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Keep Moving Forward Philippians 3:12-14 |
November
26, 2006 Pastor Tom Marcum |
In June of 1955, near the end of his storied life, Winston Churchill gave
a commencement address at a British university. He was so frail that he
had to be helped to the podium and, once there he stood in absolute silence
with his head hung down for what seemed an interminable period of time.
Finally, he slowly raised his head and the voice that had once called
Britain back from the brink of annihilation sounded publicly for the last
time. Here’s what he said.
“Never give up. Never give up. Never give up.”
And, with that, Churchill turned and slowly made his way back to his seat. For a few moments there was only silence as the audience pondered this most unusual commencement address. Then, suddenly, they rose in a lengthy standing ovation as the impact of the speech set in. In those simple words Churchill was doing more than just offering advice. He was, in essence, telling the story of his life.
Over and over again, throughout his political career, Churchill had been counted out. Three times he was sent off into oblivion, his career apparently over. Three times he came back sensing that he had one more task to accomplish, one more obstacle to overcome, one more goal to reach.
Those simple words, “Never give up,” spoken by a man who’s entire life had embodied their meaning, became a rousing and unforgettable challenge to that graduating class. Keep going. Keep growing. Keep moving. Keep reaching. Keep striving. Never, never, never give up.
We have a similarly rousing challenge in Paul’s letter to the Philippians and, like Churchill, he was a man who walked the talk. Paul’s commitment to Christ, his passion for God’s will and his spiritual maturity are beyond question. Yet, in evaluating his spiritual development he never spoke in terms of goals reached—he always spoke in terms of goals not yet attained and growth still to be realized. And because Paul refused to give up on the goal of constantly growing in His relationship with God he gets our attention when he challenges us to do the same.
Our text is Philippians 3:12-14 where Paul writes,
“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. 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, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
I don’t know how that sits with you, but it resonates with me. I function best when I’m following simple, direct, clear and detailed instructions. And that’s what I see here. Simple, direct, clear and detailed instructions for sustaining spiritual growth over the course of a lifetime. Off and running…no turning back…eyes on the goal. Those are my kind of instructions. Just get started…stay focused…and keep moving forward. It’s a proven strategy for success. It’s also a genuinely difficult strategy to implement because it goes against the grain of our human nature.
To begin with, it challenges us to resist our natural inclination toward complacency and contentment and to work, instead, to cultivate a perpetual state of spiritual discontent. Look, again, at verse 12. Paul writes, “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on…”
In other words, “I’m not interested in patting myself on my back for the spiritual growth I’ve already seen in my life. I’m moving forward. God’s got so much more in store for me and I want to experience it all.”
That’s what I mean by spiritual discontent. It’s that inner attitude that resists the temptation to be satisfied with the present level of our spiritual maturity and fills us with a passion to experience everything that God desires for us.
Cal Ripken, Jr. retired from Major
League Baseball 5 years ago with an absolute lock on a place in the Hall
of Fame. Cal is known as baseball’s iron man for playing in 2632
consecutive games. That’s 16 _ years without missing a game. No
one else is even close.
But Cal did more than just refuse to miss a game. He also refused to miss
a practice. With 20 years of experience in the big leagues and with his
retirement just a couple of months away, a reporter stopped Cal on his
way to the batting cage and asked him why he was still so dedicated to
batting practice. Without missing a beat Cal said, “Because I learn
something every time I go out there.”
I don’t know if Cal Ripken Jr. knows the Lord but he sure knows a lot about pressing on.
After all these years, why do we
continue to pray?
After all these years, why do we continue to worship?
After all these years, why do we continue to serve Him in ministry?
After all these years, why do we continue to study the Bible?
Because God grows us in some way
every time we do. Every time we do so, God molds our character to reflect
the character of Jesus just a little bit more. Every time we do we move
just a little bit closer to the “finished product” that God
has destined us to become. So, we press on…and on…and on.
This call to a lifetime of sustained spiritual growth also means that
we’ll need to resist our natural inclination toward taking detours
and getting sidetracked and work, instead, on following Jesus with a single-minded
devotion.
Look, again, at verses 13-14. Paul writes, “One thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on…
Key phrase? “One thing I do.” What’s the point? The point is that there can only be one item at the top of our priority list. There can only be one #1 in our lives. And we need to be very careful in deciding what our top priority is going to be and, once chosen, we need to keep our eyes focused on it like a laser beam. And, for Paul, that one thing was to be constantly moving forward in his relationship with the Lord. And so it must be with us as well.
