Pressing Toward Perfection

The following is from Highland View Baptist Church's AM worship service on April 11, 2010.

The closest I have ever come to perfection probably occurred when I was fourteen years old.
I am certain by now that many of you know 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 changeup 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 inning, 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. (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 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 a hard hit. It just hit a pebble and skipped off the heel of his glove.
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 a Christian people to pursue perfection.
We are called to work toward the fullness of the image of Christ. We are to continually strive toward eliminating any imperfection. But 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 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. He illustrates how to pursue the maturity that we should desire.

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 a process and model to follow. Specifically, we find four steps that we must take in our pursuit of Christian maturity- and the perfection of Christ.
First, we must…

1.) Grasp Our Condition
“Not that I have already reached the goal or am already fully mature…”
Before we can go any farther than mere infancy in our Christian faith, we must truly grasp our current condition. We must see ourselves as we really are- and that is Christians that have not yet reached perfection.
Just consider the author of this letter. Consider what his identity and attitude 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 and perfect.
Just look with me for a moment 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, faultless in the law, and a Pharisee. It has even been suggested that Paul may have been a member of the Sanhedrin council. Paul- in terms of Jewish law and custom was faultless. Then just to compound those accolades further, he sat at the feet of Gamaliel, the premier teacher and scholar of the time.
Paul was as close to perfection as humanity could get. However, he still insisted that he still has not reached the fullness of maturity in Christ.
Now, if Paul insists that he had not arrived, why do we 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 understood all of it, there is not one in this room that is perfect in his/her adherence and obedience to that instruction.
As Christian believers, there is a temptation to look at ourselves in comparison to the lost world around us and feel accomplished. There is always the temptation to think of ourselves more highly than we ought.
However, we must rediscover our need for growth and progression. We must rediscover true Biblical 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.
And I wish that I could tell you that pastors are immune to this problem. However, that is not the case.
Over the course of the past four years or so, I have enjoyed the privilege of meeting some great and godly men. I have met some men that are brilliant in their ability to dissect and understand complex theology and doctrine. However, there tends to be a rather common problem- even with men in the ministry. Rather than enjoying the things that God has revealed, and being found faithful to continue searching for a deeper understanding of God’s Word, there are many Christians, many great men of God that allow arrogance to creep in and rob them of the full potential they have in Christ.
Listen, before we can progress any farther in the fact, we must grasp our condition.
We begin our pursuit of growth and maturity by seeing ourselves as we really are- by grasping our condition, and then we must secondly…

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 and readily admitted his imperfection. He noted that in spit 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 that this is a beautiful image. When we progress from ink on paper, and begin to look with our mind’s eye, I see an image of Christ hand in hand with one of his children. And because He is holding on to his child, because He is walking with him, He is drawing him closer to the fullness of maturity in Him.
Paul is saying here, “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 uses the term “taken hold of” here. It 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 of 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 you’ll grow tired of hearing about me and Emily. However, when I see this phrase speaking about being taken hold of, it makes me think of 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 demands 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 the love of Christ, he is doing everything in his power to remove any obstacles to their relationship.
We should be challenged by Paul. We too need to grow our captivation.
I know I asked this question last week, but it begs to be asked again: Where has our wonder gone? What has happened to our utter amazement with Christ’s love? We must still be so captivated by it that we are actively pursuing a relationship with Christ.
Now, let me mention briefly the easiest way to grow your captivation with Jesus. It is not through a séance or an attempt to manipulate your emotions. The easiest way to restore your captivation with God is to spend time with Him. Study His word. Pray and speak with Him. Serve Him.
Simply spending time quality time with Him will spark a renewed wonder and captivation.
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 a tendency to use this at New years when talking about the opportunities God grants for new beginnings. However, I don’t believe that is all 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 maintain 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 they did in their past.
We must be willing to quit looking back to those disappointments and failure. We must move beyond those shortcomings and allow our past to be the past and not our future.
But I believe this passage is communicating more. Paul was a man that would certainly want to forget parts of his past. You may recall that 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 he held the coats and cheered on those that stoned Stephen.
Yet, I believe that 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 farther 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- even in our successes and experiences that we fail to move forward now.
We must grasp our condition. We must grow our captivation. We must guard our concentration. And lastly, we must…

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 that call.
When Paul wrote this letter to the church at Philippi, I believe that it contained both instruction and 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 cannot speak to the Father enough. He is studying God’s Word. He just can’t read enough. He wishes that there was 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’m 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, it 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 personal relationship with Christ, with God Himself, and where is my passion? Where is the fervor in my life?
Ladies and gentlemen, we must groan in our call. We must pursue the 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 and what could God do if we passionately pursued him the way we do other things?
We need to be reminded this morning: We are not perfect. We have not 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 now and in the future. And we must groan in our call. We must run the race with everything we have.
So where are you this morning? How is your race going? Are you growing? Are you groaning? When is that going to change?