031 Glorious Discontentment – part 1

Philippians 3:12-21 (12-16)

November 9, 2025

This morning we are coming to our final segment of our study regarding “The Necessity of Sanctification”

We have thus far looked at:

THE DECREE FOR SANCTIFICATION

1 Peter 1:13-19 “Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.”

THE DOCTRINE OF SANCTIFICATION

Romans 6:6-14 “knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.”

THE DYNAMICS OF SANCTIFICATION

2 Corinthians 3:18 “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.”

And we noted that we see Christ in:

Scripture – Prayer – Providence – Fellowship – Obedience

This morning we look at the fourth point, and that is:

THE DRIVE FOR SANCTIFICATION

For that, we are going to look at the second half of Philippians 3.

It is a portion of Scripture that cannot be overlooked

If you are serious about the issue of sanctification.

Here we learn about THE DRIVE that should be present within each of us

To pursue that which is so important.

We have learned:

Hebrews 12:14 “Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.”

John 13:8 “Peter said to Him, “Never shall You wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.”

We could add:

1 Thessalonians 4:3a “For this is the will of God, your sanctification…”

We understand that SANCTIFICATION MATTERS.

· Without it, there is no fellowship with Christ.

· Without it, we will never see the Lord.

Having discussed why it is necessary, and how to pursue it,

ALL THAT IS LEFT FOR US TO GET TO IT.

Philippians 3 provides that necessary kick in the pants to get us moving.

SO WE WILL CONCLUDE OUR STUDY HERE.

I don’t want to spend much time on the context of the chapter,

But some is necessary.

THE PHILIPPIAN CHURCH FACED A THREAT.

· That threat is outlined at the first few verses of the chapter.

Philippians 3:1-3 “Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you. Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision; for we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh,”

The threat was the familiar Judaizers.

Just by listening to Paul’s statement we know who they were.

· They were those whose worship was not in the Spirit.

· They were those who did not glory in Christ Jesus.

· They were those who put all their confidence in the flesh.

They didn’t need Jesus, they were working for salvation.

They planned to earn their favor with God.

Now, we know that this is A NONSENSICAL PLAN

Since no man can earn righteousness before God.

We are fallen.

We are sinful.

And even if from this day forward you were to live exemplary, what is your plan regarding atoning for all your previous sin?

THE PLAN WILL NOT WORK.

But it’s interesting that Paul brings them up here.

After all,

Didn’t we just see Sunday night back in chapter 2 Paul say:

Philippians 2:12 “So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling;”

Didn’t we start this sermon by reading the end of this chapter where we heard Paul make statements like:

“I press on” which is certainly an effort-based reality.

So it can almost seem like there is some confusion here.

On one hand Paul identifies those who work for their salvation as “dogs, evil workers, and the false circumcision”

But on the other he tells us to “work out our salvation”

WHAT GIVES?

The problem with those Judaizers

· Was NOT their willingness to strive,

· NOR was it their desire for righteousness.

· Both of those things are good.

The problem with the Judaizers is that they trusted in their works

As a means to become righteous.

Paul made it clear that that was a foolish endeavor.

· In reality their works were not nearly enough.

· They standard of righteousness was way too low.

· They only compared themselves to one another to justify themselves.

· They were not even close to what God demanded.

The righteousness which God demands is found only in Jesus.

And that is what Paul pointed out next in this chapter.

That even though he had reason to put confidence in his flesh,

He knew that all of his accomplishments were rubbish.

So Paul forsook all of his accomplishments and placed it all on Jesus.

Philippians 3:8-9 “More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith,”

So Paul told the Philippians that there was a danger lurking in their midst.

There were men who were trying to get them

To trust in their own works as means of pleasing God

Instead of trusting in Christ.

Paul wrote to warn the Philippians of the non-sense and blasphemy of such a doctrine because true righteousness only comes by faith in Christ.

BUT…

He also wanted to remind them that

Obtaining righteousness by faith in Christ

Does not mean that we now turn into some sort of lazy creature.

We don’t give up our pursuit of righteousness

Just because we have come to Christ,

In fact, we pursue it all the more

Because now in Christ it is actually obtainable.

AS WE HAVE STUDIED.

Christ, by reason of His death, burial, and resurrection has made us DEFINITIVELY righteous or positionally righteous.

· We are justified.

· We are sanctified.

· We have been made perfect in the sight of God.

Christ will also perfectly sanctify us when He returns and transforms us into His image.

· We will be glorified.

· We will be sanctified entirely.

· We will be like Him for we will see Him as He is.

And that means that we are in the process of transition.

It is that PROGRESSIVE sanctification we spoke of.

· We are becoming each day more like Christ.

