Philippians 3:12-16 | The Power of Focus

Sunday Morning | November 2, 2025 | John C. Majors | Louisville, KY

In Sunday’s message, “The Power of Focus” from Philippians 3:12–16, Pastor John reminded us that living a Gospel-focused life means fixing our hearts and minds on what truly matters—knowing Christ and pursuing His call above all else. Paul’s example teaches us to press on, not because we’ve already arrived, but because Christ has made us His own. Pastor John encouraged us to let go of the past, stay teachable, and keep our eyes on the goal of becoming more like Jesus. Our faith journey isn’t about perfection, but persistence—pressing forward with focus, gratitude, and confidence in the One who called us.

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Transcript

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Well, good morning, Valley View. How's everybody today? Good. We'll be continuing our study in the book of Philippians today and today in particular, we're looking at the topic of focus. How do you live a life of focus. And you've all experienced this. You know, the incredible power of focus. You give me an hour of focus time. I can accomplish way more than eight hours of distracted time. I think probably one of my favorite examples of this is from the Old Testament book of Nehemiah. Nehemiah was charged with rebuilding the walls of Israel, and over and over again foreign leaders would come and say, hey, we need to meet with you and talk with you about this. And they didn't like that Israel was rebuilding the wall. They were trying to stop it. Hey, just come down and meet with us for a little bit. Let's talk about this. And he said, I am doing a great thing. I cannot come down four times. The fifth time they come, they threaten. I'm doing a great thing. I cannot come down. I'm staying focused on getting this wall built and he gets it built. There's something about staying focused that we all want. We all long for. Everybody wants to live a focused, intentional, purposeful life. Well, we got a million distractions pulling us a million different directions. How do we live a life of focus? Especially, and the case that Paul's going to make today is how do we live a gospel focused life? That's what our burden is as Christians. How do we focus on Christ in all we do? How do we make sure he's at the center of all that we do, and all our life is focused around him? So we're going to look at this in Philippians chapter three. Today will be in verses 12 through 16. And if you don't have a Bible, we'd love to give you one. You can slip out in the lobby anytime and grab one will be reading from that today. You'll want to follow along as we read. And that's on page 921 In the Church Bible. Any page number on the screens tied into that Bible in particular. But turn to Philippians chapter three. I'm going to read verses 12 through 16, and then from that we're going to draw seven aspects of a gospel centered life, seven aspects of a gospel focused life. I think there are seven things in particular, and here that Paul is emphasizing in terms of how do we focus on the gospel in all of our life? So follow along as I read Philippians chapter three, verse 12, not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect. And by the way, we probably should read a couple of verses before that, because what is this? What has he not obtained already? Well, this is verse ten, that I may know him. The power of his resurrection share in his sufferings, become like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. So he's talking about resurrection from the dead, following Christ, sharing in life with Christ. Now he say in verse 12, not that I've already obtained this or I'm 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, straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. But those of us who are mature think this way. And if in any thing you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us also hold true to what we have attained. So here in verses 12 through 16, we're going to see seven aspects of a gospel centered life, a gospel focused life. And the first here shows up in these first couple of verses. In fact, I've put those in your notes to help draw out the contrast contrast. But the main idea is to start with, you need to know what matters and what doesn't. If you're going to focus on anything, you got to know what matters and what doesn't. Both are important. In fact, I remember when my dad retired, he was an attorney, and when he retired a few months later, I said, dad, how's it going? He said, life is crazy busy. I don't know how I had time to work back when I worked. Now that I'm retired. I was like, well, dad, you said no to everything else. I mean, that's how it works when you're working. You know, this is important. Not everything else. But you know what I'm saying? I've got to make sure work stays is a high priority. So I say no to a lot of things that now I can say yes to that are filling up my time. Part of the power of focus is to know what to say no to, to