Philippians 3:12–4:1 (NASB95)
12 Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. 13 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you; 16 however, let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained. 17 Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us. 18 For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, 19 whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things. 20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; 21 who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself. 1 Therefore, my beloved brethren whom I long to see, my joy and crown, in this way stand firm in the Lord, my beloved.
“Take it easy!” “You deserve a break today!” “Relax! No need to get so excited!” “Don’t worry, this enthusiasm will die down and you will be ‘balanced’ like the rest of us pretty soon…” These are words that we not only hear in the American culture, but unfortunately also in many churches. A large percentage of professing Christians have learned how to sing about “Amazing Grace” without ever truly understanding or applying it on a consistent basis. This often leads to a Christian Culture that is only marginally different than the non-Christian Culture surrounding it. And it’s not new! The Apostle Paul was battling the same problems in the first century. His ministry (see the Book of Acts) was characterized by pushing past the “take it easy” mentality and modeling a lifestyle of radical obedience no matter what it cost him personally (see Acts 20:17ff). His writings were filled with contrasts between the false teachers with their fleshly motivations, and the truth which accompanied by grace led to a zealous lifestyle for the glory of God (see Titus 2:11-14; 1 Cor. 9:24-27).
I am praying that our church will be filled with grace-motivated, zealous followers of Jesus who are committed to being and making mature disciples of Jesus Christ no matter what the cost. People who seek conformity to Christ rather than comfort; serving, not just being served; giving, not just receiving. And who won’t be satisfied with their spiritual maturity until they are like Jesus in every aspect of every area of their lives. These were the same goals the Apostle Paul had for the first century church as stated in Philippians 3.
Over the next three weeks I want to walk you through Philippians 3 where the Apostle Paul describes what it looks like when we are truly Motivated by Grace. There are three main points he emphasizes (The Goal – 3:12-16; The Grief – 3:17-19; The Glory – 3:20-4:1). Today let’s look at The Goal.
Paul makes it very clear that his goal and ours should be to know Jesus so intimately that we become like Him. But this will require three important commitments on our part. The first commitment is to dissatisfaction (v. 12-13a). Paul wrote these words nearly 30 years after he first came to saving faith. As mature as he was, he knew he wasn’t like Jesus in every area. He didn’t compare himself to unbelievers or even other Christians, he compared himself to Jesus and knew he needed God’s amazing grace to do a much deeper work in his life. How about you? Have you become complacent in your spiritual growth? Are you satisfied with your love for Jesus? Are you content with the time you spend meditating upon His truth? Are you okay with the fruit you are bearing for God’s glory? Are there specific areas of your life that aren’t truly godly but it has become okay with you? Don’t settle for mediocre. Be godly in your thoughts, attitudes, motives, words, and actions. You haven’t arrived yet. Keep on running!
The second commitment is devotion (v. 13b-14). Paul says press on! It’s the word used of pursuing or persecuting someone. It implies intense effort and commitment. But it also implies intense focus. Paul pressed on toward the goal and the prize. There is a difference between these two things. If you run a marathon, when you get to the final part of the race, you fix your eyes on the goal (the finish line – Christlikeness). All of your energy is focused on crossing that line and completing the race. But beyond that goal there is a prize (what we receive from Jesus when we cross the line = perfect fellowship with Him forever in glory). The starting line is Justification. The goal is Sanctification. The prize is Glorification. To that end we imitate the soldier, athlete, and farmer (2 Tim. 2) with intense effort and intense focus.
To accomplish this, the third commitment is Discipline (v. 15-16). We must discipline ourselves to have the right mindset (attitude) of someone who is mature (“perfect”). The more mature you are, the more you realize you aren’t completely mature, which motivates you to discipline yourself to pursue greater maturity. If you don’t have that mindset (attitude), the Holy Spirit will reveal that to you. So we must train ourselves to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit as He points out areas of our lives that aren’t godly. Others will tell us it’s okay to compromise a little, our flesh will justify ungodly behavior, but the Spirit will graciously keep pointing out areas of immaturity until we surrender and allow His grace to change us. This discipline goes on with consistency in application (“keep living”). The word “Stoic” comes from this Greek term, referring to those who carefully measure their steps and discipline their lives accordingly. People who have clear standards in mind and know that they are the same standards for all believers. We are in this together! What joy that brings us when we come together to worship the Lord and stimulate one another to keep on running the race to win. None of us are perfect and we all know it. When we come together we can share our successes and failures and help one another keep on pursuing the prize for the glory of God.
That is a grace-filled fellowship! People who are grateful for God’s amazing grace that took away their sin and filled their account with the righteousness of Jesus (Phil. 3:1-11). People who have a common goal to become like Jesus in every area of life. As a result, they are dissatisfied with their current level of spiritual maturity, are devoted to giving intense effort and focus to reach the goal and the prize, and are disciplined in their spiritual growth. They work diligently to maintain standards they have achieved and help one another to pursue even greater growth in Christlikeness for the glory of God.
May this be true of us in 2021 and every year the Lord gives us until we receive the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.