How to Keep a Winning Streak!

INTRODUCTION

Good Morning welcome to our Online Service. So glad that you are with us today. Just want to start with follow up from last week.

We will be opening up the church for in-person services on June 21st.

We sent out a mailing this last week to explain what to expect when coming back to Church… Our desire that we do our part in keeping everyone safe and healthy on our campus. We are excited about seeing everyone.

We are in a series entitled ReFrame.. If there is ever a time when we need our thoughts and attitudes to be shaped by what God’s word is saying to us....it is today… I believe that Paul has to say to us is so relevant and applicable …to what we have been experiencing over the past few months..

This morning we message is entitled —How to keep a Winning Streak..

What is a winning Streak?

According to Wikipedia - a winning steak is an uninterrupted sequence of success in games or competitions, commonly measured by wins that are uninterrupted by losses or ties/draws.

Basically -

A winning streak is about doing the same thing for an extended time with diligence and excellence..

It is all about consistency and pace… It is about developing healthy habits over a long period of time…

Winning Streaks can be applied to just about every area of our lives, our Spiritual practices, to our physical health, to our finances, to our relationships… our parenting skills.. but.

Here is the thing...

Any one of us can do the right thing a while… If I were to hold up my arms for 1 minutes --- . How about after 5 minutes…that’s little harder... what about after 15 minutes…

The question is ..How do you maintain a winning streak?

Paul in his letter to the Philippians has been talking about perseverance and endurance.. And he has been using familiar imagery from the greco games…

Can you imagine for a moment living near Gladieators and athletes who were continually training for the Greco Games.

We visited Bend,Oregon a few years ago…and there were people everywhere jogging , kayaking,and riding bikes…moving around.. An interesting fact about Bend is that it has one of the highest ratio of Olympic medals in USA.. There are about .5 % medals per 100,000 people… that is pretty amazing.. One of the main reason is that Bend attracts high caliber of athletes is because competative athletes like to train at high altitudes..

When Paul uses the imagery of running — and boxing… he is talking about something very familiar… some of these Christians quite possibly knew someone who competed in the games...

Paul is making comparisons..

He is comparing the Christian life to those who train and compete in the games. In other words being a Christian is all about training… . it is about working out what God has already worked in us through his HS…

ME:

A couple years ago, I came across the “my fitness Pal,” Apps.

It is one of those apps that help you loose weight by tracking your calories.. In this app your write down every calories you eat every day.... and so that you stay within your limits every day and eventually you begin to loose weight.. One of the ways they keep you motivated is by recording you streaks.

Well, I did it religiously for over a year and lost some weight.. What kept me going was the streak --- Every day I wrote in my journal -- it added another day... to my streak… but one the other hand, If I missed one day, I would loose the streak.and would have to start again... that was part of the motivation… - streaks keep you motivated...

In the same way, Paul in our text wants us to set up markers... He wants to put us on a winning streak... The reason is simply this..

every day is a battle and every day we have the potential to win or to suffer looses. ... Paul wants us to win at life every single day of our lives...

YOU:

This last week has been another one of those roller coaster rides for us. We are living in a political, Economic, and social climate that is turbulent and uncertain to say the least… and to be honest… It would be easy for us to focus on all the negative stuff… you know everything that is going wrong in the world… You don’t have to go far to find negative news…

But here in the book of Philippines… we find hope for uncertain times.. Paul is writing from prison and he is writing to a church who are facing severe challenges.... Paul reminding the church to hold on to faith, to hold onto life, hold onto joy.. hold onto Christ as he has taken a hold of us in salvation.

Paul not only tells us the what — But he shows us the how… by.… Having the same mind or attitude that is in Christ Jesus …

He is challenging us to Reframe our thinking…Stop looking at patterns of thinkig in the world .. to look at our world through a different set of lenses… when Paul looked down and saw his chains.. he didn’t see shackles oflimitations but opportunity — rather he saw how the gospel has advance through the empirical gaurd..

