In pursuit of the resurrection (Phil 3b)

Philippians 3:12-21
Key verse 3:13-14

One of my favorite movies is “The pursuit of happiness”, which was inspired by the true story of Chris Gardner, a San Francisco salesman. As his financial situation got worse, his wife walked out on him. Being left with his five-year-old son, Chris had difficulty in paying the rent. He happened to land an unpaid internship in a stockbroker-training program but he had to compete with the other nineteen interns for the opportunity to get a paid-position. For the position, he needed to study and work really hard. Unfortunately, then he and his son were evicted from his apartment with less than 22 dollars in his pocket. They slept on the streets, in homeless shelters and even in a metro station bathroom. He had no time to study for his internship after work because each day he had to find a place to stay the night with his son. One night he barely got into a homeless shelter. After washing his son and letting him go to sleep, he studied for his job under the dim moonlight that came through a small window. He was so much focused on getting the paid-position that his situation did not bother him. Miraculously, he was promoted to the full-time position and later became a Wall Street legend. Such a focused mind in pursuit of happiness made him successful.

Do you have such a focused-mind for the prize God has prepared for you or do you not care? Ironically, many believers do not want Jesus to come soon because they want to enjoy the earthly life here more. They have more focus on something else. In today’s passage, Paul says that we should press on the heavenly prize. May God give us desire, stronger than Chris Gardener’s, for the prize stored for us in heaven.

In the previous passage, Paul said that he considered all his gains garbage because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus. He had tried to have a righteousness of his own by keeping the law but realized that it was impossible to do so. Instead, he found out that righteousness was given by God on the basis of faith in Jesus Christ. This came as a shock to him. He wondered, “How is it possible to be righteous apart from the law? What is faith in Jesus? Who is he?” Since then, his life had been totally changed. Now his life goal was geared to knowing Christ. He wanted to know Christ more and deeper. And he realized that knowing Christ is to know the power of his resurrection and participate in his suffering and death. So he said in 3:10-11,

¹⁰ I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹ and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

In today’s passage, Paul tells the Philippians how he has pursued this goal and then encourages them to follow his example.

¹² Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. ¹³ Brothers and sisters, 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.

As aforementioned in 3:10-11, “all this,” “my goal,” and “that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me” eventually refers to the resurrection. (3:21) When Paul met the risen Jesus on his way to Damascus, Jesus had taken hold of him and Paul became a captive to Jesus. He saw the glory of the risen Jesus. He saw the hope of his own resurrection in Jesus too. There was only one thing left for him, which was to take hold of his resurrection, which he did not obtain or reach yet. That was why he said, “¹³ Brothers and sisters, 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.”

He forgot what was behind. He had no lingering thought on his past, which was based on the law. He threw away his pride, his background, his knowledge, and his self-righteousness. He even disregarded all the works he had accomplish, including all the churches he had pioneered. Instead, he strained toward what was ahead – the resurrection for which God called him heavenward in Christ.

He pressed on toward that goal like a shooter who zeros in on the target or like a runner who runs toward the finish line. He only looked for the prize in heaven, which is the glory of resurrection that will be given to him for the victory of faith. Paul’s life was purposeful and focused.

Some people use this, particularly at the end of the year, to encourage others to forget what they messed up and move forward. Some others emphasize our effort to achieve a goal. A purpose-driven life is important. The life without purpose will end up with nothing. Chris Gardner could have remained homeless if he had no goal to pursue.

However, Paul did not intend to promote human effort to achieve our goals. Instead, he was saying that Jesus’ resurrection was so glorious that he could not help considering everything garbage and press on toward it. Once we know the glory of the resurrection, all aspects of our life will be geared toward that goal. So, that was why he said that Christ Jesus took hold of him and so he was motivated and compelled to take hold of it too.

What is to press on toward the resurrection, then? What does the resurrection mean to us? Look at 3:10 and 11 again. Paul said that he participated in Jesus’ sufferings, becoming like him in his death, in order to know the power of Jesus’ resurrection. Resurrection cannot occur without suffering. Even Jesus himself suffered and died and then rose from the dead to glory. Suffering is inevitable for us to attain to the resurrection. Therefore, pressing on toward the resurrection means suffering.

We can suffer for many reasons. I think that we believers suffer mostly for two reasons. First, we suffer for our sins. This is the necessary process to die to our ego and to live for our new being. God uses our suffering to know the pain of our sins – how horrible our sin is. This humbles us and thus helps us look forward to our salvation from the power of sin and death, which will be fulfilled when we resurrect. We also suffer for the sake of Christ. It is painful but it purifies us and enables us to put our hope in the glory of the resurrection.

Remember that all humans suffer whether they are believers or not. Unbelievers suffer for nothing and will end up with God’s judgment. But we believers suffer because we have the resurrection.

¹⁵ All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. ¹⁶ Only let us live up to what we have already attained. ¹⁷ Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do. 

As mentioned just before, “such a view of things” is that we should press on toward the resurrection, participating in Jesus’ suffering. This is the biblical truth that cannot be compromised.

