Striving Towards Maturity | Philippians 3:15-21

Yeah, so good morning everyone. My name's Scott. I studied with Michael back at

Trinity. It was a great time. We had lots of fun. But yeah, a few things about myself first.

Just so you get to know who I am. At the moment I'm a full-time dad. I'm a member of Vic Park

Presbyterian Church. But yeah, full-time dad I was in ministry, but my wife who's here today

with two of our gorgeous children. I has chronic fatigue so I've had to step back from ministry.

So now my main role in my life at the moment is to look after gorgeous children every day,

which is a great joy. But today my great joy is to bring God's Word to you. Yeah,

we're gonna be looking at Philippians 3 today. It'd be great if you had that in front of you.

Yeah, I'm gonna look at God's Word. Today in particular we're gonna be looking out,

getting a better understanding of the Christian life. Paul has been using some super helpful

illustrations in Philippians so far to help kind of describe what that's like. He's described

what Christians should be doing in this life as pressing on towards the goal. Michael has taken

you through like last two weeks, the first part of chapter 3. And there yeah, pressing on towards

the goal. That brings to mind kind of a race, a journey, maybe a really long hike. Yeah,

it's all very practical. That's what this Philippians is. It's the end part. It's very,

very practical. You've been in Philippians now for a few months, but you're in the back half

the letter. And if you know much about Paul's letters, there's always the first half, which are

phenomenal. They're just super rich in what Jesus has done, what Paul wants you to know. And then

the back half is all about what to do now. In light of what Jesus has done, what should we do?

So that's where Paul is gonna take us today. And he wants to help you think through what does

that mean? Because of what Jesus has done, how do you live that out? We're gonna do a quick

recap just of chapter 3 as a whole also. So Paul, as we've kind of also had read, Paul has outlined

that his righteousness, the start of chapter 3, he's standing before God is not because of anything

that he's done, no, nothing that he was born into or worked out by his own strength. No,

rather, it's been really clear so far throughout the whole Bible that it's because of what Jesus

has done, done and completed for him. That's verses 1 through to 9. You might remember that from two

weeks ago. But then Paul shifts and states that this doesn't mean that he does nothing. It's really

clear what Paul has said, what he wants to do. What Christ has done for him means now that his

desires have changed and he wants to know Christ more. He wants to live for the one who died for

him. And Paul is striving for perfection at that end. Paul has made clear that he knows that he's

received God's righteousness, God's perfection, what Jesus has accomplished. And Paul wants to live

that out. He's striving to seek towards that. We have received the perfection of Jesus. That's

really, really clear. But Paul has also put that in context that though God has made him perfect in

his sight, that's in regards to their relationship. Paul has made it really clear that his actions

don't match that. He hasn't yet reached perfection. That's what he's striving towards. In his own

life, he seeks to live that out, confessing, ever striving to deal with sin, deal with the parts of

his life that aren't right and that are sinful. Chapter 3 is about striving in his thoughts,

words and deeds to be more like Christ, moving in that direction towards perfection. The righteousness

that God has given him. As we come to kind of our section, it's verses 15 through the end of the

chapter, we're going to look at in four points today. Because Paul calls us to four things. Firstly,

Paul calls us to be mature. Secondly, to follow godly examples. Thirdly, Paul calls you to not

follow the world. And then fourthly, Paul calls and reminds you to live out your citizenship. So

four points, they're not equal points, some of them are larger than others, don't freak out.

At first point, Paul calls us to be mature. Come see that with me, verse 15. All of us then who are

mature should take such a view of things. And if in some point you think differently, that too,

God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already obtained. Now Paul,

who isn't saying all that much different from what he said previously. But here Paul calls you to

join him. Before he was all Paul explaining, where his hope lies and what he's striving towards. But

here Paul calls all Christians to join him to do the same. All Christians, note that with me in

the wording, look, all of us then who are mature should take a view of these things. And it's

those who are mature who are going to act on that. But I shouldn't say that Paul isn't here

taking a quick jab at those who aren't mature. Come on guys, the mature are going to do these

things. That's not Paul's attitude here. But this is Paul rather as a gentle father, encouraging

his children to be mature, to show them what does maturity look like and where should we be going.

