Reaching For The Prize Philippians 3:12-16 NKJV

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1 Message for THE LORD'S DAY EVENING, April 24, 2016 Christian Hope Church of Christ, Plymouth, North Carolina by Reggie A. Braziel, Minister MESSAGE 11 in Philippians Sermon Series ( Living The Joy-Filled Life ) Reaching For The Prize Philippians 3:12-16 NKJV If you are a sports fan, no doubt you will recognize the names of these six men: Dan Marino Barry Sanders Gaylord Perry Ken Griffy Jr. Dominique Wilkins Reggie Miller If I were to ask you what do these six men have in common, perhaps you would say, They are all professional athletes. And you would be right. But there is something else all six of these men have in common and that is none of them ever won the highest prize in their respective sports. Dan Marino and Barry Sanders were outstanding NFL football players, but neither of them ever won a Super Bowl. Gaylor Perry and Ken Griffy Jr. won many personal awards as professional baseball players, but neither of them ever won a World Series. Dominique Wilkins and Reggie Miller were two of the highest scorers in NBA history, but neither of them ever won an NBA Championship.

2 In the apostle Paul's day they didn't have football, baseball or basketball. They had the Isthmian Games. The Isthmian Games were the predecessor of the ancient Olympics. Every two years athletes from all over Greece would converge on Athens to compete in such events as footraces, wrestling, boxing, discus throwing, the long jump, chariot races, poetry reading and singing. (You probably didn't know poetry reading and singing were competitive sports did you? I sure didn't!) Many Bible scholars believe the apostle Paul was a sports lover and had possibly attended the Isthmian Games while in Athens in the spring of A.D. 51. They base this on Paul's usage of sports analogies in his writings to describe the Christian life, such as the one we are going to see in tonight's scripture text. ************************* Please turn with me to Philippians chapter three. And let's read verses (These are perhaps the most familiar verses in this Philippian letter.) PHILIPPIANS 3:12-16 (NKJV) 12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. 16 Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind.

3 As we think about this race Paul has described for us in these verses there are three simple thoughts I would like to share with you. First of all... I. There Is A PLAIN TRUTH We Must FACE (v.12) 12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 1. What is your goal in life? Everyone needs a goal! Having a goal is what drives us and motivates us. Without a goal life becomes empty and meaningless. Without a goal we drift aimlessly through life with no sense of direction or purpose. 2. Paul had a very specific goal in life! His goal was not early retirement... or to earn a PhD....or to own a beautiful home on the Mediterranean Coast. 3. Paul's number one goal in life was to BECOME LIKE CHRIST. Look again at what Paul said back in vs Philippians 3:8-10 (NKJV) 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ

4 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 4. Paul's goal was to KNOW CHRIST...to BECOME LIKE CHRIST! That is what he lived for! That was his reason for running the race! TO BECOME MORE AND MORE LIKE JESUS! 5. But now in verse 12 Paul comes face to face with a truth that all of us must face as well. And that truth is: I'm not there yet! v.14 Not that I have already attained, or am perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has laid hold of me. 6. Paul is saying, My goal in life is to become like Christ, but I'm not there yet! In fact, I am so far from being perfect like Christ, I know I will not achieve my goal in this life, but in eternal life to come.

5 7. That is THE TRUTH WE MUST ALSO FACE! The goal of the Christian life is not to see how many Church services we can attend...or how many times we can read through the Bible...or many hours we can spend in prayer...or how many good deeds we can do. All of those things are important and have a special place in our spiritual growth and development, but they are only a means to helping us reach our primary goal and that is to BECOME LIKE CHRIST! 8. That is OUR GOAL...that is OUR AIM...that is OUR PURPOSE...to become MORE AND MORE LIKE JESUS CHRIST. * To THINK like CHRIST * To ACT like CHRIST * To have the SAME ATTITUTDE as Christ. * To LOVE like CHRIST loved. * To FORGIVE like CHRIST forgave. * To TREAT OTHERS as Christ treated others. THAT IS OUR GOAL! And the truth we must face is that we will not achieve this goal in this life!

6 9. Paul said, I am not already perfected. And neither are we! There are no perfect Christians. There are no perfect preachers or elders or deacons. There are no perfect Christian parents or perfect Christian husbands or perfect Christian wives. There are no perfect local Churches. 10. We will spend every day for the rest of our earthly lives denying ourselves and taking up our crosses to follow JESUS. We will spend the rest of our earthly lives pursuing holiness and righteousness and resisting temptation and going from one trial to the next. It is all a part of our growing and maturing into Christ-likeness. 11. Now maybe you are thinking, Well if I will never reach my goal of Christ-like perfection in this life, why should I even try? 12. Let me give you three good reasons why: (A) One, because the LORD desires for you to keep growing and maturing spiritually and the only way to do that is to pursue Christ-likeness.

