Work Out Part 2
Philippians 2:12 - 16
It is God working in us, constantly. Need a bountiful supply of the Holy Spirit. Must work out that which God is working in.
The next question to try to answer is: how do we work it out?
Main theme of book of Philippians = become more and more like Christ.
Philippians 1:20; 2:15; 3:8 – 10, 21.
Philippians 3:9 - 10
Vers 12
ALT Not that I already obtained or have already been perfected, but I press forward, if also I shall lay hold of [that] for which I also was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.
GNB I do not claim that I have already succeeded or have already become perfect. I keep striving to win the prize for which Christ Jesus has already won me to himself.
ISV It’s not that I have already reached this goal or have already become perfect. But I keep pursuing it, hoping somehow to embrace it just as I have been embraced by Christ Jesus.
BWE I do not mean to say that I have got there yet, or that I am perfect yet. But I am trying hard to get there, because that is why Christ saved me.
Twenty Not that I have already laid hold of it, or that I am already made perfect. But I press on, in the hope of actually laying hold of that for which indeed I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.
Paul is saying clearly that he hasn’t obtained or achieved perfection yet but he is pressing, pursuing after that for which Christ has saved him. What is that? To be conformed to the image of Christ.
Then vers 13. Confirmed that he hasn’t reached it yet and then tell us what he does to reach it.
ASV Brethren, I could not myself yet to have laid hold: but one thing I do, forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to the things which are before,
Words I do = in italics = not part of the original Script.
Then he makes 2 statements but he says that it is one thing. So the 2 must happen simultaneously.
Forget the past and reach out to what is ahead.
Forgetting the past is one of the most difficult things to do.
We call our memories the "past." Obviously, you can’t turn back the hands of time. What’s done is done. The mistakes we’ve made are there and there is nothing we can do to change them.
"The only thing we learn from the past is that we don’t learn from the past, we can learn from the past."
How do we handle our past? Some people relive the past. They recount the events of the past in great detail in their minds over and over again. All of the negative emotions which they felt then, they feel again. And the beat themselves up for the events that are forever gone.
Some people surrender to the past. They decide that they will never rise above the past and resign themselves to be what the past has made them. After all, the lot has been cast, and they are a product of their past.
Others defy the past and refuse to be dominated by it. They recognize that while the past is an unchangeable part of their history, they can do something about themselves and how they deal with the memories of the past.
This is the key to how we deal with the past. There are basically three things you must do to effectively conquer your past. (1) The first is that you must recognize the past for what it is, the past. It is over, done, gone, finished, ended, passed. You can’t change one thing that happened back then, whether back then was years ago or yesterday. (2) The second thing that you must do is recognize the satanic strategy in reminding you of the past. His strategy is to discourage you and defeat you. (3) The third thing you must recognize is what you can do about the past. While you can’t change the past, you can change the way you respond to the memories of the past.
But Paul, the Apostle, tells us that the way to deal with the past is to forget it. Listen to what he says, "One thing I do: forgetting what lies behind..." Paul is saying that the way to deal with the past is to forget it. We must develop what I call a "divine amnesia."
V13 but this one thing I do - Because Paul realized that the human mind can only focus on one thing at a time, he was single-minded, set his priorities in order and would allow nothing to distract his attention from achieving what he had set out to do. Too many people end up with useless "half-baked" projects - what good is a half-baked cake?
The phrase "one thing I do" means concentrated purpose. He was a man of consolidated purpose.
forgetting those things which are behind - Though it is good to look back so that we can thank God for His goodness and also to learn from our mistakes, there is a great danger in looking back if we are not careful. Paul was an elderly man when he wrote this epistle and could, at this time of his life, look back with well-deserved satisfaction on his unsurpassable achievements for the Lord. However, he knew the dangers of doing so - having been familiar with the disasters that followed. Grecian athletes who were foolish enough to look backwards at those runners they left behind before the finishing line was reached There is a great tendency to be complacent when we look back on our achievements. Are we looking at our achievements (eg better prayer times, more understanding of the Word, more effective ministries) with deadening complacency? Or are we looking at the achievements of our church - the new members, their growth, the music, the prayer meetings with this same complacency? Another danger of looking back is that we will tend to use the standards of the past as the standards for the future. Are we looking at our past Christian character as our standard for our future Christian development? Or are we using our past as standard for our future achievements? Another danger of looking back is that we may be discouraged by the failures of the past.