allow time to focus. And Paul starts this in fact, he repeats it twice, makes the case that I've not already obtained it. I'm aware of what hasn't happened. And you see this comparison in your notes. If you've got a copy of the notes, I've laid these verses out. Not that I've already obtained it, but I press on. He repeats himself. Not that I consider that made it my own, but I press on. Now. Part of the reason he does that is because of the power of repetition. He's repeating the same thing twice. I haven't figured it out, but I press on. I don't already have it figured out, but I press on. Part of that is just when you want to emphasize something, you repeat it. You keep driving it home and hopefully after you've said it the thousandth time, your spouse finally hears it, but they heard it from someone else and pretend they never heard it before. That happens sometimes in our home, maybe with me in particular sometimes. But we repeat things to emphasize them, and that's what he does here. For the comparison, I do not consider that I have made it my own. Now notice three things he says that have not happened. I've not obtained it. I'm not made perfect. I'm not made this on my own right off the bat. Three things in particular. He recognizes that even though he's saying I'm striving to follow Christ, I'm striving towards his righteousness. I know it's not about what I've done. This is in direct follow up to what Colby addressed last week. This whole resume of empty works. Paul said, I know those things didn't get me there. That's not what gives me a gospel centered focus. I can't rely on my own effort. I've got to know what matters. I've got to know what doesn't. And the beautiful part of that is it shows Paul's humility, because there was a time in life where he thought it was about him. Just a few verses ago. If you look back at verse six, he said, as the zeal persecuted the church as to righteousness under the law blameless. There was a time in his spiritual journey where he thought he was perfect without sin, blameless. And I've met people like this. I remember a conversation I had with a guy that I worked with. He said, no, I don't think I've seen in the last ten years. It's until right now, right? There was this idea that I can attain to perfection. And of course, I hope we're improving. I hope for sinning less over time. We should be growing. The fancy word is sanctification. We should be growing in holiness. That should be happening. There was a time where Paul thought, I am without sin in my standing before God. I'm perfect before him, and he knows. He knows now that is not how things are. That is not what I need to hold on to. It's important to know what not to believe, in order to know how to focus on Christ. And he starts out by emphasizing, emphasizing that very happily. Heavily and I think the important part of that is to remember for him, he has to fight the temptation to continue to put his significance in what he does. The temptation is to go back to that when times get tough. I've put my faith in Christ, but when times get tough, I'm going to lean back on where I thought I gained my significance before. I just naturally trickle back to that. And Paul's got to keep coming back to no, no, no, that is not where I gain my righteousness. You may remember that Jesus had this conversation with the rich young ruler in Matthew 19 and he says, you know, what do I need to do to attain salvation? Roughly thereabouts is what he says. And Jesus says, well, if you kept these laws. Yeah, then all those. And then he says to him, all you need to do now is go and sell everything you have and come follow me. That's it. In fact, he said it this way. He said, if you want to be perfect and it's the same word that Paul drives on here, I have already been made perfect. If you want to be perfect, sell all you have and come and follow me. Now that verse, by the way, the young man, what happens with him? He goes away sad because of this. That verse sometimes gets abused, misused a lot of way. It's interesting. He never says that to any of his other disciples. Even Matthew, the tax collector. So you have he does say, come and follow me. What's important there is Jesus knows there's a deeper heart issue that is keeping this guy from following me, and it's his love for money. And I've got to address that. And all of us have had to do that. If you follow Christ, there's something you've had to say no to that you thought all of life was found in it, and that was really hard. It was incredibly hard. I don't know that I can go without this God, how can I live without this? And you're calling me to set it aside and many will go away sad because of that. I cannot imagine life without this thing, or this person or this possession. And I read Bob Russell this week. I mean, the elders have been reading a book he wrote about what God did through growing the church he was at at the time, Southeast Church. And he said, because of that passage, because of Jesus addressing the issue of our hearts infatuation with money in