How to Run Well: Part One

Scripture Introduction:

Listen to what he says in 2:3, “The land is like the garden of Eden before them (so beautiful, rich, plentiful, glorious) but a desolate wilderness behind them (meaning that this devastation is so massive that all is laid bare).

Everything is laid bare. As Joel says in 1:4, “What the gnawing locust has left, the swarming locust has eaten; and what the swarming locust has left, the creeping locust has eaten; and what the creeping locust has left, the stripping locust has eaten.” These are the different stages of locust development or perhaps different types of locusts—Joel’s point is that nothing is left. All are affected by this. From the drunkard to the priests all are affected. We get a hint of this from 1:16, “Is not the food cut off before our eyes, joy and gladness from the house of our God?”

Devastation just like that. It’s a big trash heap. All of your dreams. Your hopes. All the things you put your identity in. I’m picturing a fire that levels your home. A flood that knocks out everything. It’s just gone. Devastated. Leveled. Flat-lined. Nothing left. You look back upon all this stuff and wonder if there is anything you can salvage. One word describes it all. Garbage. Total loss. Ruin.

Any of those words sound familiar?

“Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ”

Ever wonder if Paul felt that way when he looked back? Was he tempted to look back upon his life. Did he ever feel the ache of all the friends he lost, his standing in the Jewish community, his freedoms, his prestige that he had gained. Or maybe just saying, “I can’t get those years back. All the dumb stuff I’ve done. The years I’ve wasted. The years the locusts have eaten. It’s all rubbish.” I’m not sure if we feel that fully because we might look back upon our life before Christ and say, “well it wasn’t so bad…was it?” We might not have the grace to assess our situation as Paul did. What do I do with all my dumb decisions? Or my dreams that popped like a little kid enjoying a balloon in the field only to have it pop on a blade of grass. This shouldn’t be. This is the promised land. It’s not supposed to be devoured by locusts. What do I do with my past?

It doesn’t matter if it’s devastation because of your own bad choices or it’s laid bare because of the actions of another (like a locusts plague). What do I do with these wasted years? What happens to the years that the locusts ate up?

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Sermon Introduction:

Remember the whole context of this letter. Paul is writing this letter from prison to the church at Philippi-a relatively healthy church. And it’s really kind of like a missionary letter and it’s going to be going back in the hands of Epaphroditus who was a gift to Paul from them. He’s sending Epaphroditus and letting them know that their gift has been well received and to encourage them. Two particular issues are of concern. One is that they’ve been plagued with some disunity—seems to be centered around a couple of ladies who are battling. But really the whole thing is about advancing the gospel—and to do so with the mind of Christ. This letter really is a summons to live in such a way that we see the gospel is precious. It’s a call to live like you belong to Jesus. To have the mind of Christ. This will heal the wounds brought on by their division and it’ll be the fuel they need to combat some false teachers in the area.

The way Paul does this is by giving models to follow. We’ve seen the greatest model is the Lord Jesus. Paul has kind of been a model in the background. And he has also put forward Timothy and Epaphroditus. Now he makes his own modeling explicit. As he follows Christ they are to follow him. They too should have the mind of Christ. They should think the way that he thinks. In what way in particular? First, they should assess their lives the way that Paul does. They need to count as Paul does. Everything is gain in Christ. Anything not in Christ goes in the garbage column—even the good stuff they are doing. But what he really means by follow him is what he says in this passage. To take hold of Jesus. That’s everything.

“I’m with him.” Do you realize what our union with Christ means?

So Paul is saying have that as the thing which governs every bit of your life. That’s the race you are running. Now originally I had intended to preach one message on this text. But as I got to digging in I realize I can’t do that. There is way too much here. And I also don’t think we can dive right in because I think there are a couple barriers for us to really grasp what is happening in this text.

First, this race isn’t just a weekend hobby. To the degree that Christ is our all we will be able to really feel what is taking place in this text. If Jesus is just icing on the cake of an already cozy life—you won’t get this text. If it’s God and something else that has your heart it’s just not gonna be the same. I want to be careful not to preach another text but I need to show you was really meditating on this passage this week, and I think it fits here.

