I Follow the Title/Philippians 3:10-16
I follow the sermon title.
Bible Verse Philippians 3:10-16
As it is the beginning of the year, you will have many resolutions and resolutions.
I hope that this wish will come true this year, and that there will be a history that further testifies to God's great work. A few days ago, when I saw an article in the newspaper that Korean marathon runner Lee Bong-ju was training from dawn on Jeju Island for the Olympic gold medal, I realized that just as he does not hesitate to train hard for the gold medal, we must live our lives like that.
Today's text also compares the Christian life to that of a racer. Just as an athlete trains daily for the goal of gold medal and overcomes difficulties, we must look to the sure reward of the kingdom of heaven, prepare in our daily lives, and follow through with our best.
Just as a marathon runner has to run 42.195km without stopping, one must also follow the life of faith toward the goal without hesitation. Whenever we are having a hard time, we must make a new resolution and follow through with the power of the Holy Spirit. In verses 12 and 14, the word "following" does not simply mean running, but the Greek word "dioko" is the word "track", which is a strong expression of more active and hard work, indicating a sincere effort to learn and become like Christ. I mean.
Then, we want to receive grace by thinking about what we are pursuing to catch.
1. We must follow Jesus to catch what was caught up with us (verses 10-12).
Being “captured by Christ Jesus” means that the apostle Paul met the risen Lord on his way to Damascus to arrest those who believed in Jesus and became an apostle (Acts 9:1-9). It is not by God's absolute sovereignty but only through God's sovereign power and grace, and I am actively pursuing the mission of an apostle given through the grace of salvation that is made of such great love and grace.
In fact, the apostle Paul had to go through many difficulties in order to fulfill his mission. (2 Corinthians 11:23-30) Nevertheless, he was able to confess, “I take pride in my weakness,” without becoming discouraged or discouraged, without forgetting the grace of redemption and completing the mission. He did not value even life to do so (Acts 20:24).
Beloved saints! Because God loved us, He redeemed us from our spiritual death and made us His children. I did not seek the Lord, but the Lord chose me. (John 15:16) How can I bear this tremendous grace, I am always grateful and moved, what should I do in return for this grace? What should I do? I hope that 2004 will be the year of giving thanks for the grace of redemption every day, finding work to do and doing our best so that we do not lose our first love while thinking of approval (Revelation 2:4).
2. You must follow to catch what is in front of you. (verse 13)
Forget what is behind and pursue what is in front of you. If you stay in the past, there will be no progress. "Remember or think not of the old things, behold, I will do new things" (Isaiah 43:18-20). People are divided into three groups according to their outlook on life.
The first is a past-oriented person who is obsessed with the splendid past or bitter failures, has no vision for the future, and lacks satisfaction in the present.
The second is a present-oriented person who pursues the present satisfaction and has no vision and cannot find satisfaction or meaning in what he is doing, so he becomes an opportunist who tries to pass only that time, and there is no possibility of development.
The third is a forward-looking person. A person who has a clear goal for the future, uses the past as a mirror to achieve it, and lives more actively in the present. Such people are not discouraged when they fail. Most successful people are of this type. God is pleased with such people. It was God who told Moses to stretch out his staff toward the blocked Red Sea and push it, to Abraham, who was lost in separation from his nephew Lot, “look east, west, north, south” (Genesis 13:14). The Lord said to a 38-year-old patient by the pool of Bethesda, "Do you want to get well?" He asked if you have any hope. Beloved saints! We have to look forward to the Lord, who is going ahead and smooths our path, and we must follow forward.
3. You must follow to grab the prize of your calling. (verse 14)
Those who come to God must believe that He exists and that He is our rewarder” (Hebrews 11:6). The ultimate goal of believers is the reward that we will receive from God. Of course, we are already those who have received the blessing of salvation and eternal life. Salvation The saints who have received must receive a reward from God, and the reward is determined according to what they have done on this earth.
Therefore, what we are doing on this earth today is truly precious, because the eternal reward is decided. Those who look forward to the reward of the kingdom of heaven will not be discouraged. I cannot be discouraged. Although people may not know it, God knows everything. Saints! We must look to the God who calls us and rewards us with faith and strives harder to receive the reward.
4. Know that the present (present) is a precious time and follow it. (verses 15-16)
There are some who have achieved perfection and others who have not. There may be different degrees of faith and different ways of living, but we must do our best to know that going to the Lord is precious right now.
We need to reconsider our condition now. A person's worth is not in the past or in the future. My appearance at this time today is precious. Therefore, the risen Lord asked Peter three times whether you love me (now). (John 21:15-18) He said to Elijah who was hiding in the cave of Mount Horeb, "Why are you here?" (1 Kings 19:9) ,13) twice was to help you realize the current state of things right now, and to realize the importance of it.
Let me finish my speech.
I wish you a year of great blessings and victories in the new year. The circumstances of the times and the surrounding environment are not so bright. However, we must follow the will of God who has given us a year.
We must follow Jesus to fulfill the mission of being caught up in Jesus, and we must look forward and follow, believing that God is a rewarder according to our deeds, and we must look forward and follow Him. I hope that you will realize that now is very important and do your best to become the saints who follow for the work that pleases God.