HIGHWAY TO TOMORROW
Philippians 3:12-14
Introduction
• [Quote] Jonathan Swift who wrote Gulliver’s Travels had an unusual greeting to others – “May you live every day of your life!”
• As you look back over this last year – how many days did you really live life at its best?
• Living life at its best – I know someone who strived to do that – the Apostle Paul.
• Certainly no man had better excuses for being miserable in life
o He went about doing good yet the worse sort of things constantly happened to him
o He was arrested falsely many times
o He was beaten unjustly
o He was thrown into prison
o He was shipwrecked
o He often went without food
o He was afflicted with illness
o YET this man seemed to live every day at its fullest.
• Most of us, if not all of us are conscious of the fact that we are not living every day to its fullest.
o Someone will ask us, “How are you doing?” And we will answer, “Great” “Super” – Ah, but behind our mask, we know it isn’t so.
o We know that there has to be a better way than the way we are going.
• Jesus said He came that we might have life and have it more abundantly [John 10:10]. Is life abundant to you?
• Let’s check in with what Paul says in Philippians 3:12-14. Now, keep this in mind as we look at these verses – Paul is in prison, once again, after being falsely accused.
• He is about to reveal to us his secret to live life to its fullest – even when it is falling apart.
• Philippians 3:12-14
• There are three groups of people here this morning listening to me as I share
o Satisfied – You are resting on your own achievements, saying “I’m OK. I have arrived and am satisfied with my life”. If that is the case for you then there is not much ahead for you tomorrow. You have already arrived.
o Dissatisfied – Maybe you are dissatisfied with yourself, with others, and with life’s circumstances. In such a condition, tomorrow doesn’t hold much for you. Why? Because you will be taking that dissatisfied attitude into tomorrow with you.
o Unsatisfied – Paul puts himself in this category and I hope that is where most of us are this morning. It’s the condition where we believe that there is more to life than what we are getting out of it and where we realize there is more we can do in life. It’s were we realize we are not finished. Therefore, tomorrow has much in store for us.
• Paul says, “I have not arrived”. Then he says, “But one thing I do”. Let me rephrase that last statement – “I have pulled together all my thoughts, goals, and purposes and shaped them into a single goal – a single purpose”.
• Have any of you worked your way through Rick Warren’s book The Purpose Driven Life? About 6-7 years ago our church went through that study together. Rick lays our 5 specific purposes for each individual life
• I won’t go over those purposes; I just want to point out that we all need to center in on what our purpose is. We have a tendency to fragment ourselves, having dozens and dozens of targets in life.
• [Illus.] One fellow said he had too many irons in the fire. I believe he was wrong. Each of us has only one iron. You may have one iron in too many fires. You have only one life, one day, one hour, yet are you trying to put your iron in too many places?
• We have to decide where we are going to put our lives – decide what our goal and purpose is going to be. Paul said, “one thing I do”.
• [Illus.] I’m not a hunter – I’ve been bird hunting twice – one time we startled a covey of quail – they shot up in the air – as they did, I shot at the bunch of them – missed every one – my friend aimed at one – pow – aimed at another – pow – and then a third – pow – 3 shots 3 dead quail
• We are not to shoot at the covey – we need to center our aim
• Listen again to Philippians 3:13b-14
• I would like to reduce that to 6 little words – 3 couplets
1. Forget Yesterday
• “Forgetting what is behind” – That is hard to do.
• Yet life is less than what it can be if we keep carrying around all of our yesterdays. They burden us down.
• Paul says we are to “forget”
o Paul did not mean to erase the past from our minds.
o Look at verses 4b-7. Paul was recalling some things from the yesterdays of his life. He hadn’t erased them from his mind.
o He was however making a conscious refusal to let all that stuff absorb his attention and impede his progress.
o Today _____________ Baptist celebrates 84 years – PTL – Thank God – celebrate what God has done and is doing – THEN move on with God.
o Party today – work tomorrow
o The past is not a place to stop at but a place to build upon.
o Paul did not let his failures or successes obstruct his present running of God’s race for him. He could not change the past, but he could change the meaning of the past.
