Sermon Text: Philippians 3:12-16

Theme:  The call of God to the church summons Christians to pursue growth in the knowledge and conduct of Christ with a single-mind focus on the goal of taking hold of Him forever. 

Structure/points:  On Reformation Sunday, we are especially thankful for our Reformed and Protestant heritage.  But we are not Protestants for the sake of being Protestant.  We practice this faith and worship the Lord in this particular way because we have a goal that we want to reach.  In order to reach that goal, there is a mindset we ought to adopt.  Philippians 3:12-16 reveals the mind-set of the apostle Paul, and he would have all Christians adopt a similar attitude to his. 

1. Paul’s current lack of perfection
2. Paul’s single-minded focus on the goal
3. Paul’s exhortation to Christian maturity