INTRODUCTION:

Did you hear the story about the very posh ivy league family that decided to pay a professional genealogist to put together their family tree? well, in the process, the genealogist discovered that there was one major black sheep in the family. It turned out that Great Uncle George had been executed in the electric chair in one of the state prisons. The family was mortified. If word got out about that, their reputation would be besmirched.

The genealogist said, "Don't worry about it. I'm a professional. I'll fix it so it won't be so embarrassing."

Sure enough, when the family history was finished, the section on Uncle George concluded by saying, "George ended his career in a state institution where he held the seat of applied electricity."

How many of you are interested in genealogy? I won't bore you too many details of what I've found out in my genealogical searches but I have been able to make a connection with family I didn't know I had. I've found a direct link back to Scotland. I know when the name Strayhorn was changed from the Scottish spelling and why. There is a small town and a creek in Tate County, Mississippi named for the Strayhorn clan. I've got ancestors who fought in the Revolutionary War, the Spanish American War and on both sides of the Civil War.

I also found out that although I was born in Missouri, I have true Texas roots. An F.B. Strayhorn was one of the founding fathers of Groesbeck, Texas. And my Great Grandfather, William H. Strayhorn Jr. is buried in Bonham, Texas.

What I've discovered though, can't compare to the list that the Apostle Paul rattles off in Philippians. Let's look at that together. Philippians 3:4-14 (Repeat) NT p. 186 or 1454.

[4] even though I, too, have reason for confidence in the flesh. If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more:

[5] circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee;

[6] as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.

[7] Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ.

[8] More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ

[9] and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith.

[10] I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death,

[11] if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

[12] Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.

[13] Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,

[14] I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.

[NRSV]

Paul gives us a pretty impeccable genealogy. He basically says to the Philippians, "If anybody has bragging rights, it's me." But in the process of regaling us with his importance and just how elite a circle he is in, Paul reminds us that none of that really matters.

He reminds us that all that matters is Christ. Because all that really matters in our relationship with God is what Christ has done for us.

Then Paul outlines a great prescription for life, faith and dealing with the hurts and problems of life. It can even be adapted for how a Church goes about it's mission and carries out the ministry of Christ.

That outline is: FORGET WHAT LIES BEHIND, STRAIN FORWARD TO WHAT LIES AHEAD AND PRESS ON TOWARD THE GOAL.

I. FORGET WHAT LIES BEHIND:

A. Paul calls us to FORGET WHAT LIES BEHIND. What does he mean by that?

In Eugene Peterson's The Message, Paul says: "You know my pedigree." And then he goes into great detail but concludes by saying,

[7] The very credentials these people are waving around as something special, I'm tearing up and throwing out with the trash, along with everything else I used to take credit for. And why? Because of Christ.

[8] Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant, dog dung. I've dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ

[9] and be embraced by him. I didn't want some petty, inferior brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Christ, God's righteousness.

[10] I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience his resurrection power, be a partner in his suffering, and go all the way with him to death itself.

[11] If there was any way to get in on the resurrection from the dead, I wanted to do it.

[12] I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me.

[13] Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal,

[14] where God is beckoning us onward, to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back.

[Msg]

"I'm not turning back." That's what Paul means when he says: FORGET WHAT LIES BEHIND.

You see, we have a tendency to carry a lot of unnecessary baggage with us. Paul says forget it.

If it hurts you or hurts another, forget it and leave it behind. If it causes division, forget it and leave it behind. If it's something that you're proud of to the point that it puffs you up and makes you feel better than anyone else, forget it and leave it behind.

If it drags you down and burdens your heart. Or if it swells you up and makes you think you have the answers and not God. Then forget it.

In area of hurts and sin: Forget what lies behind. It's in the past. It's been forgiven. Allow the healing to take place. Don't keep ripping the scab off. Don't keep picking at it. Forget it and leave it behind. None of that matters now.

The grudges we hold against someone else, the anger we foster, the unforgiving spirit we harbor, simply become wedges that divide and separate us from God. That grudge, that anger, that unforgiving spirit doesn't hurt the other person, it hurts us. It sours our spirit, and curdles the milk of human kindness. It spoils our relationship with others.

There's an old story about a German immigrant who went to a county fair to sell both her prize winning sauerkraut and applesauce. Both items were in barrels and she would dip out however much a customer wanted. Unfortunately she only packed one ladle. So, she did what most of us would do, she used it to dip up servings of both. But before long, you couldn't tell the sauerkraut and from the applesauce. They had been so mixed together that both of them were spoiled.

