Press On Toward the Prize! - Philippians 3:13-16
Press On Toward the Prize! - Philippians 3:13-16
By Pastor Lee Hemen
June 7, 2009 AM
Remember the movie called The Fugitive? “It is about a Dr. Richard Kimble, played by Harrison Ford, who is a successful vascular surgeon in Chicago. He comes home one night to find his wife Helen fatally wounded by a man with a prosthetic arm. He attempts to subdue the killer, but the man escapes. The lack of evidence of a break-in, his fingerprints being found on the gun and the bullets, and Helen's misunderstood 9-11 call lead the Chicago police to charge Kimble with murder; and he is sentenced to death by lethal injection.” (Wikipedia)
On the way to death row, via a prison bus, the other prisoners attempt an escape causing the bus to fall into the path of an oncoming train. Kimble barely escapes the bus' destruction and flees into the night. And then begins his flight from US Marshals and the pursuit of the real killer of his wife.
It is the single-mindedness of both the protagonist and the antagonist that makes this movie the hit it was. It is a great depiction of being in pursuit of a goal. Both Kimble and the US Marshal Samuel Gerard, played by Tommy Lee Jones, that is hunting him have a singular, yet differing, objective in mind. So much so that both are willing to do whatever it takes to obtain the objective they are going all out for. In one great scene that reflects this is when Kimble is cornered by Gerard and proclaims, “I’m innocent.” Gerard retorts, “I don’t care.”
In our world there are those who are willing to risk everything just to obtain that which they consider most precious in life. For some it is education, for others it is politics, still others it is fame or fortune. What do you cherish in life so much that you are willing to risk everything to obtain it?
“In the television series The West Wing, fictional President Josiah Bartlet regularly ended staff meetings with two words—‘What’s next?’ It was his way of signaling that he was finished with the issue at hand and ready to move on to other concerns. The pressures and responsibilities of life in the White House demanded that he not focus on what was in the rear-view mirror—he needed to keep his eyes ahead, moving forward to what was next.” (RBC – Bill Crowder) Do you live your life this way? What is your focus in life? Do you dwell so much on the past that you cannot go forward?
We discover in his letter to the Philippians that Paul describes for us two ways we are to view our lives in Jesus Christ. What Paul wanted the Philippians to realize is the spiritual truth that what they once thought as important in life was no longer so and their goal in life had now changed because of their faith in the Lord. This is true for us in our day and age as well. There are many folks who “press on to win the prize,” but few truly realize what that means or what the prize is they should press on toward! Therefore, let’s discover what Paul says about what it means to press on toward the prize.
Paul wrote: “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, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. 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. Only let us live up to what we have already attained.” (Philippians 3:13-16 NIV)
First, we discover that Paul had a singular life goal. This goal affected everything that Paul did in his life. He saw it as an over-riding objective that made everything else in his life subservient to it. Nothing else in Paul’s life took the priority of this goal. What was this goal of Paul’s that took on such importance for him? It was “the goal to win the prize for which God [had] called [Paul] heavenward.” The NASB translates it: “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus,” and the King James states: “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Like the writer of Hebrews, Paul knew all Christians are “partakers of the heavenly calling.” (Hebrews 3:1) Nothing in life is more import for the believer than this “high calling.” Paul would write, “I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.” (1 Corinthians 9:23) Therefore, Christians should “Run in such a way as to get the prize.” (1 Corinthians 9:24) Like a prize athlete who wants to win first place, Paul uses language to encourage his fellow Christians to press on to win the prize and he was willing to risk everything to obtain it. It should be the believer’s singular goal in life.
When I was a child my goal in life was to play and I did a good job of it. After becoming a teenager, my priority in life changed to the opposite sex, and few of us want to relive some of those trials and tribulations. Then, as I became an adult, I soon realized that there was more in life. Life’s fulfillment was more than marriage, being a parent, or obtaining things. I realized that life was eternal and its focus should reflect it. Like Paul who reflected on his life in this way: “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.” (1 Corinthians 13:11) Paul now had a singular goal in life. All Christians should. We are to press on toward the prize.
