PURSUING THE PRIZE
Philippians 3:12-16
By Cleavon Matthews
December 28, 2008
INTRODUCTION
Paul pens this epistle while imprisoned. He was apprehended and arrested for preaching Christ. Paul writes out of concern for Epaphraditus. This is one of four prison epistles written at this time. However, none of them is as personal in nature as the letter to the Philippians. The epistle is also rich in theological prowess. The exhortations are excellent. The cautions are clear. The admonishments are awesome. The rebukes are sharp. The praises are poignant.
The movement of the epistle has been both subtle and deliberate. The apostle is moving toward a predetermined goal. He is setting the stage for a spectacular statement. He begins with praise, prayer, and thanksgiving. He verbalizes his love, devotion, and appreciation for the Philippians. More than anything, he wants them to abound in love, approve the right things, be without offense on the day of Christ, and to be filled with the fruits of righteousness.
Furthermore, Paul does not want them to be overly concerned with the present circumstances of his imprisonment or those who are attacking them. He expects release and vindication. Nevertheless, he wants everyone to know he is not ashamed of the Gospel. Either way it goes, he is a winner. After all the Philippians, still need him. He only asks that they stand together, strive together, and suffer together. This leads Paul to speak concerning the necessity of selfless behavior and he provides three examples of selflessness that is Christ, Timothy, and Epaphraditus!
After setting the stage for the return of Epaphraditus to Philippi, Paul now sets the stage for his second major reason for writing which is the ongoing conflict between two sisters in the Church Euodia and Syntyche. Paul gives a wise warning concerning those who would attempt to circumvent the Gospel. This leads to Paul’s personal example of true confidence. Paul says although he would have more reason than anyone to have confidence in the flesh would; he will not and cannot because everything outside of Christ is dung or rubbish!
Paul fears being covered in the nakedness of his own righteousness. His overwhelming desire is to be found in Christ. He seeks righteousness in Christ through faith. Paul seeks this and exhorts all to do the same. Paul expresses righteousness as knowing Christ, the power of His resurrection, the fellowship of His sufferings, and being conformed to His death. Paul’s hope is bodily resurrection from the dead. This brings us to our text. Paul has not yet received what he longs to experience. He does not completely know Christ in this fashion and he has not yet received the resurrection from the dead.
I.FOLLOWING THE PRIZE
Philippians 3:12 “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.”
Paul has a goal. He is determined to satisfy this ambition. His goal is not physical. His goal is not health and wealth. His goal is not materialistic. His goal is neither political nor occupational. Although there is nothing inherently, wrong with having these secondary objectives.
All of us should have some…
Giant goals
Obtuse objectives
Astounding aims
Awesome ambitions
Tremendous targets
Daring dreams
Powerful plans
Victorious visions
Huge hopes
Amazing aspirations
Breathtaking intentions
Grand purposes
However, as it concerns Paul, his goal was not a beachfront property. His goal was not early retirement. His goal was not a PhD. His goal was not a perfect family. He was not after fame or fortune. He refused to major in the minors and minor in the majors. Paul’s desire was an echo of Christ, “But seeks first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matt 6:33).
Following the prize requires the proper mentality. You can’t allow TI, Ludicrous, Chris Brown, and Lil Wayne to shape your mentality. You must have a ‘transformed’ and ‘renewed’ mind. Your mind can’t be clouded by the philosophy and ideology of the Talk Shows and Soap Operas. There are enemies of the cross of Christ (Philippians 3:18). There end is destruction, their god is their belly (appetite), their glory is in their shame, they set their mind on earthly things (3:19).
The believer’s mind must be set on things above (Col 3:1). Our minds must be set on heaven. Our citizenship is in heaven (Phil 3:20). Paul has a lot to say about the mind in this epistle. We should have one mind (1:27). We should let the mind of Christ be in us (2:5), and the Lord will guard our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus (4:7). But in order for our minds to be set properly, we must have the right thoughts. “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy-meditate on these things” (4:8).
