You may remember that last week I mentioned my being a jogger. And I am. Most days I try and find an hour ro run because I have it to be a good way to both stay in shape and relieve stress. It also gives me time to think. Some of my best sermon preparation is literally done on the run. And, there are several RUNNING TIPS that I have picked up over the years. For example to help keep my mind off the pain, I usually listen to sermon tapes or book tapes or even oldies radio stations while running. I warm-up or stretch before I start. I wear a sweat band to keep perspiration out of my eyes. Over the years I’ve accumulated about four pairs of running shoes and I rotate them…never wearing the same pair twice in a row because I have heard that this cuts down on shin splints and other similar injuries. I keep a record of how far I run and where I run and how fast I run.I do all these things to be a better, more efficient runner.
Now, I don’t know if you realize it or not but within our church family we have several individuals who, like me, attempt to keep healthy by jogging. And this week I asked them to share their own RUNNING TIPS.
David Houser,one of our deacons, doesn’t just jog; he regularly COMPETES in races like the Marine Corps marathon. David told me that months before a race he plans out his training to include several different kinds of runs — all intended to help him be better prepared to win. He plans long easy runs, speed runs, he runs up hills, does intervals where he runs fast for a while and then slower for a while, etc. David eats plenty of carbohydrates before a race and tries to get 8 hours of sleep every night. He even practices eating power bars and drinking water while he runs along…something that’s important if you’re running for several hours non-stop-which you of course do in a marathon. Before a race David clears his mind of worry so as to focus only on the event. He then takes time to pray and ask God to give him both mental and physical strength.
ChuckHolton is also a runner and he told me that for him running is as much a MENTAL exercise as it is a PHYSICAL one. He has to psych himself up to motivate himself to run. He said, Being chased by a Doberman would work but its too difficult to arrange.Chuck has also has made a mental commitment never to quit something he starts and says he has found that his body will hold out as long as his mind will. He also shared with me that it helps him to have a running partner-someone to keep him accountable to his running commitment. For years he ran each morning with Mick Sprinkle and said that knowing Mick would be waiting for him on the front porch forced him to get out of bed and hit the streets.
Another one of our Running Redlanders, Scot Estep agrees with Chuck that a marathon is a battle against the mind as much as the body. He says, I am convinced that if a marathon were 30 miles instead of 26.2, the first 26 would be easy and the last 4 would seem just as excruciating as the last four in a 26.2 mile race. To WIN this mental battle Scot plays mind tricks. Before a race he tells himself things like, It’s not 26.2 miles…it’s 13 water stops. or,The sooner I finish, the sooner I can quit running.or How can I, the virtual ruler of the physical world, let 3000 women beat me? Scott also says that he focuses on the weather, the parade of humanity around him, the beauty of the scenery, anything but the pain of competition.
My brother-in-law, Donny Baustert is also a marathoner. He told me this week that he mentally visualizes the course before he runs a race. He also always quotes Philippians 4:13 before the starting gun goes off reminding himself, I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me.
My sister Lisa recently took up the sport of running. In fact, she just finished the Disney Marathon, which is a benefit for the Leukemia Foundation of America. She raised over $3,000 for this worthy charity. Lisa says that she always sets weekly goals but she doesn’t put herself down when she fails to make a goal. Instead she gets up and tries again.
Now,I share all these running tips this morning because in our text from Philippians, Paul compares the Christian life to a marathon of sorts. And after talking to all these joggers, I can see why he would draw this parallel because the similarities between sports and spirituality are so obvious. I mean there are several principles that apply to both RUNNING a foot race and LIVING in ways that please our Lord. If you’re familiar with the writings of Paul then you know that he must have loved sports because athletics is a theme he pulls on repeatedly as he describes the different facets of the Christian life. Some commentators think that Paul, a tent-maker by trade, may have been one of the vendors who made tents or awnings for use at the Corinthian World Games. They also believe that Paul’s presence at those Olympic-type events is what originally led him to see that the Christian life is a lot like an athletic contest of sorts. Listen to what he wrote to the church at Corinth and you’ll see the beginnings of this athletic emphasis in his teaching. In I Corinthians 9:24-27 he said: Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.
Well, take your Bibles and turn now to Philippians 3 and look with me at verses 12-21 and let’s see what specific lessons Paul draws from this comparison.
12 – Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.
