Press on Toward the Goal
For Meditation (Richard Haney)
This Sunday, we will continue our study of Philippians as we consider the apostle Paul’s exhortation “to press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (v 14). At the heart of Philippians 3 is a tension between “already” and “not yet”. Last week’s sermon depicted Paul thinking of the Judaizers who had confidence in the flesh—in past performance and human effort rather than surprising grace. Paul rehearses his own resume for Jewish law-keeping and then exclaims it is nothing compared with knowing Christ. “The life he builds becomes the life he loses…”
Then Paul admits that in the “life he has gained” he still has not obtained all that God has for him since Christ “won him” on the road to Damascus and called him into ministry. Is that surprising? Yes! This is the apostle Paul! If he is a work in progress, what are you and me? We are the same. Paul is ‘already’ in Christ but ‘not yet’ fully like Christ. We too are already ‘saved by grace’ but not yet Christlike in every way.
Paul’s strategy is to keeping running in his life’s journey. And to press on to know Christ and the power of his resurrection. As he sits in prison and wonders if tomorrow brings acquittal or death, Paul takes comfort in pursuing “the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” He is not giving up. He is trying to avoid distractions. He presents a picture of resilient joy and single-mindedness.
As we gather for worship this Sunday, reflect on how you keep the “end in mind” in your life’s journey. Take stock of your thought life—are you focused on the past or the future or just trying to keep up with your responsibilities, day-to-day?
Questions for Reflection and Discussion
Does the prospect of knowing Christ fully and experiencing the power of his resurrection give you hope? Is the apostle’s habit of clinging to hope and joy something you have tasted, something that describes your life?
What are your thoughts, fears, concerns as you contemplate the end of life and what is in store for you? What are you envisioning?
How do you think your season in life (childhood, youth, adulthood, middle aged, older adulthood) affects your hopes and concerns about the end of your life’s journey?
What habits help you to “look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith”?
Philippians 3:7-14
But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.
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.