Transcript of a published teaching by Raymond Sloan, transcribed from subsplash. An attributed primary source — not Acts 2:38 Life doctrine text.
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Summary
Summary prepared by Acts 2:38 Life from the transcript below — the preacher’s words follow in full.
The text: forget what is behind, press toward the mark
- The night's text is designated and read: Philippians 3, beginning at verse 13 — counting himself not to have apprehended, forgetting those things which are behind, reaching forth to those things which are before, and pressing toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
- Paul was not saying his past no longer mattered or was gone; that past is how he got where he was, and he would stand on it — but he would not keep building on that part while he reached into the future.
- To press means to put the energy and the effort in; he is looking for the high calling, the glory, the crown, the day.
Scriptures: Philippians 3:13-14
One heaven to gain
- There are not seven heavens and there are no second places or runner-up side rooms: there is one heaven to gain, and everything happening in your life right now is for that one place.
- Feeling irrelevant can cause a believer to sit back and do nothing, as if it doesn't matter anyway — and there is nothing further from the truth.
The power of an elder’s investment
- There is nothing more powerful than an elder spending time with the younger — investing in them, helping them, changing them; this church's dynamic is young, and it needs an elder voice.
- He remembers an elderly lady at the old building who would stand in the aisle holding a chair and testify that the Lord had been good to her and never let her down; the children watched her pray until God moved, and they still remember people like that.
- Young folks need to know what it is to make choices that hurt and sacrifices that cost — not a cup of coffee on Sunday, but sacrifices of a whole life.
- His grandparents had little money to give — his grandfather had a third-grade education and drove truck and construction — but they sacrificed everything they had for the things of God, and what they did not have in money they gave of themselves.
Sacrifices that cost
- A sacrificial offering that you no longer feel by Monday at work, because you simply had the ability to give it, is not the measure of sacrifice.
- When the church of his childhood was built, a group of men took out second mortgages on their houses and paid those mortgages so the money could build the church — an incredible price to pay so that a kid could have a place to go.
Staying relevant, staying connected
- The cynicism, compromise, pride, and burnout talked about in this series — and now irrelevance — can all sneak into a life that is constantly in change and motion; if you are not aware, you can fall into one of them and never see it coming.
- The closing call is to the altar: ask God to help you stay relevant, understand the times in which we live, work within these hours, and leave a legacy for the generation coming behind, who will need church, fellowship, the baptismal tank, and the Bible.
- He will not count himself successful until he hears him say 'well done' — that is what he is looking for, and Jesus is the difference in his life, his home, his work, and his family.
- Stay connected to the Lord, to what he is doing, his plan and his purpose; it is the only thing that matters.
Scripture index: Philippians 3:13-14.
Transcript
what you know you know boys say that to me i tell you what somebody's hang on to me guys philippians is what it says philippians 3 13. give the guys upstairs a second philippians 3 13 brethren i count not myself to have apprehended this one thing i do forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth under those things which are before i press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of god in christ jesus what does it mean to press forward that means to put the energy the effort and so when the letter was written to the philippian church do you really think that paul was saying you know what everything that happened in my past i forgot all about it it doesn't matter anymore i've ignored it all it's therefore gone no he was saying that was my life that is how i got to where i am but i will not continuously build on that part i will stand on that part as i reach into the future i will press toward that mark i am looking for the high calling i am looking for the glory the the crown the the day if you will and in so doing there's a couple of things that he's mentioning here i want to forget these things because they are not going to make me successful what is going to make me successful is this out here because you know what you know how many heavens there are anybody anybody here to gander how many seven fifty how many heavens are there one so there's one heaven to gain and that's all there are no second places there are no you know what i come in a good runner up there are nothing that says you know what you tried good but here you go we have this side room for you over here no there's one and so everything that's happening in your life right now is for that one place so sometimes when you feel irrelevant listen to me carefully i'm bringing it to a close it'll cause you to sit back and do nothing because you feel like it doesn't matter anyway and there is my friend nothing further from the truth there is nothing more powerful than an elder spending time with the younger investing in them helping them changing them again the dynamic of our church is very different look around there's not a whole lot of elders other churches that i've been in there's all kinds and i see that and i'm like lord i wish i wish that i had a few elders here that they make a difference brother drama would you come they make a difference some of the elders that you knew in your past what influence did they have in your life anyone what influence did they have in your life years ago we had a an elderly lady that would come to cac when it was in the old old building not the old building but the old old brother austin would let her stand and testify she i don't know 80. wasn't she sister kathy i think she was old and she would sit there and brother all said why don't you stand with her little