“FREE TO SUCCEED”
Freedom Series - Week 4
PHILIPPIANS 3:12-4:3
INTRODUCTION:
The story is told of a man who requested in his will to be buried in a very unusual way. When he died, he wanted everyone to look upon him as successful, so he asked that after his death his body be placed propped behind the wheel of a brand new pink Cadillac, and to have a smile on his face and an expensive cigar in his mouth. As bizarre as the request was, it was granted. After the burial service the old grave digger came to cover up the grave. He was astounded at what he saw! He looked down and saw that man propped behind the wheel of that new caddy, he saw the embalmer’s formed smile on the dead mans face, he saw that stogey stuck in his mouth.. He walked around that grave several times just marveling and finally he clapped his hands and said, "Man, that’s really living!"
Now, that’s an old illustration and one that I’m sure is NOT true. But I do know that there is truth in the fact that many people possess the wrong idea of success. So many folks look at the things a person owns, or the status or prestige they control, or the power that they wield and think, "Man, that’s really living!" But we all know people who have almost everything the world has to offer and yet are miserable. There are all kinds of books that have been written about how to be successful but many of the authors have no actual track record for real contentment. Like the author that wrote the book, How To Live to be 100, and died at 69. As, Christians we need to realize that success, true success, comes from the inner life not the outer. Our spiritual lives must be in tune or our lives in general will not exhibit lasting harmony. What we need is a model of someone who was truly successful in life, one who was full of peace and joy no matter what external circumstances would bring. Because the truth is, we learn a lot more from models than we do manuals. The apostle Paul was certainly one of the most successful followers of Jesus Christ. He said in 1 Cor. 11:1 "Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ." In vs:17 of our text- "Join with others in following my example.." So, let’s study Paul’s plan and listen carefully as he gives us 4 keys for successful living.
I. THE PRINCIPLE OF EVALUATION: Vss:12-13a, 18-19, 4:1b-3
The first step in living successfully from God’s perspective is the principle of evaluation. In vs: 12 Paul says something that we can all identify with. In vs:11 he talks about being like Christ and then says, “Not that I have already obtained all this, (being like Christ) or have already been made perfect...” In other words he is not perfect and we would have the same evaluation would we not? We often say it this way, “Nobody’s perfect.” We might smile at the simplicity of that but I see so many people today who are unhappy or unsatisfied with their life and many times it is because they are caught up in the "perfectionist syndrome." They just are not satisfied if they are not doing the perfect job, living with the perfect family or making perfect decisions. As we talked about two weeks ago there are many who can get emotionally "in the pits" because they fail. Guilt from failure becomes such a heavy load it steals their joy. Please understand that Paul’s relationship, my relationship and your relationship to God is not based on our own perfection. And so Paul gives us the principle of evaluation and basically says, "don’t get angry over your failures but simply face your faults honestly and grow from them.” You see, we need to admit the fact that we fail, but instead of allowing that to steal our joy, we need to allow the principle of evaluation help us make progress. That’s what Paul says in vss:12-13- "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have 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." The Good New version translates that 12th verse: "I don’t claim that I have already succeeded or become perfect.." That’s an amazing statement from this man. Paul has lived a faithful life, he has written most of the NT, he is the greatest church planter in history and yet, here he is at the end of his life saying: "Hey, I haven’t arrived yet. I don’t live by perfection, that will come only in heaven. For now I live by progress, I’m still growing."
Now, there are some people who bury their heads in the sand when it comes to their failures. They either will not admit them or they simply will not look at their faults and so do not learn from the mistakes they make. Do you know anyone who gives off the perception that they just don’t have any problems? "I’ve got it all together, don’t worry about me, I’m doing just fine." The Bible teaches us that continual evaluation is essential. It teaches that it is more important to be good than to look good. Prov.28:13: "You will never succeed in life if you try to hide your sins. Confess them and give them up; then God will show mercy to you." (TEV)
So, the point here is: spiritually successful people always grow. Now, there are two main areas in life that must be honestly evaluated. First, honestly evaluate your relationship to God. Vss:18-19- "For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. Now, talking about being eternally lost is not popular, but Paul talks about it so we must too. Clarity is one of the building blocks of change and Paul is pretty blunt here. He is saddened by the fact but never the less tells us that if you have never received Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord, or if you claim to be a Christian but you are living a life that is constantly and consistently rebellious before Him, then you are considered by God his enemy. How can you tell if you are an enemy of God rather than a child of God? Paul gives three tell-tale phrases that describe the characteristics of an enemy of God.
(1) "Their god is their stomach.." Said simply, they are driven by a predominately sensual appetite. They live an "eat, drink and be merry lifestyle," refusing to make Jesus Christ the Lord, the director of their life. Their god, the one that means the most to them, is them. (2) "Their glory is their shame.." This describes the person who revels in their sin. They are proud of the things that bring them shame. (3) "Their minds are on earthly things.." Simply put, they search for meaning and purpose only in what this life offers, the things they can own, the things they can achieve. And if any of this describes you I pray that four 4 words in v.19 will sink deep into heart: "Their destiny is destruction..." Destruction there carries the meaning of being "forever or eternally lost." I don’t tell you these things to judge or condemn you. But I beg of you, Paul says he says this with tears, don’t live as enemies of the cross. Evaluate your relationship to Him and if it’s lacking, respond to Him today!
