SERMON OUTLINE:
(1). The Plan is Progress...Not Perfection (vs 12a & 13a).
(2). The Past Is Over…Forget It! (vs 13b)
(3). The Future Holds Our Hope…Reach For It! (vs 3c)
(4). The Secret Is a Determined Attitude…Maintain It! (vs 15a)
(5). The Need Is Keeping A High Standard…We Do That Together (vs 16).
SERMON BODY
Ill:
• If the apostle Paul picked up a newspaper today,
• I think he might turn to the back pages and start at the sports section!
• I think that that apostle Paul must have been a sports fan.
• Over and over again—many times in many places;
• He uses illustrations from sports to make his point.
• He speaks of wrestling, boxing, running,
• He writes about winning the race, winning the prize, and winning crowns. H
• He talks about the discipline necessary to win and the danger of being disqualified.
• I don’t know if he ever played sports himself,
• But it seems clear to me that he was fully aware with the athletic world of the first century.
• Remember how he summed up his life in 2 Timothy chapter 4 verse 7:
• He said, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
• The first phrase comes from boxing, the second from running.
In this section of the letter, the apostle says to these Christians at Philippi:
• Don’t just run but run to win!
• Don’t just compete, don’t just make up the numbers, but run to win!
Ill:
• One of my favourite films, is the 1981 film ‘Chariots of Fire’.
• Which is set at the time of the 1924 Paris Olympics,
• The film tells the fact-based story of two rival athletes.
• Eric Liddell, a devout Scottish Christian who runs for the glory of God,
• And Harold Abrahams, an English Jew who runs to overcome prejudice.
• In this clip, Harold Abrahams goes to an athletics event to watch his rival Eric Liddell.
• You Tube: ‘Get up and finish the race’ - https://youtu.be/I4e5Xfmc8zQ
• TRANSITION: In this section of the letter,
• The apostle Paul says to these Christians at Philippi:
• Don’t just compete, don’t just make up the numbers, but run to win!
• Strain every muscle to win!
(1). The Plan is Progress...Not Perfection (vs 12a & 13a).
• Verse 12a:
• N.I.V.: “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal”
• E.S.V.: “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect,”
• Verse 13a:
• N.I.V.: “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.”
• E.S.V.: “Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own.”
• A common cop-out among Christians is the saying, "Well, nobody's perfect."
• That may be true…
• But that is not the apostle Paul’s answer in these verses.
• He knows as do all Christians that he is far from perfect,
• And if you think you have arrived, just stop and ask the people you live or work with!
• None of us are there yet!
Notice:
• The apostle Paul was satisfied with Jesus Christ.
• He mentions that in verse 10, where he says that he wants more of Christ:
“I want to know Christ – yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death”
• But the apostle Paul was not satisfied with his Christian life,
• He once again wanted more!
Ill:
• Preachers often say that;
• “God has a purpose and plan for your life”,
• That is true and the apostle Paul believed it,
• But he is well aware that he has not arrived at that purpose yet.
• The apostle Paul knows he is not what he should be.
• He is aware of his faults and the areas where he still needs to grow.
• The word translated here as "perfect" also means "complete".
• The apostle Paul recognizes that he is not the finished article yet.
• There is more work needed.
Ill:
• Funny Sign:
• “If A Man Says He'll Fix It, No Need to Remind Him Every 6 Months”
• TRANSITION: The apostle Paul recognizes that he is not the finished article yet.
• There is more work needed.
• Quote: Chuck Swindoll says it well,
• "God is seeking progress not perfection."
(2). The Past Is Over…Forget It! (vs 13b)
• N.I.V.: “Forgetting what is behind”
• N.L.B.: “Forgetting the past”
• E.S.V.: “Forgetting what lies behind”
• The Greek word used in this verse is even stronger in its meaning;
• “Absolute and complete” forgetting!
Ill:
• In the ancient world it was used in athletics,
• Used when a runner passed another in a race,
• Once he was in front, that lead runner did not look back,
• He forgot what was behind him and kept his focus on the winning tape ahead.
