Pressing On

Introduction

Good morning Church! It’s great to see each and every one of you who have made out this way this morning. It sure is good to be in the house of the Lord this morning isn’t it? Today, we’re going to be continuing on in our study of the Book of Philippians. So, if you have your Bible’s with you, you can go ahead and be turning with me to Philippians Chapter 3 and we will look at Verses 12-21 as we finish out Chapter 3.

There have been so many things this week that have happened that just fit right in with this message and helped it come to light. One morning, I got a random text from Bro. Nathan Thomason with a devotional he was sent from the Better Men Program that was spot on with this passage of scripture. And then, as you all know, Mrs. Bonnie Rigsby passed this week and I went to her funeral Thursday and the messages that were preached along with the conversations had at the funeral home went right along with the message. And I’ve had this one song on my heart all week long called “Weary Traveler” by Jordan St. Cyr and the verses go like this here…

“Weary traveler, restless soul You were never meant to walk this road alone It'll all be worth it so just hold on Weary traveler, you won't be weary long

And then, the chorus just says over and over… “Someday soon, we’re gonna make it home. Someday soon, we’re gonna make it home!”

And as we approach the scripture before us this morning, I believe this was the thought that was on Paul’s mind as well… “Someday soon, I‘m gonna make it home. Someday soon I’m gonna make it home!”

And as we work our way through the message this morning, I pray this is also the same mindset you adopt; understanding that we are working towards that day when we will all see Jesus face to face!

This was a reality that Paul understood and every day his mentality was “Press on Paul, Press on!” And as we read the scripture before us this morning, you will see this phrase “Press On” over and over and I believe the message God wants us to hear this morning is simply this… Press on Children...Press On!

If you have your Bible’s with you this morning turned to Philippians Chapter 3 Verse 12, would you say, Amen.

The Plan is Progress — (Vs. 12)

We finished last week with Paul saying in Verses...

Philippians 3:8–11 KJV 1900

8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, 9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: 10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; 11 If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.

Paul wanted to know Christ: not just know who He was but he wanted to know Him in a personal way and on every level imaginable.

He wanted to know the power of His resurrection, the fellowship of His sufferings; everything he possibly could in hopes that one day, he would reach heaven’s shores and meet the one who had made Himself known to him on that Damascus road.

So, continuing on with the thought from last week, Paul says here in Verse 12...

Philippians 3:12 NLT

12 I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.

I really like how the New Century Version renders this verse...

Philippians 3:12 NCV

12 I do not mean that I am already as God wants me to be. I have not yet reached that goal, but I continue trying to reach it and to make it mine. Christ wants me to do that, which is the reason he made me his.

Paul knew what his calling was and he knew the ultimate goal was heaven and he knew that with every breath he had, every ounce of energy God would afford him, he was going to press on towards perfection!

And that should be the goal of every Christian this morning. We aren’t perfect and as long as we are at home in this tabernacle, we will never be perfect but that doesn’t stop us from making progress in our walk with God each and every day!

Progress towards perfection...that is the goal!

My company a few years ago came up with this slogan… “Chase perfection—obtain excellence.”

What a profound way to live our lives! We press on towards perfection and along the road to perfection we obtain excellence.

Paul says here… “I do not mean that I am already as God wants me to be.” There’s an old saying— “I’m not what I want to be but thank God I’m not what I used to be” Amen!

Then Paul says, “I have not yet reached that goal, but I continue trying to reach it and to make it mine. Christ wants me to do that, which is the reason he made me his.”

Listen friend, God has called each of us into His kingdom for a purpose. I love how Paul says here… “Christ wants me to do that, which is the reason he made me his.”

The NLT says, “I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.”

William Barclay writes — Everyone is grasped by Christ for some purpose, and therefore we should all press on throughout our lives so that we may grasp that purpose for which Christ grasped us.

Listen friend, Christ has a plan and a purpose for each of our lives and when we realize just how good God is and the end goal he has for each and every one of our lives, then we will want to press on to perfection!

We will want to progress in our walk with the Lord. We will want to talk with Him more. We will want to spend more time in His word. We will want to tell more people about Him. We will not be happy with just making it to Heaven but we will want to be in the front row when we get there!

We who know the Lord Jesus Christ and have made Him our own will never be content with where we are in our relationship with Him. And that’s what God wants to! The Plan is Progression!

I remember reading years ago of a lady and the epitaph on her head stone read… “Construction finally complete!”