13 – Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,
14 – I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
15 – All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.
16 – Only let us live up to what we have already attained.
17 – Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you.
18 – For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.
19 – Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things.
20 – But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,
21 – Who, by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body.
Did you notice the way Paul compared the Christian life to a foot race in these verses? For Paul, the goal….the prize at the end of the finish line…is to become like Christ. Back, in verses 10-11 he said, I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing his sufferings, becoming LIKE HIM…In I Corinthians 2:2 he wrote, I am resolved to know nothing while with you except JESUS CHRIST and Him crucified.In Romans 8:29 he said it is the destiny of all Christians, …to be conformed to the likeness of [God’s] Son…So, Paul’s reason for living-his goal in life-was to become more and more like Jesus and as Christians, it is our reason for living-our goal-as well. Now, in these 10 verses Paul states several principles that will help us to achieve that goal. Think of them as RUNNING TIPS for the marathon of life. Let’s review them together.
1. The first running principle Paul cites here is the commitment to never quit training.
In other words we should never stop striving to grow spiritually.Look at verses 12 & 13 where Paul writes, Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on….I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it but one thing I do, forgetting what is behind and straining to what is ahead I press on…In other words Paul felt he had not arrived at spiritual maturity as of yet…and we never do-on this side of eternity.So our training should never end. We should never quit trying to be grow more and more like Jesus in our thoughts and actions.
This week I read of a young man who, at his college graduation ceremony, waived his diploma in the air and said,It’s time to STOP learning and START living! This is the feeling that many graduates have. They have worked hard for four (or more) years, and when that diploma is placed in their hands they are ready to reap the benefits of their hard work. Of course, most of them eventually discover that learning doesn’t end when you get your degree. No matter what career track you pursue, you need to continue growing in knowledge of your field so you can stay sharp.
Bill Wehunt told me the other day that the radiologists in his practice are required to take a certain number of course hours every year in order to practice medicine. They make a commitment to never stop learning to be better doctors. Aren’t you glad they do!
Well, it’s the same way in the Christian life. We never reach a point where we can say, I have arrived and know all that I need to know.By the way the word discipledoesn’t mean expert. It means learner because following Jesus-growing in His likeness-is a NEVER-ending learning process. Consider the Apostle Paul himself. He was without a doubt the most influential Christian in the history of the church. He wrote more than half of the New Testament.
He started several churches and helped spread Christianity through out the then known world. He was given the title of Apostlewhich was the highest authoritative title in the early church. He used his authority to settle matters of doctrine and church policy. But, in spite of all this influence and power, Paul never reached a point where he saidI have arrived. I know all that I need to know.In fact he said just the opposite. And, in today’s text he says, I’m still learning. I’m still a student. I will be one all of my life. And he was right for, as I said, we never arrive this side of eternity. There is always more to learn when it comes to understanding how to DO WHAT JESUS WOULD DO.
This means that truly maturing Christians should be humble people, for the more they grow in their faith the more acutely aware they become of their own inadequacies, limitations, and weaknesses. We constantly train because we never arrive. The farther we go, the farther we see we have to go. A sign of spiritual maturity then, is the recognition that we are not yet mature. Christians should be the last people on earth to be proud of their accomplishments. A little boy once came up to former President Herbert Hoover just after he had left office and asked for his autograph. When Hoover complied the boy said, Would you mind signing it again, further down? All right,the President said, But why twice?Because,the bright young businessman said, with TWO of yours I can get ONE of Babe Ruth’s No matter what we attain in life, we will never reach spiritual perfection so we need to always be humble in our evaluation of ourselves.
If you have been an active member here for any length of time you know that DICK MCLAIN is a very mature Christian. I have gone to him for advice or counsel many times. He has served as a deacon, as chairman of the deacons. He has preached here and teaches a S.S. class. He is selfless and Christlike in an obvious but humble way. I join with many others who claim him as a mentor for he obviously follows the Lord. Now Dick is a very educated individual. He already has two masters degrees. But this past weekend he started work on his seminary degree, a third masters that will take 4.5 years to finish! At the age of 71 years young Dick is responding to God’s call to ministry. Dick reminds me of Paul because, he is still maturing…still running. I don’t think he will ever quit training. Even with all the knowledge he has gained over the decades, he recognizes that there is still a lot to learn. He knows he has just scratched the surface of spiritual wisdom and understanding. We need to follow Dick’s example and never stop training to be better Christians, which leads us to the second principle of running that Paul lists here. He says that as we attempt to grow spiritually…
2. …we must commit to never look back.
