Press Toward the Mark
This is a sermon a preached a while back.
Philippians 3:12-14
Imagine yourself preparing to run a race. You constantly practice and make sure that you are prepared by conditioning, stretching, and training. Finally its race day, you stand a the starting line poised for the race to start. The shot is fired and the race is on, you put all or your preparation into practice to launching yourself off the line, you pace yourself and reach toward the finish line. All around you there is the sound of people cheering and the feet of your opponents pounding the ground furiously. For an instant you are tempted to look back and see how far ahead you are, but you know that if you look back you risk loosing focus and falling behind. A few seconds latter you start to become over confident because of your lead and you consider relaxing your stride but then you realize the your opponents may take advantage and pass you by, so you keep reaching for the finish staining toward the prize of crossing the line first.
Just as we never lose focus on the race we need even more so to be focusing on living for Christ and staining toward the prize of being like Christ, because God wants us to press on toward the goal of Christ-likeness.
So how do we do we press toward the goal? By jumping three hurdles.
Hurdle #1 We must get off ourselves.(vs12-13a)
We see for the text that Paul is concerned for the Philippian believer because they are being influenced by the Judizers who were claiming to be perfect because they were following the law and had faith. And Paul being greatly respected tall them "I am not perfect I have not attained it yet." He makes it clear that no matter how hard we try we can not attain physical spiritual perfection while on earth. But we are to strive for by living for Christ and by following his example. He say "I press toward the mark" emphasizing that he is seeking to become more like Christ on a daily basis. In short the message that Paul is trying to get across is that we need to get off ourselves because we are not spiritually perfect nor will we be until we are with Christ, but we must still be striving to daily become more like Christ.
We must see that we are not perfect and need to keep growing in Christ but realize that we will never attain it in this life. If we believe that we have achived this then we are only defeating ourselves and setting up the here "depart from me for I never knew you" If we do not believe that we have arrived then we must press on
Hurdle #2 We must not get caught up, LOOK AHEAD!!(vs13B)
Paul tells the people that he is not looking back at his past with it many successes and failures, but rather how he can press on and learn from those successes and failures. We often have the tendency to look at our failures and let them bog us down and cause us to stumble because we think we have ruined everything, but we must look at those failures and ask what can I do better next time and learn from it and apply it. On the other hand when we succeed then we tend to look at that and say "ah there I've done it now I can rest I am complete" but we are not no matter what we do well in our christian walk there is always some way to step it up and do better.
During a Civil War Battle General Thomas Jackson sat upon his horse amid cannon fire exploding all around. He had already been wounded in the hand while giving orders but still he remained. A soldier began waling off the field with others who were retreating and said to the General, "The day has gone against us" the General leaned off his horse looked the man in the eye and said, "If you think so son you had better not tell anyone about it." The General new that if the men started to hear that they were losing then they would all give up. It was because of Jackson's steadfast determination that inspired the man and lead to the victory in the battle.
Don't let failure or success weigh you down learn from each and move on.
Hurdle #3 We must focus on finishing the race honorably (vs14)
Paul explains that he is striving to complete the race as best he can by never giving up and giving it his dead level best by focusing on his Christian walk rather than other things that can be distractions. We must strive to do our best to complete everything God has for us as we run the race, never giving up. We must stretch forward even in hard times toward the prize of hearing God say "Well done my good and Faithful servant". Paul wants his readers to see that we must press on doing everything we can to serve God completely so that when we enter heaven for eternity we can know that we gave our all to Christ.
At the end of his life Paul said this "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that Day, and not to me only but all who have loved his appearing." Paul new his life was over and he could in good conscience say he has run his race to the best of his ability.
We must strive so that on the Day we can know that we have given our all for Christ. Ask yourself today are you running the race the best you can? If not how can you improve seek God's wisdom to give your all for Christ.
So what three hurdles must we jump?
1. We must get off our selves
2. We must not get caught up, look ahead!!!!
3. We must focus on finishing the race honorably
I heard it said once "IF you always do what you have always done you will always get what you have always got"
Are you living your life by jumping hurdles so the you may continually press on to become more like Christ? Give it all and PRESS ON!!!
