\n\t\t\t\t\t\tDownload Audio\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\tText: Philippians 3:12-17<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I. Paul told the Corinthians to imitate him as he imitates Christ – I Corinthians 11:1<\/p>\n A. Paul taught us in practical terms how to live as followers of Christ while he did so\nin his own life.\n
B. Paul had numerous accomplishments in his past – Philippians 3:4-6<\/p>\n
1. Paul wasn’t a common Jew, prior to his conversion<\/p>\n 2. In Judaism what mattered was your birth (and circumcision), your lineage\n(pure Israel vs. mixed blood), your tribe (some tribes were better than\nothers in the Jew’s mind), your devotion, and your zeal.\n
3. Paul was the best of the best. He had everything a Jew sought.<\/p>\n
4. And he gave it all up.<\/p>\n C. His accomplishments were insignificant compared to his life in Christ and the\nreward it brings – Philippians 3:7-11\n
1. Which is better? The esteem of men or eternal life?<\/p>\n
2. Paul clearly saw his intended goal<\/p>\n
II. The Value of Repetition – Philippians 3:2<\/p>\n
A. We need reminders because we so easily forget. <\/p>\n
B. It is a way to keep ideas firmly established – II Peter 1:12-15<\/p>\n
C. It is a way to stir up our minds – II Peter 3:1<\/p>\n
III. Pressing On<\/p>\n
A. “The whole passage is full of movement, onward and upward.” [Marvin Vincent]<\/p>\n
B. This simple thing is what each Christian must do. <\/p>\n
1. We can’t drift into heaven<\/p>\n
2. We can’t expect God to do all the work while we sit back<\/p>\n
3. We get up and press forward<\/p>\n C. Will I press on when the way gets difficult? No matter how hard it gets, will I\ncontinue the effort?\n D. Life isn’t always easy. There are stresses, pressures, temptations, and\ndisappointments, but the Christian presses on anyway – Proverbs 24:16\n
E. It is an effort – a fight – I Timothy 6:12<\/p>\n 1. Can you imagine a soldier in the middle of battle deciding it is too much\nand giving up?\n 2. Neither should we consider the hardships – we know it is hard – but the\ncommitment to press forward\n
IV. Forgetting the Past<\/p>\n
A. The older you get, the more annoying it is to forget. <\/p>\n
B. But here Paul considers forgetting valuable<\/p>\n 1. The word “forget” translates a Greek word (epilanthomai<\/i>) which carries\nthe idea of overlooking or neglecting something. \n
a. For example, the disciples forgot to bring bread – Matthew 16:5<\/p>\n b. And as Christians, we are not to forget or neglect doing good –\nHebrews 13:16\n
C. Once you done something, what are your options?<\/p>\n 1. If you’ve done something wrong, you can recognize your mistakes, repent\nof it, and ask for forgiveness.\n
a. You can be thankful that God forgives – I John 1:9<\/p>\n b. But continuing to dwell on the past doesn’t change it. It doesn’t\npull you forward (instead, it holds you back).\n c. You can’t get more forgiven that the forgiveness you’ve already\nreceived.\n 2. If you’ve done something right, you can remember the pleasure in your\naccomplishment\n
a. But dwelling on the past doesn’t improve your future.<\/p>\n
D. If someone has done something to you<\/p>\n
1. You can take up the matter with the offender – Ephesians 4:25-27<\/p>\n 2. But then we need to let it go. “Love keeps no record of wrongs” – I\nCorinthians 13:5\n
E. We cannot allow the pain of the past to keep us from today’s duties<\/p>\n
1. We need to overlook or neglect thinking about the past<\/p>\n
2. Take care of problems and then let them go<\/p>\n
3. We have more important things to focus on<\/p>\n
V. Reaching Forward<\/p>\n A. A rock climber has to reach his next grip, but he must also let go of his past one.\nOtherwise, he will not make any progress.\n B. In any relationship, the only way to heal problems is to reach for the next\nimprovement and let go of the past.\n
1. When trust is broken, when damage is done, or when feelings are hurt<\/p>\n 2. If all involved would find the humility to admit their mistakes, apologize,\nand do more than expected\n
3. Then forget it. Get over it. Reach forward to the things that lie ahead.<\/p>\n
4. Matthew 5:23-25<\/p>\n
a. Make amends and then move forward in worship<\/p>\n
b. Make friends quickly (not eventually)<\/p>\n c. All that the Lord has taught about dealing with problems,\nreconciling, forgiving, and making amends\n d. All that he taught about humility, lowliness of mind, patience,\nlongsuffering, and avoiding resentment\n
e. It requires of everyone to forget what is behind and reach forward<\/p>\n
C. Notice that there is no limit on our reaching.<\/p>\n
1. “I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet” – Philippians 3:13<\/p>\n
2. There is always room for further growth<\/p>\n 3. However, impressive our past growth was, we must press on and reach\nforward\n
VI. Keep Living by the Same Standard<\/p>\n A. The idea of moving continues in Philippians 3:17 when Paul talks about those\nwho walk according to the pattern.\n
1. Walking is an action taken toward a destination.<\/p>\n 2. It is a figure of speech that Paul uses frequently – Romans 4:12; 6:4;\nEphesians 4:1; Colossians 2:6-7\n
B. In Philippians 3:16, some translations have “living”<\/p>\n 1. The word stoichein<\/i> originally meant to march in a line, as soldiers. Its use\nwas extended to mean “to be in line with, to hold to, to agree, or to\nfollow.” [Complete Biblical Library<\/i>]. It is “to walk” but in the sense of\nfollowing a leader.\n 2. The emphasis is on the rule or standard by which we walk. We are to walk\nby the same rule: the pattern God has given.\n a. You can’t win a competition unless you compete by the rules – II\nTimothy 2:5\n
b. Obedient to that form of teaching – Romans 6:17-18<\/p>\n
c. Do all by Jesus’ authority – Colossians 3:17<\/p>\n C. We can’t make progress, we can’t move onward and upward, unless we walk by\nthe same rule. God has defined the direction we must take to that we arrive at the\ndestination He has offered us.\n
