Pressing Forward

Overview

We know the power of intense focus. A simple magnifying glass can focus the rays of the sun in such a way so it ignites a fire, but the super intensely focused laser beam has an amazing power. It can burn a hole in a diamond. It can carry zillions of TV signals at once. The more intensely focused light is, the more power, and that’s what laser is.

Laser light differs from regular light in two ways. Of course, I’m an expert on this because I own an encyclopedia, and you can be an expert in laser too if you own an encyclopedia. First of all, regular light goes in every direction at once. You turn on a light bulb, and it goes all over the place. Laser light is, in a sense, gathered up and put out in one direction.

Secondly, regular light operates on a number of frequencies, but laser light is pushed and pressed forcefully to operate on one, or practically one, frequency. What that means is the power of intense focus is when a broad spectrum of something is, first, gathered up and then, secondly, forcefully pushed toward a single point. Power.

Paul is talking about what it means to be a Christian and live a Christian life here, and in verses 12 and 14, you’ll see he used the word press. “‘… I press on …” he says. One thing that’s interesting: the very same Greek word he uses in verses 12 and 14 that’s translated press is used in 3:6. He uses the same Greek word, but there it’s translated persecute. Paul says, “I persecuted the church.” Then he uses the same Greek word down in verses 12 and 14, and it’s translated press on.

The question is right away what kind of word could serve both contexts? How could a single word be translated persecute over here and then press on over here? Here’s the answer. The word means to pound. “I pound. I beat.” The only difference is it used to be, before Paul was a Christian, he was gathering up the whole church and pounding it toward death, but after he becomes a Christian, he’s gathering up his whole self and pounding it, pushing it, forcefully, intensely focusing it toward a single point. “One thing,” he says, in verse 14. “I’m after one thing now.” Paul always was an intense person, but now this is intensity of focus.

Paul says, in a sense, “I gather up my whole life, and I push it.” Now this is something the Bible teaches a number of places. In Matthew 11:12, Jesus says something many of you have probably never heard because it is so weird and so paradoxical people stay away from it. In the old King James, Jesus Christ says, “‘… the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.” Literally, what he’s saying is the kingdom of God requires violence, and only the violent receive it. What is this talking about? It’s talking about the very same thing Paul is talking about here, which I’m going to show you here in a second.

Do you know anything of that? Or are you a passive person spiritually? Are you a casual person religiously? We love to talk around Redeemer about how radical Christianity is. We like to talk about the all or nothingness of Christianity. Well, here is the very best place where that is explained, how and why Christianity is so radical, so either-or, so intense.

Paul tells us two things as I already mentioned. It’s right there in verse 12. He says, “Not that I have already obtained all this … I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” We are, first of all, taken hold of. We are caused. A Christian is caused by a laser beam. Secondly, we result in a laser beam. Do you see how that works? We’re caused. We’re taken hold of; therefore, we take hold. We’re grabbed; therefore, we grab.