“I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians: 3:14
St. Paul, writing to the Christian Church in
Philippi Greece, gives those believers and believers throughout the ages
instructions and encouragement for the Christian life and our participation in
that life lived in union with our Lord Jesus and one another.
St. Paul, in addressing Christians comparing
the life of the Christian as a race in which all Christians are engaged. As
with any race or contest of endurance there will be times when the participants
may for varies reasons be tempted to give up or cease to be in the event.
Focus on the Goal
The Apostle, is writing to the Philippians and
all Christians to encourage them to keep their focus on the goal of the
Christian life in Christ so that they will run a good race toward the goal and
not give up.
The Games
The ancient world had several annual athletic
games which were well known throughout the Greco-Roman world. In these varies
competitions it was a general rule that only citizens were given the right and
privilege to be a part of the games.
No Advantage in the Flesh
St. Paul begins to address what it takes for
Christians to run and finish this race which leads to great glory of receiving
the victory crown. St. Paul tells us, that unlike the athletic games of the
ancient world where-in physical conditioning, strength and endurance were to
the participants advantage, the race however which we are called to run does
not rely upon any advantage of the flesh, if this were the case St. Paul would
be able to be look to his own advantages to compete and to win.
“If someone else thinks they have
reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the
eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of
Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church;
as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.” (4b-6)
St. Paul is saying that “if the victory was
won based on the flesh, then I would win”, but his purpose is to elevate the
view of Christians above the flesh to the true source of our victory and the
receiving the crown of victory and eternal life.
The Apostle then admonishes Christians to
relinquish any trust in the things in which we previously trusted, in for these
very things in which we had put so much confidents in can become an impediment
to us in each of our striving forward toward the goal of the Kingdom.
St. Paul had much to boast in, that is , at
least according to the flesh, but none of those things would win him the race
of the Christian life, so he turned lose his attachment to them all and focused
wholly on Jesus alone for the goal of victory.
“But whatever were gains to me I now
consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything
a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for
whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain
Christ” (7-8)
Gaining Christ
The Apostle tells us how he viewed his past
accomplishments and pedigree and why he had no confidence in them, "I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ”.
St. Paul tells us the end results; the true
goal of all human life is to “gain Christ”.
St. Paul had become so aware of the lack of
the flesh and our own efforts to reach our goal and the realization that any
effort of his, or our own, would prove woefully inadequate but rather than
trust in any performance-based righteousness he would simply place his trust in
Jesus as the means of reaching the goal.
“and be found in him, not having a
righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through
faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of
faith.” (9)
The Goal
By trusting in Jesus as the only means of
reaching the goal it is now not only “possible” but is
certain. St. Paul now begins to define the goal for his life and by extension
all of our lives.
“I want to know Christ—"(10a)
What he is saying is, that this is the goal
and this knowing Christ is a deep relationship made possible for us through the
life and death of Jesus. This “to know Christ” goes
far beyond simply possessing facts regarding a person or having information
regarding Jesus it is an intimacy a sharing of who they
are; in the case of Jesus, both his life, suffering and his death,
and resurrection we have been afford a place in himself to experiencing these
things.
To truly know a person this deeply requires a
sharing in both their life and their death.
St. Paul is telling us that this is his goal
not only for himself but for all believers in all ages that we all could come
to full sharing of who Jesus is and the result of becoming like Jesus in all
things and possessing all that Christ has accomplished for humanity to have.
“yes, to know the power of his resurrection
and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so,
somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.” (10b-11)
St. Paul tells us that he had not yet
experienced the fullness of that goal which he strove for
“Not that I have already obtained all this, or
have already arrived at my goal”, (12a)
Yet, he holds on to the assurance of reaching
the goal, not due to his efforts or any other flesh bound advantage but only
due to the actions of Jesus.
“but I press on to take hold of that for which
Christ Jesus took hold of me.” (12b)
Toward the Goal
St. Paul now speaks in a language of
relationship to the Philippians and to all believers throughout the ages, not
only because that is how he views them, but because that is how Jesus views
them, and we all.
“Brothers and sisters” (13a)
The Apostle now confides to us all that he knows
this his reaching the goal has not yet been fully experienced by himself, or by
any of us, this side of eternity. He tells us that he knows that this full
reaching and striving toward the goal of knowing Jesus will be completely his,
and ours, in the eternity that awaits us all, because of Jesus.
“I do not consider myself yet to have taken
hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward
what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has
called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (13b-14)
The athletes who trained and ran in games of
the ancient world did so only to receive a perishable crown of momentary glory
which fades away, but the crown and the prize for which we run is for a crown
of eternal glory that never will fade.
This glorious crown is ours’ not through our
own efforts or any advantage of the flesh, all those perceived advantages are,
as St. Paul declared, “garbage” and he discarded them and
they can hider our coming to know Jesus as fully as we may which is the true
goal for which we strive and receive in Jesus that glorious crown of knowing
him.
Benediction: May we each and all be focused upon our
Lord Jesus as we run toward the goal of knowing him, today, tomorrow and
forevermore. Amen.
Rev. Todd Crouch, Norman, Oklahoma
If It's Not About Jesus, It's Not About
Anything!
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