Introduction:
A. One day the devil gathered all his demons together to review their work.
1. The first demon reported, “I let loose the wild beasts of the desert on a caravan of Christians and their bones are now bleaching in the sand.”
a. The devil replied, “What good was that? Now they are dead and their souls are saved and out of our reach!”
2. The second demon eagerly reported, “Well, I drove a terrible wind against a boat filled with Christians and they all drowned!”
a. The devil replied with irritation, “And I repeat myself, what good was that?! Now they are dead and their souls are saved and out of our reach!”
3. The third demon proudly reported, “For ten long years I have tried to get a Christian to slip into spiritual sleep, but I finally succeeded and I have left him so.”
a. Then the devil praised the demon’s efforts and they all celebrated this great victory.
B. If the devil can’t get us to serve on his side, then he considers it a great victory to cause us to fall asleep spiritually.
1. It is a victory for the devil if he can get one of us to lose our zeal and become apathetic and uninvolved in spiritual things.
2. It is a victory for the devil if he can get us to be uninterested in growing, and learning, and working and giving.
C. But what a great defeat it is for the devil when a Christian is alive and awake spiritually.
1. The Christian who is filled with zeal, and commitment, and an eagerness to grow and serve is a great asset in God’s kingdom and is a great threat to the kingdom of darkness.
2. Listen to how Charles Dickens described the secret to success in his life: “Whatever I have tried to do in life, I have tried with all my heart to do well; whatever I have devoted myself to, I have devoted myself to completely.”
3. Isn’t Dickens’ commitment for his life a good example for our spiritual lives?
a. Are each of us trying with all our heart to do the Christian life as well as we can?
b. Are each of us devoting our whole selves completely to our Christian walk?
D. Without a doubt, the Apostle Paul was that kind of Christian – he was certainly alive and awake, and he was committed and eager to grow.
1. Today as we explore Philippians 3:12-16, we will see how Paul expressed an incredible zeal for the Lord and his desire to become mature in Christ and be faithful to the end.
2. Many Christians sit around waiting for that kind of zeal for the Lord to strike them, and they hope that maturity in Christ will just happen with time.
3. But we must understand that zeal and maturity are things we have to work toward, they don’t just happen automatically, rather they require concentration and effort.
E. In the previous section of Philippians that we studied over a two week period, Paul used a accounting metaphor to describe our spiritual standing before God with regard to salvation.
1. Using that accounting imagery, Paul talked about profit and loss.
2. Hopefully, we learned from Paul’s example the bankruptcy of trusting in our own pedigree and performance for our acceptance before God.
3. Hopefully, we have come to understand that the only way we can be made right with God is through an asset transfer of the righteousness of Christ into our spiritual account.
4. We cannot save ourselves by our works, but can only be saved by God’s grace through faith by a transfer of the righteousness of Christ into our lives.
F. Now in today’s section, we see that Paul is no longer using an accounting metaphor, but begins using an athletic metaphor.
1. Paul must have been a sports fan, because over and over again in his letters, we see him using sports illustrations to make his point.
2. Sometimes he speaks of wrestling and boxing, and other times he speaks of running, winning the race and receiving the victor’s crown.
3. I don’t know if he himself played any sports, but it’s clear that he was fully acquainted with the athletic world of the first century.
4. As he used those illustrations, he talked about the discipline necessary to win, and the danger of being disqualified.
5. These kinds of things translate so well into the spiritual life that we must live, and that’s why I often use illustrations from sports in my sermons, even when we are studying a passage that doesn’t use an athletic metaphor.
G. As we explore Philippians 3:12-16 today, let’s learn the principles that Paul learned about how to spiritually press toward the prize.
I. Principle #1: Be Dissatisfied
A. Paul wrote: 12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. (Phil. 3:12-13)
1. Here we have a statement by a great Christian, Paul, who never permitted himself to be satisfied with his spiritual accomplishments.
a. Certainly, Paul was satisfied with Jesus Christ, but he was not satisfied with how well he himself followed Christ.
2. So we see that a sanctified dissatisfaction is the first essential for making progress in the Christian race.
3. What was Paul saying? He was saying “I know I haven’t arrived yet. I can’t rest on my laurels. I must continue to grow and press toward the goal.”
a. Unlike many contemporary leaders, Paul had no problem admitting his own shortcomings.
4. Paul wasn’t perfect and he knew it, and that became the place where his spiritual growth could begin.
5. If Paul needed to keep growing and striving, then surely every one of us must do the same!
B. What happens to a person when they become spiritually satisfied or comfortable?
1. A person who becomes spiritually satisfied and comfortable becomes proud and lazy.
2. How sad for any congregation or any Christians who say, “We have grown enough. We have learned enough. We have matured enough.”
