R1618 Forgetting Behind-Pressing Forward

God has an encouraging word for you and me today through the Bible-based preaching of Dr. Don Wilton as we open the book of Philippians together.

Today we'll be in Philippians chapter 3 as Dr. Wilton brings a message called Forgetting Behind and Pressing Forward. As we open God's word together, know that we're open to talk and pray with you right now as well. Our phone number is 866-899-WORD.

I hope you jotted that down or stored it in your cell. 866-899-9673 will always connect you with someone happy to talk or listen or pray or connect you with great resources. Right now, walking with God's giants has been such a remarkable resource to so many, you can even take a peek online at our website at www.tewonline.org. I'll give you more details in just a minute.

That's online at www.tewonline.org. Now, Dr. Don Wilton. I'm going to ask you to turn with me. So go to your Bible app, open your Bible as if you've got a hard copy like me, and go to Philippians chapter 3. And some of you may, I don't think a lot of you, but some of you may say, now, wait a minute, I thought we're having communion. And here you've got us turning to Philippians. And you may ask the question, well, what is what Paul has to say in Philippians got to do with taking the Lord's Supper, having communion?

Here's the bottom line. Charles Haddon Spurgeon, one of the greatest theologians preachers of all time, he made this statement, some of you have heard it. He said, every time I open the book, the Bible, every time I open this book, I make a beeline for the cross. That's what Philippians has got to do with Jesus. Everything in the Bible, everything points to Jesus. I wish I had 70 years to preach ahead of me, and I could go back and restart in Genesis 1, and then you go through and your whole objective is to say, wait a minute, where does this point to Jesus? I promise you, everything in the Bible points to Jesus. Everything points to Jesus. Now watch this, guys, because this is what I'm going to say to you.

I'm going to come right out of the hatch here. The Lord's Supper communion is about Jesus. And if there's one thing that Jesus told us to do, he said, eat the bread and drink the cup, participate in the Lord's Supper until I come back again.

So just keep doing it, keep focusing, keep your attention, keep your eyes on Jesus, on what he did for you. Now, how does that fit into this guy, Paul, or the Apostle Paul, as we know him? Most of us know about Paul. Everything about Paul was pretty tough, so I'm going to just put that out. Everything about him, all his circumstances were one long COVID and worse. In fact, I think if he was talking here right now, he'd say, you guys think you've got a problem with COVID?

Why don't you hang around with me for a little bit? So Paul, looking in the rear view mirror, looking behind him, okay, so he's looking back. Everything about Paul's life was either a mess, was a tragedy, was hard to swallow, was painful, you name it. So before he gave his life to Christ, he was a blasphemer, he was a drunkard, he was a religious man, he was everything else you can name. He killed people and his life was a mess. Then he met Jesus on the road to Damascus and all of a sudden his life changed and he found forgiveness and hope and peace and new meaning. But did his circumstances change?

Are you kidding me? Everywhere Paul goes in the Bible, he's surrounded by a bunch of jerks. They're all after him. Everywhere he goes, he's getting hounded, stoned, run out of this place and run out of that.

Having to depend on others for food, getting shipwrecked. Everywhere he goes, you can follow him all the way through all his journeys. Everywhere he goes, tough, tough, tough, tough, tough.

Everywhere he goes. So finally he gets to the point where he says what I'm about to read in Philippians chapter 3. Now where was Paul when he said that was his current place?

So we know the past, looking behind, was just filled with tough, tough, tough, tough, miserable, lousy. So let's go to his present, where he is right now. Well, excuse me, his present was tough, lousy, miserable because he was in a Roman prison. He was under house arrest. There was nothing nice about where he was, his circumstances. This guy wasn't having three meals a day, an egg and bacon for breakfast. He was probably living on the smell of an oil rag. He was being persecuted. I mean, the place where he was, they didn't have proper facilities.

He didn't have a bathroom in there with a chain that you pull. It was a pit. You know, I've been into some of those pits.

I've been to where Paul was in Rome. It was pitiful. It's a hole in the ground, dark, damp, miserable, full of disease. Can you imagine the anger of those around him? Those people that were in this place with him, they weren't nice, most of them either.

