Pressing On!

One secret to being successful in the world is to learn how to motivate yourself as well as others. A tough old cowboy counseled his grandson that if he wanted to live a long life, the secret was to sprinkle a little gunpowder on his oatmeal every morning. The grandson did this and lived to be 93. When he died, he left 14 children, 28 grandchildren, 35 great-grandchildren, and a 15-foot hole in the ceiling of the funeral home. (1)

No, I'm not going to suggest that you sprinkle a little gunpowder on your oatmeal, but don't we all need a little extra push from time to time to help motivate us to do the things we know we ought to do?

So, I'm not going to suggest that you sprinkle a little gunpowder on your oatmeal, but don't we all need a little extra push from time to time to help motivate us to do the things we know we ought to do?

I’ve waited till now to focus on this important section because this is the message that I hope will stick in your memory and be recalled every time you think of Paul’s letter to the Philippian Church.

Paul was concerned about this church family as he was about each of the churches he had connection to. But this letter indicates more intensity of relationship than say Corinthians or Romans or Ephesians. The Philippian letter allows us to see his heart in a better light.

He loves this family of believers. They are his joy and his crown (4:1). He expresses deep gratitude for their help and encouragement both through prayer and financial assistance (1:3-5; 4:14-19). He knows that they are dealing with some internal struggles (1:27; 2:14; 3:2; 4:2). He urges them to stop being anxious (4:4-7).

In light of all those words of counsel Paul wants them to “Press On!” You know what the alternative is to pressing on, don’t you. It’s giving up. It’s throwing in the towel. It’s letting the enemy have his way. Paul doesn’t want that for them or for you!

Paul is talking about what it means to be a Christian and live a Christian life here. In verses 12 and 14 he uses the word press. “I press on...” he says.

One thing that’s interesting: the very same Greek word he uses in verses 12 and 14 that’s translated press is used in 3:6. He uses the very same Greek word, but there it’s translated persecute. Paul says, “I persecuted the church.” Then he uses the same Greek word in verse 12 and 14, and it’s translated press.

The question is right away what kind of word could serve both contexts? How could a single word be translated persecute over here and the press on over here? Here’s the answer. The word means to pound. “I pound. I beat.” The only difference is it used to be, before Paul was a Christian he was gathering up the whole church and pounding it toward death, but after he becomes a Christian, he’s gathering up his whole self and pounding it, pushing it, forcefully, intensely focusing it toward a single point. “One thing,” he says, in verse 14. “I’m after one thing now.”

You see, Christianity is not passive. It is intentional and deliberate. Paul had a major paradigm shift in his approach to life. He was now fully focused on his relationship to Christ and what it means for Him to be Lord of his life.

Remember I mentioned the problem of compartmentalizing your life last week. Some Christians see their Christianity as a piece of their life. But Paul says no. To be a Christian means that your entire life is gathered up and it’s intensely focused and pushed on, pounded out toward a single thing. Your whole life is about one thing. Your whole life is pushed into one thing.

In Paul wrote, “I struggle by the energy he so mightily inspires within me.” Paul’s attitude is reflected in the acrostic for the word PUSH. P.U.S.H. “When life seems difficult...Push Until Something Happens!

So in light of these verses, this morning, I want to frame my message around some key questions that arise out of our text.

1. How well do you know Christ?

2. Are you making room in your life for growth in the knowledge of Christ?

3. Are you willing to “press on” for Christ?

4. What are things that you need to forget?

5. What are you straining or reaching for?

6. Are you making forward progress in your Christian life?

So, let me help you answer those questions...

“Pressing On” Requires...

1. Forgetting “things that are behind”

• like Paul and his list of credentials in 3:4-11. Paul said, “I counted all of these wonderful things loss for the sake of Christ.” That meant he had to completely reorient the way he looked at his good deeds, his credentials, and his accomplishments. For Paul, Christianity wasn’t an add on. Christianity isn’t something you add to your life. It isn’t just getting a little power to get you over the hump toward your goals in life. Christianity isn’t a little salve you add because you know you’re a sinner and you do bad things so you need some forgiveness. Paul’s point is that you’re not a Christian unless you have utterly changed your entire way of looking at everything about yourself, everything. He says, “All of the things I looked at this way, and now I look at them in a completely different way.” It’s like the hymn we sing: “When I survey the wondrous cross...on which the Prince of glory died, My richest gain I count but loss!”

• letting go of past failures (like Peter after his denials)

• learning from past mistakes (Some of us had a meeting last Sunday after church at O’neal’s. I made a mistake while there. I ate 5 large chicken legs! But take heart...I have learned from my mistake. Next time I promise to only eat 4!)

• loosening our grip on past boasts and pride

2. Pursuing “straining forward to what’s ahead”

• like the runner of a race lunging toward the finish line

• like Jesus in His “set face” ( and :1m2)

• like Paul in his aim for heaven ( and )

• like John in his race to the empty tomb

• like Timothy in his pursuit of godly things (,)

Sometimes we just need to PUSH

Illus. Someone asked the late W.R. Walker, “Are you saved?” He replied, “I have been saved, I am being saved, and I hope to be saved.” “What do you mean?” the person asked. He explained, “When I accepted Jesus as my Savior, my sins were forgiven. I was saved. Since becoming a Christian, however, I have done wrong from time to time. I claim the promise of though, and He cleanses me from my present sins. And yet, my salvation won’t be complete until that day when I hear my Lord say to me, ‘Well, done, thou good and faithful servant. Enter into the joys of the Lord.’”

3. Commitment “one thing...”

like Paul’s focus in Philippians

like Jesus in the beatitudes “pure in heart”

like Rich Mullins song (read lyrics)

The Christian journey is to be moving forward...not standing still! This takes a determination to deny the tendency toward complacency. Our enemy would love to keep us at a plateau. He would convince us to idle instead of making progress. He would tempt us to focus on our failures and our weaknesses. He would entice us with satisfaction. He would lure us with the easy road rather than an uphill trek.

Conclusion: Not to make progress in our Christian walk in not just standing still...it is actually digressing. And, that is dangerous. So let’s make a deliberate and determined decision to Press On!

A boy rain in to his father. “I’ve got one you can’t guess this time.” “What is it?” his father smiled. “Three frogs were sitting on a limb by a pool. One frog decided to jump into the pool. How many frogs were left on the limb?” “Well, if one jumped, two would be left.” “Nope.” “I see. When one jumped, the others would too. None would be left.” “No, Dad,” the boy laughed. “You really missed this one. There were three left. Don’t you see—the frog only decided to jump.”

Just decided to be a Christian is not enough. Decision must be followed by obedience.

Pressing on...

Not looking behind

Rather, straining forward

Growing and maturing

Let us pray: Father, thank You for reminding us through these words of Paul this morning that our journey with you is to move forward. Help us Press on the Upward way and gain new heights everyday! There is not one of us here, Lord, who have arrived at our destination...we’re all being shaped and crafted by Your Spirit every day. Help us to yield so that You can have Your way in our lives. Forgive us Lord for getting in the way of the forward progress that You desire. Help us, Lord, with your help to Press On! Onward and Upward...till at last we come to the end of our journey and hear Your voice saying, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Enter into the joys of your Lord.” In the Victorious Name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.