October 10 2021, Philippians 3:1-14, "Pressing on Towards the Goal"

Sermon Title: Pressing on Towards the Goal

At the 2016 Olympics we're going on in Brazil, a 21 year old swimmer by the name of Ryan Murphy won the 100 meter backstroke event in swimming, setting a new Olympic Record. It came to light that as his mother was digging through some old papers last year and found a booklet he drew when he was eight years old, entitled: "My Swimming Life."

Here is what he wrote: "I hope my swimming life continues and I become an Olympian when I grow up. I hope I will break the world records. I want to be the best swimmer in the world." Amazingly he fulfilled his dream by winning the gold medal, not once but twice, when he won the 200 meter back stroke as well.

His older brother, Patrick wrote recently, "I will always be Ryan’s biggest fan. He showed me how to dream big."

Ryan Murphy has always had a goal in his young life. Now he's seeing it fulfilled. He has inspired countless others through his determined effort to excel in the sport of swimming.

What about you and me? Do you have any goals? What propels you to move forward on any given day? Are you one who says: "I just try to make it through the day...?" Do you find yourself aimless and bouncing around each day with no clear goal in sight?

The apostle Paul was very goal-oriented. He had witnessed the original Olympic races in Greece. He was no Olympic athlete, but neither are we! Yet, he wrote to the Philippians as a spiritual athlete running a race:

Will you please stand for the reading and the hearing of God's Word this morning:

Philippians 3:1-12 NIV

Further, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again,(A) and it is a safeguard for you. 2 Watch out for those dogs,(B) those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh. 3 For it is we who are the circumcision,(C) we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus,(D) and who put no confidence in the flesh— 4 though I myself have reasons for such confidence.(E)

If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised(F) on the eighth day, of the people of Israel,(G) of the tribe of Benjamin,(H) a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee;(I) 6 as for zeal,(J) persecuting the church;(K) as for righteousness based on the law,(L) faultless.

7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss(M) for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing(N) Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ(O) 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law,(P) but that which is through faith in[a] Christ—the righteousness(Q) that comes from God on the basis of faith.(R) 10 I want to know(S) Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings,(T) becoming like him in his death,(U) 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection(V) from the dead.

12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal,(W) but I press on to take hold(X) of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.(Y) 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind(Z) and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on(AA) toward the goal to win the prize(AB) for which God has called(AC) me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

And may glory be to God for the reading and the hearing of his word this morning, thanks be to God.

Please be seated.

Let’s learn how to press on toward the goal as we explore this powerful verse:

1. Each believer has a goal.

If you are a Christian here today, then you have a goal. The prize of heaven awaits. Paul used an interesting phrase to describe his spiritual life in Jesus. He said, "I press on." That phrase means to "vigorously pursue."

Do you remember Roscoe P Coltrane's favorite phrase many years ago on Dukes of Hazzard TV show, "HOT PURSUIT!"

All of the Olympic athletes, whether they win a medal or not, have only gotten to the games because they vigourously pursued excellence in their sport. All went to the Olympics with the expectation of winning a medal.

Would you describe your life as a Christian as vigourously pursuing...pressing on...to the goal of heaven and the reward that awaits?

I think that we as Christians often suffer from short-sightedness. We keep our heads down and never look ahead toward the prize. We shuffle our feet and never move with intention toward the goal. We just try to make it through the day with no clear direction, no pursuit, no goal in sight. When that happens, we have allowed the enemy, Satan, to win the day!

I like that word "vigorous"! I'll never forget that a CPA friend of mine who was the Finance Chair was sitting in a pretty lively conversation amongst a group that wanted to pursue a new ministry. After the conversation he said, "There's nothing wrong with a little vigorous conversation from time to time!". Especially as it relates to pressing on to the goal, I could not agree more!

I admire people who have passion or fire in their belly. If channeled appropriately, it can be a mighty force to win souls for Christ.

It's time for us to vigorously pursue Jesus! It's time to get focused. It's time to turn our eyes toward the prize and to aim for the goal.

