I’m Heading In The Right Direction 7-29-07
New Series: The New Me – Pt. 4 Phil. 3:12-14
Intro. There’s a certain sense of excitement that wells up when you’re ready to set out on a trip to a place where you’ve never been before. Maybe it’s a vacation to an exotic location or a mission trip to a 3rd world country or even something as simple as trying to find your way to a new friend’s home. Do you know what I’ve found out? “Winging it” on your directions only works for destinations that don’t matter very much. If you’re out for a Sunday drive and you suddenly decide to try to find your friend’s house, but you don’t find it that day…well that’s no big deal! But as the destination becomes more important so do the directions that lead you to that destination. For instance, if you’re going on vacation to Jamaica next week or you’re heading to Moldova for a missions trip in the fall, but you don’t have a clue how to get to either place, then you’ve got a real problem. You need directions and you need them because those destinations are important to you.
As a Christ follower there are 2 destinations that are of utmost importance to your life. The primary one is your eternal home called heaven. Now the directions to heaven are pretty simple. You place your trust and faith in what Jesus did on the cross. You believe that He died in your place and He paid for your sins on the cross and then you decide to live your life for him. That’s how you get to heaven. But what about the second destination? Where are we supposed to be heading? The simple answer is towards Christ-likeness. The destination for this life, for the here and now, is to become more and more like Jesus Christ. When God spells out his purpose for saving you and me, here’s what He says. Rom. 8:29, “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son.”(NIV) I think Message translation makes it a little clearer, “God decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son.” If you’ve ever wondered what you’re supposed to be doing with your spiritual life, then wonder no more. Your heavenly father wants you to spend the rest of your life imitating and thereby becoming more and more like Jesus.
Throughout the NT we find the mature Christian life described as a race. In 1 Cor. 9:27 Paul says, “Remember that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize. You also must run in such a way that you will win.” (NLT) Heb. 12:1 says, “Let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us.” Then at the close of Paul’s ministry, perhaps just days before he gave his life for Christ he wrote these words, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.” 2 Tim 4:7 (NLT)
I don’t know a lot about racing, but I do know this much. You’ll never finish and you certainly won’t win that race if you don’t know where the finish line is. In Phil. 3 Paul reminds us that the race we’re supposed to be running is towards a growing maturity in Christ. Now he not only shows us the finish line, but he also gives us some mile markers along the way. This morning as we finish this series on the New Me, I want to point out 5 mile markers that you can use as a means of determining whether you’re heading in the right direction or not.
Read Phil. 3:12-14
Marker #1 – A Holy Dissatisfaction
Of all the people who should have been satisfied with their xian life or their spiritual maturity, you would think that Paul would be that guy. But just the opposite is true. Look at what he says in v.12. I’ve not achieved much and I’ve certainly not reached spiritual perfection. One of the more modern versions says, “I don’t have it all together spiritually speaking”. This is from a man who saw thousands saved under his ministry, who started churches in multiple countries, who performed miracles and had a personal encounter with Jesus Christ. And yet he looked at his life and could legitimately said, “I’m not there yet, I’m not nearly as Christ-like as I should be.”
Why do you think the church is filled with so many people who seem to be satisfied with their spiritual progress? I think it’s a matter of perspective. You can remain self-satisfied as long as you compare yourself with the wrong person. As a believer you can always find somebody who’s not as far along the spiritual road as you are. They may struggle with certain sins that you’ve conquered years ago. And so when you compare your life with theirs – well you come out on top every time. Comparing yourself with other believers is a seductive way of remaining self-satisfied. If we’re not supposed to compare ourselves with one another, then who are we suppose to use as a model? Paul answers that question at the end of v.12 – “I’m working towards that day when I will finally be all Christ wants me to be.” There’s only one person that will lead us towards a true spiritual comparison and that’s Jesus Christ.
I’ll guarantee you this – if you put your spiritual life up against the life of Christ, you’ll soon discover a holy dissatisfaction with your life. And that’s a good thing! Instead of resting where you are; instead of being comfortable with your spiritual maturity, this holy dissatisfaction will drive you towards the next mile marker. Maybe its time for you to get dissatisfied, to look around you, evaluate our spiritual life and say, “I’m not where I need to be, but by God’s grace I’m heading in a new direction.”
Marker # 2 – Focusing on one thing. V.13
It seems almost counterintuitive to think that more would ultimately lead to less. Let me explain. When it comes to our spiritual life we often think that more programs, more events and more time spent at church should equal to MORE spiritual depth and maturity. But it doesn’t. Your spiritual life is like the “Super-size Me” documentary. In 2004 Morgan Spurlock filmed his 30-day experiment eating nothing but McDonald’s food and every time he was asked to super-size it – he had to eat it. In 30 days he gained 25 lbs, began to suffer from fatigue, headaches and indigestion. His blood sugar skyrocketed, his cholesterol went off the charts and his doctors told him if he didn’t stop “super-sizing” he would die. There’s something deep within our culture that screams, “More is better”. But the bible says the exact opposite. Paul says if you want to be spiritually mature then you’ve got to learn how to focus on one thing.
This mile marker has 2 components to it. The first one is focus. To focus on one thing means you’ve got to be willing to abandon some good things in life in order to concentrate on the best thing. That’s what all the great athletes have learned to do…concentrate – to focus on one thing. It doesn’t matter whether you’re talking about Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan or Peyton Manning – they all know how to get into the zone. And when they are in the zone, they don’t seem to hear the crowd, feel any pain or bow to the pressure of the moment. The bible says if you want to mature in your faith, then you’ve got to learn the art of focus.
