Tossed No More

Last Sunday, we looked in the mirror and asked, Are we still on milk? The Hebrew writer was frustrated with his readers. Years in the church without growth in Christ. Today, Paul shows us the antidote. It’s a way of being. It’s a way of leaning. It’s the mind of the mature Christian — and you cannot fake it from the outside. The mature aren’t the ones who’ve arrived. They’re the ones who know they haven’t, and keep pressing.

1. Not That I’ve Obtained It

   1. Philippians 3:12: Not that I have already reached the goal or am already perfect, …

      1. The thing he is most insistent on refusing is already-ness.

      2. Maturity looks like a man who refuses to claim to be finished.

   2. Philippians 3:12 (ESV): I press on to make it my own, …

      1. “press on” — to pursue. To chase. To hunt.

      2. 3:6: Persecuting. Same Greek word. Pursuing, chasing, hunting.

      3. Same intensity. Same fire. Same drive. Redirected.

   3. Philippians 3:12: …because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus.

      1. “Taken hold of:” to seize, to grab.

      2. Paul just said: I press on to lay hold of, because Christ Jesus has laid hold of me.

      3. A reciprocal grip. Paul’s pursuit is a response, not a foundation.

2. Forgetting and Straining

   1. Philippians 3:13: But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead,

      1. What is the one thing your life is leaning toward?

      2. Pick it. Plant it. Lean toward it.

   2. Philippians 3:13: Forgetting what is behind …

      1. Forgetting is not amnesia, and it is not “ignore your past.”

      2. The runner doesn’t have a rear-view mirror. He’s not looking back at all.

   3. Philippians 3:13: straining toward what is ahead,

      1. “stretching yourself out toward.” The runner is out beyond himself. That’s maturity.

   4. Philippians 3:14: I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.

      1. The goal is the mark a runner fixes their eye on.

      2. What is the prize? The prize is knowing Christ fully, finally, face to face, i.e., Christ himself.

3. Think This Way

   1. Philippians 3:15: Therefore, let all of us who are mature think this way.

      1. The mind of vv. 12–14 is not optional. If you are mature, this is how you think.

      2. Paul says think this way. Set your mind here.

      3. A mind locked on Christ is not blown around.

   2. Grace for the slow learner

      1. Philippians 3:15: And if you think differently about anything, God will reveal this also to you.

         1. He keeps revealing. He keeps shaping. He keeps growing.

      2. Philippians 3:16: In any case, we should live up to whatever truth we have attained.

         1. In other words, keep what you have, and trust him with the rest.

         2. You belong by pressing on.

4. As We Close

   1. What is the portrait of the mature Christian?

   2. Not the saint admiring the trophies. It is the runner who is still leaning.

   3. Today is a good day to set the mind. What will you choose?