2. Each believer must be singularly focused.

Sometimes we tell people that when they have “blinders on”, that’s a bad thing. But in the case of trying to achieve our life goal, blinders can be a very good thing indeed!

When you watch the Olympics, you don't see an athlete trying to complete in several different sports. For instance, Michael Phelps was not on the golf course, the archery range, the race track, AND the swimming pool. He focused on ONE THING...swimming. Carl Lewis and Lolo Jones… track. Greg Louganis… diving. The Dream Team… basketball.

I don't know about you, but I am rarely focused on just one thing. I do this and I do that and I run here and I run there and I try to tackle just one more thing and see how many different agendas I can balance in my life. In doing so, I am not impressing anyone, least of all myself. That old phrase applies here: Many of us are a "jack of all trades, but a master of none." Is that a good thing?

Here is what should guide our lives as believers. We are Christians first. That should be our focus. In the Olympics there are a good many Christians who happen to be olympic athletes. Notice I did not say, athletes who are Christians, but Christians who are athletes. The same applies to you and your career. You are not a teacher who is a Christian, you are a Christian who is a teacher. You are not an employee of a certain company who happens to be a Christian, you are a Christian who is an employee. You are not a retiree who happens to be a Christian, You are a Christian who happens to be retired. You and I are Christians first! That is our highest calling and priority in life. Our focus on Christ is not something we do just one day of the week when we worship. It is a constant...a singular focus. One thing I do....I live for Christ no matter what I do in my career.

In v. 13 of today’s Scripture, Paul tells us how to finish well.

“Forgetting what lies behind and straining towards what is in front of me.” What do track athletes do in the very last steps of a race? They push their chest out to give them just a few more inches of extension. In a photo finish that might be the difference between gold and silver, or bronze and no medal at all. I like that word “straining.” It helps me to know that it’s not always going to be easy, but the eternal reward will always be worth it.

Olympic athletes sometimes experience mishaps as they run the race and have to decide how they will handle it. American Isaiah Jewett was about to clinch second place in the men’s 800 meters at the Tokyo Olympics when the unthinkable happened. He became entangled with Botswana’s Nijel Amos, and the two collapsed on the track. Jewett had been about to lunge for the finish line. “I just felt like when I was starting to lift, somebody hit the back of my heel and that caused me to fall. It was devastating. I’m not going to lie.” Instead he found himself reaching back to help his fellow athlete to his own feet. “As he looked at me, he said, ‘I’m sorry,’ " Jewett recounted,“I said, ‘It’s OK, man.’ " It wasn’t clear whether Jewett had been tripped by Amos, or if Jewett had tripped himself, AP said.

Either way, in what’s being hailed as a remarkable show of sportsmanship, Jewett slung his arm around Amos’ shoulder, and the two finished the race. Amos stepped back to give Jewett a one-stride lead, USA Today noted, with Jewett finishing second-to-last at 2:38.12 and Amos last at 2:38.49.

“I always have to finish a race,” Jewett said afterward. “I got Nigel (Amos) up as well. I could see that he was devastated. He apologized to me. I told him, ‘Let’s just finish the race, man.’ " And they did. Arm in arm, helping each other to finish the goal.

Our own Bill Briggs married his desire to share his faith with running long ago.

Bill has now run over 60 marathons and his higher purpose is to share the love and grace of his Lord and Savior with all he meets along the way. Team Briggs is the name given to Bill and his team of run friends that now numbers 13 members and continues to grow. When Bill was featured in Chatham Living Magazine, he had just finished his 600th race. Bill has said of running, “I like to feel that I am an example for people who feel they are not worthy, and I try to let people know that with diligence and with God’s help, you can do anything.” “I see distance racing as a microcosm of life. In a distance race, you see a finish line, and you are not sad, but rejoicing. In the Christian life, the end of a life is not really an end, but the beginning of eternal life.”

Let’s press on towards the goal this week. But let’s do so not because we want to win an individual race or to finish ahead of someone else. That’s not it at all. Church, Jesus calls us to finish the race arm in arm with other Christians who like us are not perfect, but like us want the same thing we do… to win the goal for which God has called us heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Salvation Poem.