Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Good morning Liberty Baptist Church!

My family and I are ecstatic about being finished with our transition to CT.

Well, almost.

Currently in aa hotel but should be in our house tomorrow and furniture here this week.

Either way, the important things are here, my wife and kids, and we are with the important people, you all.

Thanks to pulpit committee and families, thanks to Pastor Davidson.

Beginnings are always an exciting time.

I pray the new beginning that haas started here is no different.

I pray we are of one mind and of one accord to serve the Lord Jesus and see Him glorified in this place.

Today is the second message in our series Refocus series.

Last week we saw what can happen when we focus on Christ.

We serve Him joyfully.

We have a change of heart and we are not afraid to be what no one else will be and go where no one else will go so we can be with the one that can do what no one else can do.

This morning we will refocus on our purpose.

Our Purpose as a church, our purpose as a person, and how we live that out to the glory of God.

This morning I want you to look with me please at Philippians chapter 3 as we seek to understand the importance of our focus on our purpose.

While you’re turning there I want to talk to about someone that some of you may know but I expect most of you won’t.

Her name is Marla Runyan.

Marla Runyan gave her all to qualify for the Olympic Games in 1996, but her best time finished short of the mark to make the United States team.

Undeterred by that failure, she returned in 2000 and made the team for the Sydney Olympics.

Her eighth place finish in the 1,500 meter race was the best finish ever for a United States woman runner.

The thing that makes Runyan’s accomplishments even more remarkable is that she is legally blind.

She is the first legally blind athlete to ever qualify for and compete in the Olympic Games.

After her Olympic career was over she switched to running marathons and in 2002 posted the second fastest debut marathon time ever by an American woman.

Runyan can only see shapes and blurs, but she says that her lack of vision is actually an asset—she just focuses on the finish line in front of her rather than looking around to see what the other runners are doing.

Not having visual distractions helps her compete and win her races.

The same thing can be true in our lives.

Mrs. Runyan was a lady who did not let distractions or difficulties keep her from running her race.

She did not allow her victories to deter her from training and doing even more.

The was focused on her purpose.

This morning I want to ask you, have you got distracted from your purpose?

Have you had a defeated mentality?

Have you stepped back from serving or living for the Lord?

Are you running your race for the Lord…are have you lost focus.

If that’s you today, I want to challenge you this morning…get back in the race.

If you have been running this race for a long time but have rested on the good ol’ days, it’s time to get back in it.

If you were waiting for the right time, that’s today.

If living for the Lord sounds strange to you, I pray you will see why so many Christians around the world and in the room have decided to do so.

Let’s read these verses together this morning before we get into our message

“Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.

Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.

Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.”

PRAY

Paul is writing to the church at Philippi a letter focused on Joy.

He has had joy in his trials.

He is currently chained to a roman soldier day and night.

When we are focused on Christ, we will have joy.

When we are focused on Christ we will understand our purpose.

Focusing on Christ and on our purpose begins with a Humble foundation.

I.

A Humble Foundation

Paul knew he would never attain perfection this side of Heaven.

That is when we will ultimately be made perfect.

What Paul is saying in this verse is that he has not attained full maturity.

He has not arrived.

At this point in Paul’s ministry he has been on two missionary journeys.

He has planted a multitude of churches in many cities.

He has worked with men and discipled them into pastors and leaders in those churches.

He has given eloquent speeches to the intellectuals of the day.

He has been used by God to do a great work and yet he writes of himself “Not as though I had already attained.”

He said I’m not there yet.

I believe if the Apostle Paul, at this point in his ministry can’t say, I’ve reached my full potential, then none of us can either.

He must have had a conversation with Peter at some point who wrote “Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder.

Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.”

What does it take to have this type of maturity?

Where does that come from?

How can we get to the place where we know we are not there yet?

We have to first, forget the past.

A. Forget the Past

Now I know some of you are thinking “Great!

I forget stuff all the time.”

But that’s not exactly what’s meant by “forgetting those things which are behind.

Two areas we must work at keeping behind us because both can hold us back from moving forward for Christ.

1. Keep your sin behind you

I have much sin in my life.

When God called me to full time ministry that was the first thing I turned to as an excuse for not serving the Lord.

After serving the Lord in full time ministry I’ve learned, I still have sin in my life.

Maybe you’re like me and have some sin in your life.

It’s sin that you have no desire to remember.

You wish the memory of that sin would be erased.

All of you teenagers in the room are at the age or quickly approaching the age where many of those memories lie for me.

As I prayed to erase memories from my youth I would read over “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

I also never found a verse that told me to “forget” my sin.

This made me realize.

I’m not meant to forget the sins of my past.

I meant to confess them.

Trust that I’m forgiven and move forward.

That sin is covered under the blood of Christ.

Your sin, your cussing, your drinking, your lust, and whatever else you have in your life, is covered under the blood.

Confess it, trust that it’s forgiven, and move forward.

Quote: It was Michael Jordan that said “I have missed more than 9,000 shots in my career.

I have lost almost 300 games.

On 26 occasions, I have been entrusted to take the game winning shot and I missed.

I have failed over and over and over again in my life.

And that is precisely why I succeed.”

We will all fail.

We must learn from it and move forward for Christ.

The second area we have to keep behind is us our victories.