Forgetting the Past; Moving Forward

In Philippians 3, Paul is giving us his spiritual biography, his past (Philippians 3:1-11), his present (Philippians 3:12-16), and his future (Philippians 3:17-21). We have already met Paul "the accountant" who discovered new values when he met Jesus Christ. In this section we meet Paul "the athlete" with his spiritual vigor, pressing toward the finish line in the Christian race. In the final section we will see Paul "the alien," having his citizenship in heaven and looking for the coming of Jesus Christ. In each of these experiences, Paul is exercising the spiritual mind; he is looking at things on earth from God's point of view. As a result, he is not upset by things behind him, around him, or before him—things do not rob him of his joy!

In his letters, Paul uses many illustrations from the world to communicate truth about the Christian life. Four are prominent: the military ("Put on the whole armor of God"), architecture ("You are the temple of God"), agriculture ("Whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap"), and athletics. In this paragraph, it is Paul the athlete. The verb "reaching forth" in Philippians 3:13 literally means "stretching as in a race.

The five D’s of Philippians Chapter 3:
· Dissatisfaction
· Devotion
· Direction
· Determination
· Discipline

1) Dissatisfaction: (Philippians 3:12-13a) "Not as though I had already attained!" This is the statement of a great Christian who never permitted himself to be satisfied with his spiritual attainments. Obviously, Paul was satisfied with Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:10), but he was not satisfied with his Christian life. A sanctified dissatisfaction is the first essential to progress in the Christian race.

2) Devotion: (Philippians 3:13b) The believer must devote himself to "running the Christian race." No athlete succeeds by doing everything; he succeeds by specializing. There are those few athletes who seem proficient in many sports, but they are the exception. The winners are those who concentrate, who keep their eyes on the goal and let nothing distract them. They are devoted entirely to their calling.

3) Direction: (Philippians 3:13c) Some Christians are controlled by their past, however, the Christian running the race looks toward the future. Imagine what would happen on the race track if the runners started looking behind them! The runners would be bound to have a collision with one another and suffer serious injury.

We are accustomed to saying "past, present, future," but we should view time as flowing from the future into the present and then into the past. At least, the believer should be future-oriented, "forgetting those things which are behind." Please keep in mind that in Bible terminology, "to forget" does not mean "to fail to remember." Apart from senility, hypnosis, or a brain malfunction, no mature person can forget what has happened in the past. We may wish that we could erase certain bad memories, but we cannot. The admonition “to forget" in the text means to, “no longer be influenced by or affected by."

When God promises, "And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more" (Hebrews 10:17), He is not suggesting that He will conveniently have a bad memory! This is impossible with God. What God is saying is, "I will no longer hold their sins against them. Their sins can no longer affect their standing with me or influence my attitude toward them."

So, "forgetting those things which are behind" does not suggest an impossible feat of mental and psychological gymnastics by which we try to erase the sins and mistakes of the past. It simply means that we break the power of the past by living for the future. We cannot change the past, but we can change the meaning of the past. There were things in Paul's past that could have been weights to hold him back (1 Timothy 1:12-17), but they became inspirations to speed him ahead. The events did not change, but his understanding of them changed.

A good example of this principle is Joseph (Genesis 45:1-15). When he met his brothers the second time and revealed himself to them, he held no grudge against them. To be sure, they had mistreated him, but he saw the past from God's point of view. As a result he was unable to hold anything against his brothers. Joseph knew that God had a plan for his life—a race for him to run—and in fulfilling that plan and looking ahead, he broke the power of the past.

Too many Christians are shackled by regrets of the past. They are trying to run the race by looking backward! No wonder they stumble and fall and get in the way of other Christians! Some Christian runners are being distracted by the successes of the past, not the failures; and this is just as bad. "The things which are behind" must be set aside and "the things which are before" must take their place. It is possible to have dissatisfaction, devotion, and direction, and still lose the race and the reward.
4) Determination: (Philippians 3:14) "I press!" This same verb is translated "I follow after" in Philippians 3:12, and it carries the idea of intense endeavor.

5) Discipline: (Philippians 3:15-16) It is not enough to run hard and win the race; the runner must also obey the rules. Any infringement of the rules disqualified the athlete. He did not lose his citizenship (though he disgraced it), but he did lose his privilege to participate and win a prize. In Philippians 3:15-16, Paul emphasizes the importance of the Christian remembering the "spiritual rules" laid down in the Word.

Victory Over Defeat!

God has given the believer victory over defeat!

I Corinthians 15:57
But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory (making us conquerors of defeat) through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Thank You Lord that defeat is a conquered opponent!
And, in Christ Jesus we are victorious!
We are not moved by overwhelming feelings or past failures because God is bigger and more powerful than anything and everything we have ever been through.
We walk in the promises God has made to us, and our minds are transformed by His Word.

We command all strongholds (in the mind) to bow to the authority of Jesus Christ! No matter what our situation appears to be , we choose to believe God’s Word and overcome every lie of the devil.
We are not defeated! Our hope (confident expectation) is set in Jesus and by faith we walk in victory!

The Ministry of the Holy Spirit to the Church and the Believer

1) Convicts the unsaved person of sin, righteousness, and judgment. (John 16:7-11)
2) Gives aid in birthing the church. (John 20:21-22; Acts 1:12-15; 2:1-4, 38-41)
3) Desires to inspire the worship of the church. (Phil. 3:3)
4) Desires to direct its missionary work. (Acts 8:29; 13:2-4; 16:6-7, 10)
5) Desires to aid us in singing and thanksgiving. (Eph. 18:18-20)
6) Appoints the leaders. (Acts 20:28)
7) Anoints the leaders with power. (1 Cor. 2:4)
8) Warns its members. (1 Tim. 4:1)
9) Desires to determine its decisions. (Acts 15:28)
10) Desires to direct its evangelistic attempts. (Acts 13:1-4)
11) Alone is able to condone or condemn its ministry. (Rev. 2:7, 11, 17, 29)
12) Regenerates the believing sinner. (John 3:3-7; Titus 3:5; 1 Pet. 1:23)
13) Baptizes the believer. (1 Cor. 12:13; Gal. 3:27; Eph. 4:4-5; Col. 2:12)
14) Indwells the believer. (John 14:16; Rom. 8:8, 9; 1 Cor. 2:12; 3:16; 1 John 3:24)
15) Seals the believer. (2 Cor. 1:22; 2 Cor. 5:5; Eph. 1:13-14; 4:30)
16) Fills the believer. (Acts 2:4)
17) Conforms us to the image of Christ. (2 Cor. 3:18)
18) Strengthens our new nature. (Eph. 3:16)
19) Reveals biblical truth to us. (1 Cor. 2:10)
20) Assures us concerning salvation and service. (Rom. 8:16; 1 John 3:24)
21) Gives us liberty. (Rom. 8:2)
22) Fills our mouths with appropriate things. (Mark 13:11)
23) Prays for us and helps us to pray. (Rom. 8:26-27)
24) Guides us. (John 16:13; Rom. 8:14)
25) Teaches us. (1 John 2:27)
26) Empowers us for witnessing. (Acts 1:8)
27) Imparts the love of Christ to us and through us. (Rom. 5:5)
28) Restores life to our mortal bodies. (Rom. 8:11)