Like Paul, we must be open to the reality of our own imperfections. He says, ‘Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected.’ In other words, Paul did not yet possess his prize and he was not complete. The consummation of his character was incomplete. God was still working in him. However, Paul was not down on himself. Paul did not kick himself because he was not perfect. Paul did not suffer from neurotic guilt. Paul’s imperfection served as his motivation. Paul was not perfect but he lived as if he would be perfect one day.
Human beings are not perfect in this life. There are no perfect spouses. There are no perfect parents. There are no perfect children. There are no perfect preachers, elders, or deacons. There are no perfect church members. There is no perfect local congregation and if you find one, don’t place membership because you will mess it up!
The Gospel is good news because God accepts and adopts imperfect people based on the work and merits of His Son Jesus Christ. The Lord knows what we can and will become because of His own work in us! We spend too much time whimpering, whining, and complaining and not enough time seeking, setting, and singing! We should be seeking God in prayer, setting our minds on glory, and singing God’s praise!
Like Paul, we need to Press on! He was motivated and dedicated to his pursuit of the prize. The word press means to flee after. It is the imagery of a runner. Paul is like a long distance runner. He is constantly moving forward. He follows Christ with an unquenchable desire. He wants Christ for himself. This goal was given to him by the Lord. Paul says, ‘that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me!’
Paul didn’t find this motivation in a self-help book. He didn’t discover this goal in a seminar. He is not a Christian because of his parents. He is not pursuing this prize because of family obligation or marriage. He hungers and thirsts after righteousness (Matt 5:6).
Like Paul, we need to Press on!
We need to get over ourselves
We need to remove heavy weights
We need to make a radical change
We need to lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us and run with patience the race that is set before us! (Hebrews 12:1)
We need to Press on!
Christ Jesus has laid hold of us
We have been apprehended
We live for Christ
We have a divine purpose
The Lord saved us for Himself
We need to Press on!
The Lord resurrects us from ruins
The Lord takes these clay vessels and makes an awesome masterpiece
We need to Press on!
You may be facing foreclosure but Press on!
You may be in hardship but Press on!
You may be in distress but Press on!
You may be in a storm but Press on!
You may be in a crisis but Press on!
You may be in a predicament but Press on!
You may be in adversity but Press on!
You may be laid off but Press on!
You may be struggling but Press on!
You may be in sickness but Press on!
You may be in grief but Press on!
You may be in a conflict but Press on!
You may be in temptation but Press on!
You may be in a test but Press on!
You may be in a trial but Press on!
II.FORGETTING THE PAST
Philippians 3:13 “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead.”
Perhaps some considered Paul the ultimate Christian. Many times its easy to look at another person and think they have it all together. Sometimes we glance at another person’s life and come to the flawed conclusion that they must be perfect.
We are so enamored with the glossy glamour of a quick glance that we miss the obvious blemishes. We glance at their appearance. We glance at their attire. We glance at their family. We glance at their home and automobile. We glance at their character and conclude they have the perfect life. However, the blemishes are there you just have to look a little bit closer.
Paul dispels this myth. Paul says, ‘I do not count myself to have apprehended.’ The word count is Logizomai. Logizomai is an accounting term meaning to take inventory. This is a good time for the Christian to take inventory! When Paul took inventory he concluded that he had not arrived! Paul says, I am not perfect. My work is incomplete. My mission is not finished. I still have some growing to do. There is more suffering for me. There are more obstacles ahead. There are more sermons to preach. There are more improvements to make. There is more knowledge to be gained. There is more power to experience. There are more epistles to write. There are more studies to conduct. There are more congregations to plant. There is more fruit to be harvested.
Paul boils it down to a singular pursuit. He says, ‘but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead.’ He does not have divided loyalties. He only had one thing!
Satan knows he can defeat us, if he is able to divide us! No man can serve two masters (Luke 16:13). Paul could not remain loyal to Judaism and Christianity. Paul could not serve the Law of Moses and Christ. Paul could not keep the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. Jesus also said, you don’t put new wine into old wine skins!
