RUNNING FOR A PRIZE

RUNNING FOR A

PRIZE

PHILIPPIANS 3: 12-1612. Not that I have already obtained all

this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.

13.Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,

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14.I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

15.All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.

16.Only let us live up to what we have already attained.

PHILIPPIANS 3: 12-16

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12. Hindi sa nakamtan ko na ang mga bagay na ito. Hindi rin sa ako'y ganap na; ngunit sinisikap kong makamtan ang gantimpala sapagkat ito ang dahilan kung bakit ako'y tinawag ni Cristo Jesus.

13.Mga kapatid, hindi ko ipinapalagay na nakamit ko na ito. Ngunit isang bagay ang ginagawa ko: nililimot ko ang nakaraan at sinisikap na marating ang layuning nais kong makamtan.

FILIPOS 3: 12-16

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14. Nagpapatuloy nga ako patungo sa hangganan upang makamtan ang gantimpala ng pagkatawag sa akin ng Diyos sa pamamagitan ni Cristo Jesus, ang buhay na hahantong sa langit.

15.Ganyan ang dapat maging kaisipan nating mga matatag na sa pananampalataya. Kung hindi ganito ang inyong pag-iisip, ipapaunawa iyan sa inyo ng Diyos.

16.Ang mahalaga ay ipagpatuloy natin ang ating natutuhan.

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INTRODUCTION

1. WE HAVE FAILED IN THE PAST.We have fallen short of God's goal

for our lives.

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2. WE ARE DISSATISFIED WITH OUR PRESENT SPIRITUAL STATE.We want to become more like our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

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MESSAGE OUTLINE

1. PAUL’S EXAMINATION

2. PAUL’S EXERTION

3. PAUL’S EXPECTATION

4. PAUL’S EXHORTATION

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V. 12a Hindi sa nakamtan ko na ang mga bagay na ito. Hindi rin sa ako'y ganap na;V. 13a Mga kapatid, hindi ko ipinapalagay na nakamit ko na ito.

#1. Paul’s EXAMINATION

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#1. Paul’s EXAMINATION

APOSTLE TO THE GENTILES

AUTHOR OF THE EPISTLES

TREMENDOUS SOUL WINNER

PREACHER OF THE WORD

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Paul realized that he wasn't perfect, but he was not content to let that cause him to sit still on the Lord.

Too many people will get discouraged with the lives they are living and will just quit on God.

Don't let your failures cause you to drop out of the race for the Lord Jesus!

If you have fallen, rise up, dust yourself off and start to run again!

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V. 12b Sinisikap kong makamtan ang gantimpala sapagkat ito ang dahilan kung bakit ako'y tinawag ni Cristo Jesus. V. 13b Nililimot ko ang nakaraan at sinisikap na marating ang layuning nais kong makamtan. V. 14a Nagpapatuloy nga ako patungo sa hangganan upang makamtan ang gantimpala ng pagkatawag sa akin ng Diyos sa pamamagitan ni Cristo Jesus.

#2. Paul’s EXERTION

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#2. Paul’s EXERTION

V. 12b Sinisikap kong makamtan ang gantimpala sapagkat ito ang dahilan kung bakit ako'y tinawag ni Cristo Jesus.

a. I follow

Paul realized that he had been saved for a purpose and that God had a plan for his life.

1.Many of us are just "Stuck on Salvation".

2. God saved you for a purpose! 3. Get at His feet and find out why

He laid hold on your life. 4. Let nothing satisfy you but

satisfying Him!

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#2. Paul’s EXERTION

b. This one thing I do.

V. 13a Mga kapatid, hindi ko ipinapalagay na nakamit ko na ito. Ngunit isang bagay ang ginagawa ko

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1.Just like an Olympic athlete, Paul specialized in one thing: reaching the goal.

2.Notice that he left the past behind him and he reached for the future.

3.A man excels when he specializes. 4.If you want to know the secret of

Paul's success, it is that Paul had a one track mind!

5.Nothing was as important to him as was pleasing the Lord!

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One of the problems with the modern Christian is that not many of us can say, "This ONE thing I do."

Most of us are pulled and tugged in a thousand different directions.

Well, there is only one thing that will matter when this life is over and that is how well we ran for the Lord our God!

I would challenge you to develop a one track mind when it comes to living your life. We could all use more simplicity in our lives!)

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#2. Paul’s EXERTION

c. Forgetting Those Things Which Are Behind

V. 13b Nililimot ko ang nakaraan at sinisikap na marating ang layuning nais kong makamtan.

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• Paul said, "I refuse to look behind me at my past.”