AND THE CHRISTIAN SHOULD BE STRIVING FOR IT.

The Christian should be laboring for it.

The Christian should be reaching for it.

In short, we are not striving to earn righteousness on our own,

But we are striving to take full advantage

Of all that Christ has accomplished for us.

And that is where we come THIS MORNING.

Paul has just finished explaining that

He wants the righteousness of Christ which is imputed by faith.

And not only that, but he wants the practical righteousness

That comes through fellowship with Christ.

Philippians 3:10-11 “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.”

THAT IS WHAT HE WANTS.

This morning we see his drive to obtain it.

And his encouragement that we share his passion.

In this final segment of Philippians 3 there are 4 realities Paul wants to address.

#1 AWARENESS

Philippians 3:12-14

Paul has been emphatic that he wants to know Christ

And enjoy fellowship with Christ.

He wants the righteousness of Christ.

(both positionally and practically – both definitively and progressively)

We see in verse 12 that he wants to “lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.”

And let’s start there in our awareness.

Are you aware that it was not you who laid hold of Christ,

But rather that it was Christ who laid hold of you?

We remember Jesus telling the disciples:

John 15:16 “You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.”

· We remember how Jesus called Peter and Andrew, James and John while they were fishing.

· We remember how Jesus called Matthew out of the tax booth.

These men didn’t select Jesus

As the role model they wanted to most emulate,

Jesus selected them for the work He intended to do in their life.

And we, who believe in the sovereignty of God, understand this.

· We know about total depravity.

· We know that there is no one who seeks for God.

· We know that a man must be born again by God.

· We know that we are all Lazarus’s that must be called out of the tomb.

John 6:44 “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.”

So we understand what Paul means when he says that he was “laid hold of by Christ Jesus.”

We certainly remember it in Paul’s life.

We remember in Acts 9 how Saul was on the way to Damascus and how Jesus confronted him and blinded him and sent him to Ananias.

God told Ananias:

Acts 9:15 “But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel;”

God chose Paul to be an apostle to the Gentiles.

Galatians 1:13-16 “For you have heard of my former manner of life in Judaism, how I used to persecute the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it; and I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my countrymen, being more extremely zealous for my ancestral traditions. But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood,”

When Paul says Christ laid hold of him there is no exaggeration there.

That is exactly what happened.

· Christ chose him.

· Christ laid hold of him.

· Christ saved him.

· Christ commissioned him.

Now first you need to be aware that Christ did that for you too.

You wouldn’t be here, if He had not.

· It was Christ who first allowed you to see your sin.

· It was Christ who opened your eyes to your deserved judgment.

· It was Christ who then granted you faith to believe in Him.

· It was Christ who paid for your sin.

· It was Christ who justified you before the Father.

· It was Christ who sent the Holy Spirit to dwell within you.

Your Christian life only exists

Because Christ laid hold of you and took you to Himself.

You need to be aware of that.

That awareness then leads you to a second thing you need to be aware of.

If Christ laid hold of you, then HE DID SO FOR HIS OWN PURPOSES.

· He chose you.

· He saved you.

· He laid hold of you.

What we want to know is: WHY?

And clearly, in the context of Philippians 3

It is so that He might be glorified in making you righteous.

There is certainly not glory to be had in making you sinful.

You can do that on your own.

But if Christ can take a sinner and make Him righteous,

That is a thing of absolute glory and beauty.

Christ then is saving you.

· He is justifying you.

· He is sanctifying you.

· He is glorifying you.

Romans 8:28-30 “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.”

Christ laid hold of you that He might make you righteous like Him.

You need to be aware of that.

But there’s a third thing you need to be aware of,

(And this seems to be what Paul is most focused on)

YOU’RE NOT THERE YET

Paul begins verse 12 by saying, “Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect…”

He says it again in verse 13, “Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid old of it yet…”

Paul is aware that Christ laid hold of him.

He is aware that Christ did so in order to make him righteous.

And he realizes that he has not yet fulfilled his purpose.

I am not there yet.

ARE YOU ALSO AWARE OF THAT?

Now I know that it’s easy to make those generalized blanket statements.

· I’m not perfect

· Nobody’s perfect

· I’m not like Jesus

But let’s cut through the generalities.

· Do you understand that you are not yet a finished product?

· Do you understand that you are not yet what Christ expects you to be?

Do you know that? Really?

That thus far in your life, you have yet to achieve

the standard that Christ expects of you?

And again, you might say, “yes”. (I hope you would say yes)

But even more specific.

CAN YOU NAME AN AREA?

Are you aware of an area in your life where you have

Yet to become what Christ desires you to become?

This is an area of awareness that we need.

