Run for the Prize

Run for the Prize

Philippians 3: 12 – 16.

Introduction

I found an inspirational story this week about Major Phil Packer of the British Armed Forces.  In February 2008, Major Packer suffered serious injuries while serving in Iraq.  A rocket explosion left him with heart and spinal cord injuries.  The doctors told him he would never walk again.  But that did not stop Major Packer.  One year later, he entered and completed the 2009 London Marathon…On crutches.

 (Source)

This is a picture of Packer crossing the finish line.  His doctors advised him not to walk more than 2 miles per day.  So, Packer finished the 26.2 miles in 13 days!  Did I mention that he was on crutches?

I suppose there are a couple of ways we could think of a marathon.  For some people, a marathon is an impossible 26.2 miles.  But Phil Packer thought of it differently.  Instead of 26.2 miles, Packer realized a marathon is nothing more than 52,400 steps.

 (Source)

52,400 steps.  One step at a time.  Even if it takes 13 days to complete.

Today, Phil Packer has established several charities and tells his story to inspire British youth who are experiencing difficulties in life.  (I don’t know about you…But I can’t decide if I feel inspired or guilty.  Inspired to do more with my life.  Or, guilty that I don’t do more than I do.)

In Philippians 3, Paul uses an athletic illustration to describe the Christian life.  The Christian life is like running a race.  It ain’t over until you cross the finish line.  Don’t quit running until you reach the end of the race.  Run for the prize that comes at the end of the race.

Philippians 3: 12 – 16…12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers, 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. 

15 All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. 16 Only let us live up to what we have already attained. 

Notice how humble Paul is in these verses.  There was no one quite like the Apostle Paul in the New Testament.  In the Book of Acts we read about Paul’s three missionary journeys.  He traveled all over the Roman Empire and preached the Gospel to the Gentiles.  Then, he helped these new converts organize into Christian churches.  Then, he maintained contact with these churches by writing letters to instruct them, encourage them, and to settle theological controversies they were facing.

We also know that Paul continued to preach the Gospel, even when he faced the threat of persecution and arrest from the Roman government.  In fact, he probably wrote the Book of Philippians during a time when he was under house arrest and chained to a Roman soldier twenty-four hours a day.

“All This”

Yet, Paul (the Apostle / the Super Christian / our hero) writes to the Philippians (and to us) to tell us that he is not perfect…he has not “already obtained all this.”  I believe the phrase “all this” refers backward to what Paul wrote in verses 10 – 11. 

Philippians 3: 10 – 11…10 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

“All this” is the reason Paul runs the race and continues to press on in the Christian life.  He wants to know Christ and to grow closer and closer to Christ every day of his life.  He wants to experience the power of the Resurrection.  We might call this the Abundant Life—experiencing the presence of the Resurrected / Living Jesus who gives us the power to face whatever difficulties we might face. 

Knowing Christ and experiencing his power are present realities.  But, Paul also describes a future prize—to attain to the Resurrection from the dead.

Resurrection is an important part of Christian theology.  The Resurrection of Jesus is a twofold promise.  It promises that we worship a Living Lord, who is always present.  AND, it promises that (through faith in Jesus) we will also experience Resurrection. 

After Jesus’ Resurrection, Jesus spent forty days with his disciples.  Then, Jesus ascended into Heaven with a promise that he would return.  When Jesus returns to earth, the faithful who have died will experience a bodily Resurrection, and the faithful who are living will be given new bodies.  Our new bodies will be like Jesus.  Then, we will live eternally with Jesus in the new Heaven and new earth.

At that point, we will be “made perfect.”  Notice that Paul writes about perfection in the passive voice.  We cannot achieve perfection by our own efforts.  We are “made perfect” when we experience the final Resurrection.  In other words, perfection is possible…But it is a future reality.  God, and only God, can make us perfect.  God will make us perfect in the end.

Leaving the Good in the Past

I believe Paul is setting himself up as our example in this Scripture.  He continues to strive for perfection but knows that only God can make him perfect.  Paul also knows that he will remain imperfect as long as he experiences earthly life.  Paul lives his Christian life like a runner runs a race…all the way through the finish line—the Resurrection of the dead.

There is an interesting thing about running a race.  The runners run with their eyes facing forward—looking at the road in front of them, not the road behind them; looking at the finish line, not the starting blocks. If you look back over your shoulder, you might slow down or get off track.

What would Paul see if he looked back over his shoulder?

Philippians 3: 4b – 6…If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5circumcised 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 legalistic righteousness, faultless. 

In the context, Paul is telling us that he has a lot of good and religious stuff in his past that he has always been very proud of.  But no matter how good Paul was—and no matter how proud he might have been—all of that religious stuff became worthless / rubbish / unspeakable filth to him when he encountered Jesus for the first time. 

As Christians, we should never stop growing closer to Jesus.  We should never retire from serving the Lord.  We should never become so confident in what we have done in the past that we stop running the race.

Leaving the Bad in the Past

Some of us are not tempted to look over our shoulders at the spiritual things we are proud of.  Instead, we are tempted to look back at the things we are ashamed of.  Of course, if Paul was not yet perfect when he wrote this, then Paul doesn’t have a perfect past either.  In Philippians 3, Paul listed out his Jewish / spiritual credentials.  But, he described himself differently in 1 Timothy 1…

1 Timothy 1: 15 – 16…15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. 16 But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.

Some of us have a hard time in the Christian journey because we are plagued with guilt about our past sins and failures.  But, we need to realize that there are two types of guilt.  There is Good Guilt, and there is Bad Guilt.

Good Guilt is the work of the Holy Spirit.  And, Good Guilt is focused on the present state of our lives.  When you place your faith in Jesus as Lord, you receive the Holy Spirit.  The Spirit strengthens us to face daily challenges.  The Spirit leads us away from temptation and empowers us to obey God’s will.  AND, the Spirit convicts us of our sins.  As a result, Christians cannot be comfortable living in sin.  The Spirit shows us where we have sin in our lives and leads us to confess those sins to God.  We know that when we confess, God forgives us of all our sins.  1 John 1: 9…9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Bad Guilt is not the work of the Holy Spirit.  It is the work of Satan, and it focuses on our past sins.  Satan wants to remind you of all the ways you have sinned in the past.  He wants you to think you are damaged goods and cannot be forgiven.  He wants you to think you are a failure who cannot be used by God.  But, Satan is a liar who wants to distract you and keep you from running the race—striving to become more like Jesus.

Conclusion: Keep Your Eyes on the Prize

Paul is setting himself up as our example.  He lives the Christian life like a runner runs a race.  He is not yet perfect.  He has not crossed the finish line.  But, he is closer today than he was yesterday.  He is growing closer to Jesus.  He is maturing in his faith.

Maturity does not mean being a Christian for a long period of time.  It is possible for a person to be old in years and still be immature.  Rather, Christian maturity is striving to become perfect, because you recognize that you are not yet perfect.

No matter how good your past might be, it is not good enough to make you like Jesus.  Only God can make you like Jesus.  Only God can make you perfect.

No matter how bad your past might be, it is not bad enough to prevent God from forgiving your sins, forming you to be more like Jesus and making you perfect in the Resurrection. 

God never intended for your past to be eternal.  God sent his Son, Jesus, to forgive you and to make your life like Jesus.  As long as you are experiencing this earthly life, God is still working on you.  The race is not over until we cross the finish line and receive the prize—a new life and a new body…the Resurrection and eternal life in Heaven.