Introduction

Good morning, beloved family of God. I am thrilled to be standing before you today. We gather here, not as strangers, but as a family united by our faith. We are here to share in the love of our Heavenly Father and to seek His wisdom.

Our Scripture passage today comes from the book of Philippians, chapter 3, verses 13-14. The Apostle Paul writes,

"Brothers and sisters, 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, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

This passage speaks to us about our past, our present, and our future. It tells us that we must let go of what is behind, live in the now, and look forward to what is to come. It's about moving forward, about pressing on.

Embracing Our Past

The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, encourages us to forget what is behind. This doesn't mean to erase our past or to pretend it didn't happen. Rather, it's about accepting our past, learning from it, and then letting it go. We all have a past. We all have experiences that have shaped us, molded us, and made us who we are today. Some of these experiences have been joyful, while others have been painful. But each one of them has played a part in our story.

Our past is a part of us: It's a part of our identity. It's a part of our story. And it's a part of God's story too. God has been with us every step of the way. He has walked with us through the valleys and celebrated with us on the mountaintops. He has been there in the good times and the bad, in the joy and the sorrow. And He has used all of these experiences to shape us and to mold us into the people He wants us to be.

We often look at our past with regret: We see the mistakes we've made, the opportunities we've missed, the wrong turns we've taken. And we wish we could go back and change things. But the truth is, we can't change our past. We can't undo what's been done. We can't erase our mistakes or our failures. But we can learn from them. We can grow from them. And we can use them to propel us forward.

A stepping stone: Our past is not a chain that holds us back, but a stepping stone that propels us forward. It's not a prison that confines us, but a teacher that instructs us. It's not a shadow that darkens our path, but a light that illuminates our way. Our past is not meant to be a burden that weighs us down, but a foundation that lifts us up.

The Apostle Paul understood this: He had a past. He had made mistakes. He had taken wrong turns. But he didn't let his past define him. He didn't let his past hold him back. Instead, he used his past as a stepping stone to move forward. He used his past as a foundation to build upon. He used his past as a teacher to learn from.

Pressing On In The Present

As we turn our gaze from the rearview mirror of our lives, we find ourselves squarely in the present ... View this full PRO sermon free with PRO