1 00:00:00,440 --> 00:00:06,640 I found that sometimes the first Sunday of the year a lot of 2 00:00:06,640 --> 00:00:11,480 people are still gone often so decided we'd focus on things 3 00:00:11,480 --> 00:00:17,600 related to the new year. So Philippians Chapter 3 is 4 00:00:17,600 --> 00:00:22,320 where we'll be next week. We will be back in the book of 5 00:00:22,320 --> 00:00:27,800 Genesis, slowly working our way through the book. 6 00:00:30,040 --> 00:00:32,680 We'll, we'll pick it up eventually, maybe around chapter 7 00:00:33,480 --> 00:00:37,760 12, We'll, we'll pick up the pace as things start moving a 8 00:00:37,760 --> 00:00:42,520 little faster. But Philippians chapter 3, if 9 00:00:42,520 --> 00:00:44,560 you're using one of our Bibles there in front of you, it's on 10 00:00:44,560 --> 00:00:52,160 page 981. Now I get the sense that many 11 00:00:52,160 --> 00:00:56,280 people are ready to put 2025 behind them. 12 00:00:56,840 --> 00:01:02,400 In some ways, it feels a little bit similar to when we left 2020 13 00:01:02,400 --> 00:01:06,600 behind. There's increasing political and 14 00:01:06,600 --> 00:01:11,160 societal turmoil, which I honestly don't think will end 15 00:01:11,160 --> 00:01:15,960 anytime in the next few years. There's continued talk about 16 00:01:17,120 --> 00:01:20,280 COVID that has some people feeling apprehensive. 17 00:01:20,640 --> 00:01:23,920 Inflation that's making a significant impact in our lives, 18 00:01:24,200 --> 00:01:27,800 catastrophic flooding, concern over the situation in the Near 19 00:01:27,800 --> 00:01:31,320 East. Even in the midst of the Gaza 20 00:01:31,320 --> 00:01:36,040 peace plan. There are also senseless attacks 21 00:01:36,040 --> 00:01:41,320 on innocent people. Not to mention the now entirely 22 00:01:41,320 --> 00:01:47,240 rational fear that you can't trust anything you read or see 23 00:01:47,240 --> 00:01:52,960 online due to the presence and inundation of artificial 24 00:01:53,200 --> 00:01:58,600 intelligence. Each year when the calendar 25 00:01:58,600 --> 00:02:02,600 ticks over, we naturally think of it as a clean slate. 26 00:02:02,600 --> 00:02:07,720 The last years in the past. Now it's time to forge a better 27 00:02:07,720 --> 00:02:11,960 path forward and perhaps you can resonate with this. 28 00:02:11,960 --> 00:02:15,640 And as 2025 fades into the rearview mirror, your only 29 00:02:15,640 --> 00:02:22,200 thought is good riddance. Personally, I look back on 2025 30 00:02:22,200 --> 00:02:28,800 the same way I did 2020, with fondness in witnessing God's 31 00:02:28,840 --> 00:02:34,880 working in our lives as we sit here on this fourth day of the 32 00:02:34,880 --> 00:02:37,040 year. I know that some of you, 33 00:02:37,720 --> 00:02:41,960 probably the more type A's, have already set resolutions and 34 00:02:41,960 --> 00:02:45,360 goals and you're already on your way to achieving those and 35 00:02:45,360 --> 00:02:50,160 making those happen. But others of us, the more laid 36 00:02:50,160 --> 00:02:54,840 back personalities, don't have that same drive to set goals. 37 00:02:54,840 --> 00:02:59,400 And in all honesty, you might have a tendency to actually push 38 00:02:59,400 --> 00:03:03,400 back against the idea of setting goals. 39 00:03:04,680 --> 00:03:08,120 I naturally land somewhere in the middle of these two 40 00:03:08,120 --> 00:03:11,360 extremes. I'm not overly driven to set 41 00:03:11,480 --> 00:03:15,480 lots of goals and go gung ho each year when the first hits, 42 00:03:16,600 --> 00:03:22,840 but then I'm also not entirely prone to just sit back and do 43 00:03:22,840 --> 00:03:24,600 nothing. I find myself somewhere in the 44 00:03:24,600 --> 00:03:29,000 middle and and occasionally I've I've seen setting goals as a 45 00:03:29,000 --> 00:03:33,800 catapult to growth. So this morning we'll consider 46 00:03:33,800 --> 00:03:36,680 how Paul can speak to us on this topic. 47 00:03:37,800 --> 00:03:41,280 Philippians 3 chapter. Philippians chapter 3 verses 12 48 00:03:41,280 --> 00:03:43,680 through 14. Would you stand, if you are 49 00:03:43,680 --> 00:03:53,320 able? Verse 12 Not that I have already 50 00:03:53,320 --> 00:03:56,880 obtained this, or I'm already perfect, but I press on to make 51 00:03:56,880 --> 00:04:01,000 it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own brothers. 52 00:04:01,000 --> 00:04:03,720 I do not consider that that I have made it my own. 53 00:04:03,920 --> 00:04:07,480 But one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and straining 54 00:04:07,480 --> 00:04:11,880 forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the 55 00:04:11,880 --> 00:04:15,080 prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 56 00:04:15,840 --> 00:04:24,040 You may be seated. The first thing we see here that 57 00:04:24,040 --> 00:04:28,360 Paul is doing and his encouragement to us is to keep 58 00:04:28,640 --> 00:04:32,800 pressing on. We keep pressing on. 59 00:04:34,520 --> 00:04:37,960 See the church in Corinth held the belief that Paul should have 60 00:04:38,240 --> 00:04:41,240 already arrived by now. He should be complete. 