Secondly, Paul never looked back. He knew that looking back for the believer was a waste of time. If the believer is fully cleansed by the blood of Christ when they believe there is no reason to look back and rehash old sins. This is why Paul wrote “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead… .” Looking back and rehashing past sins for Paul never entered his mind. Jesus had related that “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62) If we look back we often tend to go back to our old way of life. Jesus would also admonish: “Remember Lot’s wife! Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.” (Luke 17:32-33) The Christian has more reason to look forward rather than in the rearview mirror. This is why Paul warned the Ephesians, “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:22-24) Paul knew “that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin… .” (Romans 6:6) Looking back and remembering your old way of life only leads to longing for that old way of life. For the Christian, that way of life is dead: “I have been crucified with Christ,” Paul reminds us, “and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20) Paul never looked back but pressed on to win the prize.
One of the things I loved to do as a child was to sit and listen to my parents and grandparents talk about their childhood. Families often did that sort of thing when I was a boy. They would sit around and talk about their history and their past and what it was like way back when. Today’s society is not so interested in remembering the “good old days,” or if they do, they remember only the good things about the “good old days.” We want to forget about the epidemics of influenza, measles, polo, or typhoid that killed hundreds of thousands, if not millions. We forget that many did not have indoor plumbing, medical or dental like we do now, or even own their own car or home! Some of the good old things about the good old days are not worth remembering. Sin, in the life of someone who has placed their faith in Christ, should not be rehashed in the life of a believer either. Paul never looked back, but pressed on to win the prize. In fact, he retorted, “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. Only let us live up to what we have already attained.”
Now, let me ask you a question: ”Are you living your life like a fugitive?” Not one that is single-minded and going for a goal of finding, say a murderer, but rather one that keeps looking back over past sins? Paul did not live his life as a fugitive but as one who had a singular goal in life and one that never looked back. He could live this way because Paul had trusted Jesus Christ with his life. Have you?
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This article is the copyrighted 2009 © property of Lee Hemen and may not be copied or reproduced in any way shape or form without using the full text of this entire article, and getting the permission of its author.
By Pastor Lee Hemen
June 7, 2009 AM
Remember the movie called The Fugitive? “It is about a Dr. Richard Kimble, played by Harrison Ford, who is a successful vascular surgeon in Chicago. He comes home one night to find his wife Helen fatally wounded by a man with a prosthetic arm. He attempts to subdue the killer, but the man escapes. The lack of evidence of a break-in, his fingerprints being found on the gun and the bullets, and Helen's misunderstood 9-11 call lead the Chicago police to charge Kimble with murder; and he is sentenced to death by lethal injection.” (Wikipedia)
On the way to death row, via a prison bus, the other prisoners attempt an escape causing the bus to fall into the path of an oncoming train. Kimble barely escapes the bus' destruction and flees into the night. And then begins his flight from US Marshals and the pursuit of the real killer of his wife.
It is the single-mindedness of both the protagonist and the antagonist that makes this movie the hit it was. It is a great depiction of being in pursuit of a goal. Both Kimble and the US Marshal Samuel Gerard, played by Tommy Lee Jones, that is hunting him have a singular, yet differing, objective in mind. So much so that both are willing to do whatever it takes to obtain the objective they are going all out for. In one great scene that reflects this is when Kimble is cornered by Gerard and proclaims, “I’m innocent.” Gerard retorts, “I don’t care.”
In our world there are those who are willing to risk everything just to obtain that which they consider most precious in life. For some it is education, for others it is politics, still others it is fame or fortune. What do you cherish in life so much that you are willing to risk everything to obtain it?
“In the television series The West Wing, fictional President Josiah Bartlet regularly ended staff meetings with two words—‘What’s next?’ It was his way of signaling that he was finished with the issue at hand and ready to move on to other concerns. The pressures and responsibilities of life in the White House demanded that he not focus on what was in the rear-view mirror—he needed to keep his eyes ahead, moving forward to what was next.” (RBC – Bill Crowder) Do you live your life this way? What is your focus in life? Do you dwell so much on the past that you cannot go forward?
