"looking Backward, Looking Forward, Looking To Jesus"

“Looking backward, looking forward” Philippians 3: 4-14

1. Looking back on the past year of the things God has done in your life

• Some times has been good times, not so good times, rough going times, dont know if I can make it times, sick times,

• Also there has been some super wonderful times, great celebration times anniversaries, goals achieved, movements of God, you know church times, folks made steps toward discipleship times,

2. God even tells Israel to look back and remember

• Israelites were continually asked to look back at the miraculous things God had done for them, most notably, deliverance from centuries of slavery in Egypt.

• Israel never forgot The Passover became the most important observance in Judaism and remains so today.

• When Israel crossed the Jordan to begin their campaign against Canaan, Joshua asked representatives of the 12 tribes of Israel to select a stone from the river. “When your children ask their parents in time to come, ‘What do these stones mean?’ then you shall let your children know, ‘Israel crossed over the Jordan here on dry ground.’ … so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, and so that you may fear the Lord your God for ever” (Joshua 4:20-24). Looking back and remembering.

3. God told Samuel; the last judge of Israel, to look back and remember he took a stone after Israel scored a stunning victory over the Philistines, and named it Eben-Ezer, meaning (Stone of Help.)

• saying “Hitherto has the Lord helped us” (1 Samuel 7:12 KJV). Looking back and remembering. We even sing a song “Come thou fount of Every blessing “ Sorrowing I shall be in spirit, Till released from flesh and sin, Yet from what I do inherit, Here Thy praises I'll begin; Here I raise my Ebenezer; (Stone of help)Here by Thy great help I’ve come; And I hope, by Thy good pleasure, Safely to arrive at home.

•

4. It’s a new year and Paul invites us to look forward

• “Look forward to see what will this year bring forth? What will I be able to achieve? What will I do to improve my health and wealth? What will happen that will alter my life?

• Hopefully we’re wondering, “Where is God going to lead me? What can I do to use and better my gifts God has given ?”

• The apostle Paul tells to look ahead “Straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus” (v. 14).

5. Looking back is good, looking forward is good, Paul tells us to look to Jesus

• Looking to Jesus Paul said, “run toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.”

• Paul looks to Jesus no matter his tensions, his issues, his doubts, his fears, His mistakes. Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.”

• Paul looks to Jesus 10 “I want to know Christ* and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, 11if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.