I came across this great sermon illustration by Pastor Craig Grochelle from LIFE CHURCH … and it illustrates exactly what we are talking about… check this out..

Play video..

Isn’t that great stuff…

Just as a side note..

Craig Grochelle and Life church is the church that has made this Online Platform that we are using right now…… What a tremendous blessing!!

God:

T/HOW DO WE STAY THE COURSE:

1. Track what or whom we are following

In Philippians Chapter 3 Paul sets this scene of this Amazing Race!! Where the christian life is describe as a race that where every believer is registered.. the minute you accept Christ as your savior — you get your number you are in… not only are you in the race… but we are instructed to run this race in order to win the prize… that means forgetting what is behind and straining forward to what is ahead.. so that we might win the prize of the hevenly calling in Christ Jesus..

Paul tells us that he has not attained he hasn’t arrived yet… rather he presses forward towards the Prize of the Upward calling of God..

Lets look at our text… where Paul invites us to join him in the race..

Pauls says.

Philippians 3:17 ESV

17 Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.

a. Paul says join him -

First of all we need to point out that Paul is not being egotistical at all.... when he says Imitate me ..

Paul is not parading his successes and saying, ‘Don’t you wish you were like me?’ He is saying, on the contrary, ‘Be encouraged! God even helps a sinful failure like me to new heights by His grace and by His Spirit.’

He has not obtained and is still forgeting and pressing on Towards the things ahead.

Why would Paul say Imitate my race…

There are a couple of reason s.

1. First is that there were all kinds of false teachers —Like the Judiazers promoting a different gospel…so there are bad examples… bad examples are everywhere… Paul talks about those who serve God for the wrong motives.. by the way that exists.. One reason is Paul is protecting the church...

Another reason is that this is the first Church in Philippi.… Church at Philippi is the fist fully fledged gentile church.. Paul calls them his crown and his joy…

. Many of those Christians at Philippi would have come from culture of idolatry.... there were a plethora of gods… Each god required different offerings....and sacrifices..

Talk about coming from a different world..

These gentile Christians were even different from those Jewish Christians who had lived with the Messianic expectation.... The jewish christians would have at least had context for the gospel… they also would have the advantage of the knowing about all thhe great examples, Like Abraham, Moses, Elijah, David, Solomon, Nehemiah, Ruth, Isaiah, Jeremiah…

But..Those in Philippi didn’t have a grid for what it meant to be a Christian.... So when Paul arrived in town .. they had never seen someone living like Christ before… they didn’t have any role models…

Paul strategey to help them is to model Christ to them.

Paul says do as I do… follow my example and others like Timothy and Ephroditas -who were living example to the of what it means to be a christian .

The word example - has a wide range meanings, mold, stamp, statue, scar, wound..

It means to represent a form or pattern through imitation or replication.. Replicate this life stye

Paul is using imitation in the sense.. of not loosing your identity... or taking on some sort of persona that is not yours... the church is not to be group of people that come out of the same cookie molds.. we are not to all look and sound the same…

but rather when paul talks about one mind.. one heat... He is talking about attitudes.

Paul wants other Christians to have the same goals as himself…

Paul is going back to Philippians 2:5-8 that really echos through out the whole book and that is having the same mind of humility found in Christ Jesus..who being GOD GAVE OF HIMSELF SACRIFICIALLY.

Paul says the same things to the Corinthian church

1 Corinthians 11:1 ESV

1 Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

When Paul invites us to join him in the race he is talking about about pacing ourselves… He says stick with me and the pack who are in this race…to win the prize…

How do we set our Pace?

Paul tells us that we set pace by watching and following.... We learn by following patterns… There are patterns of behaviors…

Here is the thing..

Every generation needs men and women of God who will be willing examples of faith

Ronald Reagan once said..

“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on them to do the same…

.We are always one generation away of loosing the freedom that comes from faith… and the stakes are High..

