Straining Toward the Goal
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What kind of goals do you have in your life? There are all kinds of goals- financial goals (freedom from debt), physical goals (finally get into shape), family goals (take a vacation, be a better father / mother, spend more time together). Then there are spiritual goals. What kind of spiritual goals do you have in place in your life? Bible reading (through the bible in a year), prayer (intercede more often for my church family), church (be more active in my local church), evangelism (build redemptive relationships in my community).
What is your ultimate spiritual goal? What is your eternal why? You do a lot of stuff in your spiritual life. Why? What is your why? Do you teach Sunday School? Why? Do you faithfully read your Bible? Why? Do you desire to win a soul to Christ in your lifetime? Why? Do you desire to spiritually reproduce yourself in the life of another person? Why? What is your why? What is your ultimate spiritual goal?
Paul shares his eternal why in our text this morning.
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.
Sense: ‘not that I have already reached (the goal) or have already been completely successful’ (i.e. I have not been made perfect, I have not arrived at my spiritual goal)
What is Paul’s ultimate spiritual goal in this text?
Not that I have already obtained THIS. What is the this?
11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
Paul’s ultimate spiritual goal was to attain the resurrection from the dead.
Why? Was glorification Paul’s ultimate spiritual goal? I don’t think so. We have to keep backing up in our context.
7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 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, in order that I may gain Christ
Paul’s ultimate goal was knowing Christ. We can know Christ now through salvation (justification), we can continue to grow in the knowledge and grace of Jesus every day of our lives (sanctification), but when one day we receive our glorification we will know Christ in an unparalleled way.
12 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.
This is the yearning of Paul’s heart! To see Christ face to face- to know Christ fully, even as Christ fully knows me! This is Paul’s ultimate spiritual goal! To know Christ! More and more, and one day to be glorified so that he could know Christ fully!
Our love to Him should begin on earth, as it shall be in heaven; for the bride taketh not by a thousand degrees so much delight in her wedding garment as she doth in her bridegroom; so we, in the life to come, howbeit clothed with glory as with a robe, shall not be so much affected with the glory that goeth about us, as with the Bridegroom’s joyful face and presence. —Samuel Rutherford
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.
Is this the ultimate spiritual goal in your life? To know Christ! Is there a yearning in your heart for that knowledge? Is there a devotion to Christ in your soul that is the fuel drives all of the rest of your spiritual life?
What is your eternal why? What is your ultimate spiritual goal?
How do I do that?
How do you become a spiritually mature believer with the proper spiritual goal in your life?
Paul gives us two ways to help us become spiritually mature people who have the proper spiritual goal in our lives.
I. You must become spiritually minded
13 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, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
13ἀδελφοί, ἐγὼ ἐμαυτὸν οὐ λογίζομαι κατειληφέναι·
Brothers, I never consider myself to have taken hold of it,
What is the it? Glorification / perfection / full spiritual maturity
Paul knew that while he was positionally perfect in Christ, practically there was always room to grow in Christlikeness.
ἓν δέ,
but one (thing I do) / instead I am single-minded
What was the one thing? How was Paul single minded?
Illustration: single-minded- Example (early morning bow hunting). What is it in your life that makes you single minded? Food? Hobbies? Exercise?
In what way was Paul single minded?
τὰ μὲν ὀπίσω ἐπιλανθανόμενος
on the one hand I keep on forgetting what is behind
What are things that are behind? His old life (vv. 5-6)
5 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; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.
22 So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
Keep on forgetting! Keep on fleeing! Daily process of repentance for the believer. This is how you become spiritually minded. The things of this earth, of this life, they are not worth living for anymore. They have no true value! They have no eternal value! So I must keep on forgetting them.
This is a lifelong process. This is not something you do once. This is not a crisis decision that you make during an alter call. This is not a camp decision. This is a discipline that you develop in your life over years and years of spiritual growth. If you want to become spiritually mature, if you want to have the proper eternal why you must keep on forgetting what is behind.
τοῖς δὲ ἔμπροσθεν ἐπεκτεινόμενος,
and on the other hand I keep on straining myself to the utmost toward what lies ahead
What lies ahead? What does really matter? What does have eternal value?
1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.
3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
14κατὰ σκοπὸν
With this goal in mind
διώκω
I keep on striving
εἰς τὸ βραβεῖον
toward the prize
What is the prize? What really has value?
τῆς ἄνω κλήσεως τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ.
the upward calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Our future glorification! The resurrection from the dead- so that we might stand face to face with Jesus!
This is the way spiritually mature people think!
15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you.
We must become spiritually minded people through a lifetime of practice. Constantly forgetting what lies behind and instead straining toward what lies ahead.
5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.
16 Only let us hold true to what we have attained.
Standing firm does not mean standing still, holding true does not mean holding back. Spiritual mature people are constantly straining forward to what lies ahead. Spiritually mature people are constantly yearning to know Christ more and more. They do this by having the proper thought processes in place in their lives.
