The Grasping of the Grasped

In the late 1700s, John Newton sailed through life as a young man deeply entrenched in the brutal transatlantic slave trade, As his days were marked by immorality and cruelty, As he was a slave trader who specialized in the purchasing and selling human lives. However, everything changed for him during a violent storm at sea.

As he suddenly found himself caught in the heart of a terrible ocean storm, with towering waves that threatened to engulf the ship and the crew, Newton suddenly became overwhelmed by conviction and regret for his life of sin and wicked living.

As he stood there contemplating his life and likely death, He felt a divine presence come over him in a way He had never before! And in this experience, What first began as fear and dread, Slowly turned into a comfort and peace he had never experienced in his 23 years of living.

In that moment, amidst the chaos of wind and waves, John Newton felt the wind and waves of God beating against His heart in a way that left no other choice available to him, And so, with peace and relief, he surrendered his heart to God.

But, the storm passed, And Newton found himself unable to shake his experience with God that he had at sea! For it had forever changed him from the inside out! Leading him to renounce his life as a slave trader and dedicate his entire life to grasping after the God who had grasped his heart on the waves of the sea.

Everything changed, As a new chapter of Newton's life began, which was one marked by the gospel of Jesus Christ Which led Newton to live a life of forgiveness, grace, and the relentless pursuit of justice and mercy

Years later, Newton would pen the lyrics to a hymn we still sing today, over 300 years later! One we are quite familiar with as a church, Which lyrics go:

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found; Was blind, but now I see.

As I preparing for this sermon this past week, I really struggled with what illustration I wanted to start with, And part of the reason I struggled so much, Is simply because there are so many examples just like John Newton’s! Yes the names, dates, and circumstances are different, But ultimately, they are all the same story! and they are all the same story, because it is the story of the gospel at work in people’s lives!

And the way the gospel story goes, is always, at the core - the same! And it’s the same, because even though the names, dates, and circumstances are different, There are always two parts to the story! Part 1: God’s Grasping Part 2: Man’s Grasping Every single time! And you see this over and over and over again,

And in fact, part of the reason for that, Is because if you’re a Christian, That’s exactly what you experienced yourself!

And so even though you and I didn’t write the words of Amazing Grace like John Newton did, The fact is, it is our story just as much as it is John Newton’s story, For every single of us who is a Christian, can look back at our life and see two things:

1. God’s grasping for us,
2. Our grasping for Him.

Which is exactly what we see in the life the Apostle Paul in our passage this morning, Who is encouraging us to press on as followers of Christ, And he gives us two reason for doing so.

We must and will press on because:

We are being grasped (v. 15-16)

¹² Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.

Philippians 3:12 ESV

We must and will press on because:

When it comes to self help and other religions, they couldn’t be more different than Christianity. What do I mean by that? What I mean, is that all of them are basically paths of self-improvement that start with us. Do you want to become enlightened - decide to become a Buddhist or a Hindu Do you want to appease God through strict religious obedience and submission - decide to join Islam of Judaism. Do you want to become one with God himself through proper devotion, honest living, and selfless acts like the sharing of resources? Then decide to join Sikhism.

But that’s not how it works with Christianity, is it? No it’s not. So how does it work with Christianity? Paul just told at the end of verse 12. “I press on to make the prize my own” the Apostle Paul says, Which so far sounds pretty similar to the other religions we just talked about But keep reading “I press on to make the prize my own” Paul says, Because, “Christ Jesus has made me His own.”

Do you see the order here? Paul says he grasps after God, Only because God first grasped after Him. Which is why Christianity is unlike all of the other religions out there! it’s why it’s not a self-improvement program, And is more like a Divine search and rescue program.

And a Christian is somebody who’s come to realize this. Somebody who’s completely aware, just as John Newton was, That a power that is outside of them, has come down upon them in a way that has grasped their heart and soul in a way they can’t shake! which results in their grasping back after him!

Have you felt this power before? Have you felt this presence before in your life? Because if you haven’t - not at all - then you might be religious, but you’re not a Christian.

Sure you might know about Christianity, But Christianity isn’t about knowing some intellectual set of beliefs, That’s a good start, But a Christian is someone, as Paul says, who has been grasped by Jesus Christ Someone who’s been made Christ’s own.

And there’s a million different ways you see this in your life.