61 00:04:41,240 --> 00:04:43,680 He should be fully mature by now. 62 00:04:44,640 --> 00:04:48,600 And Paul didn't want that that notion to take roots and and 63 00:04:48,600 --> 00:04:53,240 Philippi as well. Why does this matter? 64 00:04:53,240 --> 00:04:55,680 Why does it matter if they thought he should be more 65 00:04:55,680 --> 00:04:58,920 mature? Why did he feel the need to keep 66 00:04:58,920 --> 00:05:01,120 pressing on? Well, there are two reasons And 67 00:05:01,120 --> 00:05:03,040 Paul was compelled to keep pressing on. 68 00:05:03,360 --> 00:05:07,680 First, he said because Jesus has made me his own. 69 00:05:08,240 --> 00:05:12,200 Paul wasn't pressing on for his own purposes or for his own 70 00:05:12,200 --> 00:05:17,040 glory, if you will. He was pressing on because Jesus 71 00:05:17,040 --> 00:05:21,840 had chosen and called him. He'd been the recipient of God's 72 00:05:21,840 --> 00:05:26,680 grace, and in response to the gift of grace offered to him, 73 00:05:27,760 --> 00:05:31,000 Paul was offering his life back in worship. 74 00:05:32,080 --> 00:05:34,880 He wasn't trying to earn his way into heaven. 75 00:05:35,320 --> 00:05:40,080 No, he simply want to make sure that his life was continually 76 00:05:40,080 --> 00:05:44,040 being transformed by God working in and through him. 77 00:05:45,920 --> 00:05:51,920 The second Paul was pressing on because he wasn't fully mature 78 00:05:51,920 --> 00:05:55,560 yet, verse 12 read. Not that I've already obtained 79 00:05:55,560 --> 00:06:00,160 this or am already perfect. Paul wasn't fully mature there. 80 00:06:00,160 --> 00:06:04,720 There were still areas of life that that needed to be further 81 00:06:04,720 --> 00:06:10,120 shaped to be like Christ. And this process is what we call 82 00:06:10,400 --> 00:06:15,240 progressive sanctification. This is progressive 83 00:06:15,240 --> 00:06:18,680 sanctification. I like how Vines, Expository 84 00:06:18,680 --> 00:06:22,400 Dictionary of New Testament words defines progressive 85 00:06:22,400 --> 00:06:27,520 sanctification as a separation of the believer from evil. 86 00:06:28,720 --> 00:06:31,600 It's a separation of the believer from evil. 87 00:06:32,960 --> 00:06:36,280 We are separated from the works of the devil in both a passive 88 00:06:36,640 --> 00:06:42,520 and an active manner. Passively we trust God to 89 00:06:42,520 --> 00:06:45,480 sanctify us as we yield to His will. 90 00:06:46,120 --> 00:06:51,840 And then actively we choose to do what's right and and to put 91 00:06:51,840 --> 00:06:56,160 away the works of the flesh. We are making decisions that 92 00:06:56,160 --> 00:06:59,480 glorify God. That is the active part of it. 93 00:07:00,120 --> 00:07:04,040 And this, all this, both the passive and and active part, 94 00:07:04,760 --> 00:07:08,800 this progressive sanctification, it's all a big fancy theological 95 00:07:08,800 --> 00:07:13,200 way of saying that we are becoming more and more like 96 00:07:13,360 --> 00:07:17,360 Jesus. But not everyone's at the same 97 00:07:17,360 --> 00:07:21,800 place as the Holy Spirit speaks to each person in different 98 00:07:21,800 --> 00:07:26,800 ways. One person may be working on 99 00:07:26,800 --> 00:07:32,120 their anger, while another works on bitterness and and learning 100 00:07:32,120 --> 00:07:34,880 how to forgive someone who hurt them. 101 00:07:35,680 --> 00:07:39,200 Still another might be tackling the issue of smoking or 102 00:07:39,200 --> 00:07:43,160 overeating, while someone else seeks to be more responsive to 103 00:07:43,160 --> 00:07:48,640 the Holy Spirit's promptings in sharing the Gospel with someone. 104 00:07:49,800 --> 00:07:54,240 Yet another may be convicted of their language and wanting to 105 00:07:54,560 --> 00:07:59,000 bring that into conformity to Jesus Christ. 106 00:08:00,880 --> 00:08:03,960 If you new to the faith, you need to understand that 107 00:08:04,120 --> 00:08:07,560 Christians come from many different walks of life, are in 108 00:08:07,800 --> 00:08:11,440 and we're all in different places of spiritual growth. 109 00:08:13,440 --> 00:08:17,720 Don't be discouraged if you're fighting a sin that you thought 110 00:08:17,720 --> 00:08:21,200 would be easier to conquer. Don't be discouraged if you 111 00:08:21,200 --> 00:08:24,440 struggle with lust, if you struggle with your language, if 112 00:08:24,440 --> 00:08:27,440 your temper gets the best of you sometimes. 113 00:08:29,280 --> 00:08:32,720 Don't be discouraged if you find it hard to forgive someone who 114 00:08:32,720 --> 00:08:38,480 has deeply offended you. Don't be discouraged if you find 115 00:08:38,480 --> 00:08:42,799 it hard to spend a few minutes in prayer each day or or to 116 00:08:42,799 --> 00:08:48,560 spend time in the Word each day. Continue seeking God and 117 00:08:48,560 --> 00:08:52,040 allowing Him to grow you into the Christ follower that He 118 00:08:52,040 --> 00:08:56,680 wants you to be. I think the great theologian 119 00:08:57,360 --> 00:09:03,080 Dory said it best. Just keep swimming. 120 00:09:04,120 --> 00:09:07,640 Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming. 121 00:09:09,040 --> 00:09:10,720 Should I have adopted Dory's voice? 