Pressing On [Part 1]

Pastor author and Bible teacher Alan writing the power of the gospel is in this venue having being guaranteeing the victory more energized Russell that's Pastor Alan Wright welcome to another message of good news that will help you see your life in a whole new life. I'm Dino Britt excited for you to hear the teaching today. In the series. Unspeakable joy is presented at renewal the church in North Carolina. If you're not able to stay with us throughout the entire program I want to make sure you know how to get our special resource right now. It can be yours for your donation this month to Alan Wright Ministry as you listen to today's message go deeper as we send you today's special offer. Contact us at pastoralan.org or call 877-544-4860 that's 877-544-4860.

More on that later in the program but now let's get started with today's teaching here is Alan Wright you writing good news, if you feel like you're up against something and you start get that feeling of giving up and you're finding it difficult to press on the gospel, the good news of what God has done in Jesus Christ will become your fuel will become real power to you by the implanting of hope. The very fact that we are called to keep pressing on and to keep moving forward in our walk with God is an indication that God is not finished with you yet and we saw in Philippians. The first part of chapter 3 that we have been justified, saved, forgiven, born again into a living hope in Christ by Jesus plus nothing else and today were going to see is this text continues, that there is a call of continuing on that is rooted in that affirmation on a talk to you today about pressing on his in Philippians chapter 3 and where verse 12 Philippians chapter 3 at verse 12 Paul writes not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own because Christ Jesus has made me his own brother. I do not consider that I've made it on my own. But one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus with those of us who are mature think this way if anything, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that.

Also, you only let us hold true to what we have attained brothers join in imitating me to keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us for many of whom I've often told you now tell you even with tears walk as enemies of the cross of Christ.

Their indecision is destruction there. God is their belly and they glory in their shame with mindset on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. I think my favorite Olympic story of told before a man named Ruben Gonzalez who in 1983, was a benchwarmer on his college soccer team and he started watching the Olympics. The next year and he thought I'd like to be an Olympic athlete on problem was he didn't have a sport so all you need to do as he wrote sports illustrated and said, where do you go to trial and learn how to be an Olympic athlete that actually wrote her back there a number to call. They had looked through and look at all the summer sports and he thought, man, you run faster, jump eyes that I'm not good enough athlete to do all that he sorry looked at the Winter Olympics is early at all the different categories when he settled on was the louche a little sled to go down.

I see slope and reason he settled was our house until God rebuts an athlete so that and so he called up to the training grounds people trying to lose focus on my there. He said I would come him Olympic athlete is and how I said 21 is in no people start training for this in their early teens at the latest. Is that well out but I think I can do it. They said no you don't understand search that did this sport is so dangerous that that more people quit this than any other of our Olympics sport and Ruth said great men of ours and what would what it what you mean is it will because I don't quit. He's in which the method know I get on her since it people will break their bones.

Learning how to do this. He is in Your Honor since a 9/10 people will quit before they ever even get to any Olympic tryout is backed but got is very good at laser but I'm not a quitter, and Ruben Gonzalez went on to be in for Olympics and the louche and he is life message is this. If 9/10 people quit when the going gets tough. If you don't quit your already in the top & when Paul uses this image of pressing on.

He is using the image of an Olympic runner. He is targeting unto the sport that would've been very familiar in his day because of the Greek culture and is the image of an athlete devoting every fiber of his being toward the goal marker. The word literally pressing towards the goal marker it's it's it's towards that image of the finish flag finish marker the tape. Whatever. That's the image is using athlete who is so devoted toward one focused purpose that he is pressing on towards it. It's an it's a it's a it's in the description of the highest athletic endeavor where everything within you is pressing towards this goal. That's what he saying about the continuing life of the disciple of Jesus Christ. That's what he saying Michael Phelps is swimming again in the Olympics.

He's got more gold medals more metals than anybody in the history of Olympics and when he came on the national and world landscape of attention which are learning what is training flight. He swims an average of 8 miles a day during the six hours of swimming each day begins a train at 6:30 AM in the morning and he practices all the different strokes they've learned societies have that Phelps's body produces one third the amount of lactic acid of an average swimmer which allows him to swim without muscle burn his heart pumps approximately twice as much blood to his muscles is the average human males heart is breakfast while in training, three fried egg sandwiches with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, fried onions and Mayo 15 egg omelette, a bowl of grits, three slices of French toast with powdered sugar three chocolate chip pancakes, 2 cups of coffee they requires 12,000 cal a day. What is in training 12,000 cal a day when he is in training. I just let my mind know what would happen with one 12,000 cal a day.

The image of the Olympian who is moving towards the goal is then attached.

