Graspng for Glory, Part 3

In observing the Olympics, we
saw many such occasions that Paul is even alluding to here,
where athletes striving and stretching and yearning with everything
that is in them for the goal line or for the finish line,
for some kind of an earthly prize, We talked about the value of
a gold medal and decided that it cannot possibly be the ultimate
cause of their striving, worth approximately $300. Rather, it
is all that goes with that gold medal. It is even the race itself. Paul began this lengthy section
back in verse 2. criticizing those who were seeking
to add to Christ, calling them dogs, pointing out that the identifying
marks of a Christian are not to be found in the flesh. As
even he went on to say the very things that he bore in the flesh,
that in some earthly sense, in human terms, were some kind of
a boon, were actually weighing him down. from laying hold of
Christ. And Paul wouldn’t have any of
it. And as we saw, he heaved it, as it were, into the sea.
Everything there in verses 4-8, Paul took, and as it were, he
relinquished that most happily for the great prize of laying
hold of Christ. Paul knew that he fully had laid
hold of Christ and Christ Him, but he knew that in a very real
sense, many of those things were future. And we considered in
verses 8 through 11 that all of those things that he might
lay hold of were really in view. that he might come to fully know
Christ, a saving knowledge of Christ, that he might come to
fully enjoy the righteousness through faith in Christ, that
he might fully realize glorification with Christ. All of those great
subjects are addressed there in verses 8-11. But Paul turns
here in verse 12 to address a new problem and perhaps even an entirely
different group. Although it might be argued that
these Judaists, if they only lived up to the law, might even
conceive in their own mind that they were perfect and therefore
join a long string of so-called perfectionists that really has
plagued the church through the centuries, even down to our own
day. We saw that perfectionists were
there in full view in Paul’s mind. Paul was battling that
very thought when he goes on to say that he is not perfect.
But even down to our own day, there are particular denominations
that hold to this idea that we can, even if by God’s grace,
we can achieve some level of perfection here on earth. It’s
that thought that Paul turns his attention to here in verse
12. And it’s that that we’ll wrap
up today. We entitled the sermon, Grasping for Glory. And we are
very much like the athletes grasping for glory, but a different kind
of glory. They are grasping at a gold medal,
perhaps at a finish line in an earthly prize. Paul says we do
so for an imperishable wreath. We do so for glory itself, the
glory of God. We’ve begun by looking at this
passage and noting that there were four guiding aspects in
this Christian’s race towards heaven. That’s our goal. That’s what we’re striving towards.
That’s why we’re grasping forward. Look, if you would, again at
verse 12. where Paul writes, not that I
have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I
press on in order that I may lay hold of that for which I
was also 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.” We are grasping for glory. And I suggested to you at the
outset that there were four guiding aspects, four elements of this
reaching forward with everything in us. There are four things
that guide our effort heavenward. Paul says the effort must be
there. That much is assumed. We’re not
to sit back and wait and let God just one day bestow upon
us this sanctification. We are to yearn for it. We are
to strive for it. We are to mortify sin in all
of its forms and fashions. We are to strive after aggressively
holiness and Christlikeness. And when we see things that are
out of concert with God and God’s will and God’s Word, we are to
seek, even as we prayed moments ago, to eradicate those. When
we see some glorious virtue that we know in our hearts we do not
possess, we are to make it our great business. We are to put
an all-out effort into laying hold of that. That’s what’s in
view. Effort is not optional. Effort
is assumed. And by God, it’s commanded. But Paul weaves into this discussion,
as I suggested, four guiding aspects of the Christian’s race
towards heaven. And we saw, first of all, that we are guided by
our efforts corrective. By our efforts corrective. When
Paul looks at the facts of the matter, he says, not that I have
already obtained it. He knew of Christ’s promises.
He knew what Christ had accomplished on his behalf. He believed it
with all of his heart, but he knew that he possessed it only
in part. He yearned to possess it fully.
Not that I have already obtained it. Not that I have achieved
some kind of perfectionism in my self-righteousness as he had
formerly claimed. Not that he had begun to sit
back in this indolence This sinful self-satisfaction, as one called
it, that just said, you know, I’ll let go and let God sanctify
me in time. Not that I have already attained
it or have already become perfect, speaking of that spiritual perfection. He’s not talking about glorification
in heaven with Christ where one day we will be made perfect.
