Coffee Mug Christianity pt 3
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We have been talking about “Coffee Mug Christianity” — We might even call this “FaceBook Christianity”…
Coffee Mug Christianity has to do with those little phrases — those verses that we see on coffee mugs, on t-shirts, one signs and paintings we hang as decorations… We even see them on social media… (you know what I’m talking about - those memes that people “amen” and “praise the Lord” and share)
They makes us “feel good”… they encourage us… they remind us of who we are in God, and the mission He has for us.
But… Have you ever noticed that everyone assigns a slightly different meaning to them?
They seem to say something different to each person who reads them…
That’s not a bad thing! After all, scripture tells us to “meditate on them day and night”… to “write them on our door posts”… and to “think about them in the morning and when we go to bed”… (Deut. 11:18-21)
But, there is a need for us to look at them closer… in context…
Today, we are going to look at:
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 and straining toward what is ahead,
14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Paul says: “One thing I do, forgetting the past, I strain for the future…”
Why does he say that? What does he mean “forget the past”? After all, It’s a part of who we are…
This week Mindy and I had the privilege of attending the Minister’s Forum at SNU… We had the privilege of worshipping with over 500 other pastors and ministers… (It was awesome!)
One of the focuses of this conference was a subject that truly spoke to my heart.
I don’t think that any of us would disagree that these last couple of years has been rough…
We’ve dealt with covid, riots, LGBTQ+ activism, CRT in the schools, and the list goes on and on… seemingly with no end in sight!
And none of that is even to mention those things we’ve dealt with here at home — in this church… (people leaving - some with no rhyme or reason… personal issues at home… )
There’s no doubt about it… It has been tiring… It has been frustrating… It has been discouraging…
It is even a little scary. (Guilty!!!)
I want to share with you what one of the speakers said about this:
“The moment we are in doesn’t pause the mission we are on.” — Dr. Ed Stetzer
Do you get what he is saying?
“The Moment we are in does not pause the mission we are on.”
What is our mission? (to share the gospel) NO! (That is a result of…)
Our mission — Our goal — is One Thing… to Know Jesus! (to pursue Him… to follow Him… to be with Him)
I don’t know about you, but… the closer I get to Jesus — the more I KNOW Him — the more I have a need to SHARE Him!
7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.
8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ
Paul looks at all the mess… all the frustrations… all the discouraging and distracting things… all the things he used to brag about… and he says: “It’s all garbage!!! Keep the One Thing the One Thing.”
— Only one thing matters to Paul.
It is so easy for us to get distracted… There are millions of things out there that this world uses to distract us from God… But do any of them matter?! Can any of those things bring us salvation — Hope — Peace?!
Paul tells us to focus on what does.... (let’s put this in context)
Look back @ the first part of chapter 3…
— Paul is defending himself - his ministry - against his Jewish critics.
— They said that it is all about the Law… That circumcision was the “proof” of salvation… that they had reason to be proud, arrogant, “puffed up”… because they were the “chosen ones” and their circumcision was the proof… (you know, therefore they were better)
2 Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh.
3 For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh—
— Then he says, “But… If you want to talk about pride… I have every reason...”
Philippians 3:4–6 (NIV)
4 though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more:
5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee;
6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.
BUT…
7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.
8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ
9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.
Let me ask you:
Do you hear fear in Paul’s voice?
How can he speak so boldly… so bluntly… so offensively?
Shouldn’t he be afraid of how they will react? (I mean) Are those words really “Christ-like”?
The answer… FAITH!!!!
Because of his FAITH… Paul had no FEAR!
— Fear is the opposite of Faith… Fear destroys Faith! (think about it)
— Faith — “complete trust - complete confidence - in God.”
It means believing with all your heart that God can AND WILL do what He says He will do.
Paul had that!
Paul understood who God is!
And… What He can do!
Paul understood what the Psalmist meant when he said:
22 Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.
Have you ever noticed that Jesus never stops talking about Faith? That the disciples never stop talking about Faith?
This is why!!!!
Faith is the key to internal peace!
No matter what is going on in our lives… no matter what is happening around us… no matter how bad the world looks…
We have NOTHING to fear…
“The moment we are in does not pause [the call of God on our lives].”
9 I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.
10 Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.
