The Joy-Filled Book of Philippians {Part 7}
{Part 6 of this series can be found here}
Welcome to part seven! It is time for us to discuss our cover photo for this study {Shoutout to @parktroopers on Unsplash for the amazing photo}. When I went to find a photo that accurately depicted this book I began by searching for a quaint photo of happy children, joyfully playing in a grassy meadow without a care in the world. As you may imagine, many of these photos do exist but none of them felt quite right. While Philippians is a book about joy, carefree uninhibited happiness is not necessarily the type of joy we experience day-to-day in our lives or the type of joy that God promises to us as Christians. The joy God promises goes much deeper. It is easy for anyone to feel joy and happiness when life is going well and without care but what about when life is not going well? Remember that our author himself was in prison when writing this book! When he tells us to “rejoice in the Lord” he means whenever and wherever we are.
So scroll back up and check out the photo. If you are a Disney World coaster fan, you will recognize this photo is from the top of the Expedition Everest ride. I’ve been on this ride a few times and it is one of my favorites. After many twists and turns, you make it to this very point only to realize that the track before you has ended, for the Yeti of the mountain has literally ripped the track right out from under you. The car pauses for a moment and then plunges backward into the darkness as you see and hear the Yeti roar fiercely at you. Everyone screams and (most) everyone has great fun, knowing that the safety and security of this well-tested coaster will bring us back home safe and sound. For some socially distanced fun, watch the ride full-screen, because why not?!?!
No matter how many times I ride this ride, there is a certain moment of panic seeing the frayed track and realizing our path has been ripped out from under us once again. However much confidence I have in Disney Engineering to get me back on stable ground doesn’t touch the confidence we can place in our God to hold us in the palm of His hand as we walk through the trials and uncertainties of life. We can obediently walk the path uncertain with a heart full of joy because we know our God is good and He will work all for good. This even holds true in those moments, like the one pictured, that our gut hits our heart and we aren’t quite sure how we will make it this time. Still our God is good.
Now on to our text…
Today we are going to talk about maturity in Christ and sanctification. When you read our passage today, bear in mind that the word below translated ‘perfect’ can be used to mean ‘mature’ which I believe is a better translation in this passage. We will never reach perfection (sinlessness) on this sin-filled earth but we have been given direction on how to become mature believers in Christ through the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit.
Prayerfully read our passage below now.
“(12) 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. (13) 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, (14) I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (15) 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; (16) however, let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained. (17) Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us. (18) For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, (19) whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things. (20) For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; (21) who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.” Philippians 3:12–21
If you felt distracted, read our passage again. Now, let’s prayerfully walk through these verses together.
“(12) 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. (13) 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, (14) I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
Let’s get a little recap of our last lesson so we get a running start here on our passage. Earlier in this chapter, Paul reminds them to rejoice in the Lord, beware of evil workers, and beware of the false circumcision. Then he tells them they must put no confidence in their flesh and expresses all the ways he could put confidence in his flesh (trusting his own actions, deeds, and lineage/upbringing to earn favor with God) if anyone had reason to believe they could earn their own way to heaven. Paul says he actually counts all these good things about himself as “loss” and even as trash (“rubbish”) in comparison to knowing Jesus as his Lord. He reminds us that his righteousness (right standing before God) is through faith in Jesus and is from God. Paul prays that He will not only know Jesus but that he will know the power of His resurrection, the fellowship of His sufferings, and be conformed to His death (wow, this is a big thing to ask for, right?!) because he knows this is what it means to be resurrected from the dead to life forever with Jesus!
So, in verse 12, Paul notes that he hasn’t yet left this earth through death to be resurrected with Christ and also hasn’t become fully mature (“perfect”) but he has chosen to press on towards that maturity in Christ. And this pressing on is what we call “Sanctification.”
