5-31-98 .....Where do you want to go today?..... Phil. 3

(Moving on Up to the top!) Graduation Sunday

by Ronald E. George Jr.

Scripture Text: Phil. 3:13-21

Phil 3:13 (KJS) 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, 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. 16 Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing. 17 Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample. 18 (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, [that they are] the enemies of the cross of Christ: 19 Whose end [is] destruction, whose God [is their] belly, and [whose] glory [is] in their shame, who mind earthly things.) 20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: {conversation: or, we live or conduct ourselves as citizens of heaven, or, for obtaining heaven} 21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

Where do you want to go today? Are you moving on up to the top?

Key Verse: 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

I. Where have you been? (Past) Moving out!

Why should we move on out. Because we haven’t got there yet. When are we going to get there? When Jesus comes again.

Sometimes we have to let go of the past in order to enjoy the present, and be able to dream of the future. -- A Hallmark Card

Israelites were camping in the same campsites spiritually and in the wilderness. Are we?

1. Leaving the past because you haven’t arrived at the goal yet. Graduation day for the christian is death which is God’s passage device from here to eternity.
2. Forgetting the mistakes and the successes. Both can pull you down and prevent you from moving out.
3. Going on to the Mark! What is your mark/ goal? Have you determined your goal?

II. Where are you at now? (Present) Moving on!

The present is the point at which time touches eternity. –C. S. Lewis

The present is that moldable moment that determines the past and the future.

1. Reaching forward to those things that lie ahead…

to stretch (one's self) forward to those things that are before.. Giving it your all.

2. Resisting those who would prevent us from running and striving for the goal

18. For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things.

Discouragement, Devils, and Defeat will not stop us from going on once our mind is made up. Make up your mind as to what your goal is. And proceed to claim the prize.

Some Christians are so afraid of failure that they become reserved, overly cautious, and uninvolved in life. They follow a policy of guarded living, holding back time, talents, and treasure from God's service. Their motto is: To keep from failing -- don't try! On the other hand, those who are willing to make mistakes and risk failure are the ones who ultimately achieve great things. Instead of being filled with fear, they go forward in faith. Problems are challenges. While they may not all be solved, these courageous people would rather live with that reality than have a clean record of no failures and no accomplishments. Benjamin Franklin said one time, "The man who does things makes many mistakes, but he never makes the biggest mistake of all -- doing nothing."

Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there.- Will Rogers

Columnist Herb Caen wrote in the San Francisco Chronicle: "Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning a lion wakes up. It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death. It doesn't matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle; when the sun comes up, you'd better be running."

Spurgeon wrote likewise: "If you are not seeking the Lord, the Devil is seeking you. If you are not seeking the Lord, judgment is at your heels."

In the Christian life, it's not enough simply to wake up. We are called to run, to become more like Christ, to press ahead in godliness. -- Bill Effler, San Mateo, CA

3. Living up to what we have already attained. 16 Only let us live up to what we have already attained. Heavenly minded people . Keeping the goal in mind is to live with Christ in the present. Looking forward to the time to come. A heavenly Attitude..

The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company, a church, a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past -- we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude -- I am convinced that life is ten percent what happens to me and ninety percent how I react to it. And so it is with you. We are in charge of our Attitudes. Charles Swindoll

III. Where do you want to go? (Future) to heaven. Moving up to the Top!

Are you on the way? Following the Lord.

High in the Alps is a monument raised in honor of a faithful guide who perished while ascending a peak to rescue a stranded tourist. Inscribed on that memorial stone are these words: HE DIED CLIMBING. A maturing, growing Christian should have the same kind of attitude, right up to the end of life.

The wind of God is always blowing -- but you must hoist your sail. – Fenelon