FAGEDABOWDIT
Last week I talked about how we need to have confidence in God. We need to have confidence in God so we can overcome sin and get through the difficulties in life. If we lack confidence we won’t grow and reach our full potential. Today, in carrying on the theme of looking at things that hinder our spiritual progress, I want us to see how looking back hinders us from moving forward.
1) No comparison (Phil. 3:7-11). Last week I shared Phil. 3:1-7 where Paul talked about putting no confidence in the flesh. After that he talks about leaving the old behind and moving forward to reach the goal of his faith. Phil. 3:7-11. Paul saw things in the right perspective. He no longer desired what he once did. He didn’t place value on the things of old. He had new goals and a new passion and that passion was living for Jesus. He saw the stark contrast between the things of the world verses the things of the Spirit. He considered everything not worth anything when compared to knowing Jesus. In the light of Christ nothing else in his life came close. This doesn’t mean Paul left everything behind. He was still a tentmaker (Acts 18:3). Paul isn’t saying nothing in his past had any value. Primarily he was referring to his religious activities having no value as far as obtaining righteousness and he was putting those things off and moving forward. However, I believe he also saw that nothing in his life was worth comparing to knowing Jesus. Therefore, he saw the purposefulness of forgetting what was behind (leaving the past in the past) and pressing on toward becoming like Christ. There’s a comparison made to the seamen of Paul’s day where if they were in turbulent waters and their ship was starting to go under they would throw all their supplies overboard in order to save their lives. The supplies are important but they would be willing to let go of them if it meant their life would be spared. Paul is saying the same here. There was nothing in his life that held more value to him than Christ. If it meant losing everything he would keep Christ. Paul’s focus now was to know Christ and the power of his resurrection. He wanted to share in his sufferings and be like him, putting his old ways to death. He looked forward to his own resurrection. He cherished what he saw in Christ and wanting nothing more than to achieve great things for Christ. For Paul there was no comparison between the worldly things he once embraced vs. the blessings of his new life in Christ.
2) One thing I do (Phil. 3:12-14). Paul acknowledges that he’s not there yet. He hasn’t achieved everything he wants to. But his focus is to keep going; to press on; to move forward. We can fail to press on when we think we’ve arrived, we’ve gotten as far as we need to go when we became saved. “There, I’m saved. Now I can just sit back and wait for heaven”. No! Our baptism wasn’t the end of the road it was the beginning! What’s the “one thing he does”; the overall purpose of his life? To “forget what is behind and strain toward what is ahead”. What an attitude from someone who was currently a prisoner! He didn’t allow the reality of where he was right now to keep him from focusing on bigger and better things for the future. Regardless of being in prison Paul was going to press on. He was going to keep striving to reach the goal and get the prize. What is involved in ‘pressing on’? Someone came up with an Acronym for ‘P.R.E.S.S.’. P = pray more, R = read the word more, E = exalt His name more, S = sing His Praises more, S = shout Hallelujah more. To forget something means to let it go. What do we need to forget/let go? Past sins, past failures/shortcomings, resentments. Diligence is found in focusing on what’s ahead not what is behind. I can’t see the goal by looking behind me. Looking ahead I can see opportunities, spiritual advancement, progress. Looking behind I am reminded of disappointments and shortcomings; past sins and regrets. I’m not forgetting what is behind if I’m dwelling on past failures. Choosing to linger in these old setbacks will cause us to not be able to look ahead and press on. Paul talked about pressing on toward the goal to win the prize. Paul was known to compare living the Christian life to running a race. He knew that in order to run the race and finish strong he needed to not look back. Pastor Chuck Sligh gives this Illus., “My track coach in high school was my dad. He had many words of advice both on and off the track, but when it came to running races and relays, there was one above all others. He used to say: “Run as fast as you can, and whatever you do, don’t look back.” The reason is three fold: First, looking back during a race breaks your concentration, Second, it breaks your flow, Third, it slows you down.” On May 6, 1954, Roger Bannister became the first man in history to run a mile in less than 4 minutes. Within 2 months, John Landy eclipsed the record by 1.4 seconds. On August 7, 1954, the two met together for a historic race. As they moved into the last lap, Landy held the lead. It looked as if he would win, but as he neared the finish he was haunted by the question, "Where is Bannister?" As he turned to look, Bannister took the lead. Landy later told a Time magazine reporter, "If I hadn't looked back, I would have won!"
