Press On to the Heavenly Prize

In one paragraph

Carl preached from Philippians 3:10-21 on the call to keep running the race of faith with your eyes fixed on heaven, maturing in Christ along the way rather than stalling out in past regret. The key verse he returned to more than once was Philippians 3:14: "I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God through Christ Jesus is calling us." The message was...

Read together

1. 1 Chronicles 16:34 opening verse: give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his faithful love endures forever
2. Isaiah 55:8-9 my thoughts are nothing like your thoughts, my ways are far beyond anything you can imagine, the heavens are higher than the earth
3. Philippians 3:10-21 the main passage read aloud covering pressing on, the heavenly prize, citizenship in heaven, and waiting for Christ's return
4. Philippians 3:14 key verse: I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God through Christ Jesus is calling us
5. Revelation 21 glimpse of heaven: no more death, sorrow, crying or pain, all these things gone forever
6. 1 Peter 1 born again by God's great mercy, priceless inheritance kept in heaven, pure and undefiled beyond the reach of change and decay
7. Romans 8:1 there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus
8. Psalm 103:12 as far as the East is from the West he has removed our sins from us

Talk about it

1. Carl talked about Paul writing from prison with his eyes fixed on heaven rather than on his circumstances. Where do you find your own eyes fixed most of the time, and what tends to pull them away from an eternal perspective?
2. Carl described heaven using Revelation 21, calling it 'the heavenly prize' that makes the race of faith worth running. Do you genuinely feel that this race is worth it, and what makes it feel that way or harder to feel that way?
3. Carl said Paul could have sat in past regret over murdering Christians, but instead he lived in 'the present of grace and forgiveness.' Is there something from your own past that you find yourself cycling back to, and how does the truth of Romans 8 that there is no condemnation for those in Christ speak to that?
4. Carl used the Francis Chan rope illustration to show how small our time on earth is compared to eternity, and said there is a constant temptation to only think about what is happening right now. What in your daily life most pulls your attention away from eternal things, and what has helped you keep perspective?
5. Carl closed by encouraging the church to mature in Christ along the way rather than coasting and saving it for later. What does maturing in Christ actually look like in your life right now, and what is one thing that might be keeping you from pressing forward?