Don’t Look Back

Introduction

I know it may not look like it now, but back in the day I was an athlete.

I did multiple sports throughout school: basketball, baseball, track, cross country and even a season of soccer. I tend to be a competitive person and sport are a great outlet for that.

Its interesting how much we can apply to our walk with Jesus from sports. Paul was not ignorant of this either. In fact, Paul compares following Jesus to running a race in several of his letters.

Today we will complete 2023 and prepare to begin 2024. For many of us, this is a time of review and planning. Paul has some advice for us on this subject.

Modern English Version (Philippians Chapter 3)

12 *Not that I have already attained or have already been perfected, but I follow after it so that I may lay hold of that for which I was seized by Christ Jesus. 13 *Brothers, I do not count myself to have attained, but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 *I press toward the goal to the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

15 *Therefore let those of us who are mature be thus minded. And if you think differently in any way, God will reveal even this to you. 16 *Nevertheless, according to what we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind.

Half of our Christian Bible is attributed to the Apostle Paul as the author (13 of 27 books). More than half of the book of Acts focuses on Paul.

Outside of the 4 Gospels that tell of the life and teachings of Jesus, much of our theology and guide to living for Christ comes from Paul.

For this reason, many people consider Paul to be the greatest among the apostles, and he wasn’t even a follower of Jesus until after the ascension.

You Have Not Made It Yet

If you look around the room this morning, you will see that we are made up of a variety. There are men and women. There are people of different backgrounds. There are some here who are doing well financially, and others that are not.

There may be some here that have a criminal background, and others who have never even been pulled over for a traffic stop.

And there are those here this morning that have been faithful in their walk with Christ for years, or decades, along with others who may have just started that walk in the last year.

Regardless of where you stand today in your life and your walk with with Christ, there is one thing for certain.

When it comes to your faith, your walk with Jesus, your Christianity:

YOU HAVE NOT MADE IT!!

I hope that isn’t a surprise to you, but if it is then bear with me and I’ll explain.

I’ve already given some information on Paul to show his importance to believers today. Paul, in some of his letters, also pointed to his past as a Hebrew of Hebrews, a Jew, a Pharisee, trained and educated by the best.

Regardless of all of that information. No matter how many churches he started, how many missionary trips he went on, or how many people he led to faith in Jesus Christ.

Paul never made it during his time on this earth.

In fact, our passage today began with “Not that I have already attained or have already been perfected”

Paul was not under the illusion at any point that he had completed his work on this earth, even in his own growth with Jesus.

Another way to word what Paul is saying here in verse 12 is:

Jesus Christ, who IS perfection, has seized me/grabbed me/embraced me already, so I am going to continue to follow/seek/pursue Jesus and His perfection, because I know I am not there yet and can’t get there on my own

If Paul wasn’t there yet, then we know that we are not there yet.

Forget the past

The great thing is that Paul doesn’t just throw something out there and then leave us to figure it all out on our own.

Just like us, Paul was striving every day to become a better follower of Jesus Christ.

Paul tells us 2 things that we can, and should, do as we follow his example and his words.

First, we must FORGET THE PAST.

As today was approaching, you probably at some point did a review of your life in 2023.

I hope you all had amazing years in 2023, but I don’t for a minute think you had perfect years.

I’m sure if you think back on the year, there were mistakes, hurts, failures, and maybe even a season in the valley full of struggles. The moments and seasons that you couldn’t wait for them to end.

There are probably moments from this last year, or throughout your life, that you wish you could actually just forget. Unfortunately, our minds don’t work like that.

You may also think back to the past year and see successes, increase, and seasons on the mountain top. These are the things that went well where we saw the blessings. The moments and seasons that we great and you wanted to continue as long as you were on this earth.

Life doesn’t work like that either.

And honestly, Paul is telling us that good or bad, short term or long term, whatever it was, we need to forget it.

The Romans and Greeks of Paul’s day loved their competitions. Given his references to them, in particular races, its likely Paul enjoyed them as well. Or at the very least, realized his readers enjoyed them and used those competitions as a way to show how to be successful in this life for Christ.

Modern English Version (1 Corinthians Chapter 9)

24 *Do you not know that all those who run in a race run, but one receives the prize? So run, that you may obtain it. 25 *Everyone who strives for the prize exercises self-control in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible one. 26 So, therefore, I run, not with uncertainty. So I fight, not as one who beats the air. 27 *But I bring and keep my body under subjection, lest when preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

I mentioned earlier that one of the sports I did growing up was track. I was primarily a sprinter, 100M and 200M both individual and relays. I came one race away from making it to state in the 100M dash and went to state in the 4x200M relay in Jr. High. By the time I started high school, my focus and attention was elsewhere. I coasted through my freshman year and stopped running track after that.

There was work required leading up to a race and if you didn’t put in the work, your success would be short lived. What you did last week didn’t matter the next week. The longer you went without putting in the work the farther you would fall behind.

As a sprinter, one thing that you don’t do is look behind you. Especially if you are in the lead. As soon as you leave the blocks, your goal is block everything out except what you see in front of you, because the moment you turn your head you slow down. The more you look behind, and the farther you look behind, the slower you are going to go until you finally come to a stop.

THIS is what Paul is actually talking about.

If you had a bad year, or several bad moments this past year, don’t dwell on. There are probably things that you can learn from those moments, but don’t become consumed by what could have or should have been.

