Principles of Christian Living

Lesson 8

Lesson Text—Philippians 3:12-14

Philippians 3:12-1412 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.

Lesson Text—Philippians 3:12-14

13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Lesson Text—Philippians 3:15-16

Philippians 3:15-1615 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.16 Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.

Lesson Text—I Corinthians 9:24-27

I Corinthians 9:24-2724 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.

Lesson Text—I Corinthians 9:24-27

26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

Lesson Text—II Timothy 4:6-8

II Timothy 4:6-86 For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:

Lesson Text—II Timothy 4:6-8

8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

Focus Verse—Philippians 3:13-14

Philippians 3:13-14Brethren, I count not myself to

have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching

forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God

in Christ Jesus.

Focus Thought

We are running a spiritually

disciplined life to win the ultimate

prize of Jesus Christ.

I. Aspiring to WinCULTURE CONNECTION

Discipline for the Long HaulThe apostle Paul wrote of

disciplining his body: “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway” (I Corinthians 9:27). Evidently, he recognized the temporal nature of life on earth and the lasting value of eternity. Further, he saw his life as a marathon rather than a sprint.

I. Aspiring to WinHe was into it for “the long haul,” and he intended to win the eternal prize by the grace of God.

Coach Art Liberman of www.marathontraining.com states, “The long run is the most important component of marathon training because it teaches the body to both mentally and physically tackle the challenges presented in completing the 26.2-mile event.

I. Aspiring to WinPhysiologically, the body must learn to tap into and utilize energy reserves from fat storage sites after the glycogen (fuel stores in the muscles, converted over from carbohydrate food sources) have been depleted. Through long run training, the capacity to store more glycogen within the muscles increases. An increase in glycogen stores translates into the ability to maintain one’s pace during the marathon and delay the onset of fatigue.

I. Aspiring to WinConversely, trouble is on the horizon when you run out of glycogen, as your pace will significantly decrease.” Believers are involved in the run of a lifetime. They are running the race of life, and they will win the prize of eternal life only if they live with discipline and a vision for the long haul.

I. Aspiring to WinContemplating the Topic

Men and women of the world often spend years honing their skills and disciplining their minds. Physicians, attorneys, and other professionals spend countless hours memorizing facts, information, and processes. Why do some Christians believe they can get by with any less?

R. Kent Hughes, in his book Disciplines of a Godly Man, offers a list of men who disciplined themselves and accomplished great feats.

I. Aspiring to Win• Mike Singletary (perennial All-Pro,

two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, and a member of the Super Bowl XXV Dream Team). In reviewing films of games played by his opponents, he would watch a single play fifty to sixty times. He studied the moves of every player until he could anticipate their every move.

• Winston Churchill (prime minister of England during World War II). He has been proclaimed the speaker of

the twentieth century.

I. Aspiring to WinHowever, his speaking ability did

not come naturally. Hughes comments, “Churchill wrote everything out and practiced it! He even choreographed the pauses and pretended fumblings for the right phrase. The margins of his manuscripts carried notes anticipating the ‘cheers,’ ‘hear, hears,’ ‘prolonged cheering,’ and even ‘standing ovation.’ This done, he practiced endlessly in front of mirrors, fashioning his retorts and facial expressions.”

I. Aspiring to Win• Thomas Edison (inventor). Edison finally produced an incandescent light bulb after a thousand failures. Each failure drove him to try harder.

• Jascha Heifitz (greatest violinist of the twentieth century). From age three until his death at age seventy-five, he practiced four hours a day.

Hughes concluded, “An athlete may be born with a strong body, a musician with perfect pitch, or an artist with an eye for perspective.

I. Aspiring to WinBut none of us can claim an innate spiritual advantage. In reality we are all equally disadvantaged. None of us naturally seeks after God, none is inherently righteous, none instinctively does good. Therefore, as children of grace, our spiritual discipline is everything—everything!”

Considering how men and women of this world dedicate themselves to their individual callings, it seems a shame for a Christian to have less passion for the greatest calling in the world—the call to serve Jesus Christ.

I. Aspiring to WinSEARCHING THE

SCRIPTURES

Aspiring to WinPaul was no “average” Christian. He

continually aspired to higher heights in Christ Jesus. He wrote, “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14). As with successful authors, inventors, musicians, and athletes, Paul knew that greatness does not just happen.

I. Aspiring to WinHe wrote, “I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified” (I Corinthians 9:27, NKJV).

In the Expositor’s Bible, Robert Rainy comments on the text from Philippians: “It is, one may fear, a common impression among us that we are fair average Christians,—a feeling perhaps not so cherished as to make us boast, but yet so cherished as to make us feel content.

I. Aspiring to WinAnd, alas! the very meaning of Christianity was to inspire us with a spirit that would refuse so to be contented.”