122 00:09:10,720 --> 00:09:12,840 Would that have been better? Just keep swim. 123 00:09:12,840 --> 00:09:16,680 No. Last, I digress. 124 00:09:17,560 --> 00:09:21,560 There are things to learn from from movies, and there are 125 00:09:21,560 --> 00:09:23,520 things that we don't want to emulate. 126 00:09:23,800 --> 00:09:29,280 But just keep going. Keep responding to what the Holy 127 00:09:29,280 --> 00:09:35,680 Spirit is convicting you of. Don't quit Paul. 128 00:09:36,360 --> 00:09:39,960 Paul kept pressing on. He wanted to do more and he was 129 00:09:39,960 --> 00:09:45,200 convicted by the Holy Spirit that he had not yet arrived. 130 00:09:46,960 --> 00:09:53,000 Now in order to press on, we have to forget what is behind. 131 00:09:54,080 --> 00:10:01,200 We have to forget what's behind. Like many of you, I enjoy 132 00:10:01,200 --> 00:10:04,720 watching the Olympics and and I'll watch as much of it as I 133 00:10:04,720 --> 00:10:09,360 can when it comes on next month, you know, trying to catch the 134 00:10:09,680 --> 00:10:12,960 the prime time, you know, highlights reel, if you will. 135 00:10:14,040 --> 00:10:19,400 But perhaps the most exciting races to watch actually occur 136 00:10:19,840 --> 00:10:23,760 during the Summer Olympics with the 100 and 200 meter sprints. 137 00:10:24,720 --> 00:10:26,960 These races are over in 10 and 20 seconds. 138 00:10:27,720 --> 00:10:32,440 There's no room or margin for error in these races. 139 00:10:32,680 --> 00:10:36,840 Once the starting gun goes off, it's an all out sprints to the 140 00:10:36,840 --> 00:10:40,040 finish line. In these races everyone's 141 00:10:40,040 --> 00:10:45,640 attention is firmly fixed ahead. The runners can't look behind 142 00:10:45,640 --> 00:10:49,000 they they can't look at the other runners and see where 143 00:10:49,000 --> 00:10:50,880 they're at. They can't look at the ground 144 00:10:50,880 --> 00:10:57,560 that they've already covered. If they were to do that, there 145 00:10:57,560 --> 00:11:03,280 would be 1 sure conclusion. They would fail to run the best 146 00:11:03,280 --> 00:11:07,800 race they possibly could. They would stumble. 147 00:11:09,000 --> 00:11:10,960 They would lose their momentum, their balance. 148 00:11:10,960 --> 00:11:14,160 And when you're running at 2627 miles an hour, which I can't 149 00:11:14,160 --> 00:11:19,320 imagine when you're running at these speeds, you can't look 150 00:11:19,320 --> 00:11:23,760 behind because if you look elsewhere now, they start 151 00:11:23,760 --> 00:11:25,440 looking up at this at the big monitor. 152 00:11:25,920 --> 00:11:27,720 That's kind of a nifty little trick, huh? 153 00:11:27,960 --> 00:11:30,600 They can look up to see, oh, on the screen, where am I? 154 00:11:30,600 --> 00:11:34,560 Oh, they're all back there. No, you can't do that. 155 00:11:35,800 --> 00:11:40,560 If you look around, you'll stumble, you'll fall, you'll 156 00:11:40,560 --> 00:11:45,600 lose that momentum, and you will not run the best race that you 157 00:11:45,600 --> 00:11:50,440 possibly could. So we need to fix our eyes on 158 00:11:50,440 --> 00:11:53,720 what's ahead and forget what's behind. 159 00:11:55,840 --> 00:12:00,400 In the previous verses, Paul listed some of his credentials, 160 00:12:01,600 --> 00:12:05,560 all the reasons that he had to boast in himself. 161 00:12:06,920 --> 00:12:10,080 If your Bible's still open or your phone is still on, whatever 162 00:12:10,080 --> 00:12:16,400 the case may be, look, look at verses 5 and 6 of Philippians 3. 163 00:12:16,400 --> 00:12:20,720 Verses 5 and 6, It says he was circumcised on the eighth day of 164 00:12:20,720 --> 00:12:24,560 the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of 165 00:12:24,560 --> 00:12:29,320 the Hebrews as to the law, a Pharisee as to Zeal, a 166 00:12:29,320 --> 00:12:33,400 persecutor of the church as to righteousness under the law. 167 00:12:33,680 --> 00:12:40,520 Blameless. Paul had the right pedigree. 168 00:12:41,000 --> 00:12:43,080 He had all the right credentials. 169 00:12:43,280 --> 00:12:46,560 It all started with his parents, who had circumcised him on the 170 00:12:46,560 --> 00:12:49,320 8th day according to the requirements of the law. 171 00:12:50,600 --> 00:12:53,760 Now he was an Israelite. Not only that, but he knew 172 00:12:54,040 --> 00:12:57,280 exactly which tribe he was descended from. 173 00:12:57,280 --> 00:13:02,440 It was the tribe of Benjamin, and while he came from a Greek 174 00:13:02,440 --> 00:13:05,240 speaking place, he came from Tarsus. 175 00:13:05,880 --> 00:13:11,800 He didn't only speak Greek, he also spoke Aramaic, making him a 176 00:13:12,120 --> 00:13:17,560 Hebrew of Hebrews, being able to speak the language of the people 177 00:13:17,560 --> 00:13:21,640 of Judea. He had the right lineage, he had 178 00:13:21,840 --> 00:13:24,520 the right background, and he was also a Pharisee. 