Press On to the Heavenly Prize
First B Jackson
2016-02-21

Automatically transcribed. Where this and the recording disagree, the recording is the record.

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Very, very good to see you. Glad you made it here. Hey. We're here to worship. That's why we're here.

We're here to meet with God, here to love on one another, to meet with God, hear what his word says, worshiping through song. A verse from from first Chronicles, give thanks to the Lord for he is good. His faithful love endures forever. I want you to know that our God is faithful. And because he is faithful to us, we can be faithful to him.

And so what do you say? We'll stand up and sing praises to him.

Alright. Give thanks to the Lord. He's good. Give thanks to the Lord, our God king, love being newest forever. Saint praise, praise forever he's faithful.

Forever God is faithful. Forever God is strong, forever God is with us forever, forever, forever. Amen. Do you believe that? And the rising to the setting sun, because love endures forever.

That's every day by the grace of in the

Amen. God, we are thankful. Thank you for a new day. And I thank you for each year. I pray that you would encourage each one in Christ's name.

Amen. You can have a seat for a minute.

Alright. We're gonna blast through some announcements real quick. Glad you guys are all here. Alright. Just waiting for everybody to sit down,

Martin. Good.

Okay. Good. Alright. Alright. Just a few announcements this morning.

We've got, if you're interested in becoming a member here at First Be today with Gary Geek in Pastor Ray's office between services, we have a discovery class meeting. So check that out if you're interested in becoming a member. We also have a covenant ceremony next Next Sunday. Sunday for members who have already requested to be members. So be here for that to encourage and welcome those guys in.

And then the rest of the week is pretty similar. We're back on for Awana this week, 6PM here. And then just down the hall is Monday nights with Carl. But Blake's actually speaking on Monday. Is that right?

Blake's speaking.

So, we've got Blake speaking, meal, music, and message down there, 06:00. So, drop the kids off at Awana and come down to Monday night if you would like and then, the Baby Bottle Campaign for Turning Point is back for 2016. Together, we're gonna try and raise $25.00 for that ministry. So, we've got the baby bottles in the back. If you wanna grab one of those on your way out or as you pass through, they're just on that wall back there but the idea is take one of those, put it somewhere where you empty your pockets in the evening and if you've got change, we just fill those up with change or dollar bills or if you just like to write a huge check and put it in there, you sure can.

So, if you would like to be a part of that, make sure to grab a baby bottle on your way out today but we want to help out that ministry because that is a great one here and Judy heads that up. Judy Basie is in charge of that. The connection hour between, they're cooking some serious stuff down there. Looks like biscuits and gravy and all sorts of things. So, make sure between services you stop in there, grab some grab something to eat and then, as always, check your bulletins.

There's a bunch of stuff in the bulletins still, other announcements that you may want to know about. So, check those out and we're going to go ahead and bring you back together in song. Anything else, Carl?

No, stand up, greet.

Yep, stand up, greet one another, high five. We've even got hugs up there. So, do what you got to do.

Oh Lord, my God. Oh Lord, my God. When I'm an awesome wonder, consider all the worlds I haven't made. And I see the stars, and I hear the rolling thunder. I'd pop throughout the universe despite You know the chorus.

Let them sings my soul, my savior God's thee. How great thou art, how great thou art. God, we sing you're great. And sings my soul, my savior God's thee. How great thou art, how great thou art.

And when I think that God is some not sparing, send him to die, my savior God be. How great thou art. How great thou art. And when he shall come, when Christ shall come, we shout to thy clummation and take me home, which yours should fill my

heart. Looking at eternity.

And I shall

bow in humble adoration

How great thou art, how great thou art. Then sings my soul, my savior got to be. How great thou art, how great thou art. Let's sing that again. Okay?

Then sings my soul, my savior got thee. How great thou art, how great thou art. And then sings my soul, my savior got thee. How great thou art, how great

thou art. God, we are so grateful. You are a good God, and we are here to worship you.

