Pastor’s Table Blog

A Spiritual Legacy Plan

In our study of Philippians, we have reached the end of chapter 3. This section focuses on the topic of spiritual legacy planning. Many think about their legacy. Few witness the full fruit in this life. How will people remember you? At the end of your life, when loved ones gather at your funeral, what do you want people to say about you? “He had a great sense of humor!” “She loved to travel.” “They made a lot of money in their career.” Is that what you want people to say? Or do you want people to say, “I could see Jesus in their life every day?”

We all want to leave a legacy. The question is: what type of legacy will we leave? Spiritual legacy planning for Jesus requires us to run, not just a race, but a marathon. Along the path of life there will be temptations; there will be distractions that keep us from following Jesus. How do we avoid these distractions? Paul offers three actions in Philippians 3:12-21.

Pursue The Right Prize

First, you must pursue the right prize. Truthfully, we can pursue many PRIZES in life. You can pursue education and get several degrees. You can build a business and make a lot of money. You can go to gym every day and sculpt a body that is the envy of your neighborhood. Those are not necessarily bad things. However, if you want to do spiritual legacy planning for Jesus you must give all you have to the right prize.

How does Paul begin his case in v. 13? “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 (Philippians 3:13, NIV).” The first half of this verse recalls the sanctification discussion Paul began in chapter 2. He exhorted believers to “work out your salvation.” There is an effort on our part—but it is empowered by the work of God in our lives. In chapter 3, he challenges us to pursue the call of Jesus with focused attention.

How? He says he will, “Forget what is behind and STRAIN toward what is ahead.” That word, strain, is a graphic athletic image. For 1st century Christians it would bring to mind straining muscles, clear focus, and complete dedication of the runner for the prize. Picture an Olympic sprinter who is running as hard as they can to reach the finish line—nothing else matters! If you follow professional sports, you know that sometimes athletes will play injured because they are focused on the prize, the trophy … whatever it takes! This word has a future orientation—the runner is looking ahead to what is coming next.

Choose the Right Pattern

Second, choosing the right pattern. This requires means finding the right people to invest in your life. You need people older than you to emulate. Think, right now, about people who are mentors in your life. Who has/is investing in you? Are they models of Christ in your life? Paul says, we need these people—look at v. 17: “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 (Philippians 3:17, NIV).” Notice the words he uses: Example. Model. We need a picture of godliness in our lives.

Pastor Tim Keller was such an example in many lives. A few weeks ago he passed away after a battle with cancer. Tim had many great quotes and insights. However, his greatest impact came in the way he lived his life. Person after person who knew him well would simply say, “Tim Keller was the real deal. He really lived what he preached. He loved Jesus. He encouraged me—he saw me when no one else did.”

There is an account of Facebook called, “The Daily Keller.” The person who runs the account puts up Tim Keller quotes every day. When Tim passed, the account holder (also named Tim); made a post about the first time he met Tim Keller at a conference. He spoke with him for a few moments, but right before Keller had to go on stage, the younger Tim, who runs Daily Keller, said this, “Thank you for making Jesus beautiful.” Tim Keller paused, choked back some tears, and simply said, “That’s the point.”

Stay At The Right Post

Finally, stay at the right post. The right post is where you are RIGHT NOW! God has placed you here, with unique circumstances and abilities to build his kingdom. He wants you to bring heaven to earth in all your spheres of influence. Paul starts by reminding us who we are in v. 20: “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:20, NIV).” We are citizens of heaven.

This image of citizenship was a powerful one. The Philippians were proud of their Roman citizenship. But it went even deeper. You see, Philippi was an outpost of the Roman Empire. Paul was writing to them from Rome, the capitol. They regularly awaited news from the capitol on how to conduct their business. When Paul says, “you are citizens of heaven,” he is cutting right to their hearts … and ours. He is reminding them that no matter how proud you are of your earthly citizenship … your heavenly one matters more.

Notice he says we are waiting for Jesus to return. The word for savior is the Greek word SOTER. In this culture, it often referred to the emperor, Caesar. In this verse, Paul turns the concept on its head. He says, “The real SOTER is Jesus Christ!” We patiently and hopefully wait for his second coming. Even if the world is falling apart, we can live with hope because Jesus will win in the end. How do we live with hope? We have to stay at our outpost here on earth and daily seek instructions from our True King. We are holding the line until our king comes with his angel armies to remake this world.

Christian—stay at your POST!