"Look Back – Smile And Grow! Look Forward - Dream And Grow!"

Look back – smile and grow!

Look forward - dream and grow!

Scripture Texts: Philippians 3:8-21 – key verse 13

8What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. 10I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

12Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13Brothers, 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, 14I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

15All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. 16Only let us live up to what we have already attained.

Isa. 40:28-31 -

28 Do you not know?

Have you not heard?

The LORD is the everlasting God,

the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He will not grow tired or weary,

and his understanding no one can fathom.

29 He gives strength to the weary

and increases the power of the weak.

30 Even youths grow tired and weary,

and young men stumble and fall;

31 but those who hope in the LORD

will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;

they will run and not grow weary,

they will walk and not be faint.

Thesis: Today’s graduates need to grow from their past experiences and prepare to grow from their up and coming future.

Introduction:

Motto for class of 2007: I always knew looking back on my tears I would laugh but I never knew looking back on my laughter I would cry.

Memories are frozen in time they are frames in our minds of happiness – sadness – and joy. They bring pieces of learning to our lives – they help us grow and think. They etch lessons and concepts into our hearts to be drawn on again and again in the future. They help us to learn and to grow in life. They are precious moments of time that will never be forgotten or discarded.

Time goes by and it impacts our lives. Time has come and gone during your 12 years of school – It seems that Time approaches quickly and will even flash right by us before we know it. But the Lord in His Word encourages us to enjoy the ride of life with Him at our side and to make the most of our time? Each day brings with it a precious commodity called time. Every morning you wake up is a new day and the Lord has placed into your day 86,400 seconds of time which represents 1,440 minutes which also equals 24 hours in a day. So each day brings the gift of time. This time is precious and it is not to be wasted or used unwisely.

Psalm 90:12 (NLT) states, “Teach us to make the most of our time, so that we may

grow in wisdom.”

Our Time is to be used wisely because the way we use our time will determine our eternal destiny. The Bible tells me that I need to have an eternal view – and a eternal perspective in my life. I need to remember that Life is temporary and it is to be used to make an eternal difference for the Kingdom of God.

Video Clip: “Life is Temporary” - Blue Fish TV

Challenge to Graduates!

* We all need to be reminded that this life is temporary in comparison to eternity.

*We need to use our time wisely and use it so it lives on into eternity.

*We need to learn not to throw our time away but learn from our past and from our future!

I. Learn from your past graduates!

a. Learn from the lessons you have been taught through your past life.

i. Paul in our text of Philippians reflects on his past and shares with the reader what he has learned to be the most important lesson of life.

1. Paul reflects that best thing he had learned was Jesus Christ.