DIGGING DEEP NO. 930 – April 12, 2022 LET’S WIN THE RACE! Phil.3: 12- 16.

In his letters, Apostle Paul used many illustrations from the world to communicate the truth about the Christian life. Four are prominent: the military “Put on the whole armor of God”; architecture “You are the temple of God”; Agriculture “Whatever a man sows, that shall he also reap”; And athletics. In our Bible text for today, it is Paul the athlete. All of us want to be winning Christians and fulfill the purposes for which we have been saved.

What are the essentials for winning the race and one day receiving the reward that is promised?

1. Dissatisfaction – Phil.3: 12- 13 “Not as though I had already attained.” This is the statement of a great Christian who never permitted himself to be satisfied with his spiritual attainments. Many Christians are self-satisfied because they compare their running with that of other Christians, usually those who are not making much progress. Had Apostle Paul compared himself with others, he would have been tempted to be proud and perhaps to let up a bit. The mature Christian honestly evaluates himself and strives to do better. Often in the Bible, we are warned against a false estimate of our spiritual condition. The church at Sardis had a name that they are alive, but they are dead Rev.3: 1. They had a reputation without reality. The church at Laodicea boasted it was rich, when in God’s sight it was wretched and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked Rev.3: 17. In contrast to the Laodicean church, the believers at Smyrna thought they were poor when they were really rich Rev.2: 9. Samson thought he still had his old power, but in reality, it had departed from him Judg.16: 20. Self-evaluation can be a dangerous thing, because we can err in two directions (1) making ourselves better than we are, or (2) making ourselves worse than we really are. Apostle Paul had no illusions about himself; he still had to keep pressing forward.

2. Devotion – Phil.3: 13. “One thing” is a phrase that is important to the Christian life. “One thing you lack”, Jesus said to the self-righteous young ruler (Mk.10: 21). “One thing is needful”, He explained to busy Martha when she criticized her sister (Lk.10: 42). “One thing I know”, exclaimed the man who had received his sight (Jh.9: 25). “One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek”, testified the psalmist (Ps.27: 4). Too many Christians are too involved in many things, and the secret to success is to concentrate on a few things. Concentration is the secret of power. If a river is allowed to overflow its banks, the area around it becomes a swamp. But if that river is dammed and controlled, it becomes a source of power. It is wholly a matter of values and priorities, living for that which matters most.

3. Direction – Phil.3: 13. The Christian running the race should always look into the future. You cannot be running a race and be looking backward; to do so means a possible collision and serious injury Lk.9: 62. “Forgetting those things which are behind” does not suggest we try to erase the sins and mistakes of the past. It simply means that we break the power of the past by living for the future. We cannot change the past, but we can change the meaning of the past. There were things in Apostle Paul’s life that could have been weights to hold him back 1Tim.1: 12- 17, but they became inspirations to speed him up. Too many Christians are shackled by regrets of the past. They are trying to run the race by looking backward! Some Christian runners are being distracted by the successes of the past. The things which are behind must be set aside and things that are before must take their place.

4. Determination – Phil.3: 14. “I press”; this carries the idea of intense endeavor. The Christian runner with the spiritual mind realizes that God must work in him if he is going to win the race Phil.2: 12- 13; Jh.15: 5. God works in us that He might work through us. As we apply ourselves to the things of the spiritual life, God is able to mature us and strengthen us for the race. Towards what goal is the runner pressing with such spiritual determination? The prize of the upward calling of God in Christ Jesus.

5. Discipline – Phil.3: 15- 16. It is not enough to run hard and win the race; the runner must also obey the rules. Bible history is filled with people who began the race with grace but failed in the end because they disregarded God’s rules. It happened to Lot, Samson, King Saul, Ananias, and Sapphira; and it can happen to us.

In Conclusion – It was the future prospect that motivated Apostle Paul, and it can also motivate us Heb.12: 1- 2.