Perfection

Philippians 3:10-16

Adapted from aSteve Shepherd sermon

http://www.sermoncentral.com/print_friendly.asp?ContributorID=&SermonID=162365

Philippians 3:12 ESV Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I

press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own.

But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies

ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ

Jesus. 15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you.

16 Only let us hold true to what we have attained.

Perfectionism and bowling?Odds against rolling a perfect 300 in the

game are about 225,000 to one.Of course the odds are varied depending

on the bowler’s experience.One bowler appropriately collapsed when

he qualified to join that brotherhood of 300.Another bowler just couldn’t bring himself to play the final ball of an otherwise perfect

game.

Instead, he silently packed his shoes and ball and walked out -- and never again set

foot inside a bowling alley!I guess he couldn’t stand the suspense of whether he could bowl that last strike or

not.Nevertheless, bowling a 300 game is not

perfectionism. It might be to some people but not in the spiritual realm.

I’ve always liked Charlton Heston, who played Moses in The Ten Commandments

in 1956.Heston passed away in 2008 at the age of 84. Heston may have won many awards,

but he was not a man to rest on his laurels.He was something of a perfectionist.

He said, “One of the things about acting or painting or writing or composing music, is

you never get it right.You can spend a lifetime and, if you’re

honest with yourself, never once was your work perfect.

People say to me, ‘You’ve got the awards and the parts and the money. What are your

goals now?’I say, ‘To get it right one time.’ ”

Nice thought, huh?Do you feel as though you “got it right” just one time in regard to work, sports,

hobbies, etc.?If nothing else we may have thought we

could always do just a bit better.Sports are one thing and work is another.Did you ever think you “got it right,” did

your work PERFECTLY?I have never felt that way.

No, I’ve never preached a perfect sermon, (no shock there!) maybe preached some

good ones.Like Heston, maybe someday I’ll get it right

just one time!One preacher remembers calling with another preacher who was holding a

revival for a church.They called on a young family that had

been attending the revival.They knew they were Christians and wanted to encourage them to join the

church during the revival.

They started to visit with them and the local preacher carried the conversation.

He talked and they talked.He & the couple talked on and on, about

the kids, about work, one thing after another.

Finally the guest preacher broke in and asked the young couple about joining the

church.They were very interested and planned to join. In fact, they joined the church that

night.

What was wrong with that call or visit? The local preacher just talked and talked and didn’t ask that couple about joining the

church.The guest preacher brought up the subject.

Why didn’t the local preacher get to the issue?

Maybe he feared rejection.We don’t like to be told “no” about

anything, especially, something that’s good for people.

Was that a perfect call?No, but he just kept on trying.

Now, however, he is less fearful about talking to people about making a decision

for Christ. Why?Because he believes in Christ and the promise of the gospel more than ever

before!And any time you are convinced fully about something you are not afraid to talk about

it.

The pursuit of perfection.Can we ever get there in this life?

Not really, but we can grow in Christian maturity.

How about spiritual maturity then?How can we reach a certain amount of

spiritual maturity?1- Don’t think you’re already there2- Forget the past3- Press on toward the goal

DON’T THINK YOU’REALREADY THERE

12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me

his own.

One soldier said: In basic training, our first sergeant made things very clear. He told us, “Don’t question anything I say or tell

you to do. Don’t worry, I’m never wrong. In fact, I once thought I was wrong once but I

was mistaken.”

Was that sergeant perfect?No, but apparently, he thought he was.

Romans 12:3 ESV For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to

think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that

God has assigned. What professional boxer said these

words? "My power is so discombobulatingly devastating I could feel muscle tissues collapse under my

force. It’s ludicrous that these mortals even attempt to enter my realm."

He also said: "It’s interesting that you put me in the league with those illustrious

fighters [Muhammad Ali, Joe Louis, Jack Johnson], but I’ve proved since my career I’ve surpassed them as far my popularity.I’m the biggest fighter in the history of the

sport.If you don’t believe it, check the cash

register."

