both can keep us stuck.

Paul will not allow past failure to paralyze him, and he will not allow past success to make him complacent.

Then Paul says, “straining forward to what lies ahead.”

This word carries the idea of stretching, reaching, leaning into the finish. It’s effort, but it’s effort fueled by hope. It’s not trying to earn salvation, it’s responding to grace with intentional pursuit.

This same imagery shows up in Hebrews 12 and 1 Corinthians 9.

Paul understands something crucial: spiritual growth doesn’t happen accidentally. It happens through consistent, forward-moving faithfulness.

Finally, Paul says, “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

The goal is Christ. The prize is Christ. The finish line is Christ.

Paul presses on not because the road is easy, but because Jesus is worth it.

And Christmas strengthens this perseverance. The One who came in humility now reigns in glory. The child born in Bethlehem is the King who calls us upward. Our future is secure because Christ has already gone before us.

So here is the question as we step into a new year:

What do you need to leave behind? What is God calling you to move forward in? Where do you need to keep running instead of giving up?

Galatians 6:9 reminds us not to grow weary in doing good.

Galatians 6:9 NLT

So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.

Proverbs 4:25–27 calls us to fix our gaze straight ahead.

Proverbs 4:25–27 NLT

Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path. Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil.

Because Christ has made us His own, we are free to let go of yesterday and press forward with hope.

[ closing ]

As we stand between Christmas and the New Year, Paul gives us a clear way forward.

We enter the new year with humility, knowing we haven’t arrived. We move forward with confidence, because Christ has made us His own. We live with clarity, choosing one thing above all else. And we press on with perseverance, fixing our eyes on Christ.

Christmas reminds us that Christ came down for us. The New Year calls us to follow Him forward.

So let us forget what lies behind, strain toward what lies ahead, and press on, not trying to earn God’s love, but responding to the love already given to us in Jesus Christ.

Because He has made us His own, we can move into this new year with hope, purpose, and faith.