Now, obviously, sustaining that kind of single-minded devotion over the course of a lifetime is no easy thing.
To begin with, it means that we are going to have to be constantly on guard against the vast array of distractions that can so quickly throw us off course. Things like the love of money, the love of status, the love of things, the love of self, etc. etc.
But, notice that Paul also tells us that if our desire is to be constantly moving forward in our relationship with the Lord then we will also have to resist the urge to be preoccupied with the past. And that includes past failures as well as past successes. As far as what’s already happened, Paul had a very clear philosophy—Forget it! If you want to keep moving forward in your relationship with Jesus, then you need to keep your eyes looking forward.
Author and pastor John Claypool tells the story of a powerful thunderstorm that swept across the farm that had been home to 6 generations of his family. When they surveyed the damage the next day they discovered that an old pear tree that had been there for as long as anybody could remember had toppled to the ground. Claypool remembers his grandfather, whom everybody called, “Doc,” grieving over the loss of that wonderful, old tree in which he, his sons and his grandsons had all played in as children and eaten from their entire lives.
A neighbor came by and said, “Doc,
I’m really sorry about your tree.”
His grandfather replied, “I’m sorry too. That old tree played
a significant role in my past.”
The neighbor asked, “So, what are you going to do?”
His grandfather paused for a moment and said, “I’m going to pick the fruit and burn what’s left.”
That’s a great strategy to help us balance a healthy respect for the past with a passion to keep moving forward.
We can’t allow our future spiritual growth to be stifled by guilt over old failures, losses and wounds that we can’t change.
We also can’t allow our future spiritual growth to be stifled by continually basking in the glow of past victories and successes.
Instead, we need to learn those lessons from the past that help us move forward in our relationship with the Lord and then just let go of the rest. One thing I do…forgetting what is behind…I press on.
Finally, notice that this call to a lifetime of sustained spiritual growth also means that we’ll need to resist the goals the world sets before us so we can pursue the goal that God sets before us. Folks, the goals the world offers us and the goal that God offers us lead in completely different directions. Our goal is clearly established in verse 14 where Paul writes, “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
Folks, we may not know when we’re going to get there but there is no doubt whatsoever about where the children of God are going. We’re going to heaven! God has charted a path for our life, Jesus is leading the way and He’s leading us toward heaven. That’s the prize that God has waiting for His children. No wonder Paul is so focused on his goal. He’s pressing on toward heaven.
And, folks, there’s a harsh but unstated reality here that we must not forget. In stark contrast to the popular notion these days that all roads ultimately lead to heaven is the clear Biblical teaching that, in fact, Jesus is the only road that leads to heaven and all other paths lead to an equally real place called, “Hell.” All other paths will lead all who follow them into an eternity completely cut off from the presence of God.
Knowing that unsaved people are willingly walking down a path that leads to Hell is heartbreaking. But do you know what else is heartbreaking? Watching Christians who seem to have forgotten what path they’re walking down. Watching Christians who started off down the right path but somewhere along the way got sidetracked or just stopped walking altogether.
The good news is, it’s not
too late to get back on the right path.
One of the most dramatic moments in Olympic history occurred at the end
of the marathon in 1968. It was witnessed by only a handful of spectators
but those who saw it will never forget it.
The winner of the race was Mamo Wolde of Ethiopia. As the remaining runners crossed the finish line over the next few minutes the crowd began to disperse. Then, an hour after the race had been won, police sirens suddenly rang out signaling the arrival of yet another runner.
The few remaining spectators turned to see a lone figure enter the stadium. It was John Stephen Akhwari of Tanzania. Severely injured and bleeding from a fall earlier in the day he grimaced in obvious pain as he barely hobbled around the track. Realizing the incredible moment they were witnessing the sparse crowd suddenly rose to their feet and began to cheer as if Akhwari were the winner.
After crossing the finish line Akhwari was immediately mobbed by reporters all asking the same question. Why didn’t you just quit? In a soft voice weakened by pain and exhaustion Akwari uttered the words for which he will always be remembered, My country did not send me 7.000 miles to start the race. They sent me 7,000 miles to finish it.
I don’t know where you are in your spiritual race. But I know this much—none of us has reached the finish line. Let’s not settle for anything less than the very best that God desires for us.
Ask God to get your eyes back on
His goal for your life.
Ask God to rekindle your passion for Him.
Tell God that you’re willing to let go of anything that is keeping you from moving forward in your relationship with Him and then, let go of it.
To the glory of God let’s press on.
© Copyright 2006 Pastor Tom Marcum