Paul’s not talking about that. He’s talking about the direction
of his life. Paul knew that he hadn’t arrived
in an earthly sense. He knew that heavenly one day
he would be there. But he knew that as long as he had this earthly
frame, this tent, this flesh, Paul knew that the direction
of his life must be ever Christward. Paul knew it. We acknowledged that there are
times where we look at our life and examine them by the standard
that is none other than Christ Himself, and we are led almost
to despair. Because we see how far off we
are. But the corrective, first and foremost, is that we have
not obtained all that God has. We have not become perfect. And
we must continue to strive. We must, as Paul says, press
on. Secondly, We saw that we are
guided not only by that corrective, but we are guided by our effort’s
goal. What is the goal of our effort?
Look again at verse 12 where Paul says, I press on, I put
everything in me towards this, just like that athlete straining
and stretching every muscle, yearning even as it were with
his eyes for the great finish line. It is a powerful word. As we saw, it means to just make
an all out and zealous pursuit, a maximum effort, humanly speaking,
to reach forward for that finish line. Paul says, I press on for
the very purpose that I may lay hold of that for which I was
laid hold of by Christ Jesus. And we looked and spent no little
time at the fact that Paul literally was nabbed, seized on the road
to Damascus. And Paul uses that very imagery
right here. God seized me. And he uses that
imagery and turns it around that I cannot wait to seize and to
lay hold of heaven. That’s the graphic nature of
this word. Christ had seized Paul so that
Paul might seize The great prize. The Lord had laid hold of Paul
with a sudden grasp. It wasn’t this gradual process
of conversion that Paul had enjoyed by God’s grace. It was a drastic
and sudden, even a violent seizure. And it’s that that sticks in
Paul’s mind, in that until Paul seizes and lays hold of that
for which he was laid hold of by Christ, then Paul could not
rest. And that for which he was laid
hold of was none other than sanctification, Christlikeness. Paul knew there
was no cause to rest. Paul knew his own heart. Paul
knew that he was far from finished. The next two verses, as we began
to see last week, really set forth just a reiteration, but
not merely a reiteration of verse 12. Verse 13 gives us an additional
corrective. We are guided by our efforts
corrective. We’re guided by our efforts goal. And last week,
we’re guided by our efforts mindset. In other words, Paul took the
facts of the matter and he put them into his mind and he kept
playing it over so that he began to affect the way that he thought. Look at verse 13. Brethren, I
do not regard myself. Paul knew the facts and he stated
them up front in verse 12. The facts were that he hadn’t
obtained it and that he had not become perfect. But here he states
it in a different way, that he doesn’t even regard himself.
The facts had done their work. They had sunk down into his mind
and convinced him. We saw that powerful word. Logizomai, that had the effect
of, as we mull it over, we come to a clear and undetractable
conclusion that the facts are true, that there is a conclusion
to be made. And Paul says, I reckon, I consider,
I count myself as not having laid hold of it yet. Paul wasn’t
finished. And he says this in preparation
for our fourth and final point. He says, I do not regard myself
as having laid hold of it, but one thing I do. Forgetting what
lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead and essentially
what we said Paul did was take us to his trophy case. And he says, look at my trophy
case and he One by one walks down these great accomplishments
that God, by His grace, had enabled him. He says, I’m not going to
rest on that and I’m not going to rest on this and I’m not going
to be content with that one. And this one here, though great,
is not enough. There is much more for the Lord
by His grace to accomplish through me. Paul says, and so often when
we hear this message preached or this passage preached, you
hear it as if the sinner here is repudiating everything that
was left behind him. Forgetting what lies behind,
forgetting my sinful life, forgetting that life of debauchery and partying
and foolishness. I don’t think that’s the context.
I don’t think the context supports that. Paul, no doubt, hated the
fact that he was a persecutor of the church. But that’s not
what’s in his mind here. What’s in his mind here are the
victories that, by God’s grace, he had been able to accomplish.
The great things. Paul says, forgetting what lies
behind. I’m thankful. I’m humbled that
God would choose to use me as sinner The chief of sinners to
accomplish great things for his name. But I’m not going to stop
there. I can’t rest there. Satisfaction, as one said, is
fatal to progress. If Paul had for a minute begun
to think that maybe God should be pleased with his efforts and
satisfied then and there. Then the accomplishing of anything
in the future would be futile. It wouldn’t happen because the
effort wouldn’t be there. Paul would be, as it were, sitting
at his desk, feet up, hands behind his head, resting and relaxing
and just waiting for heaven. And sadly, that’s where many
Christians are. That’s where many of us are. Maybe we’ve done something. We’ve
received some kind of schooling. Maybe it’s nothing more than
profession of faith and merely being taken out of the world.
