Moving On from the Status Quo
Philippians 3:12-16
December 31, 2006
On an episode of “CSI” the star quarterback was murdered at his 10-year high school reunion.
The whole episode was a study in long-held attitudes, reputations, and grudges.
One of the saddest aspects of the show was that some of the people had never grown up since graduating 10 years before.
They were as immature as ever, and in once case that boiled over into murder.
In 2000 Debra and I went to an all-school reunion that my high school had in Mission, SD.
Don’t worry – nobody was murdered. I lived in a rough town, but murder was pretty rare.
It was my 18th year since graduating, but my school doesn’t do the 10-year thing, they just do it for the whole school every five years.
Well, we were in line to register, and one of my classmates got in line behind me. We caught up with what’s been going on in our lives, and had a good visit.
But the question running through my mind was this: would my classmates and others see me for who I was back in high school, or would they see me for who I was now – 18 years later.
The reason for my thinking was that in spite of the fact that I thought I was pretty cool in high school, the fact of the matter was that I was really a rather immature person, and that carried over into college and then some.
I had hurt some people’s feelings, including this girl in line with Debra and me, and I was just hoping that she and they would see that I had grown up since then.
Obviously not in height or number of living hair follicles, but at least in terms of character and wisdom.
I didn’t want to be seen as the same immature person I had been almost two decades before.
Unfortunately, many of the people from my class were still doing the same stuff we did in high school: getting drunk, doing drugs, and getting into trouble.
And unfortunately, for some it was the same as that reunion on the TV show.
My guess is that I’m not the only one who wants others to see us as mature. I think that all of us want to be seen as mature in one way or another.
Many of us would rather not be thought of as mature in terms of growing old. And we can probably all think of people who are “old” but they’re not “mature.”
They’re adults but they act like selfish and self-centered children who don’t know any better.
And the question that we have to face as we look at ourselves in the mirror of our soul is this: Am I maturing or am I stuck in the same old ruts I’ve been in for years?
If someone were to look at me, would they see that I’ve grown up a bit, especially in my character?
That’s a tough question, because for many of us, the answer may not be something we want to acknowledge.
I think all of us have areas of our life where we would like to be more “grown up.”
I don’t know what that is for you – but you know. And even if it’s never been at the front of your thinking, you can find something in your life.
So what can we do about it? What can we do to become people who are characterized by maturity instead of living in the ruts of life?
Well, I think it lies in the idea that we need to develop a discontent with the status quo, or the current status of our spiritual life.
In other words, getting the mindset that where I’m at in my spiritual life isn’t good enough any more. That no matter how long I’ve lived and no matter how long I’ve had Jesus in my heart, there is always more of Christ to grasp.
Maybe you’ve had the Christ-filled life that Florence Hughes had. Even she would have told you that at 90 years old and walking with Jesus for about 70 of them, there was still more of Jesus to grasp.
Maybe you’re a baby in the faith – you’ve just given your life to Jesus recently. The good news is that you’ve just entered a journey that can be filled with the wonder of God doing marvelous things in your life.
Or it could be that maybe you invited Jesus into your life a number of years back, but you’ve never really understood what it means to mature in that faith and become a person who wants more of God.
No matter where you fall in those three categories, or if you’re in a completely different category, my hope is that you will walk out of here today wanting more.
That you’ll walk out of here determined that starting today, you’re going to seek Christ and the maturity in character He wants to give to all who want it.
And if I were to give you the one thing that I want you to take away from here today, it would be this:
Spiritual maturity is not in the ruts, it’s in the reaching.
The reaching for Christ.
Now it’s important to understand that as we seek maturity, we gain a couple side-benefits:
First, we start to get all that Christ has for us. We hear Him better, and we’re better able to experience the blessings He has in store for us, we’re better able to handle the hard times as well as appreciate the good times.
A second side-benefit is that as we actively seek maturity in the faith, we get this incredible thing that I’ve been talking about, and that is maturity in character. But it begins by seeking maturity in Christ.
