09 | Stand Fast In The Lord, Beloved
Stand Fast In The Lord, Beloved
Philippians 3:12-4:1
As taught Sunday 15 March 2015, Emmanuel Church, Auckland, New Zealand
Paul Warns The Church Against The Error Of Perfectionism, Philippians 3:12-16
What is Perfectionism? It is the belief that in this life you can reach the goal of Christianity
The goal of Christianity is clearly seen in the one desire Paul had after his conversion on the road to Damascus…
Christianity is far more than knowing the right body of doctrine—Paul wrote the book!
It is far more than living by a certain code of morals and ethics—Paul was a Pharisee, blameless concerning the law
Christianity is to know Christ—and that means being made like Christ in every way
It is to have the same mind as Christ, Philippians 2:5-11…
Who, though He was God, did not use His rights and privileges for His own advantage
But He humbled Himself and became a servant
He was obedient to the will of His Father, even to the point of death on the cross
To know Christ is to know suffering for the sake of righteousness and truth
It is stand firm in the day of adversity, strengthened by the power of God that raised Christ from the dead
To know Christ is to live every day looking to the resurrection from the dead
Does this sound like an impossible goal? Do you think that you know Christ in the fullest sense of Paul’s words?
There are some who would answer “Yes”
They are known as perfectionists
They believe that in this life they have arrived at the goal of Christianity
Now that they have made it, they live out their days waiting to be crowned with their reward
This teaching has plagued the Church from the time of Paul until now
It was present in John Wesley’s teaching—see “A Plain Account Of Christian Perfection”
He taught that Christians in this world could be perfected in love, and love sets one free from wilful sin
It is present in the Holiness Movement and Second Blessing theology
You may know it as Keswick Theology, or more commonly “Let-go-and-let-God” theology
Proponents of this doctrine will ask…
Are you a defeated Christian, but want to live a victorious life,
Do you want to move from a spiritually shallow to a deep life,
Do you want to live above sin,
Do you want your carnal life to become a spiritual life,
Do you have Jesus as your saviour, but want Him to be your Lord,
Then you need to be “filled with the Holy Spirit”, you need to “let go and let God”
Then you will move into a higher plane of spirituality, which few Christians every reach!
This is nothing more than perfectionism repackaged in 21st century trappings
No one has ever desired holiness more than the Apostle Paul
No one has laboured harder than him to know Christ
But at the end of the day, he took stock of his life and said…
He confessed the same to the Romans…
If the Apostle Paul could not attain perfection in this life, then none of us can!
Christianity is not a goal you can reach in this life and then move on to something else
Against every form of perfectionism, Paul said Christianity is a race
Listen to the athletic language in Philippians 3:12-16…note: this is an endurance race, not a sprint!
| “I press on” | vs 12 | “lay hold” | vs 12 | ||
| “reaching forward” | vs 13 | “press toward the goal” | vs 14 | “for the prize” | vs 14 |
1. Christ alone sets a person in this race
Paul was thinking of the road to Damascus when Christ laid hold of him
It was then Paul heard the “upward call of God in Christ Jesus”
We call this “conversion”; it is what Christ described as being “born again”, John 3:3
Today, if you have faith in Christ Jesus, it is because Christ first laid hold of you and called you to Himself
If you do not have faith, make this hymn be your prayer…
Pass me not, O gentle Saviour,
Hear my humble cry;
While on others Thou art calling;
Do not pass me by.
2. Christ is the prize of the race
Paul said he pressed “toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus”, vs 14
Anticipating that prize, Paul eagerly awaited “the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ” vs 20
Who at His coming will “transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body” vs 20
Christ Himself is the prize of this race!
And this prize does not go to first place only, but all who complete the race will be saved…
3. Christ is the race
Paul pressed on and stained forward that he might…
To run this race is nothing less than becoming a disciple of Christ
It is to die each day to self, take up your cross and follow Christ
Christ sets us in this race; Christ is the prize to be won; Christ is the race that we run
If we are going to win the prize, how must we run the race?
Don’t look back
Illustration: Looking back is the biggest mistake you can make when running a race
Mike Baker was a school mate of mine—we played American football and ran track together
One day we both ran against each other in the 100m sprint
Though I was faster than Mike Baker, he won the race that day
Why? He looked straight ahead, I kept looking back, and he overtook me and won the day
Many fail to make real progress in their Christian life because they keep looking back!
Do you have a past? Everybody does
Have you failed to live up to the high calling of God in Christ Jesus? On our best day we all fail
Have you committed terrible sins? Stop dwelling on them and act on this promise of Scripture…
Don’t give up
Illustration: The fastest runner will not claim the prize if he does not finish the race
There was another track meet and I found myself once again racing against Mike Baker in the 100m sprint
The gun fired, the runners bolted out of the starting blocks, and for 95% of the race I was in the lead
To this day I’m not sure why—maybe I misjudged the finish line, or I was tired—but I relaxed and did not finish strong
Mike Baker ran strong start to finish and once again, he won the day!
Some of you have served Christ faithfully for decades
Many of those were good years, and many were hard
Your body is not what it once was and your strength is failing
For some of you it has been costly to serve Christ—broken ties with family, lost careers, sacrificial giving
You have invested much in the lives of others, but see very little in return
You are tempted to say…
“What’s the use?”; or, “I’ve done enough, I’ve finished my course.”
Paul is speaking to you…
Now is not the time to rest; don’t give up; finish the race,
Always look to the reward
A life of devotion to Christ is hard and it will cost you much in the eyes of the ungodly
If you envy the world on account of their wealth and pleasure which could be yours if it were not for Christ,
You will stumble and fall, and in due time you will turn your back on the Lord
Have you not read the Parable of the Soils?
God will be no man’s debtor—you do not run this race in vain!
There is a prize to had by all who finish the race—a prize far greater than all the riches and pleasures of this world,
Don’t look back! Don’t give up! Keep your eyes on the LORD…
And the LORD Jesus Christ who is able to keep you from stumbling,
Will present you faultless before the presence of His glory!
AMEN