Forget The Past, Strive Ahead

New Years Resolutions

Lose weight, be taller, making more money, being nicer, getting in shape, treating our spouse better.

resolutions that we want about ourselves

resolutions that we want for others

Scrooge had a Christmas resolution

Scrooge was visited by 3 spirits past, present, and future

Charles dickens, A Christmas Carol

Scrooge was shown his past and how he ended up being the scrooge

his present and the result of his past

and what his future would look like if the present does not change

in the morning after he said I will live in the past, present and future

Paul on the other hand has some different instructions for us

Read Philippians 3 12-16.

Pray

Forget The Past

Unlike Scrooge- Paul wants us to forget

V 13 forget choose not to let it effect you now

the sins, the failures,

Jesus also instructed us

Luke 9:62 LSB

But Jesus said to him, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

if you are plowing and looking back you are going to stray

Peter looking around at the waves began to sink

Satan wants to distract us with the storms

Satan wants to distract us with our past

Satan wants to incapacitate us with our failures

he wants to take that sin or failure and bring it to mind and put thoughts into your head that say

you are unworthy to do anything good for God

you were a failure what makes you think that now is any different?

Did God really say that He would be with you always?

did Jesus really die for all sins?

Plowed rows need to be straight

when we walk on water we need to keep our eyes on Jesus

We need to

Keep Our Eyes On The Goal

What is the Goal? in the Christian life

V 12 Paul has not obtained the ultimate prize

Fully Sanctified, mature in Christ

V 20-21

we will not fully reach this prize in this life

but this is the prize that we should strive for

Some want to receive salvation from Jesus, sit and be grateful for their salvation

Paul here knows that his time is short. but he still is reaching, striving for the prize

Ephesians 4:13–16 LSB

until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the full knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ, so that we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming, but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, that is Christ, from whom the whole body, being joined and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the properly measured working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

Matthew 5:48 LSB

“Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

V 10 the goal of That I may know Jesus

Romans 8:29 LSB

Because those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers;

That we become Christ like

That we follow Christ-- Jesus said follow me

Straining Forward

V 13-14 press on

work hard at achieving the goal

like an athlete in spring training

football player running the same drill dozens of times

a basketball player running wind sprints

every morning our prayer should be

I want to be more like Jesus today

I want to do my Job better today

I want to raise my kids better today

I want to be a better evangelist today

I want to mine out some nuggets from your word today

I want to be a blessing to someone today

And I can only do this through your grace

Part of being Christlike is forgiving

standing up for what is right

being in contact with the Father

Loving the unlovable

sacrificing your self

touching the untouchable

Part of raising your kids better is praying for them

Being available to them

Learning how to do it better

Teaching them from God’s word

Part of being a blessing to someone is to be looking for an opportunity

take time for them

the athlete puts comfort, leisure, and self on a shelf

luke 9 23

Luke 9:23 LSB

And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.

The first part of the goal we are to strive for is Denying our selves

Jesus is first

our children our first

others in the church are first

study and prayer first

The second is take up your cross

under the authority of the government

you have no choice but to carry it

the soldiers are not going to carry it for you

but we have a choice. are we going to put our selves under the authority of Jesus?

Are we going to wake up in the morning and put on Jesus?

be Jesus to the world

the third is to follow Jesus

be close to Jesus

learn about Him

strive to be like Him

New Years Resolutions

Lose weight, be taller, making more money, being nicer, getting in shape, treating our spouse better.

Paul says that the resolution that he is always straining for is to be more like Christ

it is not achievable this side of eternity

read 12-15

God will show you your short comings

God is doing His part of Sanctification

our part is to stop looking behind

those sins are forgiven

the penalty for those sins are paid for

our resolution is to press forward,

with our eye on Jesus

our eye on the goal to be more like Him

by denying our selves , and putting ourselves daily under the authority of Jesus