179 00:13:24,760 --> 00:13:29,560 The Pharisees had taken taken the 613 laws that were written 180 00:13:29,560 --> 00:13:35,080 down in Scripture and they'd put in thousands of other laws as 181 00:13:35,080 --> 00:13:38,680 guard rails around the law so that they would essentially not 182 00:13:38,680 --> 00:13:44,400 even come close in their minds to to violating what was written 183 00:13:44,400 --> 00:13:49,200 down in the Torah. And he was a Pharisee, power, 184 00:13:49,200 --> 00:13:55,160 excellence. He kept the law so perfectly, he 185 00:13:55,160 --> 00:14:00,600 says. And he was so good at keeping 186 00:14:00,600 --> 00:14:04,520 the law. He even sought to persecute 187 00:14:04,520 --> 00:14:08,160 Christians because because he felt that these Christians, they 188 00:14:09,160 --> 00:14:11,400 were, they were breaking the Torah. 189 00:14:13,040 --> 00:14:15,560 And so he sought to persecute them. 190 00:14:19,160 --> 00:14:23,080 Then at the end of verse 6, he said he was blameless under the 191 00:14:23,080 --> 00:14:27,560 law. He's saying essentially that he 192 00:14:27,560 --> 00:14:29,920 was a righteous person. He was a Pharisee of all 193 00:14:29,920 --> 00:14:35,480 Pharisees. But he refused to let his his 194 00:14:35,480 --> 00:14:39,680 past heritage and and his achievements dictate his present 195 00:14:39,680 --> 00:14:45,600 actions and his standing, All those things that that he 196 00:14:45,600 --> 00:14:50,520 formerly would have counted as as assets as as his trophies in 197 00:14:50,520 --> 00:14:56,600 life. Look how well I have lived, he 198 00:14:56,600 --> 00:14:59,960 now says. They're worthless. 199 00:15:00,560 --> 00:15:06,920 They mean nothing to me now. In fact, they mean so little to 200 00:15:06,920 --> 00:15:12,000 him that he uses a colorful word to describe them as fecal 201 00:15:12,000 --> 00:15:18,640 matter. These things are just rubbish, 202 00:15:21,320 --> 00:15:24,760 especially compared to knowing Christ. 203 00:15:27,000 --> 00:15:32,960 So Paul was pressing on and and forgetting his old life, his old 204 00:15:32,960 --> 00:15:35,160 accomplishments, the things that were behind. 205 00:15:35,720 --> 00:15:38,640 He wasn't about to let those those things in the past 206 00:15:38,640 --> 00:15:42,600 distract him. And that brings us to straining 207 00:15:42,600 --> 00:15:47,960 forward. Straining forward. 208 00:15:48,760 --> 00:15:53,920 It's possible when when you hear this, you might have a picture 209 00:15:54,880 --> 00:16:00,600 perhaps of trying to to strain to reach something on the top 210 00:16:00,600 --> 00:16:04,360 shelf, like like when my vertically challenged wife is 211 00:16:04,360 --> 00:16:08,160 trying to reach something on the top shelf and she has to. 212 00:16:09,760 --> 00:16:15,320 Is this funny? No, and she has to call Micah or 213 00:16:15,320 --> 00:16:21,440 I to come get it. But that is not the type of 214 00:16:21,440 --> 00:16:26,720 straining that is in view here. It's not just trying to reach 215 00:16:26,720 --> 00:16:28,520 something straining for something like that. 216 00:16:28,760 --> 00:16:35,920 No, what is in view here is the straining is pulling a muscle to 217 00:16:36,320 --> 00:16:41,240 its absolute limit, stretching it to its absolute limit. 218 00:16:42,280 --> 00:16:44,720 And why when I think of straining, I can't help but 219 00:16:44,720 --> 00:16:50,400 think of at CrossFit our our deadlift one Rep Max day. 220 00:16:51,280 --> 00:16:56,320 You see, this day is, is where you pick up as heavy of a 221 00:16:56,320 --> 00:17:00,960 barbell as you possibly can. It's very simple, really just 222 00:17:01,360 --> 00:17:06,640 pick up the weight. But you see, it's going to take 223 00:17:06,839 --> 00:17:13,640 a lot of straining to do this. Now you have to, you have to set 224 00:17:13,640 --> 00:17:15,800 yourself up right. You set your feet under the 225 00:17:15,800 --> 00:17:18,720 barbell. You, you hinge your hips back 226 00:17:19,079 --> 00:17:21,079 and you make sure everything is set up right. 227 00:17:21,079 --> 00:17:24,240 Your, your shins are, are vertical, your hips are, your 228 00:17:24,240 --> 00:17:28,359 hips are pulled back, your shoulders are back and in tight. 229 00:17:28,560 --> 00:17:32,520 You reach down for the barbell and you start to, instead of 230 00:17:32,840 --> 00:17:36,680 trying to stand up, we actually say push your feet away into the 231 00:17:36,680 --> 00:17:38,400 ground. So you start to pull, push your 232 00:17:38,400 --> 00:17:41,000 feet into the ground and you stand up. 233 00:17:41,200 --> 00:17:45,520 And sometimes it might take 10 seconds to do it because there's 234 00:17:45,520 --> 00:17:48,320 a lot of straining. And you'll see people bouncing 235 00:17:48,320 --> 00:17:53,280 the bar some because they are straining with all their might 236 00:17:53,640 --> 00:18:01,080 using everything that they have. That is what straining is. 237 00:18:01,840 --> 00:18:05,960 Paul loves his athletic metaphors and that is what he is 238 00:18:06,200 --> 00:18:08,800 doing here. He had literally poured 239 00:18:09,040 --> 00:18:14,200 everything he had into his walk with God. 240 00:18:16,400 --> 00:18:19,120 So what was it that he was pressing on towards? 