Long Distance Runner
Text: Phil. 3:12-14
Introduction
1. Illustration: Runner’s World (8/91) told the story of Beth Anne DeGiantis’s attempt to qualify for the 1992 Olympic Trials marathon. A female runner must complete the 26 mile, 385 yard race in less than two hours, forty-five minutes in order to compete in the Olympic Trials. Beth started strong but began having trouble around mile 23. She reached the final straightaway at 2:43, with just two minutes left to qualify. Two hundred yards from the finish, she stumbled and fell. Dazed, she stayed down for twenty seconds. The crowd yelled, "Get up!" The clock was ticking--2:44, less than a minute to go. Beth Anne staggered to her feet and began walking. Five yards short of the finish, with ten seconds to go, she fell again. She began to crawl, the crowd cheering her on, and crossed the finish line on her hands and knees. Her time? Two hours, 44 minutes, 57 seconds.
2. Scripture frequently, and particularly Paul, describes our walk of faith as a race. But in that race there are some questions we need to answer.
a. What's the goal?
b. What's the prize?
c. What kind of race is it?
d. What are the challenges?
3. Sometimes we feel like Beth Anne and we're crawling to the finish line.
a. We fall and can't seem to get up.
b. Sometimes we fall more than once and feel like we'll never finish the race.
4. However, Paul gives us two things to focus on...
a. Reaching Towards The Goal
b. Getting Rid Of Distractions
5. Let's all stand together as we read Phil. 3:12-14.
Proposition: The Christian life is a marathon in which knowing Jesus is the goal and being one with him is the prize.
Transition: First Paul tells us...
I. Reaching Towards The Goal (12).
A. I Press On
1. In a race we need to know what is the goal of the race. In all races the goal is the finish line and the objective is to get there ahead of everyone else.
a. In a track race it requires being the one to break the tape.
b. In a car race it means being the one to take the checkered flag.
c. But in the race of faith what is the goal?
2. Look at what Paul says in the beginning of v. 12. "I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection..."
a. The "I don't mean to say" which begins this sentence is an idiom that qualifies something previously said so that readers will not draw the wrong assumption.
b. Along with the repeated adverb "already" Paul offers a twin disclaimer ”what not to infer about the already present future.
c. The disclaimers emphasize that despite present realization of "the power of his resurrection" and "sharing in his sufferings,"
d. Paul has not yet reached the final goal. He has not "already reached it, nor has he "already" arrived at the goal.
e. What he has obviously not "reached" is that which he is pressing on "to posses" which verse 14 makes clear is the final goal.
f. Thus he adds, "already reached perfection." There is a sense, of course, in which perfection does happen at the end; but the root of this verb has the primary sense of "goal" or "aim," before it takes on secondary senses of "perfect, complete, fulfill, mature."
g. Nothing in context implies that perfection is an issue. Since that English word conjures up all kinds of wrong connotations here, and since everything in these final sentences indicates that the heavenly prize is what Paul is pursuing with such vigor, the verb here almost certainly carries its primary sense of "reach the goal."
3. The second half of v. 12 gives us a better idea of what our goal is when it says, "...But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me."
a. Since Paul has not yet "reached perfection" he does what he wants the Philippians to do, press on to "possess ("seize") "that for which Christ Jesus first possessed me."
b. With this wonderful wordplay he moves from not already "reached" to yet "posses" the very thing/one who "took hold of" him.
c. He will go on in the next sentence to elaborate what his own "possessing" means.
d. In context the next phrase, "that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me" points back at least to verses 8-9 (being "found in Christ" and thus having a righteousness that comes from God); but in terms of his own story, and especially the use of this strong verb, he probably intends them to hear echoes of the Damascus Road as well.
e. A good dose of memory about one's beginnings in Christ can serve as the proper shot of adrenaline for the continuing race (Fee, IVPNT).
f. Therefore, the goal is knowing Jesus, and having a personal relationship with him.
g. That is why Jesus takes hold of us, so that he can have that personal relationship with us.
h. You many of us falsely assume that the goal is being saved, but being saved is just the fringe benefit of the goal which is knowing Jesus.
i. You see when Adam and Eve sinned it severed the relationship, the fellowship, if you will, between God and ourselves.
j. In order to restore that fellowship Jesus had to come and die in our place, and thus, save us from our sin.
k. However, the main objective was to restore relationship.
B. Knowing Jesus
1. Illustration: Religion is a guy sitting in church thinking about fishing. Relationship is a guy fishing thinking about church!
2. The goal of the race is constantly knowing Jesus better every day!
a. Hosea 10:12 (NLT)
I said, ‘Plant the good seeds of righteousness, and you will harvest a crop of love. Plow up the hard ground of your hearts, for now is the time to seek the LORD, that he may come and shower righteousness upon you.’
b. Every day should be about seeking to get closer to Jesus.
c. We should seek him with passion and desire.
d. We should seek him in prayer.
e. We should seek him in the Word.
f. We should seek him in worship.
g. We should seek him in the witness of our lives.
h. Our goal in life is to constantly know him more.
