Pressing Toward the Goal

Introduction:

Today is the 3rd Sunday of Advent

As we explore our identity in Christ as Sons & Daughters of God, we understand quickly that things have changed. We are no longer as we were before. If we believe that Jesus was born only to bring us salvation, we would (after conversion) move into a period of waiting. We are waiting for Jesus to return or the end of our days so that we can go to Him. The waiting can become passive even when we read our Bibles, invite friends to church, and worship in community week after week.

But, when we expand our understanding of why Jesus came, why He was born, we realize there is more going on. Jesus did indeed come for our salvation [for except by Him, no one can be saved],but He come for so much more than that. He came to give us abundant life. - The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update Chapter 10

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

Life Abundant. It is this life that is available to those who believe; those who worship Him in Spirit and Truth. And this abundant life is available now. This journey we call life really begins once we enter into the Family of God. So, how do we prepare for the journey? I think it begins by understanding who we are in Christ Jesus as we choose to follow after Him.

Prepare for the Journey // Lose Yourself

Paul helps us to understand his journey by telling us who he was before he began...

5 circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee;

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update Chapter 3

4 although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more:

5 circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee;

6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.

6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.

7 But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update Chapter 3

3 for we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh,

4 although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more:

5 circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee;

6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.

7 But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.

8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of aknowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ,

9 and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith,

10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and cthe fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death;

11 in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

12 Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.

13 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,

14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

15 Let us therefore, as many as are aperfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you;

16 however, let us keep aliving by that same standard to which we have attained.

17 Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us.

although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more: circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.

5 circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee;

6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.

Paul knew exactly who he was. He had a lot to be proud of. He knows his heritage. He knows the Law.

Some of us may have a little in common with Paul. I know who I am. I was raised in the church. My parents/grandparents/great grandparents (and so on, and so on). Or maybe you have memorized verses and verses. You won the award for most bible verses. Or you’ve taught SS or VBS. Everytime the door of the church was open, I’d be inside...

Paul said of his status, education, position — it’s all rubbish. Trash. It means nothing in comparison to knowing Jesus.

But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ,

8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of aknowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ,

9 and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith,

10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and cthe fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death;

But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.

ore than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of aknowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ,

9 and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith,

11 in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and cthe fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death;

11 in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

12 Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.

12 Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.

When you prepare for a journey it’s easy to overpack. I remember Kristen and I went out to Colorado (before we had any of the girls), just the two of us. We were going to camp in order to save money. Well you’d have thought we were moving with all the stuff we brought. Our trunk was full. The back seat of our car was stuffed to the point you couldn’t see out of the back window. It was comical. And come to think about it, some of our visits home to KC from Montana were just as packed. Over the years we have learned not to overpack.

When you have your suitcase open on the bed and are thinking of what you might need; every conceivable scenario passes before you and you put in what you think you’ll need. If it rains. If it’s sunny. What if it snows, or gets warm.

We want to make sure we are prepared for the journey, but Paul cautions us to leave it all behind. You see, we need to lose our old selves behind, as we embrace our identity as Sons and Daughters.

It can be frightening to think about losing ourselves. To imagine letting go of everything that got us this far. We need to understand that we are letting to in order to grab hold of Jesus.

One of the reasons it is so difficult to let go is because

For those willing to lose themselves there is another obstacle on the journey: We are convinced that we are not worthy to follow Jesus.

Prepare for the Journey // Righteousness

Each of us has a past, a time before we came to know Christ as our Savior, a time before we entered the Family of God. Whether you were five or fifty or ninety-five when you became a Son or Daughter of God, we remember our past. We remember the times we wanted to the right thing, but chose to go our own way. We recall the failures. Over and over, we relive our sin and it becomes “who we are”. We remember… THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE; THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD

11 THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS,

THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD;

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update Chapter 3

10 as it is written,

“THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE;

11 THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS,

THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD;

Satan wants us to believe that this is who we are and forever will be. We not only remember, but we forget. We forget that our confession of sin is backed by the promise of God to forgive and cleanse our unrighteousness. We forget that we do not have a righteousness of our own. On our own we have no hope. We now have a righteousness which comes from Jesus’ faithfulness. We have a righteousness that is from God.

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update Chapter 3

7 But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.

8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of aknowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ,

9 and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith,

10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and cthe fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death;

11 in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

12 Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.

and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update Chapter 1

But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption,

31 so that, just as it is written, “LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD.”

and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.

Our righteousness come through our faith in Jesus Christ. Because of His righteousness, we have the privilege to share in the suffering of Christ. “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials ...” []. And Jesus told the disciples, “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” [].

It is not in our actions or our righteousness or anything connected to our flesh that gives us reason to boast.

31 so that, just as it is written, “LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD

But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, “LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD.”

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update Chapter 1

But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption,

31 so that, just as it is written, “LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD.”

This journey gives us many opportunities to give up. It is not an easy journey, but it is one worth traveling.

As we journey through this abundant life, we are living in the righteousness He has given to us. We have the power to choose that which is right, good, and holy.

So, Press On!

Prepare for the Journey // Press On

Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you; however, let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained. Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us.

13 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,

14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

15 Let us therefore, as many as are aperfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you;

16 however, let us keep aliving by that same standard to which we have attained.

17 Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us.

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update Chapter 3

12 Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.

13 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,

14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

15 Let us therefore, as many as are aperfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you;

16 however, let us keep aliving by that same standard to which we have attained.

17 Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us.

Believe it or not, I am not perfect. Yes, I know that might be a shock to some of you. But if you ask my girls, they will tell you, “My dad is NOT perfect.” Kristen might try to cover for me, but in the end even she would have to tell you, “He’s not perfect.”

And I know you too are not perfect, but one day we shall be! Until then, we must press on!

Sometimes, as we travel on this journey, we might trip. The problems of life become hazardous. Sometimes, it is my own two feet that I trip over. Have you ever had questions and no answers? Watch out, you just might trip. Maybe it’s just a bit foggy on your road, or perhaps you come upon a detour. Some tragedy may take the air out your tires, slow you down.

When ever we trip, we are presented with two choices. 1) We can wallow in our self-pity and remain on the ground, or 2) We can get up and press on.

As empowered Sons and Daughters of God, we are capable of much more that we think we are. We have the ability to impact this city. We have the words and message that will change lives. You and I can invite the individuals we encounter into the Family of God. We are filled with His righteousness and the power of His Spirit.

I had the opportunity to attend the adoption hearing of Collin’s niece into his parent’s home a few years ago. What an experience to see the joy of being adopted. You and I who have placed our faith in Jesus Christ have been adopted into His family & the Bible says the angels rejoice at each occurrence.

Part of our preparation for this journey is to commit to press on. Jesus has a goal for your life and mine. We are not just waiting for His return; we are to press on. There is a prize for you. Press on. Your family needs to to continue in the faith. Press on. This city, this community needs to see you living your faith, press on. As long as you have air in your lungs and a pulse, press on.

Conclusion:

I accept the righteousness that God has for me. I will press on toward the goal.