And great was the fall of that man. Why?Because he was so proud of himself or full

of himself.That boxer was Mike Tyson, one time

heavyweight boxing champ of the world.Tyson is a former undisputed heavyweight

champion of the world and holds the record as the youngest boxer to win the WBC, WBA and IBF world heavyweight

titles, he was only 20 years old.

Tyson won his first 19 professional bouts by knockout, with twelve of them occurring

in the first round.But as they say, the bigger they are, the

harder they fall.And when he fell, he fell hard.

Tyson still found the time to burn through a reported $300 million he earned during his

boxing career.Sound impossible? Well it’s true.

Tyson’s lavish lifestyle cost him $400,000 a month.

By the time all was said and done, Iron Mike was looking in the face of a $27

million debt.He filed for bankruptcy in 2003. And

Tyson’s troubles didn’t stop with losing all his money. He was in and out jail. Had problems with drugs. He’s been a royal

mess.Proverbs 16:18 ESV Pride goes before

destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

Job 20:4 ESV Do you not know how it has been from of old, since man was placed on the earth, 5 that the exulting of the wicked is short, and the joy of the godless but for a moment? 6 Though his height mount up to the heavens, and his head reach to the clouds, 7 he will perish forever, like his

own dung; those who have seen him will say, ‘Where is he?’

8 He will fly away like a dream and not be found; he will be chased away like a vision of the night. 9 The eye that saw him will see

him no more, nor will his place any more behold him.

Proverbs 8:13 ESV The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the

way of evil and perverted speech I hate.

Proverbs 11:2 ESV When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is

wisdom.Proverbs 29:23 ESV One’s pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will

obtain honor.1 Peter 5:5 ESV Likewise, you who are

younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for "God opposes the proud

but gives grace to the humble." (Prov 3:34 (cf. Jas 4:6)

“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

What’s the lesson?

Don’t get too sold on yourself in regard to anything you’ve done in this world and

even in regard to your faith.

The right attitude is, “I’m not there yet but I’m working at it.”

FORGET THE PAST

13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do:

forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,

We need to forget the past,but not the way this old man did.

Two old men were sitting on a porch. One was telling the other of a wonderful new

café he’d found.He just couldn’t recall its name.

He asked the other, “What’s the name of that red flower you give to your

sweetheart.”“A rose,” replied the other.

“Oh, yes, that’s it,” then he turned his head & yelled in the house,” Rose, what’s the

name of that new café?”

How can you reach out ahead if all you see are your past sins?

Psalm 51:1 ESV To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet

went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Have mercy on me, O God,

according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! 3 For I know my transgressions, and

my sin is ever before me.

These are the words of David after he repented from committing adultery with

Bathsheba. He said,MY SIN IS EVER BEFORE ME.

I’m sure that David’s sins haunted him the rest of his life.

Sin has a way of doing that.Sin can drag us down in the present, even

after we have repented of it.

Sin can drag us down by haunting us the rest of our lives.

Some bad things or some bad memories never seem to go away, do they?

God made us a better deal, Covenant, than David was under.

The writer of Hebrews after talking about Jesus sacrificing His body quotes

Jeremiah who prophesied about another Covenant.

Hebrews 10:16 ESV "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days,

declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their

minds," (Jer 31:33) 17 then he adds, "I will remember their sins and their lawless

deeds no more." (Jer 31:34)God doesn’t remember it,

why should we?

If only when Satan waves our past dirty laundry in front of our face we could

remind him Jesus has already paid for & forgotten that sin & I’ve learned not to do

that again!

However, in spite of bad stuff, we must forge ahead.

We must somehow put these things behind us and try as best we can forget them and

live in the present.

We know who Bernie Madoff is, but who is Mark Madoff? He was Bernie’s son. Bernie

Madoff turned his wealth management business into a massive Ponzi scheme that

defrauded thousands of investors of billions of dollars.