Paul uses the image of the prize and what the people in his day would understood is that the Olympics which were mainly originally foot races were presided over by judges and respected officers. It will call chief judges and after each event. They had a herald announced the name of the Victor, the father's name and the country's name and then athlete would come forward and receive a palm branch in his hands so this is the image Paul sanity is using here. This is Michael Phelps and training eyes towards a goal in mind with anticipation of being adorned the Victor again your name. Announce your country's name, announced what we're given by Paul here is for all of us who are in the spiritual flight. All of us are on the path of discipleship. All of us that are moving through Earth's aliens towards our true citizenship in heaven that you can count on this that the judge has already made his judgment playing through Christ's finished work so that the announcement over your life is one of victory and that you being assured that he who is in you is greater than he that is in the world are given the opportunity to press on in this world through whatever adversity you might face in the press on, no matter what obstacles you might come against because of the assurance of the victory that lies in front of you. In other words, the power of the gospel is in this that you having being guaranteed the victory are energized to press on. I wanted to show you today how the gospel energizes us for the great exertion of our lives because what Paul saying is I don't want you to be confused that just because I have been teaching you that you are saved utterly 100% by what Jesus is done and not of your own efforts. This does not mean therefore that there is not going to be effort on your part is just that the effort on your part is not unto salvation but because of salvation and is making this point is a lot of exultation in Philippians about.

Here's how you live even says one person imitate me as not being be boastful or ego just saying that there is a way in which this gospel that's inside of you gets lived out our lives and specifically he seems to be talking about continued growth in the Lord that JAlan Wright will have more teaching in a moment from today's important series is not actually is a delight reserved for those who have no problems or have you ever assume that some people are just born with a joyful personality. If so, get ready for some good news. Julie is a fruit of the spirit available to all in Christ, no matter the circumstances of life there.

Paul was in jail when he read his epistle to the Philippians he spoke of joy 16 times matter what you're going through. You too can discover the secret to unspeakable joy as pastor at NYPD through a life building exploration of Philippians. When you make a gift of sharing in light ministries today will send you the new CD album the secret and unspeakable joy as our way of saying thank you for your partnership. Your gifts are the only way we are able to continue broadcasting the message of grace all over the nation. Happiness may rise and fall with happenstance that Julie is ever present in the spirit to become a partner today and discover joint like never before. We are happy to send this to you as I thanks from Alan light ministries, seven 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website pastor.

Our in.work. Today's teaching now continues here once again is Alan writing some years ago was interested in studying what the scriptures had to say about laziness and some years ago I preached a message about this. I found some text that were quite surprising to me when I began to survey what what seems to be linked with this idea of laziness it's interesting subject.

It was one of those things that I'm quite curious about because I don't remember anybody ever coming for prayer and same. Please pray for my sluggard lateness.

I've got some difficult things to do and I don't like doing it. So would you know most of our prayer is the Lord would take away the difficult journey in front of us. Rather than energize us to do what is called us to do. As I was looking at this and that couple of things that occurred to me as I was thinking about her. I thought when I'm I'm at my laziest when is it hardest for me to do something that that I might not feel like doing in my flesh and I thought of a couple of images one when I was a kid my very first jobs I was working at the tennis courts allow Tessa play tennis and I thought my first job out of the work of the tennis courts and Jo check people in the court sweep courts in and out and and water the courts, and so for that, but instead my first job was more of a manual labor thing or some kids are hard by the parks and recreation department Greensboro and we worked all summer that Spencer looked in the center, Greensboro, and we did a lot of menial task, the one they hardly ever did was one day I'm totally convinced about three or four of us and they did and everything forced to do that day and they were going to the next week resurface. The soft courts with new composition and so there's a giant pile of compositions like a grainy Sandy green dirt and and the whole day they had us move it from here over to their it didn't even move it much closer to the courts. We just shoveled in wheelbarrows and moved it over to a neighbor power did the whole day was a most frustrating thing I is it like I see absolutely no point in doing this. It's hard to get motivated. If you see no point in anything of Ress one person. There is no purpose, no point in why do it if there's no purpose and no point why do it when people come to the place were they ready to forsake their life and see no reason to live. They come to places I what's the purpose is no point in it is no purpose in my life is the meaning of my life. There's no purposeful use of me and what gospel does the gospel comes in and seizes hold of you would God's great affection.

You start seeing who you really are in Christ changes everything. There is a purpose to this like there's a point to this life and to another, and hard to get motivated when things get too overwhelming out of a man's like this, but I got a personality flaw that the more disorganized I get, the more likely am to become disorganized nearly the same car in very nice shape clean on the inside parcel now, you'll see a quite cluttered because once he gets cluttered. It just feels like I don't have time to clean the whole thing up so might as well throw another cheeseburger wrapper in their sword get motivated. If you see no point in something as hard to get motivated. If you feel like it's too overwhelming and you'll never build to do it right and another thing that I think it makes it hard to get motivated and that is when there's nothing to look forward to is hard enough to take the Christmas decorations out of the attic get ready for Christmas but I can do that because Christmas is coming but putting the Christmas decorations back into the attic is one of the hardest things to do your just taken down Christmas fact that some of you believe that Christmas tree up all year at NFA Christmas Eve and I don't and helped out. I found some unusual scriptures when I was studying laziness that I didn't expect an interesting proverb Proverbs 22 verse 13 says the sluggard says there's a lien outside shall be killed in the streets.

