Press On!
Phil. 3:12-14
Jeanette Case) “Last year when I called my parents to wish them a happy New Year, my dad answered the phone. "Well, Dad, what’s your New Year’s resolution?" I asked him. "To make your mother as happy as I can all year," he answered proudly. Then mom got on, and I said, "What’s your resolution, Mom?" "To see that your dad keeps his New Year’s resolution." (http://irsweb.com/. Citation: Jeanette Case, Erie, PA, Readers Digest.)
Darren Ethier, SC.com) There was a couple who were sitting with a marriage counselor for their first session and the doctor asked them to identify what seemed to be the root of their problems. The wife responded, "It all started when we thought it would be cute to think up each other’s New Year’s resolutions" Houston Post, 12/31/91, quoted in Autoillustrator.com, NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS/FAULT FINDING.)
(Rodney Buchanan, SC.com) “I have resolved to not make any resolutions, because nobody is perfect. I’m a nobody, therefore I’m perfect.” "Starting the New Year Right"
While many New Year’s Resolutions are quickly broken, I hope the one we’re looking at today stays with us for a long time.
Last year, we began an in-depth study of Philippians called “Content in Christ”.
Review: Paul’s love for them/God, taking advantage of opportunities, his plea for unity, humility, sacrifice, and pursuit.
Today, we pick up where we left off at Phil. 3:12-14. Turn there, please.
Paul has just shared how he gave up everything for the privilege of knowing Christ.
Phil. 3:7-11 He wanted to “GAIN CHRIST 9AND BE FOUND RIGHTEOUS IN HIM, …TO KNOW CHRIST AND THE POWER OF HIS RESURRECTION AND THE FELLOWSHIP OF SHARING IN HIS SUFFERINGS, BECOMING LIKE HIM IN HIS DEATH…
Today, he encourages us to press on to achieve that incredible goal.
Last week, we looked at our vision and our need to press on. Paul says the same thing.
What better way encourage us than to talk about what’s on everybody’s mind.
•What is that? Football.
Actually, Paul probably had the Greek games in mind when he wrote this.
•I thought we could relate better in football terms.
This isn’t just for football fans or to make for a cute sermon.
There’s a game we’re all in that’s much more serious than any Super Bowl.
•It’s the game of life, the game of our spiritual life.
Prayer
How To Win the Game of Life
Paul knew the game. He knew what the stakes were. And he knew how to win.
•He knew how to win because he knew the five keys to winning.
12NOT THAT I HAVE ALREADY OBTAINED (received) ALL THIS (all the things of vv. 7-11), OR HAVE ALREADY BEEN MADE PERFECT (complete, fulfilled).
Paul has been growing in Christ for 30 years, but he’s not done yet.
•He says, “I haven’t obtained it, haven’t been perfected, haven’t taken hold of it yet.
(BKC) “He still had more spiritual heights to climb. This testimony of the apostle reminded the saints at Philippi—and it serves to remind believers today—that there must never be a stalemate in their spiritual growth or a plateau beyond which they cannot climb.”
Paul, of all people, freely admits he hasn’t reached full spiritual maturity yet.
He’s not there yet, but that doesn’t discourage him. Rather, it encourages him.
Some people think, “I’m never going to get there, I might as well quit now”.
Some people think the Christian life is too hard and they give up pursuing Christ.
What are some challenges you face in your spiritual journey?
How are you dealing with them?
Illus. When Brian Westbrook (RB) sees the goal line, he doesn’t say, "Man, I’m not there yet. I might as well give up”. He keeps trying.
Paul knew that pursuing Christ was a difficult battle that required all his effort.
•That’s why the first key to winning in this game of life is to…
1. Be Firm! (resolute, determined)
12BBUT I (continue to) PRESS ON (pursue, press toward) TO TAKE HOLD (seize, possess) OF THAT FOR WHICH CHRIST JESUS TOOK HOLD OF ME.
Take hold is a different form of the word obtained.
Paul hadn’t received all his goals, so he firmly resolves to take hold of them.
•He presses on toward it with all his strength.
Illus. Willie Parker says, “You’re not going to give me a touchdown, so I’m just going to press on and take hold of it myself.”
We need to be firm in our pursuit of Christ and not give up when the going gets rough.
The rewards of the Christian life aren’t going to be handed to us on a silver platter.
•We need to be firm/resolute in our pursuit of Christ in order to make Him our own.
This sentence might be better translated, “BECAUSE CHRIST JESUS TOOK HOLD OF ME.”