Dear friend, that is the goal! To press on to perfection until the Lord Jesus calls us home and perfection is finally ours!

Chuck Swindoll — On this rough road between the first and second comings of Christ, we need to keep our heads up, our eyes forward, and our hearts heavenward.

So, Paul begins by saying, “The Plan is Progression!” Then, he continues on to let us know that…

The Past is Behind Us — (Vs. 13)

Philippians 3:13 NLT

13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead,

Philippians 3:13 KJV 1900

13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

In order to make progress towards perfection we have to learn to let the past stay in the past.

So many people, and I even find myself sometimes, focus on our past and all the wrong we did before coming to know Christ and we let it weigh us down.

If anyone had a past to be ashamed of it was Paul. Look back at the verses above and you can see how much pride he put in self and how he persecuted the Church; the bride of the very one he now proclaimed!

If anyone could allow themselves to be weighed down with the past it would be Paul.

In 1 Corinthians 15:9 Paul said...

1 Corinthians 15:9 KJV 1900

9 For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

He had people thrown in jail; some even martyred for their faith! He stood there and watched as Steven, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit was stoned to death. The Bible even says in Acts 8:1 that Paul consented to Stevens death! He was happy to see him being stoned to death! He was part of the crowd that was agging it on!

Can you imagine how those thoughts undoubtedly haunted Paul after his conversion?

Unless God kept him from it, I’d dare say the faces of those martyrs Paul had a hand in having persecuted crossed his mind often. And I’d also dare say that’s what drove Paul to do as much as he could for the kingdom of God as well.

But if all Paul did was focus on the past; all the wrong he did, he’d be of no good to God in the present.

So, he says, “I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.”

Instead of focusing on the wrong we’ve done, we’ve got to focus on the right we can do.

We must focus on the future, not the past.

We can’t change the past, but we can affect the future!

Paul said, “This one thing I do!”

John Phillips — In stating his new objectives, Paul used the memorable phrase “this one thing I do.” D. L. Moody, almost as busy a man as Paul in the work of Christ, used to say, “It is better to say, ‘This one thing I do,’ than to say, ‘These forty things I dabble with.’ ” Paul would agree. He concentrated all his energy on the one goal he had set for himself. Nothing could distract him.

And we must do the same. Let go of the past and let God have it. We can do nothing with it anyways. And we must focus on the plan God has for our future instead!

Which leads us to the next point in Verses 14-16...

The Prize is Before Us — (Vs. 13-16)

Philippians 3:13–16 NLT

13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. 15 Let all who are spiritually mature agree on these things. If you disagree on some point, I believe God will make it plain to you. 16 But we must hold on to the progress we have already made.

Here it is again...Paul says, “I press on” this time to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

Philippians 3:13–14 KJV 1900

13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

When Paul penned these words, he had in mind the picture of an athlete in a race to the finish reaching forward with everything he has to cross the line first and win the prize!

Swindoll says — One commentator notes, “It means that the athlete throws himself forward in the race with all his energies strained to the very utmost.” — H. D. M. Spence-Jones, ed., Philippians, The Pulpit Commentary (New York: Funk & Wagnalls, 1909), 114.

The finish line was in sight but now wasn’t the time to give up, rather it was the time to push harder than he’d ever pushed before!

Now was the time to put the pedal to the metal as our redneck population might say!

And what a principle to apply to our own lives!

I’d dare say every single person sitting here today would agree this world looks kind of bleak at the moment but that doesn’t mean now’s the time to slow down and take a break; no, now’s the time to run the race with all we’ve got!

Now is the time to keep on pressing on!

Paul would tell Timothy in...

2 Timothy 4:7–8 KJV 1900

7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

That’s the prize we’re running this race for friends! This is the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus!

Will we run that we may obtain or are we content with taking second place?

I don’t know about you, but I’m a little competitive and I was on the way to work Saturday morning, and man the Holy Spirit was just moving in my heart and mind and I got to thinking about heaven and listen, I don’t want to be in the back of the crowd. I want a front row seat, amen!

I want to be stage front when this whole thing comes to a close! I want to be so close to Jesus that I can reach out and touch the hymn of his garment, amen!

We press toward the mark: we run with all we’ve got; for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus!

We keep on pressing on with all we’ve got!

Then, Paul says...

Philippians 3:15–16 NLT

15 Let all who are spiritually mature agree on these things. If you disagree on some point, I believe God will make it plain to you. 16 But we must hold on to the progress we have already made.

