What Is My Goal?
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Introduction
Introduction
As Paul continues to encourage his listeners to allow their faith in God vertically impact others outwardly, he draws on a common example of his day and age: prizes. How many of you like winning a prize? How many of you will do just about whatever it takes to win a prize?
One of the themes we find in the New Testament are races and this is something that we’re familiar with today with track and field and various races that we watch on TV. In a race you’re going to run with a singular goal in mind: to win. Think about this, if you were to go up to Michael Jordan and ask him why he played the game of basketball, what do you think he’d tell you? He plays to win championships. If you were to go up to Usain Bolt and ask him why he ran track, what do you think he’d tell you? He runs to win a gold medal. Why do these athletes strive to win and get first place in what they do? Because they put in a whole lot of work and dedication to their craft to settle for anything less than that. If you’re going to wake up at 4am to train and eat a certain way and only drink certain things you’re doing all of those things for a purpose: to be the best you can be so that you can win the prize.
Think of the Christian life as this type of race. If the goal is becoming like Christ then we have to pursue that goal with everything that we have. The stakes are high - there are 2 outcomes: Heaven and Hell. Jesus tells us this much in the Gospels as He talks about how there is a house built on the solid rock and the house built on sinking sand. There’s the narrow path and the broad gate. There are those who are in Christ and there are those who are against Christ.
We’re all running the race, but only some will reach the prize. Let’s read about what Paul shares about our goal as followers of Jesus Christ.
12 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.
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,
14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you.
16 Only let us hold true to what we have attained.
17 Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.
18 For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ.
19 Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.
20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
21 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.
1 Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.
Perfectionism? (12-17)
Perfectionism? (12-17)
According to a study conducted back in 2018, 33% of college students in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom said that they feel as though they must display perfection in order to secure approval from others. In recent years this has been a growing reality for many people of all ages and backgrounds. You don’t have to admit it to others, but how many of you struggle with being a perfectionist at times? This is an honest struggle that so many of us battle with day in and day out. We might brush it off as though we have high standards, but if we’re not careful we can be left out in the cold of anxiety or depression simply because we expect ourselves to be perfect and if we fall an inch short of the mark, it’s a colossal failure. If you’ve ever struggled with perfectionism, take heart today with what Paul shares in the opening verse of our text in Philippians 3:12. Paul shares that he hasn’t quite reached the goal and is not already perfect.
Some so called Christians believe in this doctrine of perfectionism and this was being taught by some false teachers in Philippi and Paul is correcting them and warning his friends. Consider the danger of the two extremes of perfectionism in the church and in your life. On the one side maybe you struggle with perfectionism and you feel awful whenever you mess up and you feel like you are irredeemable because you’ve simply messed up. Your desire to be perfect leaves you wondering how on earth Jesus Christ could love you and save you because you feel like you fall woefully short of the mark. If this is you, take heart and rejoice in knowing that we will never be perfect on this side of glory regardless of how hard we try!
The other extreme is very real but it’s in the opposite direction. Because of this final truth that we’ll never be perfect while on earth due to our sinful nature, some people simply stop trying. Instead of keeping their eye on the goal of being more like Jesus they replace Christlikeness with complacency. Instead of having a passion to look more like Jesus they have a passion to just go with the flow and leave sanctification for a future day instead of the present day.
Paul shares that even though he isn’t perfect, he’s still taking effort to reach the prize. Even though he falls short, he still wants to look more like Jesus. Perfectionism will leave you feeling depressed in your sinful condition, don’t fall into that trap but also don’t fall into the idea that our actions and Christian walk do not matter at all. It does! We’re commanded to grow. We’re responsible to go and make disciples. We’re expected to engage with those around us and proclaim the Gospel. There is work to be done buy into the lie that says that you’re perfect the minute you become a Christian.
This lie is perpetuated by people who look at passages like Matthew 5:48 and others
48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
At the surface level this verse sets quite the lofty standard and it feels unattainable because it by definition is. This is why it’s important for us to understand the context of Matthew 5:48 and the entire sermon on the mount for that matter. God is giving His expectation for His disciples in this passage. Jesus is calling His listeners to grow in becoming who we will one day be today. The pattern isn’t in our perfection, instead it is in Jesus’ perfection.