They were criminals and people from every walk of life. So his current wasn't good. Okay, so what about his future?

So what about Paul's future? You know, all he was looking forward to was being executed. Oh, by the way, without going into any details, when they got executed back in those days, they didn't lie them down on a table and give them an injection to go to sleep permanently.

Remember how they put Jesus to death and worse? Do any of you need me to explain to you what he was looking forward to? So if this was his new year, this was the beginning of his new year, finally he's in prison. Well, I'm telling you, this next couple of weeks is fantastic.

I can't wait. So his past, his present and his future are all... I'm trying not to be overdone, but it was pretty awful stuff. And yet he was able to say something. And folks, it all had to do everything it had to do with Jesus.

So if I encourage you in anything today, I'm going to say to us, as we go into this new year, let's ask God to allow us to see our past, our present and our future through God's eyes. And then I'm going to say to you that that is jolly hard to do. Do you know why it's hard?

Because we've still got flesh. See my hand there? I can't explain it to you, but this morning I woke up, I've got a pain in this hand. I've had it for a few days, like a... I don't know where it is.

I think all arthritis might have got me in this hand. I've got to talk to him. But I don't know. I mean, it'll probably go away. What am I saying? It's nothing. It's not affecting me. You know? I'm okay. It's not nothing.

What's that? Nothing. But I'm telling you, we've still got this body. We get headaches and we hurt, we grieve. We suffer loss. We want. We have emotions. All right, let's backtrack that again.

This is not Doc standing here saying, I want to make an announcement as of today. Let's just all see through Jesus. That is what we've got to do. And we cannot do it in ourselves. But that's where we've got to be. Moms and dads, that's where you've got to lead your kids. That's where your marriage has got to be through the eyes of Jesus. That's where your schooling has got to be through the eyes of Jesus. That's where your studies through the eyes of Jesus. That's your scholarship that you do it through the eyes of Jesus.

That girl, that boy that you really like a lot. Do that. You say, what are you talking about? Just trust God. Trust God. Let God be at the forefront. So now I'm going to try and show you how Paul did this.

Fair enough? So I'm going to read to you in Philippians chapter 3 and just one, two, three verses or so. Three verses. Philippians chapter 3 verse 12. Here's what Paul says. Remember where he is.

He's in prison. Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect. I just said that.

We're not. But I press on to make it my own because Jesus Christ has made me his own. Remember the question, what does this have to do with communion?

Verse 13. I do not consider that I have made it my own, but one thing I am going to do. I'm going to forget what lies behind. And I'm going to strain forward, press forward to what lies ahead. I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God. Here it is again.

Ready? What does this got to do with communion? For the call of God, the goal, the prize of God. I'm going to do this because of Jesus Christ.

Now watch this, guys. When Paul uses that word, I have not already obtained. So Paul's circumstances, what circumstances? His past life before he gave his heart to Jesus, when he gave his life to Christ, when he surrendered to become a missionary and a preacher and a servant and he traveled all over the world, up to his present life, now in prison, to his future life, which he knew was coming, which involved what?

Getting executed, getting put to death. In all of that, all his circumstances, what do they reflect? They reflect, first of all, his struggle. He shares his struggle with us. And what does he say to us? He says, I just want you to know, I need you to know as I sit here that I have not fully obtained where I should be. In fact, I just need you to know I'm not perfect.

I like this guy, man. He's telling us. He says, here's my struggle. Paul really wanted to be fully aligned with Christ. He got it. He knew Jesus lived in him and he understood the Spirit of God lived in him. And he wanted to be sanctified. He wanted to be separated under God. He wanted to live a life that was pleasing to God. He wanted to do everything through God's eyes. But he's telling us, wait a minute, you need to know in my struggle, in my circumstances, I recognize my personal struggle. Would you do that as we begin another year? You willing to say that to the Lord?