There's a lien outside. I can't go out there and work today is a lien in the streets. I didn't kill look at the verses that you might say the coward says there's a lien in the street or the delusional man says there's a lien on the streets. This is the sluggard sensor and then another text that really to think about it catches you by surprise, even though it may be familiar to you. Matthew 25 familiar parable of the talents Jesus said, for it will be like a man going on during the call to service in a trusted terms property 25 town to another to do another one into each according to his ability. He went away he would receive the five talents went out once and traded with them and made five talents more so also, you had the two talents made to towns more but he would receive the one talent went and dug in the ground and hit his master's money. After long time to master the servants came and settled accounts with them. He would receive a five town scheme for bringing five tells more same as you deliver me five cows here have made five towns more his master said well done good and faithful servant.

Likewise person received to tasking that gave the two towns more but we came to this third man is a very different story.

He came forth the main one talent he said master.

I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not so gathering were you scattered no seed so I was afraid as a keyword. I was afraid and I went and hid your talent in the ground here. You have what is yours but his master answered him, you wicked and slothful servant is interesting.

He called in lazy.

The man was afraid but the master interpreted as laziness. There's a line in a straight I'm afraid I dug a hole in the ground. Here's one little talent back.

I didn't do anything. I just sat on it lazy. There's a connection in the Scripture between fear and laziness as part of our laziness. There's just my flesh just would rather sit there and eat potato chips as part of but I think deeper than that. What hinders us from pressing on with fears. Fears in the gospel answers those fears and 11 when your fears melt away on speakable energy comes into your being. Paul says that he had been grasped by God, so he runs to grasp more of God or the language that he uses the same root word used three times in verses 12 and 13.

Not that I've already obtained taken hold of this is that I haven't taken hold of it, but he says Jesus Christ is made me his own necessary word he's taken hold of me and then he says, so I press on to take hold to what he saying is been taken hold of by God. Therefore, I press on to take hold. In other words, something has happened in the way that God has laid seized my life by his grace that changed everything so that now I press on, I wouldn't of pressed on, except I have been apprehended by God and now I'm present on the best examples of this really is the story of Joshua. If you remember the story of the promised land.

There were 12 spies. It went in to spy out the land of Canaan.

10 came back with a negative report and the people grew fearful so they didn't take the land they didn't press on. Why did they not press on. They didn't press on because of fear. So in a very real way, you could say that the people of God were lazy. They were slothful.

They refused to press on because they were afraid we felt like grasshoppers. It seems like there's giants in the land, and so they didn't go all the new anything the land. This is such a picture of the Christian life beloved, the land was theirs.

God had given them the land he had assured him of the land, but the fear of not being able to appropriate what God had promised caused them to being unable to move for the right you find yourself here today. It's our teaching. We hope is a blessing to you right here in the bookmark of pressing on will pick back up next time in our series unspeakable joy and Alan is back in a moment with additional insight on this for your life in our final word.

New sold it seriously and constantly desires gently except in other words, Julie is an elusive dream reserve for a select few who have no problems or for those who were born with a joyful disposition actually enjoys the fruit of the spirit available to all in Christ, no matter what you're facing. You can have the joy of the Lord in the midst of the apostle Paul.even his epistle to the Philippians. While in prison he spoke of Julie 16 times.

Alan writes newest album, the secretive unspeakable joy.

Picture chapter by chapter 3 Paul's explanation of the secretive joy when you make a gift to data sharing a light beacon light of the new CD out on our way of thinking. Thanks for your part to come apart and discover the secrets unspeakable joy.

We are happy to send this to you as I thanks from Alan Wright Ministries, seven 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website past Rowan.work Ellen Susan somebody's listening right now and they identify. This is why were they are, what would you have to say to them will when you feel like giving it says something that God understands that he remember Jesus and even in the garden. He said I wish this cup to be taken from it's it's so was first just say it's not easy thing to press on.

When you feel that you have nothing left in the tank but what were learning today is that the power to press on.

Is not one that comes through well us trying to convince ourselves more of the importance of it is much as it is the deeper grasp of the gospel wherein our fears lifted. Why did the people.

This is the question, keeping in mind why did the people of God not take the promised land. Why do not press on is a fear and so you can overcome the fear then all the obstacles to pressing on the lifted and so that's what we think is really day on how the overcoming of these fears enables us to wrestle today's good news message is a listener supported production Alan Wright Ministries