Hear, O my people, while I admonish you! O Israel, if you would but listen to me! 9 There shall be no strange god among you; you shall not bow down to a foreign god. 10 I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.

11 “But my people did not listen to my voice; Israel would not submit to me. 12 So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels. 13 Oh, that my people would listen to me, that Israel would walk in my ways! 14 I would soon subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes. 15 Those who hate the Lord would cringe toward him, and their fate would last forever. 16 But he would feed you[a] with the finest of the wheat, and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”

The big thing that God is saying here is “have no strange god among you.” Absolute allegiance. But they won’t listen. They want God AND. What they end up doing then is not listening to God’s voice and following their own counsels. That’s what seems right in their eyes. But here is the part that I really want you to catch. Notice in verse 10 where it says, “Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.” And also verse 16. “But he would feed you with the finest of wheat and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.” What’s he saying there? He’s saying that they aren’t opening their mouth wide. They are content with a little bit.

That’s not the case with Paul. Here he is saying, “Jesus Christ took hold of me”. Some of us might stop at that. Ah, I’m saved. I’m going to the promised land. I’ll fly away some glad morning. I’m not gonna ask for much more. But that’s not how Paul is. He’s much like Jacob. He’s saying Jesus has taken hold of me and I’m not going to let him go until I’m enjoying every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus. I want to know every bit of Jesus. I want to live in the full delight of His resurrection power. I don’t want one little bit left of me apart from Christ. I want to be all the way his.

If following Jesus is just a weekend hobby, or a thing that is there for fire insurance but your heart is really truly drawn to something else then you aren’t going to understand or feel or be stirred and shaken by this passion of Paul. It’s going to seem overboard. Confusing. But do you not see the promise that God is making in . Open wide your mouth! A baby bird and it’s mother feeding it. She’s not going to overwhelm the little bird. She’ll give a tiny piece. Only what he can handle. Give me a bigger mouth God. That’s the first obstacle to us really understanding and being able to apply this passage.

O Israel, if you would but listen to me!

9  There shall be no xstrange god among you;

you shall not bow down to a yforeign god.

10  zI am the Lord your God,

who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.

aOpen your mouth wide, and I will fill it.

11  “But my people did not listen to my voice;

Israel bwould not submit to me.

12  So I cgave them over to their dstubborn hearts,

to follow their own ecounsels.

13  fOh, that my people would listen to me,

that Israel would gwalk in my ways!

14  I would soon subdue their enemies

and hturn my hand against their foes.

15  Those who hate the Lord would icringe toward him,

and their fate would last forever.

16  But he would feed you5 with jthe finest of the wheat,

and with khoney from the rock I would satisfy you.”

This is vital because it helps us to know what it is that Paul is talking about with this running. What is the “it” in the text? It’s taking hold of Christ. It’s opening wide his mouth…Christ is the honey from the rock.

Secondly, we are far to prone to apply this as if it’s just my race to run. We are far too individualistic. But Paul is speaking to the entire church. We are running in this thing together. Helping one another out. This isn’t just how do you Christian run this race as an individual it’s how do we do this together. How do we run as a body? This helps us to think a little better about the image. Yes, you are an individual and yes you do have your own personal relationship with Jesus Christ. But this text is corporate. Notice verse 13, “brothers”. Notice the “us” in verse 15. Notice the plural you in verse 15. The “us” and “we” again in 16. Brothers in verse 17—join in imitating me. That whole thing is plural. This is a race for the whole body.

Give me a bigger mouth God. That’s the first obstacle to us really understanding and being able to apply this passage. Our mouths are far too tiny when it comes to being

So how do we run together? How do we take hold of Jesus?

I think we’ve already kind of taken that first step by saying it’s to realize that you need to be running in the race. Opening your mouth is a desperate act, saying I need grace. That’s what Paul is saying here. I haven’t yet attained this. I’m not yet where I want to be. There are things about Jesus that I don’t know. I’m not perfect. I haven’t reached the finished line yet. And so I’m still striving. But what does that striving look like?

First, we don’t look back.