241 00:18:20,280 --> 00:18:23,480 He was pressing on towards the goal. 242 00:18:25,720 --> 00:18:33,720 So we press on towards the goal Paul was pressing on towards the 243 00:18:33,720 --> 00:18:39,720 goal that it says in verse 14 is the upward call of God. 244 00:18:40,960 --> 00:18:44,800 The upward call of God refers to first of all, the source of the 245 00:18:44,800 --> 00:18:47,080 call. God is the source of the call. 246 00:18:47,080 --> 00:18:49,680 He's the one who is who had called out to Paul. 247 00:18:49,680 --> 00:18:54,280 He's the one who calls out to us and says come follow me. 248 00:18:56,400 --> 00:19:02,880 The second, the upward call of God, also refers to the 249 00:19:02,880 --> 00:19:08,080 destination. It's a heavenly directed call. 250 00:19:08,080 --> 00:19:13,240 It's an upward call. Hebrews 11 tells us about 251 00:19:13,960 --> 00:19:17,960 numerous Old Testament Saints who who demonstrated their faith 252 00:19:17,960 --> 00:19:23,560 in the midst of hard times. In Hebrews 11/13, the writer 253 00:19:23,560 --> 00:19:28,280 refers to those who are listed in what we refer to as the the 254 00:19:28,280 --> 00:19:34,160 Hall of Faith. He, he refers to them, and by 255 00:19:34,160 --> 00:19:40,440 extension us as strangers in exiles on the earth. 256 00:19:41,680 --> 00:19:44,000 Strangers in exiles on the earth. 257 00:19:44,320 --> 00:19:48,040 So that means our home isn't here. 258 00:19:48,720 --> 00:19:51,720 We're just passing through this world knowing that our true 259 00:19:51,720 --> 00:19:56,760 homes in a place that that is much, much better than this 260 00:19:56,760 --> 00:19:59,200 place. It's not like this place. 261 00:19:59,800 --> 00:20:03,600 It's not tarnished by sin, a place where we will be more 262 00:20:03,600 --> 00:20:11,640 alive than we are even at this very moment, CS Lewis wrote in 263 00:20:11,640 --> 00:20:13,360 his bestseller Mere Christianity. 264 00:20:15,080 --> 00:20:18,960 If you read history, you will find that the Christians who did 265 00:20:18,960 --> 00:20:24,280 most for the present world were just those who thought most of 266 00:20:24,280 --> 00:20:31,240 the next World. Paul embodied Lewis's statements 267 00:20:31,440 --> 00:20:34,360 and he was looking for forward to the day when when he would 268 00:20:34,360 --> 00:20:38,280 fully experience God's presence, enjoying freedom from the 269 00:20:38,680 --> 00:20:42,120 penalty and presence and power of sin. 270 00:20:43,600 --> 00:20:46,680 He looked forward to a day when sin would no longer prevent him 271 00:20:46,680 --> 00:20:50,360 from being united with and knowing God fully. 272 00:20:52,000 --> 00:20:59,040 So that's the goal that Paul was striving for here in this 273 00:20:59,040 --> 00:21:01,560 passage. Paul has told us to press on and 274 00:21:02,120 --> 00:21:07,520 forget what lies behind, straining forward with all our 275 00:21:07,520 --> 00:21:12,720 might as our eyes are fixed on that goal. 276 00:21:15,840 --> 00:21:19,960 So as we think about Paul's goal and encouragement to us, it 277 00:21:19,960 --> 00:21:24,880 would be good for us to also consider goals in our lives. 278 00:21:26,560 --> 00:21:31,000 What goals can can we implement to help us make progress and and 279 00:21:31,000 --> 00:21:36,360 press forward? The late Christian motivational 280 00:21:36,360 --> 00:21:42,880 speaker Zig Ziglar said if you aim at nothing, you will hit it 281 00:21:43,440 --> 00:21:47,080 every time. Profound words. 282 00:21:47,080 --> 00:21:49,880 If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time. 283 00:21:51,040 --> 00:21:54,920 So a lack of goals can be indicative of complacency. 284 00:21:54,920 --> 00:22:02,880 So it behooves us, regardless of our feelings and predispositions 285 00:22:03,640 --> 00:22:07,520 towards goals, to go ahead and set goals for ourselves. 286 00:22:08,840 --> 00:22:11,360 So in the remaining moments of our time this morning, I want to 287 00:22:11,360 --> 00:22:15,880 talk a little bit about goals, about progressing, whether it be 288 00:22:15,880 --> 00:22:19,840 in our sanctification really is what we really are focusing on 289 00:22:19,840 --> 00:22:23,080 here this morning is our sanctification or walk with 290 00:22:23,080 --> 00:22:26,080 Christ or even in other areas of our lives. 291 00:22:27,720 --> 00:22:31,360 But before we do that, I want to help us understand what goals 292 00:22:31,360 --> 00:22:34,000 are. In his book Covenant Marriage, 293 00:22:34,720 --> 00:22:40,720 Gary Chapman said this our priorities are stated in broad 294 00:22:40,720 --> 00:22:45,720 categories and indicate what we believe to be most important in 295 00:22:45,720 --> 00:22:48,800 life. So our priorities are stated in 296 00:22:48,800 --> 00:22:52,760 broad categories and indicate what we believe to most be most 297 00:22:52,760 --> 00:22:54,120 important, right? This makes sense. 298 00:22:54,160 --> 00:22:56,200 Our priorities are the things that are important in life. 299 00:22:56,640 --> 00:22:59,600 So you could say these are principles and values that we 300 00:22:59,600 --> 00:23:03,400 try to live by. And then he goes on to say 301 00:23:04,160 --> 00:23:07,800 goals. Goals, on the other hand, are 302 00:23:07,800 --> 00:23:13,200 stepping stones that help us accomplish our priorities. 