One Thing
Bible Text: Philippians 3:1-21, Psalm 271:-14 | Preacher: Tim Curnow | Series: Visiting Preachers | Introduction
Personal anecdote about books
So many books
So many Christian books
So many things to learn
One thing …
3:13
The one thing that Jesus commended Mary for – Luke 10
It is the same one thing that the Psalmist desires – Ps 27:4
The pursuit of God – the enjoyment of the presence of Jesus Christ
Quote from Sinclair Ferguson
The Christian is a person of one thing
A pursuit of God
A single-minded obsession
The one thing – the one Person
Anything apart from this one thing is vanity and a waste
Those who pursue worldly goals are cheated
Quote from Knowing God by Jim Packer & JC Ryle
Three aspects to this one thing
A purposeful life
A prioritised life
A prized life
A Purposeful Life
Everything for the Christian is for the Lord
Examples
Do our actions honour or dishonour the Lord?
Everything must be judged by this single criteria
Is it helping me or hindering me towards heaven?
Quote
Even menial tasks can be done to the glory of God
All should be done for the Lord
Drudgery can be divine
Everything is to the Lord
We have a linear existence (from A to B)
We are going to heaven
Everything is tending to this goal
This must govern what we do
Are we neglectful of the fact that there will be an end?
What is the consequence of our sin?
What we sow now, we will reap in the future
James 1
A Prioritised Life
In pursuit of the goal there must be a certain structure
Things must be left behind so we can move forward
Paul has finally seen things how they are
v5-6 – his ‘credentials’
v9 – they are ‘down the toilet’, they are rubbish, they are dung
We must prioritise our lives
We must put this into practice
Not by withdrawing from the world
Examples
We do not pursue communion with Christ by separating ourselves
“We are in the world but not of the world”
We must put aside all distractions
Heb 12:1-2
Example of driving
Paul knew he had to put aside all distractions – nothing else mattered to him
v3 – he takes no confidence in the flesh
He rejects legalism
He rejects good works as a means of getting to heaven
4:6 – put aside anxieties and worries
We must leave the past behind – v13
Jesus says we must not look back
We are able to draw a line behind our sins
God has forgiven them
They are removed from us as far as the East is from the West
Our achievements – we are leaving these behind
They are nothing compared to the excellence of Jesus Christ
We leave our ‘what might have beens’
We cannot dwell on the past
God is able to restore the years that the locusts have taken
Paul is reaching/straining forward
“We must workout our salvation with fear and trembling”
“Gird up your loins”
God is zealous for His own glory
A Prized Life
We enjoy prizes
There are rewards in heaven but the prize itself is heaven
Not a reward
It is the faithfulness of God that really keeps us
Do you feel as though you are wrestling towards heaven?
v14 – have we attained the prize yet?
No
Closing Prayer