Look at verse 13 where he says he, …forgets what is behind and strains for what is ahead.
You know, one of the biggest barriers to enjoying all that Christ has for us TODAY is our stubborn unwillingness to release those things that happened YESTERDAY.
A. For example, some people cannot release from their minds the ACCOMPLISHMENTS of the past.
They LIVE on their past triumphs, a decision they made for of God in their early childhood, a cherished memory of yesteryear when they were on a spiritual mountaintop, or a moment when they made a bold stand for Christ in the past….things like that. But, the spiritual MILESTONES in their life-as wonderful as they WERE-have in essence become TOMBSTONES because they have not grown past that point. The have stopped all forward progress and constantly stand looking back at the good ole days!
If you remember your Old Testament History then you know that when God led the people of Israel out of Egypt toward the Promised Land, He provided everything that they needed for their journey. They had shade by day and light by night. They had water to drink ad manna to eat. The time came, however when the people ceased to look FORWARD to the land that God was going to give them and instead looked BACK to their life in Egypt. In Numbers 11:5-6 they said,
We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost-also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic. But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna.
The people of Israel began to hunger for those things of the past, and God taught them a great lesson by giving them the things they asked for. He gave them quail until they grew sick of it. He did this because they had begun to look back and failed to trust God for their present and future blessings. Unfortunately there are many leek and garlicChristians around today…people who are constantly looking to the past. Now, if your Christian testimony is entirely taken up with what God did for you thirty of forty years ago, or if you are constantly talking about the good old days when God’s blessing on your life seemed great, then you are looking back. And, you can look back and move forward. Someone once wisely said that old age is the point in life when a person ceases to look forward and always looks back. If that is accurate then there are certainly a lot of OLD Christians living aleeks and garlic type of Christianity and Paul warns against it.
You know, Paul had plenty of spiritual mountaintops in his past to which he could have retreated.
But as he says here,I’m forgetting the GOOD things of the past so I can reach out for the BETTER things that are ahead.
B. You know some people don’t make any progress in the Christian life because they can’t release from their minds the HURTS of the past.
They spend all their time fondling and nursing some wound or secret hurt which has so focused their minds on the PAST that it consumes all their energy in the PRESENT. They forget that no matter how long you nurse a grudge it won’t get any better. Well, Paul had plenty of hurts to dwell on as well. His entire ministry was carried out under the open hostility of those around him. But he refused to look back and dwell on the unfairness of life.
C. Some are so conscious of past sins and burdened by guilt that they are totally useless in the present.
Paul had sinned before he became a Christian. He had tortured and murdered people…innocent people. He had caused a lot of pain and had done much damage to the cause of Christ. Now he was faced with a choice…either dwell on his mistakes or accept God’s forgiveness and learn from that experience and move on. Paul chose the latter…he decided to NOT look back.
During the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic games the favorite to win the 110 meter high hurdles was an American named Greg Foster. Because of his pre-race fame, ABC even did one of those three minute biographies on him. Well, on the day of the race the gun went off and the runners charged toward the hurdles. Even though Foster was obviously nervous, he kept the lead. But just as he vaulted over the last hurdle, he turned his head ever so slightly to see where everyone else was. And…that was a big mistake because his small move of looking back cost him a few hundredths of a second-enough to loose the race to another American, Tom Jefferson.
In this portion of Philippians one thing Paul is saying is that if you want to achieve greatness in the Kingdom of God, you must not look back…either at the successes or the failures of life. This will only slow or stop your progress. It will keep you from winning or achieving any victories in our Christian walk. This is one thing he was alluding to in Hebrews 12:1 when he said, Let us throw off everything that hinders…and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
3. And then….the third running tip that Paul gives us here is that we should only train with winners or champions.
We see this in verse 17 where he says, Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you.In all those weeks of watching the 1stcentury version of ESPN-those games held at Corinth-Paul saw that if an athlete wanted to be a good runner it would help if he RAN WITH or TRAINED WITH others who knew what they are doing. In this way he would learn from their experiences….their successes. And Paul says here that the same principle applies to the Christian life. To be a growing Christian…a maturing believer, you and I need to hang around or relate to other maturing or growing Christians. We need to follow good examples. And the GOOD example that Paul first mentions is himself.
