The Gateway Church

I have an Infographic on my wall - habits of successful and unsuccessful people. It compares things that unsuccessful people do like “holding grudges”, “getting distracted”,”wasting time” and so on with the habits that successful pool have like “spending time with the right people”, “knowing purpose and mission” and "wanting others to succeed”. It’s not a Christian poster, but they could have got it from today’s section of Paul’s letter to the Philippians.

Let’s read it from Phil 3:12-21

Not that I have already obtained this or mam already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it 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. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, sGod will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained.

Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform four lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

Know your direction v12-14
A few weeks ago I said we are all 21 - we are either Phil 1:21 people - to live is Christ or we are Phil 2:21 - living for our own interests.
Paul knows he’s not perfect yet. He’s not got there. But he has set his direction.
Forget the past, strain forward, press on to the goal of Jesus and what Jesus wants for us - which is the abundant life.
Too many folks live in the past - with all its regrets, shame, guilt, consequences of bad choices and so on.
Jesus death on the cross deals with our mess. If you are a Christ follower, all of the past mess is dealt with. Thrown in the sea of forgetfulness as the Old Testament prophet Micah puts it. So why are you living in it? Forgetting what lies behind and shrining forward.
It’s a new day, new start a new season!
When Livingstone got back from being a missionary in Africa, he was asked where are you going next. His answer quick as a flash “I am ready to go anywhere provided it is forwards.”
We are in a strange season - 2020 has been a very different year to what we thought it might be!
Carey Nieuwhof a Canadian leadership blogger wrote last week “My guess is you’ve learned more since March 2020 than perhaps you’ve learned in the last two years combined, about yourself, about reaching people, about your team and about the mission.”
We are learning so much in this season - what do you need to forget to press on towards what Christ wants? Some of you might need some help with that. Reach out - we’d love to help.

Follow faithful leaders v15-17
For the apostle Paul a mark of maturity is being able to shake of past mess and press on. Mature people, he says, think like that. They forget the past, press on to the future - they are Phil 1:21 people - to live is Christ, rather than selfish Phil 2:21 people.
Paul says then join me, follow me, keep watching people who are going for it. The apostle Paul says follow me 6x in the New Testament. Follow me, follow my example as I follow Christ.
If you want to learn woodwork, follow a woodworker.
If you want to get faster running, follow a faster runner.
If you want to pray better, follow someone who prays well
If you want to evangelist better, follow an evangelist
If you want to prophecy more, hang around with prophetic people
If you want more compassion, hang around with those who serve the poor.

Who are you following? And who is following you? You only need to be a few minutes ahead.

Know your enemies v18-19
The Apostle Paul wants his readers to be successful in life. And that means knowing who your enemies are, who is going to harm you pressing on to what God wants.
They can be in and outside the church. If someone is harming you becoming a Phil 1:21 kind of person. Tell them and break away from that friendship if they won’t stop.
Paul shows us 4 things that enemies of Christ will exhibit at least one of.
i) end is destruction - they are heading a messy direction. Hell basically!
ii) their god is their belly - that means they are all about self-gratification, they lack self-control in all sorts of ways including what they eat and drink.
iii) they glory in their shame - that means they boast about their sin.
iv) they are only thinking about earthly things - they are Phil 2:21 people not Phil 1:21 to live is Christ.
There’s been some fools in and out of the church - breaking the law to get visas, gossips, sexual immorality. Don’t imitate them. Follow faithful leaders and have people follow you as we spur one another on to the goal.

All these three things - know your direction, follow faithful leaders and know your enemies are helped by the last one.

Remember your citizenship v20-21
If you are following Christ, your true citizenship is in heaven. I’ve got a UK passport, but my real passport is heaven.
My identity is in Christ much more than whether I am black or white; married or single; what my sexuality is or my class or cultural background.
We are not define by those things. We are defined as Christ followers by the fact our citizenship is in heaven and that means that one day we will jetful citizenship rights - a new glorified body on a new heaven on earth. So for now I will live primarily identified as a Christ follower.

Application
Follow Jesus - you want joy in your life, you want to have an abundant life? Firstly you need Jesus. The reason we need Jesus is because have cut ourselves from God through our sinfulness - that’s the stuff we do say and think that is wrong. There’s no amount of good stuff we can do that will outweigh the bad and make us right before God. So Jesus came to bridge that gap. He came and lived a perfect life and then offered himself to die in our place on the cross. His death takes the punishment for us that our sins deserve. So if we start to follow Him - we get that exchange - our mess for his righteousness.
Start to follow Jesus right now with a simple prayer Sorry thank you please

Sorry Jesus that I am a sinner. I’ve ignored you and gone my own way and said, done and thought things I shouldn't
Thank you that you love me so much you have taken my place - dying for me. Thank you that you want to exchange my mess for your righteousness.
Please do that. Forgive me and be the boss or Lord of my life forever more. Amen.

Praying those words and believing them means that you have become a Christian. The slate is wiped clean - it’s that simple - you can now forget the past and press on to the future!

Have you done that? Are you forgetting the past and straining forwards, pressing on in God?

Who are you following to grow in your faith? Who is following you?

Are you growing in your identity as a citizen of heaven? we have a sheet that you can look up the Bible verses to help solidify who you are in Christ