Press on | July 3, 2016

Welcome back to 'The Nathan Report'!

A beautiful day with the word of God. Today we will be studying about keeping a focus on our life. Like Paul says, I will "Press On!"

Illustration:

A hungry tiger smelled a deer and started chasing that smell. Suddenly he started getting smell of a rabbit and leaving deer, this hungry tiger started chasing the smell of that rabbit. While chasing he got a smell of a rat and this tiger started chasing the rat. The rat found a small hole and vanished. The lion ended his day in disappointment and more hungry than he began his day.

Many times we don't try to do one thing and at the end of the day we say, I wasted my day.

Philippians 3:13-15

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. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in anything ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.

This simple dependence and earnestness of soul, were not mentioned as if the apostle had gained the prize, or were already made perfect in the Saviour's likeness. He forgot the things which were behind, so as not to be content with past labours or present measures of grace. He reached forth, stretched himself forward towards his point; expressions showing great concern to become more and more like unto Christ. He who runs a race, must never stop short of the end, but press forward as fast as he can; so those who have heaven in their view, must still press forward to it, in holy desires and hopes, and constant endeavours. Eternal life is the gift of God, but it is in Christ Jesus; through his hand it must come to us, as it is procured for us by him. There is no getting to heaven as our home, but by Christ as our Way. True believers, in seeking this assurance, as well as to glorify him, will seek more nearly to resemble his sufferings and death, by dying to sin, and by crucifying the flesh with its affections and lusts. In these things there is a great difference among real Christians, but all know something of them. Believers make Christ all in all, and set their hearts upon another world. If they differ from one another, and are not of the same judgment in lesser matters, yet they must not judge one another; while they all meet now in Christ, and hope to meet shortly in heaven. Let them join in all the great things in which they are agreed, and wait for further light as to lesser things wherein they differ. The enemies of the cross of Christ mind nothing but their sensual appetites. Sin is the sinner's shame, especially when gloried in. The way of those who mind earthly things, may seem pleasant, but death and hell are at the end of it. If we choose their way, we shall share their end. The life of a Christian is in heaven, where his Head and his home are, and where he hopes to be shortly; he sets his affections upon things above; and where his heart is, there will his conversation be. There is glory kept for the bodies of the saints, in which they will appear at the resurrection. Then the body will be made glorious; not only raised again to life, but raised to great advantage. Observe the power by which this change will be wrought. May we be always prepared for the coming of our Judge; looking to have our vile bodies changed by his Almighty power, and applying to him daily to new-create our souls unto holiness; to deliver us from our enemies, and to employ our bodies and souls as instruments of righteousness in his service.

When your mind is divided, you are distracted and it is so difficult to focus on one thing and we end up failing to focus on our goal.

1 Thessalonians 3:6

“But now when Timothy came from you unto us, and brought us good tidings of your faith and charity, and that ye have good remembrance of us always, desiring greatly to see us, as we also to see you:”

Proverbs 12:11

“He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread: but he that followeth vain persons is void of understanding.”

Proverbs 16:3

“Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established.”

Job 1:3

“His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east.”

Genesis 13:2

“Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver and in gold.”

Genesis 6:12-13

“¹³ And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh,for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth.”

Genesis 30:43

Ruth 2:1

“Now Naomi had a relative of her husband’s, a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz.”

1 Kings 10:23

“Thus King Solomon excelled all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom.”

Proverbs 13:9

“The light of the righteous rejoices, but the lamp of the wicked will be put out.”

If God is not present then money is the priority.

Job 31:24-25

“24 “If I have made gold my trust

or called fine gold my confidence,

25 if I have rejoiced because my wealth was abundant

or because my hand had found much.”

Mark 4:19

“But the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.”

2 Timothy 4:10

“For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia.”

1 John 3:17

“But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?”

Deuteronomy 8:4

“Your clothing did not wear out on you and your foot did not swell these forty years.”

Paul is very clearly talking (Philippians 3:14) about what he is teaching. People are confused. Some people says don't pray this way or that way. A prayer is a direct communication with God but now a day many people have come to their conclusion.

You are not here by accident. God has a purpose for you. God took hold of Moses. To gain what Moses gained, he lost everything. When Moses went to see the prince, he did not go as a prince's friend, but as a servant of God. And because God has taken hold of him, he went into 40 years wilderness.

Don't count the blessings of things, but count for the blessings of what God ha don't to you in your life.

No matter how many failures have you seen, press on!

Illustration: When amateur wrestlers fight, they generally apply oil on their bodies and they don't let their opponents to get hold of them. If their opponent get hold of them, they may lose.

So if anger, bitterness and the past faluers take hold of you then you will not be able to move forward.

But if takes hold of you then, you don't fail.

Church has become a very weak church today because we only want to know God as 'Jehovah Jireh'. We must have a zeal to know God the way Paul wanted to know God in His suffering. So whether we get or not anything or even we loose for chirst inspite of it we will be stong and will depend on God.

What set Paul apart from other people was what Paul said, "I want to know Him, I want to be at His feet, I want to know about the power of His resurrection, I want to know the way of God, and I want to know everything about God."

Galatians 2:20

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Do not be distracted in your life. Like Paul said, "Press on!"

Illustration: a beautiful princess said, "I will marry to someone who will loose in a race with her. Many princes came to race and during race she lured them by throwing gold coins on the track. Many got lured and because of utilizing the time for picking up the coins, they lost. But there was one prince, who said, "I don't want this gold or the money, I want her." And eventually he won the race and got married to her.

Don't count on the things of these world. Focus on God and His ways and allow him to get hold of you.

What does His life teach us? Exactly what Paul said in our text, "I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

How do we press on? We keep on praying, reading God’s Word, and living the life as best we can!

Spiritual perfection? NO! There is no such thing. Our only perfection is in Christ, but spiritual growth and maturity should be our goal in life. Only one life. This will soon be past. Only what is done for Christ will last.

II Peter 3:18 “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.”

Let us seek to have our minds prepared for receiving things hard to be understood, by putting in practice things which are more easy to be understood. But there must be self-denial and suspicion of ourselves, and submission to the authority of Christ Jesus, before we can heartily receive all the truths of the gospel, therefore we are in great danger of rejecting the truth. And whatever opinions and thoughts of men are not according to the law of God, and warranted by it, the believer disclaims and abhors. Those who are led away by error, fall from their own stedfastness. And that we may avoid being led away, we must seek to grow in all grace, in faith, and virtue, and knowledge. Labour to know Christ more clearly, and more fully; to know him so as to be more like him, and to love him better. This is the knowledge of Christ, which the apostle Paul reached after, and desired to attain; and those who taste this effect of the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, will, upon receiving such grace from him, give thanks and praise him, and join in ascribing glory to him now, in the full assurance of doing the same hereafter, for ever.

Our hope and prayer for each of you is that you would know Christ; that you would value your relationship with him above all else. And that you would know that Christ has taken hold of your life for a purpose, not just to take up a seat on Sunday, but to live out your unique calling to make Christ known. In that pursuit, hard times will come, people will let you down and you might fail as well. So determine now to be people who PRESS ON to the end. We hope you enjoyed today's sermon, God Bless!

Image source: Wikipedia  

Original source: Jialiang Gao

Originally uploaded at: http://www.peace-on-earth.org/ 

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