“Pressing On”
June 29th, 2009
Many of us find it natural to go the God in times of difficult. We find God to be a source of comfort and hope. But, how many of us would be willing, at the top of our game, when things are going well, to walk away from our comfort zone and follow the “heavenly call of Christ?” That is what the Apostle Paul did. And he was simply following Jesus’ example. Ant that is what he calls us to do, as well.
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Philippians 3:2-14
1. He was the co-captain of the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team, the team that accomplished the famous “miracle on ice.”
A. Prior to the Olympics, he starred for Boston University, averaging over twenty goals a season for four years.
B. He then played for Toledo Goaldiggers of the International Hockey League, winning the rookie of the year award in 1978 and leading the team to the Turner Cup championship in that year. After his second year in Toledo, he was named to the 1980 Olympic hockey team.
C. Expectations were low for the U.S. that year as the U.S.S.R. and Finland were favored.
D. However, in the semi-final game, he scored the winning goal against the Soviet Union. U.S went on to win the gold against Finland.
E. After that, Mike Eruzione did something that no one expected. He retired from hockey.
F. He said he had reached the pinnacle of what was possible as a player. And he just walked away.
2. Sometimes, it is difficult in life, to let go of something, especially something that you are good at. You have to be able to have faith in what is possible rather than remain comfortable with what has been.
A. My friend and fellow pastor, Mark Feldmeir, put it this way. “You can’t press forward in life if you’re living in the ‘what might have been.’ You have to get over yourself if you’re going to find yourself.”
B. Consider the Apostle Paul. He was the Mike Eruzione of Pharisees.
C. He was the best of the best – the most elite.
D. He had everything to lose, and quite frankly, he had very little left to achieve in his life. He was at the top of his game.
E. Paul describes himself this way…”circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.”
F. That just about says it all. Paul was the man. Paul had every reason in the world to be confident in himself and in his standing in the community.
3. But, Paul does not regard any of his success in life the way others might. In fact, most of his success prior to knowing Christ, Paul considered failure.
A. He says, “I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith.”
B. Paul, at the height of his success, power, and authority, did what no one saw coming. He just walked away. Because to Paul wanted “to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death.”
C. Huh!?!
4. Today, we are continuing our sermon series “Fear Factor.” We are looking at ways that we deal with the fears associated with these troubling times we are living in.
A. Many of us have fears associated with failure. In difficult times, we are usually motivated to seek change in our lives.
B. We go to God in prayer when we are driven to our knees by the circumstances of our lives…
C. But, how many of us are willing to look at ourselves when we are at the top of our game?
D. How many of us would be willing to walk away from all of our earthly gain for the “upward call of Christ.”
E. That is the true challenge of the faithful.
5. The danger of being comfortable in this life is that it makes us fearful of losing our position in this world.
A. And so, we surround ourselves with a comfortable faith that does not challenge.
B. Often takes something dramatic to shake us out of our complacency, and move us again onto the “upward call of Christ.”
C. New show this week – “The Philantrhopist.” Billionaire Teddy Rist is being evacuated from his flooding hotel room, gives the beggar his place on the rescue raft. When the boat capsizes, Teddy uncharacteristically jumps in the flood waters to save the boy.
D. As Teddy holds the boy above water and unsuccessfully tries to learn the boy’s name, he discovers a compassionate side of himself he did not know existed.
E. At the top of his game, he simply changed all of his priorities. And not dedicates himself to making a difference in the lives of others.
F. Sounds crazy, doesn’t it? It sounds far-fetched, doesn’t it?
6. But, that is exactly what Paul did. And Paul was just following Jesus’ example.
A. Paul understood that his newfound faith was not just another accessory that accompanied an already successful life.
B. Jesus was not something that he tried to fit into his already busy schedule…
C. Nor was he something that he only came back to in times of need.
D. The upward call of Christ was everything to Paul, and everything else in his life was secondary.
E. It is important to recognize that Paul did not abandon his gifts and abilities when he walked away from his old life.
F. Instead, he abandoned his sense of his own importance, and turned his energy towards the “upward call of Christ.”
7. I hear you saying – “But, Pastor Jon, I like being comfortable.” Etc. And I want you to know that I am with you. I like being comfortable too.
A. But, here’s the thing. The life to which we are called as Christians is not a life of comfort.
B. Let me repeat that. The life to which we are called as Christians is not a life of comfort. And any preacher who tells you differently is just buttering you up.
C. And I am being nice. Paul calls those ministers “dogs.”
D. The gospel is not easy. It is not soft. That is why Paul always describes it in terms of “wrestling, running, striving…pressing.”
E. I am not the only pastor to use sports metaphors – Paul did it all the time.
F. He says of his faith journey, “Not that I ave already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.
8. Because Jesus Christ has made me his own.
A. My friends, I am going to probably be reminding you a lot of this point in the months ahead.
B. The job of the church – not to be comfortable, not even to be happy.
C. The job of the church – is to be faithful. And we know when we are being faithful because of our faith feels like we wrestling, or running…or pressing on.
D. Because the only way to know Christ is to know him crucified…
E. And the only way to our conquer fear of being uncomfortable is to “press on,” as Paul said, to the “upward call of Christ.” Amen.
Sermon delivered at Light of the Canyon United Methodist Church Anaheim Hills – June 28, 2009.
