.jpeg)
COLERAINE INDEPENDENT METHODIST CHURCH
SUNDAY 29 SEPTEMBER 2024 – DAVID BURKE
PHILIPPIANS 3 VERSES 1 – 16
Paul in Philippians 3 is giving his
testimony. He began in verse 4 talking
of his past, how he had reason to put confidence in his own good works. He gives the religious conditions, he was a
good Pharisee, zealous to keep the law in the past. He put confidence in who he was and what he
did to gain merit with God. When he met
Christ he abandoned all that confidence and trusted in Christ alone for
salvation. He now had a new priority in
life. Notice the words in verse 10 “that
I may know him”. Paul came to know
Christ on the Damascus road when he met him that day and was converted. The great purpose of his life now was to know
Christ more intimately and personally, to grow in his knowledge of Christ, to become
like Christ. The great purpose of his
life was to know that the end result of such knowledge and fellowship with
Christ was to attain resurrection from the dead and receive salvation in its
full and fullest form - verse 11 “if by any means I might attain unto the
resurrection of the dead.” The end
result of his life long pursuit and purpose of getting to know Christ would be,
to be resurrected one day from the dead and made perfectly like Christ. When we read that verse it sounds like Paul
is striving by his own power and efforts to accomplish his own resurrection, as
if he is not sure if that will happen or not but that is not what he is saying
here. What he is saying is, because he
has come to the sober realisation that something so grand and glorious as his
resurrection in the future and all that that would mean - this would be done in
him, one so unworthy, full of imperfections and weaknesses. He questions - how can this be done in me a
sinner? If it was left to me it would
never be achieved. Paul knows that it is
not through his own efforts but his union with Christ that he will one day be
resurrected from the dead and to glorious life with Christ. He had no doubt but confidence in his future
resurrection. Verses 20 and 21 states
his absolute confidence after his life – “For our conversation is in heaven;
from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. Who shall
change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according
to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.” Here in this word he has the goal and purpose
of pursuing the knowledge of knowing Christ and at the end he would be
resurrected and made perfectly like Christ.
There are 3 things as Paul goes on ...
Paul’s purpose – verse 12 “Not as
though I had already attained; either were already perfect but I follow after,
if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.” “Following after” means pursuing on, to run
on, to flee, to catch a person or thing.
It is used of a sprinter running a race steadily running after
something, pressing on towards the finishing line. Picture a runner getting in his stride,
pushing out his chest, pumping his arms, making his way to the finishing
line. Why would he do that? It is important to know why you are running a
race, what your goal and purpose is, why you want to get to the finishing line.
If you are saved you are running the race of the Christian life. The moment you were saved you entered the
race of the Christian life and you are running in that race. Do you know why you are running the Christian
race? The purpose and goal of this race. What is the prize? What is the purpose of Paul’s race? To lay hold (that is what apprehend means). T he great purpose and goal of Paul’s life
was that he may lay hold of that for which Christ laid on him. Christ had laid hold of him for a
purpose. Think of Paul on the Damascus
road. He was on his way to imprison
Christians but Christ stopped him in his tracks. He laid hold of him. He was seized with the unbreakable hold of
Christ. Think of what he was before
Christ. A zealous Pharisee. He thought if he would get hold of Christians
and put them into prison he would be doing God a service. He was so disillusioned. What happened on that road? Christ laid hold of him. What a wonderful thought. That is what happened to us when we got
saved. We can think of our salvation,
our response to the gospel, to believe in Christ and repent of sin. Never forget to acknowledge Christ, he laid hold
of me. I was bent on going my own way,
pursuing my own goal. Christ stopped me
in my tracks and laid hold of me. Paul
was conscious of that in his own experience.
Why did Christ do that? Paul knew
that Christ had a purpose in laying hold of him. Yes, he became a special messenger to the
Gentiles, he knew his purpose. Verse 10
“that I may know him”. Christ laid hold
of him, seized Paul in order to bring him into a close and intimate knowledge
of himself. This knowledge would only
increase as he poured his whole life into the great pursuit. Would terminate one day in the knowledge of Christ. The goal awaited him was perfectly knowing Christ
and being made perfectly like him. Paul
was deeply motivated to throw all his energies into the Christian race, to keep
moving onwards to knowing Christ. It is worth
every hardship, every difficulty and struggle, knowing what awaits me at the
finishing line. He is not talking about
striving to be perfect, to please God and win his favour. Many Christians live in bondage thinking by
their efforts they have to strive to win God’s favour and approval on their
lives. They feel they don’t match up to
the mark. They are conscious of their
imperfections and weaknesses and live in their own bondage. Paul is talking about the purpose for which
Christ laid hold of him. That one day he might know him and enjoy him for who
he is, for absolute perfection – verse 12 “Not as though I had already
attained; either were already perfect but I follow after, if that I may
apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.” Paul knew his knowledge of Christ was not yet
perfect, he knew it would not be perfect in this life but it will be at the
finishing line. Why did Christ ever lay
hold of you? Do you see it today? Why did he bring you to that point of
realising you are a sinner, to the place where you gave up and all trusted in
him, trusted in Christ alone. The reason
why Christ laid hold of you is not that you just keep living a selfish life,
doing what is pleasing to you. The
reason why he laid hold of you is so that you might have the inestimable privilege
of entering into sweet fellowship with him.