particular, they never shied away from talking about money at church. We don't talk about it much here, but we obviously don't shy away from it. We're not trying to avoid it. Bob made the case in particular that it's become such an idol of the heart in our culture to so many put all their significance in money and possessions. That's why it's hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And no matter how bad off things are globally, we are all incredibly rich. So those are hard verses for us to read, to wrestle with the heart issue. And if we are going to focus on the gospel, there's things that have to fall away and it might be money in your life. It might be something else. I don't know. You probably know you probably know what that thing is, man. I couldn't have imagined life without it. And he took it away. So the first aspect of living a gospel centered life know what matters, but also know what doesn't. What isn't going to add to significance in life at all. Now look at the second aspect of a gospel centered life, a gospel focused life. Number two, know the source of your salvation. If it's not found in all the stuff that can do, what is the source of my salvation, the source of my joy and hope and peace and significance? Where do I find that? Look back at verse 12, because he says, not that I've already obtained his resurrection from the dead. Not that I am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own. And here's why. Because Christ Jesus had made, has made me his own. So the reason he can press on is because Christ Jesus has made him his own. This is all passive. Jesus did it for me. It wasn't that I did it. Somehow he picked me out of the crowd because of how amazing I was and all the great stuff I had already done. And he thought, I think, I think he should be on my team. Maybe he's good enough. We'll pick him. No, no, no, Jesus made me his own Many think this is Paul referring to his own conversion. And it's really important to think about Paul's conversion. This is acts chapter nine. You want to meditate on that? Read that at another time. But if you remember what Paul was about before then, before coming to know Jesus, he was all about persecuting anyone who followed Jesus. He was all about killing Christians. He hated Jesus. And Jesus met him on the road to Damascus. And in an instant, look, he was not only running from Jesus, he was trying to kill everyone who followed him. And in an instant he went from that. Yes, Lord, where do you want me? Look, this is really important to where to dwell on. Because it is so easy to get caught up in. How can Jesus forgive me for what I've done? How could he ever accept me? How could he ever love me? I don't know what you've done, but I'm guessing you didn't live a life like Paul where you were actively seeking to kill Christians, that you hated Jesus, and maybe you did. I think part of us before Christ all hated him a little. You might not have said it out loud, but you hated him trying to control your life. Stay away from me, I got this. No. Tell me what to do. Look, if you didn't live your life like Paul. Jesus forgave him. Not only forgave him, made him him his most effective missionary, he didn't just say, I'll let you in. I guess now I'm going to take the worst and make him the best. This is really important to get your mind around because no matter what you've been through, the enemy wants to keep you pressed down in that same. No matter what you've been through, he can use you in ways that you could never imagine. In fact, the worse you've been, the more that will stand out to the world as God did something in that person's life. I mean, can anyone attest to that has he used you in ways you could never imagine? We can't take credit for that. No. The source of your salvation. If you want to live a gospel focused life, you got to know what is the source of my salvation. It's not about me and what I did. It's about how great he is to rescue me from the direction I was running hard toward. So that's number two. Now, number three, look at this. Press on to make it your own. Okay. Now these statements, by the way, seem kind of contradictory. Press on to make it your own. But you're saying I don't have anything to do with it, John, you're saying Jesus rescued me, so now you're saying press on to make it righteousness, salvation in Christ, to make it your own? Seems a bit contradictory. Look at this in verse 12 again, because he emphasizes this twice. Not that I've already obtained it, or imperfect, but I press on to make it my own brothers. I did not consider that made it my own. One thing I do forgetting what lies behind, straining forward to what lies ahead. I press on twice, I press on. I keep pressing on. Even though I haven't obtained it. I keep pressing on. You remember we talked some about this in chapter two, verse 12, where he talks about the fact that we haven't grown fully into our salvation. We need to work out your salvation with fear and trembling. Trembling. That means to to grow it, to not go find it, discover