Even If I Haven’t Arrived Yet
Have you ever looked at your faith journey and thought, I should be further along by now?
Maybe you look at other Christians and think they've got it figured out. They don't seem to wrestle with the same things. They seem more patient, more joyful, more together. And then there's you… still fighting the same battles, still tripping over the same struggles, still feeling like you're somehow behind.
That can be exhausting and overwhelming. The sense that you haven't arrived yet, and you're not sure you ever will.
Here's what I want you to hear today… You're not supposed to have arrived yet. And there's real freedom in that.
// The Apostle Paul Hadn't Arrived Either
In Philippians 3, the Apostle Paul writes something that should hit us hard…
"I don't mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me." — Philippians 3:12
Think about who's writing this. This is Paul, the man who wrote nearly half of the New Testament, who planted churches across the Roman Empire, who encountered Jesus face to face on the road to Damascus. The man sitting in a prison cell writing, "whatever happens, rejoice in the Lord."
And he's the one who says, "I haven't arrived yet." If Paul can say that, so can you.
Your incompleteness isn't a disqualification. It's just your current location in the race.
// You're Not Running Toward Jesus, You're Running With Him
Paul uses athletic imagery throughout these verses, and there's one line you don't want to miss…
"I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me."
Did you catch that? You're not running toward Jesus, trying to be good enough for Him to accept you. You're already in His possession. The race didn't start with your decision to pursue Jesus. It started with His decision to pursue you. Now you're pressing on to become the person He already sees in you. That changes everything about how you run your faith journey.
// Two Ways the Past Can Hold You Back
Paul talks about "forgetting what is behind and looking forward to what lies ahead." He's not saying your past doesn't exist. He's saying don't let it determine your future. And this cuts two ways.
First: Don't let your past failures convince you you're disqualified.
Some of you have stopped running because you can't get past what you've done. You keep looking back and thinking, God could never use me. I've gone too far. I'm too broken.
Paul literally persecuted and killed followers of Jesus before his conversion, and yet, he writes, "Forget what is behind." If the grace of God reached him, it reaches you.
Second: Don't let your past successes convince you you've arrived.
Some of you aren't running at full speed because you're living off an old spiritual high, a past mountain top experience. You had a season years ago where you were really close to God. You were growing, seeking, pressing in. And somewhere along the way, you quietly coasted to a stop, assuming that was enough to carry you.
Paul had miraculous encounters with God. He performed miracles. And he still says, "I haven't arrived. I'm still pressing on."
Neither your failures nor your successes define this moment. The only question that matters is this… what direction are you moving today?
// Permission to Be Unfinished, But Not Stagnant
Paul gives us permission to be unfinished. But he doesn't give us permission to stop moving.
"I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us." — Philippians 3:14
The picture here isn't someone casually jogging. It's a runner leaning forward, straining toward the finish line. Paul is painting a picture of the day you stand before Jesus and hear the words, Well done, good and faithful servant. That's the finish line, not perfection in this life, but faithfulness over a lifetime.
Here's what I want you perfectionists to hear… You don't have to finish perfectly. You just have to finish faithfully.
You're exhausted because you're holding yourself to a standard Paul himself said he couldn't meet. Every step forward counts, even the small, stumbling ones. Progress, not perfection, is the goal of the Christian life.
And for those who have quietly given up… who keep thinking, What's the point? I keep falling anyway. Here's the point… Jesus took hold of you. He's pursuing you. He'll finish what He began. Remember earlier in Philippians, Paul wrote…
"I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue this work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns." — Philippians 1:6
Your job isn't to perfect yourself. Your job is to keep running while He perfects you.
// What Spiritual Maturity Actually Looks Like
Paul drops a paradox in verse 15… "Let all who are spiritually mature agree on these things."
The mature thing, the sign that you've grown, is recognizing that you haven't arrived yet. Immature faith thinks it's figured everything out. Mature faith knows how far it still has to go. Immature faith coasts on past experiences with God. Mature faith keeps pressing toward deeper knowing.
Maturity isn't measured by how far you've come. It's measured by whether you're still growing.
// You Can't Run This Race Alone
There's one more piece Paul doesn't want us to miss:
"Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example." — Philippians 3:17
This race isn't meant to be run in isolation. You need people who are a few steps ahead of you, showing you what "pressing on" looks like in real life. You need people running beside you, struggling, yes, but still moving. And there are people running behind you who need to see that you're still in it.
Community sustains what willpower can't.
Gathering together regularly isn't about checking a religious box. It's about survival in a long race. You won't keep pressing on if you're running alone. The church is a community of unfinished people pressing on together.
// Your Father Is Running with you
At the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, British runner Derek Redmond was competing in the 400-meter semifinal, the race he'd trained his whole life for. About halfway through, his hamstring tore. He fell to the ground while the other runners passed him.
Then he got up and started hobbling toward the finish line.vHe wasn't going to win. Every step was agony. But he kept moving forward.
And then his father broke through security, ran onto the track, wrapped his arm around his son, and said, "We're finishing together."
Derek tried to wave him off. His dad held on. They crossed the finish line together,vDerek sobbing, barely able to walk, held up by his father. 65K thousand people in the stands rose to their feet and cheering, not for the runners who won, but for the man who refused to quit and the father who refused to let his son finish alone.
You're Derek Redmond.
You started this race with high hopes. You thought you'd be further along by now. Somewhere along the way, something tore, something broke… maybe sin, maybe a loss you didn't see coming, maybe just the exhaustion of trying to be perfect. And today, you're tempted to stay down.
But here's what Philippians 3 says.. Get up. Keep moving forward. Not because you'll run without pain, and not because you'll finish in your own strength, but because you have a Father who is running toward you.
You're not running toward someone waiting at the finish line. You're running with Someone who came down from the stands, stepped onto the track, and said, "We're finishing this together." That's what Jesus does.
Get up. Keep moving. You're not running alone.
Keep looking up,
Pastor Alan is the lead pastor of Allegheny Center Alliance Church. To find out more about ACAC, go here.
