Philippians 3:12–4:1
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What you believe about the future can have a profound impact on how you live today. There have been studies conducted that demonstrate this, and we know it from our own personal lives. The coming reward gives fuel for endurance today. Finishing that degree that you've been working so hard on, so that you can have a job that pays well afterwards. There's so many examples like this. There are other real-life stories of survivors of horrible tragedies, wrongful imprisonments.
It's been demonstrated that for those who find themselves in situations like this, a hope for the future, hope for survival, actually causes them to be able to endure these tragedies. Whereas if you lose hope, you lose the will to live. There's great real-life and fictional characters who embody this. the story of Unbroken. A favorite story of mine is the Shawshank Redemption, a great movie. There's the Apostle Paul himself sitting in prison writing this letter to the Philippians.
Hope for the future gives us an incredible ability to endure suffering. In the midst of hardship, clinging to the promises of a better future can transform our lives today. These are some of the ideas that we're going to look at as we look at the second half of Philippians chapter three. You can turn in your Bibles there to Philippians chapter three. It's on page 981 in the Pew Bible. While you're turning there, here's a little background on this letter. Philippians is a letter that Paul wrote to the church in Philippi, which is in northern Greece in Macedonia. The church of Philippi was started by Paul around AD 50. First, Paul met this woman named Lydia. She believed the gospel. Then this slave girl who was demon-possessed was converted.
She believed the gospel, but the owners of the girl were mad at Paul and Timothy, so they were thrown into prison, but then they got released from prison miraculously, and the jailer thought they had escaped, so he was about to kill himself. So Paul and Timothy cry out. They don't leave. They cry out and say, we are still here, and that causes the jailer to be converted. This is the start of the church in Philippi, and like we said, Paul is writing to this church about 10 years later from another prison cell. This time he's in Rome. There are multiple reasons why Paul wrote this letter to this young church. They'd sent him some money. He wanted to thank him for that, but the church was also under threat. There were threats from outside the church. There There's false teachers preaching a false gospel.
We looked at that last week. There's also a threat of disunity in the church. That's what Paul's going to go on to talk about in chapter 4. Then our passage today is right between those two sections. Last week we covered the false teachers and the Judaizers. And then in chapter 4, there's this issue of disunity in the church. And our passage today is right in the middle of that. The overarching message of Philippians is a message of joy in the gospel. Even in the midst of difficult circumstances.
And the Philippians were indeed in the midst of difficult circumstances. That's what we're talking about. And Paul's message for them, as we'll look at today, is that they need to press on. Even in the midst of difficult circumstances. So let's read our text for this morning. Philippians chapter 3, verse 12. We're going to read through chapter 4, verse 1. 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.
Brothers, join in imitating me and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. For many, of whom I have often told you, and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their God is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.
But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved. given the threats to this church that Paul loved so well, he urges them to continue on in the faith following his example.
Here's our main idea for this morning. Very simple. Press on, all you saints. Press on till the end. Press on, all you saints. Press on till the end. In our passage today, Paul urges the Philippians to press on in the faith. But he doesn't stop there. He doesn't just say, keep going guys, just try harder. No, Paul loves these believers and he really wants them to make it to heaven.
So he gets very practical with them and he gives them instructions on how to persevere well. I'll give you the points as we go along, but in order to press on in the faith, point one, you need to have the right mindset. In order to press on in the faith, you need to have the right mindset. What's the first thing Paul says here? Not that I've already obtained this or am already perfect.
Paul wants the Philippians to know that despite all of his achievements, despite everything God has done in and through him, I mean, this is the Apostle Paul we're talking about. Apart from the Lord Jesus Christ himself, no human has done more for the church than this man. This man says that he has not arrived. He has to press on and finish the race. Paul is demonstrating humility here. In order to press on in the faith, we too need to be humble.
So what is humility? This is the mindset that Paul has been driving at throughout this letter. Humility is thinking of yourself less. Hear me now. I didn't say humility is thinking less of yourself. The humble person actually has an accurate view of themselves. No, it's thinking about yourself less, like not as often. You're thinking of others instead. The opposite of humility of this mindset is pride.
