Carry On- The End of a Semester
Philippians 3:14 • Sermon • Submitted
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Introduction
Introduction
21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.
1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Many of you have heard the phrase, “Life isn’t a sprint, it is a marathon.”
Anyone in hear feel like they need a water break?
Let’s take one right now actually...
*Pass out cups of water...
Listen, I have very little knowledge about the minute details of your everyday life. What I do know is that this stretch of the season is a struggle.
Eyes are toward summer, graduating, summer and/or fall sports, finishing school.
You’ve been running this race and exhaustion has set in!
I want to give you a moment to take a water break. Let’s refresh, revive, and ready ourselves for the final stretch.
But more than that, let’s make a commitment to finish well.
In School, in church, in every other area of life.
*Practice stillness, refocus mind to what the Word of God has to say, and be refreshed.
In the 15th century, Spain was the leader of the world in almost everything.
They were extremely arrogant. In their eyes, your loss was not being a spaniard!
Their coins during this time inscribed Ne Plus Ultra meaning, “Nothing Further.”
This was pointing to the fact that Spain was the ultimate in the world!
Many of you may know that this century was pivotal for the nation of Spain. It was during this century that they discovered the new world through Christopher Columbus...
This was humbling… not only is there more to this world, but their was way more than what they had! They were no longer the end of the world- there was no end!
In response to this realization, they inscribed their coins with Plus Ultra, essentially meaning, “More Beyond.”
Pressing on is a vital characteristic of the born again believer in Christ.
In Romans 7:21-25, we see Paul giving a glimpse of his struggle that we struggle with as well!
There is always this tension between what we want to be and who we are sometimes in the moment.
Has anyone done something and stopped to think, “What the heck was I thinking?”
Better yet, what about the struggle to finish well and do things right let you are frustrated with the grind that must take place to make this happen?
I am going to make a general assumption that we all have experienced this-
We find ourselves desire the best outcome, yet frustrated with the struggle of getting there.
You want to finish well in school, you want to get this grade, you want to please your parents, you want to be eligible… but the work that it takes sounds exhausting.
You want to pursue the Lord, you want to study his word, you want to overcome sin, you want to grow in your walk… but that constant confrontation of failure and shortcomings discourage you and you end up backsliding…
Are you lazy? Are you exhausted? In the midst of the struggle, are you depending on the Lord? this things can be seen in the way you live, it is the overflow of what you do when no one is looking concerning your relationship with the Lord.
Let’s finish well this semester with our faith being the cornerstone of our daily lives...
Tonight I want to encourage you with the mindset of Paul that would help you when looking at what it means to finish well this next month...
14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Paul presses on… but why and how is he able to confront prison, illness, injury, and conflict filled relationships and still joyfully continue on the grind?
Because of the upward call of Jesus.
24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Paul knows that because of his salvation and his inheritance of eternal life in heaven, that will be the moment he has finished… but until then, he must press on because he has not arrived yet.
There was no slowing down, no quitting, no stopping, but only pressing on.
We must come to the same realization Spain did… there is more.
In some sense, this mirrors the mindset of a child!
Jesus was always pointing our the positive perspectives of a child’s mind…
3 and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
This verse in Philippians is even where this child-like faith meets maturity!
A child is always looking for ways to be bigger and more mature...
We too, as born again believers, should function in this way!
We should desire to grow, to press on, and to become what God has created us to be until we have arrived!
We see this mindset also in another area of the scriptures.
62 Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
There is the sense of keeping your head down, working hard for the glory of God, and never lazily becoming passive!
Students, as we grow closer to the end of this semester, you need to make the choice now to press on!
Seniors, you are just beginning… This feeling of exhaustion and fatigue and the longing of something more, this is an attitude you will have to confront over and over again.
Graduating doesn’t solve those problems… It might even present more!
The question for you, and the rest of you, is are you ready to continue pressing on?
God has more in store for you… Your time in His word, your time in prayer, and your investment into this church will allow you to press on until the day you arrive… Are you willing to keep your hands to the plow?
Honestly, as a believer, you have no other choice? You must trust that God’s plan involves His provision.
He will replenish you. the time in His work is your water break to drink living water… It gives life, it renews...
I want this to be a short reminder… a short refresher....
I have no intention of teaching more than I already have…
As we focus in on the rest of this semester, let’s leave our past behind, and lets press on.
Let the overflow of your relationship with the Lord allow you the perseverance of finishing this semester well.
Let’s pray.