And of what's the fundamental growth of a Christian. That's all great. But what's Paul

actually calling us to? What is this view of things that Paul is talking about? Well again,

we've read it in context. Paul hasn't changed angle. It's still the same thing. Continuing the

train of thought from before, it's both knowing that you're not perfect, that you still have seen

your life, but that God has saved you and calls you to live that saved life, to strive towards

that righteous life towards being more like Jesus. That's what Christian maturity is about. It isn't

that you can quote large parts of the Bible or that you have all the best books. Those are good

things and they can help. But fundamentally, Christian maturity is in receiving the gospel,

accepting that you're a sinner and need of God's help and then living that out every day.

Have you understood and taken the view that the Christian life is one where we strive to follow

Christ, where we work hard to do so? Not because of we're earning salvation. Paul's made that really

clear in the earlier sections, but because it's what we have been saved for. Now whether you've

been a Christian this week, praise the Lord, or you've been so for 100 years, there are two things

this sentence calls us to. One of which to know that in the Christian life, maturity is expected.

It's the goal. If you haven't reached it, it's the goal that you start out and that you're going

to live your whole life moving towards. It's sad enough when you come across adults and maybe in

your working life or just around who are just immature. Their focus in this life is all wrong.

That doesn't match their age, all the more so in the Christian life. But then there's a comfort

and a warning and we'll put these two together. There's the comfort and warning when you deal

with sin, when you actually strive against it, when you bring it out into the light,

when you confess and seek forgiveness and there's repentance, that can be really painful because

you have to admit that actually you've stuffed up, that there's a problem and it's you and it's me.

There's the comfort there that even when we deal with sin, that actually that's a good sign because

that's the sign of Christ growing in us. That's us maturing, growing to become more like Christ.

It's for our good and that's beautiful. As much as I desire my children to deal with their

childishness when they're adults, so God desires His children to deal with their immaturity and

our sin, to constantly bring it out, confess and seek forgiveness. The other part of that though

is the warning and we'll deal with this a little bit more in detail later on. It's not just that

if you're immature, but if you're fostering sin, if you're feeding it and holding it tight.

This passage even here, but even more so, wants that that isn't a Christian attitude.

And all of us Christians who are mature, who are changed by Christ should think this way and

see if you don't, if you think of yourself not mature then know that this is how you should be

thinking. Christians know that we are sinful. Every day I wake up and my words and deeds,

I fail our Lord and Savior. I fail God and His law and standard. But I know that in this life

I need to keep pressing on, keep confessing my sins and move towards the goal, to become more

like Christ. Is that what you want? Is that your desire? Maybe you've become complacent. Maybe

you think there's a different way, but see what Paula responds with. And if on some point you

think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Before wrestling with this passage,

I've kind of like skipped this verse in my head, not really understanding what it's referring to.

Maybe I consider that maybe it's God saying that eventually He will guide us into all understanding

or know all things. But no, clearly in context that's not what it's saying. If you've been using

it that way, I'm sorry, it's actually better than that. In light of what it says here, Paul says that

the Christian, the one who's been saved by faith and understands all that God has for them, we

can't be complacent with our sin. You can't take that attitude with sin. Because that's the very

opposite thing that Jesus has worked in us. Christians understand that we need to deal with

sin is kind of the very core things to our lives, because it's what Jesus has come to deal with.