When I speak about forgetting the past, of course, I’m not talking about forgetting it mentally. Although there are many things I wish I could forget, unfortunately, God created our minds to be incredibly powerful. Even though we might not remember something consciously, sub-consciously it is always there. Every act, word, event, situation and circumstance is imbedded forever in our minds. When Paul speaks about forgetting the past, he means that we must forget it in the sense that we no longer allow it to control our lives. Unless we do, we will always be on a leash. We will attempt to move forward in life, only to be snatched back time and again.
The word "forget" means literally to forget upon or over, that is, we are to forget in consequence of something else. We can get over past hurts because of something more important.
and reaching forth unto those things which are before- Instead of complacently looking at the past we should "reach forth" to the "mark" (v14) - this describes an athlete straining to do his utmost, of aiming high and finishing his work. Paul himself had achieved what no other Christian had done yet he was now in his old age "reaching forth" to the "impossible" - namely, to convert "Caesar’s household (PHI 4:22). The Christian life must be one of dreaming the "impossible" for the Lord just as Christ, Hudson Taylor, Carey and every other great man of God did.
We must not only develop a divine amnesia in terms of forgetting the past; but also engage in a deliberate activity in the present. Listen to the words of the Apostle, "One thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead." In order to deal with the past effectively, we must live in the present actively.
Paul said he was reaching forward to what lies ahead. The picture we have here is someone stretching forward, like a runner in a race, seeking to win, not merely to finish. But if we would win over the past, we must also be willing to aggressively stretch forward.
As we stretch forward, we must possess the quality of a determined attitude. Listen again to the words of the Apostle Paul, "One thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Here is a man who is not content with being willing. He is not simply reaching forward to what lies ahead, he is giving his all to the endeavor. He is determined in his attitude that nothing will deter him. We must have this determined attitude as well if we would succeed in conquering the demons of the past.
The word "reaching forward" is an athletic term in the Greek meaning to sprint for the finish line. It is a burst of effort to reach the goal first. Now that you have dealt with your guilt complex, sprint to the tape of a Christ centered life.
V14 I press toward the mark - "Impossible" dreams will remain as mere dreams if they are not followed up with determined persistence - which is only possible by strict discipline. Edison said that his success was due to 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.
"Press toward" expresses the idea of pursuit after or follow earnestly. Paul keeps his eye on the goal. He does not allow anything to deter him from his goal. Like a marathon runner he keeps his eye on the finish. He follows earnestly after the wreath. He was not going through the paces. He would not stop to talk to the fans in the stands even though the race is over twenty miles. Time is too precious for that.
for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus - Though Christians are indebted to God for His unspeakable love, this indebtedness is insufficient by itself to motivate us to great achievements. Knowing this, Paul instructs us to focus on the "prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus". Most Christians are not motivated to do great things for God because they have never really pondered the sure, exceeding high and eternal rewards that God has promised to his servants as a result of their salvation and for their labours for His sake (v20, 21; 2CO 5:10). Some are motivated to serve God for the "prize of human honour or reward" - such are soon discouraged because of its uncertainty and because of the soon-realized uselessness of such rewards.
Paul sets forth two perspectives-- "those things which are behind" and "those things which are ahead." Some people live in the past. Paul wants us to live in the future.
It is the devil’s business to distract us from the goal. If we take time to answer the bystanders, the critics, we lose precious time and focus. If we indulge ourselves with anger, we will not finish well. "But the media told lies about me. Some of the fans made unfair remarks about my running." That thinking will deflect us from our ultimate goal.
In order to receive a bountiful supply of the Holy Spirit we must forget the past and reach forward, closer and closer to Jesus Christ.
