Let Nothing Turn You Around
Philippians 3:14
14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Luke 9:51
51 As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. NIV
Here we find in Philippians 3:14 a phrase that describes this verse. “Press on” Means; To advance with grim resolution. Putting it another way we could say “I am going on unrelenting letting nothing nothing or nobody stop me.
Let us if you please look at the other verse that we have before this afternoon.
There is a word in this text verse “Luke 9:51” which describes the verse in it’s hold ness. That word is “resolutely or resolute” It means; not turned from a purpose by difficulties, or opposition, or risk.
If we had to state it another way one would say.
“Let Nothing Turn You Around”
Anytime one starts out on this Spiritual journey he or she must first discipline themselves, them they must set in motion a mind set that they have no intention of turning back. Once we have set out to reach a goal and for some reason of difficulties we turn back or give up, it is known as spiritual failure.
Those who have any self-esteem about themselves will not fall into this kind of condition.
Jesus gives us a lesson on what it means to be one of His disciples. If we are going to run this race for the Lord and have intentions of making it to the end we have to be steadfast in our effect.
Look if you will at Jesus’ teaching on a disciple;
In the gospel of Saint Luke chapter 14 we find these words;
Luke 14:25-30
25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said:
26 "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and his children, his brothers and sisters-yes, even his own life-he cannot be my disciple.
27 And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
28 "Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it?
29 For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him,
30 saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.' NIV
Let us if you will go back and take a look see at some of these verses that were just read.
Verse twenty-six. There is one word in that whole verse gives all of it’s meaning. That one word without having an understanding of it’s meaning could cause one to turn back. But I say to you today my dearly beloved brothers and sisters;
“Let Nothing Turn You Around”
The word “hate” in verse twenty-six of Luke cp. 14 means to “love less”. So Jesus is merely saying to you and to me. If any one comes after Me and he or she do not love his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and his sisters, yes, even his own life LESS THAN they love Me-they can not be My disciple.
If we are going to set our mark for the goal in which we have set out to reach, we must see first what is involved.
In verse twenty-eight, Jesus teaches us that we must set down and count up the cost before we begin to build. Because if we do not, we may find that we started a project that we are not able to finish. That also applies to this race that we are running towards heaven.
“Let Nothing Turn You Around”
Philippians 3:14
14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. NIV
Paul is saying to all of us; “I am going unrelenting. I will not “let anything turning me around”.
I have focus all of my energy toward finishing my race. You and I must do the same thing. Living the Christian life demands all of our energy. We can forget the past and strain for the goal because we know Christ promises eternity with Him at the race’s end.
Philippians 3:13
13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, NIV
We must not let negative talk from others or those around us, about our past cause us to feel guilty about what we may have done in the past and cause us to turn around. Paul tells; we must forgetting what is behind us and straining toward what is ahead of us.
“Let Nothing Turning You Around”
Let us if you please take a look at a brief of the life of Jesus, and cases where effect was made to try to be turned Him around.
We know that at the birth of Jesus, King Herod made all kind of effects to have Jesus killed. It was not so much so about a treat to the King, as it was to just “turn Jesus around”.
We find again after Jesus was baptized in the Jordan, at such time He was fill of the Holy Spirit. Satan tried all that He could to “turn Jesus around”. Satan approached Jesus from when Jesus was at His Spiritual high point and also at His lowest physical point. Satan's temptation was to steer Jesus away from the course that had been set before Jesus to finish.
Jesus did not fight fire with fire. But Jesus laid the word of God on Satan.
“Man does not live by bread alone, but from every word that proceed from the mouth of God”
“Thou shall not tempt the Lord thou God”
“Let Nothing Turn You Around”
Mark 5 beginning at verse 25 tells us about the woman who had a bleeding problem for twelve long years, but when she heard that Jesus was on HIs way by.
She did not let nothing stop her from getting to Jesus
LET NOTING TURN YOU AROUND
You remember another case that is recorded by both Matthew and Mark. When Jesus told his disciples about Him having to go to Jerusalem. There He would be handed up to the authorities. He would be put on trail; condemned and crucified on the cross and after three days He would rise again.
Peter took Jesus aside and rebuked Him. Peter said not you Lord you cannot do such thing.
Mark 8:33
33 But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. "Get behind me, Satan!" he said. "You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men." NIV
Look how they are trying to turn around Jesus. Some intentionally, yet others really did not know what they were doing. (Peter for example)
“Let Nothing Turn You Around”
You remember do you not when some of the Pharisees came to Jesus and said to Him that He ought to go some place else, King Herod wanted to kill Him. But they were not interested in the well being of the life of Jesus, but they were trying to turn Him around.
Luke 13:31-32
[31 At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, "Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you."]
32 He replied, "Go tell that fox, 'I will drive out demons and heal people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.' NIV
From our text verse we see from Luke’ gospel the following;
Luke 9:51
51 As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.
No matter what obstacles were in His way He did not “Let Nothing Turn Him Around”.
Luke 9:51
- rather, 'when the days of His assumption were fulfilling,' or 'in course of fulfillment:' meaning not His death, but His exaltation to the Father. It is a sublime expression, taking the sweep of His whole career, as if at one bound He was about to vault into glory. It divides the work of Christ in the flesh into two great stages; all that preceded this belonging to the one, and all that follows it to the other. During the one, He formally "came to His own," and "would have gathered them;" during the other, the awful consequences of "His own receiving Him not," rapidly revealed themselves.
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- You remember do you not how Jesus weep over Jerusalem. Matt 23:37
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- 37 "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.
- NIV
- “Let Nothing Turn You Around”
He steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem. The "He" is emphatic here; and the spirit in which He "set (or fixed) his face steadfastly"
The Lord said to Ezekiel;
Ezekiel 6:2
2 "Son of man, set your face against the mountains of Israel; prophesy against them NIV
which really means the same as here] "to go to Jerusalem," is best expressed in His own prophetic language, "I have set my face like a flint" (Isa 50:7).
Jerusalem was His goal; but the reference here to His final visit must be understood as including two preparatory visits to it, at the feasts of Tabernacles and of Dedication (John 7:2,10; and 10:22-23), with all the intermediate movements and events.
“Let Nothing Turn You Around”
Mark 10:32-34
32 They were on their way up to Jerusalem, with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid. Again he took the Twelve aside and told them what was going to happen to him.
33 "We are going up to Jerusalem," he said, "and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles,
34 who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise." NIV
“Let Nothing Or Nobody Turn You Around”
There will be dark clouds over your head, but stay right there!
Folks will drag your name up and down the streets and avenues, but stay right there!
You will be lied on and called everything but a Child of God, but stay right there!
Sometimes your own family may not understand you, but stay right there.
Go from here to Romans Chp. 8:35ff