He is our firm foundation. Let's sing to him.

Time. Time.

Can he say than to you he you has said to you who for refuge to Jesus as fled. Fear not.

Fear not he is with us so be not dismayed

will not be shaken Jesus' firm foundation. The soul that's trusting.

The soul that is trusting in Jesus as Lord

will press on enduring the darkest of storms.

And though we've in hell should endeavor to shake,

how salvation and we will not be shaken Jesus firm foundation. We'll sing H to And all may fade away, but he will remain. He will remain. Can we sing that again? It's so good.

Age to which he stands.

The God, it's true. You have proved yourself to be faithful over and over and time and time again and forgive us God if we fail to recognize that because you are indeed faithful and we're clinging to you. You are that solid, rock solid foundation. We can count on you for everything and God, we don't always know why you do the things that you do, why you allow the things that you do. It happens.

It builds character for sure in us when trials come our way. But, God, we just continue to say that you are God. And even though we may not be skilled to understand, we know that you've got a plan. Christ's name, amen. From Isaiah 55, my thoughts are nothing like your thoughts, says the Lord.

My ways are far beyond anything you can imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. Let's put God and have that correct view of God. And we're not him. Let's not play him.

Let's let God be God.

I am not skilled. I am not skilled to understand. One God is will, one God is plan. I only know at his right hand. There's one who is my savior.

I take him at his word and Christ died to save me this sire. And in my heart, I find in me. For him to be my savior, that he would leave his place all night and come God, he's always gonna be. My savior loves. My savior lives.

My savior's always there for me. My God, he was. My God, he is. My God, he's always gonna be. Yes, living, dying, let me bring my strength, my solace from this spring.

I'd heal this for me. My God, he was, my God, he is, my God, he's always gonna be. My savior loves, my savior lives, my savior's always there for me. My God, he was, my God, he is, My God, he's always gonna be. Yes, living dying, let me breathe.

God, I continue to think of how faithful faithful you are, and it's so faithful that you sent your son to to love, to live, to die, to raise. And that same power arose Christ from the that's the power that that lives within us for those who have believed in you, that we are in you. Now we don't claim our righteousness. We claim yours. And, so thank you, God.

It's just a way to say thank you for all that you've brought us in the, yes, living, dying, let me bring. Let us bring ourselves. As we participate here in the worship of giving, let us be let's put ourselves in that offering plate, really, because that's just one more expression of us saying, love you, we trust you, and we're grateful for all you've given. We're giving back. In Christ's name.

Amen.

Just coming by Fondor now in the home stretch, heading into the

bellwether. It's

really falling down.

Well Doordon falling down gets up quickly, but that's gonna cost her. Lucky she wasn't injured.

Her teammate just went to the front, though, so they may be able to recover from that. And Jordan is flying down the back. He is catching up. She is gonna catch Bondor, and she may catch the leader. Wow.

She's got fun. This is a

That is amazing.

Doornan's been running second. I

I love stories like that. Like, you come across them, please send them my way because those are are good. That was Heather Doranen in 2008 at the big tour big ten indoor championships in Minnesota. And, this is what she said about that race in an article. She said, the last 50 meters, I hit a gear I never knew I had.

I feel the Lord just filled me up and gave me the opportunity to show what amazing things can happen through him. Pretty cool, And really that right there, that's a visual That's a visual what today's message about where Paul and the spiritual sense is saying, guys, press on to that finish line. Amen. That is heaven and don't look back and don't look back. The key verse that we're looking at here is this one.

In Philippians three fourteen, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God through Christ Jesus is calling us. Good stuff. If last week's message in Romans felt like weighing through deep, deep mud, this is gonna feel like skiing fresh powder. And I'm really glad that Ray said, hey, Carl, why don't you take Romans one again? Let's throw on the weight of sin.

