ZEPHYR CHRISTIAN
AUGUST 1, 2004
PHIL 3;12-14
INTRO; I WANT TO THANK DOUG FOR ALLOWING ME TO PREACH TODAY.
DOUG IS A DEAR FRIEND WHO I HOLD IN HIGH ESTEEM. IT IS GOOD TO
HAVE MY FAMILY HERE TODAY. IT IS SO GOOD TO SEE OLD FRIENDS AND
NEW FRIENDS, AND TO BE BACK IN THE SUNSHINE STATE. BTW, ON
MONDAY IN LANSING, THE TEMP WAS 66 DEGREES, THE COLDEST TEMP
EVER RECORDED FOR THAT DATE. I TOLD THE GUY SETTING NEXT TO ME
ON MY FLIGHT IN, THAT I HAD MOVED BACK NORTH, AND HE GAVE ME A
LOOK LIKE I MUST BE NUTS. WE ARE IN OUR 4TH YEAR AT MONTGOMERY
UB CHURCH. GOD IS DOING A WORK THERE. LET ME SHARE ONE THING
THAT I AM REALLY EXCITED ABOUT. WE ARE LAYING THE GROUNDWORK
RIGHT NOW FOR A PROGRAM CALLED 40 DAYS OF PURPOSE. IT IS BASED
ON THE BOOK, PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE, BY RICK WARREN. I BELIEVE THAT
THIS WILL BE A LIFE CHANGING EVENT FOR OUR CHURCH AND THE
COMMUNITY. PRAY FOR US AS WE ENTER INTO IT.
TODAY, I WANT US TO TURN OUR ATTENTION TO PAULS LETTER TO THE
PHILIPPIANS. THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE BOOKS, AND THIS PASSAGE IS
MY FAVORITE PASSAGE OF SCRIPTURE. I BELIEVE IT SPELLS OUT WHAT
OUR PURPOSE IS SUPPOSED TO BE.
WE NEED TO BACK UP TO VS 10 TO COMPLETELY GRASP WHAT PAUL IS
SAYING. "I WANT TO KNOW CHRIST". HERE IS PERHAPS THE GREATEST
APOSTLE, WHO HAS TURNED THE WORLD UPSIDE DOWN, WHO HAS TAKEN
THE GOOD NEWS OF JESUS AND PREACHED IT, AND HE IS SAYING, I WANT
TO KNOW CHRIST. IF PAUL, WHO HAS BEEN CHOSEN OF CHRIST, SAYS, I
WANT TO KNOW, THINK HOW MUCH MORE,YOU AND I, SHOULDWANT TO
KNOW THE CHRIST. THIS IS NOT JUST INTELLECTUAL, HEAD KNOWLEDGE,
THIS IS AN INTIMATE UNDERSTANDING. THIS IS HAVING THE MIND OF
CHRIST IN YOU.
A YOUNG SEMINARY STUDENT, CALLED TO MINISTRY, WENT TO A PROF
AND ASKED HOW HE COULD MOVE TO THE NEXT STEP. THE PROF SAID,
GO AND SEE DOC SO AND SO. HE DOES. DOC TAKES HIM IN THE BACK
YARD TO THE SWIMMING POOL. YOUNG MAN THINKS, WELL, I HAVE BEEN
BAPTIZED, BUT MAYBE THIS IS SPECIAL. IN THE POOL, DOC TAKES HIM
AND PUTS HIM UNDER, AND HOLDS HIM.. YOUNG GUY THINKING, WELL,
SURELY HE WILL BRING ME BACK UP SOON. STILL DOWN, THE YOUNG
GUY IS GETTING NERVOUS, AFTER A FEW MORE MOMENTS, HE IS
STRUGGLING FOR BREATH, HE FIGHTS HIS WAY BACK TO THE SURFACE..
LOOKS AT THE OLD DOC, AND ASKS, WHAT WERE YOU DOING? THE DOC
SAYS, "WHEN YOU HAVE THE SAME DESIRE FOR CHRIST, AS YOU HAD TO
BREATH, THEN YOU WILL HAVE IT". I WANT TO KNOW CHRIST.
"I WANT TO KNOW THE POWER OF HIS RESURRECTION". THIS IS NOT
PIE IN THE SKY BY AND BY, THIS IS POWER THAT WE CAN EXPERIENCE
TODAY. IN ROMANS 1;16 WE READ, IT IS THE POWER OF GOD UNTO
SALVATION. THIS IS THE POWER THAT BRINGS LIFE TO THE DEAD. EACH
AND EVERY ONE OF US WERE ONCE WALKING DEAD MEN. UNTIL YOU
EXPERIENCE THE POWER OF THE RESURRECTION, YOU ARE DEAD IN
YOUR SINS.
PAUL ADDS, I WANT SHARE IN HIS SUFFERING, BECOME LIKE HIM
IN HIS DEATH, SOMEHOW ATTAIN THE RESURRECTION FROM THE DEAD.
THIS IS THE PROMISE TO THE BELIEVER, AT OUR PHYSICAL DEATH, WE
GO TO BE WITH JESUS. WE WILL EXPERIENCE THIS RESURRECTION
POWER.