A. Forgetting What Is BehindA. Forgetting What Is Behind

“Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I

press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ

Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).

I. Aspiring to WinOne of mankind’s greatest

challenges is the ability and willingness to forget the pleasures of sin left behind at an altar of repentance. Throughout their forty-year journey in the wilderness, the Israelites continued to look over their shoulders, regretting what they had left behind in Egypt. “We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick: but now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all,

beside this manna” (Numbers 11:5-6).

I. Aspiring to WinSomehow, in their minds, they revised history and remembered an abundance of food “at no cost.”

How quickly they forgot the sting of the whips, the hours of toil, and the threats of death. Their discontent eclipsed their appreciation for deliverance. The miracle of Mount Sinai soon became rules, regulations, and tablets of stone to be carried around in a box. The pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire became as common as the sun and the moon.

I. Aspiring to WinThe daily provision of manna from Heaven became tasteless, and they began to beg for “flesh.” (See Numbers 11:4-35.)

The apostle Paul knew that Christians must forget what they had left behind, or it would eventually track them down. He knew every day would not be a Day of Pentecost with thousands being converted, baptized, and filled with the Holy Ghost. Paul knew there would be days filled with the mundane. He knew the potential of becoming complacent with the blessings of God.

I. Aspiring to WinSooner or later, the eyes of the Christian looking over his shoulder would fixate on the pleasures of the past, and they would entice him.

In describing the members of the “hall of faith,” the writer of Hebrews stated that each one of those great men and women of God was subject to the same temptation to turn back. “Truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned” (Hebrews 11:15).

B. Reaching for the GoalB. Reaching for the Goal

It has been said that if an individual has no goal, he is certain to reach it. Paul had a goal and he pressed toward it faithfully (Philippians 3:14). Not only did Paul discipline himself not to look back, but he fixed his eyes on the future. He had a goal, and that goal was to win the prize of eternity with Jesus Christ. With his goal in view, Paul did not consider early-morning prayer or late-night preaching too great a sacrifice.

I. Aspiring to WinHe knew that once his feet stepped on streets of gold, he quickly would forget the pain of imprisonment with Silas or suffering with the saints in Rome.

“Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ” (Philippians 3:8).

I. Aspiring to WinAn Isthmian athlete endured many

hours of strict training before winning the honor of being crowned with a wreath. If it were not for the goal of receiving the crown, the races and games probably never would have occurred. In the busyness of our contemporary world, it is imperative that every Christian has the goal of eternal life with Jesus Christ clearly fixed in his mind. “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:21).

C. Living in VictoryC. Living in Victory

“Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing” (Philippians 3:16).

In this verse, Paul spoke of attaining and maintaining. It is one thing to reach a certain level, but it is still another thing to maintain that level.

I. Aspiring to WinWhen engineers first developed the

jet engine, a pilot could ascend to a great height very quickly, but he could maintain that height only momentarily. It took years of engineering to develop an engine that could rise quickly to an elevation miles above the earth and maintain that elevation.

Paul spoke of a place “whereto we have already attained.” A person often attains to the level of an initial repentance quickly.

I. Aspiring to WinA person may quickly repent when he is caught in the act of sin, convicted by the preaching of an evangelist, or while reading the convicting Word of God. However, maintaining that state of repentance is another matter altogether. The New International Version renders Philippians 3:16: “Only let us live up to what we have already attained.”

I. Aspiring to WinIn Peter’s concluding remarks on

the Day of Pentecost, he stated, “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36). Not only has God made Jesus both Lord and Christ, He also must become both Lord and Christ in our lives. We who attain to repentance and the new birth find Jesus as the Christ, but that alone is insufficient to maintain an altitude of victorious Christian life.

I. Aspiring to WinTo live in victory requires not only that we know Jesus as the Christ, but also that He become the Lord of our lives. Both are essential to continue in victory. “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God” (Romans 8:14).

II. Running the RaceRunning the Race

In I Corinthians 9:24-27, Paul utilized the Isthmian games to illustrate the effort of believers to gain an incorruptible crown of life. The Corinthians were well acquainted with the competitive games because the games were hosted by Corinth. Everyone who participated in those games desired to win.

I. Aspiring to WinPaul used the illustration to instruct his readers to put the same kind of effort into striving for an incorruptible crown: “So run, that ye may obtain” (I Corinthians 9:24).

A. Running to WinA. Running to Win

In his Commentary on the Whole Bible, Matthew Henry expounds on verse 24 as though he were writing to the Corinthians: “So run that you may obtain. It is quite otherwise in the Christian race than in your races; only one wins the prize in them. You may all run so as to obtain. You have great encouragement, therefore, to persist constantly, and diligently, and vigorously, in your course. There is room for all to get the prize.