Paul tells us… we need to both set markers..and be markers… we do this by..

b. Keep track of those who are running ahead.

Marathon runners know the importance of keeping pace.. there is a big difference from running a mile at home and running in a race… What happens in a race is that your adrenelin kicks in and you are tempted to over exert yourself on the front of the race and not have enough energy on the back end… One of the strategies is to find your pace…

They have what they call the magic mile…this is a mile that you can run at a comfortable pace without over doing it....

then when you are ALONE you simply add 33 seconds A MILE to your race time… That will be a comfortable pace when you are in a competitive race…

We need to learn to keep pace.. We can do that simply through observation… By simply asking.. who am I going to run with..

c. What are their goals

At the beginning of this letter Paul tells us that his goal… Paul tells us that everything that has happened to him has served for the advance of the Gospel.... Paul during his whole ministry desired to see the Gospel taken to Rome the center of the Empire… .

T/S HOW DO WE STAY THE COURSE?

1. Track whom or what we are following

2. Track what or whom is derailing you.

Most us know what is like to have a winning streak derailed… Every year we start making new years resolutions and the average person gives up about 6 weeks into the new yea… What Paul wants us to do is watch out for the things that derail us...

He tells us that we need to set markers next to the things that derail us…

Philippians 3:18–19 ESV

18 For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.

First of all who is Paul talking about…

Who are the enemies of the Cross?

Well it seems like he is talking about a segment in the church… those who may have started out well… then got distracted… lost pace...

They are those who professed to be christians but in practice their minds were very much set on earthly things.. Those against Christ… also includes those false teachers who come with a different gospel…

What is interesting is Paul’s response...

Paul is not angry he is heart broken… he tells us that he has taught many times with tears on the subject of those who have lost their way… those who are living their lives according to their fleshly natures… .…

Paul uses this word a flesh (sarx) to speaks of our earthly nature. This is our sinful humanity from which Christians have been rescued into the new humanity of Christ. Paul has talk about the flesh nature in other letters

In 1 Cor. 2:14 it’s the natural man… who does not except the things of the Spirit.

In Romans 6:6 - He calls it the Old self that has been crucified with Christ..

In 1 Cor 15:47 He calls this nature the first Adam..

Paul calls those who live according to earthly nature -

Enemies of the cross… We need to remember Paul is writing this book through the lense of the Poem of Phil 2:5-8 where we are to have same attitude of Christ --- humbled himself and went in submission in the way of the cross… if you are not traveling in the way of the cross… you going in the wrong direction… You are driving up the wrong direction up a one way road..

There are many out there taking other paths, choosing other goals and trying to get you to go along with them.

Paul is not mixing words.. he says their god is their bellies.. only what can be consumed on self....

they glory in the shame? pride themselves in the things -- with their minds set on the things of earth...

Paul is like the man who is standing on the clift and he looks out to ocean and he sees that there is a tsunami coming… He then looks down to the beach and people are carrying on their everyday affairs without realizing what is coming… The reason Paul is in tears is that he knows how destructive this kind of mind set is on....

Paul want us to track destructive behavior..

b. Identify traits of destructive behavior..

Paul says mark out those who are running the race.. then on the other hand .. he say be aware... look out for those who by their life styles are enemies of the cross.. be careful, watch out for destructive patterns ... Don't get sucked into what our culture promotes as the purpose of life.. Don't buy into the lie... that life is all about. The now … living the best life now...

By abandoning the pursuit of Christ and the cross, their minds once again were set on other things rather than on “the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (v. 14). The result is their lives stand “ stand diametrically opposed to those whose commonwealth is in heaven.”

We need to realize that..

Paul is not saying that everything on earth is evil… He is not saying that having material things is wrong…

The well known preacher D.L. Moody used to tell Christians to not be“so heavenly minded they were no earthly good,”

In Paul’s theology their is the connection between heaven and earth.. N.T. Wright calls this the temple way… the place where heaven and earth meet together… Paul didn’t want the Christians in Philippi to be isolated group… this heavenly, spiritually minded group with little interest in the things of the earth.. Paul’s mission through out his ministry was see the Gospel go to Rome and to the ends of the earth.

c. Identify End goals.

