Eye on the Prize

Good morning my brothers and Sisters i greet you in the name of our Lord and savior jesus the Christ. This is our first service of the new year and it is a good time for us to to set the record straight whe=at we do and what we want for the church and ourselves. This year i make no resolution but i do want to dedicate myself to God and the uplifting of his Kingdom. This year i want to walk a little closer to God, This year i want to pray a little stronger, this year i want a greater undestanding of the mystical and spritual union of Christ and his church. This year I want to do all that I can , to be all that I can in my service to the Lord jesus Christ. And while that is not an easy task, I believe that it could be done.

Come with me the the Epistle of Paul written to the church at Philippi, while he was incarcerated in Rome.

Philippians 3:12–14 NLT

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. 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, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

Father God i come humbled but thankful. I am thankful for so many things , my health, my family, my peace, but most of all i am thankful for the gify of your son jesus. That same jesus who died on a cross, so that i might live. That same jesus that who though it was not robbery to cloak his self in flesh , take upon himself the sins of the world , so that I could be forgiven for my transgressions and excused for my sins. I thank you for the opportunity to preach your word, and let me preach this word with boldness and conviction, so that form my mouth may come the words that will bring somebody to the altar asking what must i do to be saved. Amen.

I have taken for title My eyes on the prize.

When reading this scripture I was struck by the fact that Paul was focused on the end game, on focusing not on the stuff but what all the stuff was about. Maybe because Paul was in prison, but he was concerned about the how he would end up. He wanted everybody to know that his eyes was on the prize. The prize of God reached through Jesus Christ. For there is is no other way to reach the father but through the son.

Paul uses the illustration often of a runner , running a race , he talks about reaching the end of the raise and claiming his prize.

Now hopefully all of us have that same goal in mind, yet in these few verses Paul shares with us some important stuff on how we can get the prize. And all of us want to get the prize one day.

Not That

Paul shares with us a “Not That”

I think we all need to look closer at the “ not that”.

What is the not that , it is simply put we can not rest on our achievements.

Paul talks about that he was Real hebrew, could trace his lineage back to the tribe of benjain.

He was learned ,and had studied and was a pharisee, and was a strict complier with the Mosaic law.

Paul told the church they he had a pedigree, in Jewish culture he was a big baller. he also said the gave that all up for faith in Jesus Christ, and that he sought righteousness with Jesus Christ. With all tha Paul had done, started churches, healer, teacher and Apostle , and with all he had done Not that I I have achieved perfection.

Not that I made it.

Some us think that we have made it , we can’t see the prize because we are too busy concentration on what we have done , who we are and who we are suppose to be. We run around with more more titles, more honorifics, more positions when we really need some “not that “.

Not that I have made it.

Not that I am all that ,

Not that I an so special,

Not that . For if we concentrate on the stuff we have, if we concentrate on the stuff we have done , if we concentrate on titles then we start to believe that we have made it. we start to be believe that we are rifghteous , we start to believe that we are perfect ,and many times we we start to beleive that we start looking down on somebody else. But if if you keep your mind on not that then you are too busy worried about yourself, to to get in your mind that you are better than somebody else.

Not Yet

After you settle on the Not hat i have obtained , it will lead you to a a Not Yet

I am not there , not yet but i am am on my way.

I am pressing, not there but i am on my way!

Hymn writer put it like this

“I’m pressing on the upward way,

New heights I’m gaining every day;

Still praying as I onward bound,

Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.

I on my way!

But Paul gives us one more thing to watch out for as we try for the prize.

One thing Forgetting the past I am looking forward to what lies ahead.

Just like we can get stuck on the things we have achieved, we also can not get stuck on the things in the past that hold us back.

It is true I have not crosses every T, it is true that I have not dotted every I but that alright.

I have fallen down, lost faith, back slid and generally messed up, but I can not let my past stop my future.

I can not let you bring up my past to try to block my future.

But you say to mr Pastor ,How can I forget the past, How can the past be put behind me, I can not forget, but what I can and will do is not let my past dictate what my future will be.

I can not change the past, but I can change the influence the past has on my present.

I will break a generational curse, and I will move forward in my anointing.

I know God will no longer hold my past against me, so i will not hold my past against me. And I won’t let you hold my past against me.

I’m pressing on the upward way,

New heights I’m gaining every day;

Still praying as I onward bound,

Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.1

Too many of us are shackled by our past , running a race looking backwards, you can win looking back.

Satchel page said don’t look back something might be gaining on you.

Lots wife looked back and died.

Keep your eyes on the prize!

I Press

When running this race, I an not only can’t i look behind, i ca not look besides, to see what you are doing.

I press toward the prize

I press toward the end of my race.

When i am sick

I Press!

When I am tired I press!

When things are not going right

I press!

I look ahead for the prize.

For one day I know I shall finish my race, and I press on to get my eyes have closed for the last time I want my prize.

Whe nI have take n my last breath , I want my prize

When this old life is over I want my prize.

I want the Kingdom of God!

I want my crown

I want to see Jesus , whom I shall see for myself.

I want the rose of shearin,

I want the crystal shore.

When it is all over , and I have been weighed on the scales of justice, I want well done

well done

I am not worried but iam thinkful

I going to run this race.

Not that I have already run it

Not yet

but I an on my my way

I’m pressing on the upward way,

New heights I’m gaining every day;

Still praying as I onward bound,

Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.1