Sermon Tone Analysis

Preparing for a joyful future.doc

SD20

9/30/2007                                                                                                                        File: E

PREPARING FOR A JOYFUL FUTURE

“Paul’s Model for Successful Living”

 

Philippians 3:12-21

/v.17  “Join with others in following my example, and take note of those who live according to the patterns we gave you.”/

Max Lucado—“When God Whispers Your Name”

“Perhaps your childhood memories bring more hurt than inspiration.

The voices of your past may have cursed you, belittled you, ignored you.

At the time, you thought such treatment was typical.

Now you know it isn’t.

And now you find yourself trying to explain your past.

Do you rise above the past and make a difference?

Or do you remain controlled by the past and make excuses?

The Apostle Paul writing to the Philippians under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit gives us some very powerful words to help set a course for our future---

      Whether you are a young person just starting out—wondering what the future holds….

Or approaching your retirement—wondering what the future holds…

      Or looking at the prospect of your own death—wondering what the future holds…

 

I read last week about a man who was a few years away from retirement and decided that he would learn the Mandarin Language—a dialect of Chinese---

Why?

Because when he retired he planned to go to China and teach English as a Second Language.

Goals!  Dreams!

Visions!

They are not just for the young!

You need some too!

In order to launch into a joyful future….

Billy Graham—just recently, facing parkinson’s disease and the extremities of old age (he is almost 89)—said to his son, Franklin, “I think I have one more crusade in me…I want to preach one more crusade…”

      Always growing!

Always striving!

Always moving forward!

Never giving up!

One more…opportunity!!!

 

Paul gives us some principles for growing into a joyful future!

*#1  EVALUATE:  I must face my faults*

 

Anybody who accomplishes anything is always evaluating their performance…

Athletes—mark their progress with time clocks and points scored…and they are always trying to improve

They look at the areas that need improvement and seek to improve them

They look at their strengths and seek to build on them

 

We ought to do the same…

This is where we are brutally honest with ourselves—Where can I improve???

Paul was!

He says, /“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect…I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.”

vv.12-13/

Every communion Sunday we come with the challenge to “examine yourself…”

      The unexamined life is not worth living!!!

Evaluate your present circumstance—what brought you to this place?

Some things must change—change them!

Some things must be improved—improve them

      Some things must be forsaken—forsake them

 

Proverbs 28:13 (GN) /“You will never succe4ed in life if you try to hide your sins.

Confess them and give them up; then God will show mercy to you.” /

     

Here is the question we need to ask ourselves:  “Where do I need to change?”

Take a personal inventory!

Take a self-test!

(second principle for growing into a joyful future)

*#2  ELIMINATE:  Forget the former—let go of the past*

Paul could not obliterate the past from his memory, but he refused to let his past obstruct his progress toward his goal.

Stop being manipulated by your memories!

He wanted to forget his self-righteous past (see vv. 4–7).

By using the present tense for *forgetting* Paul was indicating that it is an ongoing process.

He might even be implying that he wanted to forget everything so that he would not rest on his past successes in Christ, but continue to labor for the Lord.

You can rise above your past and make a difference?

Or you can remain controlled by the past and make excuses?

v.13  “/This one thing I do; forgetting what is behind…”/

 

Isaiah 43:18 "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.

See I am doing a new thing!"

How do you forget?

Isn't it true our brain stores everything you have ever done?

Isn't it true that we never really forget anything?

So how do I forget the former?

To forget, actually means, don't let the past affect you anymore.

Don't let it control you or have power over you or manipulate you.

Successful people learn from the past without dwelling on the

past.

There's a big difference.

What should I forget??  Two things, if you are going to follow Paul’s pattern for joyful living:

*1.

Your failures*-- So many Christians are continuing to rehearse things in their heart that God has long since forgiven and forgotten.

Satan’s favorite tool is to immobilize you with your memories.

To manipulate you with your past failures and stop you from further progress because you will not forgive yourself…

      Note:  I said, “will not”  not ”cannot”

            It is a matter of what you will to do!

You must agree with God and forgive yourself!

Nothing you ever do will change your past.

No tears, regrets, self-pity.

The past is past, over, dead.

You can't do anything about it.

Let it go.

*Learn from it and let it go.*

*2.

Your successes—*Learn from them but let them go!

*      *Paul has just rehearsed some of his successes—but he says that he needs to let them go because they amount to nothing more than a pile of garbage—He has to let go of past success in order to embrace a joyful future of adventure and challenge—

 

The problem with success is that it tends to make you complacent and fills you with pride.

Then you stop growing and learning and then you're going to fail.

Luke 9:62 (Good News) "Jesus said, `Anyone who starts to plow and then keeps looking back isof no use for the Kingdom of God.'"

You can't drive a car forward looking in the rear view mirror.

You can't run a race looking backwards.

You've got to let it go.

* *

*The Question becomes: What memory do I need to let go of?*

 

(third principle for growing into a joyful future)

*#3.

CONCENTRATE:  Focus on the future*