Finish Strong

He followed after his God Given purpose

1. Paul did not count himself as having yet attained—he was not yet perfect. Perfection is the great end of the believer. God has apprehended or laid hold of the believer for one reason only: to perfect the believer—to make him perfect so that he can live and worship and serve Christ forever.

The Pulpit Commentary: Philippians Chapter 3

I suffered the loss of all things;” and ver. 12, “I was apprehended;” which both refer to the same time. The prize was not gained in a moment; it needs the continued effort of a lifetime. St. Paul proceeds, using now the perfect tense, “Nor have I been already made perfect

Now note a critical point: no person achieves perfection on this earth. The fact is so evident to the thinking and honest man that it is actually ridiculous to even make the statement. Yet, too many are so narrow in their thinking that they seldom if ever grasp what perfection would really mean. For example...

• Consider the brain and the mind. It has been estimated that man uses only one-tenth of one percent of his mental capacity. Imagine how far short this is of perfection!

• Consider the body. What would a perfect body be like? A body that never desired, thought, or did wrong; that never came up short; that never aged, deteriorated, died or decayed?

The examples could go on and on, but note what Paul says: he had not attained perfection. In fact, he was always emphasizing how far short he came.

He worked on forgetting the Past

Beyond doubt, Paul was one of the greatest men who has ever lived. The great Book of Second Corinthians clearly shows this. If Paul was so short of perfection, how much further are we? The point bears repeating: no person achieves perfection on this earth. But note: Paul says five significant things.

1. 1. Paul followed after perfection, after his God-given purpose. When Christ saved Paul, that was just the begin-ning, not the end. He had been saved to live for Christ and to serve Christ, and as long as he was on this earth he was going to live for Christ and do all he could to serve Christ. The word "follow after" (diōkō) means to press; to pursue just like a runner in a race. There was no place for walking, much less for sitting or lying around in comfort, complacency and lethargy. Christ had saved Paul for perfection—to attain to the resurrection of the dead—and as long as Paul was on this earth, he was going to press and run after perfection.

2. ⇒ Paul was going to do all he could to help the Lord in the Lord's great task of perfecting him.

3. ⇒ Paul was going to do all he could to lay hold of perfection—the perfection for which the Lord had laid hold of him.

4.

5. Fact of the matter . There is no such thing as a genuine believer sitting still after he has been saved. The believer must not...

6. • become comfortable, complacent, lethargic, or lazy.

7. • waste time and lose opportunity.

8. • begin to think he is safe and secure forever; therefore, he can sometimes do what he likes and give in to his own desires.

9. The believer must follow, run, and press after perfection—the perfection for which Christ has saved him. The believer must be active in living for Christ.

3.He pressed on toward the Goal, toward God’s purpose in Jesus Christ (Vs 14)

1. Paul worked at forgetting the past. This is a verse that is of enormous help to believers who have failed God—miserably failed Him. Paul had so failed God, and he was always confessing how far short he came (cp. ; ; ). Paul faced what so many of us face:

2. ⇒ failure and shortcoming

3. ⇒ the struggle to forget it and to move on

4. How does a person do this? It is one of the most difficult things in all the world to do. And it is especially difficult if others are not forgiving and willing to let the believer put his failure behind him. But note: Paul tells us how to deal with the past. How? By concentrating and controlling the mind and by reaching forth to those things which are before us. Note the concentration and focus:

5. ⇒ but one thing.

6. ⇒ but this one thing I do.

7. In one focused act, we must forget the things that are past and reach forth to those things that are before us. The act involves two parts: both forgetting and reaching forth. The past cannot be forgotten without reaching forth to what lies ahead. A person cannot sit around moaning and regretting the past. To do so is to be concentrating upon the past. The things of the past are to be forgotten. The things of the future are to be the focus of the mind. The believer is to zero in on the things at hand and on the things that lie ahead. If we do this, there is no time to wallow around in the past and its failure.

3. Paul pressed on toward the goal, toward God's purpose in Christ Jesus. What is God's purpose for us in Christ Jesus? It is to be conformed to the image of Christ—to be perfect even as He is perfect. Once we are perfect...

• we shall be incorruptible and eternal.

• we shall live in honor and glory.

• we shall live in God's perfect presence and power.

• we shall live in perfect righteousness and purity.

• we shall live worshipping and serving God eternally.

Perfection means eternal life, a perfect life that never ends—that goes on and on doing the things that God created us to do. Perfection means the eternal life of Jesus Christ—being conformed to the perfection of Jesus Christ. (See note—• Romans

4.He keep his mind on growing, on maturing in Christ (VS 15) 4. Paul kept his mind on growing and maturing in Christ. All believers are ordained by God to be perfect in Christ Jesus, and we shall be perfected in the glorious day of redemption. Let us, therefore, as many as are ordained by God to be perfected, keep our minds on perfection.

Note: this is sometimes difficult to do because we live in a world that is gripped by the lust for...

• comfort and ease

• pleasure and plenty

• possessions and recognition

• indulgence and extravagance

• more and more

But note something: God will not let the genuine believer rest unless his mind is on righteousness and purity, the gospel and witnessing. God pricks our hearts, reveals that we are failing and coming short. God stirs us to get our minds back upon living like we should—upon pressing for perfection.

1. Preacher's Outline and Sermon Bible - Commentary - The Preacher's Outline & Sermon Bible – Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians.

5.He maintained the growth he already achieved (VS 16) Paul maintained the growth he had already achieved. Too many live up and down lives. We gain some discipline and some growth, then before too long, we slip right back. It may involve...

• lying, stealing, or cheating

• devotions or prayer

• control of thoughts and mind

• discipline of body and habits

Growth takes place, but then some circumstance or interruption takes place, and the new man and new growth are forsaken and we slip back into being the old man, living just like we used to live.

But note the strong exhortation of Scripture: take what you have learned and attained and walk by that rule; keep your mind upon that rule.