John Phillips — Paul came to his application. This astonishing piece of autobiography was not written to magnify his own dedication, but to motivate ours. He did not want us to applaud him, but to pass him.

Christianity is too often a spectator sport. We sit in the stands and applaud or deride the people who are in the arena. We say, “That was a good message,” or “I never heard that truth before.”

We file sermons away in our minds as useful information we can exhibit to others or use in our own preaching. The thought that a sermon might perhaps have some personal, practical application rarely seems to occur to us.

Paul challenged the Philippians to come down from the grandstand and get in the race. Some of them, of course, were already in it and were doing well; he described them as “perfect”—that is, mature or initiated. Paul encouraged these faithful brethren to be of the same mind as himself: to forget what had already been attained, to set new goals, to run to achieve them, and to keep their eyes fixed on Christ.

Not all the Philippians were “perfect.” Some were “otherwise minded.” Many of Paul’s contemporaries did not cast him in the same heroic mold we do. To them he was a dangerous fanatic. They disliked what he stood for, feared his intellect, suspected his theology, were intimidated by his zeal, and resented his success. And among those who admired Paul and thanked God for him were those who were preoccupied with their own affairs and did not give their minds to the great themes that occupied his mind. They did not see the lost world as Paul saw it; they did not grasp sanctification truth as Paul grasped it; they did not see Christ as Paul saw Him.

Whether they were “perfect” or “otherwise minded,” Paul wanted them all to “walk by the same rule … mind the same thing.” No matter how far we have already come, let us all run on the same road

Then, Paul goes on to give us a pattern to go by. Look with me at Verse 17.

The Pattern is Paul — (Vs. 17)

Philippians 3:17 NLT

17 Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example.

When we were first born again, we looked to those who had been trodding this path longer than we for examples.

Paul says to the Philippian believers here...”You may not understand it all right now and that’s ok. I don’t understand it all either. I’m still a work in progress myself. But keep pressing on and look to examples like myself to pattern your walk after.”

We all had to start learning somewhere. And there’s two points we need to make sure we take away from this verse.

If you are a new Christian, find you someone to mentor you. But make sure it’s someone that’s worthy to be followed. Seek their advice. Watch their walk. Learn from them. Grow in your walk with the Lord by watching how they walk with the Lord.

Illustration — My Auctioneer Story

So, the first is for the new believers. The second is for the mature believers here this morning.

If you’ve been a Christian for a long while, you need to be progressing in your walk with the Lord to the point that you are being that mentor to those who are younger in the faith.

That’s called discipleship. And if we have been born again, we are all to be disciple makers!

We ought to be progressing in our own walk with the Lord to the point that at some point we start leading those to Christ around us: whether that be at work, in our families, or in the circles we run in. Wherever we find ourselves, we ought to always be ready and willing to give a reason of the hope that lie within us!

Just as a baby progresses from baby food to solid food, we must progress to the point that we are getting off the milk of the word and getting into the meat of the word so that we can lead others to Christ ourselves!

Now, for you young believers or newborn believers, to the flipside of that, just as you don’t want to feed a baby solids to early for fear of them choking on it, don’t rush into the meat of the word.

Simply let your study of it be a natural progression into the meat. You will notice it. You’ll start putting things together and before you know it, it will start making more sense and then, the more you read, the more you will want to read and the more you start to read, the deeper your understanding will get.

Just don’t get lazy and stop trying to progress on your own altogether. There must be some discipline in your own development.

Athletes don’t go to bed one night and wake up professionals in the morning. They work at it all the time on their own. The ones who really desire to be the best train when no one else is around. They do without being told. They push themselves without trainers. They set goals for themselves and push themselves to reach them! They are disciplined to develop themselves!

This must be the mentality of every born again believer if you want to progress!

And there’s no better person to pattern our lives after than Bro. Paul when it comes to that front!

Then, Paul goes on to tell us in Verses 18-19 that there are Phony Pretenders we need to keep watch for.

There are Phony Pretenders — (Vs. 18-19)

Philippians 3:18–19 NLT

18 For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth.

Swindoll says of these verses...Their negative characteristics were so destructive that they made Paul weep, and they can give us an idea of the kind of positive examples we need in our lives to counter the numerous purveyors of evil.

And then he gives us a chart that says...

And then, he finishes it out by saying...

Swindoll — Destined for eternal hopelessness, driven by sensual appetites, and dedicated to material things, these men and women who have rejected Christ’s person and work are lost, wandering souls. We bump up against them every day. They don’t need our condemnation and judgment, nor our agreement and affirmation. They need to be reconciled to Christ, becoming allies—not enemies—of His cross.

