(Php 3:12) …I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.
I wrote last week about the fact that as children of God, we are sons and daughters of destiny – that God has a plan for each one of our lives. We looked at a key scripture…
Eph 2:10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
I gave you three important exhortations: 1. Know you have a destiny. 2. Discover your destiny. 3. Prepare for your destiny.
Today I want to give you the fourth which completes the picture – that is, ‘Live Your Destiny’.
So what’s involved in living your destiny?
I want to use the Apostle Paul as a great example of a man who lived out his God-given destiny. After giving a brief rundown of his background, his experience, and his cultural and educational credentials, Paul says the following…
Php 3:7-14 (7) But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. (8) What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ (9) and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. (10) I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, (11) and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. (12) Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. (13) Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, (14) I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Let’s learn lessons from…
Paul’s Legalistic Past
As you think about your past, your heritage, your cultural roots, your education, and your experiences – perhaps you would identify much that is to your profit. Would you be prepared to make Paul’s statement, “But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ”?
Are you so committed to gaining Christ, that all else pales into insignificance? Sometimes we need to make a radical break from the things which we have considered so vital and so important in order to unreservedly follow Christ. So Paul made a clean break from his legalistic past to put Christ first. Are you prepared to change your core values to pursue Christ?
What can we learn from…
Paul’s Overriding Goals?
In this passage, Paul gives us insight into the overriding goals which he was pursuing in his life – what he would consider his ‘primary purpose’. What are they?
He speaks of “knowing Christ Jesus” and of “gaining Christ”. In v8 he says, “…I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ.” The Greek word used here for ‘to know’ goes way beyond the idea of knowing about Jesus mentally or intellectually. It is to know Him by experience. To have an intimate, experiential knowledge of Him. Is this a goal of your life? Paul says that everything else is trash, mere rubbish in comparison with this.
We, Westerners, operate too much on head knowledge. We think that because we know about God, we know Him. Job thought he knew God, but then he had a revelation of God, an epiphany, and he says this… Job 42:5-6 “My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes."
Let’s go on… Paul has an urgent desire for the “righteousness that comes from God”. He wants to be found in Christ, “...not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.” Paul wants to have right standing with God. This gives one the freedom and confidence to approach a holy God. What a privilege! He contrasts two kinds of righteousness here: there’s a righteousness that comes from man by self-effort and legalistic obedience to the Law and then there is a righteousness that comes from God by faith in Christ. This righteousness is a gift from God and is not earned – it is received by faith.
Paul elaborates further in v10-11, saying, “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. He is saying, I want to experience the resurrection power of God in my life. I’m even prepared to share in His sufferings and become like Him in His death (MSG …and go all the way with Him to death itself). He says, I don’t only want to experience Christ in this life, but I want to attain to the resurrection of the dead. I want to experience eternity with God.
Wow! When I considered Paul’s life goals, I realized that mine needed a little revision. In summary, Paul speaks of three main things he is going for:
To know/experience Christ. 2. To be righteous in God’s sight. 3. To experience the resurrection power of Christ and attain to the resurrection of the dead.
What practical help can you and I glean from this passage?
Practical Pointers from Paul’s Approach
Paul adamantly rejects the idea of putting confidence in the flesh such as the ritual of physical circumcision. He highlights three key things that New Testament believers do. He says that those who are of the true circumcision are those who, “...worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh…” (Php3:3) If you and I are going to live our God-given destinies, right at the beginning of the journey we will have to ditch confidence in the flesh as Paul did. We are not going to accomplish anything by reliance on the flesh. Our destinies will only unfold as we rely on God.
Let’s not get caught up in religious ritualism as some are again doing these days. They think you have to become Jewish and call Jesus Yeshua to be truly accepted by God. Paul considered legalistic ritualism as “rubbish”. Something else Paul says so clearly and powerfully in v12 is this… “...I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me”. He is saying, Christ took hold of my life for a purpose and I am pressing on to discover and take hold of that purpose. We know that Paul was aware of his calling from God. He says in Gal 1:15-16, that ...God, set him apart from birth and called him by his grace, and was pleased to reveal his Son in him so that he might preach him among the Gentiles. Once you discover your calling and have prepared for your calling – take hold of it and live it!
Not everyone is called into full-time ministry; in fact, the majority are called to make a difference in the marketplace, in business, at their place of work, and among friends and family. Wherever we go and whatever we do we are to be witnesses of Jesus Christ.
Something else I notice about Paul’s approach is his focus. He says, “One thing I do…” not 101 things I do! Multi-tasking is a myth. Neuroscientists tell us that the brain works linearly and can only work on one task at a time. Focus is incredibly important if we are to accomplish a goal and complete a task. In this modern digital world with the interruptions of social media, people are losing their ability to concentrate or focus on anything for any length of time. The devil loves robbing you of your focus because he knows that will render you impotent. Focus releases power and energy. A magnifying glass focuses sunlight so much that it can be used to light a fire, A powerful laser beam is simply highly focused light.
I notice also, that Paul has a forward focus. He says in v13-14 Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal… What does forgetting about the past entail? Is it total amnesia? No! Does it mean putting past failures and sin under the blood? Yes! Does it mean learning from past experience? Yes! However, it means we stop looking in the rear-view mirror all the time and reminiscing about the ‘good old days’ or feeling guilty about our ‘bad old days’. They have passed – we’re living in 2023 now and we must apply ourselves to this day and its challenges and to the challenges of the days ahead.
Another thing I admire about the apostle Paul is his passion, energy, and effort. In the NIV we find the words, ‘straining’ and ‘press on’. He says in v13-14, “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize…” He had an amazing work ethic. He forsook marriage for the sake of his calling. He claims to have worked harder than the other apostles. How hard are you working at fulfilling your destiny? I don’t want to get you under condemnation, I merely want to encourage you to give of your best. You only have one shot at life – give it your best shot! Keep in mind that there is a prize – the heavenward call of God in Christ Jesus. If you’ve been faithful to God; when your life’s work is done He will call you home to heaven. That will be your graduation day. I would like to hear those words, “well done good and faithful servant…” How about you?
What Does Living Your Destiny Look Like?
There is one statement that Paul made that I believe encapsulates the idea of living your destiny. He said, Php 1:21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. Live every day in Christ and for Christ and you will not die full of regrets. You will be able to say like Paul, I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day… (2Ti 4:7-8)
I urge you to... press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of you!
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