We discover in his letter to the Philippians that Paul describes for us two ways we are to view our lives in Jesus Christ. What Paul wanted the Philippians to realize is the spiritual truth that what they once thought as important in life was no longer so and their goal in life had now changed because of their faith in the Lord. This is true for us in our day and age as well. There are many folks who “press on to win the prize,” but few truly realize what that means or what the prize is they should press on toward! Therefore, let’s discover what Paul says about what it means to press on toward the prize.
Paul wrote: “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, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. 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. Only let us live up to what we have already attained.” (Philippians 3:13-16 NIV)
First, we discover that Paul had a singular life goal. This goal affected everything that Paul did in his life. He saw it as an over-riding objective that made everything else in his life subservient to it. Nothing else in Paul’s life took the priority of this goal. What was this goal of Paul’s that took on such importance for him? It was “the goal to win the prize for which God [had] called [Paul] heavenward.” The NASB translates it: “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus,” and the King James states: “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Like the writer of Hebrews, Paul knew all Christians are “partakers of the heavenly calling.” (Hebrews 3:1) Nothing in life is more import for the believer than this “high calling.” Paul would write, “I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.” (1 Corinthians 9:23) Therefore, Christians should “Run in such a way as to get the prize.” (1 Corinthians 9:24) Like a prize athlete who wants to win first place, Paul uses language to encourage his fellow Christians to press on to win the prize and he was willing to risk everything to obtain it. It should be the believer’s singular goal in life.
When I was a child my goal in life was to play and I did a good job of it. After becoming a teenager, my priority in life changed to the opposite sex, and few of us want to relive some of those trials and tribulations. Then, as I became an adult, I soon realized that there was more in life. Life’s fulfillment was more than marriage, being a parent, or obtaining things. I realized that life was eternal and its focus should reflect it. Like Paul who reflected on his life in this way: “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.” (1 Corinthians 13:11) Paul now had a singular goal in life. All Christians should. We are to press on toward the prize.
Secondly, Paul never looked back. He knew that looking back for the believer was a waste of time. If the believer is fully cleansed by the blood of Christ when they believe there is no reason to look back and rehash old sins. This is why Paul wrote “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead… .” Looking back and rehashing past sins for Paul never entered his mind. Jesus had related that “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62) If we look back we often tend to go back to our old way of life. Jesus would also admonish: “Remember Lot’s wife! Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.” (Luke 17:32-33) The Christian has more reason to look forward rather than in the rearview mirror. This is why Paul warned the Ephesians, “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:22-24) Paul knew “that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin… .” (Romans 6:6) Looking back and remembering your old way of life only leads to longing for that old way of life. For the Christian, that way of life is dead: “I have been crucified with Christ,” Paul reminds us, “and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20) Paul never looked back but pressed on to win the prize.
One of the things I loved to do as a child was to sit and listen to my parents and grandparents talk about their childhood. Families often did that sort of thing when I was a boy. They would sit around and talk about their history and their past and what it was like way back when. Today’s society is not so interested in remembering the “good old days,” or if they do, they remember only the good things about the “good old days.” We want to forget about the epidemics of influenza, measles, polo, or typhoid that killed hundreds of thousands, if not millions. We forget that many did not have indoor plumbing, medical or dental like we do now, or even own their own car or home! Some of the good old things about the good old days are not worth remembering. Sin, in the life of someone who has placed their faith in Christ, should not be rehashed in the life of a believer either. Paul never looked back, but pressed on to win the prize. In fact, he retorted, “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. Only let us live up to what we have already attained.”
Now, let me ask you a question: ”Are you living your life like a fugitive?” Not one that is single-minded and going for a goal of finding, say a murderer, but rather one that keeps looking back over past sins? Paul did not live his life as a fugitive but as one who had a singular goal in life and one that never looked back. He could live this way because Paul had trusted Jesus Christ with his life. Have you?
---
This article is the copyrighted 2009 © property of Lee Hemen and may not be copied or reproduced in any way shape or form without using the full text of this entire article, and getting the permission of its author.
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