303 00:23:14,560 --> 00:23:20,000 Goals are the action steps that the steps that we take to help 304 00:23:20,040 --> 00:23:26,000 us accomplish the priorities and and live by the values in our 305 00:23:26,000 --> 00:23:30,800 lives. For the sake of our discussion 306 00:23:30,800 --> 00:23:34,320 today, there are two main types of goals. 307 00:23:34,960 --> 00:23:36,960 First of all, there are personal goals. 308 00:23:38,080 --> 00:23:40,480 There are personal goals. These are the types of goals 309 00:23:40,920 --> 00:23:45,320 that you're probably think thinking of each year when 310 00:23:45,320 --> 00:23:47,880 January 1st comes around. These are the types of things 311 00:23:47,880 --> 00:23:51,160 that just help you grow as a person. 312 00:23:53,720 --> 00:23:56,960 These are the things that you want to accomplish in the coming 313 00:23:56,960 --> 00:23:58,920 year. There is of course the infamous 314 00:23:59,160 --> 00:24:02,880 weight loss goal. Perhaps reading goals, career 315 00:24:02,880 --> 00:24:07,200 goals, financial goals, or even relationship goals with your 316 00:24:07,400 --> 00:24:13,360 spouse or children or friends. There are many different 317 00:24:13,360 --> 00:24:17,720 categories of of personal goals and and these can all be good 318 00:24:17,720 --> 00:24:23,360 things. But then what we want to focus 319 00:24:23,360 --> 00:24:27,360 on is spiritual goals. Spiritual goals are are 320 00:24:27,360 --> 00:24:32,600 specifically drawn up to help strengthen our relationship with 321 00:24:32,600 --> 00:24:36,240 God. These are the types of things 322 00:24:36,240 --> 00:24:40,160 that will cause us to be closer to Him and to hear Him better. 323 00:24:40,880 --> 00:24:43,600 These could be areas like scripture reading, your prayer 324 00:24:43,600 --> 00:24:48,280 life for learning to give back to God a percentage of your 325 00:24:48,280 --> 00:24:55,280 income. So how do we determine what 326 00:24:55,280 --> 00:24:58,440 exactly the goals are in our lives? 327 00:25:00,040 --> 00:25:06,600 First of all, pray. You may not have expected that, 328 00:25:07,480 --> 00:25:13,320 but pray. Clothe each step in prayer. 329 00:25:13,480 --> 00:25:18,240 This may sound weird for for some, but this is important. 330 00:25:18,480 --> 00:25:21,680 It may be that there are some aspects or areas of your life 331 00:25:21,680 --> 00:25:24,520 that are clearly off track and need to be changed. 332 00:25:24,680 --> 00:25:27,200 And so you already know, hey, this needs to be changed. 333 00:25:27,600 --> 00:25:29,960 Like if you have a drug addiction, that might be a 334 00:25:29,960 --> 00:25:33,440 foregone conclusion that needs to change, right? 335 00:25:34,840 --> 00:25:43,480 But praying is saying, God, I need your help with this. 336 00:25:43,920 --> 00:25:49,000 And praying also says, God, help me to know what you want me to 337 00:25:49,000 --> 00:25:52,200 do so that I'm not just going after whatever it is that I want 338 00:25:52,200 --> 00:25:56,600 to do, but I am doing what He wants. 339 00:25:57,440 --> 00:26:03,000 We need His wisdom and help in addressing all these areas of 340 00:26:03,000 --> 00:26:05,120 concern. So pray. 341 00:26:07,440 --> 00:26:14,160 Next, define your values. Define your values or or your 342 00:26:14,160 --> 00:26:17,680 priorities. What is it that you prioritize 343 00:26:18,200 --> 00:26:22,720 in your life? I'm going to guess due to your 344 00:26:22,720 --> 00:26:29,960 presence here this morning, you prioritize being in God's house. 345 00:26:31,280 --> 00:26:34,680 Most of you are here each and every week. 346 00:26:34,680 --> 00:26:36,680 That's a, that's a priority, right? 347 00:26:36,680 --> 00:26:39,680 And so to be close to God, to be in God's house. 348 00:26:39,680 --> 00:26:42,040 So you have taken a step to be here. 349 00:26:42,760 --> 00:26:47,960 Now pray and ask God to reveal to you the right areas of value. 350 00:26:48,640 --> 00:26:53,280 You see, sometimes we might have values or priorities that God 351 00:26:53,280 --> 00:26:56,520 needs to chip out, that he needs to shape and mold. 352 00:26:57,040 --> 00:27:02,120 You may need to take something away for a season and and shift 353 00:27:02,120 --> 00:27:04,320 those priorities to something else. 354 00:27:04,520 --> 00:27:08,120 So do an authentic searching of your heart and listen to God as 355 00:27:08,120 --> 00:27:15,880 you define your values. This can be hard to stop because 356 00:27:15,880 --> 00:27:18,080 first of all it requires us to stop. 357 00:27:19,520 --> 00:27:23,800 We have to stop. We have to rest for a moment and 358 00:27:23,800 --> 00:27:32,040 think what is it that I value? What is it that God wants me to 359 00:27:32,040 --> 00:27:35,160 value? It requires some thought and 360 00:27:35,160 --> 00:27:39,680 thinking through these things. Praying. 361 00:27:39,680 --> 00:27:42,480 Take inventory of what you what you value is. 362 00:27:42,480 --> 00:27:45,520 This will then help you in the next step as you actually 363 00:27:46,360 --> 00:27:53,640 establish your goals. Remember, these goals are set up 364 00:27:53,640 --> 00:27:57,320 to help you achieve and support your values. 