• Hebrews 12:1
1) The race is now. It’s time to take off the weights – take off the sweat suit
2) It’s time to run our best – we run the race better because of the weights, the practice, and the sweats – but in the race you take them off.
• As you face new days – as this wonderful church faces another year – a new leg of the race – it’s time to leave something at the starting line.
a. Past victories
1) [Illus.] In one church I pastored their stationary stated “The Oldest Baptist Church in ___________ [state]”. In my tenure there we changed it to read “Serving Since _________ [the date the church started]”. Yet when I left they went right back to the former designation. The church had started 7-8 other churches before the 1800’s but had accomplished very little since.
2) Charter member
3) Dedication and effort
4) Positions served
5) Former pastors
b. Past Failures
1) Friction between members
2) Hurt feelings
3) [Illus.] In one church I have pastored, 50-60 people left at one time over issues in the church – God had to help our church let that go – to forgive and move on with Him – if that didn’t happen then there would have been very little God could have accomplished through our church – we may have begun to die
4) Critical spirit and gossip
5) Unfaithfulness
• All that has gone on is to help us run today’s race – not to weigh us down.
• “Forgetting what is behind” – building on them but not carrying them on with us.
• Only Jesus can enable us to let go our past victories and past failures in order to get on with our race today.
• The race is not run looking back but looking forward. Too many runners have lost the race by looking back.
• Forget Yesterday
2. Live Today
• Paul says that he tries as hard as he can – straining toward
• [Illus.] Suppose the doctor says you only have 6 months left to live – a week left to live – one day left. How would you live today?
• I’m sure you would be busy doing something – praying – writing letters – making phone calls – praying – visits – some thanks and praise to give – praying – confession – witnessing – praying
• BUT, here’s the thing, God only gives today. Not a one of us is promised tomorrow. Yet we often assume we will have plenty of tomorrows when all we are assured of is today.
• This is the day the Lord has made, therefore be glad in it. Live today. It is a gift from the God who loves you. Live it to the fullest.
a. Live today where you are
1) Do not try and say, “If things were different” or “What if…”
2) Do not be an “iffer” – Say, “This is the day God has given to me. This is the place the Lord has put me in. I’m going to live today where I am”
3) You are not responsible to live anyone’s life but your own.
4) [Illus.] Do you know what the busiest day in the world is going to be? It is "someday." Everyone in the world has something scheduled to do "someday."
5) Live today where you are
b. Live today with purpose
1) [Quote} Yogi Berra stated: “If you don’t know where you’re going, you’re likely to end up someplace else.”
2) [Illus.] Mr. & Mrs. Walker tended the lighthouse on Robbins Reef in New York Harbor – after he died she tended the light for another 32 years – As she prepared to retire a reporter came out to interview her – She said that when her husband came down with pneumonia several people came out to take him to the mainland hospital while she tended the light – Several days later a boat came out and she knew the news, her husband had died. They buried him on a hill there on Robbins Reef while she tended the light – For 32 years Mrs. Walker would look out on that hill and hear her husband say to her what he had told her many times before he died, “Watch the light, Mary, watch the light” – And so that is what she did! [Story told by Dr. Harry Emerson Fosdick]
3) Christian, in our lives there is a hill out yonder – we sing about it – it is where Jesus died on the cross for our sins – our rebellion – our lawlessness.
4) He calls out to us to tend the light each day – to live for Him.
• That is what Paul is saying. Wherever I am, whatever circumstances are set before me, I have this great overriding purpose and goal – verses 13b-14
• Only Jesus can give your life purpose. He is the One who created you in the womb of your mother. He is the One who birthed this church 84 years ago. As individuals and as a church we will only find our purpose in Him.
• Living for Christ – not desiring to be someone else – or to be somewhere else – content to be where God has placed me/us – but not content with standing still.
• Just 6 words – 3 couplets – (1) Forget Yesterday (2) Live Today and (3) Trust Tomorrow – there is victory here
3. Trust Tomorrow
• Matthew 6:34
• Instead of worrying about tomorrow we need to trust tomorrow. What do I mean by that?
a. First we need to trust tomorrow to what God can do through us today
1) There are some things we can do today that will help us fulfill what God wants us to do tomorrow.
