Growing Through Focus And Forgetting Series

GROWING THROUGH FOCUS AND FORGETTING

PHILIPPIANS 3:12-14 NOT THAT I HAVE ALREADY OBTAINED IT OR HAVE ALREADY BECOME PERFECT, BUT I PRESS ON SO THAT I MAY LAY HOLD OF THAT FOR WHICH ALSO I WAS LAID HOLD OF BY CHRIST JESUS. 13 BRETHREN, I DO NOT REGARD MYSELF AS HAVING LAID HOLD OF IT YET; BUT ONE THING I DO: FORGETTING WHAT LIES BEHIND AND REACHING FORWARD TO WHAT LIES AHEAD, 14 I PRESS ON TOWARD THE GOAL FOR THE PRIZE OF THE UPWARD CALL OF GOD IN CHRIST JESUS.

INTRODUCTION: LAST WEEK WE LOOKED AT THE SIMPLE TRUTH THAT THE CHRISTIAN LIFE IS A PROCESS OF KNOWING CHRIST BETTER. PAUL BROKE THIS KNOWING DOWN TO THREE AREAS: KNOWING HIS POWER, SUFFERING AND RESURRECTION. THIS MORNING, I WOULD LIKE OT ADD TO THAT THOUGHT BY SEEING WHAT PAUL HAS TO SAY ABOUT GROWING IN CHRIST THROUGH BOTH FOCUS AND FORGETTING.

PROPOSITION: WE NEED TO KNOW WHAT IS IMPORTANT FOR OUR FOCUS AS WELL AS WHAT WE SHOULD FORGET.

I. WE HAVE TO REACH IN ORDER TO GROW

a. IN ORDER TO REACH WE NEED TO HAVE AN HONEST ASSESSMENT OF OURSELVES

b. PAUL DECLARES THAT HE HAS NOT OBTAINED “KNOWING CHRIST”

i. 30 YEARS AND STILL WORKING

c. IN ORDER TO REACH WE NEED TO BE ACTIVELY MOVING FORWARD

i. PRESSING ON

ii. PRESSING ON FOR A PURPOSE – TO LAY HOLD

iii. PRESSING ON IN THE SAME MANNER CHRIST DID TO LAY HOLD OF PAUL

1. SEEN IN THE INCARNATION -- WILLINGNESS

2. SEEN IN THE TEACHING OF CHRIST – DECLARING WHAT IS RIGHT, NOT WHAT IS POPULAR

3. SEEN IN THE CRUCIFIXION OF CHRIST – EVEN TO THE EXTREME

4. SEEN IN THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST – TILL THE JOB IS FINISHED

5. SEEN IN THE APPEARANCE OF CHRIST – THEN UNDERSTANDING THAT IT IS NEVER THE JOB OF SOMEONE ELSE!

d. WHAT WE ARE REACHING FOR IS PERFECTION

i. THE WORD PERFECT HERE MEANS TO “REACH A GOAL”

ii. PAUL ALSO USES THE WORD, “OBTAIN”

1. MEANS TO TAKE HOLD OF

2. MEANS TO MAKE ONES OWN

WHEN WE TALK ABOUT REACHING OUT, WE ARE TALKING ABOUT MAKING MY KNOWLEDGE OF CHRIST PERSONAL. THE MODEL FOR THIS IS THE LIFE OF CHRIST HIMSELF.

CHRIST FIRST REACHED OUT TO ME REDEMPTIVELY

IN HIS REACHING OUT WE SEE THE QUALITIES OF WILLINGNESS TO DO WHAT WAS THE RIGHT THING, APART FROM THE RESISTANCE AROUND HIM, WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT EVEN WHEN HE FINISHED HIS WORK, THE REAL JOB WAS NEVER REALLY DONE.

WE CAN NEVER STOP REACHING FOR CHRIST – TO KNOW HIM BETTER, AND TO BE MORE LIKE HIM.

II. WE HAVE TO FOCUS IN ORDER TO GROW

a. I GUESS WHEN WE GET TO THIS POINT; WE NEED TO ASK A FUNDAMENTAL QUESTION, “WHY SHOULD I GROW AS A FOLLOWER OF CHRIST?”

b. THERE ARE SEVERAL REASONS A FOLLOWER OF CHRIST SHOULD GROW

i. YOUR GROWTH GLORIFIES GOD

ii. YOUR GROWTH IS A TREMENDOUS EVIDENCE OF YOUR SALVATION

iii. YOUR GROWTH MAKES THE TRUTH OF GOD VISIBLE TO OTHERS WHO ARE SEARCHING

iv. YOUR GROWTH NATURALLY DEALS WITH THE PROBLEMS OF IMMATURITY

v. YOUR GROWTH IS A PROTECTION , KEEPING THE NAME OF CHRIST ABOVE REPROACH

vi. YOUR GROWTH PRODUCES JOY

vii. YOUR GROWTH IS PART OF THE EQUIPPING PROCESS THAT ALLOWS YOU TO MINISTER TO OTHERS IN THE BODY OF CHRIST

viii. YOUR GROWTH IS A WITNESS TO THE WORLD!

c. FOCUS INVOLVES TWO THINGS

i. WHAT YOU CHOOSE TO FOCUS ON MUST BE YOUR PRIORITY

1. IF WE SAY WE WANT TO FOCUS ON KNOW CHRIST, BUT THAT IS NOT OUR PRIORITY WE WILL NEVER ACHIEVE IT BECAUSE SOMETHING ELSE WILL ALWAYS BE IN THE WAY

2. PAUL USES THE TERM – “ONE THING”

3. NEED TO ASK WITH IS OUR PRIORITY OF FOCUS TODAY, OR BETTER YET, WHO IS OUR PRIORITY OF FOCUS TODAY?

ii. WHAT YOU CHOOSE TO FOCUS ON MUST BE A PRUDENT CHOICE

1. YOU NEED TO TAKE TIME TO ASSESS YOUR DECISION

2. JESUS SPEAKS OF THE WISE BUILDING COUNTING THE COST, SO AS TO KNOW HE CAN GET THE JOB DONE.

3. JESUS SPEAKS OF THE WISE BUILDER WHO FIND THE ROCK FOR HIS FOUNDATION BEFORE HE BUILDS

SOME “ONE THINGS OF SCRIPTURE:

GOD’S LOYALTY -- JOSHUA 23:14 14 "NOW BEHOLD, TODAY I AM GOING THE WAY OF ALL THE EARTH, AND YOU KNOW IN ALL YOUR HEARTS AND IN ALL YOUR SOULS THAT NOT ONE WORD OF ALL THE GOOD WORDS WHICH THE LORD YOUR GOD SPOKE CONCERNING YOU HAS FAILED; ALL HAVE BEEN FULFILLED FOR YOU, NOT ONE OF THEM HAS FAILED.

OUR DESIRE FOR GOD -- PSALM 27:4 ONE THING I HAVE ASKED FROM THE LORD, THAT I SHALL SEEK: THAT I MAY DWELL IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD ALL THE DAYS OF MY LIFE, TO BEHOLD THE BEAUTY OF THE LORD AND TO MEDITATE IN HIS TEMPLE.