Why did Christ Jesus take hold of him? He loved him and had a purpose for Paul’s life.
•“Jesus has seized me and made me His own for a purpose, so I’m going to seize Him and make Him my own by fulfilling that purpose.”
Why did Jesus “take hold” of you?
Illus. Many believers have the idea that coming to Christ is the end point, the finale.
•We rejoice when someone comes to Christ as if that’s the finale.
•That’s only the beginning.
•What excites me most is seeing believers pursuing Christ and pressing on to fulfill God’s purpose in their lives.
Illus. How many Christians have you heard say, “I’ve already done my time in ministry; it’s someone else’s turn now.”?
There is no earthly retirement plan for Christians. Even Paul hadn’t attained it yet.
•We must never stop pursuing Christ and the purpose for which He saved us.
•We must continue to be firm/resolute if we’re going to win the game of life.
13BROTHERS, I DO NOT CONSIDER MYSELF YET TO HAVE TAKEN HOLD OF IT (He hadn’t reached the end zone yet.) BUT ONE THING I DO: That leads to our 2nd key to winning the game of life…
2. Be Focused!
Paul had prioritized his life. He was focused, intent. He had one purpose, one goal.
•He didn’t get sidetracked or distracted.
Illus. When Daunte Stallworth (WR) runs a play, he knows exactly where he’s going.
•He knows where the end zone is, where the First Down marker is or boundary line.
•He’s focused on one thing.
We need to be focused on one thing – pursuing Christ and fulfilling His purposes.
There are so many things to distract us; our jobs, health, families, present circumstances
If we’re going to win this crucial game of life, we need to be firm and focused.
What are some ways you can overcome distractions to your spiritual growth?
2 Tim. 2:4 NO ONE SERVING AS A SOLDIER GETS INVOLVED IN CIVILIAN AFFAIRS—HE WANTS TO PLEASE HIS COMMANDING OFFICER.
Heb. 12:2-3 LET US FIX OUR EYES ON JESUS, THE AUTHOR AND PERFECTER OF OUR FAITH, WHO FOR THE JOY SET BEFORE HIM ENDURED THE CROSS, SCORNING ITS SHAME, AND SAT DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF THE THRONE OF GOD. 3CONSIDER HIM WHO ENDURED SUCH OPPOSITION FROM SINFUL MEN, SO THAT YOU WILL NOT GROW WEARY AND LOSE HEART.
BUT ONE THING I DO: What is God calling you to do? That’s what you need to be focused on.
3. Be Forgetful! (Guys will like this one!)
FORGETTING WHAT IS BEHIND.
This doesn’t mean we literally forget/ignore the past.
•It means we don’t rest on our laurels or dwell on our mistakes.
•It means we learn from history, but keep looking forward.
What does Paul mean by forgetting what is behind?
Illus. What happens when a runner looks back to see who’s following?
•At the least, it slows him down. At worst, he gets tackled or overtaken.
•What happened to Lot’s wife when she refused to forget what was behind?
Too many people dwell on the past so much that they never look forward to the future.
•They never see the end zone, the goal line, God’s ultimate purpose for them.
Paul doesn’t rest on his laurels. He’s not satisfied with where he is spiritually.
•He keeps looking forward.
Last year is behind us, for better or worse. We can’t go back. We can’t do it over again.
•But we can learn from our experiences and mistakes.
•We can learn the lessons God is teaching us and then move on.
If we’re going to win this game of life, we need to be firm, focused and forgetful.
The 4th key to winning is found at the end of v. 13.
4. Be Forging!
STRAINING TOWARD WHAT IS AHEAD, (reaching forward, stretching)
This is the idea of a runner leaning forward as he runs.
We’ve all seen those football players straining for every inch.
•They get to the goal line and leap and dig and stretch to get the ball over the line.
How often do we hit a snag in our spiritual growth and give up?
•“God shut the door on that”. “That must not be what He wants me to do”.
•Or worse yet, we get comfortable where we are and don’t want to move forward.
Too many believers fail in life because they never keep straining toward what is ahead.
Is there anything God has called you to do that you’ve stopped doing? Why?
If God has called you to do something, keep doing it until He CLEARLY leads you elsewhere, not until you hit a snag or it becomes uncomfortable.
•Often, the snags we hit are simply tests of our faithfulness and commitment.
•What would have happened if Paul had quit when he faced opposition?