How about you this morning? Have you allowed yourself to become spiritually lazy in your thinking? Have you gone back to setting your mind on the youthful passions of your old life? Are you developing a mindset that is constantly forgetting, but also straining forward to know Christ more and more? Is this the eternal why of your life? Is this your ultimate spiritual goal? Are you single-minded in this? Do you yearn to know Christ face to face?
The first way we do this is by becoming spiritually minded.
II. You must find a spiritually mature person to imitate
17 Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.
You must become a joint imitator of me
Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament based on Semantic Domains 41.46 συμμιμητής, οῦ
one who joins others as an imitator—‘to join as an imitator, to be an imitator together with others, joint imitator.’ συμμιμηταί μου γίνεσθε ‘join in being my imitators’ Php 3:17.
16 I urge you, then, be imitators of me.
1 Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.
1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.
6 And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit,
14 For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews,
12 so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
17 Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.
You must keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.
Keep you eyes on- carefully observe.
What does this command assume about who you are to be imitating? Keep your eyes on them? It must be someone you can observe regularly. It must be someone you can observe.
Can I say it this way- it should be someone in your local church. Not a famous preacher on the radio or YouTube, not someone far away, someone in your local church that you are interacting with on a regular basis so that you can keep your eyes on them and copy/imitate their example.
Illustration: There are only so many things you can teach someone using words alone. John Wegner- years ago tried to explain the proper way of doing mitered corners for chair rail. He explained it to me, and it went right over my head, then he took me out to my garage, got out his saw and proceeded to perfectly trace out the reverse pattern of the molding so that they two pieces fit expertly together in the corner. It was the work of a true craftsmen. Then, I tried. And failed miserably. If I really wanted to learn that skill I would have needed to watch him do it over and over again, and have him coach me through it, and it would have taken a lot of practice.
How do you become a spiritually mature parent? Read a book? Listen to a podcast? You can learn things that way. But, the best way is to find someone who already knows some of the biblical methods of parenting and go over to their house and keep your eyes on their example! Will one time be enough? No, you will need to spend a long time with that person. But, eventually as you observe and imitate you will begin to grow.
How many other spiritual disciplines can this apply to?
Who are you keeping your eyes on? Who are you imitating?
This does not happen passively! I encourage all of you to find someone in this church that you can imitate, that you can observe and keep your eyes on. Begin an intention relationship with that person! Meet with them regularly! Grow together spiritually for the rest of your lives. Learn together how to better strive after knowing Christ! Maybe one day you will have the privilege of being the example that someone else follows! I think that is exactly what Christ intends for each one of us!
7 so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.
Why is it so important that we find someone godly to imitate?
18 For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ.
There is the danger inside all of us to go backward spiritually! We must keep on forgetting and striving forward towards Christ in our thinking, we must find a godly person to imitate and keep our eyes on.
There are MANY out there who claim to be Christians, they claim to follow Jesus, but they never put into practice the habits and disciplines of a spiritually mature Christian. And so they fall away. And they begin to walk as enemies of the cross of Christ.
19 Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.
You don’t want to become them and you don’t want to imitate them.
What kind of people do we want to become? What kind of people do we want to think like and imitate?
20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.
We are back to Paul’s ultimate spiritual goal! The one thing that He is yearning for and striving for and living for!
Think of the contrast!
Their end is destruction — our citizenship is in heaven!
Their god is their belly — we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ!
They glory in their shame — our lowly bodies (shameful bodies) will be transformed to be like his glorious body!
They have their minds set on earthly things — forgetting what lies behind and 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. 15 Let those of us who are mature think this way
1 Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.
What was Paul’s ultimate spiritual goal in life? To know Christ! And ultimately to be glorified so that he could fully know Christ.
What did this spiritual goal cause him to do with his life?
My brothers (and sisters), whom I love and long for!
It caused Paul to love and long for people!
My joy and crown
I caused Paul to find his joy and treasure in people!
In other words Paul became like Christ, not only in his attitude, but also in his actions! Paul was being made like Christ through his ministry in the lives of others! This is what it means to know Christ for Paul.
With a yearning in his heart to know Christ, and a love and longing in his heart for the Philippian believers he ends this section with one final command.
Stand firm thus (in the manner I just described) in the Lord, my beloved.
Standing firm does not mean standing still, holding true does not mean holding back. Spiritual mature people are constantly straining forward to what lies ahead. Spiritually mature people are constantly yearning to know Christ more and more. They do this by having the proper thought processes in place in their lives. And they do this by imitating, or walking according to the example of another spiritually mature believer.
What is your ultimate spiritual goal in life?
What is your eternal why?
Is it to know Christ fully?
If you want your life to be full of a yearning to know Christ more and more then you must become spiritually minded, and you must find someone to imitate.