And so God won't let you live with it. His word everywhere speaks about sin and that it's

rebellion against God. He's given us even physical pictures that you can hold and go through in

baptism and the Lord's Supper. That point to the washing by Christ's blood and through Jesus'

death we have redemption and grace. God will, even if we keep ignoring Him, will bring the

consequences of our sin to us to bring us back to Him. If you think differently, that too, God

will make clear to you. Because God wants us to live life, so they actually reflect what we have

obtained in Jesus. We've obtained Christ's own righteousness. That is who we are and that is

what we should be striving to live out. Again, not to obtain righteousness because that's what we

already have. Another illustration is when our leaders, those in government or in other roles,

when they don't live out that position that they've been given, when they don't do the job that we

expect them to, or when they don't live the life that should go with that position, it's saddening.

You're disappointed. They've been given the role and it's expected that they live that out and so

too with Christians. We can't do it perfectly but we are expected to live it out. Again, just to

make it clear, we've been given salvation, we've been given Christ's righteousness. Let us live

out what we have already obtained. So that's our first point. Again, remember they're not all equal.

Paul calls us to be mature, become more like Christ. But we don't have to do this alone

because Paul instructs us, even commands us here in our passage. We're saying that can help us on

this journey because we need examples to follow. That's our second point. Paul calls us to follow

godly examples. Come see that with me, verse 17. Join together in following my examples,

brothers and sisters. And we'll just stop there. It's worth saying that as an Australian, that just

really grates against me. It pushes against my culture that Paul seems to set himself up as an

example that I should follow. It puts himself above me. The Australian tall poppy syndrome kicks in

and I just want Paul to get a grip and to come down just with the rest of us. But that's my

sinful response. But also see because Paul calls us not just to follow him because we can't see or

follow Paul anymore because he's very much dead. But he calls us to follow those who also live as

Paul does. Again, it's worth saying that Paul hasn't changed gears yet. This is still very much about

being mature and dealing with sin, kind of following the upward call of Christ in our lives. But this

is also a big picture about living the Christian life. In our life, Paul has given us example.

Jesus has given us, God has given us examples to follow. Again, it's worth saying that actually

here, Paul doesn't say to you guys, don't worry, just you and your Bible, you've got it. No, no,

Paul says to all Christians to follow Christ like role models. And that makes sense. The Christian life,

Paul says, is a striving. It's a race, kind of like a mountain climb at times. And Paul here tells

you clearly, don't go on that hike by yourself. Or don't even go on that hike with just a group of

your friends who have all never gone on that hike before, kind of a make it up as you go kind of

adventure. Now that's a disaster waiting to happen. Paul instructs you that you need to follow those

who have gone on that path before you. Those that you can see have done the yards, fought the

battles against sin, and are still following Jesus. Keep your eyes on them and see how they live and

how they follow Jesus and do the same. Because you're not expected to do this by yourself. Follow

those that you've seen showing maturity in areas of your life. Ask them, get mentored, bring them

into your life or go into theirs. Because if you don't, you may not survive. But maybe at this point

you want to respond, no, Scott, you've got it wrong. God has me and so I can figure it out. God

will protect me and help me get back on the right path. And I want to say yes, you know, but God so

often works through means, through His people, through the church, through the church's elders as

they shepherd God's flock and show us and teach us and feed us. God has got you, but He's got you

through the church. He's given you people that you can follow. Paul tells you to follow them and to

keep your eyes on them. Don't do it by yourself. It's worth saying that people are better at some

things more than others. This is just kind of like the let's get down to logistics kind of thing. It's

okay to find multiple Christian mentors, not just like choose one person and stick with them. I feel

like I'm much better about thinking about how do I help my children to think about Jesus than I am

about evangelism. Even the mature, the mentors need help and examples to follow in this life as we

strive together to living towards being more like Christ. There are difficulties in your life that I

probably haven't faced that Michael probably hasn't faced. And while I may be able to point you to

Jesus and go, there's the answer. There are those that, sorry, I'm going to look at the right line.