I. Aspiring to WinYou cannot fail if you run well. Yet there should be a noble emulation; you should endeavour to outdo one another. And it is a glorious contest who shall get first to heaven, or have the best rewards in that blessed world. I make it my endeavour to run; so do you, as you see me go before you.” Even though all Christians may win in the “race” to our eternal home, it is imperative that we develop a mindset similar to the runners of Paul’s day, running as though only one would receive the prize at the end.

I. Aspiring to WinJesus gave us the reason for running in that manner: “Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it” (Matthew 7:14). Certainly, it is true that all have the opportunity to win at the end of the day, but the One who can see the end from the beginning solemnly declared that few would find it. “Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many . . . will seek to enter in, and shall not be able” (Luke 13:24).

I. Aspiring to WinModern Christianity seems to have

adopted a belief that directly opposes the warnings of Jesus. It is as though all are going to slide into home plate and the umpire is going to declare them “safe.” R. Kent Hughes, in his book Disciplines of a Godly Man, describes the church at the present time: “There is a vast herd of professed Christians who exist as nomadic hitchhikers without accountability, without discipline, without discipleship, living apart from the regular benefits of the ordinances.

I. Aspiring to WinTo borrow from Cyprian’s idea, they have God as their Father, but reject the Church as mother and as a result are incomplete and stunted.”

The tragedy of this perception is that the masses who believe they will win, will lose ultimately. “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:22-23).

I. Aspiring to WinIf Paul were still ministering on the earth today, we would hear his urgent warning to the masses sauntering along the broadways of life: “Run that you may win the prize!”

B. Going into Strict TrainingB. Going into Strict Training

“Every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things.

Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an

incorruptible [crown]” (I Corinthians 9:25).

I. Aspiring to WinBefore Olympic athletes can achieve

a gold medal, they endure years of arduous training. While some competitors slept and others played, the one who was to become the gold medalist arose early, performed hours of strenuous exercise, and spent years repetitiously perfecting routines. Similarly, in Paul’s day the athlete gave up everything to win the prize. Using this illustration, Paul described his own life as pressing “toward the mark for the prize” (Philippians 3:14).

I. Aspiring to WinIf one is to win the prize of eternal life with Christ Jesus, it will require “spiritual sweat.” In writing to the young man Timothy, Paul exhorted, “Exercise thyself . . . unto godliness” (I Timothy 4:7).

The names of the athletes who participated in the Isthmian games have been lost to the corrupting influence of time. The identities of those who brought home the gold from the most recent Olympic games eventually will be nothing more than names recorded in history books.

I. Aspiring to WinFurther, the sleek, well-conditioned bodies of those athletes will lose their strength and condition, and eventually they will die. To choose the pursuit of athletic competition may bring momentary recognition and reward, but to choose the greater pursuit of the Cross involves temporary sacrifice to gain the lasting reward of eternity.

The “fool’s gold” of affluence has so blinded the eyes and darkened the hearts of some modern Christians that they are unwilling to enter into the strict training necessary to win the eternal prize.

I. Aspiring to WinJesus asked, “When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8). It is one thing to call oneself a Christian, but quite another thing to be a Christian. It is one thing to stand in the crowds that line the streets cheering on the runners, but it is quite another to endure the training necessary to compete in the race. It is time for all who have been standing on the sidelines to enter the strict training necessary to win.

II Corinthians 6:17-7:1 “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the

Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will

be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the

Lord Almighty. Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let

us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of

God” (II Corinthians 6:17-7:1).

C. Subjugating the FleshC. Subjugating the Flesh

Paul knew that in order to spend eternity with Jesus Christ, it was imperative he continue to crucify his flesh. (See Romans 8:13; Colossians 3:5.) “I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified” (I Corinthians 9:27, NKJV).

I. Aspiring to WinIn the Expositor’s Bible,

commentator Marcus Dods describes the willingness of the Greek athlete to surrender his will to the will of the coach: “Contentedly and without murmur he submits himself to the rules and restrictions of his ten months’ training, without which he may as well not compete. The little indulgences which other men allow themselves he must forego.

I. Aspiring to WinNot once will he break the trainer’s rules, for he knows that some competitors will refrain even from that once and gain strength while he is losing it. He is proud of his little hardships, and fatigues, and privations, and counts it a point of honour scrupulously to abstain from anything which might in the slightest degree diminish his chance of success.

I. Aspiring to WinHe sees other men giving way to appetite, resting while he is panting without exertion, luxuriating in the bath, enjoying life at pleasure; but he has scarce a passing thought of envy, because his heart is set on the prize and severe training is indispensable. He knows that his chances are gone if in any point or on any occasion he relaxes the rigour of the discipline.”

I. Aspiring to WinIt is imperative that every Christian

keep his eyes fixed on the goal of eternal life. The runners in this Christian race should submit to the instruction and training of their pastor. (See Hebrews 13:17.) Commitment to a church and submission to a pastor seem less desirable today in our individualistic society. Holiness has fallen into disfavor by some and is mocked others. However, these vital disciplines help us in our pursuit of the goal of eternity with Jesus.