The second area is to honestly evaluate your relationship to others. 4:1-3:
4:1Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the lord, dear friends! 2 I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord. 3 Yes, and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, to help these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life." Notice that "Standing firm in the Lord" precedes relating well to others. Your relationship to others is dependent on your relationship to God. Apparently these two women were causing divisiveness in the Philippi church because of their arguing. Paul tells them to agree "in the Lord." And notice that the others in the church are to help them. So, honestly evaluate your relationships with others. If there is something between you and a brother or sister in Christ than go to them today and straighten it out. Or at least, agree to disagree so that the Church is not harmed.
The first step in being truly successful is to apply the principle of evaluation. Look at your spiritual life and compare it to how you were doing say, two years ago or five. Remember God is not expecting perfection, He desires progress. So evaluate your life rather than evacuate, run away from Him and others.
II. THE PRINCIPLE IS ELIMINATION:
Now, the second thing Paul suggests is that once you have evaluated yourself and have made a choice to work on your relationship to God and others than forget the mistakes you have made. This is the principle of elimination. Look forward not backward, “the past is passe.” Paul says forget the former, don’t waste time on yesterdays. Yes, admit that you haven’t arrived, but then go on. Let go of your past and stop being manipulated by your memories. Vs:13b- "But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead." He says, "I let go of my guilt, I let go of my grief, I let go of my grudges. I let go of my past so I can get on with my present.” Isaiah 43:18- "But the Lord says, “Do not cling to events of the past or keep dwelling on what happened long ago." (TEV) Now, don’t misunderstand, Paul’s not talking about developing amnesia. After all, he did just get through saying to face your faults. But he is saying, “Don’t allow your past to control you anymore.” Spiritually successful people learn from the past without dwelling on the past... (repeat) big difference!
Circle the word "forgetting" in vs:13. It is true of human nature that we tend to remember the things we should forget and forget the things we should remember. Let me give you two things that you ought to forget if you are going to follow Paul’s pattern. (1) Forget your failures. It breaks my heart to see so many people continuing to rehearse things in their lives that God has long since forgiven and forgotten. They won’t forgive themselves, they keep holding onto the past. Now, think for a moment of Paul’s past, what he is forgetting? He was a persecutor of the church! He killed and imprisoned followers of Christ. Acts 7:58 tells us that as a young man he held the cloaks of those who stoned Stephen, the first Christian martyr. You know why he held the cloaks? So the murders could have their arms unencumbered to crash heavy boulders onto Stephen’s body. And then Act 8:1 says, "And Saul was there, giving approval to his death." In other words, he enjoyed it! No wonder he says in 1 Tim. 1:16 that he is "worst of sinners." But Paul refuses to allow his past to manipulate him, he refuses to allow what God had forgiven for to haunt him. Please understand this principle: Nothing you ever do will change the past. Absolutely nothing! The past is past. It is finished, dead, done, over. You cannot do anything except learn from it and let it go. Two things you can do with your past: rehearse it or release it.
(2) The other thing you should forget is you ought to forget your successes. "Oh, man, I’ve got to forget the things I do right too?" Yes, learn from them, but then let go of them. Because it is so easy to rest on your laurels. One of the things that come from reliving your past successes is complacency. And if you become complacent you become filled with pride and the Bible says, "Pride comes before a fall..."(Pro 16:18 GW) What do you need to let go of? What person? What event? Let it go. "Forgetting what is behind." That brings us to the third principle to spiritual success.
III. THE PRINCIPLE OF CONCENTRATION: Vss: 13c, 20-21
This is the principle of concentration. He’s saying, “Focus on the future, spiritually successful people have a clear purpose for their lives.” Look at the middle of vs:13- "But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind (We already talked about that) and straining toward what is ahead..." Circle the phrase- "...one thing I do.." You might say, "He says one thing and mentions two- forgetting the past and straining toward the future." No, to Paul they are one in the same. He says, "This one thing I do, not these 45 other things, but this one purpose I have.. to forget the past and focus on the future."
Do you know what disease I see harming a lot of Christians? "Fragmentosis." Okay, I made that word up but not the principle. It’s where you are so wrapped up in earthly desires and things that you have lost your focus, your primary & proper purpose for living. Let me ask you. Are you a business man that happens to go to church on Sunday? Or are you a follower of Christ who uses his work to finance ministry? Are you a wife and mother that gets her family ready for church? Or do you worship Jesus in spirit and truth so the way you care for your family always honors God? Even it’s not Sunday. In other words have you simply added Jesus to your life or is He your life? I believe that a lot of people, when they come to Christ, don’t allow Him to change their lives, they just add Him to all the other activities and desires that their lives already contain. Paul says, "You want to be successful? This one thing I do." Jesus said it like this: "The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light." (Mt. 6:22 KJV) “If your eye be single..” In other words, “find out what counts and focus on it.”