We need to pursue that knowledge all the days of our lives. Getting to know him more every day, spending
time in his word, obeying his word so that our knowledge of Christ may be
increased. To be drawn close to Christ,
to knowing him in an intimate way. That is why Christ laid hold of him that day. Day by day getting to know Christ more
intimately and closely, then one day to stand before him perfectly enjoying
Christ for ever. Is that what you are
pursuing with all your mind? Are you
conscious that your knowledge of Christ is not perfect? Will never be in this life but one day will
be? Are you keeping the goal in mind? Going for it with all your might? Is that your goal and the purpose of your
very existence? A life of perfectly
knowing Christ.
Paul’s pursuit – verses 13 and 14 “Brethren,
I count not myself to have apprehended but this one thing I do, forgetting
those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are
before. I press toward the mark for the
prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” The wonder and glory of Christ laid hold of
him for such a noble purpose. It so
captivated his heart that he couldn’t be passive or laid back about it. If Christ laid hold of him for such a high
purpose he could only respond by laying hold of it. He could only seek that knowledge day by
day. What did he need to do? He uses the illustration of a runner to
answer that. What must a runner do to
succeed? If a runner breaks off from the
blocks poorly or makes a mistake just after starting the race can he be
thinking of those things? He has to take
his mind of how he started, good or bad.
He has got to focus his mind on the finishing line completely if he is
going to get from where he is to the finishing line. He has to draw himself forward with everything
his body can give, straining every muscle.
We have to live our lives in the same manner. We can’t be looking back to our failures or
successes that are past. We have to keep
our mind, our focus on the goal. We have
to keep that before us. The finishing
line. The perfect knowledge of
Christ. When I am on the track to the finishing
line that is our focus. Our attention
should be put on this – to know Christ more and more every day. This should be
our pursuit day by day, to put whole effort into the race. That goal, pursuit. Talks here of the hill or upward calling of
Christ. The New Testament often uses
this expression – “called one” - Romans 8 verse 30 “Moreover whom he did
predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified
and whom he justified, them he also glorified.”
Like the starting pistol sounding in the runners ears. The race had
begun for that ultimate prize. You don’t
hear an audible voice like Paul did but the spirit of God brought that call
through the word of God. It was no less
real as an audible voice. Heavenly call
in its origin and in its destiny. Call
from heaven to heaven when called upward in Christ. There is so much in our world that can drag
us downward not to spiritual things, to knowing Christ. Our calling is upward from heaven to
heaven. Let that be our focus, to
realise you have been called upward not downward. Military service uses that term. Authority comes with that call. It is a call to forsake other and lesser
things, to go and fight for the greater good of the nation. God’s call comes to us with his
authority. There is something urgent
important about it. God is summoning us
from heaven to enter into his presence, to stand before him in perfect
knowledge of and likeness to his son.
What a calling and pursuit in life.
There is a prize for the race you are in. Is the prize received at the end of the race
or during it? We know the answer – when
we cross the finishing line. We crave
the prize. We will one day be perfectly
like Christ and our knowledge of him will be made perfect. Let’s not be found merely shuffling down the
track or taking it easy. Let us be found
sprinting towards that finishing line. It is easy to become dissatisfied with
progress and give up. Paul said the
ultimate goal of the Christian life is just simply to keep in the race. Verse 13 “Brethren, I count not myself to
have apprehended but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are
behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before.” Singleminded intent - “this one thing”, the
one that shall make every other pursuit pale to insignificance. To press toward the finishing line of Christ. To be made perfect in God’s knowledge.
Paul’s plea – verses 15 and 16 “Let
us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded; and if in any thing ye be
otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.” In a race only one person can win. In the Christian race everyone can win. Paul makes a plea to his readers to make a
wholehearted effort to run this race, to have this mind and mentality, doing it
with all our might. There is a need to
press towards a prize. Some of the
believes had adopted an apathetic manner, they had stopped running with all
their heart, they were not sprinting.
They had adopted a spectator mentality.
Have you developed that mentality?
There are many around us, including professing Christians and that is
the mentality they have adopted. They have
lost the zeal of pressing towards the finishing line with everything they have
got. If God is putting his finger on
your life, if you have become slack respond to him, get back into the race,
give it all you have got. We should
examine our lives, see where we made progress in the past and develop the
attitude in making that same progress today.
Whatever we did in the past apply it now. In other words do all you can, use every
motivation to run this race, make maximum progression. Get to know Christ and know him more
intimately. Will we heed that plea
today? It is the reason why God laid
hold of us. Run this race. Getting to the finishing line, attaining
perfect knowledge of knowing Christ. Let
us get to know Christ more every day with all we have.
No comments:
Post a Comment