Sanctification is different from salvation. When we are saved we are forever saved. We are held in the palm of God’s hand and He is our Lord and God and if we died today we would be with Him. But, for as long as He has given us to live on earth, God calls us to grow in Him. In other passages (John 3:1–21 comes to mind), Jesus and others refer to our salvation as a birth, being ‘born again’ spiritually. Once you are born, you can’t be unborn. But, you can be malnourished.
For those who don’t personally know me, I am a registered dietitian and have worked at the children’s hospital for several years now. One of my favorite clinics to work is the newborn follow-up clinic. In this clinic, I help babies (up to age two) grow. New, mostly sleep-deprived parents come to clinic with their new kiddos and my job is to make sure those babies are gaining weight as they should. There are so many correlations to spiritual growth I can gather from this clinic that my head is nearly spinning right now. I’ll just pick a few to think through together.
Every baby/child grows on their own curve. Some grow at the 97th percentile the whole time and some grow at the 3rd percentile. I’m more concerned that you are growing well than I am which percentile you track in (though I’m somewhat partial to the 50th percentile). When a kiddo stops tracking on their curve and falls off the growth curve, this can be really bad. At a certain point, it is called failure to thrive. Not gaining weight well can result in delays across all areas of development. Once their weight curve falls for a certain amount of time, their length and ultimately their head (think brain!) growth will suffer which can lead to lifelong issues.
What is interesting about failure to thrive babies is that often the parents will be shocked by the fact that their child isn’t growing well because they are not acting hungry. Maybe they sleep through the night or go long stretches between feeds seeming quite content. A baby that isn’t acting hungry every few hours is a huge red flag to me! At some point, it required too much energy to beg for food anymore so they quit seeking it so fiercely.
Most of the parents I see in clinic are good parents and they truly want what is best for their kiddos. There are a ton of preemies in our clinic so we have lots of reflux, gut issues, and other preemie-related causes for inadequate weight gain or weight loss. But sometimes I see kids whose parents don’t feed them well. There are a myriad of reasons as to why this happens ranging from financial issues making mom water down formula to knowledge deficits about infant nutrition to actual neglect but the point is that every baby must be fed and parents who feed them well can significantly improve the outcome of a baby as they grow.
Bringing this back to our text, each of us grows differently. Each of us has our own “growth curve,” but each of us as believers should be growing and maturing in Christ. There is no “standing still” in our maturity in Christ. As with the babies in my clinic, if we aren’t actively growing, we are failing to thrive. A large part of spiritual growth comes from God’s word and others (our “parents in the faith”) feeding us well and pouring into us. Ensuring that we are building our faith on the word of God and surrounding ourselves with people to encourage and equip us in the faith is vital to our proper growth and maturity. Also, not hungering and thirsting for Christ and His word is a huge warning sign as a believer. We all will go through ‘dry seasons’ but these seasons should lead us to beg God for that hunger and thirst to renew. As I make the parents of the non-hungry-acting babies double down to get feeds in every day, when I find myself in a dry season I must double down to feed myself the word of God every day as I pray for a renewed spirit to yearn for His word.
Paul chooses to forget the past in verse 13. I ask myself what he may be trying to forget and three things come to mind:
- Past virtuous deeds
- Shame and condemnation from past sins
- Bitterness and anger from being wronged by others
{Obviously, we should never forget the past work of Jesus on our behalf!}
Paul decides here to take on a mindset that is polar opposite from the world as he “presses on for the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” He takes the mindset of a distance runner. He keeps his mind focused on the goal — on Jesus! He doesn’t check out the runners to his right or his left and he doesn’t look back with pride or shame on the past and how the first miles of his run have gone but he keeps his eyes fixed forward on running well now.
“(15) 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; (16) however, let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained.”
Reread the passage above, replacing the word “perfect” with the word “mature.” There is a humility of mind that comes seeing myself as a mature believer, or someone desiring to be a mature believer, rather than seeing myself as some version of perfection.
