How to Get Spiritually Fit - Parts 5 & 6: The Goal Above Every Goal

REVIEW
 
So currently, we are learning how to get spiritually fit – understanding that the way that we get in shape physically is the same way we get in shape spiritually. Yes, we have to eat right and we have to exercise properly, and in so doing we can develop our inner man like we can our outward man.
 
We’ve seen this in First Timothy 4:6-8 where the apostle Paul makes the comparison between physical nutrition & exercise and spiritual nutrition & exercise. These verses say, “If you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine which you have carefully followed. But reject profane and old wives fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness. For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having the promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.”
 
Therefore, if we want to become good servants of our Lord Jesus Christ, we are going to have to do two things: We have to be properly “nourished” and we have to “exercise” ourselves toward godliness. No, not physically; we are talking about doing these things spiritually.
 
But what we have learned is that in order to get spiritually fit, we have to first become spiritual – and this is being born again. So we looked at the various Scriptures where being born again is described and saw how it is a literal transformation that takes place in the spirit where the Holy Spirit impregnates us with the Father’s seed, and we become a new creation in Christ Jesus. Then, and only then, are we able to grow up and become fit spiritually.
 
Which we then looked at in part two – We learned that once we get born again, we then have to grow up spiritually and become mature Christians. We learned that just because one is born, that doesn’t automatically mean that they can develop like an adult can. No, even though a baby is born with all of the bones and muscles that it is ever going to have, the child has to grow up and mature physically in order to unlock their full potential in fitness.
 
So we looked at what the signs of spiritual infancy / immaturity are, and how one grows up in their salvation – because again, we have to be mature in the Spirit in order to truly get in shape spiritually.
 
 
So last week we learned, once we’ve been born again and have grown up a little spiritually, what the first thing someone who desires to start exercising to get in shape needs to do. And we saw that a lot of physical fitness experts will tell you that the first step to getting in shape physically starts right between the ears. In other words, it is cultivating the right attitude and mentality that goes into getting in shape.
 
I explained that one thing I remember hearing my wife, Shannon, (who has a degree in health & fitness, mind you) say, is that if someone who has decided to start working out can just “get to the door” of the gym, they have overcome the first obstacle.
 
Anyone here who has either endeavored to get in shape or allowed themselves to get out of shape will tell you that there is a lot in this flesh that will try to keep us from going to the gym. It’ll try to convince you and I that it’s too tired, it doesn’t have the energy, it was a hard day at work, it doesn’t want to roll out of bed, etc., etc., etc.
 
But we saw that just as consistent as those obstacles are, is the following statement people make who press through and exercise anyway when they didn’t feel like it: They will say, “Man, I’m so glad I went to work out today! I feel so much better!” And I told y’all that I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard something similar right here – People tell me all the time about how they were tempted to not come to church, but they pushed through and came anyway. And when they left, they told me – “Pastor, that service was just for me! I needed to hear what you had to say.”
 
So when it comes to working out spiritually, the lesson I learn from this is we have to overcome the flesh’s tendency to try and talk us out of doing what we need to do and what’s best for us – and this all starts between the ears, right?
 
You see, there is a war on the inside of us—flesh versus spirit. It is the nature of God against the nature of Satan. Yes, it is Isaac versus Ishmael; Jacob versus Esau; Cain versus Abel. It’s brother against brother. And through this battle on the inside of us we are doomed to live a roller coaster Christianity if we do not learn to live by the spirit, which comes through developing our spiritual nature to where it runs the show.
 
But what we specifically learned last week is that there is a third party within us. No, we are not just a spirit and a body. We also have a soul, and the soul is the middleman in this. In fact, we saw him as the arbitrator in this constant battle for control.
 
So we learned that whichever part of us can convince the soul to team up with it is the part of us that will win. So, if the flesh is persuasive enough saying, “Hey soul, let’s take this path right here. It is best for us and it’s easier. Come on, let’s go this way …” and then the soul obliges by thinking in that direction, that is the path your life is certain to take. But, on the other hand, if the spirit man can convince the soul to go the other direction – by getting the soul to think like it thinks – then the spirit and the soul will override the lusts of the flesh.
 
So we learned that that’s why the attitude & mentality that we possess is the first and most important variable – because this victory in becoming spiritually fit begins with the soul. That’s when we have to just “get to the door” – that is, decide that we are going to do what we need to do more than what we want to do. And once you and I press through the adversity & struggle of our flesh and do the right thing, it’ll start getting easier.
 