We know that we aren’t perfect because of what we find in Scripture. Whenever we look at the Old Testament we are reminded of God’s holiness and “otherness” than sin. In Isaiah 6 Isaiah has a vision of the throne and he says that he is ruined because he is a person of unclean lips and he is from a people of unclean lips - what does this mean? Simply that Isaiah is a sinner and he is from a people who are all sinners and God, meanwhile, is not
3 And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”
In the New Testament as we’ve looked at already, we find that we all are not righteous, we are not good enough on our own.
10 as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one;
We can’t be perfect by ourselves - we’re still sinners, yet through the grace of Jesus Christ there is hope
10 And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.
12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God,
13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet.
14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.
Through Jesus’ work on the cross, our sins are dealt with… Therefore, Paul’s point and our reminder, is not to place our hope and confidence in our personal works of righteousness in order to gain our entry to heaven. That can’t be our goal. Instead, we focus on Jesus’ work first. He paid it all! Therefore, we work to imitate Him in all that we do and to glorify Him as 1 Cor 10:31 shares to do all to glorify God. Our hope is not placed in our perfection, it’s in Christ who was perfect in our place.
Just as an athlete trains for his race, Paul is pressing on to his goal which is to be more like Christ. Think about your own walk with the Lord this evening. Are you pressing on to be like Christ and training accordingly or are you coasting because you think that it doesn’t really matter? Are you tempted to go with the flow of the world so that God’s grace can increase? Or, are you tempted to justify yourself based on your own actions? Both of these are dangers that we can’t fall in to. We keep our eyes on Christ and we imitate Him in all that we do.
We follow what the preacher of Hebrews said
1 Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us,
2 keeping our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Whenever you run the race, keep 3 things in mind:
Don’t get distracted by other things
If you’ve ever driven in a car you know that your car has a rear view mirror. Why is it there? To help you stay safe and to make sure that you’re not going to hit something. But whenever you’re driving on highway 65 or I44, you wouldn’t dare drive only looking at your rearview mirror, would you? No! Why not? Because you’d crash! What do you primarily look at whenever you’re driving a car? Out the windshield - you look in front of you and to the sides in order to stay safe and focused on what’s ahead. In life we all have a rearview mirror that we can look at in order to think about our past and that’s not bad… Paul didn’t just stop talking about his previous life before Christ, he mentioned it throughout his ministry. But where was Paul’s focus? Forward. It was Upward on Christ and it was Onward on what Christ had in store for him. Let us do the same and stop being distracted by the past.
Press on toward the goal
Run toward the finish line - don’t just run aimlessly. For Paul, the goal is to progressively grow in Christ and to hold fast to His Word. To have a direction and arrive where Jesus wants us to be.
Reach the finish line
Don’t stop short of the goal - this goal is promised. God makes good on His promises. Keep on fighting sin and following Jesus.
Earthly Rewards? (18-19)
Earthly Rewards? (18-19)
As inspiring as this passage can be, Paul gives a stern warning in verses 18-19 about some who live as enemies of the cross and pursue the wrong thing.
Think for a moment about some of the things this world says matter most.
Possessions
Popularity
Protection
Power
We live in a world where people like to turn black and white situations into gray situations. You know what this looks like, right? Say that your parents have a rule that you have to be home by 11pm for curfew and it’s black and white, either you’re home or you’re not, either you obey or you disobey. Instead of completely disobeying, though, we like to come up with justifiable reasons as to why we should be able to disobey. We like to blur the lines. Instead of something being clearly right or clearly wrong, people like to live in a world where right and wrong can change depending on who you are and what your truth is. Truth has moved from an objective - 2 + 2 = 4 to a subjective - whatever you feel like.
Consider what Paul says about Christ: There are followers of Christ and there are enemies of Christ.
It’s black and white, either/or. You’re either a born again follower of Jesus or you’re an enemy of the Cross. This rubs people the wrong way because we like to be all inclusive and the prevailing idea in the United States is that of participation trophies. Oh, you showed up, you’re going to heaven. Oh, you read your Bible or you did something nice to someone else, you’re going to heaven… Paul stands firmly against such an idea and calls people out for living as enemies of the cross and their end is not eternal glory, it’s eternal destruction and separation from God in hell.
Have you ever asked yourself why people reject the Gospel? If heaven and hell are real places, we know that they are, why do so many people reject the Gospel whenever they know that the alternative is eternal punishment? The question isn’t heaven versus hell, everyone who is serious about the question will choose heaven… The real question we have to ask is this: Do you want heaven or do you want earth? Do you want the riches of eternal heaven or do you want the best this world has to offer? Do you want your best life to come or do you want your best life now?