Now, Paul isn’t being proud or holier than thouhere. Remember, He doesn’t say that he is perfect or that he has arrived. No he simply is saying what he said in 1 Corinthians Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ.In other words, attempt to imitate Christ just as I am attempting to do. Jesus of course is the Master Mentor. And Paul saw the power of that example.
You know one of the most impersonated individuals of all time is Elvis Presley. I mean, you see Elvis impersonators everywhere. There used to be one who hung out on the boardwalk at Ocean City…dressed like the king. He always held a boom box that blared Elvis songs which he would lip sync. These days Elvis impersonators come in all shapes and sizes. There’s a five year old Elvis, a seventy-five year old Elvis, a Spanish Elvis, an Asian Elvis, and African-American Elvis. There’s even a club called the Flying Elvi…a group of skydivers who dress up in Elvis attire. Some of the Elvis impersonators are very realistic. In fact it is rumored that Elvis himself occasionally hired the best of the best to sign autographs for him in front of Graceland.
Now,many people view imitation as pretending to be something you’re not. And I guess, in the case of Elvis impersonators, that is an accurate assessment.However, some, including the Apostle Paul, see the art of imitation differently.They view imitation not as pretending to be something you are NOT, but as a way to become the best you CAN be. Research has shown that the quickest way to become proficient in any endeavor is to imitate exactly someone who has already mastered it. For example, if you want to learn to shoot a bow and arrow, find someone skilled in archery and do what they do. Hold the bow the way they hold the bow. Stand the way they stand. Tilt your head they way they tilt theirs. Close one eye like they do and so on and so on. If you do this, you will progress much faster than if you just took a bow and arrow out into a field and started shooting without any instruction whatsoever.
When Don Shula first began coaching the Miami Dolphins he showed them film of the then National League Champion Baltimore Colts. The Dolphin players not only watched the Colt players execute plays with precision. They saw how the Colts encouraged each other between plays, helping one another up, patting each other on the back. Shula then challenged his Dolphin squad to imitate the Colts both during the play and after the whistle is blown. That’s the way to become champions,Shula said.
And he was right. The best way to MASTER something is to imitate a MASTER. And Paul understood this principle.He knew that anyone who wanted to excel in the Christian walk would do well to find a mentor in someone who is obviously maturing…someone who is close to the Lord and values that closeness.
Now, in verses 18-19 Paul DOES warn us to be careful for there are people out there that we should NOT mentor…people he refers to as, enemies of the cross.He says that they are destined for eternal hopelessness, driven by sensual appetites, dedicated to material-earthly-things. Whereas, we are running the other direction. For, as Christians we belong to those who are bound for heaven. We value things of eternal significance. And so Paul warns us that there are bad people in the world…people we should not mentor. I like the wry comment Barbara Johnson makes in her book, Splashes of Joy in the Cesspools of Life. She says,
The rain falls on the just and also on the unjust, but chiefly on the just, because the unjust steals the just’s umbrella.There are unjust people out there and we need to be careful not to follow their example.
Now, Paul isn’t trying to be judgmental here. He isn’t saying that Christians are better than non-Christians. He is simply reminding us that God has placed us in a sinful world…a world full of people who are opposed to His kingdom. We in fact are in the minority. And our mission is not to argue with them or put them down or make them feel ashamed. Our God-given task…is to reach out to them..to win them not the other way around. So, Paul is saying we must choose our mentors carefully…study their lives…spend time with them…make sure they are worth mentoring.
Perhaps this is one reason Paul encourages the Philippians here to not limit their mentors to only himself but to find several good examples to follow. And, this is a good place for us to be reminded that no one person on earth should be our single source of instruction or our only object of admiration. When that happens we can easily get tunnel vision and draw dangerously close to idolizing an individual. We are told to follow others’ example but not to focus fully on one person, no matter how godly or gifted he or she may be. Happy and balanced are those in God’s army who have several mentors and respect many heroes. So, if you want to grow as a Christian…if you want to understand more and more about the Kingdom of God, then get to know….TRAIN WITH…others who obviously are growing themselves.
4. And then, the fourth running tip that Paul gives us here is to: Remember whose team we are on.
In verse 20 Paul says in essence that as we run through life and encounter people who aren’t running in our direction…people who don’t value the goal of knowing Christ, we must not,
…forget that WE are on HEAVEN’S team…and that is where our citizenship lies.
