Idea came from Back at It series from Ministry Pass
Read Opening Scripture
(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. 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, 14) I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15) 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. 16) Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind.
Introduction
Paul spends the first part of this challenging the Philippians to follow after the Spirit of Christ and not after works. He challenges the church not to be led by religion and religious works but by the Spirit of the Lord.
He uses an illustration about he could be boastful.
Paul’s reason to boast
Philippians 3:3-5 For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, [5] rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh, (4) though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: (5) circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee;
"I was born a Jew and circumcised on the eighth day, according to the exact regulation of the law."
Benjamin being the tribe of Israel's first king (1Sa_9:1-2), and being the one tribe that remained loyal to the house of David when the ten northern tribes revolted under Jeroboam, Paul's lineage was admirable.
The Pharisees, numbering only six thousand, kept the minutest detail of the law and were known for their holiness and piety.
Saul’s Conversion to Paul – glorious, life changing
Acts 9:1 Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest (2) and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.
Conversion
(3) As he journeyed (in his daily routine, he was angry. He was doing everything he could to attack God “I believe because a fear of the truth”) he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. (Jesus showed up) (4) Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" (5) And he said, "Who are You, Lord?" Then the Lord said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads." (a goad is a long rod with a sharp end that is used to prick an animal to move or to move in a different direction)
From "KICK AGAINST THE GOADS" - What Did It Mean? (bibleversestudy.com)
Why did Jesus say it's hard for Saul to "kick against the goads"?
Stubborn animals kick against the goads (a goad is a long rod with a sharp end that is used to prick an animal to move or to move in a different direction). Kicking against the goads inflicts pain to the kicker. Jesus was saying that in the process of persecuting Christians, Saul was hurting himself. Since he wasn't hurting himself physically, the Lord was likely referring to the impact on Saul's conscience.
How did persecuting Christians hurt Saul's conscience?
Instead of behaving like criminals, the Christians he arrested, imprisoned and killed most likely exuded grace, confidence and forgiveness. Stephen's words and demeanor as he was martyred (see Stephen stoned) also may have stayed with Saul, who may have even tried to overcome the effect on his conscience by persecuting more vehemently - kicking against the goads - which aggravated the self-inflicted pain.
Conversion
(6) So he, trembling and astonished, said, "Lord, what do You want me to do?" (the response to God’s calling) Then the Lord said to him, "Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do."
Arise
Notes from “You Can Understand the Bible: Bible Series Commentary” by Bob Utley
Luke_17:19 "Stand up and go; your faith has made you well" This construction is parallel to Luk_17:14 (aorist active participles used in an imperatival sense and a present middle [deponent] Imperative).
? Notice that faith is the hand that received Jesus' power. The man's faith did not cure him; Jesus cured him by means of his faith (cf. Luk_7:9; Luk_7:50; Luk_8:48; Luk_17:19; Luk_18:42; Mar_5:34; Mar_10:52; Mat_9:22; Mat_9:29; Mat_15:28).
The verb is a perfect active indicative implying the cure remained. The verb is sôzô, the normal term for salvation in the NT, however, here it is used in its OT sense of physical deliverance (cf. Jas_5:15). Surely this man was both physically and spiritually saved (purposeful ambiguity). What a tragedy physical healing would be which resulted in eternal death! The man's request and gratitude reveal his faith in Jesus. But what of the other healthy nine?
Arise. What a powerful word to use here. This word has resonated in my spirit all night and day. I mean that literally. This is the same word used speaking of the resurrection. There is power in that word.
Go – moving forward not to look back
So this leads us to Philippians 3:12
(Philippians 3:12) Not that I have already attained (apprehended, understand everything), or am already perfected (I am being perfected but I am not perfect, there is room for growth, there is error); but I press (the same word as persecute, a pushing molding life) on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.
IOW I want to get a hold of everything God has in store for me. The purpose of my life. To get everything. Not settle for second best. Not settle for little. I am pressing to become something better.
One Thing
(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,
Forget the past.
Reach forward into what God has ahead. Embracing what God has for me.
“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life — your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life — and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.” – Romans 12:1-2 The Message
UP Movie Illustration
5. Sometimes we hold onto things for personal or nostalgic reasons. An illustration of this is in the movie Up (directed by Pete Docter and Bob Peterson [Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, 2009]). Carl associates his home and all of its contents with his late, beloved wife. But as the movie goes on, it is clearly weighing him down. He is literally dragging it everywhere with him, and it’s slowing him down and hindering his mobility. When his friends are endangered, he doesn’t hesitate to throw it all away as he sees what truly matters in this life. What life-changing moment have you experienced that makes you realize what truly matters in this life? What is hindering you from getting back at it when it comes to following Jesus or plugging into your church?
The house to Carl represented everything. His life. His wife, Ellie. Everything was caught up in it. But then he discovered there was something more.
(Php 3:14) I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
I press
Romans 14:19 Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another.
1 Corinthians 14:1 Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.
Goal
Prize
Upward call of God in Christ Jesus
Conclusion
Jeremiah 2:13
“For My people have committed two evils:
They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters,
And hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water.”
This is a powerful example of the way we all get so confused about where we can find happiness.
Like Jeremiah said, we all have a tendency to try and create our own versions of happiness.
That’s what he means by us making our own cisterns.
We have ideas about what happiness is and how it works, and how we try to make it happen.
But the problem is, our self-made ideas about happiness are broken.
They are cisterns that cannot hold any water.
They would go to great efforts to fix the cisterns. They would pack them with mud and hay. Obviously over time the sun would back these and they would dry and crack until they would leak water.
So what would they do, they would make more mud and hay to fill the cracks.
To make matters worse, in our desire to create our own cisterns, we also forsake God in the process.
Because we cannot serve two masters, we devote ourselves to our own creative activities, and in turn, forsake the Lord, and all that he offers us.
The problem with this, of course, is that God is the fountain of living water.
Jesus is the only source for satisfaction and quenching.
And without him directing our happiness journey, we will never be happy.
This is the key:
Whenever we come to a place where we are creating those broken cisterns, we are searching for happiness in the wrong places. We must turn back to the Lord and let Him lead us into happiness.