bitty lace gloves on and her little blouse and stuff she'd she'd stand up she couldn't just testify she had to get to the aisle holding the chair the lord has been good to me never let me down holding that chair faithful every day voice all crackly and then you know why she got out here from behind the chair because something was fixing to happen and then she and all the kids would look at her and go sisters remember people like this growing up pray that god would do something and he did pray god would move a mountain and he did oh and then she get she get real brave god's still good god's been good now here's my question y'all everybody that's so cute now let me ask you something one of your young folks stand and testify right now what you got to say god let us always be relevant to where we are we need that elder voice in our church these young folks need to know what it's like to make choices that hurt sacrifices that cost i'm not talking about sacrificing your cup of coffee on sunday i'm talking about sacrificing all of your life savings or something that you've considered to be very powerful in your life just i give it to the lord god i want god to have it see my grandparents i y'all know that story i talk about them a lot but they didn't have all kinds of money to give my grandfather's third grade education he drove truck construction that's about what paul did but they sacrificed everything they had for the thing of god things of god and it was years years and years later katie beth that i figured out but what they did not have in money and things they gave of themselves and what a sweet sacrifice how relevant that was for the day i am convinced in our church and i'm finished here that tomorrow this sunday coming up we could take up sacrificial offering and god would move in your heart and god would speak to you to give in it huh but then you would leave on monday and go to work and you would not feel the pressure or the pain of it because you just had the ability to give it we built our church when i was growing up i didn't know all the details of it i was a kid years later when i became the youth leader at the church i found out some things there was a group of men that took out second mortgages on their houses so they could build that church they paid their mortgage on they took out on their houses so that they could give that money to build the church that might not mean anything to any of you guys but i want you to know that is an incredible price to pay so that i could have a place to go stand with me would you what can happen is the the the cynicism that we talked about the compromise the pride the burnout now they're relevant all of these things can sneak in into your life and if you're not constantly aware of the fact that life is constantly in change in motion and moving you can fall into one of these things and you'll stand back later and say i didn't see it coming at all and now i'm standing here i've compromised everything my pride has done this to me i feel irrelevant so i just quit going to the things and doing the things of god and next thing you know is the back door gets closer and closer anybody feel like coming to it's 807. i've got a clock right there 807 anybody want to come to the carpet and pray to the altar and ask god lord help me to stay relevant help me lord to understand the times in which we live and to work within these hours lord that we're here help me lord to leave a legacy to the generation that's coming behind god i i know lord they're going to need church they're going to need fellowship they're going to need the baptismal tank they're going to need bible they're going to need things lord that will establish them for their next generation oh come on raise your hands to the lord love him lift your heart to him lord i'm trusting you god i am believing you jesus help me lord god don't let it lord run past me don't let me sit on a pew too long god but let me continue to continually lord god invest and do lord in the kingdom for the future god of glory help me lord keep it all into perspective help me jesus stay connected to you lord day and day out day in and day out loving you serving you blessing your name constantly lord looking for you hungry for you thirsty for you jesus oh that's right come on saint of god put yourself in the position for the lord to bless you and to work in your circumstance hell let the word work in my life oh god help me to feel connected to you to know lord god that i am lord jesus moving forward in you i love you jesus i praise and i bless your name thy kingdom come lord thy will be done lord on earth as it is in heaven i love you jesus i look to you jesus i'm thirsty lord for more of you i'm hungry lord for more of you more of you jesus i will be very very honest with you i will not count myself successful until i hear him say well done this is what i'm looking for this is where i'm going this is who i love this is who i want this is who i need this is who is in my life this is who is in my my home and in my work lord and in my family my wife and my kids it's you jesus making the difference i wish you'd pray for somebody close to you before you go home just get up next to him and say god bless my brother and my sister lord help him jesus in their home help them lord on their job help them lord in their finances help them lord to make right choices and good decisions jesus let them continually sleep with god move forward in the kingdom lord hungry for you thirsty for you desiring the good things of be glorified jesus the exalted holy one be exalted holy one i love you i bless your name i bless your name i bless your name in the name of jesus i praise you lord i praise you jesus i bless your name jesus i bless your name mighty god i bless your name mighty god jesus mighty god you're holy holy holy holy jesus i need more of you lord i hunger for more of you lord jesus hear more of you jesus are you thankful tonight for the holy ghost the saving power of the holy ghost didn't see it coming there's challenges and happen in our life we have got to stay connected to the lord god we have got to stay connected to him what he's doing his plan and his purpose it's the only thing that matters it's the only thing that really matters
Scripture references as spoken: Philippians 3:13-14.