A Work in Progress — Philippians 3:12-16

Introduction

Mom guilt is real, isn’t it? You love these kids with everything you’ve got. You want them to be safe, to flourish, to become who they’re meant to be. And somewhere along the way, you start to feel like it’s all on you to get them there.

So you try to do everything. You discipline, but not too harsh. You teach, but not too rigid. You protect, but not too much. You’re constantly threading the needle.

Then comes the pressure of organic meals AND sports AND music AND academics. But, of course, in balance, right? I mean, Jesus matters most. And, family comes first. School matters, but not too much.

It’s just A LOT. And then you see another mom who looks like she’s doing it effortlessly, while you feel like everything in your world is just barely holding together. You’re just overwhelmed and filled with guilt.

And that’s when it hits you: You’re trying to raise them, while you’re still working on you. You’ve got your own struggles, your own wiring, your own story. The way you were raised, the pressure you carry, the things you’re still figuring out. You’re helping shape a life, and you’re still being shaped yourself.

That’s the tension, isn’t it? How do you help someone grow up when you’re still growing yourself?

God’s Work

The Good News is that’s exactly where the gospel meets us. Paul is writing to a group of Christians who seem to think they’ve already arrived. And he says, essentially: “Not me. I haven’t arrived. I’m still in process.” And that’s not a failure. That’s the point. So in Philippians 3, Paul shows us How to Keep Growing (Headline) into who God intends us to be.

And in honor of Mother’s Day, I want to frame his words with some of the things my mom used to say to me growing up.

Watch “what” you’re “doing.”

It’s a surreal experience when you start to hear your parents words come out of your mouth, isn’t it? It’s the beautiful cycle of life. In an instant, you start realizing what your parents felt and dealt with when they were raising you. Josiah isn’t a great eater. It’s literally the greatest stress in his life. So, he’s developed this habit. Like a cat with its kill, he’ll bring you his plate to show you what he’s eaten. Except that he always holds his plate with one hand, and it’s always tilted toward the ground. So, with every, stinking step, more and more crumbs are falling on to the floors we’ve just vacuumed from the last time.

And, that’s when I say it: “Watch what you’re doing! You’re spilling crumbs everywhere!” And, that’s when I realize I should call my mom and just say, “Sorry!”

I say that to Josiah, and my mom said it to me, because walking carelessly makes a mess. There’s a real sense in which Paul is saying this to the Philippians. Remember that Paul is addressing the false teaching of the Judaizers. And, part of what they seem to have taught the Philippians is that if they’ll just be circumcised, keep the festivals, and accept Jesus, then they’ll enter a state of perfection or complete maturity. They will have arrived. And, if they reach that state, then it doesn’t really matter how they live going forward.

But, Paul is saying, “Watch what you’re doing!” He knows that, like Josiah, careless living with make a mess of their lives and their church. So, he’s calling them to…

A focused “pursuit.”

Philippians 3:12 “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.”

Paul is using himself here as an example. He’s their teacher and leader, so he knows they have deep respect for him. And, so he answers this false teaching on perfectionism by saying, “My goodness, that isn’t me. I’m not there yet. I’m anything but perfect.” The “this” in “not that I have already obtained this” is referring back to verse 11 and “the resurrection of the dead.” It’s his way of saying, “One day, I’ll be made perfect by Jesus, but, today, I’m still a work in progress. We can identify with Paul here, can’t we?

So, he says, “I press on to make it my own.” That is, he’s committed to living all of his life for the rest of his life in focused pursuit of becoming as much like Jesus as He can become. He understands himself as never having arrived until he is face-to-face with Jesus. This is the humility he’s anxious to see break out in Philippi.

All of us are tempted to get to a place in our faith where it feels like we’ve come far enough to let off the gas. We tend to believe that we’re kind of at a place where we just are who we are and where we are, and that’s enough. But, think about the picture here. Paul may be the most mature Christian on earth at this point. He’s literally in prison as a missionary and nearing death. And, he says, “I press on to make the resurrection and all of its effects my own.”

Recently, I had breakfast with Joey Shaw, son of our founding pastor, Sam Shaw. When I asked him how his dad was, he said, “He’s just remarkable. I got to his house last night, and he’s reading this thick, weighty theology book. And, he’s telling me all that he’s learning and how God is at work in his life.” Y’all, Sam’s still growing, and he’s a 74 year old giant of the faith.

And that’s the point. He’s showing us exactly what Paul is saying: The Christian life isn’t a life where you arrive. It’s a life in motion. Moving in one clear direction—toward Christ himself.

You see, our focused suit flows out of..

A settled “position.”

Philippians 3:12 “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.”

When Paul talks about “obtaining,” he’s not talking about his salvation. He’s talking about all of the ramifications of his salvation. Salvation is getting the keys. “Obtaining” is learning to live in and enjoy the whole house. I say this because of how he grounds his pursuit. He says, I press on to make it my own, BECAUSE Christ Jesus has made me his own.” He isn’t trying to obtain Christ. That’s settled. He’s trying to glorify and enjoy Christ to the fullest extent.