it, create it. And the same emphasis is here because every one of us would say, and that's why you're here, by the way, every one of us would say, we haven't figured it all out yet. We're not where we want to be spiritually. And so we keep pressing on. There is still a burden on us. And how does that all work out? Jesus has saved us, and yet we're continue to strive towards him and continue to work and grow in him. How does all that work out? I don't know exactly, but it's clear in Scripture that we're still called to pursue him, to move towards him, to grow in him, to strive towards him. And the beautiful part is he gives us something to do in him. He gives us a role to pursue. He allows us to take part in what he's doing. We're not just passively sitting around waiting for him to move. He uses us to. Press on, I press on. It seems like a contradiction because in chapter three, verse nine he said, I have a righteousness not found on my own from the law, but it comes through Christ. But we press on in the midst of that. Number four, notice what he says here. A gospel focused life is not stuck in the past, not stuck in the past. We're aware of the past, but we're not controlled. We're not stuck there. Look back at verse 13. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do forgetting what lies behind. That's an important phrase for us to recognize here when it comes to straining forward, when it comes to pressing on, when it comes to having a gospel focused life, part of that is forgetting some of what lies behind. Now, forgetting here doesn't mean I've completely erase it from memory. It. In fact, I think there's three ways I didn't outline these in your notes. So you may want to capture these, but I think there's three ways. In particular, Paul will be forgetting what lies behind as he presses forward. One of the things he does is that he is forgetting his past confidences, his past confidences. And this is directly following off what, again, Colby addressed last week the empty resume of works he's going to forget. He's no longer going to turn to putting his confidence in the things he did. I'm going to turn away from that. That's one I think also, he's going to turn away from his past victories that control him. We're not going to let past victories control us now. God did work in the past in our ways and in this church in amazing ways, and we're going to celebrate that, but not let that control us. And I think I put in your notes, Zechariah, I think there's a passage in Ezra that I think is equally powerful to illustrate this. Ezra chapter three. When the foundation of the new Temple Israel had been in exile, they come back to the Promised Land, and they lay the new foundation of the temple. And there were two very different reactions there. One is from the young people. They celebrate. They rejoice. The temple is built again. Look at what God is doing. Look at the new thing he's doing here. We get to see him at work. But then one of the old people do. They wept. This isn't as glorious as it was long ago. We remember the day when the temple. This doesn't compare. This isn't even close to even a small portion of what the temple was like. We know how glorious that day was. And so you get the rejoicing and the celebration, and you get the weeping. And by the way, I think part of that is healthy the weeping of realizing our nation has strayed from God. Part of that is good. Part of that is sometimes we do get stuck in the past. This isn't the way it was before. Not just old people do it. Sometimes media makes people do it. It happens. For a lot of us. You get stuck in the past and you realize this isn't the way it was before. Valley View isn't the same church it was when I was here as a little kid. We won't say how many years ago a number of years ago. It's not the same church. 30, 40, 20, ten, four years ago. This month. I've been here four years already. Can you believe it? It's gone so fast. It's crazy. Well, thank you. It's not the same church it was four years ago even. It's always changing. And so we can't stay stuck in the past. Not in the victories, not in the confidences. And then also not in past sin. Paul hasn't stayed stuck. And by the way, can you imagine how many times. Here's the sentence that would have happened when someone meets Paul for the first time. Imagine if this goes before you everywhere you go. I'd like to introduce you to our new missionary. His name is Paul. Okay, I've heard about this guy. Isn't that the guy that used to want to kill us all? Imagine if that was the sentence that preceded you everywhere you went. Every time. Yes, that was me. Imagine the shame and the guilt. Not Paul. Thank you Jesus, you changed me. And I put that confidence in you. And I'm leaving that sin behind. And the enemy would love nothing more for you to be weighed down with the shame and guilt of things you've done wrong in the past. And every one of us has done something wrong. He would love nothing more than to keep you stuck there. Look, if Paul can get past it, you can too. You