365 00:27:58,080 --> 00:28:02,760 So how does God want to stretch and grow me in the coming year? 366 00:28:02,760 --> 00:28:08,440 Is is the question. When it comes to goals, don't 367 00:28:08,440 --> 00:28:11,000 simply come up with a few things that you want to do. 368 00:28:11,720 --> 00:28:14,520 Sure, that might be part of it, but actually pray about it and 369 00:28:14,520 --> 00:28:17,840 ask God what the goals in your life should be. 370 00:28:20,680 --> 00:28:28,880 So as you do that, first of all, make them realistic, make them 371 00:28:28,880 --> 00:28:35,080 realistic. Make sure that it's something, 372 00:28:35,680 --> 00:28:39,680 hey, in 365 days, I think I could accomplish this. 373 00:28:41,640 --> 00:28:49,320 For example, for some time now my dad has had a goal of dead 374 00:28:49,320 --> 00:28:55,920 lifting 500 lbs for a few years. He has been progressively 375 00:28:55,920 --> 00:28:59,960 working towards towards that goal and it and is nearly right 376 00:28:59,960 --> 00:29:03,000 at the doorstep of that, which I think would be pretty close to a 377 00:29:03,000 --> 00:29:10,840 world record to lift £500 off of the ground at 75 years of age. 378 00:29:11,400 --> 00:29:15,080 There's a very small group of people in this territory. 379 00:29:15,840 --> 00:29:19,040 So that was literally part of his goal was to set a world 380 00:29:19,040 --> 00:29:23,800 record for his age group. He's right there, right there. 381 00:29:24,880 --> 00:29:27,320 But so he's been working on that. 382 00:29:28,800 --> 00:29:35,760 But to be honest, I would never set a goal to deadlift £500 this 383 00:29:35,800 --> 00:29:37,360 year. Why? 384 00:29:38,200 --> 00:29:42,880 Because it's not realistic. I am nowhere near that. 385 00:29:43,080 --> 00:29:47,360 The most I lifted pulled off the ground this last year I think 386 00:29:47,360 --> 00:29:53,760 was around 355, which is a long ways from 500, right. 387 00:29:53,960 --> 00:29:58,000 And when you've been lifting as long as I have, you're not going 388 00:29:58,000 --> 00:30:03,400 to make 150 LB jump in one year. 20 maybe. 389 00:30:03,400 --> 00:30:06,920 I don't, you know, I would have to really prioritize that. 390 00:30:07,120 --> 00:30:12,360 It is not realistic for me to even try to make that a goal to 391 00:30:12,360 --> 00:30:15,640 pull £500 off the ground. If I really wanted, I could make 392 00:30:15,640 --> 00:30:18,920 a goal to pull £400 off the ground this year, but that would 393 00:30:18,920 --> 00:30:21,680 take a lot of work and I'm not going to prioritize that either. 394 00:30:23,040 --> 00:30:25,880 That's simply not my goal right now. 395 00:30:25,960 --> 00:30:33,320 So make it realistic. Next, be specific and 396 00:30:33,320 --> 00:30:38,280 measurable. Be specific and measurable. 397 00:30:39,360 --> 00:30:43,520 So set specific goals that you can actually tell if you 398 00:30:43,520 --> 00:30:47,000 achieved it. If you're not specific with your 399 00:30:47,000 --> 00:30:50,200 goals, then it's hard to know where you're headed and if 400 00:30:50,200 --> 00:30:52,760 you've made it to the destination. 401 00:30:54,160 --> 00:30:58,360 For example, if you would like to lose weight, don't set a goal 402 00:30:58,360 --> 00:31:00,640 that simply says lose weight this year. 403 00:31:01,960 --> 00:31:07,200 Be specific about what you would like to lose so you know when 404 00:31:07,200 --> 00:31:10,960 you have achieved it. I have my own goals here. 405 00:31:13,160 --> 00:31:16,520 And then last year I set a specific goal. 406 00:31:17,640 --> 00:31:23,040 I said become a lead pastor in 2025. 407 00:31:24,200 --> 00:31:27,080 Well, that was a very specific goal, right? 408 00:31:27,920 --> 00:31:33,600 And we can now look back and say that was achieved because it was 409 00:31:33,800 --> 00:31:42,080 a specific goal. Taking all this into the 410 00:31:42,080 --> 00:31:46,560 spiritual realm, if you want to be strengthened your walk with 411 00:31:46,560 --> 00:31:50,360 God, then then don't just leave it at that. 412 00:31:51,920 --> 00:31:55,280 Develop several realistic and measurable goals to help you 413 00:31:55,680 --> 00:32:00,760 move towards that value of wanting to grow spiritually. 414 00:32:03,280 --> 00:32:05,560 A couple weeks ago, a few weeks ago, I don't remember when it 415 00:32:05,560 --> 00:32:09,200 was I mentioned the the power of four. 416 00:32:09,200 --> 00:32:15,880 And this is spending time in the word for times a week and that 417 00:32:16,000 --> 00:32:20,160 when we spend at least four days a week in the Word, that's 418 00:32:20,160 --> 00:32:25,400 begins to make a significant impact and change in our 419 00:32:25,400 --> 00:32:30,480 spiritual life and health. So if you're wanting to be 420 00:32:30,480 --> 00:32:36,400 closer to God this year, perhaps you commit to being in the Word 421 00:32:36,400 --> 00:32:39,960 4 times a week. Perhaps you're already doing 422 00:32:39,960 --> 00:32:43,560 that. Maybe you say 5 times, maybe you 423 00:32:43,560 --> 00:32:45,920 say 6, maybe you make a commitment. 