Transition: In order to reach our goal we need to...
II. Getting Rid Of Distractions (13-14).
A. Forgetting The Past
1. Whether you are running a race or just trying to get from one place to another safely, a major obstacle to overcome is getting rid of distractions.
a. We are talking about things that make you lose focus.
b. In running a race it could be someone behind you or someone beside you.
c. In driving a car it could be trying to read a text message instead of watching the road.
2. Paul illustrates this in our spiritual lives when he says, "No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead,"
a. What could otherwise be ambiguous about verse 12, because of Paul's wordplays, is clarified by this sentence, now turning the verb "press on" into a full-fledged metaphor.
b. The disclaimer in this case picks up the immediately preceding language "I have not achieved it"; but before picking up the verb "press on," he recalls his singular passion to know Christ from verse 8 in terms of "but I focus on this one thing."
c. There is no "I do" in Paul's narrative; the language is straight and to the point: his whole Christian life has been one thing the pursuit of Christ.
d. The metaphor itself begins with a "not/but" contrast.
e. Pictured first is the runner whose eyes are set on the goal in such a way that he "pays no attention to" what is behind."
f. In context, what is behind, probably refers to verses 4-6, but it would also include all other matters that might impede his singular pursuit of Christ (Fee).
g. "Forgetting" in this context does not imply obliterating something from the mind, but refers to the constant necessity of pushing something out of the mind.
h. It speaks of a continuous process rather than a momentary occurrence.
i. Again, the language is that of a runner completely forgetting his opponents who are following him in a race.
j. Even the slightest looking back will slow down his progress (The Complete Biblical Library – Galatians-Philemon, 217-219).
3. In addition to maintaining his focus, Paul also talks about perseverance. He says, "I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us."
a. The flip side of the image is the runner's pressing on to reach the end of the race. The picture is of coming down the home stretch, leaning forward, extending oneself to break the tape.
b. It is generally hazardous to press metaphors, and this one can be pressed in all kinds of wrong directions. Paul's purpose ”both his use of this metaphor and its intent” is singular; not "perfection" is in view, but perseverance.
c. As Paul "runs" toward the Christ who has already taken hold of him, he does so in the same focused, full-tilt way a runner does who is intent on winning.
d. To be sure, his using such a metaphor results is one of those small inconsistencies that are created by active minds as they move quickly from one point to another.
e. He has just recalled Christ's having "taken hold of" him, so it is clear that he does not totally disregard the past. This is imagery, pure and simple, whose meaning will be given in what follows.
f. The "what" that Paul presses on toward continues the athletic imagery; it is to reach "the goal" and thus "win the prize."
g. But no mere "celery wreath" for Paul (the ordinary prize in the games). The "goal" is God's heavenly conclusion of things; the "prize" is Christ, which in context means the final realization of knowing him.
h. The goal is knowing Jesus; the prize, heaven, means being with him forever and knowing him face to face.
i. This is what Paul would gladly die to gain; this is what his whole life is about; no other reward could have any meaning for him (Fee).
B. Laying Aside
1. Illustration: In a recent NCAA cross-country championship held in Riverside, California, 123 of the 128 runners missed a turn. One competitor, Mike Delcavo, stayed on the 10,000 meter course and began waving for fellow runners to follow him. Delcavo was able to convince only four other runners to go with him. Asked what his competitors thought of his mid-race decision not to follow the crowd, Delcavo responded, "They thought it was funny that I went the right way." Delcavo was one who ran correctly. In the same way, our goal is to run correctly; to finish the race marked out for us by Christ. We can rejoice over those who have courage to follow, ignoring the laughter of the crowd. As the Apostle Paul said in 2 Timothy 4:7-8 "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness."
2. We need to maintain our focus in order to finish the race.
a. Hebrews 12:1-2 (NLT)
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.
b. We need to strip off and get rid of anything that can cause us to lose our focus.
c. We need to put away our sin.
d. We need to avoid those things that are temptations to us.
e. We need to run from those things that threaten to drag us away from or damage our relationship with Jesus.
f. We need to seek first the kingdom and let everything else go!
Conclusion
1. Scripture frequently, and particularly Paul, describes our walk of faith as a race. But in that race there are some questions we need to answer.
a. What's the goal? Knowing Jesus.
b. What's the prize? Spending eternity with him.
c. What kind of race is it? It's a marathon!
d. What are the challenges? Anything that causes us to lose our focus.
2. Paul gives us two things to focus on...
a. Reaching Towards The Goal
b. Getting Rid Of Distractions
3. What are you focused on?
4. What is distracting you?