And now we are, even to a degree, solid Christians. Many who look
at us would see that. Maybe we have even accomplished
some great things. Maybe we’ve taught something
or maybe we’ve led others to Christ. Maybe we have accomplished
just incredible things. Maybe we’ve served in the ministry
or in missions or in some capacity been greatly and magnificently
used by God. I tell you, that’s great. But
if you’re alive, if you’re alive, your attitude must be forgetting
what lies behind. Reaching forward to what lies
ahead, I press on. And that’s where we come to point
four. I said that there were four guiding aspects of the Christians
race towards heaven. Effort is not negotiable. It’s
not in question here at all. Effort is supposed to be there,
but we are guided by these four things. We are guided by our
efforts corrective. We are guided by our efforts
goal. We are guided by our efforts mindset. And fourthly, we are
guided by our efforts prize. We are guided by our efforts
prized. The prize is in view. And it’s the very fact that the
prize is in view that we press on. We keep pressing on because
it’s heaven in view. It was an interesting story that
played out in this last Olympics. It was a compelling story that
I was really drawn to. It was about a marathon runner
from Brazil by the name of Vanderlei de Lima. I don’t particularly
remember the incident, but during the Athens Olympics in 2004,
during the actual marathon, de Lima made headlines in a way
that he would probably prefer not to have. De Lima was attempting
to become the first ever Brazilian to win an Olympic gold medal.
in the men’s marathon. And he was well on his way. As
you know, a marathon is 25 miles and 21 plus miles into the marathon. With only less than four miles
to go in that race, De Lima had a massive 90 second lead over
his nearest competitor. But suddenly in the midst of
the course, De Lima was attacked. Some of you are smiling and you
remember the incident. A former Catholic priest with
a screw loose. Is that redundant? A former Catholic
priest with a screw loose by the name of Cornelius Horan sinking,
seeking rather to bring attention to his nutty ideas, tackled dilemma
and drove him into the crowd. The priest was eventually subdued.
De Lima eventually managed to break free and rejoin the race,
but valuable time had been lost and he was deeply shaken by the
incident. As you could see, the last four miles continuing to
shake his head in bewilderment of what had happened. But he was back in the race and
as he approached the finish line, ultimately The incident took
its toll. An Italian runner passed him
for the gold. Another runner passed him for
the silver. And then De Lima, the very fact that he hung on
to win the bronze was seen as one of Olympics great moments. And he received a hero’s welcome
as he entered the stadium and took his final lap. Later on
in those same games, he was awarded a special sportsmanship medal
before the whole world in the closing ceremonies. He also went
on to receive the Brazilian Athlete of the Year Award in 2004 and
another athlete, a Brazilian volleyball player, was so moved
by the incident that he came to Dilima and brought his own
gold medal and tried to bestow it upon him and Dilima wouldn’t
accept it because he said he was happy with his bronze. There are a lot of things in
life that will take us off the course, that threaten to take
us off the course. Paul has addressed many of them. Sin will certainly take us off
the course. Self-satisfaction will certainly
take us out of the race. Quitting, apostatizing, thinking
that we no longer need to pursue Christ and Christ-likeness. will
take us out of the race. There are many things that will
take us out of the race. But like this runner, this is
the exact image in Paul’s mind. There were many things that sideline
and affect many Christians. The final question is, do they
get back in the race? Do they break free of those encumbrances? Do they break free of those sinful
tendencies? Do they break free of even their
own self-complacency? And one foot after another, get
back in the race. That’s the image before us. Look at verse
14. I press on. I press on toward
the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ
Jesus. I press on. One foot after another,
I press on. And it’s the goal that’s in view.
With a word that’s only used here in all of the New Testament,
that word for goal, the finish line, the mark, the target, the
bullseye, if you will, for which one aims, the tape for which
the runner stretches, the wall for which a swimmer reaches forth.
That’s what’s in view. It’s the goal. And the prize
ultimately is found only at the goal. And to that goal, the racer
is always supposed to be striving. If we move away from the course
that’s marked out for us, I remember years ago reading about some
gal in one of the big city marathons, New York or Boston, that took
a shortcut, which surprise was not allowed. If we move away
from the marked out course, We will miss the mark and lose the
garland. No self-respecting racer would cheat in such a way. Nor
is the race merely for recreation. Many run for recreation or merely
to stay in shape. But this is a race. What’s in
view for Paul is not a jog in the park. It’s a race and it’s
a race that must of necessity be won. It must be finished. The course is marked out. The
prize is in view. Paul can see the goal and it’s
an all out effort until he gets there. The apostle said one is
looking toward the mark, he’s conscious that he was yet at
some distance from it. He did not dream away his energies
or content himself with wondering whether he was whether or not
he was nearer the prize or when he would reach it. But rather
the picture is that of a racer in his agony of struggle and
hope. The runner isn’t calculating
how many steps he has before he crosses the tape. The runner
merely plods one step after another. As another said, he that looks at the prize looks
not at the spectators. It’s kind of a remarkable thing.