Lord, I'm going to tell you, I'm dealing with my own struggle. You've got to confess that. You've got to admit that. He did. He did. What a powerful and challenging message from Dr. Wilton. Please forgive the interruption. He insists I interrupt. But we'll be back with the rest of today's message for getting behind and pressing forward in just a moment. But the reason Dr. Don insists I interrupt is that this is not just a presentation.

It's part of a conversation. And we're blessed to have friends taking your call right now. As a matter of fact, 24 hours a day, it routes to one of us happy to talk or listen or pray or connect you with resources at 866-899-WORD.

That's 866-899-9673. Right now, so many are asking about the book from Laura's story and Dr. Wilton's Walking with God's Giants, giving us insight from the past that will help us move to a great future. The details are online at www.tewonline.org.

That's www.tewonline.org. I hope you'll get your copy of Walking with God's Giants and the I Give Up book from Laura's story today. Now let's dive back into today's teaching with Dr. Don Wilton. And the second thing in his circumstances, they not only reflected his struggle, I'll tell you what they did, they reflected his determination. So what was Paul's determination?

Twofold. Number one, Paul said, I'm going to forget what's behind me. Yeah, right. I'm going to forget what's behind me.

I'm not going to ask you to stand up, raise your hand or anything. So anybody here today, you are absolutely plagued by your past. Your past is in your marriage, isn't it? It's how you bring up your children. It's in your relationships. It's like a plague.

Plague. Paul said, I'm going to put that behind me. I'm going to forget that. Now what?

Can I cheat a little here? He's going to build up. He's going to tell us how you do that. It's all about Jesus. That's what communion is. Because Jesus died, we are forgiven. Because Jesus died, we have hope.

Because Jesus died, we've got a future. If you put it all on Jesus, guys, this is Paul. So his circumstances not only reflect his personal struggles, man, I haven't obtained this and I'm not perfect, but it reflects his determination. His first determination is to kind of forget what's behind.

But his second part of that determination, he doesn't just say, well, you know what? I'm going to bury that past in Christ. I'm giving that Jesus has taken my past. I'm not, excuse me, I'm not yesterday. Now if you want to go through the rest of life pointing fingers at me because of my yesterday, just get a laugh, man, because Jesus doesn't. We love to do that, love to keep walking up to people and saying, remember what you did 20 years ago?

And here Jesus doesn't even remember it. So he says, I'm going to forget what's behind. Here's the second part of his determination. I'm going to press on. I'm going to push forward. And by the way, that little word, press on, carries with it the idea of an aggressive, energetic determination.

It's not like, ah, man, oh, come on, guys. I'm just going to, you know what? I think tomorrow I'm just going to be cool and, you know, whatever happens tomorrow happens tomorrow. You know, wake me up when we get there. I'm forgetting the past.

But man, right now, I'll let tomorrow take care of tomorrow. That's not what Paul said. Nope, he used a word. He said, I'm going to press on. It's actually an athletic term. It's aggressive.

It's energetic. It's a determination. It's a determination.

I'm going to do this, man. Circumstances reflected his struggle, his twofold determination, but it also reflected his hope because what does he say there? He says, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. And his hope in Christ, Paul says, allowed him to do three things. It allowed him to release himself from that liability.

I mean, he picks up right there in verse 13. He says, I do not consider that I have made it my own. There is nothing spiritually wrong with you saying to the Lord, Lord, I want to be released of this burden. I cannot make it on my own. Be released of that, man.

This is going to sound the craziest thing. Stop trying so hard. Not in terms of pressing on. Give way to what Christ does in you. His hope in Christ released him from this awful thing that always sits on our heads. The second thing that it did, it helped him to make a fresh resolve. It not only released him of the burden of his own inadequacy, but it produced, his hope in Christ produced a beautiful resolve. And what was the resolve?

To forget and to push forward. That's a resolve. Christ did that. That's what he does. And the third thing, his hope in Christ does, allows him to rejoice. That's what he says there in this passage. He says, the goal for the prize of the call of God in Christ, Jesus.

And everything he says, not only before, but during and after, he just constantly rejoicing. He said, man, it's about the Lord. It's about the Lord. It's about God. It's about Jesus. It's what Jesus has done for me.