3) Don’t look back (Luke 9:61-62). Luke 9:61-62, “Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family.” Jesus replied, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” According to the Greek this man wasn’t simple asking to say good-bye he was saying, “Allow me to go home and get my affairs in order first.” It sounds like a reasonable request. “Let me get a few things straightened around and tie up some loose ends and then I’ll be ready to follow you.” But given the Lord’s response he had to have seen more. Jesus knew that once this man went back home he would linger and enjoy the comforts of home too much. Perhaps his family and friends would’ve talked him out of it. The point is that lingering in the world whether by deed or desire is dangerous. Jesus’ response was to highlight (as he did with the other two examples) that following him was not just an exciting thing to do for the time being. Following Jesus required an all-out commitment; forget what is behind and press on to what was ahead. This isn’t saying that everyone who becomes a Christian must leave family, friends and possessions behind and start a new life. But if we are going to follow Jesus we need to have a change of focus for our lives. Your life now has a new set of priorities; a new set of goals. Notice Jesus said “looks back”. It’s not “he who goes back is not fit; it’s he who looks back”. It’s not like I’m okay unless I go back to the world. Jesus is saying I’m not fit if I even look back. So it doesn’t have to be an actual return to the world in order for it to be a problem, but a reluctance to break from it. Because, let’s face it-if I linger too long in looking back then I will most definitely go back. And this isn’t talking about looking back once or twice. Pastor Jerry Flury said, “‘looking back.’ In the Greek text, this verb is a present participle which expresses a continuous action. ‘If any man puts his hand to the plow and keeps looking back, this person is not fit for the kingdom.’ It is not just an occasional glance, it is constantly looking back. Why does a person constantly look back? Because his heart is still back there. Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” This is most unfortunate because there’s nothing back there that can compare with what’s in front of us. Rom. 6:20-22, “When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.” Kyle Idleman, "Not a Fan", “The reason Jesus is so adamant about followers surrendering everything is because the reality is this: the one thing we are most reluctant to give up is the one thing that has the most potential to become a substitute for him. Really what we’re talking about here is idolatry. When we are to be following Jesus, who is ahead of us, but find ourselves looking behind us, we are revealing that we are substituting something or someone for him. When we finally surrender that one thing, we discover satisfaction that comes from following Jesus that was always missing when we were holding something back.” If we look back we are not fit for the kingdom. Why? Because I won’t be focused. Illustrations about plowing a straight furrow and trying to follow someone but not watching where he’s going or where I’m going. I won’t see him when he turns to the left or right. I will crash into things. I will not be effective or productive and worse, I will make things disastrous. I am also not fit to serve because my devotion will not be 100%. That’s what is needed to live for Jesus. If I am trying to follow Jesus but my heart is on something I left behind like a broken relationship because my partner didn’t want to follow Jesus or an old habit that I’m still glamorizing then I’ll be torn in two directions and therefore not committed to following Jesus. Looking back means having regrets. If I’m looking back then in some way I’m regretting my decision to put my hand to the plow. I’m looking back wondering if I made the right decision. Therefore, I am not fit to serve Christ and I will certainly not press on and go forward. Perhaps you’ve looked back. Perhaps you’ve gone back. Now what? Now you need to get back. Get out and get back to Jesus. “The student of a great philosopher entered a house of ill-repute. The teacher came to the door and asked him to come out. The student refused because he was ashamed. The teacher replied, "There is no shame in leaving the house of ill-repute, but there is great shame in staying." We need to recognize our folly in looking or going back and get back to where we belong so we can move forward and press on. Isaiah 43:18, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.” We need to be like the Emu and the kangaroo. On the Australian coat of arms is a picture of an emu and a kangaroo. These animals were chosen because they share a characteristic that appealed to their forefathers. Both the emu and kangaroo can move only forward, not back. The emu’s three-toed foot causes it to fall if it tries to go backwards, and the kangaroo is prevented from moving in reverse by its large tail. We need to be like these two animals, always moving forward. When it comes to the past, whether past regrets, sins, resentments or even accomplishments, if we are going to be able to move forward and press on we need to fagedabowdit.