• The word forgetting means, "To cease to be affected by."

• If you run with your eye on past successes, then you will have the tendency to lay back and rest on your accomplishments.

• If you run with your eye on your past failures, then you will tend to stay back for fear of failing again!

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There is another thought that needs to be mentioned here.

As you are running for the Lord, stop looking at how others are doing in the race!

There will always be those are able to outrun you and there will be others who will lag behind, or even drop out of the race.

Don't worry about what others are doing, your duty is to run to please the Lord Jesus Christ!

When we run, He should be the sole focus of our attention. (Hebrews 12:1-2.)

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#2. Paul’s EXERTIONV. 13c Sinisikap na marating ang layuning nais kong makamtan.

d. Reaching forth1.This phrase pictures the runner in a

race as he nears the finish line. 2.He can be seen to lean forward and

strain for the goal. 3.Paul tells us that he is "reaching out

with all he has" to be sure that he wins his race!

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Can we honestly say that we are straining to reach the goal?

For most believers, the Christian life is a hit or miss proposition.

If we happen to stumble and fall, it's "Oh well, I'll try and do better tomorrow!“

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Not Paul! He wasn't content to sit around and wait for life to happen.

No, he was busy making it happen!

He was out there reaching for all he could become for Jesus.

He was trying to reach his fullest potential for the glory of God.

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#2. Paul’s EXERTION

e. I press toward the mark.

V. 14a Nagpapatuloy nga ako patungo sa hangganan upang makamtan ang gantimpala ng pagkatawag sa akin ng Diyos sa pamamagitan ni Cristo Jesus.

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• The word Mark refers to the "goal that one has in view."

• In other words, Paul was oblivious to his surroundings, he was just heading for the goal.

• He wanted to finish well. • Notice that when he did reach the end of his

life, he was able to leave behind the testimony that he had indeed run well.

• "For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:" 2 Tim 4: 6-76-7.)

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There is a mark, there is a goal and we should be striving for that goal in our lives!

God help us to keep our eyes on the goal.

Too many come out of the blocks primed and pumped to run the race, but after a few short months or years, they have become distracted and fallen out of the race.

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I like those people who are steady!

They realize that God is honored by a race well ran and a life well lived.

They are not easily distracted, but they run with their eyes on the goal.

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V. 14b Ang buhay na hahantong sa langit.

#3. Paul’s EXPECTATION

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#3. Paul’s EXPECTION

• Paul tells us in this verse that he is running for the "prize".

• This is the award presented to the victor in the race.

• Paul wanted to run a good race and he wanted to win the prize that God had for him!

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Paul knew that the Lord called him for a reason.

He called him to carry out his duty before the Lord.

He also knew that successful completion of this goal would allow him to enjoy the rewards of the Lord.

When we live our lives in pursuit of the prize, then we too will receive the rewards that come along with faithful service to the Lord, 1 Cor. 3:8; Matt. 25:21

ARE YOU STILL RUNNING FOR THE PRIZE?

WHAT ABOUT THEM? WILL THEY QUIT?

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#4. Paul’s EXHORTATION

V. 15 Ganyan ang dapat maging kaisipan nating mga matatag na sa pananampalataya. Kung hindi ganito ang inyong pag-iisip, ipapaunawa iyan sa inyo ng Diyos.

V. 16 Ang mahalaga ay ipagpatuloy natin ang ating natutuhan.

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• In these verses Paul is simply telling is that this is the mature Christian attitude!

• Does this match your attitude of what the Christian life is supposed to be?

• He then warns us that if we have a different opinion about how the Christian race should be run, then the Lord will deal with us in that matter.

• The only problem with that is that too many people are enjoying the race they are running and wouldn't listen if the Lord did call them to run differently!

#4. Paul’s EXHORTATION

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CONCLUSION• If we are to succeed in the Christian life

and honor God by the lives we live, then we are going to have to run the race His way.

• We will have to run with our eyes upon Him.

• We will have to learn to turn a blind eye to the allurements of the world and a deaf ear to the siren song of compromise.

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• If we will attain the prize of Christlikeness, then we will have to pay the price of dedication and struggle.

• It will be a hard fought victory, but in the end, when we see His face, it will be worth it all.l!

CONCLUSION

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• How well are you running this morning?

• Are your eyes on Jesus alone?

CONCLUSION

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• There is a song we sing from time to time that has a part that goes like this, "Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace."

• Getting your focus solely on Jesus will give you the direction you need to successfully run the race for His glory and your eternal benefit as you run for the prize!

CONCLUSION

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