Strive Towards Goal
Notes
Transcript
Perfection
Perfection
Alright, I now I’m going to get crucified for this one, but I had to...
The Perfect Story: There was a perfect man who met a perfect woman. After a perfect courtship, they had a perfect wedding. Their life together was, of course, perfect.
One snowy, stormy Christmas Eve this perfect couple was driving along a winding road when they noticed someone at the roadside in distress. Being the perfect couple, they stopped to help. There stood Santa Claus with a huge bundle of toys. Not wanting to disappoint any children on the eve of Christmas, the perfect couple loaded Santa and his toys into their vehicle. Soon they were driving along delivering the toys. Unfortunately, the driving conditions deteriorated and the perfect couple and Santa Claus had an accident. Only one of them survived the accident. Who was the survivor?
Answer: The perfect woman. She's the only one that really existed in the first place. There is no such thing as a perfect man, and Santa Claus is a man.
A Male's Response: So, if there is no perfect man which means there could be no perfect Santa Claus, the perfect woman must have been driving. This explains why there was a car accident.
No Perfection
No Perfection
12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.
How many of us are perfect?
I know, I know, there are only a few perfect people…and the rest are called husbands. But… In all reality, none of us are perfect in any shape, form, or fashion. Paul here is making everyone aware that even he is not perfect. He had not attained the level he was hoping or searching for.
Why would Paul be placing so much emphasis on perfection? It’s because it is what is expected from God. You see, He even sent us the perfect example of Jesus Christ as an example for us to follow. Jesus lived a perfect life, and we (as Christians) are to follow the example of Jesus. So, by definition, we should be living a perfect life. But there is this thing called sin that keeps us from perfection.
Paul even defends his faith speaking of what he has done.
5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee;
Yet all he had attained through his faith, he still did not achieve perfection.
This leads us to the following conclusion - no person can be perfect on this earth.
10 as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one;
So if no one is righteous, no one can attain perfection, what is the point?
Paul STRIVED for perfection, and looked at this as his God-given purpose. When Christ saved Paul, it was only the beginning of His refining towards perfection. He had been saved to live for Christ and to serve Christ, and as long as he was on this earth he was going to live for Christ and do all he could to serve Christ.
This is a challenge to us also, knowing that salvation does not equal immediate perfection. It is a goal to press on - this meaning is related to running an endurance race. A runner sets a pace and stays as consistent as possible until the race is finished. In many cases, they will save their energy and press on even HARDER the closer to the finish line they get. This should be the way our relationship with our Lord and Savior is - not a short sprint, not even 100 meters, but our life we live for Christ is like a marathon. Our goal should be to run consistently all the way to the end. There’s no room for us to walk, to sit, to wait on others, we are running our own race with many other runners around us. We, like Paul, have been saved FOR perfection - and we will be perfected when our race is finished. Until then, we are to press on and run after perfection.
Can’t Make It On My Own
Can’t Make It On My Own
13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,
Paul recognized that his race, leading to his refining, and ending in his perfecting was not his doing. But he also acknowledged he had a past that he was not proud of.
He was the Jews Jew, and because of this he was a fanatic at trying to stop Christianity.
6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.
Hostile, ill-willed, willing to kill or see put to death over religion. Now, if there was any reason to be ashamed of a past, would it not be someone who had tried to kill other people for their religion?
Yet we allow small things to embarrass us, and keep us out of church or impact the relationship WE have with Christ.
Paul set the example for us by working towards forgetting the past. This should give great comfort and help to believers who have failed God. Even failing Him catastrophically.
18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.
19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.
But let me ask a question. What sin can God not forgive?
Paul, even though he sinned tremendously at persecuting Christians, even though he was met on the road to Damascus by the resurrected Christ personally, even though he was made blind until his sight was restored by a man of God’s faith, he recognized God had given him a second chance, had given him a mission, a purpose, and he had to put the past behind him.
Paul was just as human as we are - he had failures, he had shortcomings, and he struggled with moving on from his past. So how did he do it?
He strained forward to what lies ahead. Anyone who has run any knows there are things that will cause you to strain. An uphill climb, holding back going down steep hills, stepping in a hole, uneven terrain, and it goes on and on. This is the epitome of life - every day can be a complete struggle, a strain. There are hills and valleys we must travel, there are obstacles in our paths, and we must stay aware of what is ahead of us.