\n
Based on an article by Warren E. Berkley<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: Philippians 3:12-17 I. Paul told the Corinthians to imitate him as he imitates Christ – I Corinthians 11:1 A. Paul taught us in practical terms how to live as followers of Christ while he did so in his own life. B. Paul had numerous accomplishments in his past – Philippians…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[119,32],"tags":[1631,357,41,1754,1513],"class_list":["post-89261","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-audio","category-sermon","tag-direction","tag-encouragement","tag-life","tag-past","tag-relationships"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":63260,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/personal-sacrifice-and-service\/","url_meta":{"origin":89261,"position":0},"title":"Personal Sacrifice and Service","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 10, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Download Audio by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Philippians 2:17-18 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Paul often discussed the topic of unity in his letters to the various churches. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Unity based having the same goals and the same standards - Romans 15:5; I Corinthians 1:10; II Corinthians 13:11; Ephesians 4:1-3; I Thessalonians 5:11-15 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Paul\u2019s letter\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":95232,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/gods-job-is-perfection-our-job-is-pressing-on\/","url_meta":{"origin":89261,"position":1},"title":"God’s Job is Perfection; Our Job is Pressing On","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 23, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"by Edwin Crozier What a statement Paul made in Philippians 3:12. He had not already obtained the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Neither was he already perfect. Don't forget Paul's circumstance in writing. He was in prison. For all he knew, he was going to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":46432,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/making-the-best-of-bad-situations\/","url_meta":{"origin":89261,"position":2},"title":"Making the Best of Bad Situations","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 18, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Philippians 1:12-18 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0As much as we might wish it otherwise, we aren\u2019t often in control \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Things aren't always optimal \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Things don\u2019t always go our way II.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Better than you might think \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The Philippians had hear of Paul\u2019s imprisonment - Philippians 4:14 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Such would normally be\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":93701,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-excellence-of-the-knowledge-of-christ-jesus\/","url_meta":{"origin":89261,"position":3},"title":"The Excellence of the Knowledge of Christ Jesus","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 8, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: Philippians 3:1-11 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Saul was an outstanding member of the Jewish religion during his time \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0He had all the right qualities - Philippians 3:4-6 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0He was advancing faster than his peers - Galatians 1:13-14 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0C.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0But he changed when he came to know who\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":84551,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/a-work-in-progress\/","url_meta":{"origin":89261,"position":4},"title":"A Work in Progress","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 14, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by David Gibson \"And I am sure of this,\" Paul wrote, \"that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ\" (Philippians 1:6). If we belong to Christ and grow in him, each of us is a work in progress.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":56527,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-secret-of-learning-to-be-content\/","url_meta":{"origin":89261,"position":5},"title":"The Secret of Learning to Be Content","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 4, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Philippians 4:10-14 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Paul faced many adversities during his life \u2013 more than most of us will see - II Corinthians 11:24-27 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0What sort of person would you be with this sort of life? What attitudes would people notice first? \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Bitter? Hardened? Depressed? \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0C.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Yet, through\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89261","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=89261"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89261\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=89261"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=89261"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=89261"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}