3. It is obvious how that kind of attitude slams the door on all future growth.
4. Let’s ask ourselves a question: Are any of us satisfied with where we are spiritually?
a. Do any of us think we have arrived and that we have no need for progress or improvement?
5. To even ask those questions seems ridiculous, because it is obvious that there is always room for growth, right?
6. And yet, to look at the lives of some Christians and to see their lack of effort toward spiritual growth, we might think that they think they have arrived and no longer need to progress.
C. Paul was not satisfied with his own progress, and that is what drove him to become more mature and effective.
1. Listen to Carl Sandburg’s advice: “Before you go to sleep, say to yourself, ‘I haven’t reached my goal yet, and I’m going to be uncomfortable, and to a degree unhappy, until I do.”
2. Preacher Phillips Brooks once said, “Sad will be the day for any man when he becomes content with the thoughts he is thinking, the deeds he has been doing; when there is not forever beating at the door of his heart the desire to do that great work for which he knows he was made.”
3. And so we see, a divine dissatisfaction is essential for spiritual progress.
4. The maturing Christian honestly evaluates himself/herself and strives to do better each day.
II. Principle #2: Be Devoted
A. Paul wrote: 13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 3:13-14)
1. Paul’s words here convey a dynamic truth – we need a clear focus and we must be devoted to a singular goal.
2. Our lives are often not categorized as “this one thing I do,” but “these fifty things I dabble in.”
B. In contrast to that, Paul had a singular focus that we might call a “magnificent obsession.”
1. And so, whether he was sailing the Mediterranean, or speaking in the synagogue, or writing letters to young churches, he was focused on Jesus.
2. For Paul, life’s every situation was faced in view of his relationship with Christ and his heavenward goal.
3. Paul was able to grow and to be used by God to grow the kingdom because he was on target.
C. Concentration is a secret to influence and effectiveness.
1. If a river is allowed to overflow its banks, it just produces a swamp, but if the same river is controlled and directed it becomes a source of great power and good.
2. Being clearly devoted to our spiritual goal helps us to live for what matters most and to have our priorities in order.
3. I want to encourage each of us to ask ourselves: how clearly am I concentrating on the spiritual?
4. Is our “one thing I do” a pressing on toward the spiritual goal to which we have been called?
III. Principle #3: Be Directed
A. Let’s read the same two verses again and highlight an additional principle: But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 3:13-14)
1. One of the keys to making progress in every aspect of life is to have the right direction by keeping our eyes focused on the present and future, rather than the past.
2. What would happen in a race if all the runners tried to run the race looking backward the whole race?
a. Probably no one would finish the race and everyone would likely get injured.
3. The date was August 7, 1954 and the place was Vancouver, Canada.
a. The epic mile race took place between Roger Bannister and John Landy – the only two men in the world who had run a mile in under four minutes.
b. The race lived up to its billing and at the bell for the final lap they were running stride for stride, with Landy just ahead of Bannister.
c. As they turned into the homestretch with the crowd roaring, Landy couldn’t hear Bannister’s footsteps behind him, and in a fatal lapse of concentration, looked over his shoulder.
d. In that instant, Bannister launched his attack and surged past him and won by five yards.
4. Disaster strikes when we run our race looking back.
B. How does looking to the past trip us up in the present?
1. Well, the past is often filled with both achievements and mistakes.
2. If we choose to focus on our past mistakes and sins, then we can be immobilized by guilt and regret.
a. Although we may have asked for forgiveness, we sometimes can’t shake the shame and reshape our self-image.
b. This did not seem to be a problem for the Apostle Paul.
1. Paul had been a persecutor and murder of Christians, but when he came to faith in Jesus, he received God’s grace and forgiveness.
2. Paul’s strategy was to try to forget the past, and strain toward the future.
3. I don’t think that means that Paul had erased his mind of those memories, rather I think it means he no longer allowed the memories to weigh him down.
c. When God promises: “And their sins and iniquities I will remember no more” (Heb. 10:17), God is not suggesting that He has a bad memory, but that He no longer holds those sins against us.
d. And so, forgetting the things behind simply means to break the power of the past by living for the future, since the past cannot be changed, but the future can.
3. The other way that focusing on the past can trip us up is by resting on our achievements and accomplishments of the past.
a. As we noticed in the last couple of sermons, Paul had some great religious achievements in the past that he could have tried to glory in, but the important thing is not the past, but the present and the future.
b. Being faithful in the past doesn’t help us if we are not faithful in the present and future.
c. Imagine saying to God: “Well in my first 10 years of walking with Christ I was full of zeal, was in worship every Sunday, read my Bible and prayed daily, gave generously of my money and time, and helped 10 people become Christians. So, I figure I had done enough, so the last 20 years I have just been coasting and that’s why you don’t see me in worship, or in prayer or serving and saving people, but that’s okay isn’t it?”