7 (B) Two, because God desires that we live our lives in such a way as to bring glory and honor to Him. And nothing brings GOD more glory and honor than to see us, His children pursuing Christ-likeness. (C) And three, if we don't persistently pursue Christ-likeness we will regress spiritually and place ourselves in grave danger of falling away from the Christian faith and dropping out of the race. 13. Here is the point: Even though we will not attain the full measure of Christ-likeness in this life, we must press on as Paul says, to lay hold of that which Christ has laid hold of us. So, THERE IS A PLAIN TRUTH WE MUST FACE. Secondly...

8 II. There Is A PAST We Must ERASE (v.13) 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 1. Perhaps some in the Philippian Church considered Paul the ultimate Christian or a Super Christian if you will. We often do that don't we? We look at certain Christians who seemingly have their spiritual act together and we reach the flawed conclusion that they must be perfect. 2. Well Paul quickly dispels this notion. Paul says, Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind Remember all those religious credentials Paul rattled off in verses 5 and 6? I was circumcised the eighth day...of the stock of Israel...of the tribe of Benjamin...a Hebrew of the Hebrews...a law-abiding Pharisee...a zealous persecutor of the Church...and as righteous as they come.

9 4. When you look at these credentials closely you can see two things from his past that Paul needed to forget. (A) One, he needed to forget THE KEY TO PLEASING GOD IS TO OBSERVE A BUNCH OF RELIGIOUS RULES AND RITUALS. That teaching had been branded into Paul's thinking from the time he was a little boy. He was taught that outward observances of all the religious rules and rituals was what put him in good standing with GOD. It wasn't until he came to know CHRIST as His LORD and SAVIOR that Paul realized just how wrong his thinking had been. It wasn't his outward religion that pleased GOD, it was his personal relationship with HIM. (B) The other thing he needed to forget was HIS DREADFUL PAST AS A PERSECUTOR OF GOD'S PEOPLE. Had Paul dwelled on the awful things he once did to Christians, that guilt and shame of his former life could impede his forward progress spiritually. 5. One of Satan's most powerful and most effective weapons to impede our forward spiritual progress is to constantly remind you and me of our past sins and failures in life.

10 6. Think of it this way: You can't be reaching FORWARD if you're constantly reaching BACK. You can't reach your goal of becoming more like CHRIST if you are constantly reaching back to your past sins and failures. 7. But when you FORGET THOSE THINGS WHICH ARE BEHIND...those things you can't change...those things that have been covered by the blood of Christ... it sets you free to REACH FORWARD and devote your attention and your energy to becoming more like CHRIST. So, THERE IS A PLAIN TRUTH WE MUST FACE. And THERE IS A PAST WE MUST ERASE. And finally... III. There Is A PRIZE We Must EMBRACE (v.14-16) 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. 16 Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind.

11 1. If you have ever noticed a runner in a race runs with a singular vision. His focus is on crossing the finish line and winning the prize. 2. That is how Paul ran the race of life. He didn't allow his focus to be distracted by the lesser things of this world, he kept his eyes fixed on the heavenly prize. Paul looked forward to that day when the LORD would call him before His throne and crown him a good and faithful servant. 3. Paul longed for that place where there would be no more shipwrecks...no more imprisonments...no more beatings and stonings...and no more thorns-in-the-flesh! 4. Likewise, you and I must keep our eyes on the prize. We must focus on running the race as good and faithful servants to the very end! 5. One day all the pain, all the suffering, all the sorrow, and all the grief of this life will be behind us and JESUS WILL MAKE IT WORTH IT ALL! Until that day, let us stay focused on the PRIZE BEFORE US! *********************************************************************** C O N C L U S I O N Years ago, a group of Englishmen tried to conquer Mt. Everest. They pressed on against cold, wind, blizzards, and avalanches. When they came within 2,000 feet of the peak, they set up camp. Two men, Mallory and Irvine, eagerly pressed on, expecting to return in about 16 hours. They never came back. The official record said simply: "When last seen, they were heading toward the summit." Whatever the obstacles, let's keep pressing on in the upward call of God, trusting in Him and not ourselves. At life's end, may it be said of us, "When last seen, they were heading toward the summit! KEEP REACHING FOR THE PRIZE!