We have here a very personal letter written by the Apostle Paul. What I mean by that is simply that Paul shares a lot of himself in this letter. He shares with us his thoughts and attitudes as he talks about his past and present circumstances and the hopes he embraces concerning his future.
I think that we all admire Paul’s example of Christian character and spirit and service. Paul, on a number of occasions, encourages us to follow his example as he strived to follow Christ’s example.
This morning, Paul is going to share with us more of the thoughts and attitudes that have molded his mindset and steered his course as a Christian. And, these thoughts and attitudes he shares are extremely important for us to adopt if we are going to grow in godly character and be productive in Christian service.
Paul has just stated that he considered everything that had seemed important in his pre-Christian days as trash or manure compared to His relationship with Jesus Christ.
Now, in verse 12, Paul says “I press on in order that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.”
Paul says that his present ambition is to lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus had laid hold of Paul. In other words, Christ had called Paul for a purpose. Christ called Paul so that Paul could lay hold of something. And obtaining that something was Paul’s single-minded focus.
We ask the question - what is that something which Christ called Paul to receive? What is that something which has captured all of Paul’s focus and energies?
Paul answers our question in Verse 11 - “that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.”
Yes, Christ called Paul to be an Apostle. Yes, Christ called Paul to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles. Yes, Christ called Paul to bear witness before kings and governors and to even suffer for the Truth. But, the ultimate reason or purpose of why Christ called Paul is that Christ wanted Paul to share in the resurrection to eternal life.
That is true for every person here, this morning. The reason why God calls us through the Gospel is so that Christ may raise us up on the last day!
Our being raised from the dead to enjoy eternal life with Christ is our great and mutual hope. I repeat - hope.
Paul opens verse 12 by stating that - concerning the resurrection - he has not “already obtained it.”
This is a very important point. Paul seems to be saying that the resurrection was not yet his. Is Paul saying that should he die, his fate is not known to him? Is he saying that he is not quite sure that eternal life is his quite yet? Does he have doubt about his ultimate salvation? Is uncertainty of his eternal fate pushing him to “press on” to make it certain?
And, if this is so, can any of us know for sure exactly what will be our eternal fate?
How we answer this question is key to understanding this passage. I believe that Paul had complete confidence that he was saved. Furthermore, I believe that he knew he would be resurrected to spend eternity with Christ. The basis of my belief is his statement found in 1:21-24, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.”
Would you not agree that is a statement of great assurance?!
Paul had complete confidence that he was saved and that he would participate in the resurrection of life. And, if we have obeyed the Gospel and walk in the light as He is in the Light,” we can and should have the same assurance.
Even though Paul had that inward confidence and assurance of the resurrection to eternal life, he chose to live his life as if it still was something to be won. Paul adopted the analogy of the Christian life as being a marathon and the race’s outcome is not known until the finish line is reached. In this analogy, the resurrection is the prize to be given to those who successfully or victorious run the entire race. In verse 13, he says, “I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet.”
At the time of his writing this letter to the Philippians, Paul is saying that he is still actively running the race. In his mind, there is still much ground to cover because, as he says in verse 12, he is far from having “already become perfect.”
Perfection is what Paul sought. He would not be satisfied until he reached perfection. No doubt, he remembered the words of the Lord, spoken in Matthew 5:48, "Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” For all of his fine Christian qualities, Paul knew there were areas yet in his life that needed attention and improvement. As long as this was the case and as long as he still had breath, he was in the race and attaining the resurrection was at stake.
In verses 13 & 14, Paul expresses how seriously he regards the race and how earnestly he wants the prize. And, he wants us to pay attention because he wants us to think and do the same.
“Brethren, …. but one thing I do….I press on toward the goal for the prize.”
Paul put a great deal of effort in reaching the goal. How much effort?
When he says “I press on” he is describing the runner giving everything they have to be the victor at the goal line. Do you remember how a runner pushes out their torso right before they reach the finish line. Why do they do that? They do it because the act of jutting-out their chests might be the factor that secures them a victory. After all, winning and losing in track sometimes comes down to a hundredth of a second.
