SERMON TEXT
“…that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained.” (Phil. 3:10-16 ESV)
MAIN POINTS
The Risen Christ who has made you his own will raise you up and will be yours forever, so press on towards the prize of gaining him.
1. Press on towards Christ without presumption.
“…that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.” (Phil. 3:10-11 ESV)
Paul is not uncertain about whether or not he will attain the resurrection, he is simply not letting presumption that "things will be fine" get in the way of him will pursue that moment of knowing Christ fully with all his might.
2. Press on towards Christ because Jesus has laid hold of you.
“Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.” (Phil. 3:12 ESV)
The risen Christ has made you his own. He has laid hold of you if you have believed in him. Such a reality makes Paul insatiably eager to press on to a full and complete experience of Christ, as it should by the power of the Spirit for us as well.
“He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Col. 1:13-14 ESV).
“You have loved us like You love Your Son
We are heirs with Christ, bought by His blood
Oh how great the love that we've been shown
We're Your children now, You made us Your own.”
(You Made Us Your Own - Sovereign Grace Music)
3. Press on towards Christ our prize.
“Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 3:13-14 ESV)
Let's not be mistaken! The prize is tangible. The prize is valuable. But the prize is nothing else but a person, Jesus Christ our Savior. Let's press on to lay hold of him as he has laid hold of us!
Pressing on, forgetting, straining: these are strong words to describe our pursuit of holiness and experiential knowledge of Christ.
1 Timothy 4:10, “For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.
Hebrews 4:11 “Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.”
4. Press on towards Christ in growing maturity.
"Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained.” (Phil. 3:15-16 ESV)
In other words, let the mature think like Paul is thinking… with an eternal perspective, and a heart full of love for God and love for others, ready to count all past advantages as loss, having a humble mind like that of our sacrificial Savior, etc.
APPLICATION: How should we press on?
- By not being satisfied with our experience, knowledge of, or pursuit of Christ.
"That I may know him..." (Phil. 3:10) - By encouraging one another, specifically with eternity in view.
"For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words. (1 Thess. 4:16-18) - By being further in awe of Christ for him making you his own.
It's what makes Paul tick. Ask the Spirit to not let you go a day without further experiencing the wonder and joy of being Christ's.
APPLICATION: What would it look like for you to press on toward the prize of Christ?
Imagine yourself passionately pressing on toward the prize of gaining Jesus one day. What changes do you think should be involved for you to have that attitude? How can the Scriptures mentioned above guide/fill out that picture? What specifically can you ask God to make a reality for you?
__________________________________
MUSIC
Psallos Recording - Philippians
"Almost Home" - Matt Papa & Matt Boswell