Philippians 3:12–14
Opening Illustration: When I was in the military, we had disease that was rampant among those that was nearing the completion of their military service. It was called “short-timers disease." I have seen this over and over again throughout my life. You could always tell when a soldier was getting close to his ETS date, (Expiration of Term of Service, the date when his active duty tour of duty was over). They would skip PT formations and when they were there for PT, they would barely do anything. They would go through the motions and wouldn’t put forth much effort.
You could also notice their Short Timers disease with their work performance. Lazy and half done with most of their duties, they felt that they had served and their tour was over. No longer did they have to do the work, they were going home, and they had been there and done that. They were ready for a break from service.
The truth is, they stopped being soldiers long before their release from service.
The question this morning for each of us is: Have we gotten a Short Timers Attitude with our service to God? Have we gotten to the point in our Christian walk where we feel like we have done our part, we have been there and done that, we have been schooled and have made the grade, we know all there is to know and now we are skating by with no desire, with no drive to be a better servant for Christ.
If so, we then have an attitude of a short timer. We believe we have arrived and we no longer feel that we need to push ourselves. We no longer have to read the Bible every day; we no longer have to show up to church each week, we don’t even have to pray before our meals anymore because we are above all of that now. We know God Loves us, He knows we Love Him, and we know we are going to Heaven. 1
We have no goals as far as our Spiritual Maturity goes. Our only clear goal set before us was to accept Jesus and to receive salvation. Been there, done that. Got the T-shirt. Not to belittle that monumental event of salvation, but if it all stops there, this is the big reason why so many believers are unmotivated in their walk with Jesus.
Is that all Jesus called you for? There has to be more if you want your relationship with Jesus to be motivating.
To those early believers in Philippi, Paul was a giant. He was the one that brought them the Gospel, established the church there, had the run in with the local Government officials, thrown in Jail and came out on top and converted the Jailer in the process. He was a spiritual Giant to them, yet Paul wrote to them saying:
Philippians 3:12 (NKJV) 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.
Here is Paul who wrote a large percentage of our New Testament, and he is saying that he has not yet arrived. He is not perfect, or as other translations say, not yet completed. How many here today can confidently raise your hand and say you have arrived, you are all that that Jesus wants you to be? I cannot raise my hand.
You see the mark of being on the road to spiritual maturity is that fact that the closer one comes to Christ, the more Spiritual aware one is, the more one learns how far they have yet to go.
You see, that event when we are converted, we come into fellowship with Jesus, we have the understanding that the blood of Jesus covered all our sins and we can stand justified before the throne of God, that point is not the end of the journey, but the beginning.
Our call begins at salvation, leading to our conformity with Christ (sanctification) which includes eternal fellowship with Jesus, journey to our home in Heaven with Him, in fact Paul tells in in Phil. 3:20 that our citizenship is in Heaven. We are not called to fit in with this world, but called to be citizens of our true home.
"but I press on"
For as much as Paul had done, he realized how much further he had to go. So He presses on, for what? Paul pressed on, not out of personal will or in his own power, but Paul did so because Jesus had chosen him and grabbed hold of his life. Regardless of what Paul had going for him in the past, for the first time Paul had a real purpose, a real mission, that all had eternal rewards.
"that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me"
For what did Christ Jesus laid hold of Paul? For what great purpose did Jesus stop Paul on that Damascus road? What great purpose did Jesus have for him? Why did Jesus save Him. Everyone who comes to Christ has been laid hold of by Jesus for a purpose. The very act of coming to Jesus is by desire and call of God the Father. We are only able to come to Jesus, to place our trust and faith in Him by the call of God.
John 6:44 (NKJV) No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.
Why would God draw me? What purpose has He laid hold of Me? Paul had the God-given desire to know Jesus. Remember what he said just a few verses earlier?
Philippians 3:10 (NKJV) that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death
Jesus knew Paul and Paul in turn wanted to know Jesus, wanted to know the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His suffering. He followed the purposes of God that God had for Him, even to the point of being conformed with Jesus in His death. The high calling of Jesus. Have you pressed on to lay hold of what Jesus laid hold of you?