Note:
• In the Bible the idea “to forget” does not mean to erase all our memories,
• That would be an impossible thing to do.
• Rather it means, “no longer influenced by or affected by” those memories
Ill:
• Hebrews chapter 10 verse 17 God says:
• N.I.V.: "Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more."
• C.E.V.: “Then I will forget about their sins and no longer remember their evil deeds."
• Now God does not have a bad memory or experience a bout of heavenly dementia.
• That would be impossible.
• What God is saying is;
• “Their sins will no longer affect their standing with me or influence my attitude towards them”
• TRANSITION: When a person becomes a Christian,
• God breaks the power of the past,
• And focusses our minds and hearts on living for the future.
There is a two-fold danger in looking back as Christians:
• FIRST: We can dwell on our failings.
• Don’t torture yourself y dwelling on with former mistakes,
• That only leads to guilt and shame and will weaken us as we try to move forward.
• In Christ the past is forgiven,
• He has removed our guilt and our shame!
• Guilt is about the sin itself that you did. Shame is about the fact that YOU did it.
• (Romans chapter 8 verse 1 and chapter 10 verses 10-11)
• SECOND: We can dwell on our accomplishments.
• This can lead to pride,
• We can be tempted to compare ourselves to others and think we have arrived.
• That will then hinder us from pressing on.
• So, the apostle Paul says, “Forget the past” and keep moving forward.
• Focus on the goal, focus on that winning tape, focus on Jesus!
(3). The Future Holds Our Hope…Reach For It! (vs 3c)
• Again, the apostle Paul uses the image of an athlete running towards the finish line,
• In verse 13 he writes; “straining towards what is ahead,”
• In other words, stretching towards that finishing line to pip your opponent in a race.
Ill:
• Let me show you another clip from the 1981 film ‘Chariots of Fire’.
• Which is set at the time of the 1924 Paris Olympics,
• The film tells the fact-based story of two rival athletes.
• Eric Liddell, a devout Scottish Christian who runs for the glory of God,
• And Harold Abrahams, an English Jew who runs to overcome prejudice.
• And when they first race against each other,
• It is Eric Liddle who wins.
• In the film you have this dramatic little insightful scene.
• You Tube: Chariots of Fire: ‘I Run to Win’:
• https://youtu.be/4MeadbGQx18
• TRANSITION: “I had to look for him, it’s absolutely fundamental, you never look!”
• What is true in athletics, says the apostle Paul is true in the Christian life.
• Verse 13; “straining towards what is ahead,”
• Stretching towards that finishing line to gain every advantage over your opponent.
• You and I are called to have that same intensity;
• To be moving forward, to be purposeful and to be winners!
• Verse 14:
“I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus.”
Note: Don’t miss those first here words; “I press on”
• This is the same word that was used in verse 6,
• When Paul was called Saul and was zealous in his persecution of the early church.
• Now he channels that same zeal, that same energy and enthusiasm,
• In his living for Christ.
• “I press on” words that emphasise determination,
• ill: It carries the idea of a hunter enthusiastically stalking its prey.
ill:
• No athlete ever won a race by just watching he Olympic games on TV,
• No athlete ever won a race by just reading athletic books and magazines.
• No athlete ever won a race by just listening to podcasts or inspirational speeches.
• No athlete ever won a race by just cheering with the crowds from the stands.
• You can only win a race by participation, by getting involved.
• It requires effort, determination, perseverance and a right attitude!
Growth will not happen if we are haphazard about our spiritual life.
• Growing will require:
• Making time for God in our busy schedule
• Finding time to thoughtfully read the Bible.
• Planning in regular times of prayer &worship.
• Making service (doing) a priority in our calendars
• Taking time to evaluate our lives.
• Turning away from things we know will hinder us (even if those things are not sinful).
• Doing something that takes us out of our comfortable and safe mode.
• Remember: Being a loser requires nothing,
• But being a winner requires everything!