2) A student can study today for tomorrow’s test. If he doesn’t then he might just fail.
3) A salesman makes calls and cultivates customers today in order to have a commission tomorrow. If she doesn’t work today, not much income tomorrow.
4) [Ask one side of congregation to say “tomorrow” when I point to them and ask the other side to say “today” when I point to them]
5) So to be the Christian God has called you to be tomorrow means you are on your knees, you are in His Word, and you are living obediently today.
6) To see your lost loved one come to know Jesus tomorrow means praying and witnessing today.
7) To be in good health tomorrow means exercising, eating right, sleeping right, and taking care of your body today.
8) Seeing this church grow tomorrow will mean your time, effort, faithfulness, money and prayers today.
9) [Illus.] Business man hired a horticulturist to landscape his grounds at home – since he was busy and often away on business he wanted her to create a garden in a way that would require little or no maintenance on his part– He insisted on automatic sprinklers and other labor-saving devises – Finally she says, “If there’s no gardener, there’s no garden!” [Bill Norman in Leadership, Vol.16, No. 1]
10) Friends, there are no labor-saving devices for growing a garden of spiritual virtue. Becoming a person or a church of spiritual fruitfulness requires time, attention, and care.
11) God has brought _______________ Baptist a long ways in these years – only to take you farther. How much further depends upon your actions today. You are determining your future right now!
12) So first, we do things about tomorrow that we can do today.
b. Secondly we need to trust tomorrow to God to do the things we can’t do
1) God is in tomorrow and we can trust that He will take care of that important time for us.
2) The same God who has seen you through and blessed you in the last 84 years as a church, is the same God who is out there paving the way for better things.
3) [Illus.] Florence Chadwich, age 34, on July 4, 1952 waded into the water off Catalina Island and began her 21 mile swim toward California – the water was ice cold, and the fog was so heavy – shooters from the boats accompanying her continued to shoot at sharks trying to nip at her heels - 15 hours later – ½ mile away from land she gave up – Later after she had thawed out she stated, "Look, I’m not excusing myself. But if I could have SEEN the land, I might have made it." - Two months later on a clearer day she set the record [Sermon Central]
4) Verse 14 says “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” If you keep your eyes on Jesus – trust Him for the next ½ mile – trust Him for the future – you’ll be excited about what He’ll do.
5) [Illus.] One of my favorite songs says, “There is no problem so big God cannot solve it, there is not mountain so tall, He cannot move it. There is no storm so dark He cannot calm it, there is no sorrow so deep He cannot soothe it. If He carried the weight of the world upon His shoulder, I know, my brother, that He will carry you.”
6) [Illus.] Another, a little older, says it this way: “Many things about tomorrow I don’t seem to understand, but I know Who holds tomorrow, and I know He holds my hand.”
7) God is out in your future _____________ Baptist – Christian friend – He can lead you toward the prize.
8) “You ain’t seen nuth-in yet!”
• Trust tomorrow. It is worth your investment today. It is worth putting in the Master’s hands.
Conclusion
• So that’s the simple formula to enjoying and getting the most out of each day.
o Forget yesterday – build on it – build from it
o Live today – where you are – giving all you have
o Trust tomorrow – because God is there
• What a way to start your 85th year as a church – or a new chapter in your own life.
• [Quote] Lou Holtz once said, “If you don’t make a total commitment to whatever you are doing then you start looking to bail out the first time the boats starts to leak. It’s tough enough getting the boat to shore with everyone rowing, let alone when a guy stands up and starts putting his life jacket on.”
• Now is not the time to bail, now is the time for you to make a commitment.
• Some of us need to start this new day by trusting Jesus with our lives – the One who will forgive us of our past – the One who will give purpose to our today – the one who will give hope for our tomorrow.
• Others need to come and say, “I’m a Christian, but I need to recommit my life to Jesus and let my yesterdays be gone. I need to trust the Lord with my tomorrows.”
• Some of us need to get into the race – we’ve been in the grandstands too long. God is counting on you. Your church needs you.
Others need to move their membership to _____________ Baptist. Will you join in the race the Lord has for this congregation?
