PRESSING ON TOWARDS THE GOAL (8)
by Tim Melton
Scripture: Philippians 3:12-21, Philippians 4:1
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Pressing on Towards the Goal (8)
Series: Philippians
Tim Melton
Philippians 3:12-4:1
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.
In verse 12 Paul is referring back to what he had just written in the previous verses. Paul had forsaken all the worldly accolades, and the condemning guilt from his past in order to gain Christ and be found in Him. Now, Paul´s ultimate goal was to fully and intimately know Christ. Not to just know about him intellectually, or even from secondhand information. Paul sought to have a life-transforming, all-consuming, personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Years before, Paul had come to know Christ and it had captured and continued to hold his entire heart and his life. Since coming to faith in Christ Paul had endured unthinkable hardship, but instead of it pushing him away from Christ it had drawn him ever nearer. Above all things Paul longed to know Christ and to become like Him.
It was similar to Jesus' parable in Matthew 13:44 where it says, ''The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.'' Like this man, Paul had given up all he had to take hold of the treasure found in Christ.
In these verses we see Paul´s unquenchable thirst to become mature in Christ. It is encouraging to see Paul´s humility as he tells the Philippians of his goal to know Christ, but also Paul´s admission that he had not yet reached t ...
Series: Philippians
Tim Melton
Philippians 3:12-4:1
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.
In verse 12 Paul is referring back to what he had just written in the previous verses. Paul had forsaken all the worldly accolades, and the condemning guilt from his past in order to gain Christ and be found in Him. Now, Paul´s ultimate goal was to fully and intimately know Christ. Not to just know about him intellectually, or even from secondhand information. Paul sought to have a life-transforming, all-consuming, personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Years before, Paul had come to know Christ and it had captured and continued to hold his entire heart and his life. Since coming to faith in Christ Paul had endured unthinkable hardship, but instead of it pushing him away from Christ it had drawn him ever nearer. Above all things Paul longed to know Christ and to become like Him.
It was similar to Jesus' parable in Matthew 13:44 where it says, ''The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.'' Like this man, Paul had given up all he had to take hold of the treasure found in Christ.
In these verses we see Paul´s unquenchable thirst to become mature in Christ. It is encouraging to see Paul´s humility as he tells the Philippians of his goal to know Christ, but also Paul´s admission that he had not yet reached t ...
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