Death should not even bring fear to us!
If we are “in Christ,” then we have NOTHING to fear!!!
“The moment we are in does not pause [the call of God on our lives].”
What is your call?
— to put your Faith - your complete trust - in Christ.
John says to “believe in [to pisteuo] Him.”
Luke tells us to “sacrifice ALL for His sake.”
— that means that reliance on Jesus must become just as natural to us as breathing…
(think about it…)
Let me ask you: “Is Christ enough?”
— for you
— for your happiness
— for your Joy
— for your Peace
— No matter the circumstances!
Or… Are you looking for more?
Paul said:
10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,
11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.
THEREFORE…
Philippians 3:13–14 (NIV)
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 and straining toward what is ahead,
14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
For Paul, the pursuit of Christ was enough.
This is why he tells us:
24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,
2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
How important is Jesus to you?
— Quite
— Very
— Essential
The choice is ours… Will we join with Paul and declare “to live is Christ, to die is gain”?
Will we leave the past behind and make the “One Thing, the One Thing”?
Or will we continue to allow our circumstances to control our outcome?
Let me close with three stories of people who believed that “the One Thing” was ESSENTIAL:
Mary
— Tell the story of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus… when Jesus came to visit…
(food had to be served - there were 15 mouths to feed)
(the house had to be cleaned)
(Martha was nuts - running around trying to do everything… while Mary just sat at Jesus’s feet)
(Martha finally complained to Jesus)
look what Jesus tells her:
41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things,
42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
2. David
— David wrote much of the Psalms…
Listen to what he says in Psalm 27:
4 One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.
3. Margaret
Margaret is actually in the Bible… you might recognize her story.
Once there was a woman named, Margaret. She was VEEEERRRRY wealthy.
She owned a business, had some nice cars, money in the bank, and an extremely nice home!
Ok, let’s be honest! She didn’t have to worry for anything! She was a millionaire many times over…
Now, Margaret loved jewelry… especially pearls. She had a pearl necklace, a pearl choker, pearl earrings, even a pearl ring… Margaret knew pearls!
When she saw a pearl, she could tell you on sight what it was worth!
One day, she visited her favorite jewelry store…
“Morning Simon!”
(the jeweler’s name was Simon!)
“Have you got anything new? Anything with pearls?” she asked
“Actually, I do!” Simon responded.
“But… I’m afraid it is even more than you can afford!”
Now, Margaret didn’t like that thought… after all, she had never found anything she couldn’t afford!
“Let me see it!” She demanded.
When Simon pulled out the pendant, it was the biggest, shiniest, most magnificent pearl she had ever seen!
She couldn’t do anything but gasp!
“It’s amazing, isn’t it? Absolutely unique! Not another one like it in the world”
All she could do was nod.... Finally, she managed to ask, “How much is it?”
“Thirty million dollars”
Margaret simply faints.
After reviving her, Simon called her a taxi and sent her home…
That evening, all Margaret could do was think about how she could get her hands on that pearl…
She had a little over a million in the bank…
She could sell her business…
That might bring about $25 million…
That’s still not enough…
There was the house… That’s another $3 million…
But she still needed another $2 million… How could she get that?
(any ideas?)
Did someone say “sell the kids”? lol
Margaret sold everything she had… the furniture… her clothes… her home… her business… her cars… even her other pearls!
Finally… she had enough!
She could buy the pearl!
She rushes back to Simon… gives him the money… and he gives her the most magnificent pearl she had ever seen!
(story borrowed from Pastor Simon Bartlett,)
Look what Jesus said about Margaret:
45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.
46 When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.
Just before that Jesus says:
44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
Is Jesus that important to you?!?
Are you willing to give up EVERYTHING for Him?
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 and straining toward what is ahead,
14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Church — If we are going to “win the race” - If we are going to hear those words: “Well done my good and faithful servant” - then we MUST stop looking back, and start looking forward…”
Our future is not defined by the past… Our future is in Christ!
The “One Thing” must become the “Only Thing.”
— We can’t look back…
— We can’t look sideways…
Or… we will get bogged down in the world around us.
We are called to “fix our eyes on Jesus”.
Not the world!
Remember: “The moment we are in does not pause God’s call on our life.”