Now the second part of the art is focusing is to concentrate on the right thing. What do you suppose Paul means by this “one thing”? Why don’t we let the bible answer that question? In Ps. 27:4 David hit the nail on the head when he prayed, “The one thing I ask of the LORD— the thing I seek most— is to live in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, delighting in the LORD’s perfections and meditating in his Temple”. (NLT) Do you remember the time when Jesus came to visit Mary and Martha and the sisters got into a little argument? Martha was busy with the details of getting supper ready, while Mary sat at the feet of Jesus and listened to his teaching. Martha got so upset that she complained to Jesus about Mary’s work ethic. Here’s his response – “Martha, you are so upset over all these details! There is really only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it.” Luke 10:41-42 (NLT) That ONE THING is a personal, growing relationship with Jesus Christ. Are you heading in the right direction? One way you can be sure you are is to check your focus – what’s the one thing that’s most important in your life?
Marker # 3 – Forgetting the Past
The imagery here is of a race – now what happens if a frontrunner starts taking the time to look behind him? He’ll lose is speed, his direction, his balance and probably the entire race. Jesus said it this way, “No one, having put his hand to the plow and looking back is fit for the Kingdom of God”. Lk. 9:62 I love what Warren Wiersbe says about the past. “We can’t change the past, but we change the meaning of the past. In other words, we don’t have to be paralyzed by our past. Paul tells the Philippians, “I’m forgetting the past.” Now what did he have in his past that he needed to forget? Oh, just the fact that he was the biggest persecutor the church had ever known and that he personally sent multitudes of believers to jail and that he participated in the death of the first Xian martyr. He had a lot of baggage and yet he said, “I’m going to forget all that past stuff so that it won’t hinder me from becoming all God wants me to be.” I’ve got a feeling that most of us have some “past stuff” that we need to forget. You know, satan is very good at dredging up the past in order to mess up our future. He wants you to dwell on your past sins and failures so that you’ll begin thinking, “Hey, God could never use me in the here and no, so why even try?”
Forgetting your past doesn’t mean you completely wipe out your past. It’s more of a selective forgetfulness. We’ve got to learn that both our past failures and successes teach us lessons for the future. I think forgetting the past really means learning how to put it in proper perspective. You’ll never be able to erase all your bad memories, but you can learn from them and put them in their proper place…which is the past.
Marker # 4 Great Determination v.14
Listen to how various translations begin v.14 – “I strive, I press on, I pursue, I strain” towards the goal or prize of Christlikeness. Again Paul uses the analogy of an athlete. You don’t become great at any sport by listening to lectures, sitting in a classroom, or cheering others on. Greatness comes from the heart of determination. If you’re going to become great at football, soccer, wrestling, math, science or music – guess what takes? A heart that’s willing to pay the price. It takes practice, hard work, self-sacrifice and determination. Perhaps you’ve never thought of your spiritual life in those terms? Maybe you’ve been lulled asleep by the thought that your spiritual life is God’s business and you shouldn’t mess with it? Listen closely – nothing could be further from the truth. Listen to the advice Paul gives to his young protégé Timothy. “Do not waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives’ tales. Spend your time and energy in training yourself for spiritual fitness. Physical exercise has some value, but spiritual exercise is much more important, for it promises a reward in both this life and the next.”1 Tim 4:7-8 (NLT) Did you catch how he compared physical exercise with spiritual exercise? If you want to succeed in either one – it takes determination. You’ve got to strive for it, go after it, and pursue it with all your might!
This is a pretty easy mile marker to identify in your life. It just takes a minute to look around and see what’s priority in your life. What are you pursuing right now? What have you determined to be most important? If it’s not pursuing Christlikeness then you need to make up your mind right now that becoming spiritually mature is one of those things you’ll probably never experience. Now let me say a word to those who think that they’ll just wait until heaven to become spiritually mature. It’s true that you’ll be made like Christ when you get to heaven, but while you’re living here on earth you’re going to miss the abundant life that Jesus both promised and died for us to enjoy.
Marker # 5 Self-discipline
Heading in the right direction means you play by the rules. It doesn’t matter how good you are, if you break the rules then you’re going to be disqualified. I don’t know how you feel about Barry Bonds and his quest to become the home run champion. But this much is for sure – even if he breaks the record, his name is going to be tainted by the specter of steroids. Living by the rules requires a huge amount of self-discipline. The Apostle Paul understood how important obedience to God’s laws really was. In 1 Cor. 9 He wrote, “All athletes practice strict self-control. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run straight to the goal with purpose in every step. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.”1 Cor 9:25-27 (NLT) He didn’t fear losing his salvation, but rather losing the prize of Christlikeness. Becoming spiritually mature, more and more like the master doesn’t happen because you complete a 12-week study course or because you’ve memorized a few scriptures. NO! This is a life-time commitment and therefore it takes a whole new kind of self-discipline. But here’s the good news. Becoming more like Jesus isn’t something you can do on your own – it takes your determination, but it won’t happen w/o God’s participation. At the end of Philippians Paul writes these words – “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Becoming a NEW YOU is hard work, but by God’s grace and with his power, your life really can become something spectacular. Let’s ask God to do something in us that we can’t do for ourselves.