But the point of all this is that gaining all that Christ has for you and gaining maturity in faith and character is impossible by maintaining the status quo of going through the same old routine of life you’ve been in.
You can’t live in a state of spiritual ambivalence where we just say that God’s okay as long as He keeps His distance and doesn’t bother me and hope to get all the great things God has for you.
It just doesn’t happen. These things are promised to those who reach for them. For those who want them so badly they’ll do whatever it takes to get them.
The words of God through Paul in the book of Philippians are a great wake-up call for us when it comes to growing up and becoming mature.
I’ve printed out the passage today on a separate bulletin insert, because I’m reading from the New Living Translation instead of the Bibles in the seats.
And I’ve done it in such a way that you can take that home and staple it to your fridge so you can see it throughout this next year. And my main point for today is at the bottom so you can have it handy as well. Please read this aloud with me.
12 I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection! But I keep working toward that day when I will finally be all that Christ Jesus saved me for and wants me to be. 13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven.
15 I hope all of you who are mature Christians will agree on these things. If you disagree on some point, I believe God will make it plain to you. 16 But we must be sure to obey the truth we have learned already.
What does Paul mean when he says that he hasn’t achieved “these things?” He’s talking about how he hasn’t yet achieved the full experience of Christ – His power, death, and resurrection.
But here’s the point of Paul’s words. Paul says that he’s not going to live in the ruts of his spiritual life. He’s going to reach for the things of Christ. He’s going to continue reaching for spiritual maturity.
And he says this isn’t just something he’s going to put on his to-do list or that this is his New Year’s Resolution.
He says that this is his focus in life. Reaching for maturity in Christ is his reason for living.
He also says that the reaching isn’t for the faint-hearted. He says here that he’s straining to get hold of these things.
It’s not just like opening the cupboard and reaching for a cup on the top shelf and it’s too high so you have to get a chair (or for some of us, a step-ladder).
This kind of straining involves setting aside everything else for the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ. Paul says that he’s working toward that day when he would be all that Jesus wants Him to be. He’s going to do whatever it takes to reach that goal.
And it’s important to understand that this is something that Jesus Himself wants for you.
Look back at verse 12 –
But I keep working toward that day when I will finally be all that Christ Jesus saved me for and wants me to be.
This isn’t the empty ramblings of a pastor who’s expected to say these kinds of things. It’s the heart of Jesus Himself.
So can you really pass this off as just some nice religious talk on a Sunday?
I mentioned a couple side-benefits we gain when we seek spiritual maturity – it helps us mature in character and it gives us access to all that Christ has for us.
But there’s another reason for seeking maturity. Let me read verse twelve again, but from the English Standard Version –
…but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.
Why should we bother with this? Because Christ made us His own! And remember what it cost Him – His very life!
And we stand here and sit here thinking that God has no right to intrude into our personal lives? How arrogant!
You and I will never have a friend who cares for us like Jesus. We’ll never have a family member who loves us as deeply as Jesus.
And in spite of the fact that we turn our backs on Him, He chose to die for us, making us His own.
Knowing that, can you continue to push Him aside, saying that you have no need or use for Him outside of these walls?
Or that He just needs to keep His distance until a time when we really need Him to bail us out of some bad situation?
God forgive us for that!
Well, let’s move on and talk about how we can live this out, okay?
We move on from the status quo by:
1. Refusing to live in the past.
Paul is writing this from prison, and yet he’s got his mind focused not on his past, or even his present circumstance. He’s focused on what’s ahead.
I want to encourage you to get past the thinking that it’s too late for you because too much time has passed, or because maybe you’ve done something in the past that you think will disqualify you from what Jesus wants for you.
If that’s you, then let me remind you of something: Jesus offers forgiveness for anything you’ve done.
You just have to ask for it. The Bible says that if we confess our sins to God, He forgives them and He cleans us up. Man, how cool is that. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done. Jesus brings forgiveness.