We need to see that I am not yet what Christ desires me to be,

AND THAT STARTS WITH…

AWARENESS MATTERS.

Picture a lost hiker in the mountains.

· The first thing to recognize is that they are not where they need to be.

· They need to see that they are of course.

· They need to identify which direction they need to move.

They’re never going to get out of there by ignoring any of those realities.

YOU NEED AWARENESS.

Can I tell you another area of awareness that you need?

You need to be aware of the fact that ONLY THE PRESENT MATTERS.

Paul says in verse 13, “Brethren, I do not regard myself has having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,”

While there are always lessons to be learned from the past,

Your past accomplishments are not the point of your journey.

PAUL HAD A PRETTY FULL RESUME IN HIS OWN RIGHT.

He could discuss all the things that might prohibit him from ever expecting to be righteous.

· Persecuting Christians

· Attacking the church

· Being a blasphemer and a violent aggressor

Those things might make a man think he can never be righteous or holy,

He’s already been too bad but Paul is “forgetting what lies behind”

He could discuss all the good things he’s done in the way of church work.

· How many were saved under his preaching?

· How many churches have been planted?

Those things might make a man think he’s done enough and doesn’t need to do any more, but Paul is “forgetting what lies behind”

Paul might discuss all the hardships he’s had in life and justify not having to face any more struggles.

· Shipwrecked

· Stoned

· Imprisoned, etc.

Paul might say, “I’ve suffered enough, there’s no need to put myself out there any more.” But he was “forgetting what lies behind”

YOU SEE THE POINT?

WHAT’S PAST IS PAST.

I think of that church at Sardis who received a harsh rebuke from Jesus.

Revelation 3:1-6 “To the angel of the church in Sardis write: He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars, says this: ‘I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. ‘Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God. ‘So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you. ‘But you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments; and they will walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. ‘He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”

They sought to retire and rest on all they had done as though they were finished.

Jesus took offense.

“I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God”

YOU’RE NOT FINISHED.

Quit letting the past effect the future.

Are you aware of that in your spiritual journey?

That it is today that matters, not yesterday.

· Maybe you were a thug yesterday. That was yesterday.

· Maybe you were a saint yesterday. That was also yesterday.

In our drive for sanctification we are concerned with today.

ARE YOU AWARE OF THAT?

PAUL CERTAINLY WAS.

· He had been selected for a purpose.

· That purpose was righteousness.

· He had not yet fulfilled that purpose.

· And the fulfillment would take place today and moving forward.

And one more thing.

Are you aware of what it will take to fulfill your purpose?

It’s going to take ACTION on your part.

· You don’t become righteous by osmosis.

· Sleeping with a bible under your pillow won’t help.

· Paul said (12) “I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.”

· Paul said (13) “forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead”

· Paul said (14) “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

A lost hiker isn’t getting out of the wilderness

· Until he realizes he is lost,

· Determines the direction to go,

· Realizes that he must do something right now to fix it,

· And then moves in that direction.

You have Paul here understanding that effort is required.

He is pressing, He is reaching, He is moving.

All so that he might “lay hold of that for which also [he] was laid hold of”

AND THIS IS WHERE WE START

As we discuss the necessary drive of sanctification.

A GLORIOUS DISCONTENTMENT

While it is true that the Bible speaks of contentment as a good thing, and subsequently discontentment as a bad thing, that has to do with obtaining the world.

But when it comes to obtaining righteousness

There can be no contentment.

There must be no apathy in the Christian journey.

We run, we strive, we press, we reach

· We understand that we were laid hold of for a reason

· We have yet to fulfill that reason.

· We are not crippled by our past mistakes…

· We do not rest on our past accomplishments…

· We press on each do to become more and more like Christ.

THAT IS THE AWARENESS EACH OF US MUST ADOPT.

There’s a second reality I want to give you here this morning as well.

Awareness

#2 ATTITUDE

Philippians 3:15-16

Paul says, “Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude…”

If you’re familiar with the book of Philippians you know that

This is the SECOND TIME Paul addressed the attitude of the Philippians.

Philippians 2:5 “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,”

Where Paul went on to discuss the great humility of Christ

In becoming human and dying on a cross.

The first time Paul confronted the attitude

It was to treat our life as unimportant.

The second time Paul confronts the attitude

It is to encourage us to pursue the life that is.

“have this attitude…”

Paul doesn’t want us to emulate his righteousness,

He wants you to emulate his pursuit of it.

The attitude he exhibited in verses 12-14

Is the attitude he expects every believer to have.

But there is something a little peculiar here in this verse.

He says, (15) “Let us therefore, as many as are perfect…”

Wait a second…

· Didn’t Paul just say in verse 12 that he had not yet become perfect?