• It requires adopting a winning attitudes, winning behaviours and winning habits.
(4). The Secret Is a Determined Attitude…Maintain It! (vs 15-16)
Quote:
“If winning isn't everything why bother to keep the score?”
• The apostle Paul did not run for the sake of running.
• He runs with a purpose, towards the "goal" (NIV, ESV) or "mark" (KJV).
• And in these verses, he reminds us that…
“All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. 16 Only let us live up to what we have already attained.”
• N.I.V.: “who are mature”
• K.J.B.: “as many as be perfect”
• Some translations, use the word, ‘perfect’ but that does not mean, ‘without sin’,
• It means, ‘mature’ or ‘complete.’
• Complete in the sense that I have grown as far as I can at the present,
• And now I am ready for the next lesson.
• e.g. I have completed junior school and now I am ready for senior school,
• e.g. I have completed senior school and now I am ready for university.
• For all of our Christian life on earth, we will need to wear the ‘L’ plate.
• We will always be learners,
• Learning one lesson after another.
Ill:
• The legendary cellist Pablo Casals was asked...
• The legendary cellist Pablo Casals was asked why he continued to practice at age 90.
• He replied, "Because I think I'm making progress,"
Ill:
• A group of tourists visiting a picturesque village,
• And they walked by an old man sitting on a bench.
• One them aske the old man, “Were any great men born in this village?”
• The old man replied, “Nope, only babies.”
• TRANSITION: Every Christian (born-again believer),
• Starts life as a baby in Christ.
• Whether the new convert is six or sixty,
• That person is still a new Christian and needs to grow up in the Lord.
• To many grow old in their faith instead of growing up,
• And we end up with a Church full of grey-haired babies!
Quote: Alan Redpath (British evangelist, pastor and author.).
“The conversion of a soul is the miracle of a moment, but the manufacture of a saint is the task of a lifetime.”
(5). The Need Is Keeping A High Standard…We Do That Together (vs 16).
Ill:
• Alberto Salazar has hit the news headlines this week.
• He was coach to six-time Olympic gold medallist Mo Farah,
• He has just been given a four-year ban for doping violations
• Mo Farah has said:
“it was 'frustrating' that he was having to defend himself over the issue and stressed he is a 'clean athlete who has never broken the rules in regard to substances, methods or dosages'.”
• TRANSITION: The story is a reminder that it is not enough to win,
• The athlete must also obey the rules.
• In the Greek games, judges were very strict on this,
• If you broke the rules you were disqualified.
• You did not lose your citizenship
• But you did disgrace it!
• In verses 15-16:
• The apostle Paul emphasises the importance for Christians to remember;
• The spiritual rules laid down for them in the Word of God.
Notice:
• The apostle now shifts the focus from himself, “I press on” (vs 12&14)
• To all believers, “Let us” press on (vs 15-16)
• Living the Christian life is never a solo experience,
• To be a winner you need others.
Ill:
• Do you remember what the Great Britain Olympic team were called,
• “Team GB”
• That actually means much more than just the competitors!
• The team is made up of…personal coaches, a dietician, a masseur, a training partner.
• Then you have the kit person, the coach driver, the travel co-ordinator etc
• The list goes on and on – winning is a team event.
• TRANSITION: We rarely grow alone.
• In fact, some psychologists have made a compelling case;
• That we only grow in connection with others.
Ill:
• I like the monologue:
• “A rooster minus a hen
• Equals no baby chicks.
• Kellogg’s minus a farmer equals no corn flakes.
• If the nail factory closes what good is the hammer factory?
• Beethoven genius wouldn't have amounted to much,
• If the piano tuner hadn't showed up.
• A cracker maker will do better if there's a cheesemaker,
• The most skill full surgeon needs the ambulance driver who delivers the patient.
• Just as Rogers needed Hammerstein
• You need someone and someone needs you.”
SERMON AUDIO:
https://surf.pxwave.com/wl/?id=mhY71H9RT7du8cOYgsLsCRLaK0KMnuII