In 1954 Roger Bannister the first man ever to run a mile in under four minutes raced the second guy to do it—John Landy. Landy had actually broken Bannister’s record by 1.4 seconds. The two raced in the mile and at the very end as they went around the last lap Landy had a bit of a lead. And he did what every runner is trained to never do. He looked back. As he did this he lost his stride and Bannister passed him and won the race. There is now a bronze statue outside a stadium in Vancouver of Landy looking over his shoulder as Bannister passes him.

There are really two places where the enemy likes us to be. Stuck in the past or fretful of the future. The one place where we can actually live and do stuff is in the present. That’s where the enemy doesn’t want us—running in the present with eyes fixed on the future.

Scholars have debated on what Paul means here when he says, “forgetting the behind”. The most natural would be that he is talking about his past accomplishments that he just listed. And certainly he is. But I think he leaves it vague and a bit open-ended for a reason. He’s talking about everything behind him. The years that the locusts have eaten. What do you do with those?

Is Paul saying here that the past is the past and we are never ever to think about it? I don’t think so. There would be massive chunks of Scripture missing if we never could talk about the past or deal with the past. is one of those. I agree with John Piper:

The point is not: never look back. The point is: only look back for the sake of pressing forward. Never substitute nostalgia for hope. Memories of successes can make you smug and self-satisfied. Memories of failure can make you hopeless and paralyzed in your pursuit of God. Never look back like that. Give humble thanks for successes; make humble confessions for failure; then turn to the future and go diligently after God.

He’s saying we don’t live in the past. We don’t dwell on it. We don’t try to fix it. Or travel back to it. We put it in its proper place. So how do you look back for the sake of pressing forward? What does that look like? How do you properly deal with the past?

Steve Viars 4 buckets

I’ve used this often in counseling. It’s incredibly helpful but for our sake this morning it’ll be a little simple—I can’t go into complete detail.

Bucket One: I was sinned against and I responded well. This would be like the story of Joseph. He didn’t do anything wrong. Ended up in the slammer. And he still responded well.

You are innocent and you responded well. This is what we call authentic suffering. For now it is enough for us to say that we should try to face the events in this bucket honestly, biblically, hopefully, and missionally. We don’t want to deny that this hurts and that it is suffering. But we also want to be sure we are dealing with this biblically and appropriately. And to do so is to grieve with hope. We also don’t want to just sit on things that a part of our past. If possible we want to use them for the sake of the gospel and to further God’s kingdom. As we experience God’s healing and faithfulness in the midst of suffering we want to testify to His greatness. God heal these wounds!

Bucket Two: I am innocent but I responded poorly. Naomi. Don’t call me, Naomi. Call me, Mara which means bitterness.

It is in this bucket where quite often we need to experience God’s forgiveness and give that forgiveness to others. This is a bucket of humble analysis. For now let’s just say that we need to look at our poor response and try to ask how it is still impacting us. We also want to consider our next steps to make that poor response a good response. God forgive me, heal these wounds! This, in my mind is one of the most difficult ones to deal with. We put ourselves in the place of a victim but we’ve got our own sin that is contributing and we don’t like to look at that—but it’s often what is eating us up.

Bucket Three: I am guilty but I responded well. Peter.

You are guilty but you responded well. Here is a bucket of Joyful remembrance. You responded by pursuing repentance. If you are still struggling with embracing God’s forgiveness and acceptance you need to believe the promises of God. I can’t believe I did this thing. I’ll never get over this. Well, you need to. It’s buried in the ocean of God’s forgiveness.

Bucket Four: I am guilty and I’ve responded poorly. David

This is where you are guilty and you have responded poorly. Honestly, this bucket you are still living in sin. You need to repent. This is likely where we are tempted to say, “ah, Paul says forget the past…we need to just move on here. Let’s forget about this thing.” But that’s not biblical.

Part of what it means to live in the present is to deal with your past biblically. Put it in those buckets…do what each bucket calls you to do and live in God’s grace. You can’t hide behind this verse and say, “I’m running the race and focusing on Jesus…when you’ve got a train wreck of unreconciled relationships behind you.” Remember how I said this isn’t an individual race. That’s part of what that means. Striving together and not living the past means to in the present walk in forgiveness and repentance. It means dealing with our past biblically.