Guys, watch this. This is not because I'm saying it. You've heard it said before. This is a profound saying. It's not so much about what you and I do for God. It's what God does for us.

God's far greater than us. It's what God does. It's Christ in me. It's what Christ does in me, through me, for me.

He indwells me. That's what he's talking about. This cause for great rejoice. So is it any wonder in 1 Corinthians and chapter 11 and verse 23, this is what Paul says. Now, does this make sense? It's what he says here in 1 Corinthians. He says, because I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night he was betrayed took bread. And when he had given thanks, he broke it and he said, this is my body which is broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me. And in the same way also, he took the cup after supper, saying this cup is the new covenant in my blood.

Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are proclaiming the Lord's death until he comes. What powerful teaching and symbolism today as we understand what God's calling us to as children of God, as a part of a family, the Lord of the universe. It's hard to comprehend, but the one who created everything, this huge, ginormous, hard to conceive being that is the God of the universe is your friend and wants to be your Savior. I pray that as you've heard Dr. Wilton teach today, the book of Philippians is so rich with content and joy and insight, but I pray that you would open your heart now, not just to the teaching of Dr. Don Wilton, but something that's really closer to home to him as he opens up his heart and asks you to make a decision for Jesus.

Here's Dr. Don. God has spoken to you, hasn't he? And you're ready to give your heart to Jesus.

I'd love to help you right now. Pray this prayer with me and accept Jesus into your heart and life. Dear God, I know that I'm a sinner.

I know that Jesus loves me and died for me on the cross. Right now, I repent of my sin and I confess my sin to the Lord Jesus Christ. Come into my heart and save me today and forgive me for my sin. In Jesus' name I pray.

Amen. If you've prayed that prayer, I'd love to get alongside of you and celebrate with you and send you some literature and help you as you begin to grow. And I want you to know that I love you very, very much. If you just prayed to receive Jesus Christ with Dr. Wilton moments ago or maybe you prayed to rededicate your life and to restart to renew your commitment to Christ, we have wonderful resources Dr. Don wants you to have if you'll just call us and let us know. 866-899, word is the phone number. I pray you'll jot it down, store it in your cell, 866-899-9673. We'll connect with one of us, happy to talk or listen or pray.

Put those resources in the mail to you right away. Maybe God has stirred your heart and you didn't give your life to Christ moments ago when Dr. Wilton prayed, but you'd like to know more about what it is to say yes to Jesus. Again, jot the number down, store it in your cell, 24 hours a day to connect with one of us, happy to talk or listen or pray at 866-899-9673. You know, for many of you, you're praying right now that some of your friends would come to Christ because you know Jesus, you love Jesus and you have been in some cases listening to the encouraging word for quite some time. Have you ever thought about prayerfully and financially supporting the ministry?

Here's how it's done. We become encouragers when we invest in the ministry of the encouraging word. Here's Liz with all the details about what it is to become an encourager. The most important thing we can do with our life is to give our life to Jesus, to accept his gift of salvation.

It is easy for us to receive this gift, but it cost him everything. We want to share this gift of salvation with as many people as possible in the new year. Will you join us? Will you help us bring this gift of salvation to our world? We need your support. Become an encourager today.

Call us at 866-899-WORD. That's 866-899-9673 to request information on how you can help support the work of the encouraging word. The encouraging word is a viewer and listener supported ministry.

Thank you for listening today. It's been a wonderful day of studying God's word together in the encouraging word and as you've heard about what it is to be an encourager, know this. More than anything else, our calling is to encourage you.

Now if you find you want to get involved, wonderful. You may dig a little deeper on our website and discover that Dr. Don Wilton for 25 years, the last 25 years of Dr. Billy Graham's life, he was his pastor and their relationship is a remarkable one. I'll tell you more about that someday later, but just know that we believe that God has established this ministry for a reason, and that's to lift up the name of Jesus.

He's established you for that reason as well. You in your own life every day have the opportunity to share the light of Christ wherever you go. That's our prayer, that you can be an encourager to others as well. Until next time, take care and God bless.