The Christian life is a race toward Christ in glory, not a state of perfection already achieved. Paul, though not yet perfect, presses forward, forgetting past accomplishments and reaching for the prize of his high calling in Christ Jesus. The core lesson is to fix our hearts and minds on Christ in glory as our ultimate goal, following Paul's example of single-minded devotion. This requires distinguishing between genuine believers focused on heavenly things and those who mind earthly things, becoming enemies of the cross.
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Beloved friends, we greet you in that precious name of the Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ. And we welcome you again to the exposition of God's precious word in the epistle of Paul, written to his beloved Philippian believers. Today our scripture meditation continues in chapter three, and in verses twelve through sixteen. Verses twelve On to verse fourteen, they are very expressive of Paul's desire to be with his glorified Lord, which we have also noted in the preceding message.
But now we hear him saying, Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect, but I follow after. If that I may apprehend that for which I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended, but this one thing I do. Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth under those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
May God bless the reading of this wonderful portion. from the pen of the Apostle Paul by the Spirit in the Holy Word of God. Paul recognizes at the time of writing the goal had not been reached, but he was upon his way toward that goal, not yet made perfect, but he presses on constantly forward toward the prize that was waiting for him at the end of the way. Christ in glory My beloved, may I re-emphasize that again? This beloved servant of Christ, in his constancy, was occupied with the Lord Jesus Christ, not only to be like him, but to be with him in glory above.
We do not neglect to recognize the faithfulness of this servant of God, winning the lost, feeding the saints, But greater than these stewardship in which he was so successful and blessed, was the longing in his heart to see and to reach Christ in glory above him. Now this would provoke a searching question for you and for me, my friend. My fellow believer, what is your governing or controlling power over your heart and over mind? in the Christian path today. Does your heart and mind, my fellow Christian, find itself fixed upon Christ in glory for the same purpose that Paul had this desire?
Paul says, I'm forgetting what is behind. Now may I say, it was not the forgetting of his old sins or of his old religious past when he was unsaved, but everything. It mattered not. He forgot even the service that he may have been rending and doing for the Lord. For he reaches forth to the Lord in glory. That was his goal. Please note the exhortation so appropriately. For the rest of us that he makes in verse fifteen. Let us therefore as many as be perfectly thus minded.
And if anything, ye be otherwise minded. God shall reveal even this unto you. Now, beloved, remember in verse twelve, he confesses he was not yet perfect, meaning Christ-likeness in glory had not been reached and being conformed to his image above. True Christian perfection, may I repeat this carefully, prayerfully, emphatically, True Christian perfection will be reached when the Lord Jesus Christ comes for all of his saints, and we shall see him as he is.
First John chapter three, verse two tells that. But Paul is asking you, my fellow believer, and me to be like-minded with him in this same purpose. always to be occupied with Christ in glory and pressing toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Did you notice the words that he said, This one thing I do, one indomitable purpose, pressing toward the moment when he would see Christ above. In other words, The goal is Christ at the end of the Christian path.
A Christ, may I say this reverently? Not crucified, but glorified. A glorified Christ. Are we not exalted in Hebrews twelve, verses one and two? Let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the beginner and the completer of faith. For the end, the goal of the end of the race, my friend, my fellow believer, it is Christ in glory. No wonder the beloved apostle goes on in verse seventeen, for example, to exhort us, brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them that walk, so that ye have us for an example.
My beloved, think. of the implication of these words. Here is a believer in the Lord Jesus. Here is a servant of God who can say, with all earnestness and truthfulness, brethren, be followers together with me. Follow me, my beloved, you well know that the Lord Jesus, when he was here upon the earth, emphasized, for instance, when he called Matthew, Passing by the custom. Each seat where Matthew was collecting taxes. Jesus said unto him, Follow me.
You know very well. To all of the disciples he emphasized that. Follow me. And how true it is. But what a testimony of this servant of God, Paul. Follow me, even as I also follow Christ. Be very careful to mark. Those that walk, and particularly us who are walking following Christ, for your example. Frankly, my beloved, we cannot deny the fact Paul was following Christ completely. What a blessed testimony and example he is for you and for me, my fellow believer.
Let me please insist, here is the testimony of a man who, holy and devotedly, followed Christ, and can say to you and to me, Be followers together with me. What a blessed company to go along with the Apostle Paul as our example. Yet, please note carefully there are words of warning in verses eighteen and nineteen. Listen to them carefully for he warns, for many walk of whom I have told you often. Now tell you even weeping that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose God is their valley, whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.
My beloved raised the question quickly. Are these to whom the apostle refers? Are they genuine, real believers, genuine Christians? He describes, the answer is no. Proved by the words that he says, Their end is destruction. They were not the children of God, but professed to be, having only an outward form of godliness and profession, but denying the power of God. Instead of minding heavenly things, Paul said, their hearts are occupied with earthly things. They show that they had never really known Christ.
Yes, they call themselves religious, but they cling to the world and deny the cross of Christ, which makes them enemies of the cross. My beloved, think this carefully through. If there were in the days of Paul many such, in the early days of Christianity among the people of God, then it said they're among you. How much greater the number of them must be today at the end of the Christian age. My beloved, we re-emphasize the fact the blessed object of the heart and life of the Christian should be Christ. This is undoubtedly ignored by many, particularly oftentimes in the religious excitement that displaces Christ, and many other earthly things could occupy the soul to the damage and the peril of that soul.
Oh, listen to the words of the great apostle in chapter six of Galatians, concerning the cross of Christ. Let it speak to your heart and mind. God forbid, writes the apostle, God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. Galatians six fourteen. To the Apostle Paul, the world meant nothing. How much does it mean to you? How much does it mean to me? But Christ and his cross was everything, and the longing of his soul being was to see that Savior who died for him upon the cross and to see him in glory abound.
Oh, there are so many professing today to acknowledge the cross who have no inward reality of its meaning, even among the professing bodies of Christendom. Taken up with earthly things, becoming, as Paul declares, enemies of the cross of Christ. My friend, in our closing moment, may I ask, what does the cross of Christ mean to you? May I ask, what does the cross of Christ mean for your salvation? It was Christ the Son of God who died, who made the atonement to God for your sins, and you and I owe him an eternal debt.
Let me quote the words of the old hymn. When I surveyed that wondrous cross, On which the Lord of glory died, My richest gain I count but loss, And poor contempt on all my pride. See from his head his hands his feet, Sorrow and love flow mingle down. Did ere such love and sorrow meet, All thrones compose so rich a crown. Were the whole realm of nature mine, that were an offering far too small, love so amazing, so divine, should have my heart, my soul, my life, my all.
Let us pray. Blessed Father, there are many who are enemies to the cross of our Savior. We pray that every listener, saint and unsaved, We'll become a lover of the Savior today, more and more. In His precious name we ask it. Amen.