Philippians 3:12-14
Imagine yourself preparing to run a race. You constantly practice and make sure that you are prepared by conditioning, stretching, and training. Finally its race day, you stand a the starting line poised for the race to start. The shot is fired and the race is on, you put all or your preparation into practice to launching yourself off the line, you pace yourself and reach toward the finish line. All around you there is the sound of people cheering and the feet of your opponents pounding the ground furiously. For an instant you are tempted to look back and see how far ahead you are, but you know that if you look back you risk loosing focus and falling behind. A few seconds latter you start to become over confident because of your lead and you consider relaxing your stride but then you realize the your opponents may take advantage and pass you by, so you keep reaching for the finish staining toward the prize of crossing the line first.
Just as we never lose focus on the race we need even more so to be focusing on living for Christ and staining toward the prize of being like Christ, because God wants us to press on toward the goal of Christ-likeness.
So how do we do we press toward the goal? By jumping three hurdles.
Hurdle #1 We must get off ourselves.(vs12-13a)
We see for the text that Paul is concerned for the Philippian believer because they are being influenced by the Judizers who were claiming to be perfect because they were following the law and had faith. And Paul being greatly respected tall them "I am not perfect I have not attained it yet." He makes it clear that no matter how hard we try we can not attain physical spiritual perfection while on earth. But we are to strive for by living for Christ and by following his example. He say "I press toward the mark" emphasizing that he is seeking to become more like Christ on a daily basis. In short the message that Paul is trying to get across is that we need to get off ourselves because we are not spiritually perfect nor will we be until we are with Christ, but we must still be striving to daily become more like Christ.
We must see that we are not perfect and need to keep growing in Christ but realize that we will never attain it in this life. If we believe that we have achived this then we are only defeating ourselves and setting up the here "depart from me for I never knew you" If we do not believe that we have arrived then we must press on
Hurdle #2 We must not get caught up, LOOK AHEAD!!(vs13B)
Paul tells the people that he is not looking back at his past with it many successes and failures, but rather how he can press on and learn from those successes and failures. We often have the tendency to look at our failures and let them bog us down and cause us to stumble because we think we have ruined everything, but we must look at those failures and ask what can I do better next time and learn from it and apply it. On the other hand when we succeed then we tend to look at that and say "ah there I've done it now I can rest I am complete" but we are not no matter what we do well in our christian walk there is always some way to step it up and do better.
During a Civil War Battle General Thomas Jackson sat upon his horse amid cannon fire exploding all around. He had already been wounded in the hand while giving orders but still he remained. A soldier began waling off the field with others who were retreating and said to the General, "The day has gone against us" the General leaned off his horse looked the man in the eye and said, "If you think so son you had better not tell anyone about it." The General new that if the men started to hear that they were losing then they would all give up. It was because of Jackson's steadfast determination that inspired the man and lead to the victory in the battle.
Don't let failure or success weigh you down learn from each and move on.
Hurdle #3 We must focus on finishing the race honorably (vs14)
Paul explains that he is striving to complete the race as best he can by never giving up and giving it his dead level best by focusing on his Christian walk rather than other things that can be distractions. We must strive to do our best to complete everything God has for us as we run the race, never giving up. We must stretch forward even in hard times toward the prize of hearing God say "Well done my good and Faithful servant". Paul wants his readers to see that we must press on doing everything we can to serve God completely so that when we enter heaven for eternity we can know that we gave our all to Christ.
At the end of his life Paul said this "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that Day, and not to me only but all who have loved his appearing." Paul new his life was over and he could in good conscience say he has run his race to the best of his ability.
We must strive so that on the Day we can know that we have given our all for Christ. Ask yourself today are you running the race the best you can? If not how can you improve seek God's wisdom to give your all for Christ.
So what three hurdles must we jump?
1. We must get off our selves
2. We must not get caught up, look ahead!!!!
3. We must focus on finishing the race honorably
I heard it said once "IF you always do what you have always done you will always get what you have always got"
Are you living your life by jumping hurdles so the you may continually press on to become more like Christ? Give it all and PRESS ON!!!
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