I Press On—Isaiah 5: 1-7; Philippians 3: 4-14
As I was bouncing along on the Groome bus Friday while returning from a work trip, there was an elderly couple behind me headed back to their farm in Dublin. They were both 86. And they had been on a two-week cruise through Boston and Canada. We learned in the conversation that he was a veteran of the Navy and a long-time pilot for Eastern Airlines. She had been a flight attendant for Delta, and they still love going on flights and being in the air.
One of the things he said deeply resonated with all of us on the bus and left us a bit quiet for a few seconds. He said, “It’s been a really good life. You know it’s been good when you can look back and say I had a good time. I pressed on through the troubles, and I kept the faith in the good times and always. Yes sir. It’s been a great life.” Those words hit home: I pressed on through the troubles and kept the faith in the good times.
Paul starts off this part of Philippians with a little bit of his history. He was very well credentialed in the society in which he lived. Paul followed all of the customs required by the law. He was full-blooded Hebrew, of a well-respected tribe, a Pharisee, and a zealot for his faith. He was “of the best pedigree” as we might say down south here. But then Paul says this, “I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done.”
What Paul is addressing is this idea of strength of self. It’s a very American notion that we all have to be strong. Any kind of physical or mental illness, struggling with emotions, needing help in life, needing therapy, all of these things are seen as weak. You’re a human, be strong. You’ve been made and groomed to be strong your whole life just like Paul who had all the right training and growing up, and life skills to be a strong human being. Yet that same Paul says, “Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”
Our job, our calling as humans who follow Christ is to press on in trouble and keep the faith in the good times. We are not called to be strong enough to do all of life by ourselves. In II Corinthians, Paul writes, “Each time he said, ‘My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.’” When we press on, God is with us, strengthening us as we struggle and worry.
This week, I have my heart surgery. While I’m not particularly looking forward to that, I’m especially not looking forward to feeling helpless. I can’t lift things or drive, so I’m going to have to have someone help me change the cat’s litter, take me places, grocery shop, clean, and so on. I tend to be very self-sufficient, and I don’t like feeling helpless or needy. I don’t like to say I can’t lift 7 pounds of cat litter. I can’t fathom asking someone to take my trash out. It’s embarrassing to say I may need folks to call and keep me from going stir crazy. But as human beings taught to be self-sufficient, asking for help feels painful. I dread it.
In the Isaiah lesson, we hear what happens when humanity doesn’t rely on God. It was a constant back and forth in the Hebrew scriptures of a people who in bad times cried out to God and in good times went their own way, forgetting about God. It’s a practice seen in Judaism, Christianity, and many other religions around the world. Good times often cause people to stumble more in faith than adversity. It’s the oldest and easiest temptation in the world, “I’ve got this. I don’t need help.”
God is reminding the people very clearly that they do, in fact, need God. Paul writes, “I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ.” Faith in Christ necessarily means following where Christ leads, relying on the wisdom in the Holy Spirit, and trusting in Jesus even when we think we know what’s up.
Paul then says one of the most powerful phrases in all of his writing, “I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead.” That should be what all of us Christians seek first and foremost—to know Christ, and then to trust and lean into that power of God to bring life. Then we press on and keep the faith. It’s important that Paul phrases it as “to know the mighty power” that brought the dead to life. Friends, we often use relying on God as a last resort, when prayer and faith should the theme that holds us throughout.
A friend once said to me that faith is like an egg. All I could think was, “Oh boy, I can’t wait to hear this illustration. Hope it doesn’t get scrambled or my brain isn’t fried after. But the egg jokes disappeared when in all seriousness she gave the example. Without an egg your meatloaf will fall apart, your cake will crumble, your cornbread will never get out of the cast iron, and your squash casserole will be a blob of grease and water with some squash in it. In all of these foods and dishes, it is the egg that binds it together and holds it all fast. You don’t see or taste the egg. But it’s there, and its job is vital to your food holding together. Faith is like an egg. It holds us together.
Paul wraps up this part of his letter with more powerful words. “I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” When we press on in trouble and keep the faith always, we must continue to look at what is ahead. We tend to be a people who live in the past in an unhealthy way. Old sins, old wounds, old bad habits, and the “good old days” are places where we like to set up camp and stay. But faith calls us forward because God is not done with us until our last breath.
Paul tells us, “I press on to reach the end of the race.” In every trial we must press on, and always we must keep the faith. Those are not easy because they call on us to trust in God. Paul never knew what lay ahead for him in life. He didn’t know how a town he preached to would receive him. He didn’t know what that long journey to Rome would be like. But Paul knew two things—that he would press on, and that God would be with him as the strength he could rely on.
I think that is often the worry we live with. We like the past because we can go back and live in the times where we found safety and security. But God still calls us into the future—to live in faith and follow where God leads. Maybe the fear is that at some point, we will find ourselves alone and without God. Rest assured that will never happened. Wherever your journey goes, if you lean on God, God will be there. Paul finishes out that thought with this: “I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” Look to the finish line, not the next trial. Look to faith, not the person, the pastor, or the church folk who might have hurt you. Look towards the finish line because a lot of other folks need us to press on and keep the faith always.
Growing up, we used to sing a very, very old song, “Press On, It Won’t Be Very Long.” The first verse is a reminder of the wisdom Paul gives us, “There’s glory in my soul, since Jesus took control. He placed within my heart a happy song. The joy-bells sweetly ring, while of God’s love I sing. Press on, it won’t be very long.” God’s strength works when we are feeling weak. God’s grace goes with us into every tomorrow on our journey. And each new morning, God calls to us, who follow in faith, press on through the trials and keep the faith always.
Worship Video: https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/868033947737461