INTRODUCTION
I don’t know if you have a lot of kids toys at your home, but we do. And one of the toys we like playing with in our house are hot wheels cars and tracks. Hot wheels cars and tracks are a lot of fun. And they’ve actually developed a lot since I was a kid. When I was a kid you just had a hot wheels track with a rubber band powered pusher that you would pull back and let go. Now they have motorized tracks, in fact one time Aiden had a motorized track that shot the cars through a series of 6 different loops. But hot wheel cars are fun. There are times when our entire living room is filled with hot wheel tracks going up and over and winding around. But there’s one thing I noticed about hot wheel tracks—If you don’t have it set up just right, you can shoot your car off the track. You can derail your hot wheels car and miss the track. If you have a curve right at the bottom of a big hill, your’re going to go off the track. Or if you get too much air, you can easily go off track. Or if the track isn’t assembled just right, it can go off track. That’s just the reality of playing with hot wheel cars and tracks, you can easily jump off the track and start heading in a different direction.
Sometimes this happens in our spiritual lives as well. Sometimes we can get off track. We can get turned around spiritually and we can actually derail from the pathway God wants us to live and start heading in a totally different direction altogether. God doesn’t want us to get off track spiritually. And in our passage today, Paul talks about how to stay on track spiritually. How to keep our lives back on track spiritually. He gives us an example of how he does this in his life. And so as we look at the life of Paul from Philippians 3, the big idea we learn is this:
Big Idea: God wants our hearts on track.
Interrogative: so how can we make sure our hearts are on track?
Transition statement: in our passage today, Paul gives us a checklist. It gives us a three-point checklist of boxes which we can check off in our spiritual lives for getting our hearts on track this year and for the rest of our lives.
Philippians 3:12–16 NASB95
Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you; however, let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained.
Big Idea: God wants our hearts on track.
Paul gives us a three-point checklist of boxes which we can check off in our spiritual lives for getting our hearts on track this year and for the rest of our lives. As we come to this passage, we need to get some context.
• Written by Paul—he acknowledges his authorship in the beginning of the letter
• In prison—he was suffering for his faith
• To the church in Philippi—Paul had a personal relationship with these individuals
• Tone of something between two friends—“brothers.”
• Missionary journey so he had a close relationship with the people here
• Experiencing persecution from the government.
• Internal problems within the church—selfish ambitions and quarreling.
So Paul writes to correct some of these issues and give them hope amidst persecution. As we pick up our passage, here, we come into a discussion which Paul had already started. Right before this section Paul cautions:
• Confronts false teachers, whom he calls dogs. He talks about how they are the false circumcision who put their trust in the flesh.
• Personal testimony—He then goes on to show how he would have more cause than most to put his trust in the flesh like they were doing, since he was a “Hebrew of Hebrews”.
• Changes in Christ—He tells how when he found Christ he put confidence in Christ and put aside those other things.
• What kept him faithful—Being found in Jesus and having His righteousness was enough for Paul and it kept him from going anywhere else. His one desire was to know God and to fellowship with him during his own sufferings.
• His only pursuit was Jesus himself, and that’s seen in verses 10-11, where he expresses his desire to know Jesus, the fellowship of his sufferings, and be joined with him in the resurrection.
As we cross over into our section for today, Paul builds off of this discussion and helps us to see his own focus and pursuit in life, and encourages us to follow his example.
1)Check your pursuits—What we are chasing
Explanation: First of all, we learn that if we are to check our hearts to make sure they are on track, we need to check our pursuits. God wants us to check your pursuits. If we are to keep our hearts on track, we need to check our pursuits. This has to do with what we are chasing in our spiritual lives. Boys and girls, you can draw something people chase in their lives today. Paul opens his discussion in verse 12 by talking about what we pursue in our lives. Look at what he says—Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on. The main verb in this sentence is press on. The word means to pursue or strive after—the sense is to chase. Paul gives us an insight into his heart here—he tells us what he chases in his life.
Application: let me ask you—what have you been chasing? If you were to take your life and look at it over the past year, what have you been chasing? What have your pursuits been? Have you been pursuing things of God, that he wants you to pursue, or have you been pursuing things of yourself?