can. You don't have to stay there. You might choose to, but over and over again, dwelling on it. Walk in the freedom that you have in Christ. If you know him, he has forgiven you. You have freedom in him. He's forgiven you. There may be consequences that result from our sin. Look, we all have to live with some of that. But he has forgiven you. You don't have to walk in the shame of that anymore. And he can use you in ways you could never imagine. So don't stay stuck in the past if you have a gospel focused life now. Number five, look at this. Stay forward focused. I mean, this is the opposite of staying stuck in the past. We want to stay forward focused. We want to stay pressing forward, looking forward in all that we do. Christianity is inherently a forward focused religion. Yeah, we look back to the Bible written a long time ago, but all of us long for the day when Jesus comes back. That's our hope. Our hope is not just in what he did long ago. It's what he will do, is doing when he comes and sets everything right. Because sin still reigns in the world. Yeah, he came in forgiveness of sin. Sin still exists, but there will be a day when he comes and death will be no more. Neither will there be mourning or crying or pain anymore. For the old things have passed away when he comes, when he shows up. We have a forward focused mentality and this shapes every aspect of your life. By the way, I was at a funeral home recently. Gary Gordon’s and Lori Basham's mother passed away and he [Gary] said to me, John, I don't know how anyone gets through this without hope in Christ. I don't know how you could get through this. I know there'll be a day when I get to see her again. You know, I'll often quote almost at every funeral.

First Thessalonians 4: 23:17

13. It's so powerful. We do not grieve as those. If you know Christ, we do not grieve as those who have no hope. Our grief. There's still grief, but it's different. We have hope. We know there'll be a day when we get to see them again. And if they didn't know Christ, you know your significance isn't fully tied up in that. You know it's in him. And so we press on, we point forward, we depend on him in all that we do. It's a forward focused faith. And then number six, remain teachable. Remain teachable. So we have all this language. I haven't attained it. I'm pressing forward. I'm forgetting what lies behind. I'm pressing on. But look at verse 15. He says this. Let those of us who are mature think this way. And if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal this also to you. Remain teachable. Remain teachable. That's another aspect of a gospel focused life. And here Paul is saying to them, I hope you understand this, what I've been laying out. I hope you understand that it's not about what you do that earns you salvation. It's about what Christ has done on your behalf. And yet we still strive to honor him and live a life that honors him in all that we do. I hope you understand that if you are in fact, he says, if you are mature, that word matures. It's a very a different version, but it's the same root word of the word he said perfect earlier. I'm not perfect yet. I hope you are moving towards maturity, towards. Another way to translate it is completeness. Sometimes in athletic context that word will be translated. It is fit. I hope you're fit. I hope you're ready. You're not perfect. There's no perfect athlete, but that you know the difference between I'm ready for this competition or I'm not. I hope you're ready. I hope you're perfect. I hope you're mature. I hope you're complete, equipped, ready for this moment. Part of that is remaining teachable because he says right after that, and if you're not, I hope you can seek out God. And this is so important for every Christian, by the way, so critical for every one of us to be teachable. Because at every stage of your Christian life and your growth and your journey, you're going to hit a point where you go, I don't know how I feel about that. God, I've never thought of that before. I encounter this new truth and I'm not sure I like it at every stage. Again, it happens to me. It happens to Larry Peercy, who I'm pointing towards, he’s not over there. He's probably out praying about something he's wrestling with right now. It happens to every one of us. You think I got it all figured out and then God hit you with something new. I don't know how I feel about that. The immature says that can't be true because I've never thought of it. That can't be true. I don't want any part of that. My God would never do that. The mature says, I'm going to bring it to him. I'm going to pray. I'm going to ask him, God, are you in this? Would you show me? Would you reveal yourself in this? I'm hearing this for the first time. I've never thought of this. Could you be at work trying to show me something new? And I've been praying. In your notes, I listed James four two through three. I've been praying that more this year than I've ever prayed that passage before. And that whole section. You've heard the language you do not have