Pressing On
Philippians 3v12-14
8th September 2023
Over the last few weeks, we've been thinking about Paul's life goals, as described in:
Philippians 3v10-11
I want to know him [Christ] and the power of his resurrection and the
fellowship of his sufferings, becoming like him in his death
and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.
I hope you found this as moving and as challenging as I did. Paul continues:
Philippians 3v12-14
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect,
but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.
Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing
I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on
towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in
Christ Jesus.
Paul, the greatest apostle who ever lived, after many years of ministry that changed the world, who understood so much, achieved so much, and suffered so much, openly admits that he is not perfect. He doesn't yet know Christ perfectly. He doesn't yet experience the fulness of the power of Christ's resurrection. He doesn't yet experience the depth of fellowship that comes from sharing in Christ's sufferings. He's not completely like Christ in His death.
Paul has, no doubt, made great progress. His love for Christ and for the church is obvious to all, proven by his constant dedication to ministry and his willingness to suffer. But he's not ready to stop looking for more. Christ took hold of him, and of us, to give us eternal life, heavenly life, the life of God, perfect life. We who have been born again know that Christ will make us all perfectly Christlike.
Philippians 1v6
... he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the
day of Christ Jesus.
1 John 3v2
Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been
made known. But we know that when Christ appears, a we shall be like him...
In heaven, we will all be perfectly sinless:
Revelation 21v27
Nothing impure will ever enter it...
Like Paul, we're not perfect yet. Praise be to God, who saved us when we were dead in our sins (Ephesians 2v4-5) and is now in the process of sanctifying us, making us like Christ. We cannot change ourselves. The work of sanctification, of making God's people truly holy in spirit, soul and body, is undertaken by the Holy Spirit. But we are called to co-operate with Him, and our co-operation makes a difference.
Some Christians - many Christians - make the mistake of settling for a level of holiness that is acceptable to other church members but is very far from what God desires. Paul doesn't. He wants to keep going, to keep changing. Paul was committed to the process of being sanctified, becoming more and more holy, knowing Jesus Christ better and better, being more full of His power, being in closer fellowship with Him, and more like the crucified Christ in obedience to God and in self-sacrifice, becoming totally unselfish.
Are we?
Have you "plateaued"? Are you about as dedicated to God, about as pure in thought, word and deed, about as given to Bible study, prayer and church attendance as you were, say, ten years ago? Or are you still growing in holiness? What sins have you put to death recently?
Paul says he forgets what is behind. What does he mean by this? We must be careful here to avoid the danger of taking the Bible too literally. This is shorthand. Paul doesn't forget everything that is behind. The Crucifixion, Resurrection and Ascension of our Lord are behind, but Paul doesn't forget them. His own salvation, and the times God saved him from danger were behind, but Paul didn't forget them. Paul means he doesn't dwell unhelpfully on what is behind. He refuses either to be discouraged by his past sins or made complacent or egotistical by his past successes.
There is a place for remembering the great things God has done for us, and re-telling the stories. But this should spur us on to seek more of God's grace and power in the future.
There is a place for remembering our past sins, but only so far as the remembrance serves to teach us the wisdom of obeying God's word, and move us to celebrate God's wonderful forgiveness. We can fall into the trap of spending too much time and emotion thinking about sins we committed years ago, which God has forgiven. This can hinder our confidence that God can bless us and use us in the future. Whatever you've done, God has not written you off. Don't write yourself off.
There is a place for remembering the sins committed against us, but only so far as to remember how God restored us. We can dwell too much on past hurts, harbouring unforgiveness and bitterness, which will hinder our future progress. We can dwell too much on how deeply we were hurt, feeling sorry for ourselves and not accepting God's healing of our emotional wounds.
Paul then says he strains towards what is ahead. For him, sanctification wasn't something we just allow God to do in us; he passionately pursued it. Paul wanted to be a Christlike as possible, as prepared for glory as possible. He is committed to press on towards the goal. He is determined to win the prize - to serve Jesus, to become like Jesus, and one day live for ever in the immediate presence of Jesus. He knows God has called [him] heavenward. And God has called us, too.
We will never be perfect on this earth, but surely we should be aiming for perfection. And in glory we will indeed be made perfect.
Matthew 5v48
Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect
Next week: maturity