Paul says that is what he brings to the race each day. He presses on with every fiber of his being.
He further stresses the intensity he devotes to this race by saying that this pressing onward is the “one thing I do!”
Paul had one great aim and purpose of life. To this singleness of purpose he owed his exemplary godliness and his uncommon success as a minister. A person will accomplish little who allows their mind to be distracted by many things. A Christian will accomplish nothing who has not a single great aim and purpose of soul. That purpose should be to secure the prize, and to renounce everything that would be in the way to its attainment.
If that truly is our great aim and purpose of life, our lives will be different. There will be evidence of spiritual growth and there will be fruit borne from our labors.
Paul brings to our attention a key to successfully ‘pressing on toward the goal’ in Verse 13. To successfully press on required “forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead.”
Again, the Apostle brings to our minds the great foot race. One of the most elementary lessons that a track coach teaches his runners is to never look back until you have reached the goal. The runner must keep their eye steadily on the prize, and strain every nerve that they might obtain it. If their attention is diverted for even but a moment from that object, it will hinder their momentum, and might be the means of their losing the prize.
Paul was not one to live in the past. The past he properly appreciated; but his thoughts continued to dwell upon the future. The great prize still lay forward at the finish line. He looked onward to the prize. He fixed the eye intently on that. It was the single object in his view, and he did not allow his mind to be diverted from that by anything - not even by the contemplation of the past. Paul was focused on one thing, and would not let those things which are behind distract him from it.
Satan wants us to live in the past. God wants us to press on in the present with an eye to the future. We often let those things which are behind to distract us, whether they be "good" things or "bad" things, we may let them keep us from what God has in front of us.
I want to mention a few ways of how we allow ourselves to be distracted and diverted from our goal by looking to the past.
1. We look back with fondness to our lifestyles before we became Christians.
This is especially prominent with relatively new converts, those who are babes in Christ. When the excitement of becoming a Christian begins to fade, when the realization comes of the effort that is going to be required to live godly, when persecution for our Faith begins to get intense and painful….we look back fondly to the time when we didn’t have the toil and strain, we look back and yearn for the acceptance and embrace extended to us by our worldly friends and associates. We begin to think how much easier and satisfying it was before we got involved in the Christian race.
It’s a funny thing that Satan always brings to our minds the so-called good things we had or enjoyed before we became Christians and does not bother to help us remember the negative things that we experienced while living in sin. He paints in our minds a rosy picture of our past and blurs from our memories the thorns that pierced our lives.
We often are like the children of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai. Their trek through the desert was arduous. They lacked the comforts and conveniences of a settled home. To bring cheer and encouragement, they could have looked to the goal - the Promised Land - where they would enjoy houses they did not build, crops they did not plant and livestock they did not raise. They could have motivated themselves by discussing the land flowing with milk and honey.
They could have…. But didn’t. Instead of keeping their eye on the goal, they looked back.
Exodus 16:3, “And the sons of Israel said to them, ‘Would that we had died by the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat, when we ate bread to the full; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.’"
Numbers 11:4-6, “And the rabble who were among them had greedy desires; and also the sons of Israel wept again and said, ‘Who will give us meat to eat? We remember the fish which we used to eat free in Egypt, the cucumbers and the melons and the leeks and the onions and the garlic, but now our appetite is gone. There is nothing at all to look at except this manna.’"
Wanting to return to good ole Egypt…..what is wrong with this picture? Their fleshly natures and Satan’s deceitfulness has caused them to forget the bitter labor they had to perform as slaves. They cried to God for deliverance. They praised and rejoiced when they had crossed the Red Sea. Now, because they don’t have a big buffet, they want to go back to where they had it so good.
We cannot allow Satan to trick us by making us think that we were so much better-off before we became a Christian. The remedy is found in Colossians 3:1-2, “keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.”