You can always hear your mom’s voice, right? You better. You can always hear your mom’s
voice among all the crowd, but generally speaking, when you’re
out there competing, everything just becomes blocked out. And
people will sometimes ask you afterwards, did you hear me cheering?
And unless it’s your mother, you don’t usually hear her. Everything becomes blocked out.
because the sole focus is on the competition itself. He that
runs looks at the prize, not at the spectators, whether they
are rich or poor. If one mocks him, applauds him,
insults him, throws stones at him, or in the case of the runner
that we considered, tackle him. The runner is not turned aside,
but is concerned only with his running and winning the prize.
He who runs stops nowhere since if he but misses a little, all
is lost. And there, as we considered several
weeks ago, is the story of the tortoise and the hare. The hare
thought that the race was in the bag. He who runs relaxes
in no respect until it is finished. And that is the Christian life.
He who runs and anyone who is named the name of Christ, anyone
who is claimed to be a Christian, one of God’s children by virtue
of his relationship with Jesus Christ, you are in the race and
the race is not finished until the end. I press on, Paul says. Toward the goal, I’m reaching
forward for that prize, and I know that the race is not and cannot
be considered finished until I arrive. Look at verse 14 once
again. I press on toward the goal. For the prize of that upward
call of God in Christ Jesus. Almost all of that is a single
thought. The prize of the upward call
of God. The in Christ Jesus portion of
that is a prepositional phrase that characterizes the sphere
of that operation as we’ve seen in the past. But there are several
important elements of this little sentence. Consider, if you would,
that this prize that we’re pursuing is the result of a calling. Paul says the prize of the upward
call of God, that’s the goal. That’s what keeps us in pursuit.
The prize is attached to this calling and somehow and in some
way involved in it. And even though the prize is
awarded at the end of the race, the upward call of God, this
call to which we’ve responded, the gospel, the heavenward call,
the holy calling has already been issued. It was issued before
you even came to Christ. It was an upward call. It was
a summons, a divine summons. But nevertheless, Paul says the
prize is in direct relationship. It corresponds to this call and
it’s given only to those to whom this call has been extended. And it is awarded once the race
is over. Calling. throughout Scripture
is often used of invitations to a banquet, a summons. And
the New Testament uses it often as a divine invitation to enter
the kingdom, as we’ve seen in so many other passages. It’s
a divine invitation, though, that for the Christian is perpetual,
that God is always calling you forth. He called you forth in
times past, and even still, regardless of where you are in your Christian
life, He is even yet calling you forth. It is a divine calling
that is perpetual. Secondly, not only the prize
is a result of a calling, but the prize is the result of an
upward calling. It is the prize of the upward
call of God in Christ Jesus. This divine invitation is upward
in its action and its result. And it’s not merely talking about,
you know, in some way, this simplistic understanding that one day we
go up, hopefully, as opposed to down, is really overly simplistic. It’s not so much a place of localities,
up as opposed to down. It is up as a result of a moral
consideration. God has called us up out of the
muck and the mire. He’s called us up out of sinful
tendencies. He’s called us up out of our
deadness and sin. And He’s called us up to righteousness
in Christ. He’s called us up to glorified
living. He’s called us up to be with
Christ for eternity. It’s an upward call. Christostom,
the great early church father noted that in this regard, when
athletes want to race, they weren’t crowned down on the racetrack
and they’re still not. If you recall those Olympic moments,
they come and they take their step up onto a podium, usually
elevated according to whatever medal they’ve won. They’re called
up. But in the early Olympic Games,
Chrysostom noticed that athletes weren’t crowned down on the race
field, but rather they were called up to where the king and the
queens sat, to where the sovereigns were seated. And it’s there where
they’re crowned. And in a very same way, that’s
that upward call of God in Christ Jesus. That’s that glorification
of which Paul speaks in Romans 8. Hebrews 3.1 echoes this same
thought. Therefore, holy brethren, partakers
of a heavenly calling. Consider Jesus, the Apostle and
High Priest of our confession. In the spiritual race that the
Christian has engaged in, the goal is Christ and Christlikeness.
It’s an upward call. It’s an ethical. and spiritual
change that Paul has in mind, not just a change of localities,
not just that one day we will be up there. How simplistic. With everything in his heart,
the apostle desired with everything that was in him to be completely
raised up out of this sinful world. It’s a calling. It’s a calling which came from
heaven and ushers us to heaven. It’s an upward call. As one described
it, he fixes his eye in the race of faith to attain the prize
of the perfect fellowship with Christ and his glorification
with Christ in the immaculate heritage of heaven hereafter.