Paul equates maturity with our attitude. James does something similar in James 3:13 when he asks who among them is wise and challenges them to demonstrate their wisdom by their actions. Want to know who the wise and mature believers are among you? Don’t check for diplomas. Look in the church and figure out who best loves on the widows and orphans. Check to see who bridles their tongue in sticky situations. Note who maintains a good attitude in the hard times. Our actions and mindset tell much more about our maturity than how many Bible verses we can quote.
Paul reminds us that God is faithful to reveal bad attitudes and thought patterns to us. Let’s work to be open to Him revealing what needs to change in our lives and in our thought processes.
Galatians 3:2-3 discuss this “living by the same standard” concept. We are saved _________________ (answer: by grace, through faith in Jesus) and in the same way we are sanctified (matured) _________________ (answer: by grace, through faith in Jesus). As you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, so walk in Him.
“(17) Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us. (18) For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, (19) whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things. (20) For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; (21) who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.”
Here we are once again reminded that many will walk as enemies of Christ. Paul encourages us to follow those who walk correctly. He uses himself as an example of how we should be walking. A couple thoughts…
- How does Paul walk? We see that Paul teaches Christ everywhere he goes. Even here in Philippi, he started a church in a town where his original travel plans were not even supposed to take him! He was faithful to preach Christ. He was also faithful to the message of the gospel and never taught for personal gain. Lastly, he lived out his own life obediently to God’s commands.
- Could I honestly tell others they should walk according to the pattern of my own walk? This is honestly a bit scary but it’s worth asking the question.
- Who am I observing and imitating? Whether or not we want to think it is so, we imitate those we hang around — language, heart/motives, actions. Who are you around on a regular basis? Are they worth imitating and if not how can you set some accountability to keep your own actions in check? Are there some areas you may need to find a mentor to help you grow?
- Once again, we see Christian maturity and growth wrapped in our mindset and our actions.
Something I think is so important to remember is that our citizenship as Christians is not here on earth — it is in heaven. The freedoms I have as an American are often restricted by the law of Christ — the Law of Love. So for example, my freedom of speech. As an American, I can almost say whatever I want whenever I want to. But as a Christian, my speech is to be with grace and filled with love. As an American, I can go wherever I want whenever I want. But as a Christian I am called to flee evil and use my feet to go teach others about Jesus. I think this is an important concept to remember when considering these passages. The south is filled with “good ole boys and girls” who profess Jesus while holding prejudices and somewhat laugh at those who become “too” churched. We must be very careful to not fall in to this ever so easy trap ourselves.
Verse 18 is so convicting. Paul literally weeps over those who walk as enemies of Christ — the “evil workers” — and shows a tenderness and love towards them. I am reminded of Jesus’ remarks in Matthew 18:15–35. In these verses, we learn about confronting our brothers and sisters in Christ about sin and also about forgiveness. Often, when reading verse 17, where Jesus says “…if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector” I have somehow interpreted this to mean we would outcast someone who refuses to repent of sin, never to see them again. But actually, think for a minute about how Jesus approached the Gentiles and the tax collectors… He went to their homes for dinner, He welcomed them to follow Him. He sought after them as lost sheep. And this is how we are to treat those not walking according to truth in our churches. We show them truth, as Matthew says, taking others alongside us as needed. We pray for them relentlessly. If they refuse to repent, we then consider that they may not even be Christians and our outreach changes. They should not be in leadership roles in our church or given responsibility without accountability. They should be the focus of our prayers for their repentance and their salvation. There are situations where they need to be removed from fellowship with certain people (abusive situations come to mind). In the meantime, we pray that ultimately God would work in their heart to change them.
And verse 21 — Oh to see the glory and power of God as He transforms our humble earthly bodies when we go to be with Him.
Until next time…
Resources:
- The Bible, New American Standard Version (KJV, NKJV, Amplified, NIV, ESV also used as reference)
- The Book of Philippians by Jo Saxton
- Count it All Joy by Kay Arthur
- Various Bible commentaries as desired
