” FORGETTING THE PAST AND GOING FORWARD “
Part 1
Sermon: Philippians 3:12-16
Pressing Toward the Goal
12 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. 13 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, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
15 Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. 16 Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind. NKJV
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A) There is an old story about a happy little boy who went out into the field wearing a baseball cap … And in one hand he carried a baseball, and in the other his trusty bat!
* His face had a look of tremendous confidence … Cocking his bat, he tossed the ball into the air, saying, “I’m the greatest batter in the world!”
* Then he swung and missed.
* “Strike one,” he said.
* He picked up the ball, examined it, and then threw it into the air again.
* As he swung, he repeated, “I’m the greatest batter in the world.”
* Once again, he missed … “Strike two,” he said.
* This time, he stopped to examine his bat to make sure there wasn’t a hole in it.
* Then he picked up the ball, adjusted his cap, and tossed the ball into the air for the third time.
* He repeated again, “I’m the greatest batter in the world,” and swung with all his might, and missed for the third straight time.
* Now most boys might be discouraged by that, but this boy said, “Wow! I’m the greatest pitcher in the world!”
B) Today the first Lesson of 2023, and as we look back over the last 12 months, I’m not sure whether most of us would consider ourselves pitchers or batters!
* One thing for sure, is that we have all struck out from time to time.
* So, I guess it’s good to be able to start fresh.
* Kids are going back in school …….
* Young people will be headed back to college.
* And most of us will soon recover from the holiday season and will be well into doing our jobs and the activities of the new year real soon.
C) As we anticipate the next 12 months, some people might eagerly look forward to what each day will bring!
* Others might be filled with dread, worried that this year will be worse than the last.
* Like the little boy with his baseball bat, I would suggest that our attitude will make all the difference in the coming year.
* How we react to its event will largely determine whether it is a year of victory or a year of defeat.
D) The Apostle Paul was never one to let circumstances conquer him.
* Rather, with the help of God, he was determined to win the victor’s crown.
* Paul’s personality, I believe, really comes through in these verses!
* And, with these thoughts, Paul lays out some principles concerning our attitude that we can carry with us into the New Year!
* The first of those principles is this …….
(1) FORGETTING YOUR PAST!
* At the end of v.13, Paul said, “… forgetting …….”
13 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,
- A) Humans are very special beings, in that God has given us the ability to remember!
* However, your memories can be you friend or your enemy.
* Paul had a dreadful past and it could have easily haunted him for the rest of his life, if he allowed it to!
* He persecuted the church … He used his authority to kill Christians.
* By his own admission he said, “I am the chief of sinners.”
- B) He could have walked around all his life with this tremendous burden of guilt crippling him!
* And he would have never become the great Apostle and missionary for God that he went on to be.
* Many people dwell on their past failures, mistakes, and sins so much so, that they become
spiritually paralyzed, unable to live productively for God.
* Paul is telling us that we can turn our past sins and failures over to God and start moving “forward to what lies ahead.”
C) Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising every time we fall!
* We have failed many times, although we may not remember.
* We fell down the first time we tried to walk … We probably almost drowned the first time we tried to swim.
* Babe Ruth struck out 1,330 times, but he also hit 714 home runs.
D) R. H. Macy failed seven times before his New York department store finally caught on!
* We can’t allow ourselves to become obsessed on our failures.
* We are all human … We make mistakes … We sin … We fail … But what is worse, is missing the opportunities that God puts in front of us because we are afraid to fail.
E) In a Nike advertisement some years ago, a voice came over the television saying …….
* “I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career … I’ve lost almost 300 games.”
* “Twenty-six times I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed.”
* “I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life … And that is why I succeed.”
* Those words were spoken by Michael Jordan, by most standards the greatest basketball player who ever played the game!
F) God once told the prophet Jeremiah that He would, one day, establish a New Covenant with the children of Israel!
* And when He did, He said …….
* Jeremiah 31:34
34 No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” NKJV
* That covenant was established when Jesus Christ died on the cross.
* Since that day, God’s forgiveness is so complete that it is forgetfulness.
G) If we have been washed in the blood of Christ, God has forgotten all of our failures and sins!
* It is time that we forget them as well!
* Let’s follow Paul’s example here, “… forgetting those things which are …….”
* The first principal Paul teaches us for the New Year is Forgetting the Past, and the second is …….
(2) FOCUSING YOUR PRIORITIES!
* In v.14 Paul says, “I press toward the mark for the …”
14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
- He introduced that statement in v.13 with “but this one thing I do.”
* Obviously Paul did more than one thing!
* He made tents … He preached sermons.
* He planted churches … He wrote books … Paul did a lot of things!
* But what he is telling us is that his top priority in life was to “press toward the mark for …”
* Paul is saying, “I run straight toward the goal to win the prize that God’s heavenly call offers in Christ Jesus.”
* In other words, Paul’s number one priority was the Kingdom of Heaven!
* He was running straight toward that goal, and he wasn’t gonna let anything distract him from it!
A while back an expert on the subject of time management was speaking to a group of business students!
* After speaking to them for a while, he said, “Okay, it’s time for a quiz.”
* He set a one-gallon, wide mouthed Mason jar on the table in front of him.
* Then he produced about a dozen tennis-ball-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, inside the jar.
* When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, “Is this jar full?”
Everyone in the class said, “Yes.”
* “Really?” he said.
* Then he reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of small gravel.
* He dumped some gravel into the jar and shook it , causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the spaces between the big rocks.
* Then he smiled and asked the group once more, “Is the jar full?”
By this time the class was starting to catch on … “Probably not,” one of them said.
* “Good!” he replied. * Then he reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand.
* He started dumping the sand in and it filled all the spaces between the rocks and the gravel.
* Once more he asked, “Is this jar full?” * “No!” the class shouted. * Again, he said, “Good!”
* Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim.
* Then he looked back at the class and asked, “What is the point of this illustration?”
One eager student raised his hand and said, “The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard, you can always fit something more into it!”
* “No,” the speaker replied, “that’s not the point … The truth this illustration teaches us is this: If you don’t put the big rocks in first, you’ll never get them in at all.”
What are the big rocks in your life?
* As you look ahead over this year, what are your priorities?
* Jesus said in Matt. 6:33
Matt 6:33-34
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. NKJV
* Drawing closer to God through worship, spending time with Him in prayer, and seeking His guidance for your life, by reading His Word … These should be the big rocks in your jar!
If you are considering resolutions for the New Year, let me make two suggestions:
(1) set aside time every day to read your Bible and pray, and
(2) determine to be more involved in God’s Kingdom.
* By that I mean, attending the worship of the church and participating in other fellowship and evangelistic activities!
It’s a sad, but true fact, that many Christians do not make God’s Kingdom a priority in life!
* Those who feel like they are doing their spiritual duty by going to church once a week, punching their spiritual timecard, are not seeking “first His kingdom.”
* If we intend to press on “toward the mark to win the prize that God’s heavenly call offers,” then we need to make God and His kingdom our top priority in life! Daily!!!
There is just one more principle that Paul offers us for the New Year, which is ……. Next week’s lesson.
