Live Forward
New Beginning • Sermon • Submitted
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12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.
13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,
14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
15 All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.
16 Only let us live up to what we have already attained.
17 Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you.
18 For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.
19 Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things.
20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,
21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.
1. Your purpose is bigger than your current circumstance
1. Your purpose is bigger than your current circumstance
If you are still living, you still have purpose
David served his generation and then he died
Your circumstance is building you for your purpose
You are building a testimony
Don’t have a testiphony
Develop a testimony
2. Future goal, not past accomplishments
2. Future goal, not past accomplishments
You don’t need history to make history
Your future doesn’t care where you are coming from
From GED to PhD
Keep your eyes forward
Use to bees don’t make honey
3. The higher the level the bigger the devil
3. The higher the level the bigger the devil
As you progress, things will get tougher
Things are supposed to get tougher
If you are comfortable, you are not moving forward
Your faith needs to be stretched
Your prayer needs to be challenged
Your commitment needs to be consistent
4. It is important to live up to your attained faith
4. It is important to live up to your attained faith
When I was a child, I acted like a child
I got to a point where acting like a child was not appropriate
As a baby Christian, crave spiritual milk
As a maturing Christian, you need something to sink your teeth into
You can’t kill giants before you care for sheep
You can’t kill giants if you have not dealt with lions, tigers, bears
You can’t kill giants if you don’t serve
There will be a time when you move from killing giants to empowering others to kill giants
Live according to what you have attained
You can’t graduate high school just because you aced your 1st grade spelling test
You will move from glory to glory - from level to level
5. Follow the example of those who live by faith
5. Follow the example of those who live by faith
5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Learn to have the right attitude
Your attitude determines your altitude
22 But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel.
Be faithful to your word
Be faithful like a son
Be faithful as a servant
25 But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs.
Be a brother/sister
Be faithful in your work
Be faithful as a soldier
Be faithful as a messenger
The future awaits those who keep their eyes on the prize