The amount missing from client accounts, including fabricated gains, was almost $65

billion.

What about his son Mark?On the second anniversary of the day his

father was arrested in the worst investment fraud in American history, Mark Madoff, 46,

was found dead in the living room of his apartment.

He was hanging from a black dog leash while his 2-year-old son slept nearby. HOW

HORRIBLE!

People close to him said he was despondent over press coverage of his

father’s case, an ongoing criminal investigation of Madoff family members in

the multibillion-dollar scheme and his struggle to rebuild his life.

The intense scrutiny approaching the anniversary "became too much for him,"

said a person who had recent contact with him, speaking on condition of anonymity

because of the sensitivity of the case.

Whether Mark Madoff was involved in his father’s Ponzi scheme or not, what took

place was too much for him to handle. He just couldn’t handle the load of what

happened.I believe strongly in the forgiveness of

God, that is, I believe that God can forgive any person’s past, including Bernie

Madoff’s.If a person is willing to repent and

surrender to Christ they can be forgiven regardless of their past sins.

But often people and our own consciences won’t let us forget our past.

This is something that is hard to deal with and/or overcome.

But this is where God’s grace comes in.His grace not only saves us but it can also equip us for all of life, including putting our

past behind us; good, bad or otherwise.

Hebrews 4:16 ESV Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of

grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

PRESS ON TOWARD THE GOAL

14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let those of us who are mature think this

way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. 16 Only let

us hold true to what we have attained.

I love it when people put their head down, so to speak, and go hard to accomplish

whatever it is that they are shooting for in life.

Andrew Carnegie proved to be one of the greats of the industrial age, he was once a

poor boy from Scotland.His father was a hand loom weaver, but

once the industrialization of society reached Scotland, his father’s work was no

longer needed.

For years, his family had tough times to make ends meet, so they decided to start

over and move to America.At thirteen, Andrew and his family moved

to America and he got a job at a cotton mill.He was working twelve hour days, six days

a week.Eventually Andrew got a job as a telegraph

messenger.

Because of his great work ethic, someone from the Pennsylvania Railroad Company

offered him a job, which allowed him to earn more money and make his way up the

corporate ladder.He soon started investing in railroad

companies, and then hit the jackpot by investing in the steel industry.

His investments would allow him to have his own steel company, which in 2007 would be

worth $298 Billion dollars.His hard work paid off!

But here’s a better story because it deals with a pursuit of Christ.

Dwight L. Moody may well have been the greatest evangelist of all time.

In a 40-year period he won a million souls, founded three Christian schools, launched

a great Christian publishing business, established a world-renowned Christian conference center, and inspired literally

thousands of preachers to win souls and conduct revivals.

A shoe clerk at 17, his ambition was to make $100,000.

Converted at 18, he uncovered hidden gospel gold in the hearts of millions for the

next half-century. He preached to 20,000 a day in Brooklyn

and admitted only non-church members by ticket!

He traveled across the American continent and through Great Britain in some of the

greatest and most successful evangelistic meetings communities have ever known.

His tour of the world with Ira Sankey was considered the greatest evangelistic

enterprise of the century. It was Henry Varley who said, “It remains to be seen what God will do with a man who

gives himself up totally to Him.”And Moody endeavored to be that man;

and the world did marvel to see how wonderfully God used him.

Two great monuments stand in his memory: Moody Bible Institute and the

famous Moody Church in Chicago. http://www.biblepreaching.com/biomoody.html

What does his life teach us?Exactly what Paul said in our text.

14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

How do we press on?We keep on praying, reading God’s Word,

and living the life as best we can!

Spiritual perfection. NO.There is no such thing.

Our only perfection is in Christ, but spiritual growth and maturity should be our

goal in life.

Only one life.Twill soon be past.

Only what is done for Christ will last.

2 Peter 3:18 ESV But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus

Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.