Pressing forward Sermon

Lyrics

[Low, reflective male voice. Slow pace. Soft piano begins.] There comes a moment in every journey when you have to decide whether you are going to keep looking behind you… or move forward. [Pause.] Paul said in Philippians 3: “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” [Long pause.] Paul knew something about the past. He had victories behind him. He had failures behind him. He had regrets behind him. There were things he had accomplished… and things he probably wished he could erase. But Paul understood that you cannot run tomorrow’s race while staring backward. [Voice slightly stronger.] Some people are being held captive by something that does not even exist anymore. A failure from years ago. A mistake from yesterday. A door that closed. A relationship that ended. A season when you were stronger than you feel today. And the enemy whispers, “Look back.” Look what you lost. Look how badly you failed. Look how much better things used to be. But Scripture says, “forgetting those things which are behind.” That does not mean Paul lost his memory. It means the past was no longer allowed to control his direction. [Pause.] You can remember yesterday without living there. You can learn from your failure without becoming your failure. You can thank God for what was without refusing to walk into what will be. [Piano slowly builds.] Then Paul says, “reaching forth unto those things which are before.” Reaching. That sounds like effort. It sounds like a runner leaning forward toward the finish line. Sometimes following God feels like that. Sometimes you are not walking forward with victory in your voice. Sometimes you are reaching. Sometimes you are tired. Sometimes you are confused. Sometimes all you can do is stretch one trembling hand toward God and say, “Lord… I still trust You.” [Softer.] And sometimes… that is faith. Faith is not always shouting on the mountain. Sometimes faith is whispering in the valley, “I’m still going.” [Pause.] Hebrews tells us to “run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus.” Not looking unto our circumstances. Not looking unto the people who passed us. Not looking unto the people who abandoned us. “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.” [Voice strengthens.] Because if Jesus began the work, Jesus knows how to finish the work. You may not understand the road. You may not understand the delay. You may not understand why God allowed you to walk through a valley you never would have chosen. But the mark has not moved. The calling has not disappeared. God has not lost sight of you. [Pause.] So press. When you feel strong… press. When you feel weak… press. When the answer comes… press. When heaven seems silent… press. When people understand you… press. When nobody understands you… press. [Piano becomes fuller.] Press when yesterday tells you that you cannot. Press when fear tells you that you will fail again. Press when your emotions tell you to sit beside the road and stay there. The Christian life was never a call to remain where God found us. It is a call upward. A high calling. A holy calling. There is still more of Christ to know. There is still more faith to walk in. There is still more of your race to run. [Drop voice quieter.] Maybe you stumbled. Get up. Maybe you wasted time. Begin again. Maybe you took your eyes off Christ. Look again. The race is not finished because you fell. Peter sank beneath the waves… but he reached for Jesus. David fell terribly… but repentance brought him back before God. Elijah believed he could go no farther… and God was not finished with him. Your weakest chapter does not have the authority to write the ending. [Piano thins out.] There is a mark ahead of you. Not behind you. Ahead. There is a prize ahead. There is a calling ahead. And somewhere between where you stand today and where God is leading you, there will be mountains, valleys, tears, unanswered questions, victories, failures, beginnings and endings. But through every one of them… keep your eyes on Jesus. [Intensity begins rising.] You do not have to know every mile of the road. You only have to obey God on the mile beneath your feet. Take the next step. Then another. Then another. When you become weary, remember Who called you. Remember Who walks beside you. Remember that the hands guiding your future are the same hands that were pierced for you at Calvary. [Strong preacher cadence.] So leave yesterday where it belongs. Lay down the weight. Lay down the regret. Lay down the fear. Lift up your head. Fix your eyes upon Christ. Reach forward. [Pause.] And press. Press through disappointment. Press through uncertainty. Press through tears. Press when you can see the finish line. And press when you cannot see anything but the next step. [Music swells.