PRESS ON TOWARDS THE GOAL TO WIN THE PRIZE

PROCLAMATION

“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.”  Philippians 3:13-14 (NIV)

 

EXPLANATION

These words were written by the apostle Paul, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, to the believers in the church at Philippi.  Paul begins this third chapter by stating that he has no confidence in the flesh. (Philippians 3:1-4)  He briefly recounts his personal history (Philippians 3:4-6) then states that all he has gained in life he considers a loss, and everything that he lost for Christ’s sake is surpassed in worth by knowing Christ Jesus The Lord. (Philippians 3:7-9)  Then he said that he wants to know more about Christ, the power of His resurrection, and participate in His suffering, and somehow attain the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3:10-11)  He said that he had not yet attained this, but it is his goal, and he is pressing on towards that goal.  He encouraged them to follow his example and to be an example to others to live as they do. (Philippians 3:15-17)  He ends by reminding them that they are citizens of heaven, eagerly awaiting the day when The Lord Jesus Christ would transform their earthly bodies into glorious bodies like His. (Philippians 3:18-21)

 

APPLICATION

We know that it is not humanly possible for us to obtain perfection, but it is still a goal which is well worth striving for.  No matter what it is that we are going through, we need to keep our eyes on the heavenly prize.  There is so much more that we can learn about our Lord and Savior Jesus, The Christ, and like Paul we should want to know more. (Philippians 3:10-11)  After we ask Him for forgiveness, let us leave all of our past mistakes behind us and look forward to that which lies ahead, the prize which God has in store for us.  Remember, we are not of this world.  We are just passing through this world on our way home.  We are citizens of heaven. (Philippians 3:20-21)

 

PRESS ON TOWARDS THE GOAL OF CHRIST-LIKNESS

Proclamation:

"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.  Brothers, 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."  Philippians 3:12-14 (NIV)

Explanation:

In his letter to the believers in The Church at Philippi, the Apostle Paul wrote these words under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  Paul told them that although he was saved, he was not perfect.  However, he was pressing on towards the mark for which Christ had laid hold of him.  While he had not attained it yet, he was going forward towards it, and he was not going to worry about his past mistakes and sins as he worked toward the prize for which God had called him. 

Application:

We can learn from Paul.  All of us have sinned. (Romans 3:23)  We all have skeletons in our closets because of our negative, mistake filled, and sinful past.  However, once we have confessed our past sins, and asked God to forgive us, He forgives us.  We should also let go of them. (1 John 1:9)  We should not let our past sins, or our past successes, hinder our present work, or block our future efforts.  God has a work for each of us to accomplish as part of His kingdom building project. (1 Chronicles 28:20 and Colossians 3:23)  As Paul said, we are all like a runner in a race heading for the goal of Christ-likeness, we are not there yet, but we must keep on running towards the goal.  None of us is perfect, but God loves us and He can still use us to accomplish His purpose.  None of the men in The Bible were perfect, except for Jesus, The Christ.  They just believed and were willing to work for The Lord God, and He used them for His purposes.  We must likewise forget about our past and be willing to use our skills and abilities to work for The Lord. (Exodus 36:2)

Press On Towards The Goal Of Christ-likeness

"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.  Brothers, 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."  Philippians 3:12-14 (NIV)

In his letter to the believers in The Church at Philippi, the Apostle Paul told them that although he was saved, he was not perfect.  However, he was pressing on towards the mark for which Christ had laid hold of him.  While he had not attained it yet, he was going forward towards it,  and he was not going to worry about his past as he worked toward the prize for which God had called him. 

We can learn from Paul.  All of us have sinned. (Romans 3:23)  We all have skeletons in our closets because of our negative sinful past.  However, once we have confessed our past sins, and asked God to forgive us, He forgives us and we should let go of them. (1 John 1:9)  We should not let our past sins, or our past successes hinder our present work, or block our future efforts.  God has a work for each of us to accomplish as part of His kingdom building project. (1 Chronicles 28:20 and Colossians 3:23)  As Paul said, we are all like a runner in a race heading for the goal of Christ-likeness, we are not there yet, but we must keep on running towards the goal.  None of us is perfect, but God can still use us. None of the men in The Bible were perfect, except for Jesus, The Christ.  They just believed and were willing to work for The Lord God, and He used them for His purposes.  We must likewise forget about our past and be willing to use our skills and abilities to work for The Lord. (Exodus 36:2)