First off, And maybe this way isn’t you, But have you ever thought about not being a Christian anymore? For some of us, we have. We are naturally doubters at heart, And there have been times we were ready to throw in the towel, And maybe we even tried to for a while. But what happened? We COULDN’T let go! Not ultimately.

And why not? Because no matter how much we try, we can’t seem to shake it! We remember that one book we read, or the compelling arguments of that one Christian apologist Whatever it is - there’s something that has has a powerful grip on us that won’t let us go!

And this gripping power only seems to tighten it’s grip when we try to escape Maybe we don’t want to forgive Maybe we don’t want to let go of that pet sin we’ve been engaging in, But when we try that, it doesn’t work for very long, Because the grip gets tighter and tighter and tighter, Until all we can do is let go of our grip on our sin and grip back the one who is gripping us!

And I can tell you from experience, that is one of the most powerful experiences a person can have!

I remember one time, I was really upset with someone, And I didn’t want to forgive them. I was mad. i was angry, And at first, I felt this gripping power just slightly But it wasn’t too strong, and so I resisted I held out! And I think was for a good half of a day.

But then do you know what happened? It was sort of irritating to be honest, But that grip got tighter, and tighter, and tighter, And I couldn’t escape it no matter how many ways I tried to distract myself from it! And as this gripping force kept tightening it’s grip on me. I eventually decided that I had no choice, and I had to give in. And so I called that person up, and I apologized.

What was that I was experiencing? it’s the firm grip you feel when Christ Jesus has made you His own and the Holy Spirit bears down upon your heart and soul in a very aggressive way! A borderline violent way.

This last week, I was reading a theologian who talked about this, And he pointed me to Matthew 11:12 - and I’m gonna read in the King James Version, because that’s how I know this verse best.

It says this:

¹² And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.

Matthew 11:12 KJV 1900

This is a verse that is very confusing, And I remember that from our study through the Gospel of Matthew. But as one theologian put it: This verse is literally saying: “The kingdom of God requires violence, and only the violent receive it. Wait what? And this is only just a few chapters after Jesus told us in His sermon on the mount that blessed are the peacemakers for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. What does this mean then?

The word for “violence” there is biazetai And it’s a word that means “to forcefully advance” Or to be “vigorously pursued.”

And Jesus idea here is the same idea that Paul has Which is that Christianity is caused by and results in intense spiritual zeal and fervor. It comes upon us with vigorous force - or violently - in a way that shakes us to the core of our being in a way where we are NEVER THE SAME AGAIN! Not really. I like how one theologian put it when he said: “There’s a holy violence. There’s a spiritual aggressiveness. There’s a vehement, sweet, humble ferocity that is brought to bear on you that makes you a Christian and then elicits the same response in you. A [power] that causes you and makes you into its own likeness.”

And when this power comes upon you, It changes you and then begins to change you in a way where all you can say looking back is:

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found; Was blind, but now I see.

This is why we press on! Not without hickup or failures, But forcefully! Powefully Or as the King James Version says: “Violently” And it’s because a power has come upon us that violently shakes us to core of our being, And then begins to remake us from the ground up. Which results in our grasping back at the one who grasped us!

We must and will press on because:

¹³ Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:13-14 ESV

In verses 12 and 14, Paul is describing for us what the Christian life looks like, And he uses the word “press” twice. And he uses the very same Greek word he used back in verse 6, But there it’s translated as “persecute” when he talked about how he used to persecute the church before becoming a Christian. And the word itself means, “to move rapidly and decisively toward” and it holds the idea of a predator that is hunting towards it’s prey which is very focused and determined! And so before Christ, Paul hunted the gospel to grasp it and destroy it, But after Christ, Paul hunted the gospel to grasp it and gain it!

Do you see? He grasped because he had been grasped.

And yet, what did Paul have to do to press on to grasp towards the prize? He had to forget everything that lied behind him And instead strain forward with his fixed upon the prize that lie ahead!

Which means, if we are going to To forget what lies behind we must forget

Our unrighteous

And we talked a lot about this last week, Because a Christian is someone who has come to repent of their righteousness. Because before God, all of it is stinking, rotten garbage. It’s DUNG when compared to the righteousness of Christ, as Paul told us. And it is the righteousness of Christ ALONE that God demands. And so we need Christ’s righteous resume with our names on it, Not our dung-filled resume. Because God isn’t accepting dung-filled resumes!