Focus on the self. And this is what our default mode is because our hearts are broken. They're turned inward. Our minds are set on ourselves. That's why so many of us struggle with fear of man, anxiety, identity crises, and so many other struggles that are rooted in pride, focus on the self. So where do you see pride cropping up in your own life? What about here at church? How do you view service in the church?
Why didn't I get asked to do that? I have so much to offer. Why didn't I get hired for that role? If only they would recognize my talents. That kind of pride and those kinds of thoughts can lead to bitterness and division in the church, even anger towards God. Being jealous of others' success instead of doing what we promised, to rejoice with each other, instead of rejoicing with those who rejoice, that's pride.
Paul has been talking about this throughout the letter. Think back to chapter 2. But in humility, count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interest, but also to the interest of others. Of course, you have to take care of your own affairs. You have to take care of your own household. Paul states that clearly elsewhere. Those who don't provide for their own households are worse than unbelievers. But in addition to that, you have to look out for others' interests.
You need to count others even as more significant than yourself. That right there is the kicker. It's incredibly easy to understand. You understand what Paul is saying. Consider others as more significant than yourselves. But to actually do it, to consider other people as more important than myself, How is it possible? Why is it so hard? Because we're hardwired to think about ourselves. If I don't think about myself and look after myself, who will? I barely have time to take care of myself and my family. How am I supposed to have time to think about others?
You can't just pretend to consider others more significant either. Wanting to help and serve just because of what you can get out of that relationship is not humility, it's still selfish ambition. Paul wants to be, he wants us to be truly humble where we're seeking the good of others even when we don't get anything out of it. Being concerned about the needs of others simply with their good in mind. Getting to know people, finding out what they do, finding out what's going on in their lives, locking arms with them, standing side by side, rejoicing with others when things are going well, carrying burdens and sorrows when things are going poorly. That's what will tend towards unity and pressing on as a church for the building up of the body. That's what Paul wants, not each one of us only looking out for ourselves, struggling and striving to get to the top, that leads to
factions and divisions and a broken church. That's what Satan wants. That's what the enemy wants. Each one of us looking out for ourselves. But if we're looking out for each other, putting pride to death, that's humility. That's what we need in order to press on in the faith. we need to be humble. But there's more. Look at verse 13. 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.
Forgetting what lies behind. That is a tough one for many of us. Forgetting what lies behind. let's walk through this. You did something in the past, or something was done to you, something happened in the past, and it haunts you. You can't get through a week, sometimes even a day, without thinking about it. And you haven't told anyone. And the fear of being found out has you weighed down. You can't move on with your life. Whether you've put two and two together, it's probably causing anxiety, and who knows what else. Friend, if that's you, you can't forget what lies behind because you haven't applied the gospel to your life. You probably need to talk to someone about what happened. Maybe reconciliation is needed. Maybe some intensive counseling is needed. Sorry, Woods. Sorry about that, but job security. Whatever the case, you need to work to
resolve the issue. You can't forget about it because it's still plaguing you. You haven't worked through it. The next issue is just as prevalent, honestly. Something happened in the past, you've worked through it, but it still haunts you. Maybe you're struggling to forgive someone. Depending on what happened, it could be a lifelong struggle, a daily battle to forgive. Forgiveness is not a one-time thing. And yet our Lord commands us that we must forgive as we have been forgiven. And on the flip side, maybe you're the offender. You've sincerely apologized, you've been forgiven, but the knowledge of what you did is still haunting you. Sometimes it paralyzes you. You cannot move on with your life.
how can God forgive someone like me? Brother or sister, he can. And if you're in Christ, he has forgiven you. Paul wants us to forget what lies behind. Obviously, that doesn't mean that it never comes into your mind again. Sometimes Paul even brings up his past. He uses it as an object lesson to make a point. I understand it's not possible to just erase memories, erase what happened in life. But Paul wants you to lay these things aside. Don't let it control you.