There are those who can also do that with their own personal experience and say, I've gone through

that. I can point you to Jesus and this is where we see Him clearly. This verse then calls you as you

walk the Christian life to be humble enough to admit that God and Paul know what you need to follow

others and to seek and find those who you can learn from and follow. What do you think this church

would look like if everyone here took the need to follow godly examples seriously? Would it not build a

strong community? Would there not be no need to hide sin from each other because we all know that

everyone is wrestling together and we're all striving to be more like Jesus? Would that not build

just a really tight community where everyone that has insights, people that have gone through

struggles and succeeded could share that with each other? Whether church would be humble and eager

to grow and learn, to love Jesus more through even those hard times? Would that not transform your

marriage? Would that not transform your families? That would grow Christians and this church and it

would be seen and known to be a place where Jesus is seen. But you do need to be careful. This is

our third point because Paul follows us to not follow the world. There are many who are eager to

lead. Come look at me verse 18. I often told you before and now I tell you again with tears,

many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction. Their goddess,

their stomach and their glories and their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things.

Paul here mentions his tears. Why? Because these people are claiming to be Christians.

Paul describes them as enemies of the cross of Christ. But why? It's because when Christians

continue to live in sin, when you don't deal with it, and the thing that what Christ is achieved by

is death resurrection, it means that you can do whatever you want. It's making light of the cross

of Christ. Because the cross was Christ coming in our place, taking the penalty for our sins,

took it all so that we don't have to. He dies in faith, it's Christ rough for us because we can't.

To then go and bask and delight in it. To delight in what caused him to die. To enjoy that. The

very thing that he saved us from and to never turn from it. That's living as an enemy of the cross,

an enemy of God, an enemy of salvation. Elsewhere in Hebrews it's described as

Christifying Jesus again. Now they're not Christian. See the descriptions of me. They go to the

destruction. They have God as their stomach and they have their glory and it's in their shame.

They don't set their eyes on living the Christian life on following God examples. No, they have

their mindset on earthly things, the things of here and now, and they're getting their fill.

Maybe that's you now. Maybe you're not a Christian. Maybe you've just walked in wondering what on

earth this is all about. But our passage is clear that if you don't turn from following your own

desires, you don't turn from your sin. You don't turn to God who is so eager to forgive. Then you

make yourself an enemy of the cross because Jesus has come and he's already paid the price for your

sin. Come and be washed instead of all your sin and shame. Turn to the God who is so ready to

forgive you and delights to welcome you in. Don't continue down that path. Maybe you're a Christian

or you say that you are. You've been in church long enough that you kind of know all the right

answers to say you're good at answering Christian questions with Christian answers, but sin rules

your life. You've got it all hidden kind of out of sight, but if you were honest, you love them

more than you love Jesus. Jesus feels so far away, but the temptation of sin is so loud and clear.

Our passage calls to you then to see where that takes you. An enemy of the cross, a

descend for destruction and shame is in your glory. Your glory is in your shame. We need to hear

the call of the gospel to deal with sin. Kill it. I pray that the Spirit will convict you. Draw you

in because as much as sin promises you in the end, it's all going to taste like ashing your mouth.

It provides no lasting comfort, but maybe you are a Christian. Mature, still learning. You hear

these warnings and you know the temptation of this world is just so strong. You know you should

follow Christian examples in your life, but the examples of the world are so often in your face,

so loud and the world tends to promise money, quick fixes to all your problems and in all the

advertising they all just look so happy and it's all so easy because it's easy to do nothing. So

easy to fall into sin and to stop striving. But to bring in what we've seen before, don't walk

that alone. Together we follow Paul's examples. He follows Christ. We follow together as we

spur each other on to fight sin. Together we confess our sins to one another and point each other

to Christ. Our world calls us and seeks us to follow it, but we must resist together because

it's hard. It's a long journey. Paul's described as striving, running the race because it is hard.

Hard not just because the world is around us all the time, but also because I know that my heart

isn't perfect. There's still sin in it. It has a new love in Christ, but yet there is corruption

and the pull of the world is real and will be to the end. And that brings us to our last point.