Then last time, we looked at another mentality that we need to have when it comes to getting in shape, and that is the importance of not despising the day of small beginnings.
 
You see, what the professionals say is that one of the pitfalls of successful exercise is that people try to do too much too quickly. In other words, while they want the results that they see in others like people running marathons or pumping a lot of iron, they don’t have the patience or work ethic to build up to that place. Sure, they might want to possess that tone, fit body or those huge pecs & biceps, but pressing through the time of building the body up to that place is where most fall short.
 
You see, it’s tempting to wait for a burst of motivation or the “perfect moment” to tackle everything at once. But this mindset often leaves us overwhelmed or stuck in a cycle of procrastination. Therefore, starting small works because it’s achievable, and it builds momentum.
 
Think about it like pushing a heavy boulder. The first push is the hardest, but once it’s moving, the effort becomes easier. Tiny steps—like tidying a single shelf, setting a 5-minute timer to journal, or taking a short walk—are those first pushes. They’re manageable actions that remind you that progress is possible.
 
Small wins also give you a sense of accomplishment. They release dopamine, the “feel-good” chemical, which motivates you to keep going. This is how one tiny shift today can snowball into meaningful growth tomorrow.
 
This is when they say that starting small is a key to getting the ball rolling in the right direction. And when they say small, they are not just talking about lifting a small amount of weight at the gym or running on the treadmill for a couple of minutes. They are talking about figuring out how we can simply add movement to our regular activity. In other words, intentionally adding small things like simple movement to our day-to-day activity.
 
So what this has to do with exercising spiritually is that you can do the same with your spiritual exercises. I think a lot of people see what they can and should be, but they see it as too far off. So what does that do? It does the same thing we’ve seen that it does naturally; it zaps the motivation.
 
But what if there was that same “feel-good” chemical that is released spiritually when we start exercising spiritually? I think there is something similar that happens when we start taking small steps …
 
So we looked at one of my favorite chapters of the Bible – Zechariah chapter 4 – and we saw the LORD encouraging a man named Zerubbabel, who was called to rebuild the LORD’s temple, with the insurmountable mountain in front of him.
 
So we learned that having the right attitude is important when it comes to these small beginnings – because if you don’t have the correct mentality, you won’t make it from the small beginning to the desired outcome.
 
SETTING GOALS
 
So now that we have covered a couple of good mindsets & attitudes to have, like the importance of getting to the door and understanding the value of starting small, let’s look at one more thing that all the experts say is important when it comes to physical fitness – and that is, the importance of setting goals.
 
You see, there is power in setting goals. For one, it drastically improves your chance of reaching your desired outcome. This might sound rather obvious, but it might surprise you to hear that many people go to the gym or do other fitness activities with no real goal in mind, without any real objective.
 
But just think about it: With just about any task we do – whether simple or complex – there is usually a goal at the end of it. For example, some of us perform the simple task of writing a shopping list with the intention of buying those items because we need them. And we know whether we’ve been successful once we’ve checked them off the list. Without that list, it’s likely we might forget something and/or spend our time aimlessly wandering around the store which results in not achieving our goal.
 
And this same principle can certainly be applied to fitness: Having a goal and writing it down somewhere you can check it helps you to plan what you need to do to achieve it, so you don’t end up in the gym wandering around wondering what exercise to do.
 
On top of that, not having a goal also makes it hard to know what we’ve achieved or what we are trying to achieve. We might think we are doing all the right things, but in reality, we’re focusing too much time on one aspect of our fitness and not enough on another. So fitness goals are important as they help us to stay aligned and do the workouts we might skip if left to do it by memory or by what we feel like doing.
 
For example, if you don’t like leg days, sometimes it’s easy to forget the last time you did a leg strength session. Without a goal you might think, “I worked on my legs last week, that’s okay,” but in actuality, it was 2 weeks ago, and now you’ve neglected it again and your overall fitness has gotten out of balance.
 
However, if you regularly check your fitness goals, you’ll quickly realize that you’re not on target with leg strength like you are in other areas. Without your written fitness goals, you won’t notice it until your friends start making sarcastic comments about your chicken legs. LOL!
 
So this is why fitness goals are important – because they …

1. Keep you on track
2. Make working out efficient
3. Help you progress quickly
4. Help you notice progress
5. Keep you motivated

 
OUTCOME GOALS VS. PROCESS GOALS
 
But the following is something that I have learned is important when it comes to this topic of goal setting:
 
One of the best ways to stay committed to our long-term goals is to set some other kinds of goals. In fact, I’ve heard it recommended to not only set “outcome goals” but to also set “process goals.” Simply put, the outcome goals are the ultimate thing you want to achieve, and the process goals are the smaller steps you’ll implement in order to achieve those outcome goals.  
 