I don't know how else to understand what Paul means by forget what lies behind, even as hard as it is. Think about it. This isn't an abstract thing for Paul. Paul was once Saul, the one who persecuted and killed Christians, trying to stamp out the church entirely. Do you think the idea of needing to forget what lies behind was lost on the Apostle Paul? No, this isn't a trivial thing. This isn't some idea that he's coming up with. This is a real issue in Paul's own life. Paul was there, standing there, approving and even encouraging the stoning of Stephen and countless others. Do you think that this was something easy for Paul to forget? No, this was a reality for Paul. In order to press on, the need to forget what lies behind was ever present for him. So how did he do it? How does Paul forget what lies behind? We talked about
this last week, but Paul's understanding of salvation is not theoretical. It's not merely philosophical. It's very practical in his own life. Listen to what he said in Romans 4. Just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works, blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin. Or Ephesians 1, 7, in him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses according to the riches of his grace.
This is the gospel, brothers and sisters. We are sinners. We have sinned against a holy God. We deserve judgment. But God, in mercy, in grace, sent his son to live a perfect life, to die in our place. No amount of good deeds is going to save you, brothers and sisters. It's merely the work of Christ. That's what Paul's been talking about all of chapter 3.
You have to trust in what Jesus did, in his work on the cross, in his resurrection. He defeated all of our enemies, sin, Satan, and death itself. Are you struggling to apply the gospel in your own life? Do you think that sin, your sin, is somehow too great for God to forgive? Nothing prevents the salvation of the greatest sinner on earth. Do you believe that? If so, are you applying this truth in your own life and forgetting what lies behind?
Those are the obvious things. Maybe less obvious is that you need to forget even your past successes. In order to press on, we need to forget about the successes in our past. We're not going to belabor this point because this was literally the beginning of chapter 3. This is what Paul was talking about. Inasmuch as your past successes caused you to put confidence in the flesh, you need to forget that. Whatever gain I had, I counted as loss. This goes hand in hand with humility, doesn't it?
Humility is thinking about yourself less, including the things that you've done in the past, whether good or bad. Instead, in order to press on, Paul says, we need to strain forward to what lies ahead. We need to press on towards the goal. Paul sums it up in verse 15. Look at that. Let those of us who are mature think this way. What way? The way that he's just been talking about. You need to have this mindset. In many ways, Paul is simply describing what a mature Christian looks like.
Mature Christians are humble. They're not self-absorbed. They're focused on others. Like I said earlier, in many ways, this is a callback to chapter two. Paul says, have this mindset. What mindset? The mindset of Christ Jesus himself. Then Paul adds this funny phrase, if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. What is he talking about there? I think what Paul means is, if you don't agree with me on every detail, that's okay. God will reveal that to you. Reveal what to you? That you're wrong in that Paul is right. That's what he's talking about. But really, that's not even important to Paul. What is important? He goes on. You need to hold fast to what we have attained. Hold true to the core, to the gospel. I think Paul is doing a bit of what we call theological triage here.
What do I mean by that? I mean, as Christians, we differentiate between things that are more important than other things. Obviously, everything in the Bible is important, but some things are more important than other things. Some things that are on the highest level, you have to believe those to be a Christian, the gospel, the trinity. But there are lots of things that Christians can disagree about, but mature Christians are not wavering. They're solidified in their understanding of the faith once delivered to the saints. That doesn't mean they know everything, but they're confident in the Lord. They're not thrown about by every wind of doctrine. Read Ephesians chapter 4 to hear about this. Find these types of Christians who are solidified in their faith. For starters, you could talk to an elder. Get to know an elder. These are men who, as elders, we have set aside
because we believe they're mature believers. They wouldn't have made it through the process of becoming an elder if we didn't think they're a mature believer. But it's not just limited to the elders. There are lots of mature believers in here. There's home group leaders. There's older brothers and sisters who have been walking with the Lord for decades. Get to know these Christians. If you're a newer believer simply wanting to grow in your faith, you should get to know some of these folks. which leads us to our second point, point two.