I want you to hear this out loud: Christ Jesus has made YOU his OWN. Do you feel how personal that is? Do you feel how safe that is? Do you feel how settled that is? This is the soul anchoring, life stabilizing reality out which we now live. But, there are still places that are hearts still have trouble believing we’re safe, aren’t there? There are still places where our nervous systems aren’t convinced that we’re okay, aren’t there? There are still lies that we’re believing and idols we’re clinging to, aren’t there?

And, it’s in those places that mom guilt sprouts its roots and spirals. It’s in those places that old shame shouts its abuses. It’s those places that tempt you to jump on to the treadmill of trying to measure up to every person you meet.

All of the research confirms what common sense teaches us: Secure homes produce healthy children. And, that’s you. Maybe not when you were growing up. Maybe not the one that you were born into. But, that’s you the second you’re brought into the Lord’s household. And so, Paul is calling you to “press on” so that you might become so convinced of your position in Christ that brings every corner of your life and place in your heart into conformity to the soul anchoring, life stabilizing reality of that position.

So, watch what you’re doing. Live in focused pursuit of Jesus, and…

Stop “dragging” your “feet.”

My mom grew up on her grandparents farm, and she always deeply admired her grandmother. She admired how hard she worked and how much she sacrificed for her family. So, it was important to her that we knew our heritage and that we lived up to that example. So, work ethic was a really high priority.

She’d always say to us, “Work first, then play. I want you to play, but you can’t until you get your chores done.” Well, I tended to get distracted. I’d get sucked into a wrestling match between Razor Ramon and the Undertaker, and before I knew it, my mom would be there to inspect my work and none of it was done. So, she’d say, “Stop dragging your feet! If you’d just get to work, it would be done and you could have all the fun you want.”

So, I love it when Paul says there’s “one thing I do.” He’s making life simple and clear. He’s helping us to concentrate. All of life is just about “pressing on” toward Christ and “upward call of God.” And, he uses two phrases that help us to understand what this looks like.

It means…

“Turn” off the “distractions.”

Philippians 3:13–14 “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.”

The biggest problem with me doing what my mom would have me to do was how easily distracted I was. So, she’d tell me to turn off the TV or the Playstation. And, you know, I’m not sure much has changed when it comes to my relationship with my heavenly Father. It’s not a stretch to say that one of the main reasons why we aren’t growing closer to Christ and more like Christ is because we’re just too distracted.

Paul telling us to forget “what lies behind” is akin to our mom telling us to put down our phones or to turn off the Playstation. He’s calling us away from distraction and into focus. Paul’s resumé — “a Hebrew of Hebrews, a Pharisee, and a persecutor of the church” — shows us what he’s left behind. He had lived the life the Judaizers recommend, and he knows it’s not a worthy pursuit.

There are two temptations when we’re looking back, and we see them both in Paul. One temptation is to look back and be impressed with yourself. It’s to think I’ve been a “Hebrew of Hebrews,” “a Christian of Christians.” It’s to think of the Christian life like a prison sentence that says, “I’ve done my time. I’ve come far enough. I shouldn’t have to keep pressing on.” It’s the temptation to rest on your laurels and stop your progress.

The other temptation is to look back and be ashamed of yourself. It’s to be locked up by the realization that you were “a persecutor of Christians,” one who got in the way of what God was doing. It’s to be so haunted by your prior life that it renders you motionless in your present life.

So, Paul’s advice is simple. Forget it. Don’t be distracted by it. Praise God for what He’s let you do, and press on. Praise God that He’s cancelled your shame, and press on. The finish line is ahead, not behind.

Grace covers what lies behind us, and faith calls us forward to what lies before us. So, turn off the distractions and…

“Give” your “all.”

Philippians 3:13–14 “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.”

What mom hasn’t told you that something worth doing is something worth doing right? Paul is saying, “if there’s ever been anything worthy of your best effort, it’s pressing on toward the call of God.” “Straining forward” is meant to transport us to the track of the Olympic Games. It means to lean forward with every muscle and every ounce of energy to break through the ribbon for the prize. It’s literally giving every ounce of strength for every inch of ground.

What you we see in Paul is what we saw in Jesus. And, that’s the point. You remember the Christ hymn. Jesus releasing his rights (“forgetting what is behind”) to be obedient to death on a cross (“straining forward to what lies ahead”). And, the point is that if we’re going to enjoy a resurrection like his that we should expect a life like his. So, we leave the distractions behind us, and press on toward the mission that Jesus has given to us.

(slides of pics) I’ve seen something of that in my son, Josiah, recently. And, I think he has something to teach us about how we rest in our position IN Christ while we “strain ahead” to be more LIKE Christ. You know, God love him, the boy looks just like his dad. It’s his curse to bear. And, he looks like me because he IS my son. He didn’t have to work for that. It’s his. But, he’s in a fun stage now where he’s constantly studying me so that he can look like me. He’ll look me up and down, and then he’ll look himself up and down to see how close he is. He wants a shirt like mine and pants like mine and a belt like mine and shoes like mine. So, think of that. He is my son, and he does look like me. And, yet, BECAUSE he is MY son he works as hard as he can to look like me.