For so many of us there is a temptation to want our best life now and to indulge in the riches of this world. To be focused on earthly things as verse 19 shares. Why is this our default mental position? Because of our sinfulness. Because of our depravity. Because at our core we naturally desire possessions, popularity, protection, and power.
We have to heed the warning of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6 as He addresses this very subject
19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal,
20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light,
23 but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
We can’t store up earthly rewards and have that be our lives goal. We let our light shine in the darkness where it’s difficult, not where it’s easy. Natural for humans to focus on earthly things - we have a different citizenship, though. We’re passing through this world, it’s not our home!
As a Christian, you’ll receive things in this world and you’re called to steward them wisely, but you can’t focus exclusively on what you have here and now because this stuff will all pass away and if you live for this world, you’ll fail to live for the world to come. There was a story about a young husband and father who had started a business from the ground up and was working long, hard hours in order to provide for his family. After several years of doing this and working late, he decided to buy a mobile home for his family to keep at a beautiful lake so that they could get away each weekend after a busy week and spend time together as a family. As the years came and went, though, the business continued to grow. Late nights turned into long weekends with interviews, conference calls, and zoom meetings. Before long, the man found himself making more money than he knew what to do with and landed on the cover of the Wall Street Journal - all of his hard work had paid off and he had literally gained all that this world had to offer… But what did it cost him? Over the same years where his business grew, his kids grew up too. Over the years where he was gaining money left and right, his kids had baseball games and choir concerts with no dad in the crowd. While this man gained the world, he lost his family.
There’s a desire in our hearts to crave more and more things - just as some of the Philippians were tempted to live as enemies of the cross. Fight against that temptation, fight against the temptation to get more and more because those things will fail to satisfy the eternal hole in your heart. Instead of setting your eyes on earthly rewards, set your eyes on Christ
Run the Race with Christ’s Righteousness (13-14, 20-21)
Run the Race with Christ’s Righteousness (13-14, 20-21)
Consider the contrast between verses 18-21 as you look at the screen.
The end result for those who are enemies of the cross is destruction because their God is their belly and their glory is their shame because they’re focused on earthly things.
Meanwhile, the end result for those who are followers of Jesus is heavenly citizenship because their God is Jesus Christ and their glory is to be transformed to be more like Christ and their focus is on Christ alone.
CS Lewis once said, “You will find that the Christians who did the most for this present life where those who thought the most of the next.”
Whenever you come to understand that your eternal destination is secure in Christ and that He is coming back for His children, what is the worst that can happen to you?
The promise God gives to His people is the promise of Romans 8:28 and countless other passages of Scripture
28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
Does this verse tell us that all things are good? No. It tells us that God works all things together for the good of those who love God. What does this mean? It simply means this: Whenever your goal is becoming like Christ, and whenever you run the race with your eyes focused on Him, you can run with joy as you know that one day you will reach the goal. You won’t reach it here - Paul is clear that we’re not perfect and we won’t reach that standard of perfect righteousness on our own… But as those who have been bought by Christ and adopted into God’s forever family, we can rest confidently at night as we know that God started His work in us and He will see it through. He will hold us fast. He will transform us into the likeness of His Son - which is ultimately for our good.
What is your goal today? Is it to get more and pursue the things that others say matter? Or, is your goal to look more like Jesus Christ?
Following God’s call on your life isn’t easy… Think of what it cost people in the Bible. It cost the disciples their lives, it cost Paul his position of power, it has cost countless Christians their comforts and relationships with family members and former friends.
But they’d all tell you the same thing: Following God’s call is worth it 100% of the time. God’s call for our lives is greater than the best this world has to offer and it’s not even close.
Maybe you’re here this weekend and you don’t know Christ as your Savior. You’re playing the church game and you’ve learned to play it well. Maybe you’re here and all of this is new to you. Maybe you’re here and you’re a follower of Christ but you’re struggling with worldly things. Wherever you’re at spiritually, Jesus’ call is simply this: Come to Me. Come to me all who are weary and I will give you rest. Come to me all who are confused and I will give you focus. He is the good shepherd who lays down His life for His sheep. Come to Jesus as you are, and watch Him transform you into His masterpiece as Ephesians 2:10 shares with us. Come home to Jesus.