Below, for your consideration and reflection, is the sermon from Bethel's July 9, 2006 Sunday worship service.

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Introduction:

Fran Sciacca, author of the devotional To Yield with all your Soul, provides a character sketch of a man named Demas. Who’s Demas? Have you even heard of this guy? It turns out Demas is mentioned in several of the Apostle Paul’s letters. Fran Sciacca states,

The apostle Paul rarely traveled alone. Those that accompanied him were exposed to every facet of missionary life in the first century… At least one, however, stands a lone, dark scarecrow in the pages of God’s word. The decision this man made serves as a warning to all who take the process of sanctification seriously. His name is Demas. For at least six years he traveled with Paul. He stood faithfully by his side during his first imprisonment in Rome. Demas knew hardship, persecution, and difficulty await all those that choose to follow God. He was also well acquainted with God’s supernatural power and grace to stand strong when called to suffer. But Demas seemed to have greatly underestimated one of the most potent enemies of God. For this reason we should be familiar with the outcome of this man’s life.

Demas provides a picture of someone who knew firsthand what Paul was teaching and yet something went terribly wrong. In Philemon 24 Demas is described as a fellow worker with Paul, Colossians 4:14 describes Demas as a dear friend, a beloved one to Paul, and then in 2 Timothy 4:10-11 Paul states, “That Demas loved the world and left him.” This picture of Demas provides the background for our text today. So as we read Philippians 3:10-20 try to keep the character of Demas in the back of your minds. It is with this knowledge that Paul addresses the believers of Philippi with urgency in how they conduct themselves. Read the scripture again with Demas in mind.

There is one more item that must be addressed to understand what this passage may say to us today. We are sometimes guilty within the church of using big words to describe what the Christian faith is. Some of you might be asking yourself what does sanctification mean. This is a good question. Sanctification is the process in which we as believers live out our faith. It is the process of becoming Christlike in all that we do and this is precisely the passion we see in Paul’s words. Sanctification is a two fold process that requires us to choose to cooperate with the Spirit of God who is at work in our lives helping us to be conformed to Christ…i.e.…God does the work, all the work…however, we have an important role in order for the process to take place…our job is to cooperate with the work of the Spirit in our lives and when we do not cooperate the process is halted. I often have the image of a parent holding a child’s hand in a parking lot…for safety the parent holds on to the child and gently guides the child through the parked cars and may often weave around cars that are pulling out. Sanctification is part of the journey we take with God holding God’s hand. However, when we let go of God’s hand we are saying… “no I can do this alone” and we step out of the process of becoming more like Christ but, when we continue to hold God’s hand we are saying “go ahead lead me to where you want me to go” make me more like you Lord.

Paul’s Passion

Ask yourself…What is Paul’s passion? Paul’s passion is to know Christ. He knows that to become Christlike, which is the goal that he is speaking of in this text, one must first believe in the resurrection and the power that comes from it. On Easter we hear the familiar words “He has Risen” to which we reply, “He has risen indeed!!!” We most certainly are proclaiming together our belief in the power of the resurrection. This is the foundation of our faith. He has risen….He has risen…He has risen…He has risen indeed. Yet for many of us we say those words only once a year. We fail to see what Paul is urging us to do in Philippians and that is that these very words “He has risen indeed” are to be proclaimed with our lips and etched on our very lives in everything that we do. Paul can share in the sufferings of Christ because He has been made new by the power of the resurrection. According to the book of Acts Paul was previously known as Saul and he was famous for persecuting Christians for their beliefs. We are familiar with his encounter with the power of the resurrection and the Spirit as he proclaims Christ as Lord. Paul soon becomes a pacesetter for the Christian faith. He is a die-hard for Jesus and lives the resurrected life. Paul chooses everyday to cooperate with the work of the Spirit in his life. He chooses to hold on to God’s hand as he is guided on the journey to becoming more like Christ.

Paul also acknowledges that to become Christlike the past must be left behind so that he may press on. Paul often uses the image of running a race when referring to our walk with God. Have you ever seen a runner in a race hauling baggage over his or her shoulder? Can you imagine how a wheel barrow might be a hindrance in the 100 meter dash? How about a backpack carried by a hurdler? Sounds absurd doesn’t it??? Paul states in verse 13, “forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead” Often when we think of forgetting the past we think of those things that we are not very proud of or those things which have had a negative impact on us. Paul has had these negative experiences too, he’s human just like we are, but he has also had much success in his missionary journeys. Are we to just leave the bad? Or is Paul calling us to leave the good too? To leave the best behind includes our accomplishments which may hinder us from finishing the race. Pride can also become an obstacle that clouds our vision. Success can provide us with the excuse that we have done enough. In our minds we might say, “Look at the things I have accomplished.”

Paul is clear that those who are mature believers must not become complacent. To become Christlike will take our entire lives and we must press on. Press on…stand firm…forget what lies behind……drop the backpack…put down the baggage…set aside the wheelbarrow…and lean into the future.

Don’t misunderstand me. Reflecting on the past is not a bad thing in and of itself. It becomes an obstacle when our thoughts are dominated by the past. It may sound absurd to use this analogy but what comes to my mind is a NASCAR driver who drives by only looking in the review mirror instead of looking out the front windshield and focusing on the horizon that lies ahead. Most certainly the driver would not complete the race and secondly the driver would more than likely cause an accident injuring themselves and possibly others. Just as the race car driver needs to focus we need to focus on our walk with Christ.