And, that’s who we are. We are children of the living God. We aren’t working for that. But, since we are children of the living God, we are constantly looking at his Son and looking at ourselves, working hard to look as close to him as we can. We aren’t dragging our feet. We’re straining forward with everything we have.

So, Paul is remind us of what our mothers have taught us. Watch what you’re doing. Stop dragging your feet. AND…

Good “enough” isn’t good “enough.”

Philippians 3:15–17 “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. Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.”

Most of the frustration in my marriage has been over the difference between good enough and perfect. Dads, we’re all about good enough, aren’t we? You pack a bag or take a picture or buy a gift, and it’s good enough, right? But, moms don’t like settling for good enough. They want perfect. They don’t prepare a meal. They want it pretty. They don’t just take a picture. They want it exactly right. They don’t just go on a road trip. They bring every possible supply for every possible scenario so that the trip is perfect. Dads make things good, but moms make them perfect.

You know, we’re tempted to get to a place in our Christian life where just say, “Good enough.” I am who I am. I am where I am. I am what I am. And, I’m not changing. You can remember a time in your Christian life in which you were “straining ahead” in hot pursuit of Christ, but, now, you’re more apt to coast than strain.

Paul’s point is that this isn’t how the “mature think.” The mature never arrive, never coast, and never quit. They “press on” and “hold true.” And, the difference between mature and immature thinking is how you understand progress. The mature recognize that big improvements aren’t more precious than small refinements. The Philippians seem to struggle with this.

Change starts “dramatically.”

(slide) You can compare our growth in Christ to the formation of Mount Rushmore. You start with dynamite phase. And, the change is dramatic. To everyone it just looks like a mountain, but to the artist it looks like the faces of presidents concealed within a mountain. And so, large portions of them mountain are blown away so that the shape and form changes.

This is what it’s like when we first “belong to Christ.” We’re just a big rock, but God sees his child and his image in there. So, the gospel comes and it begins to blows aways the old rock so that it changes shape and form. And, it’s exciting, isn’t it? In the early days, it feels like you’re making so much progress so quickly. Things are changing and discoveries are made, and you’re amazed that you can be forgiven all you’ve forgiven and that God is even better than you realized.

But, then, as time passes on,

Change slows to “gradually.”

Eventually, the dynamite goes away and the jackhammers come out. There are men on the mountain with tools knocking chunks out bit by bit so that the form of the presidents becomes clearer and clearer.

You can see the gradual nature here even when Paul says in verse 15: “if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal it to you.” He’s acknowledging that their thinking may be out of alignment with this mature way of thinking he’s presenting because God is still at work in them. He’s still revealing it in them. It’s a gradual process.

So, the change isn’t as dramatic as it was, but it’s still noticeable. You join a community, and you start learning from new perspectives. You begin understanding more how the Bible fits together and how it applies to your life. You teach someone something, and see the lightbulb go off. You enter into a new stage of Christian maturity where change isn’t explosive, but it’s still noticeable.

And then, eventually, even inevitably…

Change becomes about “refining.”

This is where it gets tricky. This is where we’re tempted to let off the gas and say good enough. The dynamite was exhilarating. The jackhammer was productive. But, when you have to get the chisel out, the work becomes tedious. Change becomes less noticeable the naked eye. In fact, you have to have a trained eye to even notice it. And, there’s just SO MUCH ground to cover WITH A CHISEL.

But, you know, this is when it becomes most beautiful. It’s the attention to detail that makes it most remarkable. Did you know that the within each eye of the presidents on Mount Rushmore that there’s a raised pupil to give the impression that it’s taking it light? It’s made to look alive. It’s meant to offer the continual fun of fresh discovery.

This is what Paul is after when he says “hold true to what we have attained.” He’s saying don’t grow weary of the tedious work of maturing in Christ. Don’t lose the joy of fresh discovery in him. Keep at the chisel and see how beautiful the picture of Christ can become. Don’t settle for good enough.

The root of good enough is too high a view of yourself and too low a view of Christ. In fact, that’s the same root beneath the false teaching that was facing Philippi. To say that it’s good enough is to say that you have as much Jesus as you need. But, you need him so much more than you think you do. That’s too high of view of yourself. And, to say that it’s good enough is to say that you have as much Jesus as you want. But, He’s so much better than you think He is. That’s too low of view of him.

Mom, you’re a work in progress, and that’s okay. But, don’t settle for facing that without Jesus. Press on. And, grandmom, you’re still a work in progress, and that’s okay. But, don’t settle for where you are and what you know. Press on with Jesus. Dads and grandads, students and kiddos, keep going. Keep holding true. Keep pressing on.

Let’s follow mom’s advice and Paul’s: Watch what you’re doing. Stop dragging your feet. And, good enough isn’t good enough.