Pressing On Toward the Prize of Heaven

Paul takes all the things that once gave him confidence and calls them loss compared to knowing Christ Jesus as Lord. Paul had the pedigree, the law, the zeal, and even a righteousness that looked blameless on the outside. Paul had every reason to think he was good enough on his own, but Christ showed him that none of that could save him.

The righteousness that matters does not come from good works, family history, status, or being better than somebody else. The righteousness that matters comes from God through faith in Jesus Christ. The free grace of Jesus Christ comes through his death and resurrection, and that grace is the bottom line. John 3:16 says it plain: God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son so that believers would have everlasting life.

Paul presses on because Christ Jesus has already made him his own. Paul does not pretend that he has already reached the goal, and Paul does not look back as though his past credentials can carry him forward. Paul forgets what lies behind, strains toward what lies ahead, and presses toward the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.

Paul’s hardships show that pressing on does not mean life becomes easy. Paul endured lashes, beatings, shipwrecks, danger, hunger, cold, sleepless nights, and daily anxiety for the churches. The fallen world is hard, but the grace of Christ gives believers reason not to give up. The love of God the Father, the friendship of Jesus, and the advocacy of the Holy Spirit hold believers in loss, grief, heartache, and hardship.

Heaven is the gain Paul has in view when he says, “to die is gain.” John’s vision in Revelation shows God dwelling among his people, wiping away tears, and ending death, mourning, crying, and pain. The new Jerusalem shines with the glory of God, and the Lamb is its lamp. Christ is with his people now, and one day his people will be with him fully, in new bodies, in the holy city, with crowns laid at his feet.

The heavenly call does not create a rush to leave this world. The heavenly call gives believers strength to do the work still in front of them, while trusting that Jesus is waiting at the finish. The prize of heaven is not earned by human righteousness. The prize of heaven is received through the free grace of the Lord, Savior, and friend, Jesus Christ.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Christ outweighs every human credential Paul’s religious background was real, impressive, and costly, yet he counted it as rubbish beside Christ. Human accomplishment can become a quiet substitute for trust in God when it becomes the ground of confidence. Christ alone gives the righteousness that lasts before God. [22:57]
• 2. Grace, not goodness, brings salvation Good works matter as a reflection of joy in the Lord, but they cannot make anyone right with God. Faith receives what Christ has done rather than presenting a record of personal goodness. The heart of salvation is God’s agape love given freely in Jesus. [26:22]
• 3. Press forward through a hard world Paul’s life was full of real suffering, not easy religious optimism. Hardship did not mean Christ had abandoned him, because Christ’s promise stood stronger than the pain. Faith keeps moving toward God even when circumstances give no easy reason to do so. [29:34]
• 4. Heaven is the promised gain Heaven is not a vague hope but the place where God dwells with his people and makes all things new. Death, mourning, crying, and pain will finally pass away before the glory of God and the Lamb. That future gives present life both courage and direction.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [20:20] - To Live Is Christ, To Die Is Gain
• [21:40] - Paul Presses Toward Heaven
• [22:06] - Paul’s Confidence in the Flesh
• [22:57] - Counting Everything Loss for Christ
• [24:19] - Righteousness Through Faith
• [25:45] - Salvation Through Jesus Alone
• [27:04] - Good Works and Grace
• [28:12] - Paul’s Suffering and Perseverance
• [29:34] - Press Forward in Hardship
• [30:58] - The Hope of Heaven
• [31:49] - God Makes All Things New
• [33:08] - The Glory of the New Jerusalem
• [34:34] - Prayer for the Prize of Heaven

Bible Reading

Philippians 3:4b-14
“If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. 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.” [22:22]

Revelation 21:3-5
“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” [31:49]

John 3:16
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” [26:28]

Observation questions

1. What accomplishments and credentials does Paul list as reasons he could have had confidence in himself, and how does he later describe their value compared with knowing Christ? [22:28]
2. In Philippians 3, what does Paul say is the source of the righteousness that truly matters?
3. What reasons does Paul give for continuing to press toward the goal, even though he says he has not already reached it? [23:45]
4. According to Revelation 21:3–5, what are some things God promises to remove or make new when he dwells fully with his people? [31:49]

Interpretation questions

1. Why is it important that Paul says he presses on because Christ Jesus has already made him his own, rather than saying he presses on in order to make Christ accept him? [23:50]
2. Paul does not dismiss good works, but he refuses to treat them as the basis for salvation. What is the difference between doing good works to earn God’s love and doing them as a response to God’s grace? [28:12]
3. What might “forgetting what lies behind” mean for someone whose past includes both proud accomplishments and painful failures? [24:00]
4. How does the promised future in Revelation 21 give believers hope in present grief, pain, and hardship without making them disengage from life now? [32:02]

Application questions

1. What personal “credentials” are most tempting to rely on—such as family background, work, morality, church involvement, knowledge, or reputation? How might those good things quietly become substitutes for trusting Christ? [24:49]
2. When you think about standing before God, where do you most often place your confidence: your own record or Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection? What would it look like to rest more fully in grace this week? [26:46]
3. Is there something behind you that keeps pulling your attention away from Christ—either a past success you cling to or a past sin, loss, or failure that discourages you? What could pressing forward look like in that specific area? [24:06]
4. What hardship are you facing now that makes it difficult to keep moving forward in faith? How can the truth that Jesus is your friend, the Holy Spirit is your advocate, and the Father loves you shape your next step? [30:21]
5. Good works are meant to reflect joy in the Lord, not to earn salvation. What is one practical way you could serve, give, encourage, or help someone this week as a grateful response to Christ’s grace? [28:12]
6. How does the promise that God will one day end death, mourning, crying, and pain speak into a particular grief or fear in your life? [31:59]
7. Heaven is the promised gain, but there is still meaningful work to do in this world. Where might God be calling you to remain faithful, useful, and hopeful right now? [33:43]