2 Timothy 1:9 (NKJV) who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began,
A holy calling, given to us before time began. That is mind boggling if you think about. The purposes of God for you and me was made before time began. Are we up for the task? Have you discovered your task? It is not up for debate or negotiations.
Romans 11:29 (NKJV) For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
Paul knew that. And Paul knew that he had not yet arrived.
Philippians 3:13 (NKJV) 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
Paul said as much. He has not finished laying hold of of what Jesus laid hold of him. The NIV says: "I do not consider myself yet to take hold of it" But can you see the way Paul is thinking.
"forgetting those things which are behind"
We don’t dwell on past failures and shortcoming, and we don’t rest on our past accomplishments. Or are we guilty of having short-timers disease? We need to be future oriented. We cannot rest on what has been done. Jesus warns us about looking behind:
Luke 9:62 (NKJV) But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Jesus also warns us about assuming too much about our current condition, about saying how high and holy we are:
Revelation 3:1 (NKJV) “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write, ‘These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: “I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.
To the church in Laodicea, Jesus says:
Revelation 3:17 (NKJV) Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—
There is a danger in assuming too much about our spirituality, and being comfortable in our present condition. We assume the presence of the Lord in all we do, when in reality, the Lord is far from us. Remember the story of Samson? Here is the most tragic verse in that whole story:
Judges 16:20 (NKJV) And she said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” So he awoke from his sleep, and said, “I will go out as before, at other times, and shake myself free!” But he did not know that the LORD had departed from him.
I pray that is not our condition, not knowing the Lord is far from us. So we are constantly working, moving forward, praying, reading our Bible, keeping our eyes open to the possibilities around us. Peter tells us to make sure our calling:
2 Peter 1:10 (NKJV) Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble;
This is different from doubting our salvation, but if we are saved and we are called, we should be exhibiting the works that come from these things.
John the Baptist warned the Pharisees and Sadducees, who thought they had no need for repentance:
Matthew 3:8 (NKJV) Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance
Paul tells the Philippians to:
Philippians 2:12b (NKJV) work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;
So we do not dwell what is past, nothing can be done to change what is past, so we must always be striving to move forward,
"reaching forward to those things which are ahead" (Phil 3:13)
Paul knew greater things lie ahead. The more Paul learn and grew closer to Jesus, the more he realize how much further he needed to go. Greater things lie ahead. We look back at what God has done right here at Rosemont, but I cannot help but think that God is just getting started. We live in exciting times. Things are moving in our world and in culture, faster than at any time in history. We cannot look behind, but must press ahead. The methods we communicate with are constantly changing. How do we reach people today? As we keep our eyes on Jesus, we must utilize all the tools we have, the internet, social media, pod-casting. Are we fulfilling our call, as a church, doing al1 we can to reach a lost world for Jesus? Though our methods are changing, the message however does not. We don’t change the message the message changes us.
If the message and gospel is not continually changing us to be more in the likeness of Jesus, we are clearly ignoring the message, We are either not reading, seeing or hearing the message. Paul uses the analogy of the Greek Games, which was very popular.
Philippians 3:14 (NKJV) I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
A man does not become a winning athlete by listening to lectures, watching movies, reading books, or cheering at the games. He becomes a winning athlete by getting into the game and determining to win!2 The athlete runs for the goal, putting aside anything that distracts, or causes him to slow or alter his course.
1 Corinthians 9:24–25 (NKJV) Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. 25 And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.
We often run for the temperate and perishable things of this earth. Whereas we should be looking ahead for those things that Christ has called us and taken hold of us. And what is that goal? Paul, near the end of life, tells young Timothy:
2 Timothy 4:6–8 (NKJV) For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.”
We are called to Jesus, to live like Jesus, to love like Jesus, to conform ourselves to be more like Him. The Bible tells us we have been made in the image of God. That image has been marred and twisted and torn. Our call is to return to God, to become more like Jesus and one day we will be the image of Jesus that has been intended all along. As we make these strides, there will be rewards, crowns, treasures that will last eternity.
"the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." (Phil 3:14)
“The upward call” or the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus is to like Him and with Him. Are we pressing towards that goal?
1 https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/a-short-timers-attitude-kelly-benton-sermon-on-encouragement-166606?ref=SermonSerps
2 Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 90.