424 00:32:46,680 --> 00:32:50,040 I remember what transformed my life was one year I said I'm 425 00:32:50,040 --> 00:32:52,160 going to be in the word every single day. 426 00:32:53,040 --> 00:32:57,360 Whether it's 5 minutes or whether it's 35 minutes is 427 00:32:57,360 --> 00:33:00,880 better than zero. I made a commitment to be in the 428 00:33:00,880 --> 00:33:05,040 word every single day. It completely transformed my 429 00:33:05,040 --> 00:33:10,120 life. So be specific about what you 430 00:33:10,120 --> 00:33:16,000 want to do. Set that goal, and I guarantee 431 00:33:16,000 --> 00:33:23,200 you that you're going after that goal even should you fail in 432 00:33:23,200 --> 00:33:26,920 reaching that goal. If you're still going after that 433 00:33:26,920 --> 00:33:30,800 goal, you're still making progress and accomplishing more 434 00:33:31,280 --> 00:33:35,640 by going after that goal than if you hadn't set that goal at all. 435 00:33:38,600 --> 00:33:43,560 In Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, Alice comes to a 436 00:33:43,560 --> 00:33:46,400 fork in the road and sees the Cheshire Cat in the tree and 437 00:33:46,400 --> 00:33:51,000 asks, Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from 438 00:33:51,000 --> 00:33:55,640 here? The cat responds, That depends a 439 00:33:55,640 --> 00:33:57,720 good deal on where you want to get to. 440 00:33:58,520 --> 00:34:03,000 I don't much care, said Alice. Then it doesn't matter which way 441 00:34:03,000 --> 00:34:08,520 you go, said the Cat, so long as I get somewhere, Alice added. 442 00:34:09,000 --> 00:34:12,199 Oh, you're sure to do that, said the cat. 443 00:34:12,480 --> 00:34:21,679 If you only walk long enough. Far too many people live like 444 00:34:21,679 --> 00:34:27,000 Alice. We walk long enough, we're busy, 445 00:34:27,000 --> 00:34:30,040 we're tired, and we'll inevitably end up somewhere. 446 00:34:32,600 --> 00:34:42,280 But is it where God intends? If we don't have clear, 447 00:34:43,120 --> 00:34:48,120 sanctified goals, then any path will do. 448 00:34:50,159 --> 00:34:54,880 We'll be tossed to and fro by whatever urgency pops up on our 449 00:34:54,880 --> 00:35:01,880 phone or in our schedule today. So stop drifting. 450 00:35:03,920 --> 00:35:06,400 Let's ask God where He wants us to go. 451 00:35:08,320 --> 00:35:11,640 And I include myself in that. I'm still working out what are 452 00:35:11,640 --> 00:35:14,560 my goals this year. Let's ask God where He wants to 453 00:35:14,560 --> 00:35:18,200 go. Then choose the path that 454 00:35:18,200 --> 00:35:23,320 actually leads there. Not just any path will do. 455 00:35:26,720 --> 00:35:31,040 Pray over your values. Set goals that are realistic, 456 00:35:31,040 --> 00:35:34,920 specific, and measurable. Then start taking the steps to 457 00:35:34,920 --> 00:35:38,800 reach them. It's taking one day at a time. 458 00:35:39,720 --> 00:35:43,480 Don't fixate on the end that might, that might seem a little 459 00:35:43,480 --> 00:35:49,440 overwhelming, but look at those those steps, those those goals 460 00:35:49,440 --> 00:35:56,400 that you can take to achieve upholding that value you won't 461 00:35:56,400 --> 00:35:59,320 casually succeed at meeting. Your goals are progressing in 462 00:35:59,320 --> 00:36:00,880 life. It takes intentionality and 463 00:36:00,880 --> 00:36:06,000 sacrifice. It will cost something, it costs 464 00:36:06,000 --> 00:36:08,560 us something, but if you make the sacrifices and you follow 465 00:36:08,560 --> 00:36:12,440 through on your steps to achieve your goals, then at the end of 466 00:36:12,440 --> 00:36:17,920 the year, you'll be able to look back at your life and you can 467 00:36:17,920 --> 00:36:24,160 see what God has done. Let's bow our heads and close 468 00:36:24,160 --> 00:36:34,510 our eyes. Let's just take a moment this 469 00:36:34,510 --> 00:36:40,630 morning as we as we close out this portion of our service to 470 00:36:44,080 --> 00:36:48,840 consider what is it that God would want us to do in this 471 00:36:48,840 --> 00:36:54,320 year? What are the values? 472 00:36:55,120 --> 00:36:57,760 Kind of start thinking through some of those values, those 473 00:36:57,760 --> 00:37:04,560 priorities of your life that you need to set goals for upholding. 474 00:37:09,040 --> 00:37:10,560 Let's just take a moment of quiet. 475 00:37:49,290 --> 00:37:58,490 God, as we consider this next year, would you illuminate our 476 00:37:58,490 --> 00:38:01,170 our hearts and minds to understand what you would desire 477 00:38:01,170 --> 00:38:05,970 of each of us that we would not wander through this year 478 00:38:05,970 --> 00:38:13,810 carelessly in the sense that Alice was doing. 479 00:38:15,120 --> 00:38:17,240 Because it does matter which way we go. 480 00:38:18,480 --> 00:38:21,520 Some ways will bring us closer to you, others will not. 481 00:38:25,800 --> 00:38:29,800 So God, help us to understand what you would desire of us in 482 00:38:29,800 --> 00:38:33,680 this year. It's in Jesus name we pray, 483 00:38:34,440 --> 00:38:34,760 Amen.