Outcome goals might read like bucket list items – naming what it is that you want to achieve. For example, outcome goals for these physical fitness things might be running a 10K, finishing a marathon in under a certain amount of time (or maybe just finishing it), losing 40 pounds, or benching 300 pounds.
 
But when you’re coming up with these outcome goals, you need to also implement process goals. These are the daily and weekly goals you are going to commit to in order to move you closer and closer to that outcome. So if your outcome goal is to simply lose weight, your process goals might be something like walking 8,000 steps per day, eating a protein-rich breakfast every day, or cutting your soda intake in half. Meanwhile, if you want to lift more weight, your process goals might include things like hitting the gym a certain number of days each week, doing a certain amount of reps each time of a specific weight, or having a post-workout protein shake every time.
 
You see, by having these specific process goals and adhering to them “religiously,” you will be more apt to reach your outcome goals.
 
Now along the lines of having these two types of goals is writing them down and journaling your progress. Writing down your workouts may sound tedious, but doing it is a great way to stay motivated, as well as to tangibly measure how far you’ve come.
 
Not only can writing down your workout feel as rewarding as checking off an item on your to-do list, but it also gives you a way to track your progress. When you record your workouts, you give yourself a way to see how much progress you’ve actually made. Particularly after a rough day at the gym or a slower-than-wanted run, it can be helpful to go back and flip through all the workouts you’ve done, the miles you’ve logged, and the weights you’ve lifted.
 
In addition to writing down what you did at the gym, it is also recommended that you record the more nuanced tidbits about your workout, like your mood and energy levels during the workout, your confidence level that day, or how easy or hard the workout felt.
 
So write both types of goals down somewhere. When you have a detailed plan written down, you are more likely to follow through with it. Then, once it’s written down, assess how confident you feel that you can achieve your outcome with the process goals you can realistically implement. These experts say that on a scale of 1 to 10, you want to be at least 80% confident that you can achieve your outcome goal. Why? Because when you are confident, the motivation comes more easily.
 
SPIRITUAL GOAL SETTING
 
But while this is certainly good wisdom for physical fitness, we are not talking about physical fitness here, are we? We are looking at how to become spiritually fit, but I believe that the wisdom found in these natural things can be applied to exercising our inward man.  
 
So what would some outcome & process goals be towards our spiritual fitness? Well, it depends on how specific we want to get.
 
If we look at things on a smaller scale, some outcome goals for us might be things like having our love perfected, becoming more patient, having our joy full, seeing more consistent results in healings when we pray for people, seeing more evidence of having what we say, etc.
 
So the process goals for each of these would be different, right? If, for instance, my outcome goal was to be more developed in patience, my process goal might be looking for those opportunities to be impatient and choosing to lift those weights by resisting the temptation to be impatient. In other words, I’m not just hoping I miraculously become more of a patient person, but I’m looking for those times where I’m tempted to be frustrated, irritated, and my emotions get all worked up, and then I view those as opportunities to pump some iron and exercise those patience muscles. Not everyone realizes this, but that is how you develop in patience – by exercising it when you don’t feel like it.
 
My point is that if it works this way with physical fitness, then you can be sure that it works this way with spiritual fitness. So having goals for our spiritual conditioning too is helpful so that we can track our progress and to keep ourselves encouraged & motivated.
 
THE LONG-TERM GOAL OF CHRISTIANITY
 
But let’s think “bigger picture” today. Let’s look at what the ultimate, long-term goal of Christianity really is. In other words, what should be the ultimate objective for every believer?
 
Well, I believe it is ultimately to win the prize of our heavenly reward and to be inducted into God’s Hall of Fame.
 
You might say, “I didn’t even know that the LORD has a Hall of Fame?” Well, it’s not like the HOF’s that we have on the earth today, but Hebrews chapter 11 chronicles the lives of men & women of God who did this by faith and did that by faith. Many who walked on this earth and excelled in the arena of faith up until the time of Jesus are mentioned as a memorial to their walk with the One True God.
 
Then chapter twelve begins with – “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us …” (Hebrews 12:1)
 
So the picture that the author painted was of us being competitors in a race, surrounded by the grandstands of heaven that are full of all those who have run a race of faith before us. And since we are the ones on the course right now, he gives us three exhortations for running our race in verse one alone.
 