1 Tim. 6:11-12 BUT YOU, MAN OF GOD, FLEE FROM ALL THIS, AND PURSUE RIGHTEOUSNESS, GODLINESS, FAITH, LOVE, ENDURANCE AND GENTLENESS. 12FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT OF THE FAITH. TAKE HOLD OF THE ETERNAL LIFE TO WHICH YOU WERE CALLED…
2 Tim. 2:3 ENDURE HARDSHIP WITH US LIKE A GOOD SOLDIER OF CHRIST JESUS.
Paul was firm, focused, forgetful, and forging ahead in his continual pursuit of Christ.
5. Be futuristic!
Be hopeful, optimistic, confident. Always look for the goal line.
•Always have a winning attitude. Always strive for that Super Bowl ring.
14I PRESS ON TOWARD THE GOAL TO WIN THE PRIZE
•We looked at this last week in striving to make our vision become reality.
The word goal means “goal marker”. It was a post at the end of the course that a runner could focus on to measure his progress.
•cf. Goal line markers, Home Run Wall, Finish Line tape.
What does your “goal line” look like?
14I PRESS ON TOWARD THE GOAL TO WIN THE PRIZE
Illus. What drives the NFL players every week? The goal of winning the prize!
Paul had his eyes on the prize! What was his prize?
14I PRESS ON… TO WIN THE PRIZE FOR WHICH GOD HAS CALLED ME HEAVENWARD IN CHRIST JESUS.
NAS I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Paul’s not talking about salvation. He’s not saying we need to strive to be saved.
•Salvation is a free gift of grace, not of merit. We can’t work for it.
•But we must work it out (Phil. 2:12). We must strive for spiritual perfection.
Paul knew that wouldn’t happen until God called him home.
•So he kept focused on that incredible event, the perfecting of his faith.
(WP) The goal continually moves forward as we press on, but yet never out of sight.
Paul’s motivation was gaining and knowing Christ (vv. 7-11).
•His goal was fulfilling his purpose, finishing the race and securing the prize.
•His prize was hearing Jesus say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant”.
NLT - 12I DON’T MEAN TO SAY THAT I HAVE ALREADY ACHIEVED THESE THINGS OR THAT I HAVE ALREADY REACHED PERFECTION! BUT I KEEP WORKING TOWARD THAT DAY WHEN I WILL FINALLY BE ALL THAT CHRIST JESUS SAVED ME FOR AND WANTS ME TO BE. 13NO, DEAR BROTHERS AND SISTERS, I AM STILL NOT ALL I SHOULD BE, BUT I AM FOCUSING ALL MY ENERGIES ON THIS ONE THING: FORGETTING THE PAST AND LOOKING FORWARD TO WHAT LIES AHEAD, 14I STRAIN TO REACH THE END OF THE RACE AND RECEIVE THE PRIZE FOR WHICH GOD, THROUGH CHRIST JESUS, IS CALLING US UP TO HEAVEN.
We stand just over the threshold of a new year.
•We’ve already seen glimpses of our vision becoming reality, but there’s still much more to be done.
It’s been said that at any football game, there are 22 players desperately needing rest and 22,000 fans desperately needing exercise.
Statistics say that 10% of the people in church do 90% of the work.
•Usually because others have lost focus or given up or become too comfortable.
This game is too important to quit. The stakes are too high and the reward is too great.
This is a game we must win if we’re going to be the church God wants us to be.
•It’s a game we must win if we’re going to be the person God wants us to be.
How do we win? By taking these 5 key steps:
Every one of us needs to be Firm and Focused and Forgetful and Forging and Futuristic!
Heb. 12:1 THEREFORE, SINCE WE ARE SURROUNDED BY SUCH A GREAT CLOUD OF WITNESSES, LET US THROW OFF EVERYTHING THAT HINDERS AND THE SIN THAT SO EASILY ENTANGLES, AND LET US RUN WITH PERSEVERANCE THE RACE MARKED OUT FOR US.
Paul’s pep talk to the Philippians is just what we need to hear today.
Never quit the race. Never stop pursuing Christ. Never lose sight of the goal line.
•Never say you’ve done all that God has called you to do.
On the road of life, there are drivers and there are passengers.
In the game of life, there are athletes and there are spectators.
•Be an athlete. Be a winner! Keep Pressing On! The reward is worth it!
Make the Bottom Line your New Year’s Resolution: Keep your eyes on the prize!
Fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and Perfector of our faith.
Prayer/Video (New Year’s Quotes)
Hymn 731 Onward Christian Soldiers
Sermon Outline and Power Point are available by emailing the author.
