Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected;
but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also
laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one
thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to
those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the
upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:12-14 NKJV
We talked last week about waiting, specifically waiting for
the call to “come home” from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Most of us have, if we choose to be truthful
about it, struggles of some sort in our daily lives. My personal struggle is impatience; that is, I
am impatient for the rapture of the Church, which by all accounts is not only
imminent but to many, already overdue.
What, in effect, makes it even more difficult for me and my struggle
with impatience is that I, just like many of you, see all the things happening in the
world around us and wonder why we are still here. Dealing with this struggle more often than
not leads me to this passage from Paul’s letter to the Philippian church, and
to his perspective on having to “press on”.
Something I noticed about this passage and something that I
find reassuring is Paul's use of the phrase “press on” twice when
referring to this life. It is actually a rather interesting word because if you
look closely at its meaning, it's not as simple as it might first appear. My
first thought was we are being told to “grind it out”, but if you examine it,
it's something quite different. In the Greek, the word for “press on” is diōkō, which means;” to make to run or flee, put to flight, drive
away.” So actually Paul is instructing believers to do two things at the
same time. When we are told to press on towards “the goal for the prize”
which comes at the end of race, in essence, Paul is saying we need to run FROM
the things that might hold us back and TOWARDS the finish line where we will
receive our reward.
If this passage from Paul is any indication, it would seem
that our focus should not be on the past, and the disappointments we might have
experienced, as much as it should be on the future. The Greek word for
forgetting is epilanthanomai, which
is a verb meaning; “to forget,
neglecting, no longer caring for, forgotten, given over to oblivion, i.e.
uncared for”. Paul, as he reflects on his present life, understands that
his focus and ours as well, needs to be on the future and not the past. As I
considered this it became apparent to me that I need to focus on doing and
serving and living, just as Jesus did with the knowledge that our time is
indeed very short.
It’s important to remember that in this letter Paul was
writing to the believers in the Philippian church, people who had already made
the decision to give their lives to Christ.
What Paul tells them in this passage, and tells us too, is that our
focus should be on becoming more Christ-like in our daily lives as a witness to
those around us. This is the “upward
call of God in Christ Jesus” that he speaks of and it should be the
focus of every one of us who have chosen to believe the Gospel. When we made that decision we became “sons of
God” and as His children we not only accept but follow the direction He has for
us in our lives.
Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and
if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. Nevertheless,
to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let
us be of the same mind. Philippians
3:15-16 NKJV
What have we already attained? When we made the decision to accept Jesus
Christ as our personal Savior, we became children of God, and His heirs. As part of the family of God, we are
instructed to live in such a way as to bring glory to God as His
representatives on earth. Jesus set the
example we should all strive to follow by becoming a servant to all, and
humbling Himself to the point of death.
Pressing on in light of our struggles and disappointments is not only
our service to Him, but it serves as an example to those around us of our faith
that God is in control of our circumstances.
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in
my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation
with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do
for His good pleasure. Philippians
2:12-13 NKJV
The words “work out” are actually one Greek word “katergazomai”
which means "to work in order to fashion a result making one fit for
something". That is fit as in fitness. In other words, as we would say
today, you need to “workout”. Paul is simply telling the believers that in
order to grow the first thing they needed to know was to “workout”. Of this
passage Charles Ryrie comments that they needed to “learn to stand on their own feet”. In other words, this passage is all about
the individual learning how to grow strong in their faith in order to stand
tall in light of the discouragement we often suffer from.
The word for salvation in this passage is most often used to
refer to an individual’s personal safety. With that in mind, and seeing that in
the context of this passage where Paul is discussing the believers
responsibility to exhibit humility just as Jesus did, it seems they are being
told that they would need to grow strong in order to withstand the trials that
would come their way. Doing this with an attitude of “fear and trembling”
refers to someone’s anxiety because of their knowledge that they might lack the
strength necessary to do this. Paul addresses that anxiety by telling them that
God is in charge of not only providing the strength they will need, but also engineer
the circumstances that they will find themselves in.
My personal feeling is that the closer we get to the rapture
of the Church, the harder it will get to deal with what life will throw at
us. Satan knows the time is short and he
will do everything in his power to make us stumble and grow weary. Discouragement and disappointment are
powerful stumbling blocks but Paul’s advice to us is sound. Forget the past, “press on” and focus on
what is ahead. Above all, remember the
prize that awaits us when we finish the race.
To receive this prize, however, one must have made the
decision to accept the free gift of salvation offered to us by the death and
resurrection of God’s Son, Jesus Christ.
If you have never accepted this gift, I urge you to do it today. Jesus paid
the price for His bride, the Church, the body of Christ, and it could disappear
at any time. Simply pray this prayer or
put it in your own words but tell God you believe He sent His Son to pay the
price for your sin, and that you will turn control of your life to Him.
"Dear Lord
Jesus, I know I am a sinner. I believe You died for my sins. Right now, I turn
from my sins and open the door of my heart and life. I confess You as my
personal Lord and Savior. Thank You for saving me. Amen."
Keep watching.
