MY FRIENDS, ARE WE PREPARED TO PRESS TOWARDS THE GOAL FOR THE PRIZE?

March 5, 2016

MY FRIENDS, ARE WE PREPARED TO PRESS TOWARDS THE GOAL FOR THE PRIZE?

“I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Therefore, let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you.” Phil 3:14-15 (NKJV) My friends, we must realize our Journey is a personal experience. Paul states, “I, press toward the goal.”

And nothing of this world must hinder that driving force or passion from within as we keep our eyes fixed on the prize and if we have matured as a Christian we must not get weary we must understand the steadfast love [and grace] of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; [our victories through our faith and endurance] are new every morning; Lam 3:22-23 (ESV)

So we must continually advance forward with our eyes on the prize. In 2 Kings 18,19 Hezekiah the son of Ahaz, king of Judah, was twenty-five years old when he became king. And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord as he “pressed toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God,” he begin to removed all the foreign gods that were set up throughout Judah.

So Hezekiah “held fast to the Lord; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments,” But as Children of God we must remember as we press toward our prize, Satan looks at God’s faithful as a prize also which he marks for perdition. So he attempts to separate us from the love and grace of God and at times we become weak and forget “our power is made perfect in weakness.”

So God at times must bring our attention back to who God is and where He is leading. The Assyrian army begins to conquer Judah’s territory, Hezekiah feels he can stop their advancements with money and material things. But friends, Satan goal is our total destruction, and the deeper in sin we get the more of God’s character is removed until we are completely destroyed. The Assyrian representatives then speak directly to the people.

“Hear the word of the great king, of Assyria!……‘Do not listen to Hezekiah or allow him to deceive you, by saying, “The Lord will deliver us.” Has any of the gods of the nations at all delivered its land from the hand of the king of Assyria? “Then Hezekiah prayed before the Lord, He understood like we should, that Satan’s battles against God’s children are battles against God Himself.

“O Lord God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You alone, “ Hezekiah then reveals his petition to God, his request becomes all about bringing glory and honor to God’s name, “O Lord our God, I pray, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the Lord God, You alone.”

And then “on a certain night the angel of the Lord went out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand;” My friends, not our battles but God’s and “when we press onward in this Christian race” God will reveal to us His will if we will only endure and have faith for God’s Spirit will guide us into all truth;….and He will tell [God’s faithful] things to come.” John 16:13 (NKJV) As we understand, we can never look back at past failures, but continue to move forward as we “press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus as He prepares us for life eternal.

Every excuse we may give as the reason we cannot serve Christ, was challenged and answered at Calvary.