The first exhortation I want us to look at is found in the last phrase of this verse – “let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” So it’s the necessity of running with endurance.
 
Now endurance is one of those very important New Testament virtues – that “won’t quit” persistent attitude. But how many of you know that in order for a runner to truly have endurance there are a couple of things that the runner must do. And these two things are what the writer of Hebrews lists before ever mentioning the race we are in and the endurance that we are to run it with. So what are these two things?
 
He said just before mentioning the race, “let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us…” The words “lay aside” literally mean “to get rid of.” So there are two things that the writer of Hebrews mentions that we are to get rid of in order to successfully run our race with endurance.
 
You see, if a runner has a lot of baggage on him while he is trying to run a race then he is going to have a harder time enduring to the end, right? So how come so many believers think that they are going to finish their course with so many encumbrances in their lives? No, the first thing we must do if we want to make this race we are running easier to endure is to “get rid of every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us.”     
 
First of all, let’s look at the word “weight”: This word “weight” literally means “bulk or mass.” Now there are two ways that you can look at this word… Number one, it could describe the clothing or other encumbrances that would hinder a runner in his or her race. Number two, it could also describe the excess “bulk or mass” on the runner himself. In other words, this word “weight” can also refer to him or her as being overweight and out of shape.
 
I personally believe the latter is what the writer of Hebrews had in mind here – that is, the extra weight on the body of the runner that would encumber the athlete from being agile and swift and cause him to not have endurance. What this admonition is referring to is that we must be in shape, not physically, but spiritually in order to effectively run our spiritual race with endurance. Being spiritually fit is such an important key to running our race effectively.
 
The next phrase that the author of Hebrews says is “and (lay aside) the sin which so easily ensnares us.” Again, the words “lay aside” literally mean “to get rid of” and we have already seen that we are to get rid of the weight that is hindering us. So what else are we to get rid of? He says, “and the sin which so easily ensnares us.” Notice that the writer does not say “the sins (plural)” but rather “the sin (singular).” You see, he was not referring to the specific and individual sins in our life, but he was referring to “sin in general” (i.e. the sin nature of the flesh).
 
You see, we are all clothed with this body and all of its weaknesses and limitations. And it is through this sinful body we are trapped in, that we do not arise to the full potential that God created us to live up to. Now I am not saying that this is the way that it should be, because God has given us all the grace that we need to live up to this potential. What I am saying, however, is that in reality, most believers have not mastered their flesh nature, and they allow it to usurp the authority some of the time.
 
It is for this reason that the Apostle Paul said in Ephesians 4:22- “…put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to deceitful lusts.” The truth is that our old man was crucified with Christ, but what so many Christians do is they continue to wear the same clothes that the old man left behind.  You see, when Paul used the term “put off” it literally meant to take off some sort of clothing. In other words, when he admonished his readers over and over again to “put off” this characteristic of the flesh and “put off” that characteristic of the flesh, what he was literally saying was “take off this piece of clothing” and “take off that piece of clothing.” You see, things like anger, wrath, bitterness, envy, and lying are all garments left behind by the old man, and we are admonished to take them off and get rid of them.
 
But why do we need to take them off? It is because of what Hebrews 12:1 says… “which so easily ensnares us.” The word “ensnare” means “to impede, hinder, or trip up.” So if we do not take off this sin, our running will be hindered. You see, if we try and run our race of faith while wearing all of these garments of the flesh, we will be tripped up time and time again and fall constantly, similarly to how a runner can constantly be tripped up if he is wearing too much clothing.
 
So we see in Hebrews 12:1 our long-term goal and the means of reaching it. Amen?
 
Ultimately, we see this outcome goal accomplished in the life of the apostle Paul in Second Timothy chapter 4 …
 
He said in verse 8 – “Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not only me but also to all who have loved His appearing.”
 
This crown of righteousness that he spoke of is that prize that we are all running for. It’s the one that Paul said in First Corinthians 9:25 that we all are running for – that imperishable crown. 
 
But what did the apostle Paul say that He did in verse 7 to gain this crown of righteousness? He said, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
 
So these were the things that he did throughout his ministry that led him to reach His outcome goal. So let’s talk a little further about the process goal that will lead us to our ultimate objective of receiving the reward and being inducted into God’s Hall of Fame.
 
THE GOAL ABOVE ALL GOALS
 
But I want to show you the greatest goal that will help up reach that long-term goal. I call it – the goal above all goals.
 
