Philippians 3:12-14

"Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

Press Toward The Mark

When we are hunting, we are pursuing a specific goal of taking aim and harvesting an animal. Likewise, in our lives it's our desire to pursue the specific goal of following the call of God for our lives and living a life that brings Him glory. We all will face challenges as we pursue an animal we are trying to harvest, and we will face challenges when we pursue the Lord and His way, but its all worth it because of the goal and the prize that is set before us! 

There are several very important things that Philippians 3 establishes in these few verses that are very important in our understanding of what it really means to take aim for the glory of God.

 

#1. God Exists and He Created Us

God exists and He is the one who created us!

Genesis 1:27

"So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them."

God created us in His image and for a purpose. 

 

#2. Jesus Christ Is The Savior

Man's Need For A Savior

God created man in His image, and man was created perfect. Man was created without sin. Man was created to have open fellowship with God and to love God. However, in order for man to truly love God, man had to be created with a free will. A robot cannot love, but someone with free choice can. 

God gave man the choice to obey him or to disobey him. He game them one simple command to not eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Sadly, Adam and Even disobeyed God and had to suffer the consequences of that decision. 

Genesis 2:17

"But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."

Man didn't die physically that day, but spiritually. Man lost perfect fellowship with God and all of mankind was plunged into sin. 

Romans 5:12

"Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned"

All of us were born with a sin nature and face the effects of sin. We are born spiritually dead, but the worst effect of sin is facing eternal separation from God. 

Romans 3:23

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,"

Romans 6:23

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

But through Jesus there is hope! Even back in Genesis 3 God foretold that Christ would one day come and, though His heel would be bruised, He would crush the head of the serpent. That is a picture of Christ dying on the cross for our sins, but then being triumphant over sin as He rose again the third day. 

Genesis 3:15

And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.

Who Is Jesus?

Jesus is God who took on flesh and came down to this earth to pay the penalty of our sin. He is fully God and is fully man. 

Isaiah 9:6

"For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

Jesus is one with God and the Holy Spirit in the trinity. 

I John 5:7 

"For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one."

Jesus is talked about in the Old Testament as being the Mighty God! The Son was given from heaven, was born of a virgin, and took on human flesh. 

Why Did Jesus Come?

Jesus came to take care of the sin problem. He came to this earth so that the relationship with God and man could be fully restored. 

The wage that we earn from sinning is death. That is the penalty we all must pay unless someone could pay it for us. We cannot pay it for ourselves or pay it for others because we are sinners. The only one qualified is One who hasn't sinned and One who has the power over death. That one is Jesus! He came and lived a perfect life, died on the cross in our place, and rose again the third day proving that the sin debt had been paid. 

John 3:16

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

I Corinthians 15:22

"For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive." 

Adam plunged all of mankind into sin, but Christ came and made it possible so that our sin could be paid for and forgiven. 

How To Accept Christ As Savior

Salvation is a gift. It's not something you can earn. It's not something you can obtain by being a good person. It is a gift that must simply be accepted.

Ephesians 2:8-9

"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast."

Luke 13:3

"I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish."

Romans 10:9-10

"That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."

If we repent of our sin, and confess that Jesus is the Savior, and believe in our hearts that He died on the cross in our place and rose again, we will be saved. Its that simple. 

Romans 10:13

"For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."

II Peter 3:9

"The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance."

God saves all who come to Him! Even the worst sinner. He will accept all who come in repentance and faith. 

John 12:32

"And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself."

God is drawing all people to himself. He has given us all the ability to accept that free gift of salvation.

#3. Once We Are Saved We Are Equipped To Live A Life That Glorifies God

We aren't saved by our works, but once we are saved, it should be our desire to serve and obey the Lord in all things.

Ephesians 2:8-10

"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."

It's God's desire that as Christians we would walk in good works and serve Him faithfully.

God loves you and has a specific purpose for your life! You matter! Its our goal to encourage you to #1 accept Christ as Savior if you haven't and then #2 live a life serving the Lord and bringing Him honor and glory. He gave up heaven and gave up His very life for us. How can we not help but to live in humble gratitude and to honor Him.

Philippians 3:12-14

"Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

If you've failed in the past, don't let that bog you down, and reach forward toward the future for what God has in store for you! Press toward the goal of the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Take Aim with your life for the glory of God!

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