The One Thing

Introduction

Acknowledge Deb Briggs for the Food-shelf!

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We have so many amazing day for everyone here, and we have some visitors here to celebrate with us for those who are making the decision to be Water Baptized today.

Today I want to share a one off message “the upward call” God has has brought us into a new season.

Seasons are times when things might die

Seasons are when new seeds are planting. What farmer does not recognize that planting is as exciting as a harvesting. Preparation should get you as excited. What season of life are you in, with God in your journey?

As a church we must continue to sow the seed of Gods word, not my word, not your word, but the word of God. Then as the word is sown and we expose our hearts to His presence our lives will flourish and we will enter into the Abundant Life Jesus paid for all of us to have.

Lets look at Paul’s letter to the church at Phillpi, This city was a major trade city along a major highway that led to Rome, Paul writing from prison encourages this church to live with Joy! Interesting that he is able to encourage others to live with Joy as he was in prison. Our Joy is not confined to our condition!

Php 3 7-14

Philippians 3:7–14 NLT

7 I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. 8 Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ 9 and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. 10 I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, 11 so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead! 12 I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. 13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

Paul begins to share is victories in this section of scripture and his accomplishments, his status.

Prior to Christ Paul equates it to garbage. How many of us think of the trash after we bring it to the curb, I even think of a friend of mine whose home I was at and they burned some things they did not need anymore. I am pretty sure they are not continue to think about that garbage.

He wants to know Christ

He wants to know the resurrection power -Resurrection does not happen until there is death.

Suffer with him- konionia,(this word also is translated as fellowship) a willingness to participate in the pain, in the rejection, in the hardship, it is a hemorrhaging! Sometimes we equate abundant life to a BMW, a boat, land. Paul here says, i want to be apart of this bleeding that Christ experienced.

This is part of the Go pel, see the deconstruction movement that is going on in so many peoples lives is because this was missing.

We are all called to participate with Christ not only in the high movements but also challenges. Death must happen for there to be a resurrection.

Romans 6 9-14

Romans 6:9–14 NLT

9 We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him. 10 When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God. 11 So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus. 12 Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. 13 Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. 14 Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.

Point 1 We to experience the resurrection death must occur

We all have Raised to life because of Christ, His resurrection give us the power to rise not only spiritually, because we die daily, therefore we must rise daily.

But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.

Story: I remember the first time I fasted for two days, I spent time over in Stillwater and walked around Taylors Falls. I remember walking and praying, and praying, wondering. “OK God what are you saying to me.......” I remember then I was looking over the St Croix on a cliff and was impressed with the word

“Pursue” was the word I felt God have me

I went home , maybe feeling a little underwhelmed, full of Joy, but I was like OK God, but then got my Websters Dictionary and looked up the word Pursue

3. To follow with a view to overtake; to follow with haste; to chase; as, to pursue a hare; to pursue an enemy

Are we this intense and intentional with our relationship with Christ?

With God’s purpose and plan, His calling?

Forget and Look Forward

Paul reminds us to forget, this word literally means to neglect and ignore, why do we acknowledge? Do we entertain sin. Does it even need to be blatant, offensive, no....this will not profit me in my purpose, this will not help advance intimacy with Jesus.

Good is what led Eve astray. Then enemy knows if he can get us tempted, then we can be in bondage and we are bound up not by him but by our own habits.

That is what we need to do with our flesh, we crucify it, and do not feed it but rather we may be aware it is there, but we ignore it. This is not easy, but can be very hard and challenging.

Look Stretch to the goal, this word comes from an athletic event where the athlete is striving for a goal. It not only a mindset that is determined, but also engaged effort.

Its one thing to have a God given vision, it is another thing to stretch toward it. As you do you recognize I don’t have time, energy or effort to be about anything else.

3. the more you look back in remembrance, the more you are drawn to it. There is no future in your past, stop looking back, embrace Christ and he will be the reason you look forward!

Mat 3 13-17

Matthew 3:13–17 NLT

13 Then Jesus went from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to talk him out of it. “I am the one who needs to be baptized by you,” he said, “so why are you coming to me?” 15 But Jesus said, “It should be done, for we must carry out all that God requires.” So John agreed to baptize him. 16 After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”

THE FATHER WAS PLEASED, NOT BECAUSE OF WHAT HE HAD DONE, BUT BECAUSE HE WAS HIS SON, HIS DAUGHTER.