Secondly, If you’re going to press on to grasp the prize, you have to stop looking back in the rear-view mirror to your past unrighteousness. It’s not going to help you at all!

Have you ever tried to walk down a straight line while looking behind yourself? You can’t do it! Go ahead, try it after church on the parking lot lines You’re not gonna be able to do it.

And if you’re really brave, try driving your car home while only looking out your rear-view mirrors. OK - Don’t do that, because you’ll crash.

And it’s no different when it comes to being a Christian. whether you’re looking back to your past righteous or unrighteous deeds, What aren’t you looking at? What you’re pursuing… What your’e hunting…

And so if you want to press on towards the prize, Some of you are going to need to put your mirrors away and get some binoculars out, And keep them focused on where we are heading! Which is the upward call of Christ Jesus our Lord, Who is coming back soon,

And when He does, All of us who are in Christ Jesus will hear trumpets sound of the upward call, As we are caught to be with Him, Where we will not only receive new eternal bodies, But better than that, we will be WITH HIM! Our Lord and Savior Who is our ultimate prize and eternal joy!

And until then, we press on as we run the race, Knowing that everyone who crosses the finish line will be given the reward of eternal life, But those who run well will stand before Him at the Bema Seat, Where they will be given extra blessings and rewards, Which the ultimate one is hearing: “Well done thou good and faithful servant”

And for those of us who have been grasped by God, I can think of no better thing to grasp after than to see our Lord and Savior look down upon with a smile of delight, And point to us with His nail-scarred hands, and smile and say: “Well done thou good and faithful servant.”

But to hear that, we have to strain and press forward. And a big part of that is realizing none of us have arrived yet! Which is Paul’s point about Himself that he mentions in verse 12 and 13. He’s saying, “I’m not there yet!” “I’ve still got a long ways to go!” Which simply means, “if you’re alive, you haven’t arrived!” Because you won’t have arrived until you finish the race and complete this course!

Which should not only motivate you to press on and grasp even harder! But it should lead to a bit of humility and grace towards others shouldn’t it? That is - unless you think you’ve arrived… Which you haven’t. Look, if the Apostle Paul hadn’t arrived yet in terms of sinless perfectionism, What makes any of us think we can? And there’s a lot of pastors saying this today. Or I should say: “Impastors...”

The truth is, as along as you’re alive you haven’t arrived. And so until we’ve arrived, We must press on with the power that is at work in us willing us to work, As Paul mentioned back in chapter 2, As well as in other passages like Colossians chapter 1.

²⁹ For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.

Colossians 1:29 ESV

Do you have that energy in you? Has it gripped you? And do you feel it’s power continuing to grip you in a way that leads you to grip back?

We must and will press on because:

We are being grasped (v. 15-16)

¹⁵ Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. ¹⁶ Only let us hold true to what we have attained.

Philippians 3:15-16 ESV

Here Paul calls us to maturity, Telling us to think this way, And to hold true to what we grasped thus far. And he also reminds us that if any of us think otherwise, If we aren’t totally mature yet, Don’t worry, Because God will reveal that also to you.

And why? Because the God who grasped us, Who we not grasp onto, Is continuing to grasp us. And He will continue to do so until He finishes His grasping, And brings us to be with Him.

⁶ And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

Philippians 1:6 ESV

Count Nikolaus von Zinzendorf was one of the founders of the Moravian church. Who lived from 1700 to 1760, He was a German nobleman, who was born into incredible power and privilege, which made him a person of incredible wealth.

However, he pretty much spent his wealth down to zero over the years, And he did so not by spending it on hobbies, luxuries, or materialism He spent his immense wealth on doing good deeds, and pouring himself out for others. Why?

The reason why, is because as a young man at the age of 19 he went to visit the capital cities of Europe in order to complete his education. One day he found himself in the art gallery of Dusseldorf before a painting in which Christ is portrayed before Pilate with a crown of thorns.

The painting was very moving to Zinzendorf, but underneath the painting, the artist had penned an inscription. It was the words of Jesus, and the words were, “All this I did for thee. What doest thou for me?” And it was these words that gripped Zinzendorf and shook him to his core.

Later on he said, “Then and there I asked Jesus Christ to draw me into the fellowship of his sufferings and to open up a life of service for me.” And with that, Zinzendorf grasped on to the one who grasped him, And gave up his most prized possessions to press on towards the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Let us pray

This is the manuscript the sermon was preached from, so the recording may differ in places.