Let me share something with you Northwest as we pass by this point! Sometimes it’s hard for us to change because of old experiences. Jesus tells this parable in responds to criticisms by the Pharisees. Jesus says in Luke 5:37-39, “And no one puts new wine into old wine skins; or else the new wine will burst the wine skins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins, and both are preserved. And no one having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, the Old is better.” New wine is dynamic and active. The old wine skin is inflexible and brittle. The old wine skin is incapable of withstanding the dynamic and active process of the new wine. Church we cannot be like old wineskins. We must remain flexible as the dynamic and active power of God works through this Church. We cannot become so rigid and fixed on methods and programs that we lose both the new and the old!
Many of us are being thrown off course because of the past. We are taking the past with us everywhere we go. We are measuring everything in our present, by the things of our past. Covey says, ‘We don’t see the world as it is, we see the world as we are!’ For the most part we see the world through our own limited personal experiences. We must begin to see things from God’s point of view.
We often take our earliest thoughts or impressions about God into our current relationship with Him. We see this in the life of Paul. He was blameless in the Law. He was a student of the Law and prophets. According to his tradition, Paul believed the key to pleasing God was in physical merit and external rites. But after he was converted his perspective changed. The way he saw God changed because he was changed. He now saw God like he had never seen Him before. He now saw the splendor and wonder of God’s wisdom and eternal plan.
Paul was forgetting those things, which were behind! It does not mean cauterizing the memory. It means the passionate and relentless effort to focus all of the energies on present progress rather than on the past. If we are going to pursue the prize in 2009 we must forget 2008 and beyond!
Forgetting what we used to do
Forgetting how we used to do it
Forgetting our mistakes
Forgetting our achievements
Forgetting our accomplishments
Forgetting our victories
Forgetting who used to do what
Forgetting how things used to be
Forgetting those things behind allow us to be ‘reaching forward to those things which are ahead.’ This means to stretch oneself forward. Paul was stretching himself. He was extending himself forward. We must stretch forward. Sometimes we become complacent in our relationship with the Lord. Sometimes we begin to take the Lord for granted. Sometimes we feel like its ok to slack off. So we start letting things slip. We lose our since of urgency. Prayer begins to fade. Study begins to decrease. Attendance begins to fall. Giving just plummets. Our ministry grows cold and mediocre. We stop inviting people to church.
When this happens it’s time to stretch! It’s time to get back on course. Reaching forward implies dedication and effort. Reaching forward implies endurance. The race is not to the swift. This race is to those who endure to the end. Church it’s time to reach forward!
We must reach forward to present every person complete in Christ (Col. 1:28). We must reach until Christ is formed in every member (Gal. 4:19). We must reach forward until every saint is equipped for service (Eph 4:11-14).
We can’t stop reaching!
We have souls to save!
We have a mission to complete!
We have a vision to realize!
We have classes to teach!
We have ministries to develop!
We have churches to plant!
We have buildings to erect!
We have missions to support!
We have wandering souls to bring home!
We have hurting people to comfort!
We have young people to mentor!
We have ministries to develop!
We have leaders to train!
III.FOCUSING ON THE PRIZE
Philippians 4:14-16 “I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Therefore, let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind.”
Like a runner with a singular vision, Paul has his eye on the prize. His focus is on the prize. The phrase ‘the upward call of God in Christ Jesus’ refers to the effective call of salvation. Paul had been justified, was being sanctified, and is focused on being glorified. He was looking forward to the day when the Lord would call him before His throne and crown him a good and faithful servant.
Paul desperately wanted the transformation of his physical body. He spoke of the Lord saying, ‘who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself’ (3:21). Furthermore, Paul’s hope is verified by his words to the Romans, “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.”
Paul wanted something ‘undefiled and incorruptible.’ Paul wanted something eternal. Paul wanted to be with Christ. Paul wanted to be delivered from the body of this death.’ He longed for a place with no sin. He longed to be rid of that sinful fleshly disposition. He longed to be in a place where there where no thorns in the flesh and no messengers from Satan. He wanted to be in a place where there would be no shipwrecks, no prison cells, and no perils.
We are urged to share this focus. If we don’t see it now, God will reveal it to us. However, we should serve Him now according to the degree we have already attained. God’s children are now being sanctified. We are on our way to glory. We just need to pursue the prize!
CLOSING
Like Paul we must follow the prize, forget the past, and focus on the prize!