Whatever the reason, refuse to live in the past.
The second way to move on from the status quo is by…
2. Living to the level you’ve already attained.
Do you understand that you are responsible for the truth you already possess?
If you’ve been walking with Jesus for any appreciable length of time, and you have access to a Bible, then you have no excuse for not living up to what you already know.
One of my jobs as a pastor is not only to help you grow in maturity, it’s also to do what I can to take away any excuses you may be clinging to in order to make a commitment to follow Christ wholeheartedly.
You know what God expects of you, and if you don’t know, you have the Bible to help you find out. And then you need to live up to what you already know, with the help of God.
Here’s the third way of moving on from the status quo of our spiritual life, and that is by…
3. Striving for more of Jesus.
This is basically admitting to yourself that the status quo of your spiritual life isn’t good enough. You want more of Jesus and what He offers you.
And so you ask God to give you the motivation and the strength to do whatever it takes for you to get it.
It’s adopting a philosophy that where you’re at just isn’t good enough anymore.
In your bulletin you’ve got another insert that talks about the spiritual discipline of meditation.
I’m not going to get into it here, because you can read the insert on your own.
Each month I’m planning on doing an insert like this about one or more of the spiritual disciplines.
These are activities designed to help you prepare your heart and mind to hear from God as you read His Word, the Bible.
Why? Because the Bible is God’s conduit for spiritual maturity and blessing. So the more you can get into it and the more you can get out of it, the better off you’ll be, and the more mature you can become.
We move from the status quo of our spiritual life by refusing to live in the past, living up to what we’ve already attained, and by striving for more of Jesus.
Why is this so important, anyway?
Why should you bother with this? Why should you even bother with the idea of straining for the things of Christ when you might be just comfy where you are?
Because God has more for you.
The great thing about maturity in Christ is that it’s not just for adults. It’s available to anyone who wants it, regardless of age.
Children can be mature in Christ – at least as mature as they can be at their age.
I’ve known children who are spiritually more mature than most adults I’ve known.
We live in a real greedy society. And it’s not just here in America. Greed is part of every society in the world.
What would happen if we, the people of God, got greedy for something else?
What would happen if we decided to get greedy for the things of God?
What would happen if we got greedy for more of Jesus – more time in the Bible – more time in prayer for others and the church as well as ourselves – greedy for the kingdom?
How radical is that? Do you realize how uncommon that kind of thinking is, even among followers of Jesus?
Most people are greedy. But not for the things of God.
Can you imagine what God would do in the midst of individuals and this church if we got serious about being greedy for the things of God above ourselves?
It’s unthinkable, at least in terms of our limited human capacity for thinking.
But God seems to specialize in blowing our minds. Ephesians 3:20-21 says this –
20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
Next week we’re going to look at how we can be prepared to be people who are greedy for the things of God, but think with me for a moment what can happen.
What if churches all across Aberdeen and Brown County became infected with people who were greedy for the things of God? Can you imagine the impact that would have?
People would see Jesus is real – not just some religious figure we talk about on Sundays and give lip-service to the rest of the week.
They would see that Jesus is really here to bring help for the here and now and hope for the hereafter.
They would see that the Word of God is living and active, and that the Holy Spirit is moving in the lives of those who take it in through reading and study and meditation and hearing and memorizing.
They would see that God is alive and active in the lives of His people.
And the Holy Spirit can use those things to draw people to Himself, and as we see that happening, guess what else happens?
We get even more excited about Christ and what He has for us. And so we get even more greedy for the things of God. Isn’t that cool?
So why not? Why not believe that God can do His thing through every individual here and let it ripple throughout Aberdeen Wesleyan, causing us to be a people who are caught up with striving for maturity in Christ and the blessings it brings?
I believe that not only CAN God do, I believe He WANTS to do it. So let’s invite Him to do it right now.
Let’s pray.