If you had a good year, with successes, don’t rest on your laurels. Don’t think that this next year is going to be great because last year was good.

In either case, you can’t be consumed by what was.

Your past, whether last year, 10 years ago, or 50 years ago doesn’t determine or guarantee what today, tomorrow, or this next year will be.

Complacency is the enemy of success, whether in the business world, or in your walk with Christ.

Lean Forward

Instead of looking to the past and living in the past, we should be striving to Lean Forward to what lies ahead

Sprinters are taught from the beginning that no matter what position they are in at the end of the race, they should lean forward.

If its a close race, this lean could be the difference between 1st and 2nd place. If they aren’t even in contention, this discipline prepares them for that moment they may be in contention

If you are looking back at the end of the race then you aren’t going to be able to lean and it will cost you time and possibly the prize.

With a foot race, you can always come back the next time and do better, but we only get one life. We only get one chance to finish well.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to blow it

I want to get to the end of this life, stand in front of my Lord and hear those beautiful words “Well done my good and faithful servant”

I have not attained perfection to this point in my life, and like Paul I’m not going to fully attain it in this life, so I don’t have the luxury of being able to stop moving forward.

I don’t have the option of saying “I’ve done enough”

The director of the program that I work for just retired. She helped to start our program at Chestnut 10 years ago and has been working in the social services field for around 40 years.

Everybody congratulated her on reaching this point in her life where she can choose to relax and pursue other interests without the worry of a day to day job, along with comments about how they couldn’t wait to get to the point in their life where they too could retire.

We’re not talking about the business world though. I don’t get to retire from growing and maturing in Christ Jesus, from seeking after Him and doing for Him

and neither do you

Just like Paul, we must “press toward the goal to the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

If I want the prize of eternity in heaven

if I want the prize of hearing “Well done good and faithful servant”

then I need to run the race of life, the race of Christianity with my entire focus on the end of the race when I am going to see my prize face to face

So What Do We Do?

So What Do We Do?

There are 4 things that we can do to help us win the prize of seizing our Lord and spending eternity with Him

Keep moving forward

We’ve already focused on this, this morning. We can get stuck in the past and stop moving towards the end of the race.

We gave to keep our focus on the prize and keep growing and maturing in Christ.

Otherwise, we run the risk of stopping the race completely and losing out on any chance of the prize

De-constructing Christians

We need to discipline ourselves in this life

An athlete has to train in order to excel in their race, and so do we

We need to put in the effort to learn our weaknesses so that we can compensate for them

It’s in our weaknesses that we are made strong in Christ

We don’t have to overcome our weaknesses on our own, but we should be aware of what they are, and improve as we are able

We need to get rid of those things that will hinder our race

pride, anger, greed,

sexual immorality

addictions, and other things that God has specifically told us to get rid of

We need to remove the obstacles that we can see

Run with purpose

Paul says that he runs, not with uncertainty, and fights, not as one beating the air

Jesus deserves our best effort

that means that we don’t just go halfway, but we continue from beginning to end alway trying to get better and bring others with us

Ask God

This really should be the first thing, but many times we do as I did here and put this step last

If you’re not sure what you should do next, you should seek God

we should each take time to look at our life and determine if there are things we should be doing or shouldn’t be doing and then work on those things

we don’t see everything though, so we also need to ask God if there is anything in our lives that will hinder our race and ability to obtain Christ Jesus

He will reveal things we didn’t see, and even things we didn’t expect, but what God reveals, trumps our thoughts and feelings

Closing

The change from one year to the next is always a good time to review things. There have been numerous shows, and lists counting down the best of 2023. There is no purpose for these list except to look back. That’s it.

If you are going to take time to look back at your 2023, it has to be with purpose. It can’t be to dwell on or with a desire to go back.

Because we have to keep moving forward, we have to keep striving for the prize that is Christ Jesus for eternity in heaven.

And if we want to achieve that goal and attain the perfection that only comes with being in His presence, then our focus must be on what lies ahead.

We must fight the good fight and run the race to completion

Altar Call

Everyone bow your heads and close your eyes

Maybe you’re here today and you have been looking back at this past year and don’t like what you see: mistakes, failures, addictions, hurt received or given, or many other things

Whatever it is, you just are please with this last year.

Maybe you’re still in the thick of things and entering the new year. Some of your struggles are not even known to other people

If that’s you this morning, and you would say to me “Pastor, I’ve really been struggling and I’ve had a hard time not looking back and not dwelling on the past, but I am ready to look forward and put my eyes and my focus on Jesus this year”

Would you quickly raise your hand and put it back down so that I can pray for you?

Maybe you’re here this morning and you’re looking back on what was a great year, but you fear the possibility of falling into complacency. This morning you are ready to celebrate what was, but you want to keep your focus on Jesus in this next year and live for Him daily.

Would you quickly raise your hand and put it back down so that I can pray for you?

Maybe you’re here this morning and you haven’t even started the race yet. You have been living for yourself and doing what you wanted to do, but today you realize that isn’t working out for you. This morning you are ready to start the race that will end with the eternal prize of being in the presence of Jesus forever in heaven.

If that’s you this morning, would you quickly raise your hand and put it back down so that I can pray for you?

As I pray for you, I want you to know that this altar is open. If you need to spend some time in the presence of God and seek Him, feel free to come down and find a place to kneel and pray while I pray.

If you need prayer and want me to pray with you, maybe for struggles or healing or just assurance that God is with you,

feel free to come down and stand and I will pray with you.