Sermon Notes — Medina Community Church

The Passage · ESV

vv. 12–14 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. vv. 15–17 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained. Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.

My Notebook

Part One

The Singular Pursuit

vv. 12–14

Paul opens with: "Not that I have already obtained this or am already ¹." The greatest missionary the church has ever known refuses to say he has arrived.

The danger in mature believers: the slow drift from straining forward to ² in. It can look like stability — but underneath is a quiet assumption that the hard work is behind you.

"I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own." You don't press on to be saved — you press on because you already are.

"One thing I do: forgetting what lies ³ and straining forward." Past failure doesn't get to stop you. Past success doesn't get to satisfy you.

The prize: the upward ⁴ of God in Christ Jesus — to be fully conformed to the image of Christ. What are you throwing your full weight toward?

Reflect · When did following Christ last cost you something?

Part Two

The People Worth Watching

vv. 15–17

Maturity is not having figured it out. It is knowing you haven't — and pressing ⁵. Immaturity is assuming you've arrived.

Paul says: "Join in ⁶ me." He is not claiming to be the standard — he is following the standard. Follow me as I follow Christ.

Find someone who is not settling — who holds this world ⁷ and is more concerned with knowing Christ than protecting their comfort. Follow that person.

"Paul had a Timothy because Paul invested in a Timothy. The posture of pressing on is contagious — it multiplies through you into others."

You cannot press forward alone. You need people ahead of you to ⁸ — and people behind you who are watching how you live.

Conclusion

What are you straining toward?

Paul gives us two things that belong together — a posture and a community. Press on because of who you already are in Christ. Do it with people who are doing the same.

He never crossed Antarctica. What Shackleton is remembered for is not the goal he missed — it is the relentless, forward-pressing nature of the man who pursued it.

"I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

My Response · One thing I am taking from this message

Prayer