2. We look back at our failures.
Too many Christians dwell on their past failures. They frequently mull over in their minds the mistakes they have made. They try to run the race carrying the heavy loads of guilt and shame on their shoulders. Such brethren often live in the world of -
“If only I had….”
“If only I had not….”
“I wish I had….”
“I wish I had not….”
“Only, if I could have…..”
“Only, if I didn’t….”
Living in the world of past failures and errors does nothing to get us closer to the goal. It distracts us from our present duties and clouds our viewing the Goal. It drains us of the strength and peace and joy that is necessary to run the race victoriously.
Do not get me wrong. I am not saying that we should never think back to our mistakes. It is important to acknowledge our errors and learn from them. But, we must move forward. God has pardoned and forgotten our past errors, we must do the same within ourselves. We must not keep punishing ourselves.
If anyone had a past to feel remorseful and guilty about, it would be Paul. He directly fought against God and severely persecuted the children of God. Paul acknowledged his mistakes but did not dwell on them. He knew that a Christian will make more rapid advances in godliness by looking forward than by looking backward. Forward, we see everything to cheer and motivate us --the crown of victory, the joys of heaven, the Savior calling us and encouraging us. Backward, we see everything to dishearten.. The most cheerful Christian looks onward and keeps heaven always in view. The person who habitually dwells on the past, will be likely to be melancholy and dispirited.
As Paul told the Romans, “the kingdom of God is.…righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. (Romans 14:17).
3. We look back at our past accomplishments.
Just as it can be very un-productive and dangerous to dwell on past failures, it can be equally un-productive and dangerous to dwell upon our past spiritual successes.
If we look back and dwell on the growth we have experienced and the spiritual accomplishments we have gained and the fruit we have produced, we might become self-complacent and self-satisfied.
We can look backwards to see how God has worked in us and through us and glorify Him for that grace. However, we cannot and must not trust that previous attainments and accomplishments are enough to secure the prize. We cannot and must not relax our present and future efforts.
By the time that Paul wrote this letter, he had completed three missionary journeys, established dozens of congregation and converted thousands of souls. One would think that he could retire from the Lord’s work and just cruise into the Pearly Gates based upon past performance.
However, Paul says ‘no way!’ He says, “Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet.” I cannot retire. I will never stop pressing onward until I reach perfection.
We must not spend our time in thinking of what we have done but think on what we still can and should do for the glory of God. We must keep the eye steadily on the prize, and run the race as though we had just began to run it.
Paul’s forgetting was ceasing to let the things in the past overshadow the present. He let the past, both good and bad, be past, constantly looking forward to the work God had for him to do. All Christians need the grace to do the same thing.
Paul, continues in Verse 15, “Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude.”
The word “perfect” here is better translated “mature.” The Apostle says that, ‘All of us who are spiritually mature should have this same attitude.’
He, of course, is referring to the attitude of throwing everything we have toward reaching the goal, always keeping our focus on the prize and not letting anything in our past hinder our run. That is a godly, mature attitude. It’s the attitude of winners rather than of losers.
Paul says that “if some of you have a different attitude, God will make this clear to you.”
So vital and basic is this attitude, Paul says that if a brother or sister is sincere and seeking but has not adopted this attitude or approach to life, God would eventually disclose to them the importance of it.
Verse 16 -The important thing, however, is to “keep living by that same standard to which we have attained.”
That is to say, that we all should keep the same standard of Truth that we do know and understand and keep applying it to our lives. We all have the Word of God to guide us. As long as we strive to do what we do know and understand, God will bring to our awareness deeper truths. Paul will not allow a lack of full understanding to excuse anyone from doing what they do know to be the Lord’s will. What we don’t know can never excuse us from doing what we do know.
God will not further enlighten us in the future if we do not now walk by the light He has already given. If we don’t use the light or knowledge we already possess, it is certain that God will not grant us further light or knowledge.
Today, we have learned a key ingredient to the spiritual successes of the Apostle Paul. Let us follow his example.