Paul starts off here by giving us his example—in order to stay on track, he checks his pursuits.
a. Focus on the calling of Jesus
Explanation: Paul gives us two guidelines for checking our pursuits and making sure they’re in the right place. First, focus on the calling of Jesus. He says he presses on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Well what is that? What does that mean? I think the ESV translates this a little more clearly—I pursue because Christ Jesus has made me his own. A literal translation here would be something like I pursue that I may lay hold of, who also was laid hold of from Christ Jesus. Basically, Paul is saying “I pursue Jesus because He pursued me.” What an incredible thought! Jesus laid hold of me in salvation—add that to your understanding of the doctrine of election! There you go those of you who are more of the Arminian persuasion—I pursue Jesus because he pursued me! Jesus laid hold of me, so I strive to lay hold of him. I strive to grasp the knowledge of him and fellowship of his sufferings and I look forward to the resurrection.
Application: Notice the twist on the common view of grace many believers have today. Many believers view grace as “Jesus laid hold of me, so I can lay hold of whatever else I want.” Jesus saved me, that’s all that matters—I’m going to heaven, now I can do what I want.” That’s not how Paul describes the spiritual life here.
If we are to check our pursuits, we need to focus on the calling of Jesus. We’ve been saved for a reason. And this is the great part of salvation. The glory of salvation isn’t just that we’re saved, it’s that we’re saved so that we can lay hold of Jesus. So that we can know him, and know the fellowship of his sufferings, and join with him in the resurrection, and he is our true treasure. All Paul is saying here is that he is working towards treasuring Jesus even more than he does already.
Application: and this should be our goal as well. We’ve been laid hold of by Jesus-what a wonderful thought in itself! We’ve been laid hold of by Jesus, so we need to strive to lay hold of him. To grow in our knowledge, and fellowship with him, and our working toward the ultimate goal of perfection at the resurrection. He is to be our pursuit!
b. Focus on the certainty of growth
Explanation: Paul says to focus on the calling of Jesus, he also says to focus on the certainty of growth. Growth is a certainty in the sense that we’ll always have more growing to do. Look at the caveat he gives here in the beginning of the verse—he opens up with this huge disclaimer: don’t think I’ve already received or have been made complete. He’s saying “don’t misunderstand what I say when I talk about knowing Jesus and the fellowship of his suffering—I haven’t arrived yet. I’m still working towards this. For Paul, growth was something that was certain—he was always going to be growing and working and learning and striving in his spiritual life. Some suggest that Paul might even be talking about the resurrection, and fighting those who said the resurrection had already taken place. But Paul understands that growth is always going to be a possibility while we’re on this earth.
Application: is that how you conceptualize your spiritual life? I need to always be working towards growth? Sad to say, many believers are satisfied to stay where they’re at. They are content to stop growing. They are content to say “I’ve grown enough. I’ve reached a place in my spiritual life I’m comfortable with, and I’m just going to stay there.” That’s not the spiritual life God designed for you! Growth ought to be a certainty—it ought to be something we expect and we work towards. Is this the way it is in your life?
Illustration: In 1969, in a science lab in New Jersey, Canadian physicist Willard Boyle and his colleagues invented the concept of an electronic eye. Using their knowledge of mathematics and the behavior of light, they provided the science behind digital cameras and revolutionized photography.
A few years after the original invention of this technology, Boyle walked into a store to purchase a new digital camera based on his invention. During the visit, the salesman tried to explain the intricacies of the digital camera, but stopped, feeling it was too complicated for his customer to understand. Boyle bluntly replied: “No need to explain. I invented it.” When the salesman didn’t believe him, Boyle told the salesman to type “Willard S. Boyle” into his computer and see for himself. A Nikon representative in the store heard the exchange and immediately came over to have his photograph taken with the famous inventor.
Application: Sometimes we act like this salesperson with God. We try to tell him how life works or how we think it should work. We want to tell him how we’re going to live life and what the purpose of our life truly should be. And our lives get off track. But Paul reminds us that God wants our hearts to be on track. If we are to keep our hearts on track, we must check our pursuits. We must focus on the calling of Jesus and certainty of growth, because God wants our hearts on track!
