Pressing Toward Perfection

The following is from Montrose Baptist Church's AM worship service on November 15, 2009.

The closest I have ever come to perfection probably occurred when I was fourteen years old.
I am certain by now that you all now how passionately I love the game of baseball. In fact, it is one thing that I miss dearly. I miss practice. I miss the sweat. I miss the muffled sounds through the ear-holes of a helmet. I miss the feeling of a ball hitting the sweet spot of the bat. And most of all, I miss standing on a mound staring down a batter.
Now, I’ve never claimed to be perfect, but one evening in 1996, I came close. That particular evening we were playing the Falcons. It had been more than seventy-two hours since our previous game, so I was OK to pitch.
For some reason that evening, my fastball had a little extra pep. My curveball had a little extra break. And my change up actually slowed down. Through the first four innings, I recorded ten strikeouts and two putouts. There had not been a ball hit past the pitcher’s mound.
Through the fifth, things continued on the same path- and by the time the sixth inning rolled around, I was sitting alone at the end of a dugout. (It's baseball superstition)
Finally, the game had progressed to the point if we held the other team off for one more inning, the game would be called an inning early on account of the ten-run rule.
During the last inning, with one out, my hope of perfection ended. A ground ball rolled through the legs of our third baseman. It was not hit that hard- it just was not fielded.
All of that work went for not- and the record would not show perfection.
As I was working on this morning’s message last week, I began to think about that day and about our quest as Christian people to become perfect. We are called to work toward the fullness of the image of Christ. We are to continually strive toward eliminating any imperfection. Unfortunately, there are times when we hit a pebble- or a bump in the road and our best attempt at perfection fails.
And then there are times when I am reminded that even if I am perfect for one day, even if I succeed for this time- the game of life never ends.
We are a people that must constantly press on toward righteousness and maturity until we reach the fullness of the stature of Christ- until we become as He is, perfect.
I do not say this in judgment or condemnation, but I am certain that there is not one person in this building that has reached the pinnacle of perfection in life. I know that I cannot claim that. And so, we have work to do. We are left with further growth and maturity to attain.
I believe that Paul gives us a great understanding as to how to strive toward our calling.

Read text. (Philippians 3:12-16)

As we look at Paul’s epistle to the church at Philippi, we find Paul’s progress and approach to Christian growth. We find four steps that we must take in our pursuit of Christ’s perfection.
First, we must…

1.) Grasp Our Condition
“Not that I have already reached the goal or am already fully mature…”
Before we can move any farther than mere infancy in our Christian faith, we must truly grasp our current condition. We must see ourselves as we really our- and that is Christians that have not yet reached perfection.
Just consider the author of this letter. Consider what this should say to you and me.
Paul, the man that authored the majority of the New Testament said that he had not already reached the goal. He was not fully mature.
We can even look at his list of accolades earlier in the chapter. He was circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews, and a Pharisee. It has even been suggested that Paul was a member of the Sanhedrin council. Paul- in terms of Jewish customs and law was faultless. This was a man that sat at the feet of Gamaliel. He was as close to perfect as humanity could get. However, he insists that he still has not reached the fullness of maturity in Christ.
Now, if Paul insists that he had not arrived, why do act as if we have?
None of us have completely digested the fullness of the knowledge of God. We still do not understand every facet of Scripture. And even if we did, there are none of us that are perfect in our adherence and obedience of that instruction.
As Christian believers, there is a time to look at ourselves in comparison to the lost world around us and feel accomplished. There is the temptation to think of ourselves more highly than we ought.
However, we must rediscover our need. We must rediscover humility.
Now, I realize that most of us- if not all of us would not hesitate to admit that we are in need of growth and maturity. However, I still believe that there is a struggle at times with truly grasping our condition. There is still a temptation, even in a small fashion, to pretend that we are farther along than we are.
Before we can grow any further, we must grasp our condition.
In addition to seeing ourselves as we really are, we must take the next step and…

2.) Grow Our Captivation
“…but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus.”
Paul realized the he was not perfect. In spite of the nearly perfect life he lived under legalism, in spite of his best efforts, he still was not fully perfect and mature.
And in recognition of that fact, Paul said that he makes every effort to take hold of that maturity because he has been taken hold of by Jesus.
I believe this is a beautiful image. When I see this in my mind’s eye, I see a picture of Christ hand in hand with one of his children. And because He is holding on to His child’s hand, because He is walking with Him, He is drawing him closer to fullness of maturity in Him.
Paul is saying, “Because Jesus has hold of me, because He is walking with me, I am going to take every opportunity to draw closer to Him.”
I believe that it is interesting that Paul used the term “taken hold of” here. It also tends to communicate the picture of captivity. Yet it is consistent with Paul’s presentation of himself throughout the epistles. Paul almost always calls himself a bondservant, servant, or slave of the gospel.
Paul speaks about being taken hold of, yet it is not a restrictive, demeaning captivity that we would think of. Rather, it is the idea that Paul is completely captured by the love of Christ. He is captivated.
Now, I know that y’all are probably tired of hearing about me and Emily. However, when I see this phrase speaking about being taken hold of, it makes me think about the love that I share with Em.
When we started dating, even until now, there is something about that love that has me captivated. It keeps my attention. It deserves my affection. Because of that love, there is nothing that I would let stand between me and her.
I believe that is exactly the picture that Paul is presenting here. Because he is captivated by Christ’s love, he is doing everything in his power to remove all obstacles to their relationship.
We should be challenged by Paul. We too need to grow our captivation.
Let me simply ask: Where has our wonder gone? What has happened to our utter amazement with Christ’s love? We must be captivated by it so that we are actively pursuing our relationship with Christ.
Let me mention briefly, the easiest way to grow your captivation with Jesus is not some séance or attempt to manipulate your emotions. The easiest way to restore your captivation is to spend time with Him. Study His word. Pray and speak with Him. Serve Him. The more you are with Him, the more you will desire to be with Him.
If we want to grow in our maturity, if we want to pursue perfection in Jesus, we must grasp our condition. We must grow our captivation. Then we must be careful to…