4. That’s not the kind of spiritual walk or attitude that pleases God.
a. We must live and serve in the present and strive for the future.
b. Our focus must not be directed toward the past, whether the past was filled with great achievements or with grave mistakes.
c. As we run the Christian race, our gaze must directed toward the present and future, if our focus in backward we will trip and fall.
IV. Principle #4: Be Determined
A. As we continue to glean truth from verses 13-14, I want to draw your attention to the words “straining toward.”
1. The word that Paul used for “straining toward” is a very vivid word used for runners in a race going all out for the victory tape at the finish line.
2. Envision the runner leaning into the tape, hands clawing the air, every muscle in full exertion, oblivious to everything else as he throws himself across the finish line.
3. Paul said that that is the kind of spiritual drive and effort he was putting forth.
4. Paul was determined to be God’s servant. He was determined to accomplish God’s mission and was determined to receive God’s reward.
5. But it is important to know that that determination was not all based on his own effort – Paul wrote in Col. 1:29, “To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.”
B. I hope that all of us are inspired by Paul’s determination.
1. Paul is a great example for us as he sets an incredible pace for us to follow.
2. Let’s be determined like Paul was determined – determined to accomplish God’s mission and determined to receive God’s reward.
3. But let’s also be determined to strain toward the goal by employing God’s power not our own.
V. Principle #5: Be Disciplined
A. Paul wrote: 15 All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. 16 Only let us live up to what we have already attained. (Phil. 3:15-16)
1. The concept I want to focus on here is found in the phrase “living up to what we have already attained.”
2. This phrase speaks of consistent living that is the result of discipline.
3. It takes discipline to maintain consistent attention on any important goal.
4. That’s true if we are talking about our goals of healthy eating and exercise.
a. The last couple of years I have tried to be more consistent about my diet and exercise regimen.
b. I have not tried to do anything radical or extreme, but just make a few healthy changes and stick with them.
c. I replaced my weekly basketball for exercising three times a week, and have tried to eat more whole foods and stay away from processed food and refined sugar.
d. My results have been good and I feel stronger and healthier.
e. What would happen, though, if I stopped being disciplined and gave up my healthy eating and exercise?
f. I would lose the ground I have gained.
5. The same is true with spiritual things – we have to continue to practice spiritual discipline or we will lose the spiritual ground we have gained.
a. How easy is it to get out of the good habits of being in worship and Bible classes?
b. How easy is it to get out of the good habits of daily Bible reading and prayer?
c. How easy is it to get out of the good habits of using our tongues for good not evil or making wholesome choices of the TV shows and movies or web surfing?
B. If we are going to be able to keep making progress toward the spiritual goal of maturity in Christ, we have to maintain a discipline of healthy spiritual practices, even while we try to make even more progress.
1. We don’t want to regress and lose ground, but want to keep living up to the progress we have attained.
2. With God’s help through the power of the Holy Spirit living in us we can, but we must do our part by being dissatisfied, being devoted, being directed, being determined, and being disciplined.
Conclusion:
A. Let me end with this story: Tim Gerspacher, a 40-year-old New Yorker with two marathons under his belt, could see the finish line for the New York City Marathon in November 2008 and was elated.
1. It was the best race he had ever run in his life. Then he collapsed.
2. Gerspacher tried to collect himself and attempt a few more steps, but he passed out.
3. He woke up minutes later in a medical tent.
4. Instead of joining the ranks of those who finish in the top 10 percent of the marathon, which Gerspacher was on pace to do through 26 miles, he entered an even more exclusive club: those who start the New York City Marathon but do not reach the finish line.
5. Gerspacher joined the official list of 416 runners with DNF — shorthand for Did Not Finish — next to their names, rather than a finishing time.
6. The DNF runners constituted about 2 percent of those who started, a level that is the same for men and women and has been consistent in results posted for recent years.
B. Bible history and our personal experience tell us that many who began the Christian race didn’t finish.
1. I wish I could say that those who DNF – Do Not Finish – was only 2 percent, I am afraid the percentage is much higher than that.
2. Why do many start the Christian race, but do not finish?
3. There are many reasons and causes, including being led stray, being lulled to sleep, or just giving up.
4. That wasn’t the case for the Apostle Paul – In his own words he said, “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, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day--and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. (2 Tim. 4:7-8)
5. How did Paul keep his winning edge? How did he keep pressing toward the prize?
6. The answer is found in the principles from his life that we have examined today.
7. Paul stayed dissatisfied, devoted, directed, determined and disciplined.
8. Let us follow his example. Let us not ease up or relax. Let us be zealous and press on toward the prize.
Resources:
The Bible Exposition Commentary, Philippians, by Warren Wiersbe, Victor Books, 1989
“Run the Race” Sermon by David Strain, SermonCentral.com