Follow others as they follow Christ. Look at verse 17. Brothers, join in imitating me and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. In chapter two, Paul had said, we mentioned this, have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus. Paul points to Jesus' life and says, that's the way. That's the way you're supposed to live.
And not only do we imitate Jesus, but Paul says we imitate him and we imitate others who imitate Paul. Paul has laid out a series of examples in this book for us to follow. He's pointed to his own life. He's pointed to the life of Christ. Timothy, Epaphroditus, these are people who are concerned for others. This is discipleship. This is the Christian life. This is the kind of deep discipleship that we want here at Third Avenue Baptist. We're all imitators. We imitate those whom we follow.
So who are you imitating? You know what I'm talking about. You're imitating someone, something. We're all conformed to something. Are you imitating Jesus and the way of the cross? Or are you imitating the world and those who are perishing? there's a particularly humbling lesson that you learn when you become a parent. Why? Because your kids are a mirror to you. They start to imitate you. They start to become like you. Have you noticed this?
Praise God they will mimic the good things in you but they will also mimic the bad things. They're always watching and learning. Kids are so impressionable and parents are their primary model the ones they're following. But it doesn't stop once we start to leave the home. We imitate others. They imitate us, your friends, your co-workers, your fellow church members. And praise God, in this church, I have seen you guys doing this incredibly well.
Older teens, mentoring younger teens, college kids. That's right, if you're in college, you're a kid to me now because I'm older. you're mentoring the high schoolers. Some of you are mentoring my own kids. Thank you. We praise you for doing this. Our kids and our teens are watching you. They're learning from you. Take this seriously. They're going to imitate your way of life. This is the essence of discipleship.
And if you want to grow as a disciple of Christ, you certainly need to know about Christ's life. You read about that in the Bible. You read about the apostles. You can read about the early church. You can read about well-known Christians in church history and how they lived. Read good biographies. But it really, it can't end with just reading the Bible and good books. Why? That's a one-sided discipleship. Sure, you get to know them and their life, but they don't get to know you.
You need to be involved in the lives of your fellow church members. We've made a covenant with one another to do this. We will walk together in brotherly love. We will exercise a Christian care and watchfulness over each other, and so on. Oftentimes, when what Paul is talking about is pressing on, is running the race, we think of it as, it's just me. I'm running a marathon, and I'm actually competing against the people around me. but that's not the Christian life that's not the race that we're running no as Christians and especially as members of the same local church we're running this race together we want to get to the finish line together and we promise to help each other get there so who are you discipling who's discipling you Mike I'm so busy right now maybe you are, but I promise you that there is time in your schedule for discipleship. If you really think
that you don't have time in your schedule for discipleship, then you need someone to disciple you about how to calendar well. There is time in your schedule for discipleship. Think about it. You have to eat. Every one of us has to eat, unless there are humanoid robots in here already. You have to eat. Eat with other people. Invite people to eat with you. Invite people into your own home. If you don't have a home, invite yourself over to someone who has a home.
Eat meals together. Talk about your life. What's going on in your life? Before we had kids, some of the best discipleship that Lindsay and I had was just watching people in their home, Parenting their kids, learning, observing. This is discipleship. Discipleship doesn't only happen in coffee shops. It can happen there, but it happens everywhere. Maybe you like to lift weights. Take someone with you to lift weights. Don't just lift by yourself.
Maybe you like to golf, go on a walk, whatever it is that you like to do. Bring your brothers and sisters along with you and do it together. Talk about life. And invite members of Third Avenue into your life to do life together. Get to know one another. Speak into each other's lives. In short, you need to find godly men and women in the church and imitate them. Hang out with them. Follow them as they follow Christ. What if you're in a place right now where you don't have these kinds of relationships?
You're discouraged. It's easy at that point to start backing away even more, to become jaded, to become distrustful. If that's you, here's my challenge for you. Take the next six months and intentionally try to cultivate these types of relationships. If you're in a place right now where you've even been thinking, this church wasn't what I thought it was. I feel disconnected. No one's pursuing me. If you truly believe that that's a problem at this church, I challenge you to become part of the solution.