3.) Guard Our Concentration
“Brothers, I do not consider myself to taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead…”
We must understand where we really stand in God’s eyes. We must seek to grow in our love for Him. We must be captivated by Him. And then we must be careful to guard our concentration.
Paul says that he forgets what is behind and reaches forward to what is ahead.
Now, there is the tendency to use this at New Years when talking about the opportunities God grants for new beginnings. In fact, I have even used this passage for that purpose here.
However, I don’t believe that is all that it is communicating. We look at it and talk about moving on from past failures. And I believe that you can use it in that context and still be maintaining Scriptural integrity.
Certainly our sinful pasts can be cause for crippling our service of Christ. There are plenty of people within the church that believe that they are unable to serve God- or even come to Him because of something that they did in their past.
We must be willing to quit looking back to those disappointments and failures. We must move beyond those shortcomings and allow our past to be the past and not our future.
Paul was a man that would certainly want to forget parts of his past. Paul had a Damascus road experience where God Himself questioned Paul as to why he was persecuting Him.
Paul was convinced that He was doing God’s work and will until then. I am certain that Paul would love to forget about those that he persecuted and imprisoned. I am certain that he would love to move beyond the fact that we were introduced to him in God's Word as he held coats and cheered on those that stoned Stephen.
Yet, I believe Paul was communicating more. When we look back at the beginning of Philippians 3, we find that section that we quoted earlier. We find that place where Paul gives us a list of his accolades and qualifications.
Paul was a man that would have a great deal to boast about. He would have reason, more than any of us, to feel as if he had reached a higher plane in his Christian experience.
However, I believe that Paul was actually saying, “I forget what is behind and move forward- not because the past is all horrible and sinful, but because I cannot allow myself to boast in my accomplishments and forget I still have work to do.”
As Christians, many of you have served God faithfully for decades. You have taught classes and served the church. You have grown in your faith. However, we cannot look back on our pasts and pretend that they are enough. Rather, we still have more climbing to do. We still have further to go before we reach full maturity and perfection.
As God’s people, we must be careful to guard our concentration. We cannot get so caught up in the past- and our successes and experiences that we fail to move forward now.
We must grasp our condition, grow our captivation, guard our concentration, and lastly…

4.) Groan in Our Call
“I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.”
Paul understood where he stood with the Father. He understood his condition. And because of that fact, he was actively pursuing God’s call on his life. He was groaning in his call.
When Paul wrote this letter to the church at Philippi, I believe that it contained not just instruction, but imagery.
When Paul said that he pursues as his goal the prize of God’s call in Christ Jesus, I don’t see a man that decides to begrudgingly attend a worship service. I don’t see a man that reluctantly pulls out His Scriptures to fulfill his duty. I don’t see a man that shows any hesitancy.
Rather, he is pursuing his goal. He is running after Jesus with everything that is in him. He is praying faithfully. In fact, he can’t speak to the Father enough. He is studying God’s Word. He just can’t get enough. He wishes there was even more to it. He loves teaching and just being able to say the name Jesus.
This is a man that is excited about doing whatever God gives him the opportunity and privilege to do. He is going full-tilt toward his finish line.
And do you realize where Paul is in his race at this point?
Paul is in prison when he wrote this letter. He was in chains because of this gospel. Yet, he is still saying- whatever of my course I have left to run- I don’t care what the Romans do to me, I am going to pursue it with passion. I am going to give it my all- and I am going to love what I’m doing.
Paul is essentially the runner that has kept his eye on the finish line- and he is groaning- he is putting every ounce of energy he has into his pursuit of the call of Christ.
You know, when I read these words, its makes me ashamed. Here I am, a free man in a country that celebrates the greatest liberties of any nation, I am called to preach the gospel- I am given the opportunity of a relationship with Christ, and where is my passion? Where is the fervor in my life?
Ladies and gentlemen, we must groan in our call. We must pursue our Christian life with such energy and fervor that we have to depend on God for our strength.
I wonder what would happen if we approached our Christian calls with the same energy that we do sports- or family gatherings- or whatever our particular hobbies may be. What would life be like- what could God do if we passionately pursued Him the way we do other things?
I want to remind us this morning: We are not perfect. We have not yet arrived. There is still work to be done.
We must grow our captivation. We must be passionately in love with Jesus. We must keep our focus, not on our past victories or failures, but on what God has in store for us in the future. And we must groan in our call. We must run the race with everything we have.