Paul wants us to be heavenly minded..

To be “spiritually minded” simply means to look at earth from heaven’s point of view

Follow the path to the end..

telos - is the end goal... follow the path to the end... On the one path you discover nothing... On the other hand follow... telos of Christ to the end..

you will discover a God who transforms lives.. where Christ is making all things new...

In the end telos -everything comes under submission of Christ... He has the last word on the destiny of mankind.

1. Track whom or what are we following

2. Track whom or what is derailing you. .

3. Track whom or what is Changing you.

One of the reason we need to keep track of the pattern of our own lives… is that we are always changing…

One of the reasons why marriages get strained as time goes on… is that we are constantly changing --- and if we are not careful and paying attention… you will find that you slowly drift apart… You wake up one day and look across and wonder if you have anything in common… Now think of that of the church… think about that as a nation.... we are in flux…

Paul wants to ground this church and to always keep in mind who they are changing… He wants them to check out there citizenship from time to to time.

Philippians 3:20–21 ESV

20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

Another Marker we need to

a. Check out your Citizenship..

Paul uses another metaphor of Citizenship..that would have struck a chord with the Christians in Philippi..

You see.,.

Philippi was a Roman colony; those who lived in Philippi had their citizenship in far-off Rome, although most of the Philippians had never been there. Roman citizenship was highly prized during Paul’s time.

The Christians in Philippi, as proud as they had been of their Roman citizenship — Should regard their citizenship in heaven as a greater advantage...

When first moved to the States.. I remember filling out a form that asked whether I was citizen or an Alien..

In citizenship language, in the United States we refer to some people living within our bounds as “resident aliens,” persons who belong by birth to another country, but are currently choosing to live here.

That is a descriptive designation for Christians. We are citizens of heaven, “resident aliens” of earth.

Paul encourages Christians on earth to live as citizens of heaven—just as the people of Philippi have the same rights as the citizens of Rome.

In the classic story - The man without a country… tells of Philip Nolan who cursed the name of his country… Nolan was sentenced to live aboard a ship and never again to see or hear the name or news of his countries progress…

For fifty-six years he was on an endless journey from ship to ship and sea to sea, and finally was buried at sea. He was a “man without a country.”

Paul tells us that for the believers we know our Country of Citizenship…

Our citizenship is in heaven --- We are those who have the expectation of transformation... we are not focused on the earth..

But rather we’re waiting the arrival of the Savior, the Master, Jesus Christ, who will transform our earthy bodies into glorious bodies like his own. He’ll make us beautiful and whole with the same powerful skill by which he is putting everything as it should be, under and around him.

Until that day arrives, we are to keep our feet firmly on the ground, and our heads looking up to heaven

You -

I was reading this article on how people change… One thing we know for certain is that information doesn’t change us… Just because we have nutritinal labels on food doesn mean we paying attention…how many people read the calorie counts at fast food restraunts.. The did a study of people who had gone through heart surgery and they discovered. That 90 percent of patients ent back to their old habits..

The truth is that it is more than information --- there needs to be heart transformation… Paul point to both the now and the future transfomration.. one day not only will be with he will be fully transformed into a glorious body..

What we do in the mean time ...

Paul closes this section by in chapter 4:1

Philippians 4:1 ESV

1 Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.

Paul reminds the church to stand…kind of strange to talk about standing with a running metaphor… We can stand now because Christ the forerunner has already arrived at the champion stand and we stand in the shadow of his glory…We win because he won…

WE -

We are living in restless and uncertain times… It is easy to loose track of these markers… One of the Gifts that we have as congregation is that we … We can stick together…We can and should continually encourage each one in the body in the race…

The writer of Hebrews tells us to consider…

Hebrews 10:24–25 ESV

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.