PRESSING ON
Memory Verse: Philippians 3:12 (NKJV) — 12 Not that I have already attained,
or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which
Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.
Text: Philippians 3:12–16
PREAMBLE:
“Personally,
I’ve never understood inactivity. Why a person would sit when he could soar, be
a spectator when he could play, or atrophy when he could develop…(it) is beyond
me!”—Bill
Hybels, Willow Creek Church
Introduction: Philippians 3:12–16
1.
We must not be Constricted
by our Past
Philippians 3:13; Philippians
3:2–8; Luke 9:62; Luke 17:32; Genesis 19:26; Exodus 14:15; Isaiah
43:18; Hebrews 10:17; 1 Timothy
1:12–17
To
“constrict” means:
1. To make smaller or narrower by binding or squeezing.
2. To squeeze or compress.
3. To restrict the scope or freedom of
“… Simply means that we break the power of the
past by living for the future. We cannot change the past, but we can change the
meaning of the past”.
--Warren Wiersbe
“Restlessness
and discontent are the first neccessities of progress.” —Thomas A. Edison
2.
We must not be Complacent
about our Present Achievement
Philippians 3:12–13; 1 Corinthians 15:3–11; 1
Corinthians 10:12
“The first
play is not to make “there” sound wonderful. The first play is to make “here”
sound awful.”—Bill Bybels Willow Creek Church
An Old Poem
Good better best.
May I never rest.
Till my good is better
and my better is best.
3. We
must Concentrate on Whatever it would take to Move Forward
Philippians 3:12–14; John 10:27; Philippians 4:13; John 15:5;1
Corinthians 9:24–27; Ecclesiastes 9:11; Hebrews 12:1–3
CONCLUSION: Acts 4:12; Romans 10:13
“Aim to achieve the goal God has set for you.
Spare no cost in the quest. Spare no effort in your pressing toward the mark of
knowing Christ.” --
Jerry Horner.