One thing is for sure, though - we cannot look out for obstacles ahead of us if we are always looking behind us. Paul recognized he could not wallow in the past and do what God had called him to do ahead. So how does Paul tell us to deal with the past failures? By concentrating and controlling the mind and by reaching forth to those things which are before us.
Notice too, he does not focus on multiple things - but focuses on forgetting while reaching forward. The past cannot be forgotten without reaching forth to what lies ahead. A person cannot sit around moaning and regretting the past. To do so is to be concentrating upon the past. The things of the past are to be forgotten. The things of the future are to be the focus of the mind. The believer is to zero in on the things at hand and on the things that lie ahead. If we do this, there is no time to wallow around in the past and its failure but instead to focus on God’s goal for our life.
Goal!
Goal!
14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
What is the goal Paul is pursuing? God’s purpose for us in Christ Jesus - in other words, we are to be conformed to the image of Christ. We are to strive to be like Christ - perfect!
When do we achieve perfection? Upon completing the race! Perfection means eternal life, a perfect life that never ends—that goes on and on doing the things that God created us to do. Perfection means the eternal life of Jesus Christ—being conformed to the perfection of Jesus Christ.
We should constantly and consistently be focusing on our relationship with Jesus Christ. Each day, every day, committing to follow Christ. As Paul has mentioned, it is not going to be easy, Satan will use our past to try to persuade us we are not good enough. He will try to get us to think our past will keep us from our future. He is the great deceiver, and he will try to deceive a Christian into thinking they are not worthy. We must guard ourselves from attacks like this because just like all races, there is a prize at the end!
Paul, therefore, guarded himself by growing and maturing in Christ. While we will never be “perfect” this side of heaven, we must continue running the race so we can achieve this prize at the end of our life. This is sometimes difficult to do because we live in a world that is constantly trying to convince us being lazy is easier than working, that personal pleasure is more important than moderation, more things mean better life, and it goes on and on. But, God will not let the genuine believer rest unless his mind is on righteousness and purity, the gospel and witnessing. God pricks our hearts, reveals that we are failing and coming short. God stirs us to get our minds back upon living like we should—upon pressing for perfection.
Maturity
Maturity
15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you.
Paul maintained the growth he had already achieved. Too many people live up and down lives. We gain some discipline and some growth, then before too long, we slip right back.
One of the easiest things is to say ‘I’m going to do...”, but the hardest thing to do is to “Do”. Life wants to place interruptions in our way, and before long we find these interruptions come in between us and our growth in God. Before long, the new person we are through salvation and the growth we had falls back into the old lifestyle and what steps we have taken forward…we go backwards. Ever heard the old saying one step forwards, two steps back?
Unfortunately, Satan can use anything to be that interruption - even things we feel we “have to” do, or “need to” do, or “like to” do. We have to work, right? We need to work, right? We have to rest, right? We need rest, right? We have to, need to, and like to do many things, but it is when we allow these things to come between us and our relationship with Christ that it becomes an issue.
Maturing in our faith leads us to seek God in all we do. Maturity in our faith is when we actually DO what God asks of us. And if in anything you think otherwise…God will reveal that also to you.
I have said it before, and I will say it again, do NOT rely on what I say…but instead weigh it against scripture and what God says.
Winning the Race
Winning the Race
16 Only let us hold true to what we have attained.
When we accept Jesus as our personal Savior, we attain perfection through His personal sacrifice. We are called to a holy way of living, growing in our relationship with Christ, and guarding against the deceptions of Satan. We are to press towards that goal, run the race to the finish line, and achieve the prize of eternal life.
If you don’t remember anything I said today, please remember this. In the end, for a Christian, we win the race and the prize of eternal life.
Closing
Closing
Warren Wiersbe states “bible history is filled with people who began the race with great success but failed at the end because they disregarded God’s rules. They did not lose their salvation, but they did lose their rewards.
15 If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.
(Enter heaven with the odor of smoke on them).
It happened to Lot (Gen. 19), Samson (Judg. 16), Saul (1 Sam. 28; 31), and Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5). And it can happen to us! It is an exciting experience to run the race daily, “looking unto Jesus”. It will be even more exciting when we experience that “upward calling” and Jesus returns to take us to heaven! Then we will stand before the bema to receive our rewards! It was this future prospect that motivated Paul, and it can also motivate us.”
So, are you ready to run the race? Even more importantly, are you ready to win the prize? If not...