As we travel along our path, following the good examples of godliness, we can’t forget why God left us in this world among the lost. Our mission is to call them to believe in the One they reject, to submit to His kingdom, and to enter with us into heavenly citizenship.

Which leads us to our final point this morning...

The Paradox of the Christian Life — (Vs. 20-21)

Philippians 3:20–21 NLT

20 But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. 21 He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.

As born again believers we understand that our citizenship is not of this world. We are citizens of heaven and we live with heaven in mind.

We must be in the world but not of the world. And we look forward to that day when Christ will return again in all power and glory!

The lost that Paul refers to in the preceding verses focus on the things of this world and Paul says BUT...not us...not those born again from above!

Oh this is good...think about this for a second...wherever you were born—whatever country you were born in and to which your parents belong, that’s the country to which you also belong.

Well, we may have been born citizens of the United States of America but when we were born again, our citizenship is now of heaven!

It’s also where our father resides, amen!

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m thankful I can claim I am a US Citizen but more importantly, I’m most thankful that I can lay claim to being a citizen of Heaven!

And one day dear friends, we’re gonna get to reside there and notice what Paul says, “The Lord Jesus Christ will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own!

And then Paul says, “Jesus will bring everything under his control!”

We just seen this last week in our study of the Book of Revelation!

And some people think there is no God!

Listen friend, I don’t believe in coincidence, I believe in divine sovereignty!

I had no idea where we would be in Revelation last week or where exactly we would be this morning in the Book of Philippians but God took it all and tied it together perfectly, Amen!

God is so good!

So, we are citizens of heaven and citizens of the most high God and as long as we are in this world, our goal is to bring our citizenship there here to earth!

We are to tell those around us about the place we’re going. We are to tell all those we interact with in our daily lives about the one in charge of that country...the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!

That’s why we are still here! To lead the lost to Christ!

And I just want to say this morning that I’m grateful to see what God is doing right here in our own Church!

We have members inviting people to Church. We have members leading the lost to Christ. We have members learning and growing in their knowledge of God and it’s just a wonderful thing to see!

I don’t care what anybody says, God is on the move at New Home!

And as we come to a close this morning, the message I want to leave behind for our members this morning is this...

Keep on keeping on Church!

Keep pressing on!

Keep pressing on in your walk with God!

Keep pressing on in your study of His Word!

Keep pressing on in leading the lost to Him!

Keep pressing on when tough times come!

Keep pressing on when the devil comes at you with guns a blazing!

Keep your head up and your eyes towards heaven and keep pressing on toward the mark, for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus!

And one day, when this life is over for each one of us, we will obtain that perfection for which our Savior has possessed us! A glorified body and home in heaven with the one who willingly gave His life for us!

That's’ the goal dear friend!

To be with Jesus for all eternity!

To worship Jesus for all eternity!

To fellowship with the citizens of Heaven for all eternity!

That is the end goal for the believer this morning...so KEEP PRESSING ON!

Now, if you are here this morning and you’ve never been born again, dear friend I want to leave you with this one thing...God wants you to be saved.

God wants you to be a citizen of Heaven as well.

The Bible says in...

2 Peter 3:9 KJV 1900

9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

God is inviting you to be a part of His Kingdom and all you have to do is trust in His word which tells us that because of our sin, we have been separated from God.

But God loved His greatest creation so much that...

John 3:16 KJV 1900

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

If you will believe that dear friend, if you will believe that your sin is separating you from God and will repent of that sin and trust in God’s one and only Son, who gave His life to pay for the sin debt that we owed, by giving His life on a cross at Calvary, you shall be saved.

Jesus died in your place and for your sins!

And if you will simply repent of your sins and believe that this morning and put your trust in Him for salvation, you shall be saved!

Romans 10:9–10 KJV 1900

9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

If you are here and lost and God is speaking to your heart this morning telling you that you need to be born again, during this invitation, won’t you come and put your trust in Him!

The Bible says, “Now is the accepted time and today is the day of salvation.”

Come today while the Holy Spirit of God is calling you.

And if you are here and born again and you have been struggling in your walk with the Lord or you want to take your relationship with the Lord deeper, why don’t you come and lay your burdens at the feet of Jesus and ask Him for some help.

The altar is open for you as well.

While they come to get us a song ready, I’m gonna ask the rest of you to bow with me in a word of prayer.