THE CHURCH AT PHILIPPI
(The Goal of Knowing Christ - January 7, 2024)
Series Big Idea: "A survey of the book of Philippians"
Sermon Big Idea: “To know Christ is to lean on His power, learn from His pain, and rest in His plan“
Key Scripture (Philippians 3:10-14)
The Apostle Paul was under house arrest in Rome when he wrote this letter to the church at Philippi. He wrote partially to give hope to Christians who were being hurt there because of their faith in Christ. The unity of this church was being challenged by false believers who demanded that Christians follow the Mosaic Law and become Jews (Philippians 3:1-3). But Paul's Jewish credentials were more impressive (Philippians 3:4-7). However, when he came to Christ, these credentials became rubbish compared to knowing Christ and experiencing a life permeated with His resurrection power (Philippians 3:8-11).
(Philippians 3:10-14)
My goal is to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 assuming that I will somehow reach the resurrection from among the dead. 12 Not that I have already reached the goal or am already fully mature, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus. 13 Brothers, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, 14 I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.
The life that Paul is discussing in these verses is his present life which is lived in the same resurrection power that raised Jesus from the dead. He and others write extensively about this theme. (Romans 8:11) “And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then He who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life through His Spirit who lives in you.” It is God’s Holy Spirit who lives in each believer. If you are a believer, you have this very same power within you. It is a power to live righteous lives before a holy God.
Paul was not a super-apostle. He was not a super-Christian. He said he had not reached the goal and was not fully mature as a follower of Christ (Philippians 3:12). But what he did say was that he strived to take hold of Christ because Christ had taken hold of him. The thing that Paul wanted to receive most was righteousness through faith in Christ (Philippians 3:9). This righteousness has nothing to do with his virtue but is a gift of God given based on faith.
He then tells us what this involves. First, he forgets what lies behind him. He is not dwelling on his past failures or his past accomplishments. The past can be a terrible hindrance to us making progress in anything, but it is especially defeating in our spiritual lives. Paul persecuted the Church before coming to Christ. What if he had focused just on his past? He would not have had the privilege of writing most of the New Testament.
Conclusion:
What does all this mean for us today? Do we just pretend the past doesn’t exist? I don’t think that is what Paul is saying. He is saying that if we have made mistakes, and we do, we should learn from them. If there are things, we can do to make it right, then do it. This goes for our accomplishments as well. It is good to enjoy the thrill of the moment, but we must keep moving on. Either way, living in the past could detour you from maturing and moving forward in Christ.
I share this quote from the Holman commentary on Philippians. “Paul mentions three things about Christ he wants to pursue, three ways to know Christ better. First, to lean on his power is God working in us and through us, rather than relying on our ability (v 10). Second, to learn from his pain is to accept the companionship we have when we suffer for him. Such suffering allows us to appreciate the pain he suffered for us on the cross. In addition, suffering weans us from affections to this world and bonds us with the priorities and values of eternity (v 10). Finally, to rest in his plan is to pursue his will for our lives rather than our selfish ways. When we do these three things, we get to know Christ better (v 12-14).”
Pastor Beaver's thoughts and ideas are inspired by:
Holman Christian Standard Bible
English Standard Version Bible
King James Version Bible
Christian Standard Bible
George, Jim. The Basic Bible Pocket Guide: *book by Book Summaries *key Verses *life Applications *life Applications. Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 2016.
Walvoord, John F., and Roy B. Zuck, Dallas Theological Seminary. The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985.
Richards, Lawrence O. The Bible Reader’s Companion. Electronic ed. Wheaton: Victor Books, 1991.
Barnes, Albert. Notes on the New Testament: Ephesians, Philippians & Colossians. Edited by Robert Frew. London: Blackie & Son, 1884–1885.
Hoehner, Harold W., Philip W. Comfort, and Peter H. Davids. Cornerstone Biblical Commentary: Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1&2 Thessalonians, Philemon. Vol. 16. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2008.
Merida, Tony, and Francis Chan. Exalting Jesus in Philippians. Edited by David Platt, Daniel L. Akin, and Tony Merida. Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary. Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2016.
Phillips, John. Exploring Ephesians & Philippians: An Expository Commentary. The John Phillips Commentary Series. Kregel Publications; WORDsearch Corp., 2009.
Butler, John G. Analytical Bible Expositor: Galatians-Philemon. Clinton, IA: LBC Publications, 2009.
Anders, Max. Galatians-Colossians. Vol. 8. Holman New Testament Commentary. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999.
Easley, Kendell H. Holman QuickSource Guide to Understanding the Bible. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2002.
Hansen, G. Walter. The Letter to the Philippians. The Pillar New Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI; Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2009.
MacArthur, John F., Jr. The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2006.
Motyer, J. A. The Message of Philippians. The Bible Speaks Today. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1984.
Thielman, Frank. Philippians. The NIV Application Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1995.
Runge, Steven E. High Definition Commentary: Philippians. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2011.
Cole, Steven J. Philippians. Steven J. Cole Commentary Series. Dallas: Galaxie Software, 2017.
Melick, Richard R. Philippians, Colossians, Philemon. Vol. 32. The New American Commentary. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1991.
Martin, Ralph P. Philippians: An Introduction and Commentary. Vol. 11. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1987.
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