Paul reminds us that our citizenship is in heaven. So this is verses 22, 21. I'm just going to read

those for us. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord

Jesus Christ, who by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control will transform

our lowly bodies. So they will be like his glorious body. Your citizenship is in heaven. We live in

a world that's always calling you to do anything but strive towards godliness, to just stop. And

then Paul contrasts that with the word but. He contrasts the world following its examples, its

pattern against the fact that your citizenship is in heaven. And the image of citizenship is about

you behaving and living as you represent your country. As a citizenship of heaven, though now

here on this earth, our action should give away who we are. When someone gets off the plane off

an overseas flight, if you kind of got to stalk them, like follow them closely, listen to them

on their conversations, watch their actions, you quickly narrow down where they're from. All the more

so I would say at the hotel buffet, what foods they choose, what are they avoiding, helps you

know who they are. Because even though they're not in their home country, who they are shines through.

Their heart is still home. And they so they so often reflect in their actions and what who they

are really the citizenship of their passport. And so Paul likewise says here, in contrast to those

who have their mindset on earthly things, in contrast to the world, act like citizens of heaven.

As Christians, this world isn't our home. The things of this world should not be our delight

or our focus. Our love and our desire should be to live following the one who loved us so much

and has saved us. Again, like Paul's large images striving towards the goal, the upward call of Christ,

the call of home. And see that it is answered. In the end of 20 through 21, and we eagerly await a

savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who by the power that enables him to bring everything under

his control will transform our lowly bodies. So they will be like his glorious body. There the

image is that though we live away from home, we still feel because of the corruption, because of

the sin that still is in us, we know that we need a savior. Yes, Jesus has saved me, he has taken away

my sin, but I still fail, I still fall, I still feel the weight and taint of sin, and I need saving

from that. The world needs saving from that, needs to be put right, and it comes from Jesus our savior.

Paul here is describing when Jesus comes, when he returns in one being action, Jesus comes in with

the same power that enables him to put everything back right, everything back under his control as

it should be, in right order again under him, that same power will transform our bodies to be like

his. He deals with sin in the world and he deals with sin in us perfectly. Where I won't just be

right spiritually with God, but completely, where the world is fixed and all the corruption and

evil is finally gone, both in me and all creation. Paul points us to final victory here. All that's

left is the joy of spending time with our God and enjoying him forever. Why does Paul take us here?

Well Paul wants to show you that the salvation of Jesus isn't just the starting point. The gospel

isn't just the good news for you when you first become a Christian, but rather it's for the whole

Christian life, the good news from beginning through to end. And too often I forget that. I forget the

troubles and the temptations of this life. Sorry, I don't forget the troubles and temptations of this

life. I forget that the troubles and the temptations of this life, even the sin that weighs me down

and burdens me, that they are just temporary. They end. But in the moment, temptations seem so

endless. I lose sight of how good it will be when Jesus returns. Because I lose sight of that,

that affects how I wrestle with sin. It affects how I think about Jesus, the gospel salvation,

because so often my view of it is just so small. Paul here points out and reminds us that my

wrestling with sin, me following others as we follow Jesus, becoming more like him. And every

time we resist or push back against the temptation of the world, that has eternal value in us. It's

drawing us home. It reflects where we're going. Every time you wrestle with sin, even when it gets

the upper hand and you fail, us striving against it is a reflection that our home isn't here,

but rather we have a heavenly home and a heavenly savior who will end it all, will fix it all. And

so when that temptation feels overwhelming and that pull of that world feels endless, know that

it isn't eternal. It ends. Paul puts all of this here to encourage us to follow him, to take that

mature attitude, to continue to strive following him together doing that, following other godly

examples, constantly fight sin and doing so knowing that it isn't a hopeless or endless battle. But

then in the end we do reach that goal. Christ comes and saves us and we are made like him.

All the sin and hurt of this world is finally undone. We enjoy God forever. So Christian keeps

driving. Don't stop. And so we ever look forward to that day. The Bible ends in revelation with

the whole church throughout all the centuries saying, come Lord Jesus. Amen.