VS12; "I HAVE NOT ALREADY OBTAINED THIS, I HAVE NOT BEEN
MADE PERFECT." PAUL SAYS, I AM NOT THERE YET, I STILL HAVE A WAYS
GO. THIS IS AN ONGOING THING. LET ME SHARE THIS WITH YOU, JUST
ABOUT THE TIME YOU THINK YOU HAVE MADE IT, THERE WILL BE
ANOTHER HURDLE TO CROSS. KNOWING THAT WE HAVE NOT MADE IT,
WE ARE NOT THERE YET. PAUL SAYS, THIS IS WHAT I DO.
"I PRESS ON". HOW MANY TIMES DO YOU JUST WANT TO GIVE UP?
THATS IT, I CANT TAKE ANY MORE. I AM FINISHED, I QUIT. WE HAVE ALL
BEEN THERE AT ONE TIME OR ANOTHER.
CHURCHILL SPOKE AT THE HARROW SCHOOL, OCT 29, 1941, HE GAVE
THIS SPEECH, I AM GOING TO QUOTE IT LIKE IT HAS BEEN QUOTED, ALTHO
THERE ARE SOME WHO SAY THIS IS NOT EXACTLY WHAT HE SAID. HE WENT
TO THE PODIUM AND SAID, "NEVER, EVER, EVER, EVER, EVER, EVER, EVER,
GIVE UP. NEVER GIVE UP. NEVER GIVE UP. NEVER GIVE UP." THE HE SET
DOWN. THAT BECAME THE RALLYING CRY FOR ENGLAND FOR THE WAR.
LET ME SUGGEST, THAT SHOULD BE THE RALLYING CRY OF THE CHRISTIAN.
PAUL SAID, PRESS ON. "TO TAKE HOLD OF THAT FOR WHICH CHRIST
JESUS TOOK HOLD OF ME." WHY DID JESUS TAKE HOLD OF YOU? FIRST FOR
SALVATION, SECOND FOR SERVICE, AND THIRD FOR ETERNITY.
V13, PAUL AGAIN SAYS, I DONT HAVE THIS YET. BUT HERE IS WHAT I
DO. "I FORGET WHAT IS BEHIND". HAVE YOU EVER NOTICED HOW SMALL
YOUR REAR VIEW MIRROR IS COMPARED TO YOUR WINDSHIELD? WHY IS
THAT? HERE’S AN IDEA, WHEN EVERYONE LEAVES TODAY, I WANT YOU ALL
TO TRY THIS. INSTEAD OF LOOKING OUT YOUR WINDSHIELD, KEEP YOUR
EYES IN THE REAR VIEW MIRROR. BTW, IF YOU TRY THAT, I AM WAITING
FOR ALL THE TOW TRUCKS TO CLEAR UP THE MESS BEFORE I LEAVE.
FORGET WHAT IS BEHIND. SOME OF YOU HAVE NOT ALWAYS BEEN AS NICE
AS YOU ARE TODAY. SOME OF YOU HAVE SKELETONS IN YOUR CLOSET.
ALL OF US HAVE HISTORY. BUT GOD SAYS, FORGET IT. HE HAS CANCELLED
IT OUT IF YOU HAVE ASKED HIM. LET ME ASK YOU SOMETHING, CAN YOU
GO BACK AND CHANGE YOUR PAST? NO. THEN WHY WORRY ABOUT IT.
"STRAIN FOR WHAT IS AHEAD". THIS IS NOT ALWAYS EASY. IT DOES
REQUIRE EFFORT. STRAIN FOR IT.
V14***THIS IS MY FAVORITE VS, "I PRESS ON TOWARD THE GOAL, TO
WIN THE PRIZE FOR WHICH GOD HAS CALLED ME HEAVENWARD IN CHRIST
JESUS." OLYMPICS ARE COMING UP. WHO FINISHED 4TH IN THE 100 METERS
AT THE LAST GAMES? WHO CARES. THESE ATHLETES ARE NOT GOING TO
ATHENS TO FINISH 4TH OR EVEN 3RD OR 2ND. RUN FOR THE PRIZE. RUN
FOR THE GOLD. I RAN TRACK IN HIGH SCHOOL, I WAS FAST, BUT NOT THAT
FAST. I NEVER WANTED TO WORK AT BECOMING FASTER. AS A RESULT,
I NEVER LETTERED, I NEVER BECAME THE RUNNER THAT I SHOULD HAVE
BECOME. BUT NOW, THE PRIZE IS JESUS. THE PRIZE IS ETERNITY. THAT IS
THE GOLD MEDAL I WANT.
AS WE FINISH UP, LET ME TURN TO 2 TIM1;5, PAUL IS WRITING TO
TIMOTHY, AND THIS VS HAS SPECIAL MEANING TO ME TODAY.
"I HAVE BEEN REMINDED OF YOUR SINCERE FAITH, WHICH FIRST LIVED IN
YOUR GRANDMOTHER LOIS, AND IN YOUR MOTHER EUNICE, AND I AM
PERSUADED, NOW LIVES IN YOU ALSO." I AM BLESSED TO HAVE GODLY
PARENTS. I AM DOUBLY BLESSED TO HAVE A SECOND SET OF PARENTS,
ANNE’S MOM AND DAD WHO ARE GODLY PARENTS AS WELL. AS A DIRECT
RESULT OF THIS, MY CHILDREN HAVE BEEN BROUGHT UP LOVING GOD,
AND KNOWING THAT A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS IS WHAT
THEY NEED.
