Scripture: Philippians 3:12-16; John 15:1-17
Theme: Growing in Christ
Title: Pressing On
This sermon is focused on helping us to press on to enjoy the life that is our for the experiencing – a life that is progressive, a life that understands how the Lord corrects and prunes us for our benefit and a life that enjoy the fruits of being a Christ follower.
INTRO:
Grace and peace from God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit!
I want to talk to you today about focusing on where you are going in your life; about the direction that your life is heading. After all, where you are going (the direction you are taking) matters a great deal where you will end up in this life.
In fact, it matters way more than we could ever imagine. And that is true whether we are child or a mature adult.
Did you know that if you are going somewhere and you are off by just one degree that after a foot, you’ll find that you have missed your target by .2 inches.
Not much, right?
Big deal. No problem. Who cares?
But what happens if you go further?
+After about 100 yards or the distance of a football field you will miss your target by 5.2 feet. Still not very bad, unless, say you are target shooting.
+After about a mile, you will find yourself off by 92.2 feet. Now, that one degree separation is starting to make a difference.
+After about 400 miles or the distance between Nashville, TN and Charlotte, NC you will find yourself off by over 6 miles. That means you could find yourself in the wrong neighborhood or miss you destination all together.
But if you were traveling to the moon and were just off 1 degree you would miss landing on the moon by over 4,000 miles. You would have traveled over 240,000 miles for nothing. Now, that would make a difference.
Over time and distance, then, a mere one degree error would of course make a big difference. What you thought you were aiming at would be out of reach and maybe even out of sight.
Now, all of this may not mean much to you this morning. After all, you are not trying to hit a target 300 feet away or 400 miles away much less the moon which is over 240,000 miles away.
However, you may be aiming at becoming a better person, a better grand-parent, a better parent, spouse or friend. You may aiming at becoming a better Christ-follower; a better ambassador for Christ this morning. In that case knowing where you are heading does make quite a bit of difference.
That’s what the Apostle Paul was writing about when he penned his letter to the congregation in Philippi. At the time of Paul’s letter:
+ He has been a Christ-follower; a disciple for over 30 years. So, when it comes to understanding how to live the Christian life, Paul had some gravitas.
+He is in prison for sharing the message of Jesus to both the Jews and the Gentiles. Paul knew what it means to stand up for Christ in the midst of persecution and trials. The Apostle Paul was not a one-hit wonder. He was a man of God who was tried and true.
+He is around the age of 60. Not an old man by our standards today but considering all the physical abuse he had endured over the years he no doubt looked much older. We have to remember that Paul had been tortured many times in his life for his faith in Jesus.
Listen to his own account in his 1st letter to the congregation that lived in Corinth:
24 “From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; 26 in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; 27 in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness-- 28 besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches.” – 1 Corinthians 11:24-28 NKJV
Just reading that passage can make a person feel overwhelmed by all this man endured for our LORD JESUS CHRIST.
It can almost make you wonder why Paul didn’t just retire. Why didn’t he just take it easy? Why didn’t he just give up and pass the battle on to those who were younger and in better shape?
I mean, Paul is an older man only getting older. He is physically broken and as far as he knew his execution was just around the corner. So, why did he continue to write and pour his life into those he may never see again? Why did he write this passage about pressing on; making sure that you are still lined up to hit the target of Christianity square in the middle?
I believe it is because the Apostle Paul understood something vital in the Christian walk. Paul understood that being aimless can lead to sluggishness. Sluggishness can then lead to stagnation. Stagnation can lead to being stopped all together; having no desire to grow in the LORD. And when we have stopped growing in the LORD where does that put us?
So, even though he is over 60 years old and has walked with the Lord for over 30 years the Apostle Paul continues his quest to faithfully serving the LORD. Even though he finds himself chained in a prison cell he understands that it is possible for a person to grow closer to the LORD and be a more effective witness for the LORD.
After all, if we are not trying to grow closer to the LORD and to become a more effective witness for the LORD what are we trying to do?
Are we in effect saying that we have reached the pinnacle of a deep and meaningful relationship with God and we don’t need to strive to be more?
Or are we saying that while it is nice to grow in the LORD it is not really necessary? After all, isn’t getting rescued and redeemed enough? I mean after having your ticket punched for heaven is there really anything else you need?
If that is our thinking, I think we need to purposefully open our hearts, our minds and our souls again and begin to fully understand what it truly means to be a Christ follower.
+A Christ follower is not merely having your everlasting heavenly ticket punched.
+A Christ follower is first and foremost a person whose main aim in life is to experience an ever deepening relationship with the LORD.
+A Christ follower is someone who has been rescued and redeemed and is now being restored into the very image of Jesus through the power and presence of His Holy Spirit.
This is what Paul understood. This is what Jesus preached. This is what the Holy Spirit desires for all of us this morning; to experience a walk with the LORD that is continually becoming richer and richer both in quality and quantity.
So, with all of that in mind let’s see what the Apostle Paul has to share with us this morning that can help us enjoy an ever deepening and enriching life in Christ Jesus.