And it's good. We need to feel the weight of our sin sometimes, but this really is a letter of encouragement. Those we've already felt the weight of his sin. We're in Christ now, and we're running this race of faith. That's Philippians.

And it's the keep going and don't give up message. It's the keep going and do not give up and do not look back message. Why? Because this race of faith is worth it. Amen.

You ever stop to think about that? This race of faith that we're running, do you believe it's worth it? The Bible says, oh, yeah. It's worth it alright. And if I were to put today's scripture in one sentence, it would look like this.

Church, friends, believers in Christ, let's keep our eyes on heaven. Okay? And let's mature in Christ along the way as we eagerly wait for his return. Keep our eyes in heaven. Mature in Christ as we eagerly wait his return.

Pretty simple, right? That's the message in a sentence. Philippians three ten through 21 and I'll put it on the screen. Blake, as I read it, he'll he'll keep going with it. Watch it.

Take note of it, but take note of where is where where where are Paul's eyes? Where are Paul's eyes? He's writing this from prison. Where are his eyes? Where are his thoughts in this passage?

Okay? Here's what he says. Starting in verse 10. I wanna know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. That's Christ living within us, isn't it?

I want to suffer with him sharing in his death so that one way or another, I'll experience the resurrection of the dead. I don't mean to say that I've already achieved these things or that I've already reached perfection but I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. Amen. Now, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it but I focus on this one thing. Here's the key verse.

Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead. I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God through Christ Jesus is calling us. Let all who are spiritually mature agree on these things. If you disagree on some point, I believe God will make it plain to you. But we must hold on to the progress that we've already made.

Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine and learn from those who follow our example. For I've told you often before and I say it again with tears in my eyes that there were many whose conduct shows that they're really enemies of the cross of Christ. They're headed for destruction. Their God is their appetite. They brag about shameful things and they think only about this life here on earth.

But we are citizens of heaven where the Lord Christ Jesus lives and we're eagerly waiting for him to return as our savior. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own using the same power which he will bring everything under his control. Can we pray on that before we go further? God, I I'm asking that you would open our hearts, open our minds, illumine this scripture. We could just sit and soak in it for a while.

And it would bring encouragement to us. And I'm praying that you would teach us especially today this this race of faith, it is worth it. But along the way to continue to mature in you to not look back as we press on toward heaven. Amen. Holy Spirit, be our teacher, our counselor, encourage us, motivate us.

We're praying in Christ's name. Amen. Amen. Okay. So, again, this scripture, one sentence, my own words, let's keep our eyes on heaven and mature in Christ as we eagerly wait his return.

Okay? Beginning with, let's keep our eyes on heaven. That verse 14, can I read it again? I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God through Christ Jesus is calling us. Heaven is for real.

It's not just a movie. Right? It's an actual place that believers in Christ go after they've taken their last breath. Here on earth, Paul refers to it as the resurrection from the dead. Verse 10, That perfection, verse 12, the heavenly prize, verse 14.

Whatever term you wanna use, heaven is for real. Heaven is for real. And according to the Bible, when we take our last breath here on earth, we're going to enter eternity. And it's either gonna be an eternity with God in heaven or without him in eternal punishment. That's what the Bible teaches and that's a hard truth.

But that's what it says. There's nothing in the Bible about there being an in between place. We're with him or without him. Remember this verse? We've been saying this over and over again.

The message of the cross, it's foolishness to those who are perishing. It's the aroma of death But the power of God who are being saved. It's the aroma of life. Right? I remember when somebody asked me, he said, Carl, if you died tonight, do you know where you'd go?

And I was like, woah, you don't wanna ask somebody that question? Why not? Why not? We all need to think about it. Where will we go after we've taken our last breath?

God's saying, we can move in with him. We can move in him. By the grace of God, through faith in Jesus, we can enter glory. Really? That assurance.

Revelation 21, it gives us just a glimpse of what it'll be like. Can I show this to you? Let me remind you of this, of what heaven will be like. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes and there'll be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.