There is another item that is vital to our pursuit of becoming Christlike. Paul recognizes that there will be obstacles along the path. Remember the beginning story of Demas. Something went terrible wrong in Demas’s understanding of becoming Christlike. Paul states in 2 Timothy 4:10-11 that “Demas loved the world and left.” We should also remember that Demas was a beloved friend to Paul and with this knowledge of their relationship we can see the passion in which Paul says these words as he writes them, that we must “Press on”. Paul states that as he has warned the Philippians about those that do not desire to become Christlike and you might imagine as he writes these words he remembers his beloved friend who chose a different path, the path of the world, a tear drops and stains the paper as Paul pens these very words to other believers.

I imagine a picture of Paul wishing he was along the “spiritual” race route of Demas to hold a cup of water and to encourage him to keep going don’t give up…”Press on…don’t give up…Press on…Press on Demas…” As I reflect on the condition that each of us is faced with I believe there is a “Demas” in each of us. It is hard once we leave the security of these four walls to not be tempted by the world. Paul encourages us to press on towards the goal of becoming Christlike. To Press on…to stand firm…putting the world aside…cooperating with the Spirit of God to make us more like Christ…to hold on tighter to God’s hand…to be being sanctified.

We can know Christ

If Paul’s passion is for us to know Christ…how can we know Christ and the power of His resurrection??? Paul indeed believes we can know Christ. If we want to avoid becoming like Demas and caving into the world then we must believe that we can indeed know Christ. The place to begin is scripture. Scripture is the one resource that we have available to us that will provide the answers to who Christ is. Interesting though that as I have been at Princeton Theological Seminary fellow students have laughed at how we do not know scripture. Yet the very foundation on which the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is founded is the belief that scripture is an essential part of our understanding. In the Book of Order under section W-1.1004 these words are found, “Scripture – the Word written, preaching – the Word proclaimed, and the Sacraments – the Word enacted and sealed, bear testimony to Jesus Christ the living Word.” Scripture is also our only offensive weapon when it comes to spiritual battles that we face. Christ used scripture to tell Satan the truth when Satan was telling Him lies and we can do the same.

The first way that we may know Christ is by finding a way to read scripture daily. As I was visiting a long time friend his father in-law came home and I had a chance to visit with him as well. He is a pastor of a small rural church located near Ashville North Carolina. One of the things that he said to me was and I quote, “I know a lot of pastors who have served the Lord for 20 years and who still do not know the Lord.” How can this be? When we lose focus on our own spiritual walk to become Christlike we can get caught in the mindset of being only task oriented in what we do daily. I can attest to this by the fact of attending Bible College for four years and now attending seminary that it is extremely easy to believe that the task I have been assigned count as my devotion to God. This could not be further from the truth. All of us are busy and more than likely we are to busy because that is the way of the world. To press on means to slow down and pace ourselves for the long haul of the race. In order to become Christlike we must know what Christ like means…we see what Christ is like by being in God’s word daily…reading, memorizing, talking about it.

The reformed tradition believes that our personal experiences can also shed light on who Christ is for each of us. Paul knows the grace of God by his conversion experience, by his trials as a missionary, and by his desire to be Christlike. As each of us thinks about the many things that have occurred in our lives, we too can see Christ at work. I would encourage each of you to find someone who you can share your thoughts of who Christ is through your experiences. I can tell you that Christ rescued me from a life that was off the course He set out for me. Although I thought I was walking next to God. I had indeed let go of God’s hand in leading my life and when I realized my need for God’s hand again God gently brought me back to the path that God intended me to journey on. God has blessed me richly over the years.

What does Christ look like to you?

We can know Christ through scripture, we can know Christ through our experiences, and we can know Christ through other believers. Paul knows there have been pacesetters that have gone before him. Each of us in this sanctuary should be able to think of those that we would consider as pacesetters for our lives and for the life of Bethel Presbyterian Church. Those individuals that we would consider as “mature” Christians as Paul states. In the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) we celebrate all saints day. We think of those that have run the race before us. It is important to recognize individuals who have lived a faithful life by focusing on becoming more Christlike in all they do.

This point is important to our youth and is just important to each one of us. We all need pacesetters that can encourage us when we begin to tire. I would encourage each one of us to seek out those we identify as pacesetters who can encourage us to run the race. If you cannot think of someone then I’m sure if you ask an elder or pastor Sherrod they will be able to provide some names. The beginning story mentioned that Paul had many traveling companions as he followed God’s call on his life. Each of us needs the fellowship of those who have run the race in a manner to be called worthy.

Paul in this text provides us with the comfort to know that we cannot run the race on our own. “We are citizens of heaven.” It is here that we find the one who will run beside us no matter where we are in the race. Jesus Christ is the horizon that we should be focused on. There will be obstacles, there will be detours, there will be times that we feel lonely, their will be times when we are bruised, and their will be times when we are tired, we may be tempted to watch the rearview mirror or pick up a backpack. As we continue on our journey we are assured that the Spirit of God is ever present in our life to help and guide us to become more like Christ…all the way to the finish line…encouraging us to Press on…to know Christ and to live the power of His resurrection.

“Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made it his own… I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.”

“He has risen.”

He has risen indeed.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.