Paul's One Thing-Pursue God's Purpose

Seek Intimacy

One Thing is important

-it conotes your priority
-you have only one life
-you dont have the time to do everything

What do you want to accomplish in your lifetime?

Steve Jobs - Founder of Apple

Priority means saying "no"

Priority (Used to be Singular)

Prior-Latin

Number one PRIORITY

What is your One Thing?

Philippians 3:13:14
Paul by this time was a 30 year old Christian

Proud people do not grow/improve

One thing I do: Forgetting what lies behind and

reaching forward to what lies ahead.
I press on toward the GOAL for the priz of the
upward call of God in Christ Jesus

Purpose-the reason of your existence

Why are you alive today?

What is God's purpose for us?

You dont know God if you dont know your purpose..

Romans 12:2
And do not be conformed to this world but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind so that
you may prove(experience and see for yourself)
what the will of God is good and acceptable
(well pleasing) and perfect

God knows what's best for me..

They understood God's will, God's purpose

World tells you is to be successful you have to

be famous, powerful, lots of money (dont copy
that idea)

God's purpose/plan is discovered when you submit

to authority..
His purpose will never go against the bible..
God is not playing games..
To know God's purpose
1. Be humble, keep growing
2. Be focus
Forgetting what lies behind and
reaching forward to what lies ahead.

Not easy to forget what lies behind..

Many of us are paralyzed by our past..
You are shackled/imprisoned by the past..
Many lived by regrets..

YOU CAN'T CHANGE THE PAST..

Satan will use your past to paralyze you..

Example:
Elephant small (you tie it in a chain)
Elephant big (you tie it in a chain and still not
run away)
Many Christians today who are like that elephant
Satan wants us to look at our past..

If any man is in Christ, he is a new creation..

LET GO OF THE PAST
1. past hurts/bitterness
2. pass bad choices

You can change the meaning of the past..

The past can become beautiful if you adjust the
meaning for God's perpsective

Night of the wedding day, you drive the car..

So that you can practice.. But while he was
driving, the husband died on the spot..
Put yourself in the place of the wife..
She didn't get out of depression until she has
met a man of God..

Why would she thank God for what happened?

God allows certain things which you may not know..

Only eternity will see..

3. Reach forward for what lies ahead

How did Paul pursue?

Acts 22:3-7
A light brighter than the noon day sun..
Paul, why are you persecuting Me?
Paul was persecuting christians..

Put yourself in the shoes of Paul..

A Jew who believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac,
Jacob..
Lord-Jesus

Paul discovered something about Jesus

-Paul discovered that God is a God of Grace
-Jesus is real
-Jesus gives Him a chance
-Jesus is not just a teacher but the Lord
-Paul discovered that there is life after death

What shall I do, Lord?

Do you believe God has a unique amazing plan for

your plan?

Most of us dont care because we dont know what

His plan for us..

God wants you to know that He has appointed you..

You are special..
God has appointed you for a purpose..

TO KNOW HIM and to MAKE HIM KNOWN..

Acts 22:14-15
The God of our fathers have appointed you to know
His will and to see the Righteous One and to hear
an utterance from His mouth..

1. To know His will

2. To know Jesus
3. To make Jesus known as a witness

Perspective-how you see things

-is going to impact your Purpose

Example: This is the only life I have, if I die,

I die.. Eat - drink - be merry (YOLO)

Perspective-Purpose-Priority

When people are about to die..

Not material things will be discussed..
Am I ready to meet the Lord?

Philippians 3:8-10
Paul is saying: because of the surpassing value
of knowing Christ, I count all things to be loss

Comparing the value of knowing Christ, all of

these is nothing/rubbish/waste..

Fame, money, fortune are rubbish compared to

Christ

1. The gift of forgiveness, eternal life, joy,

peace, forever reign to be with Him

Paul discovered that His morality is not good

enough to go to heaven..
Paul has enough morality to get out of trouble
but not enough to go to heaven..

Biggest stumbling block to heaven is your moral

life..
not having the righteousness of my own from the
law..
But which is throuh faith in Christ..
the righteousness which comes from God, the basis
of faith..
That I may know Him and the power of His
resurrection..

Paul wanted to experience the supernatural life

of God from his life..

You dont have to wait to heaven the

PEACE, JOY, POWER to overcome
1. depression
2. sin
3. addiction
that God has given you..

Philippians 3:13-14

Christian life is not focus on the past..

It focuses on present and future..

Press on-with full energy

give you best, all, to pursue Him..

Christian life is not being lazy

Christian life is compared to a RACE. not a walk
in the park..

Goal-scope, where your eyes is focused..

-fix your eyes in the end..

Prize-given at the end, an award, a reward..

Florence Chadwick
-1st woman to swim/cross the English channel
-west coast of California to catalina island
-26miles
-16 Hours, fog came..

She gave up, only a mile, and she will land the
island.. because of fog, she cant see the island..
losing the sight of the goal..

2months later,
she went again to swim but she knows with or
without fog..

At times, there will be fog..

At the end of the journey, God is waiting for you..

Finish His purpose for your life..

Hebrews 12:1-2
..let us run with endurance the race that is set
before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author
and perfecter of faith..
Fixing your eyes on Jesus
1. keep coming/following me..
Im the end goal of your life..

To think of reward is not wrong..

Salvation is free, but reward is something you

do..

2 Timothy 4:8

1 Corinthians 9:24-25

Run in such a way, that you may win..

You've got to run the race, be intentional ..

2 Cor 5:9-10

What you will do in Jesus will not be in vain..

1. William Wilberforce
-responsible for restoring the moral fire of
entire nation
-led abolition of slavery

2. Humphrey Monmouth
-textile businessman
-translation of bible from Latin to English
-finance the printing of English bible

3. John Rockefeller
-very successful businessman
-finance the work of God
-500 million dollars for God's work
-richer than Bill gates

Sphere of Influence

1 Cor 2:9