You are a member of Third Avenue Baptist Church. Stop being an outsider looking in. You are a member. If there's a problem here, who are you pursuing? Who are you thinking about out there that needs to meet up with someone? How are you helping to solve the problem? How are you showing genuine concern for others? or are you only concerned about yourself? Brothers, join in imitating me and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.
What example? Paul's example of humble servanthood. That's what he's been modeling this whole letter. That's what we're supposed to be imitating. Paul wanted the Philippians to follow his example of servanthood so that they would continue to grow more and more like Christ and make it to the finish line. In verses 18 and 19, Paul contrasts his opponents with himself and Christ in the way that he's just been talking about. Look at verses 18 and 19. For many of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction. Their God is their belly, and they glory in their shame with minds set on earthly things. Paul is obviously distraught by the fate of his opponents here. He has tears for them, but he's also blunt with his description of them. These are enemies of Christ. They're on the road to destruction.
Their God is their belly. That's an interesting phrase. Their God is their belly. Paul uses the same phrase in Romans 16. Listen to what he says there. I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you've been taught. Avoid them, for such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. That's the phrase right there. Same phrase, their God is their belly, but their own appetites. And by smooth talk in flattery, they deceive the hearts of the naive. The phrase is translated, their own appetites.
This is the idea. They're only concerned about themselves and their own desires. It's the opposite of what Paul's been talking about. Paul urges the Philippians to avoid these people. Instead, follow his example of humility. Paul's opponents only cared about themselves. what they glory in now will turn out to be their shame on the last day because they have their minds set on earthly things, not the things above of heaven. But for those of us who are in Christ, we have a great hope for the future, which leads to our final point. We need to remember where we're headed. If we want to press on well, we need to remember where we're headed.
Verse 20, our citizenship is in heaven. That's a tough word to say, citizenship. It's in heaven. Of course, you are a citizen of a country here on earth, but your ultimate citizenship is in heaven. This isn't our home, at least not in the state that it's currently in. We live in a fallen world. We are strangers and exiles, according to Paul and Peter. And honestly, we shouldn't expect that things are going to get better.
They're probably going to get worse. For those of us who are in Christ, this life on earth is as close as we will get to hell. Heaven awaits us. Listen to what Paul says to the Colossians in chapter 3. If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. This is a mirror to our passage. In our passage, Paul contrasts his opponents that he was just talking about with us. Listen to the contrast here. the opponents their end is destruction our end is heaven the opponents their god is their belly for us our our god is the lord jesus christ our opponents their glory it's in their own shame but for us is to be transformed to be like christ our confidence is not in ourselves Our confidence is in our God who has the power to subject even all things to himself.
Every knee will bow. Every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. It's the all-powerful God of the universe who has promised that if you are in Christ, nothing, not one thing can separate you from his love. He will finish the work that he started in you. He will bring you safely home. Paul loved this church dearly. You can see it in chapter 4, verse 1. He just heaps up phrase upon phrase of affection for them.
My brothers whom I love, whom I long for, my joy and my crown. Here in this last verse, Paul lovingly sums up the argument that he started all the way back in chapter 1, verse 27. This is the thesis of the whole letter. Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or I'm absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind, striving side by side for the faith of the gospel.
So brothers and sisters, press on. Press on till the end. May these words be true of us here at Third Avenue. more and more as we await that final day. Let's pray. Our Father in heaven, we thank you for the Apostle Paul and the example that he has given us. Lord, we want to follow Paul as he followed Christ.
We want to follow others as they follow Paul. Lord, make us a church of disciples of Jesus. We pray, God, that our lives would be more conformed to the pattern that you have laid down. We know, God, that suffering is going to come into our lives. But we also know that you are a good and loving God who will use sufferings even for our finishing of the race. God, we pray that you would help us to finish well. Help us to end the race more like Christ than when we started.
We pray all this in Jesus' name. Amen. Thank you.