But this troubles some people. They would say, “I know Paul was great and I agree to what he said. But I am not sure why all we have to live like him. I have my own way and my own life. Most of all, I do not want to suffer.” Paul understood those who would think differently on some point. He hoped that God would make it clear to them. But he said that mature Christians should and will take his view. Suffering and resurrection cannot be separated.

Now Paul continued to encourage the Philippians to live up to what they had already attained, following Paul’s example and those who lived as he did. Paul called them to imitate him. However, his intent was not for them to focus on him but rather for them to join him in participating in Jesus’ suffering to the glory of the resurrection.

One day when I went to the civilian church during my military, I was passing by a small store. I saw breads on the display. At that time my military life was hard and I was always hungry. When I saw the bread, my mouth was watering. But I did not even have money to buy a piece of the bread. When the Sunday worship service began, we began to sing. Most of them were old people who were in their 60’s or 70’s. They usually sang hymns about heaven very slowly, much slower than supposed to be, so it sounded like funeral songs. I thought that they liked such hymns because they were old. By the way, I could not sing together with them because my mouth was still watering at the thought of the bread I saw on the way to the church. To me, a piece of bread, not heaven, was real. But since then about 30 years have passed. I am old and have gone through some sufferings. What was important at that time has become much less important than I thought. Rather, heavenly things have become real and more important. Now I can better understand the old people in the church who always sang heavenly hymns. Sometimes, I sing hymns as they did.

When I was a young Christian, I had no idea about resurrection and the kingdom of God. Honestly, I was not interested in such things. But through suffering I have learned about hope and the hope should be my own resurrection. I do not want my children and my Bible students to suffer. Nevertheless, I should say that they should suffer for Christ because then they will appreciate the hope of resurrection and thus they can rejoice in their suffering. Suffering is unavoidable because life is suffering anyway. In his book “The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here for?”, Rick Warren said, “Why is this happening to me? Why am I having such a difficult time? One answer is that life is supposed to be difficult! It’s what enables us to grow. Remember, earth is not heaven!”

But what is important is what to suffer for. We believers suffer for Christ and for our glorious resurrection. So we press on toward the glory of our resurrection, participating in Jesus’ suffering. I pray that we all go through suffering as God’s children so that we may better know Christ and the power of his resurrection.

¹⁸ For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.¹⁹ Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things.

After encouraging the Philippians to follow his example, he gave them a warning about the enemies of the cross of Christ. Paul pleaded with the Philippians repeatedly even with tears - they should not live like the enemies of the cross of Christ. Who were the enemies of the cross of Christ then? According to verse 19, they were those who served their stomach as their god. They sought physical satisfaction. They looked for earthly things. They put their trust in their own flesh such as their self-righteousness, ability, and knowledge like Judaisers. To them the resurrection was just something nice to-have. They believed in Jesus, but never followed the way of the cross. They felt ashamed of Jesus’ death on the cross. They rejected the way of life through suffering.

There are many church people who think and live like this kind of people. They pursue security, prosperity, and good life on earth more than the glory of resurrection through suffering. Such an idea prevails in church today. They love Jesus but do not want to participate in his suffering. And to please them, many pastors preach the message of love and peace but not the message of the cross. They have a form of godliness but have no power that lead them to repentance and then to life in Jesus. Pay attention to how Paul called such people – “enemies of the cross of Christ.” They totally disgrace the cross of Jesus by denying Jesus’ cross and emphasizing the good life on earth without suffering. Basically, such people are earthly people. Do not follow those people. Paul even said in 2 Tim 3:5, “Have nothing to do with such people.” Their glory will be in their shame. They will not participate in the glorious resurrection. They will be ashamed when Jesus comes again.

²⁰ But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹ who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

The city of Philippi was a prosperous Roman colony, which meant that the citizens of Philippi were also citizens of the city of Rome itself. They were proud of their Roman citizenship. They dressed like Romans and spoke like Romans. But we believers have citizenship in heaven. So we should think and live as the Kingdom people. Our hope is in heaven not on earth. We know that earthly things will eventually disappear and that we can be truly saved from sin and death when Jesus comes again. He will transform our sinful bodies by his power into heavenly bodies. Paul described the heavenly body in comparison with the flesh like this (1 Cor 15:42-44).

⁴² So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; ⁴³ it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; ⁴⁴ it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.

Our resurrected body will be so glorious that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. (Rom 8:18)

I am tired of my sinful nature. I want to do good but my body does not follow my will. But when Jesus comes again, he will transform my sinful bodies into glorious bodies. Amen! So, we believers eagerly look forward to Jesus’ coming, putting our hope in our resurrection.

LL and RL are going to move into a new house. So they sold their current house. The problem is that there is no house for them to stay until they move into their new house. So, they have rented the basement of the house. It used to be their house but not anymore. Do you think that they will upgrade the kitchen countertop or add something to the house? I don’t think so. Their minds are on their new house, not on their old house.

Likewise, we do not belong here but to heaven. We are heavenly people and not earthly people. Let’s press on toward the goal to win the prize stored for us through Christ Jesus, which is the glory of our resurrection. And let’s suffer for Christ and rejoice in our resurrection.

Let’s read the key verses together.

¹³ Brothers and sisters, 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.

By David Yun