2) God wants you to check your Desires—What we are wanting
Explanation: there’s a second box on our checklist to make sure our hearts are on track, and that’s to check our desires; we must check our desires. Here he focuses on what we are wanting. Boys and girls, you can draw something people want today. Paul picks up this theme in verse 13 as he demonstrates his own example of his desires and how to deal with ours.
a. Focus your ego
Explanation: notices he opens by saying Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet. He tells us to focus our ego. Sometimes our egos get in the way of our spiritual growth. Sometimes we can even get to the point where we think we have arrived; we don’t have any more room to grow. We are where we want to be. If that’s you, be careful. Scripture says that those who think they stand, will fall. Don’t be so arrogant as to presume that you don’t have anywhere to grow. Now I know none of use would really say that, but we live that way sometimes, don’t we? We may not believe in perfectionism—the idea that you can achieve sinless perfection, but many times we are functional perfectionists.
Application: What might this look like? Well this could look like putting on an airs of a facade. We get so good at this, don’t we? “I know no one is perfect, so we’re all just going to get together and act like we’re perfect with the understanding that we’re not but we’re not going to talk about it.” That’s how many churches are today. We can be functional perfectionists in that we put on a facade of perfection. We can be functional perfectionists when we go through life without help—we’re afraid to say “pray for me, I’m struggling with this . . .” Or maybe we won’t really share what’s going on—“is there something I can pray for you about? No, not really.” We can be functional perfectionists in our relationship to Scripture and prayer—well I spend enough time in the Bible and prayer.” Or “I don’t really need more Bible reading, I’m good.” We can become functional perfectionists in our relationship to church—“I really only need to come to one service, or one service every once in a while. I don’t need Sunday school; I don’t need Sunday night groups; I don’t need this or that, I’m beyond that.” We can be functional perfectionists in our service—I’ve done enough, I’ve served long enough, I put in my time, I don’t really need to do any more. Be very careful, we can all live like functional perfectionists—we know we’re not perfect, but we structure our life as if we were.
Explanation: and going back to our passage, Paul himself admits that he’s not perfect. He says “brothers, friends, don’t think I’m perfect! I haven’t laid hold of it yet. This knowledge of Jesus and fellowship with his sufferings, I’m still working at it!” We need to focus our ego. We need to realize that we all still have room to grow!
b. Follow your example
Explanation: Paul also says to follow your example. He goes on to present himself as an example for his readers and for us to follow. He says This one thing he focuses on. This one thing—I press on; I pursue onward. If we are to pursue the way the apostle Paul pursued, we must follow his example. And he gives us three steps that he took in his own life to check his own desires, and these are things we can do as well.
i. Deal with the past
Explanation: first, deal with your past. In order to move forward, we must deal with the things which might be holding us backward. Paul says he forgets all things that are behind. Sometimes our past holds us back. It could be something we have done or were involved in before salvation. It could be things presently in our spiritual life which bog us down. Paul says if we are to move forward, we must forget the things behind. We must leave back the things which hinder us in pursuing the right things. We must deal with the past.
ii. Reach for the future
Explanation: not only do we deal with our past, we must also reach for our future. There is a future that we look forward to. Paul says “reaching forward to what lies ahead.” We won’t stay on track spiritually when we look backward, but we can get on track when we look forward. When we remember that there is more to life than what’s in the present.
iii. Pursue the goal
Explanation: Paul tells us more about what lies ahead—he tells us to pursue the goal. He talks about the goal, the prize which we anticipate it the future—the prize of the upward calling of God in Christ Jesus. That should be at the center of our desires.
But what is it? There’s much discussion about what this phrase means—the prize of the upward call in Christ Jesus. I think the upward call is probably talking about the call to salvation. The prize of the call then, is what Paul has been striving for all along. Knowing Christ, fellowshipping with him, and the resurrection. In essence, Jesus is our prize. This idea of a divine calling appears regularly in Paul’s writing, and it’s normally used in reference to salvation. What Paul has in view here, I believe, is the finality of our salvation. He’s reaching out toward the day when our salvation is complete and all we strive for now in our spiritual lives will be realized. Basically, he wants Jesus as his prize!
Application: Paul tells us here that if we are to keep our hearts on track, we must check our desires. We must focus our ego and realize we all have room to grow. We must follow our example, and practice Paul’s methodology of dealing with our past, driving towards our future, and dreaming for our goal. God wants our hearts on track!