But Paul is also speaking here of our attainments. We don’t get to rest on those. We don’t get to think that we’ve arrived. We don’t get to compare ourselves to others running the race and think that because we are ahead we can coast. We don’t look back.

, “I’m striving for what’s ahead

Instead we strive forward. It’s a word that’s an action word. Vigorous. That means we don’t get to sit on the sideline.

The example of Jesus. Paul. Timothy & Epaphroditus. “Who for the joy set before him.

Where are we fixing our eyes? It’s ultimately on Christ but what does that mean. I think we can get a beautiful picture of this from . We will only dip into this text.

So let’s begin with . We will only dip into this text.

5:1-4—“sealed with seven seals” means that it’s totally and complete sealed. The fact that the strength of the angel is mentioned in verse 2 and proclaiming with a loud voice is John’s way of saying how precarious of a situation this is. A strong angel with a loud voice can’t open it. That’s spelled out in verse 3. Nobody can open this scroll or even look into it. In verse 4 John picks up the angels cue and begins to weep loudly. He understands the gravity of the situation.

What is this scroll? It’s the unfolding of history. It’s God’s plan of redemption. It’s everything that God is going to do. To not open the scroll means that history has no point, no destination, no climax. Allow me to spell this out a little. If that scroll is not opened then we have:

· No redemption

· No rescue

· No climax in history

· No eternity

· No resurrection of the dead

· No justice

· No purpose

· No heaven

· No unhindered relationship with the Lord

· No new heaven

· No new earth

So the church is in great peril. Who can move history?

Our answer is in verse 5. “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll…”

He holds history in His hand. He is sovereign over everything. There is not one speck of dust that falls outside of His sovereign rule. There is not one square inch of creation that He cannot cry out “this is mine”.

Oh do we see what this means. It means that the state of America does not move history. Kim Jong Un doesn’t move history. The crazy dude in Iran doesn’t move history. Those who reject Christ, persecute Christians, even the Antichrist himself doesn’t move history. Those who mock us, those who are overturning godly principles, they do not move history. They aren’t on the throne. They don’t determine our course. Jesus Christ does. Our fears, our failures, our inadequacy doesn’t move history or even stall history. Jesus stands over every bit of it.

Weep no more John. Weep no more church. The Lion has conquered.

Verses 6-8 simply outline for us the worthiness of this Lion. Yet now we are given a different image—he is a “Lamb standing though slain”. The seven horns and the seven eyes are symbolic of absolute authority and knowledge which extends over all the earth. When we see the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures bow before this Lamb and worship we see that He is deity. Very God of very God.

Oh the beauty of this last statement…”and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints”. Do you know what this is?

This is your weeping. This is our cries to the Lord, “Jesus make this right. Jesus take this pain. Lord heal me. Lord bind my wandering heart to thee”. Every worry, fear, and anxiety that you have cast upon the Lord is here in this bowl full of incense. And here they are laid at the feet of King Jesus. Our plea for relief is being heard. Jesus Christ is moving history. We do have redemption, purpose, justice, etc.

Why? Why did the Lamb-like Lion (or is it better to say Lion-like Lamb)…why did He conquer? Because of the truth in this new song.

He was slain and by this he ransomed people for God. This was intentional. This was particular. This song is a completed action. This will happen. The gospel will go forth. The mission of God will be complete. People from every tribe will be ransomed.

This isn’t mere fiction. This isn’t even the Lamb shedding his blood and saying, “there you go I hope you come”. No, you and I are in this story. We are in that number. If you are in Christ, before the foundation of the world God purposed to save you. We are actually and truly ransomed--those who are a people for God. And there are more to come.

And all of this will resound to His glory. That’s the point of 11-14. It all ends in worship of this Lamb that was slain. God is radically dedicated to this moment. I want us to get a taste of this. That God is sovereign over us. That Jesus Christ is moving history. That will happen and no person and nothing will prevent this beautiful climax of history coming to fruition.

In light of this we don’t live in the past. And we don’t fear the future. We fix our eyes on Jesus and we run. Put your past in its place and run towards Jesus. Fix your eyes there on his finished work.

How does this happen.

Call of God

Jesus grabbed hold of me.

Is he worthy?