You see, we see in the Book of Philippians that the apostle Paul obviously believed in goals. In fact, we see that he lived his life for just one goal.
 
In Philippians 3:12-14 he said, “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
 
So the apostle Paul starts out making sure that his readers were aware that he had not “arrived” (i.e. attained) or that he had already reached some elite level of spiritual maturity (i.e. perfected). In other words, he was saying that he wasn’t perfect. But he went on to make it clear that he was certainly “pressing” towards something. Yes, he said that there was just one thing that he was doing, and that was that he was “pursuing” (Lit. definition of “press”) after the goal of total spiritual maturity or perfection. He was chasing after this goal and after the prize that accompanied it!
 
So what was this goal? Paul said that it was laying hold of that for which Christ Jesus had also laid hold of him. What an interesting statement, huh? What was the “that” that he was pressing on to lay hold of? It was that for which Christ Jesus had also laid hold of him.
 
You know, when it comes to us getting saved, the church likes to say we found Jesus. But we say this like Jesus was the One who was lost. Jesus wasn’t the One who was lost; we were! Yes, Jesus found us, that pearl of great price! He found us, that treasure hidden in the field! So it would be more correct to say that Jesus found us, or might we say, “Jesus laid hold of us!” Jesus took us with His righteous right hand and now nothing can pluck out of His hand.
 
So the “that” that we are pursuing & pressing on to lay hold of is the One who already pursues and pressed on to lay hold of us. Amen! In other words, it’s about us fully grasping and taking hold of the Lord Jesus Christ! Paul called this in the next verse, the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
 
In verse 13, Paul reiterated that he hadn’t yet taken hold and apprehended Him fully yet, but he goes on to say, “but one thing I do …” Notice he didn’t say, “but two, three, or five things I do.” No, he said he only did just one thing. And what was that? It was forgetting those things which were behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead. And Paul made it clear in the context here that the thing he was pursuing was Christ Himself – that is, knowing Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformed to His death (See verse 10).
 
So when you compare other Scriptures that talk about this “one thing,” you’ll discover what this was for Paul too.
 
Psalm 27:4 teaches us what made David the man after God’s own heart: It says that the one thing that he desired and pursued was to dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of his life. And we know that this is talking about living in the LORD’s presence every day! So it’s being with Him. Amen?
 
Then in the Gospels (Luke 10:38-42), when Jesus was in Martha’s house teaching, we see that Martha got irritated with her sister because Mary only wanted to be with Jesus and not be troubled with the duties of being a host. Well, Jesus said that there was only one thing that was needed in that moment and Mary had chosen that good part. And what was that? It was being in Jesus’ presence! Amen!
 
So the Scriptures make it clear that the “one thing” is being with the One Lord! Amen! So when Paul says that this is the one thing that he did, we can assume that this was also being in the presence of the Lord too. In fact, it was fully being with Him and identifying with Christ in every way. Glory!  
 
Then he goes on to say in verse 14 that he pressed toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus! And we just saw that this upward call is getting ahold of Christ in our life like He got ahold of us – that is, gaining Christ, knowing Christ, and becoming Christ in our everyday life!
 
And notice that the apostle Paul called it the “goal.” Church, I believe this describes the biggie – that goal above every other goal.
 
You see, as we consider some goals that we can have as children of God, I want you to know that I am specifically going to look at the big goals (i.e. the overarching, main goals). You can feel free to break these down into more specific goals, but in my humble opinion, all our goals should come through this “one thing” that we are looking at today.
 
And the first goal is the main goal. In fact, the rest of what we will look at actually fall under this oh so important target of the born again, Spirit-filled child of God. And that goal is this – TO BE JUST LIKE JESUS!
 
Now when I say to be just like Jesus, that statement requires some explanation:
 
For one, if you have been born again, your spirit is already just like Jesus. Yes, as we’ve learned already, you have been born of your Heavenly Father’s seed and possess the divine nature in your inward man. Amen! That’s the gospel!
 
But like we’ve learned, just because you’ve been born again and possess His holiness, righteousness, love, joy, peace, etc., doesn’t mean that you’ve developed those spiritual blessings & virtues. Yes, like a baby has to grow up and mature physically, we likewise, have to grow up and mature spiritually (which we’ve already learned).
 
So when I say, “to be just like Jesus,” I’m not referring to the new birth; I am referring to what Jesus Himself chose to develop in. Yes, He worked out His salvation and this caused Him to walk in the Spirit, producing all kinds of spiritual fruit and spiritual gifts. Amen!
 
