Philippians 3:12-4:1 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, 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. All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained. Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do. For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends!
I. Context: Continuation of previous passage
a. Whatever gain I had, I count it all is loss compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus Christ as my Lord
b. Don’t rely on yourself to earn salvation or ‘get right’ with God; God already loves you and accepts you; admit your need for a Savior and embrace forgiveness in Christ!
II. Pursuing the Prize: Knowing Christ at the End
a. Forget the past; embrace the present
b. Emphasize the present pursuit of the final goal
c. The final prize—Knowing Christ fully (this is a lifelong relationship pursuit)
III. Paul’s Application (vv. 15-17)
a. Follow Paul’s mindset (v. 15)—have you set your mind on knowing Christ?
b. Follow Paul’s way (v. 17)—Our lifestyles coincide with our relationship with Christ
IV. Enemies of the Cross (vv. 18-19)
a. Direct contrast to Paul’s example
b. Given the context, this is almost certainly referencing people within the church who have abandoned the pursuit of God and now use the church for their own means
c. Their focus is on earthly things (personal power, comfort, how much money is coming in, how pretty the church looks, more concerned with customs than with Christ, etc.) and these things get in the way of pursuing the true mission of knowing Christ
i. Are the things we put our time into helping us to learn and grow in our faith in Christ? (Bible studies, prayer time and prayer groups, etc.)
ii. Do we emphasize transformation over tradition?
iii. Are we effectively communicating Christ to our community and world?
V. Our Citizenship is in Heaven
a. Our hope doesn’t come from present circumstances, but present/future reality of eternal life
b. We are, in a sense, a colony of heaven in this broken world—we are called to bring heaven to earth (c.f. 2 Corinthians 5:20—ambassadors for Christ)
c. What is heaven? Not simply a faraway place beyond the universe where we go to after death, but it is where God reigns and his ways are fully realized—we experience this now in part, but someday will experience it fully
d. Therefore, we don’t live for the things of this world: pursuit of $, sex, power, etc.; rather we value grace, mercy, forgiveness, peace, etc.