How about that? That, there, that's the heavenly prize. That's the reward. That's glory. That's perfection.

And Paul is saying, let's keep our eyes on it. Let's keep our eyes on that as we're running this race of faith. It's a real place. And I'll tell you what, when a person is in those last moments of their life on earth, it sure is comforting to know where they're going. Do you agree with that?

And when a person is in those last moments, it sure is comforting to know where they're going. And in elders meeting this week, Gary, Gary is our thinker. He's our deep thinker and he he asked the tough questions sometimes and he said, you guys, when it comes down to it, what things matter most? What rises to the top? What falls to the bottom?

And we identified three things that rise to the top as the most important. And they are faith and hope and love. And the greatest being love. So job stuff, material stuff, family argument stuff, that typically falls to the bottom. But what rises to the top, faith, hope eternal, and then the love that we have for God and for one another.

Amen. I mean, it seems so simple, doesn't it? But it's really true and why do we spend so much time worrying about things that have no eternal significance? We'll get there. But when we're losing someone we love, who's put their faith in Christ, we can have peace about it.

I mean, really. And and and there can actually be the sense of comfort in it and an absolute 100 assurance that they're moving in with Jesus. And and it and it makes it that much easier for us. And it's hard to let go, but it it makes it that much easier to let go because you know that you're going to. Does that make sense?

A while and I a while back, Ray and I, sat bedside with Dottie Waters. She was a, she was here for a long time. And she was taking her final breaths and and we were we prayed and and we sang and we read scripture. I I don't I don't know how else to describe that room other than it was it was peaceful. It it was it was a sweet homegoing, I guess is what I could say.

She's a believer in Christ. Now, she's home with her. She's home with him forever. But her confession came long before her final breaths and her family knew it and her friends knew it. My point is, if you indeed have made that confession of faith, praise God, seriously.

Rejoice in that. I found that it's so much more comforting for your family, for your friends to know where you're going. You know, maybe nudge somebody next to you. Hey, I'm a believer in Christ. Hey, that's where I'm headed.

Amen. If they don't know, seriously but if you haven't, right? And you're going, honestly, there's no better time than now. There isn't. Honestly, if you're convicted, if you're convinced that God loves you, he sent his son to die for you.

Confess with you now. Jesus is lord. Yes, he is. Believe in your heart. God raised him from the dead.

Yes, he did. And we will be saved. It's not an easy believeism. Okay. I do this and then back to whatever else and no.

It's no. I I've confessed. I believe. Now I'm running this race of faith until the Lord calls me home. Right?

And in heaven, Satan will be defeated for good. You ever feel his personal spiritual attacks from the enemy and you're like, man, this is heavy. Well, Satan will be defeated for good. Sin will be banished forever. Do you think about the results of sin?

How messy that is? That will be banished forever. The curse of sin, eternal death, that will be removed for eternity. There'll be no more sin, sorrow, or tears, and we'll have a permanent home that will never perish, spoil, or fade. Amen First Peter says it well.

He says, all praise to God. The father of the Lord Jesus Christ, it's by his great mercy. This is what makes it all possible By his great mercy that we've been born again, a spiritual rebirth. Because God raised Jesus from the dead. He lives so we live.

Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance, an inheritance that's kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled beyond the reach of change and decay. My point is, church, we've got something to look forward to. Do you agree? We've got something to look forward to. God will make all things new again.

Let's keep our eyes on heaven. And as we keep our eyes on heaven, let's mature in Christ along the way. Right? Let's mature along the way. In verse 13, Paul was saying, I haven't hit perfection yet.

I'm not there. But I'm pressing on toward that goal and I'm not looking back. We've gotta keep moving forward. What would happen if Heather there in that opening would have just went, I'm done. I'm out of this race.

I mean, she felt like flat on her face. What if she checked out? She got up. She kept moving. There's a saying, the past is past.

