Bible Passage: Philippians 3:12-21
Pastor: Joel Jenswold
Sermon Date: October 8, 2023

Bulletin October 8, 2023

In the name of, and to the eternal glory of, Jesus,

Paul begins our text by saying, Not that I have already obtained this (v. 12).  What is the “this”?  Knowing the “this” Paul is referring to is key to understanding this text.  If we back up just one verse before our text, Paul says that the goal of having faith in Jesus is the hope that in some way I may arrive at the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3:11)  That is Paul’s destination!  That is Paul’s hope!  That is Paul’s arrival point!  The resurrection!

And so it becomes important to listen to Paul in our text.  He says that he has not arrived yet, nor does he consider that he has arrived yet.  Paul understands that baptism isn’t the goal.  Confirmation isn’t the goal.  Being a member of a church isn’t the goal.  Faithfulness to the end is the goal!  We “arrive” when we rise on the Last Day!  And that is why Paul writes the way he does.  That is why Paul describes the “movement” of the Christian life as Onward and Upward!

 “Onward!” says Paul.  I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.  Brothers, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it yet, but there is one thing I do:  Forgetting the things that are behind and straining toward the things that are ahead.  I press on… (v. 12-14)   Paul mentions that a big part of his onward movement is forgetting.

What does Paul want to forget?  Paul had written to the Philippians about all the things that at one time in his life had seemed so important to him.  How he had been dutifully circumcised on the 8th day like a good, obedient son of the covenant.  He was a proud member of the Jewish tribe of Benjamin.  He had been an over-achieving member of the Pharisee party.  In his misguided zeal, he had even been a persecutor of the church.  All of that misguided, proud past Paul says he forgets as he moves onward.

Friends, there are things you need to forget.  The devil loves to play games with our past.  Many a Christian gets bogged down with thoughts of his or her past.  We remember sins we committed long ago.  Sins of our youth.  Sins of wayward years.  Indulgent, reckless times.  Thought of them makes us cringe.  Remembering them makes us blush.  Feelings of self-loathing grow within us.  A sense of shame begins to overwhelm.  “How could I?  Why did I?”

Listen to a verse from Jeremiah the prophet.  The Lord said, I will forgive their guilt, and I will remember their sins no more. (Jeremiah 31:34) The Lord does not remember any of those sins!  But how can that be?  How can God forget?  There is one thing that makes God forget sin.  The cross.  At the cross, God concentrated on your sin.  Every single one of your sins was gathered up and laid upon Jesus Christ.  At the cross, with meticulous attention the wrath of God was concentrated on each and every one of your sins.  But here’s the thing, they had been laid upon Jesus!  And justice has been served.  Your sin has been paid for.  God does not need to think about it any more.  He forgets it.  And you can too.  You can “move on” from sin and living in guilt and shame and dark shadows.  In Jesus, we can move onward!

But ours is not merely an aimless, lateral drift in life.  There is an upward thrust.  Paul says, I press on toward the goal, for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (v. 14)  And toward the end of the text Paul will say, But our citizenship is in heaven. (v. 20)  Ours is an “upward” call.  It is good for us to take an upward glance at the heavens each day and say, with Paul, We are eagerly waiting for a Savior from THERE. (v. 20) And as we look, we pray, Come, Lord Jesus!  (Revelation 22:20)  It is good for us to hum quietly to ourselves as we go about daily labors, “I’m but a stranger here, heaven is my home.”

Paul is happy to be an example for us in this regard.  [J]oin together in imitating me and in paying attention to those who are walking according to the pattern we gave you. (v. 17)  This isn’t Paul being full of himself.  This is Paul being very practical.  He understands the value of “modeling” behavior.  Paul isn’t perfect, but he isn’t a “bad” example of a Christian life.  He is a good example of moving “onward” and “upward.”  Paul says, “If it isn’t me, find another Christian to imitate.”

Do you try to imitate anyone?  I think back in my life upon Christians I have known and whose “pattern” I have “paid attention to.”  It started in my home.  I learned a lot about being a Christian watching two Christian parents.  I watched what kind of man my grandpa was.  I loved my pastors and I watched them.  I had teachers and professors along the way, godly men and women, who had a great influence on me.  Christian, as you move onward and upward, it is good TO FOLLOW examples of godly living, and remember, it is good TO BE an example for others.

Paul says it’s important to find and follow good examples, because we won’t have any trouble finding bad ones.  To be sure, many walk as enemies of the cross of Christ.  I told you about them often, and now I am saying it while weeping.  Their end is destruction, their god is their appetite, and their glory is their shame.  They are thinking about earthly things. (v. 19)  Christian, don’t look for the person you want to most be like on Netflix.

To conclude, Paul lifts our eyes upward one, last time.  He reminds us what the goal is.  He points us to the return of Jesus on the Last Day and what he will then do.  By the power that enables him to subject all things to himself, he will transform our humble bodies to be like his glorious body. (v. 21)  Let that sink in!  You have been through a lot together, you and your body!  Lots of miles.  Lots of bumps and bruises.  Lots of wear and tear.  Big changes are coming.  When Jesus comes, THAT body will be transformed to be like Jesus’ body after the resurrection.  Glorious!  Powerful! Imperishable!  Fit for life in God’s presence.  Friends, that’s what is coming!  So…onward and upward!  Always and only in Christ.

Amen.