I read the other day that only 5% of the American pubic has ever written down their ultimate goal for living. I mean, actually sat down and put on paper what their first and foremost goal is in their life. I thought, "Hey, I’m in the 95%." I’ve never done that. So, now, I’m in the 5% because I have.” My life’s goal is in 2 Cor. 5:9. Here’s what it says and this is the goal that I wrote down for my life. "My only goal is to please God..." (NCV) That’s it! That is my focus for as long as I live. To please God/Jesus in everything I do. So, what is your ultimate goal in life? What would you put down? In fact, I challenge you to give this some thought and then write your goal down and then make everything else compliment that goal.
You see, our ultimate focus is not to be on this life. vss:20-21. "20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a savior from there, the lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body." We are not to be too attached to this world because our citizenship isn’t here. If Jesus would come and ask you, "Should I come back today?" What would you say? - "Uh, well, Lord, I want you to come back but we’re going to have a baby?" -OR- "Lord, I want you to come back but I want to see my kids grow up." -OR- "I want to get married first." -OR- "I’m just starting this exciting job.." I’m afraid, in a great many respects, we’ve lost our eagerness for Christ’s return. Paul say, "Hey, you don’t live here. You’re citizenship is in heaven. No matter what you have here, no matter your excitement or your anticipation for things here.. He’s going to transform you into something and to a place so great you can’t begin to grasp it!
So, we concentrate on our goal. And our ultimate goal is two-fold. Our long range goal is to go to heaven. Our short range goal is while we are here, to please Him. What is your focus life? Focus on the future.
IV. THE PRINCIPLE OF DETERMINATION: Vss:14-16; 4:1
Then Paul would say the final principle to being freed up to truly succeed is to fight to the finish. This is the principle of determination- "to keep on keeping on."I talked to someone the other day and I asked them about their spiritual walk and they said, "Well, I’m kind of just coasting right now." Listen, the only time you coast is when you’re going down hill." And if you’re coasting right now, you’re going down hill. Paul is talking about perseverance. Vs:14- "I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which god has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Circle "press on" in vs:14- that phrase is actually one word that means "to over extend myself." Here’s maximum effort, giving it everything you’ve got. Determination, perseverance. Allow me to let Hitch, the date Doctor, to define this principle for us.
{Video Clip: Hitch - Start: Chp. 9: 32:55 - End: 35:00 = 2:05}
Did you hear Hitch’s definition? “Perseverance is continuing in a course of action without regard to discouragement, opposition, or previous failure.” That’s exactly what Paul would say, in fact it’s pretty much what he did say. 2 Tim. 4:7-8- "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 now there is in store for me a crown of righteousness, which the lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day--and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing." Gal. 6:9- "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." “Continuing a course of action without regard to discouragement, opposition or previous failure.” Paul was a spiritual success because he would not quit! He pressed on with everything he had.
Now, vss:15-16 talk about 3 ways you can keep your faith growing till the finish, especially when things get discouraging. 1) Vs:15a says, "All of us who are mature should take such a view of things." i.e., be mature as Paul has described: face your faults, forget the former, focus on the future and finish the fight! A mature Christian is a growing Christian. 2) Vs:15b says, "And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you." He’s saying "Just stay open, if you are pursuing Him, God will teach you.” Listen, the moment you stop being teachable, you stop learning. The moment you stop learning, you stop growing. The moment you stop growing, you’re dead. 3) He says, "Be persistent. Vs:16- "Only let us live up to what we have already attained." Don’t slide backwards. Circle "live up to." That means "keep in step," or "keep in line with." Paul realizes that we are not all at the same spiritual level but we can all be faithful to what God has shown us thus far and continue to grow. Abraham Lincoln said it this way: "Do the best you know how, the best way you can, and keep doing it, right up to the very end."
So, if you want to be a spiritual success understand 1) You don’t have to be perfect, apply the principle of evaluation, the plan is progress. If you’ve never established a relationship with God than be honest with yourself to realize you are in eternal jeopardy. If you’re in Christ than evaluate your growth potential and progress.
2) Make a commitment today to forget the past. Apply the principle of elimination, don’t allow yesterdays failures to manipulate you. 3) Focus on the future, put into work the principle of concentration, yearn for the day when you will live eternally with Jesus. 4) Finally, apply the principle of determination, finish the fight, don’t give up, be persistent.
A.W. Tozer once defined spiritual success this way: "A successful Christian is one who feels supreme love for One whom he has never seen, talks familiarly every day to Someone he cannot see, expects to go to heaven on the virtue of Another, empties himself in order that he might be filled, admits he is wrong so he can be declared right, goes down in order to get up, is strongest when he is weakest, richest when he is poorest, and happiest when treated badly on account of Jesus. He dies so he can live, forsakes in order to have, gives away so he can keep, sees the invisible, hears the inaudible, and knows that peace which passes all understanding."
"But this one thing I do; forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. I press on to the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."
Pray