Meaning, just that. You you and I can't change the past. We can learn from it. It can shape our future But it's not healthy to live back there,

church. Amen.

It's not healthy to live back there. Some of us, we live our past regrets over and over and over again and you sit there and we'll spin and cycle in those things. And it doesn't help. It's crippling. And it keeps us from moving forward.

You think Paul had regrets? He murdered Christians before he became them. What if he'd said, God, I can't I can't do anything for you. You know, all all this stuff back here is is too much and and and it's just I'm I'm sorry. I'm I'm sorry.

I can't do anything for you. Look how much, look, look what he went on to do once he was forgiven. Look what he want. He didn't sit and spin back there. My point is, he didn't live in that past regret, but instead he lived in the present of grace and forgiveness extended by Jesus.

And because of that grace and forgiveness, he had peace of mind. And peace of heart. And he could move forward to do what God called him to do. But look, I want us to see that can be us too. That can be our story too.

Romans eight, it says it so well and it's true. There's no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. Like when we receive God's grace and his forgiveness, we're no longer condemned. Our past sin, all those things, that ugliness doesn't condemn us anymore. God doesn't hold those things over your head and say, hey, remember this?

Remember this? If you're feeling that, that doesn't come from God. Those things have been removed. Look at this. Psalm one zero three twelve.

As far as the East is from the West, he's removed our sins from us. And he's not revisiting them. So why should we? Why should we? Jesus died and rose to set us free, to live in the present of grace and forgiveness so we could move forward, not to chain us to our past regret.

I want you to know that. And you may have a hard time forgiving yourself. I think I do too. But I'll tell you what, Jesus hasn't. He hasn't had a hard time forgiving you.

Once he sets you free, you're free. I want us to be reminded of that. And part of our our maturing in Christ and keep going and pressing on is to live in that truth right there. That he has set us free. And preach it to yourself if you need to.

I'm forgiven. I'm free. I'm no longer a slave to my past. I'm forgiven. I'm free.

He's already paid that. He's already paid that debt. I'm moving forward. I'm moving on. Rick Warren once said, we're products of our past.

We don't have to be prisoners of it. And I would say the same. Can't change the past. So don't live back there. Don't live back there.

Instead, choose to live in the present. Live in God's grace. Live in his forgiveness. Move forward. Amen.

Sound good? Verse 16, he says this, hold on to the progress you've made. Okay? So we're living in in in the the present of God's grace and forgiveness saying, don't let go of that. Don't go, this is good but I'm familiar with that past.

So, I'm going go back and I'm going to live over here again. No. No. No. No.

No. No. Don't. Hold on to that progress that you've already made. And when people notice, yo, that's God.

That's God working. Yeah. Yeah. That happened back there. But the grace of God is a lot greater than all my sin.

I'm moving forward. Let it be an example of God's good work. And that's what Paul did, really? Wasn't it? The kind of the abbreviated version of of all these verses here is follow my example.

He said, I've seen so many people live as enemies of the cross and they're only thinking about what happens right here on Earth. I wanna show you a short video clip here from Francis Chan to to illustrate that point.

Now imagine that this rope is a timeline of your existence. You just exist forever. You see this red part? This would represent your time on Earth. You've got a few short years here on Earth, and then you've got all of eternity somewhere else.

This is your existence. And what blows me away is some of you, all you think about is this red part. It's all you think about. You're consumed with this. You go, oh, man.

I can't wait till here. Know what? I'm gonna work hard. I'm gonna save, save, save so I can really enjoy this part right here. You're consumed with that and you're thinking, oh, man.

I'm gonna get to travel. Am I gonna eat well? Am I gonna do this during this part? And I'm like, are you kidding me? What about this?

What about this? What about what about all this stuff that's just it's crazy to me because because the Bible teaches that what I do during this little red part determines how I'm gonna exist for millions and millions and millions of years forever.

