Scaling Greater Heights

Philippians 3:12-16
Greetings: ……..
I. Introduction:
Have you climbed up a high mountain? I remembered when I was still in my hometown back
in my high school year, I was tried with my friends to climb the highest mountain in our area,
we were students, we were not used to do hard work, we tired and sometime wanted to give
up, we say “this place/level is enough! we already have better view of landscape.” However,
we were encourage by one of our friends that we will have different experience when we on
the top of the mountain, we will see things more farther, wider and better view of landscape.
And it’s true when we reach the top of the mountain; it was really wonderful experience for
me to see wider, further and better view of landscape. I went home I share to my younger
brothers and even my friends; tell them that you should go there one time to experience what
I experienced. You know what, my younger brother now 18 years old, last few months he
alone went up there and stay overnight to see the village at Sunset, night time and at dawn. He
sent me a lot of pictures. Many of us were encouraged to go higher place, to the top of that
mountain to better view of landscape and open our eyes to see further things.
II. Body:
This made me think of our Christian life, we are called and encouraged by God to move
upward. God wants us to obtain higher level of our spiritual life day by day. We should not
content or satisfy with our place, level and condition of our spiritual life but rather aim higher
level and moving upward.
We can learn from Apostle Paul in the passage we had read. We know Apostle Paul had done
great work, successful in his ministry, even suffered much for the Gospel. He said in 2 Cor.
11:27-29 “27 I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known
hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. 28 Besides
everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.” And yet he still
did not satisfy of his past and present level of his spiritual life, he said in verse 12 “Not that I
have already obtained all this”. This is the statement of a great Christian who never permitted
himself to be satisfied with his spiritual attainments.
However, many Christians like us, like me also, sometime we have the tendency of self-
satisfied because we compare with others people, because of our successful in the ministry
and some of the achievements in the study and ministry. Perhaps when we compare with
others we become satisfy with our condition and level of our spiritual life. If Paul had
compared with others, perhaps he would have been tempted to be proud of himself. But Paul
compares himself with Jesus. He looked on Jesus; he fixed his eyes on Jesus and imitated
Jesus. And we also need to do likewise, Paul encouraged us that, Heb 12:2 “Let us fix our
eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith”. Yes Jesus is the perfecter – he called us
to be transformed and changing into His likeness day by day. We are not arriving into the
1
 perfection yet, until we see our Lord Jesus. Therefore, Paul said, not that I have already
obtained all this or already made perfect. So we should not look on ourselves or look to others
to compare; rather we look at Jesus, imitate Him and be transformed into His likeness day by
day.
Our spiritual level is not based on our successful of ministry and life, sometime it goes
opposite way. (example: achievements of study…., busyness make us have not much time to
come closer to God.) Brethrens, Our spiritual level is base on our relationship with our God,
with our Lord Jesus Christ. Our intimacy with God is the most important factor make our
spiritual grows. When we come closer to Him we will be like Him day by day.
Another thing I want to share with you is that, we are Christian, who live on this earth, we are
called to be runners of a vertical race – we are running upward to heaven. It means we should
move upward… and as the runners we are suggested by Paul in verses 13-14 that He forget
what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, press on toward the goal to win the price
for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
The goal of our spiritual journey is to win the heavenly price, which is the everlasting life or
the crown of life in Christ Jesus. Paul said that he forgetting all things behind in order to
strain forward. Paul forgets all the things in the past that make him proud of, so that he can
move forward or rather say upward. We too, we should not content and satisfy with our own
successful or achievement and level of our spiritual life. However we should fix our eyes on
Jesus, fix our eyes on the goal which is heavenly price so that we can scale higher. Paul using
the picture of the runner to remind us, and I believe that you all know that the runner should
only focus to the goal so that he can run well. (story of Thanh American, fell to the pot-hole).
And for us also we should focus only to the goal, to Jesus so that we can finish well the race.
III. Conclusion :
Brothers and sisters, we are called to run the vertical race toward heaven, this is our spiritual
journey. God wants us to be grown up and obtain higher level of our spiritual life. God wants
us to fix our eyes in Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith so that we will able to scale
higher level in our spiritual journey. Only our intimacy with God can make our spiritual grow
and scale higher level. Don’t be satisfy with our condition, don’t look at others or our
successful, rather look to Jesus, learn from Him, imitate Him and be like Him day by day.
And as we scale higher level we can see things more clear we can have better view and
understanding of our life and relationship with Jesus, to know well of His will and purpose
for our lives so that we can live a pleasing life to Him every day and to finish our race well.
Amen!