On this side of eternity we are in essence playing an away game and in order to make any progress toward victory we must remember where our goal post lies. When World War II broke out, my father joined the navy. He told me that when the day came for him to report, his father took him into town to meet the bus. As Dad was climbing on board my grandfather tugged on his elbow and turned my dad to face him. He then looked him in the eye and said, Charles, wherever you go in this world, always remember whose son you are!Well, Paul is in essence saying the same thing to us. We need to remember that we represent our Heavenly Father. We are family members….CITIZENS…of heaven.
Now,CITIZENSHIP is something that the Philippians would have understood for as I told you when we began this sermon series, Philippi was a Roman colony. And, these Roman colonies were amazing places. All over the empire…in strategic sites like the intersection of main roads or atop mountain passes along which an enemy might march, the Romans would start a colony…a little Roman city. These colonies were populated by people who were mostly soldiers who had served their time-twenty-one years-and who had been rewarded with full citizenship. And each of these little colonies was a miniature type of Rome…no matter how far from Rome it might be.
Roman dress was worn. Roman magistrates governed. The Latin tongue was spoken. Roman justice was administered. Roman morals were observed. Even though they weren’t in Rome…they still did as the Romans do. So Paul says to the Philippians, Just as the Roman colonists never forget that they belong to Rome, you must never forget that you are citizens of heaven, and your conduct must match you citizenship.
Paul was telling the Philippians that even though they were separated from heaven…they were a colony of heaven. They did not belong to the society around them with its paganism and godlessness. No, their real homeland was heaven. And we need to remember the same thing if we want to make any progress in our goal of becoming like Christ. We must never forget that we are children of God….joint heirs with Jesus Christ. We are in the world but we are not to be of it….We are to influence the world not be influenced by it. Anyone who belongs to Christ marches to a different drummer and obeys different orders.
Several years ago a veteran missionary was returning home to the U.S., retiring after a life of service abroad. Aboard a ship bound for New York harbor, he met an agnostic who challenged him by pointing out the futility of giving one’s life in missionary service. He continued by noting that no one on board ship was paying any attention to the veteran missionary, a sign they apparently considered his efforts pointless. The missionary, “I’m not home yet.”The agnostic assumed the missionary was referring to a large crowd that would meet the ship, and he scoffed again when they disembarked and not a solitary person welcomed the missionary. Once again, the missionary said, “I’m not home yet.”He boarded a train as he made his trek from New York City to his small Midwestern hometown. Reaching his destination, the missionary could no longer fight back the tears as the train pulled off and he stood alone on the railway platform. He had arrived at his home town but no one was there to greet him. At this point God spoke to the faithful missionary and said,”You’re still not home…yet.” And…as Christians…as children of God….we are NOT home, yet. Like the Christian in the old hymn lyric says, I am a stranger here, within a foreign land. My home is far away upon a golden strand. Ambassador to be of realms beyond the sea. I’m here on business for my King.
You know when I return from a run, Daniel always asks me how my run went…how well I did…how far or fast I ran. He helps me to constantly evaluate myself. And I think we should all do the same thing when it comes to our spiritual marathon. So, what about it? How is your race going? Do you need to stop looking back so you can return to moving forward? Are you training as hard as you should…or are you kind of resting on the laurels of the past? Do you have good mentors, other growing Christians to watch and learn from? Are you running on the right team? I mean is the world with all its temporary pleasures influencing you or vice versa? How IS your run going?
Now, can you imagine the effect it would have on our community and world if all of us Redland runners would commit to running the race according to these tips…seeing every moment…every facet of our lives…as part of a race to become more like Jesus? Imagine the consequences of all of us giving our entire lives to God’s purposes…to running life’s race in such a way as to WIN this prize….to say as Paul says in our text, This ONE thing I do.After this time of self-evaluation you may feel the need to make this kind of commitment…you may need to rededicate yourself to Jesus AS LORD of all your life. Others of you may be present though and you realize that you aren’t in the race…you don’t KNOW Jesus and today you see your need to join us in this run by becoming a Christian. I would love to talk with you about that all important decision. I invite you to make any public decision by walking an aisle and sharing it with me (or Steve) as we stand now and sing.