Philippians 3:12-16
God is not so concerned
with where you have been or what you have done as He is where you ARE, what you
are DOING and where you are GOING. He is
a God of the PRESENT. Our lives can also
be radically changed by stating with Paul, “…but one thing I do:”
Our lives can also be
radically changed by...
I. Forgetting what lies
behind
v13b
A. To avoid spiritual pride
B. To avoid spiritual complacency
II. Reaching forward to what lies
ahead v13c
A. To receive more from God than we've received.
A thirty-year-old with a
nine-year-old commitment never knows abundance
though they may claim assurance
in a past salvation.
B. To discover purpose and fullness in life.
Discipleship
is aggressive, not passive.
“Reaching forward to what lies ahead” speaks of a
hopeful view toward the future.
The pictures
of tomorrow drawn in our minds today affect our present experience.
We live in
disappointment because of unrealized expectations, in fear because of unreal
expectations and in anger because of unmet expectations.
Christians
do not merely have expectations but live in HOPE.
Expectation turns to anticipation
when we see our future in God’s hands!
III. Pressing on toward the
goal of Christ - Likeness v14
A. To live in continual victory.
There is little victory in the "knowing" of God's will. It
is in the performing that we
discover our victory and purpose.
B. To realize continued spiritual growth.
"pressing
on"
equals taking the next
revealed step for your life and ministry.
The greatest growth of your spiritual
life will occur when you SERVE God. There are some things that you will
never learn without service.
These three steps are actually “one
thing”...
COMMITMENT.
COMMITMENT.