III. Finishing the RaceFinishing the Race

Before heading to Jerusalem, Paul foretold his fate to his disciples. He saw prison and hardship in the future, but that would not deter him from completing the race set before him. His goal was neither retirement nor the accolades of man. His goal was to finish the course upon this earth with integrity. (See Acts 20:24.)

Even though he was arrested and imprisoned, he ran the race well and was near the finish line when he

wrote to Timothy from prison.

A. Finishing with IntegrityA. Finishing with IntegrityIn his Psychosocial Theory of

Development, Erik Erikson names the last phase of life “Integrity versus Despair.” As men and women come down to the close of their lives, they look back either with a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment or with a sense of regret. Paul declared, “I have fought a good fight . . . I have kept the faith” (II Timothy 4:7). With a clean conscience, he looked back over three decades of struggle, risk, and joyful obedience.

I. Aspiring to WinThough trials were very much a part of Paul’s life, Jesus promised that His grace would carry him to the finish line.

At one point in Paul’s life, a demonic spirit (messenger of Satan) tormented him. Paul sought the Lord for deliverance from that torment, but instead of delivering him, the Lord assured him of grace and strength to overcome the enemy. “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.

I. Aspiring to WinMost gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (II Corinthians 12:9).

God’s strength is made perfect in our weakness. And in those moments of weakness, when we put our faith in His strength, we too will find the grace to make it to the end. Then, in the sunset of our lives, we too will look back on this life with our integrity intact.

I. Aspiring to Win

Having learned to put faith in the grace of God, Paul gave Titus a formula for living an overcoming life.

Titus 2:11-14 “The grace of God that bringeth

salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness

and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous

of good works” (Titus 2:11-14).

I. Aspiring to WinIf we will recognize that God’s grace is sufficient for every trial and learn to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions, then as we cross the finish line, we will look back upon our lives with integrity and confidently declare with Paul, “I have fought a good fight; I have kept the faith.”

B. Running to the EndB. Running to the End

“I have finished my course, I have kept the faith” (II Timothy 4:7). The Christian race is a marathon, not a sprint. Further, the finish is more important than the start. In a marathon, a runner may slip or fall along the way, but the most important thing is that he not quit. “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved” (Matthew 24:13).

I. Aspiring to WinFor Paul, the race had lasted many years and he had endured many hardships. In defending himself against false apostles, he presented his résumé.

II Corinthians 11:24-27 “Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I

suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of

robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in

perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and

painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in

cold and nakedness” (II Corinthians 11:24-27).

I. Aspiring to WinWhat did Paul and the early believers

possess that caused them to choose suffering and death rather than to deny their faith in Christ in exchange for life? First, they had a clear vision of eternity, unclouded by the cares of daily living. “For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven” (II Corinthians 5:1-2).

I. Aspiring to WinSecond, the early church possessed a vibrant appreciation for the grace of God. In writing to the Corinthians, Paul let them and us in on the key to living in Christ’s victory. “By the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me” (I Corinthians 15:10). It is not that Paul was never discouraged.

I. Aspiring to WinHowever, with the vision of eternal life clearly burned into his mind and the grace of God supplying his strength, he ran to win and he ran to the end.

In his book, Disciplines of a Godly Man, R. Kent Hughes cites the following poem by Annie Johnson Flint: When we have exhausted our store of endurance,When our strength has failed ere the day is half done;When we reach the end of our hoarded resources,

I. Aspiring to WinOur Father’s full giving is only

begun.His love has no limits, His grace

has no measure,His power has no boundary known

unto men;For out of His infinite riches in

Jesus,He giveth, and giveth, and giveth

again.

I. Aspiring to WinINTERNALIZING THE

MESSAGE

“Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing” (II Timothy 4:8).

I. Aspiring to WinEvery believer should ponder when

was the last time he longed to go to Heaven. When was the last time he dreamed of going to Heaven and awoke, disappointed he was still in this world? Every Christian should desire a renewed sense of excitement like he experienced shortly after receiving the new birth. Jesus knew the potential for the child of God to become accustomed to life in the kingdom of God on this earth and become complacent.

I. Aspiring to WinConsequently, He gave us the parables of the ten virgins, the homeowner who was instructed to “watch,” and the talents. (See Matthew 24-25.) These are to encourage us to remain strong in our journey.

In II Timothy 4:6-8, Paul had arrived at the end of his journey upon this earth. Seeing clearly beyond this life, Paul envisioned the crown of righteousness awaiting him on the other shore.

I. Aspiring to WinMore than that, he saw Jesus patiently awaiting his arrival, crown in hand. We too have a life and crown awaiting us beyond this life if we live with discipline and run the race with patience and endurance.