SO WHAT IS HE TALKING ABOUT HERE?

It would seem that Paul is distinguishing between

Definitive sanctification and Progressive sanctification.

There is a sense in which all believers ARE ALREADY PERFECT.

· We are justified and declared perfect in Christ Jesus.

Hebrews 10:14 “For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.”

In a positional sense

· We have been declared righteous or perfect before God.

· Our sin has been atoned for through Christ’s death.

· Christ’s righteousness has been imputed to us by faith.

· We are wrapped in His righteous robe.

· We are, in that sense, perfect.

And yet, at the same time we are a work in progress,

Striving to be practically righteous.

So in a mysterious way the Christian

Is both perfect and imperfect at the same time.

He is both sinful and righteous at the same time.

He is a sinner and a saint.

So why does Paul jump back to the believer’s righteous state here in verse 15?

He is making the point that

Those who have been justified

Should desire to be sanctified.

While justification and sanctification are NOT the same thing,

You do not get one without the other.

There is no such thing as a believer who has been justified

Who does not also receive sanctification from the Lord.

That truth has been the foundation of our study

When we read those famous passages.

· How without sanctification “no one will see the Lord.”

· How Jesus said, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me”

· How “those whom He foreknew He predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son”

All of those truths hold to that fact.

The reason Paul refers to us as those who are “perfect”

Is to remind us that as justified believers in Christ,

This exhortation is not optional.

This is THE attitude of the redeemed.

This is THE ONLY acceptable attitude of the justified.

That DOES NOT mean, however,

That everyone in the church shares this attitude.

There are some who would seem to be content with justification

And see no need for an effort to be sanctified.

Paul replied to them as well.

“and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you;”

That is to say, if you are a child of God

And do not yet see the necessity of sanctification,

I am confident that you will soon enough.

“God will reveal that also to you”

IT IS COMING.

You may not see the importance of living a holy life as a Christian,

But God does, and rest assured He’ll make His point.

And then Paul gives a second exhortation here:

(16) “however, let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained.”

The word “however” there doesn’t necessarily indicate how it can sound.

It can sound like Paul is saying:

“Be sanctified, but if not, at the very least stay where you are.”

That’s NOT what he’s saying.

As John MacArthur notes in his commentary on Philippians,

You could also translate that word “One more thing…”

It’s NOT Paul giving consolation to those who don’t want to be sanctified.

He just told them God is going to focus on their sanctification whether they do or not.

Rather here Paul is saying, “You need to focus on sanctification and, one more thing, you need to walk in line.”

“let us keep living” is the Greek word is (stoy-KHAY-o)

It is a word used of military men who are called to line up and march in line.

It speaks of going in order.

It speaks of a direct and dedicated march.

The Christian life is not one which is lived haphazardly.

It is not random or chaotic.

We march under an expected standard.

We walk under orders from a Master.

It matters how we walk.

Ephesians 4:1 “Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,”

Ephesians 4:17 “So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind,”

Ephesians 5:8 “for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light”

Ephesians 5:15 “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise,”

Paul will elaborate more in the next verses.

Philippians 3:17-18 “Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us. For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ,”

We are not called to walk the undisciplined life of sin and the flesh,

But to come under the authority of our Master and march in line.

1 John 2:6 “the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.”

The Christian must stay in the lines.

We’re going to stop there this morning; we’ll finish up tonight,

But let’s put it in an illustrative scenario that will help us grasp it.

I mentioned earlier about a lost hiker, so let’s look there.

Your lost, hiking in the mountains.

You really need to make it to your destination.

First you need awareness.

· You need to know you are lost.

· You need to recognize that you have missed the mark.

· You need to discern the direction that you need to go.

Pull out the compass, check the trees for moss,

See the position of the sun, and figure out where you need to go.

And then you need to adjust your attitude for the journey.

· It will do you no good to get depressed about the mistakes you made that landed you here, that’s in the past.

· It will do you no good to assure everyone around you that you don’t usually get lost.

· You need the attitude that is ready to make a corrective hike.

You are going to change course.

And then you must be committed to walk that course until you reach the destination.

· You must stay in the lines.

· You must hold the course.

· And now you’re ready to set out.

· Words like “press on”

· Words like “reaching forward”

This is the kind of drive that is necessary in our pursuit of sanctification.

In the Swiss Alps there is a cemetery

Reserved for men who die while mountain climbing in the area.

One notable tombstone is from an unknown climber which reads:

“He Died Climbing”

That is the Christian ambition. (Glorious Discontentment)

· To die climbing.

· To die pursuing something higher and loftier than what is here.

· To spend the rest of this life reaching forward to what lies ahead.