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Going For Gold
Responding to the Call of God
a devotional study by
KEN CHANT
Text
Philippians 3:12 ̶
“I have not yet reached my goal, and
I am far from perfect. But Christ has
caught me! So I keep on running and
pressing forward to seize the prize of
God.”
Background
Paul was in prison in Rome.
Yet he has only one thing on his mind
(vs. 13) ̶ “This one thing I do …”
Above all else he is resolved to win
the prize set before him!
He describes his determination, and
his method, by using metaphors of
the Olympic games (vs. 12-14).
We are Caught by Christ!
“I have not yet reached my goal, and I
am far from perfect. But Christ has
caught me! So I keep on running and
pressing forward to seize the prize of
God.”
How could we ever measure the
wonder of this!
It is the fulfilment of Je 3:14, ̶
“You have been unfaithful,” says
the Lord, “but I am still married
to you! So come home! I will take
one from a city and two from a
clan, and bring you to Zion!”
Was it because we were especially
virtuous, wise, meritorious?
Hardly! Even Paul (in our text) had to
admit that he “had not yet reached
(his goal), and that he was far from
perfect”.
He repeats the idea in the next verse,
with intense and personal passion:
“Dear friends, I myself have most
certainly not yet arrived!”
He was speaking against some who
claimed either that Paul was an
example of perfection, or that they
themselves had achieved perfection.
Paul would have none of it. He
insisted that he had only what
was given him by the grace of
Christ.
 Like a runner in a race, his hands
were empty!
Yet our apprehension by Christ is not
aimless!
Paul understood that Christ had
caught him for a purpose, that
the Lord had a vision of what his
servant could be and do.
We are all part of the dream of Christ
We have been caught by Christ so
that we might catch the dream he
has for each of us.
It must be our first and highest
aspiration to discover that dream and
strive to fulfil it.
But how can we achieve this
wonderful purpose? ….
To Catch a Dream
“Dear friends, I cannot pretend that I
have already arrived. Far from it! But
there is one thing I will do: I will forget
what lies in the past and keep pressing
toward those things that lie ahead”
(vs.13).
1. Forget the Past
We need to forget not just the bad,
but also the good.
Not in any absolute sense, of
course, but rather by not allowing
the past to govern our present
choices.
Especially, we must not permit
ourselves to be puffed up by
recollection of our triumphs nor
pressed under by recollection of our
defeats.
Think of Paul: how much he had
of which to be ashamed (his
ravaging of the church), and of
how much he could have been
proud!
2. Press on to the Future
How fatal it is for any runner to keep
on looking back!
But what does the future actually
offer us?
A Goal and a Prize
“I have not yet reached my goal, and I
am far from perfect. But Christ has
caught me! So I keep on running and
pressing forward to seize the prize of
God” (vs.12).
He did not mean that he had not yet
gained anything –
He had certainly been converted;
he had been raised up from the
death of sin; he had been filled
with the Holy Spirit; he had seen
visions of heaven and Christ!
But there was still a glorious
object before him which he had
not yet received ….
1. There is a Goal to Reach
So, in the next verse, Paul declared –
“Dear friends, I cannot pretend that I
have already arrived. Far from it! But
this one thing I can do: forgetting
what lies in the past, and stretching
for those things that lie ahead, I
press on toward the goal!”
There are three parts to that goal –
To reach greater maturity in Christ
 By using all the means of grace.
To show more of the beauty of Christ
 In our attitudes, behaviour, and words.
To effect the full purpose of Christ
 Whatever that purpose may be for each
of us.
We strive to reach the goal so that we
might win the prize ….
2. There is a Prize to Gain
The vestal robe
Of righteousness that will clothe
us in beauty for eternity.
The victor’s crown
Which is promised to everyone
who overcomes in this life.
… and ….
The veiled prize
1. To be like Christ –
“Dear friends, we are already
children of God, but no one
has yet seen what we will
ultimately become. But we do
know this, that when Christ is
finally revealed, we will be
like him, because we will see
him just as he is!” (1 Jn 3:2)
2. To be joint heirs with Christ –
Co-possessors of all that
belongs to Christ throughout
the vast universe.
1. We are caught by Christ so that
we may catch the dream he has for us.
2. To achieve this, we should forget the
past and press on toward the future.
3. We should also focus on the goal to be
reached and the prize to be gained.
4. But our race will be lost unless we
recognise that …
The Key is Perseverance
“I have not yet reached my goal, and I
am far from perfect. But Christ has
caught me! So I keep on running and
pressing forward to seize the prize of
God.”
According to the Roman poet Virgil,
the founder of ancient Rome was
Prince Aeneas, a Trojan who escaped
the ruin of his city, and after many
years of tumultuous adventures,
finally landed in Italy.
During his journeys he had received
many oracles declaring that his
destiny was to survive all perils and
to found a city and an empire that
would far outstrip the glory of Troy.
But in the face of endless dangers
and obstacles, he often doubted
that he could succeed.
At one low point, he encountered a
Sybil, who repeated the prophecies
he had already received from many
sources, and then went on to say –
“I see wars, horrid wars, and the Tiber
foaming with much blood … But yield
thou not to adversity, but press on
the more bravely!”
This too was Paul’s aim – he would
allow nothing, either in the past or in
the future, to deter him from pressing
on to the goal and the prize.
So he made two great
affirmations –
“I keep on running!” – the race is
lifelong!
“I keep on pressing!” – he uses the
imagery of a straining athlete,
describing himself (vs. 14) as
“pressing on toward the goal for the
prize of the upward call of God in
Christ Jesus“.
What is this “upward call”, and
what is this “prize”?
THE UPWARD CALL
In the ancient Olympics, when an
event had ended, a trumpet
sounded, and a herald invited the
victor to ascend the steps of the
platform where the judges sat.
There his name was loudly
proclaimed, his country, and his
triumph. Then the prize would be
given to him.
Notice that the call of God is ever
“upward” -To a new life in Christ through water
baptism
To a place of victory through Holy
Spirit baptism
To a revelation of our enthronement
with Christ in the heavenlies
To a new and glorious body in the
coming resurrection
To the Judge’s dais, to receive his
magnificent prize …
THE PRIZE
For some 200 years the prize was
usually a palm branch and a
laurel wreath, but from around
600 B.C. it also included a large
monetary reward, all future meals
at public expense, and a front
row seat in the theatre among
the city’s noblest citizens.
That was the image Paul had in mind
when he spoke of the “prize of the
upward call of God!”
conclusion
Paul declared that he was focussed
on just one great enterprise – to
finish the race and to obtain the
prize!
Then he said (vs. 15) – “If you reckon
yourself to be a mature Christian,
then you too should have the same
goal!”