How true is that? Right? There's that there's that constant temptation to only think about what happens right here. Oh, man. I got bills to pay.

There are so many. I I saw a quote recently. It was like, life is more than paying bills and then you die or something like that. And I was like, yeah. Yeah.

That's true. But there's that constant temptation to only think like what's gonna happen right now. I I've kinda been learning a little new phrase in my life to let go. I'm like Elsa from Frozen, man. I'm just gonna let it go.

Why would we think about so much? Why would we think so much about what happens here when eternity is so much so much longer? Again, the idea here is to keep running this race of faith with our eyes on eternity and maturing in Christ along the way. Amen. When you get down, fall.

When you fall down, get up. Look at verse 20. We're citizens of heaven and we eagerly wait his return. Let me ask you something. Are you eagerly waiting God's return?

I know we probably don't think about it but are you ready? That's the mindset that I'm trying to communicate today that this life isn't all there is, and we know that. We know that. But heaven awaits. And that's our real home.

That's our real home. And when Christ returns, check this out. I this has been so good for me lately. He'll take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own. That's our that's our future hope.

And those with physical ailments right now are saying, amen. Lord comes soon. But in the meantime, the here, the right now, Philippians three, it's reminding us to do this. Keep running this race with our eyes on heaven. Let's mature in him along the way.

Let's not forget this confession of faith that we've made maybe years ago. And go, I'll worry about it maybe when I'm, maybe I'll worry about it more when I'm toward the end of my life. Now, let's just, let's mature along the way. Living in the present of grace and forgiveness rather than a past, we cannot change. Don't spin back there.

Live in the present of grace and forgiveness. As we eagerly wait his return. When he will make all things new. It'll be right again. He will give us a new home, a new body that will never perish, spoil, or fade.

Amen? Amen. Are you encouraged by it? I hope so. I want to invite the the worship team to come up again and we're going to sing one last song and while they're coming up, I want to share just a little history of this, history of this song we're gonna sing.

It's called When We All Get to Have an Old Hymn. It was written by a school teacher in the eighteen hundreds. Her name is Eliza Edmunds Hewitt. And the short story is that Eliza wrote this song when she was bedridden with a painful spinal problem. Some say it was because she got hit with a piece of slate by a careless kid, like a careless student.

So our kids are gone, but moral of the story, kids don't throw stuff. But rather than becoming bitter because of her of her condition, she sang and she wrote these words. Sing the wondrous love of Jesus. Sing his mercy and his grace. In the mansions bright and blessed, he'll prepare for us a place.

Great song. Before we sing, I wanna pray together. Okay? Can we stand together as we pray? God, we certainly have not arrived in in perfection yet, but it is our goal and it is our hope and it is our reward as we believe in you and walk in you and trust in you.

These things remain faith and hope and love. God, we wanna move forward without living in the past. The past is past and right now, we could be living in the present of grace and forgiveness and I pray that's where we'd want to live. And if we're tempted to go back and live in that past and relive those regrets over and over again, God, would you stop us in our tracks and remind us that there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And would you remind us that this place, as beautiful it is in Jackson Hole, is not our permanent home that we are passing through.

So would you keep our eyes

Amen.

Keep our feet, Keep our hands. Everything moving forward. We pray in Christ's name. Amen. Alright.

Switching roles here.

Alright. Sing the wondrous love of Jesus. Sing the wondrous love of Jesus in his mercy and his grace in the mansions right in bliss if you prefer us a place when we all when we all get to it one day of rejoicing that won't be when we all see Jesus we'll sing and shout the victory you guys are good let us then be true and faithful trusting get to it. One of insurance and I won't be. All see Jesus.

We'll sing and shout the victory one more victory.

Amen. Can I give you a little benny? A benediction. As you go, by God's grace, really, and through his power, press on. Press on, church.

Really, don't look back. Press on to reach the end of the race, receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, who enables and gives us the power to do these things, is calling us. Amen?