That’s what I’m referring to when I say to be like Him – to love people the way He loved them, to do good like He did, and to destroy the works of the devil like He was known for. This is the bullseye! This is the mark! And it should be our goal as Christians!    
 
TO BE JUST LIKE JESUS
 
So if that’s the case (and it most certainly is!), then let’s look at what made Christ the way that He was so that we can know specifically what we are to pursue about Him.
 
Philippians chapter 2 teaches us this very thing. Yes, this chapter instructs us to let this mind be in us which was also in Christ Jesus. That’s just a fancy way of saying, “Have the same attitude & mentality that Jesus had” or you could just simply say, “Think like Jesus thought.”
 
In essence, what he was saying was – “This lifestyle of esteeming others better than yourself and looking out for the interests of others more than your own was the way Christ lived. Therefore, learn to think like He thought and adopt His mentality” (See Philippians 2:3-5).
 
So we learn a couple of things from Philippians 2:5:

1. We learn that Jesus had a certain way of thinking. Yes, He possessed a certain mindset and lived His life from this mentality.
2. We also learn that we are to adopt His way of thinking and to think like He thought.

 
So a good question is – What was His mentality? Well, we don’t have to speculate because the following verses teach us how He thought about things because all we have to do is look at verses 6-8 to see what was on His mind … 
 
In verse 6, the apostle Paul begins to describe Jesus’ attitude by saying, “who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God.” 
 
Now by describing Jesus as being in the “form of God,” Paul was showing his readers that Jesus was, at this point, the very nature and essence of God Himself. But even though He possessed this divine nature in heaven, Paul goes on to tell us that He “did not consider it robbery to be equal with God.” Now this phrase does not translate well into our modern language. What the original language literally meant is that Jesus did not consider His equality with God (i.e. being in the form of God) as something to be held onto. In other words, as verse 7 goes on to say, even though Jesus was by nature the Second Person in the Trinity, He was willing to lower Himself to the place of having no “reputation.” Again, this is another somewhat vague translation. What this means is that because Jesus was willing to lay aside His divine nature, He “set aside all of His divine privileges.” In other words, even though He never ceased being God, He willingly laid aside His divinity and became 100% in the likeness of men. Yes, He willingly adopted the nature of mankind, even to the extent of becoming a bondservant to those He created. Now, saints, that is seriously laying down one’s life right there! Amen? 
 
Now Hebrews 12:2 gives us a little more insight into the mind of Christ …
 
This is where we are told that Jesus is the One that we are to be “looking unto.” Now when the writers of Hebrews say, “looking unto Jesus,” it literally means that we are looking away from everything else and only unto Jesus – meaning, Jesus is the best & most perfect example of a walk of faith from beginning to end that we have.
 
That’s why they go on to describe Jesus as “the author and finisher of our faith.” The word “our” there is not in the original language, so this verse literally describes Jesus as the originator and the perfector of faith. In other words, Jesus walked by faith perfectly from beginning to end. Amen!
 
And why? What helped him to walk in this flawless faith? It was because of what was said next … “who for the joy that was set before Him …”
 
Now most have interpreted that phrase as saying that there was a joy that was set before Him like a carrot and that is what He was looking at as He did the will of His Father. But I don’t believe that’s what was being said here. No, the word “for” here comes from the Greek word anti, so that describes “in exchange for the joy that was set before Him.” In other words, the joy that was set before Christ was what Philippians 2:6 was describing – it was the joys that He had as being in the form of God and being present in heaven as God Himself.
 
So because of the way He thought, Hebrews 12:2 says that He endured the Cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
 
You see, church, what I am describing to you is the ultimate goal of Christianity! It is to die to ourselves, to lay down our lives, and to truly live for Him.
 
The “despising” of the shame shows us that He didn’t place any value to the shame involved in His life & ministry, ultimately climaxing on the Cross. In other words, Jesus didn’t place any value on what He endured. He only valued what His goal was – which was to do the will of His Father and drink from the cup that His Father gave Him to drink from.
                              
So this is how our Lord & Savior thought, saints! This is the perspective He had, and it was ultimately what led to him to receiving the reward that He did, and that Philippians chapter 2 explains – Him being given the Name which is above every other Name and receiving the greatest reward at the right hand of God. Might we say that Jesus received the name above every name because He pursued the goal above every goal. Amen!
 
This is why I call being like Jesus the goal above every goal – because if we learn to think like Jesus, act like Jesus, talk like Jesus, etc., we will receive the end of our faith and that crown of righteousness at the finish line. Amen!