What Is Your Ultimate Goal in Life?
Three Key Takeaways
The ultimate goal is knowing Christ and the power of His resurrection. Paul writes: "I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me." He's not aiming for comfort, status, or earthly success. His goal is the eternal knowing of Christ, participation in His sufferings, and becoming like Him in His death so he might attain the resurrection from the dead. Everything else is counted as rubbish compared to this.
Your citizenship is in heaven, not on earth, and you shouldn't become too comfortable here. Believers are meant to feel the groaning and brokenness of this world. The discomfort you experience isn't a sign that something's wrong with your faith. It's evidence that your true citizenship belongs elsewhere. When you stop fitting comfortably into this age, it often means you're remembering where you truly belong.
Stand firm in the straining, knowing that Christ has already secured your victory. You're not fighting an uncertain battle. Jesus has already triumphed. He sealed your righteousness. Your job is to press on, to strain toward the prize, to stand firm through struggles, knowing that underneath your feet is the certainty of resurrection and a future hope kept in heaven for those who persevere.
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What Is Your Ultimate Goal in Life?
Philippians 3:7-14 lays out Paul's consuming passion, and it's a challenge to everyone who calls themselves a Christian.
What Are You Taking Hold Of?
Philippians 3:7-14:
"Whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I might gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ. Yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so somehow attaining to the resurrection from the dead.
Not that I have already obtained all this or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."
Paul uses strong language here. He's pressing on. He's straining. He's taking hold of something.
Paul makes it clear that the object of his striving is not comfort, success, or status, but knowing Christ.
And he's honest about where he is in that journey. He hasn't arrived yet. He hasn't obtained all of it. But he's pressing on. He's forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead.
This is the posture Paul is calling believers into. What are you taking hold of? Is your ultimate goal knowing Christ? Or are you holding onto other things? Comfort? Status? Approval? Security? Achievement?
Paul says those things are garbage compared to knowing Christ. And he's pressing on to take hold of that prize.
Who Are You Following?
The passage then shifts to a warning about who to follow.
Paul writes: "Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters. And just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do. For as I have often told you before, and now tell you again, even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ."
Who are the enemies of the cross? Paul describes them:
"Their destiny is destruction. Their God is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things."
These are people whose ultimate goal is earthly comfort, physical pleasure, and earthly status. They've made gods out of things. Their focus is entirely on this world.
In contrast, Paul says, "But our citizenship is in heaven.nd we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ."
The question is: who are you following? Who is shaping your goals? What voices are directing your life?
Paul calls you to follow those who understand that their true home is in heaven. Those who are pressing toward Christ. Those who haven't made peace with this age but are straining toward something better.
What Are You Standing On?
Finally, Paul addresses what holds you steady when everything shakes.
"Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and my crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends."
And: "Know that underneath your feet is a certainty of resurrection, a future hope that is being held in heaven for you, that is being kept and guarded for those who persevere."
But you're not standing on nothing. You're not standing on your own strength or your own righteousness or your own ability to hold it all together. You're standing on the certainty of resurrection. You're standing on a future hope that is secure in heaven, kept and guarded for those who persevere.
And underneath all of that is the work of Jesus. He got hold of you. He secured your salvation. He sealed your righteousness. That's not up for grabs. That's not dependent on your performance or your circumstances.
Your job is to stand firm. To press on. To strain toward the prize. Knowing that no matter what hits you, underneath your feet is solid ground.
The Tension of Straining
There's something important to notice in this passage. Paul isn't saying, "Relax. Jesus did it all. Just sit back and coast."
He's saying, "Jesus did it all, and now I'm straining to take hold of that for which He took hold of me."
But you're still called to press on. To strain. To fight the good fight. To stand firm. To forget what is behind and strain toward what is ahead.
Following Christ requires perseverance. One way this happens is through suffering. When you suffer for Christ, when you participate in His sufferings, something in you remembers: "I'm not meant to fit in this world. I belong somewhere else. This struggle is reminding me what I'm pressing toward."
This is why believers who face suffering often have a clearer vision of eternity than those who are comfortable. When the comfort and convenience are threatened, thoughts turn to Christ and His kingdom. When you're straining, you remember what you're straining toward.
At Redemption
At Redemption, we're learning to press on toward a goal that matters. In a culture constantly offering false ultimate goals, we're choosing to make knowing Christ our prize.
We're learning not to get too comfortable in this age, even when comfort is available. We're recognising that the groaning and discomfort we feel is often evidence that our citizenship truly is elsewhere. We're standing firm on the certainty of resurrection, the hope secured in heaven, the work already accomplished by Christ. We're not fighting to earn our righteousness or prove ourselves. Jesus has done that.
But we're straining. We're pressing on. We're forgetting what is behind and reaching toward what is ahead. We're letting go of earthly goals and holding onto eternal ones.
And we're calling others to do the same. To stop drifting. To remember that they're made for something better. To press on toward knowing Christ, the power of His resurrection, and the eternal inheritance reserved in heaven for those who persevere.