because you do not ask. All right. Sometimes we use that in jest, in parenting or something, right? Or maybe at work, you might quote that verse when someone acts like they should have something, they've never even asked for it. You do not have because you do not ask. And so look, he says to ask, ask me. And so I'm praying more and more for the things specifically God, would you provide this? Would you open this door? Would you do this? But I'm also praying the second half of that verse, which is really important, you ask, but you do not have because you ask with impure motives. Now, sometimes because we're concerned and maybe fearful that I'm going to naturally ask for things, I'm not sure I can trust any of my motives. I have found that verse suffering because here's what I'm doing now. I'm going to ask Lord, and if my motives are wrong, when my motives are wrong, I'm going to trust that you're going to reveal that that you're going to expose that I'm going to keep asking, and I'm going to trust that you're going to expose my impure motives when I ask wrongly. But I'm going to ask. And stay teachable, remain teachable. Remain open to what he wants to show you until you and do in your life. That's why our theme this year was grow, grow. We all want to grow. We all need to grow. No matter where you are spiritually, we got to keep growing, remain teachable. And then lastly, number seven, remember or celebrate the wins, the victories. Okay, we leave behind the victories in terms of that they control or define us. But yet also we need to know when to celebrate and remember the fact that God has been at work in our life. Remember the wins. Look at verse 16. Here's how the passage ends. Only let us hold true to what we have obtained, attained. Only let us hold true to what we have attained. You know, if you know Christ, if you've walked with him, there are things he's done in your life that you should hold on to. This is why journaling is so powerful, because it is. Our natural tendency is to just forget what God has done in our lives. We might remember for a few days. And then it's just gone. That's why I try to each morning, most every morning, even if it's just a few sentences, write down. Here's what happened yesterday. Here's what God was showing me. Here's what he did. And then usually, occasionally, I'll look back over it. I try to go back a year and look what was he doing a year ago? Sometimes two years ago. And every time, how did I forget that he did that? How did I forget? I had completely forgotten. Remember the wins. Remember the victories. Remember that he has provided so much. And this is especially important when life gets hard and you feel like he's against you. We got to go back and be intentional to remember what we have already attained, both what he's done in your life but the truth of the gospel. He's already moved in your life. If you know him, you know what he's rescued you from. Go back and remember. This is part of living a gospel focused life, a life solely focused on him. In fact, right here in the middle of the passage in verse 13, he says, but one thing I do. In fact, in the original language, this is five words. But one thing I do in the original language was two words, but one, but one. But first. But only Paul knows to live a gospel focused life, there can only be one thing that can't be seven things. Although that's was our list today. Ignore that. You understand. It's all pointing us to one thing. There's one thing the gospel has to be at the center of your life. If you want to experience the fullness of knowing Christ, if you want the hope and the peace and the joy and the purpose and the significance and the meaning and the freedom. He's got to be your sole focus now. He'll bring other things into your life around that. But that's at the center, that's at the bullseye. And nothing else should compete. Recently, my dad told me his story. My oldest son lives in Colorado, and he lives in Aspen, which I think is one of the wealthiest cities on the planet. Okay. He's there. He lives in like an old, rundown dormitory for Forest Service workers that they set up so that some poor people can actually live there and work in the city. But it's one of the wealthiest cities on the planet. And my dad wisely said to him, hey, John has to be careful living in that environment. Don't let all that wealth draw your heart away from Christ. Don't let that tempt you. Don't end up thinking that's where joy and hope and peace is. And he said, oh grandpa, don't worry, don't worry. None of those people are happy. None of those people are happy. I see it, I'm not tempted. To have that wisdom at 21 years old, I wish I had wish I had that. They're not happy. They're looking for peace and hope and joy and fulfillment. They're not finding it. And I'm sure there I know he goes to a church there, so I know there are Christians there in general. He's saying what they're seeking to find peace and hoping they're not finding it. One thing, only one. Christ alone is where you'll find it. Let's pray.