I. Develop the right Attitude – Make it Your Life Plan to Experience a Life of Continuous Growth in Christ Jesus
Paul starts off with reminding his readers that they can grow in Christ even under the most adverse of conditions. His life is a witness to that truth. He tells us that growing in Christ includes our body, mind and soul.
Again, I think it is vital that we fully understand where Paul is as he is writing these words. He is not behind some desk in an air conditioned room wearing comfortable clothes and having a secretary wait on him. He is not sipping a glass of tea and nibbling on a pastry.
He is in a dimly lit cell doing his best to get his words down on parchment. No doubt he sufferring a great deal of pain. The bones in his feet, his hands and in other parts of his body have been broken over the years. Without proper medical attention no doubt some of those bones did not heal properly. His diet is nothing that neither you nor I would want to eat day after day. Prison food has never been the best and ancient prison food was meager at best.
His day is spent in chains. Hopefully, each day he gets to go outside and enjoy some sunshine but ancient prison systems were not known for their acts of compassion. They were known more for their acts of cruelty. After all, why care about a person who in short order may be beheaded?
It may have been weeks since Paul had his last bath and even longer before he enjoyed a clean tunic or robe. Again, why bother if you’re just going to kill the man. Who cares about old man’s clothes?
It is in the midst of this that we hear Paul’s words in verses 12-16. Not the words of a man who is defeated or who wants to sit on the sidelines. But they are the words of a man who has the right attitude; the attitude that in Christ there is always more growth, more depth and more riches to enjoy. There is always more of the anointing of the Holy Spirit that one can receive and enjoy.
Paul wants his readers to understand that given everything he is presently going through his aim is still on growing deeper in Jesus. He wants to challenge his readers to never get to the point where they are apathetic, stagnate or petrified in their walk with the LORD.
For Paul even there in a prison cell there was still work to be done. There was progress to be made in his walk with the LORD. There were more conversations to be had between him and the LORD. There were more insights, anointing and miracles to be experienced through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.
You have to love Paul’s wit and inspiration.
“I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. 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, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”
Paul is not finished. He is not finished walking with God nor is he finished sharing his faith. He might not be able to attend the Philippian church or even see them face to face but he will do what he can to continue to pour into their lives more faith, more strength and more courage. And he will share his faith with his fellow prisoners and those who are in charge over them.
He doesn’t see that his work is done. He understands that he has been rescued and redeemed but as long as there is breath in his lungs then he has more he can learn and enjoy of Christ. There is more of the Holy Spirit that can renew his heart and soul. There are still people that can hear the message of Jesus be it through writing or through conversation.
This morning, let’s pause for a moment and ask ourselves is it the same with us. As we sit in our air conditioning rooms, enjoy a cool drink and perhaps eating a pastry or two. Enjoying a meal with friends or a relaxing night around a fire or watching a movie together.
Do we still burn with a fire to grow deeper in the LORD?
Do we have a hunger to experience more of God’s richness?
Do we cry out to the Holy Spirit for more guidance and direction?
Do we use our opportunities to share Jesus?
Secondly, we see that the Apostle goes on to challenge us to
II. Surrender to the right processes of suffering, correction, pruning and refinement.
The Apostle Paul understood something very vital.
A great many of our successes (our spiritual advancement) can only come through some trials and tribulations. A great many of our successes can only come through allowing the Holy Spirit to correct us, prune us and refine us so that in the end we will become more like Jesus.
In this passage the Apostle talks about the necessity of letting go and looking forward.
He talks about leaving some things behind and looking for new things to come.
Now, to say the least that is some positive thinking; that is doing your best to look at things in the right light. Not focusing on what has happened but what in Christ can happen in the future.
It had to be difficult to stay positive each day as Paul endured eating molded bread, drinking rancid water and breathing in the stench filled air of an ancient prison cell.
It had to be difficult to stay positive each day listening to the clanking of his chains and those of others around him as they hit the hard surface of the prison cells 24/7/365 reminding all of them that they were no longer free men.
It had to be hard to stay positive wondering at times if God had actually abandoned you. Here you are suffering all because you stepped out in faith that Jesus is the Son of God and the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Here you are suffering all because you were sharing the Good News that everlasting life is possible for both Jew and Gentile alike through Jesus Christ.
It had to be hard to stay positive each day as rumor after rumor of his impending doom was voiced not only by his enemies but his friends as well. It had to be nerve wracking having to wake up every day understanding that it might be your last day. That was Paul’s daily existence.
So, how did Paul not only endure this horrendous physical, social and mental environment but be able to grow deeper in the LORD?
Paul came to understand that seasons of hardships can be the very doorways to new growth and new insight and understanding. Paul came to understand that hardships and trials can be the very means that the LORD uses to correct us, prune us, refine us and promote us.
We all know something similar to this when we went from being a baby to becoming a child. We know that if someone is going to learn how to walk, talk and mature physically, mentally and emotionally that there is going to be some setbacks, some bruises and some failures along the way.
+After all, what child doesn’t have to endure a multitude of bruises as they learn how to walk?
+What child doesn’t miss their mouth and hit their heads/eyes/checks when they are learning how to eat with a fork or spoon?