I can remember sitting in one of my first Bible studies that
I ever was part of as a Christian. And I can remember this dawning
on my friend Patrick as he considered how much God had already helped
him and helped him to overcome sinful tendencies and bad habits
and given him a good and godly wife. And I can remember it dawning
on Patrick and it hit him. It could have knocked him over
with a feather when he realized all this and heaven too. And I’ve never forgotten that
moment. All this and heaven too. And that’s what Paul says. It’s
the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. And evermore, every day
that I grow in Christ, I’m rising up out of this. But one day it’s
going to be all this. All of this forgiveness and sin,
all of this overcoming of these sin and sick tendencies. All
of this and heaven too. The prize is connected with the
heavenly heavenward call of God that Paul received at his conversion.
And the call is up. And it stands in contrast to
all that is down and below. Sin is degradation, said one. What is ignorance but lowness
of mind? What is sensuality but lowness
of heart? Or misery but lowness of spirit?
But this calling exists in a sphere of moral elevation, high or heavenly
in its connection with the Most High God by whom it is issued
to men.” It’s stunning. It’s absolutely stunning. that not only is this prize connected
to a call, not only is it connected to a call that is upward in nature,
that look at it again, the prize is the result of an upward calling
made by God. It was God who issued this divine
summons. It is the prize of the upward
call of God. God spoke to you. God called
you forth from deadness. God called you out of your sin
and degradation. The call is from God. And Paul
couldn’t get over that. No description of this prize
would be complete without that consideration for Paul. No prize would be a prize to
Paul without that consideration that it was God Himself summoning
Paul forward. prize as the result of an upward
call of God made by God to those in Christ, as Paul finishes that
great statement. And so what exactly is this upward
call? I mean, we’ve begun to touch
upon it, but what is exactly this prize of the upward calling
of God? That God, in calling men upward,
ultimately calls them to a heavenly reward. The prize is that very
object. It is the hope of the calling.
It’s that which one day we fully expect and long to lay hold of. It is heaven and all that that
entails. Believers. One pastor said, are
not going to receive the prize of Christ’s likeness with all
of its eternal benefits until the call of God in Christ Jesus
ushers them into God’s glorious presence in heaven. The finish
line is the threshold of heaven. Are you yearning towards the
finish line? It’s true that we, in coming
to Christ, can fully say that we are saved. But we’re not there
yet. There’s much to do. If Paul himself
said that he had not yet obtained it, that he was not yet perfect,
certainly many of us, most, all, can agree with Paul that no,
we too, Paul, have not arrived. We too, are not yet perfect. We, too, have much for which
to strive and labor for the sake of the kingdom. The prize spoken
of in Scripture is the crown, the wreath, the glory, the glory
everlasting. Those are all descriptions of
that great prize. But the finish line is the threshold
of heaven. Jesus spoke of it. Jesus spoke
of it in Matthew 5, verse 12, when He said, Rejoice and be
glad for your reward in heaven is great. Is that astounding?
All of this in heaven too? For in the same way they persecuted
the prophets who were before you, Recorded somewhat differently
by Luke, with even more enthusiasm, be glad in that day and leap
for joy, for behold, your reward in heaven is great. Sometimes I hear my brother John
try to draw out the enthusiasm in our singing. I mean, what
a great verse to do that. Leap for joy. I mean, we’d almost
institute, you know, that sacred dance here. I’m not suggesting
it, but he says, when you consider, when you stand back and consider
how great the reward, how great is this prize that we seek that
one day we will lay hold of? Paul says, I can hardly contain
myself. I can hardly contain myself. Paul put a dagger, as it were,
in the thought of those that were pestering and harassing
this little Philippian church, seeking to suggest that they
had arrived at perfection and so too could the Philippian believers.
Paul would have none of it. Paul said, look at my own life,
dear Philippian believers. I have not already obtained it
or have become perfect, but I certainly am pressing on. Let’s pray. Gracious God, we bow and humble
ourselves in consideration of this great passage where Paul
literally obliterated the idea of perfectionism and all of the
complacency and self-centeredness that that would bring. Lord,
we know that in this earthly life We are not and will not
achieve any kind of moral perfection. But we do know that that is the
standard. And we do know that that is the
standard to which you’ve called us. As you’ve called us with
an upward call out of sin. Out of suffering to a heavenly
call with heaven or with heaven in view with Christ forever. Lord God, we thank you and praise
you. We ask your rich blessing on our day. It’s in Christ’s
name that we pray. Amen. And you will note two miracles
that I finished early.