3) God wants you to Check your thoughts—What we are thinking
Explanation: so we’ve been looking at three boxes on our checklist to keeping our hearts on track. Number one is to check out pursuits—what are we chasing. Number two is to check our desires—what are we wanting. Number three is to check our thoughts—what are we thinking. Boys and girls, you can draw a Bible character who had right thoughts. In verses 15-16 Paul talks about how we think. He wants us to make sure our perspective is right—we are thinking the way he does. That’s why he says—as many as are perfect or mature would be a better word there, have this attitude. Or think this way. Paul says if you’re a mature believer, you’re going to think the way I’m telling you to think.
a. Keep your perspective in check
Explanation: in this sense, Paul tells us to keep our perspective in check. If you want to be a mature believer—if you want to achieve spiritual maturity, you have to think the way Paul tells you to think. You have to pursue the things Paul tells you to pursue. Your life has to look like what Paul describes in verses 13-14. That’s what spiritual maturity looks like—forgetting what is behind, reaching for what is ahead, and pursuing the prize. Are you doing that? We need to keep our perspective in check—don’t lose this mindset!
b. Keep your perception in tune
Explanation: next, we are to keep our perception in tune. Look at what Paul says—and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you. Apparently, some to whom Paul was writing were not having the attitude he told them to have. And Paul says “if you don’t have this attitude, God will show you.” Here we see a personal work of the God in the lives of believers. God, through His Spirit, is able to show believers where they need to grow; what they need to work on. But we need to keep our perception in tune. We need to be able to hear when God speaks to us, and we need to listen.
Well how does God speak? God speaks through His Spirit and through the Word. And through our conscience, to the degree that it’s in tune with the spirit. That’s why I say we need to keep our perception in tune, because it’s possible that God can speak to us and we don’t listen. We need to listen when God does speak through His Word.
c. Keep your progress in view
Explanation: Paul also says to keep your progress in view. Notice verse 16—however, let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained. Literally he says let us hold to the thing we have reached. Whatever standard has brought you growth, don’t stop. Don’t lose that! Don’t lost whatever maturity in Christ you have gained in your spiritual life. Keep your progress in view—remember what got you there and keep doing it.
Did you know that you can lose spiritual maturity? It’s possible to achieve a certain level in our spiritual walk and digress?
Illustration: from time to time I’ve done some weight lifting. I used to do more when I was younger, and I’ve done it from time to time through the years. And you know what, if you don’t use the muscles you have, they can get rusty. Weights that you used to be able to life, you find that you no longer can. Progress that was once attained, you can lose. So what do you have to do? You have to go back to the basics. You have to start with a smaller weight and retrain your muscles in the proper form and technique.
Application: it’s the same way in our spiritual lives. Sometimes we can get out of the practices and disciplines that brings us to maturity and growth. Things like Bible study, and prayer, and church involvement—we can let them go in our spiritual lives. So what do we need to do? We need to get back to the basics. We need to re-establish some things that maybe were once in our lives, but we’ve let go. We need to do what Paul says here—keep your progress in view. This is how we check our thoughts, because God wants our hearts to be on track.
CONCLUSION
I opened by showing you a hot wheels track. Sometimes you can shoot a car so hard at the track that it actually comes off, and you need to start over; to pick it up and put it back on. Sometimes we can get off track in our spiritual lives. We can be going down the track at a nice even speed and if we’re not careful, we can be cruising so fast that we get off track. We must remember that God wants our hearts to be on track. And sometimes we need to pick up our lives and take a step back and refocus. Put our lives back on the track. Start over in some senses in our spiritual lives.
Today we saw how we can do that. We saw today three boxes which we can check off on God’s checklist for us to keep our hearts on track—we must check our pursuits, check our desires, and check our thoughts. This is how we can be what God wants us to be this year. As we think about another year and focus on what God wants us to do, here’s how.
Will you take these simple steps? Will you check these boxes off the checklist to your life this year? God wants our hearts on track. If we are to put our hearts on track, we need to check our pursuits, check our desires, and check our thoughts. Let’s include these on our checklist for this year.