+What child hasn’t run into a few walls, fallen down a few steps and had a cut lip or two growing up?
+What child has not had to endure being told what to do, where to go by parents, guardians, other children or teachers at school?
Now, I don’t want to say what we experience in our early lives is anything near the same scale of what the Apostle Paul is dealing with here in his confinement. That was just an example (poor may it be) of what it takes for us to grow up. We all know the suffering that the Apostle and others endured for the sake of Christ was more arduous and grueling.
We all know that life is full of ups and downs. Life is full of all kinds of struggles and setbacks. Life is full of finding out your boundaries by the cuts and scrapes you endure physically, mentally and spiritually as you grow up.
The key is to allow all those times of struggle and trial to be a door way to help you become a better person. The key is to get up after each fall, each failure or slip up and allow the LORD to use it to correct you, prune you and then promote you to new growth in Him. The key is to let others help you during those times and to help others during their times of struggle as well.
Jesus tells us in John 15:1-17 that all of those who follow Him will have seasons of struggles, correction and pruning. We read that passage but I question if we always fully understand it or take it to heart.
If we are going be the best we can be in Christ Jesus then we must understand that we will have to endure some struggles, we will receive some supernatural correction and we will go through some pruning processes. None of those things are easy. They were not easy for the Apostle Paul and they may not be easy for us. Necessary, yes. Easy, perhaps not.
There were times when he struggled with his identity, his mission and mortality. There were times he struggled with anxiety, frustration and exhaustion. There were times he wished that he could just on to heaven.
Life is not painless this side of eternity. The Christian Life is not painless. But that pain doesn’t have to be endured in vain. The struggles, those corrections and even some supernatural pruning can help us to become wiser, stronger and kinder people. They can be our gateways to new insight, knowledge and experiencing a deeper relationship with the LORD and with others. This is what we see happening in the life of the Apostle Paul.
Finally, Paul would tells us that through it all:
III. Enjoy the Fruitful Results of Your Journey – more passion, a deeper walk and a greater love for others.
Paul shares with us that we can have an amazing ending. We can finish this part of our lives well. That is to say, if we continue to have a Growing Attitude and we follow the processes of the Holy Spirit we are going to end up hitting the mark; we are going to be who we need to be in Christ Jesus.
That finishing well and receiving the Lord’s prize (verse 14) is both a great goal to aim at and a great finishing to hit. Not to get a mansion on a hill side but to be restored fully into the beings that God designed for us to be in the first place. To be One with Him, one with one another and with all of creation; to be able to fully reflect God’s honor and glory.
That’s what we see in Revelation chapter 21 and 22. That is the life that we are to strive for each and every day of our lives.
It’s the life that Enoch strived for and the life that Abraham, Moses, Ruth, King David and Mother Mary, Peter and John strived to live. It is a life that experiences what it means to be One with God; filled with God’s Holy Spirit. It is a life that participates in bringing God’s Kingdom here on this earth. It is a life that makes it possible for others to have a more fulfilling life both here and now and forevermore.
Heaven isn’t just a place; a certain location. Heaven is an experience; it is a relationship. It is more than brick and mortar, more than silver and gold and more than fame and fortune. It is being One with He who created everything. It is being One with He who loved us so much that He died for us. It is being One with the He who can give us everlasting life. It is being One with He who created in His own image.
It is being able to
“… do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” – Philippians 4:13
“Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.” – Ephesians 6:11
…setting our sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. See Colossians 3:1
…thinking about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For we have died to this life and our real lives are hidden with Christ in God - See Colossians 3:2-3
Bible historians tell us that Paul did not die in this prison. He was found innocent and was given his freedom. He continued on for a few more years sharing his faith, growing more in the LORD and helping others fall in love with the LORD and fall in love with their fellow man and woman. Paul continued on even though he would face more struggles and more trials to do what the LORD had called him to do – be an authentic Christ follower.
A few years later Paul was martyred for his faith. But not before he was able to connect with many of his friends and not before he had made many more friends and grown more in the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul was determined to stay the course and end well.
This morning, I believe the Apostle Paul is challenging us and encouraging us to stay true to our faith in Jesus. I believe he would encourage us to continue to lean into the Holy Spirit and lean on one another. I believe he would tell us that not only did the LORD help him through his times of struggles but he had the likes of Timothy, Luke, Lydia, Phoebe, Epaphroditus, Titus, Barnabas, Silas and others that help him as well.
This morning, it is easy for us to get a degree or two off in this life. There is a great deal that can get us out of focus. That’s why we need to make sure that we are going where we really want to go. That is why we need to lean into the Holy Spirit and that is why we need one another to help us stay on the straight and narrow.
This morning let me challenge you to read this passage in the book of Philippians and determine with Paul that you will
“look forward to what lies ahead, press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” – (adapted from Philippians 2:13)
This morning let me challenge you to read this passage and if necessary lay some things down by the wayside so that you can be able to receive God’s new anointing and favor.
This morning let me challenge you to read this passage and focus anew on being all that you can be in Christ Jesus.
This morning let me challenge you to be there for others and help them to stay connected to evermore becoming an authentic Christ follower.
Invitation/Prayer/Blessing