That's what happens when we hang onto the past and mix it with the present. Paul says, don't let the past define who you are. Don't let your mistakes hold you. Let the Grace and forgiveness of God define you and hold you and mold you for today and for the future.

And remember, we may not be able to forget the hurt, but God can heal what we can't forget. We may not be able to forget the sin, but God forgives what we can't forget.

And once it's forgiven, the only one who remembers is you. So why are you still hanging on to it? Psalm 103:12 (Repeat) says: "as far as the east is from the west, so far [God] removes our transgressions from us." [NRSV] Or as the Message puts it, "As far as sunrise is from sunset, [God] has separated us from our sins." [Msg]

FORGET WHAT LIES BEHIND.

B. When it comes to the area of ministry and the Church there are some things we want to forget but there are things and memories that we want to honor. You see, if it reminds you of the goodness and faithfulness of God, take it with you, let it lead you.

If it ties you to the greatness of the faith of those who have gone before you, and draws you closer to God, take it with you and let it lead you.

If it causes you to be humbled and rely on God's Grace alone, take it with, let it lead you.

But if it holds the Church back, if it causes strife, Forget It. Three of the most deadly phrases in any Church are: "We've always done it this way." "We've never it done it that way before." And "We've already tried that." Those three phrases are based upon the past. And they have a tendency to stifle creativity and the movement of God's Holy Spirit.

That doesn't mean we should throw out the rich heritage and traditions of the Church. But we CAN reinterpret them for a new generation. Somebody said: "If you always do the same thing the same way, you'll always get the same results."

Paul says, FORGET WHAT LIES BEHIND. You can't count on the past tO get you through the present and empower the future.

II. STRAIN FORWARD TO WHAT LIES AHEAD:

Instead, Paul says we should STRAIN FORWARD TO WHAT LIES AHEAD.

Maybe you've seen the letter floating around. A buddy of mine, Glenn Wogstad sent me a copy. It reads: "Dear Future Son-In-Law,

"I have been unable to sleep since I broke off your engagement to my daughter. Will you forgive and forget? I was much too sensitive about your Mohawk, tattoo and pierced nose. I now realize that motorcycles aren't really that dangerous, and I really should not have reacted that way to the fact that you have never held a job. I am sure, too, that some other very nice people live under the bridge in the park. Sure my daughter is only 18 and wants to marry you instead of going to Harvard on full scholarship.

"After all, you can't learn everything about life from books. I sometimes forget how backward I can be. I was wrong. I was a fool. I have now come to my senses, and you have my full blessing to marry my daughter. Sincerely, Your future father-in-law.

"P.S. Congratulations on winning the $100 million Super Lotto."

Now there's someone who was straining. I'm not sure it was Forward but he was definitely straining.

We know what Paul is talking about here because we've been doing a lot of STRAINING FORWARD TO WHAT LIES AHEAD.

When you build like we are, building upon the foundation of the purpose and passion of our past while straining forward and looking to the future, sometimes it is a strain.

If you take time to listen to the stories of the older folks of this church, you find out that's always the case. Some of you know and remember how the Church struggled to make ends meet. And how this Church struggled and strained to build the current building or make the needed additions, like the current fellowship hall.

Glenn Bowman can tell you about the lay people who would step up to the plate and go to the homes and businesses of this church and put themselves on the line to raise funds just to pay budget, apportionments, missions or whatever. It wasn't easy.

Sometimes it was a strain. Some years, Lord's Acre went to finish out the budget. It was all that got the Church through. Other years, it all went to building fund.

Sometimes the strain wasn't monetary, sometimes it was the loss of certain members, key figures and key leaders in the life and ministry of the church. Sometimes it was the appointment of a certain pastor to another church.

Sometimes it was social issues or community issues. At times it may have even been a clash of personalities or theologies. Whatever the case, the Church felt the strain. But it always strained forward. Because if you don't strain forward, if all you so is try and stand still, you'll slip behind at twice the pace.

Hebrews 12:1 says, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us."

[NRSV]

That truly sums up what Paul means by STRAINING FORWARD TO WHAT LIES AHEAD.

III. AND PRESS ON TOWARD THE GOAL::

Paul says FORGET WHAT LIES BEHIND, STRAIN FORWARD TO WHAT LIES AHEAD AND PRESS ON TOWARD THE GOAL.

Racing is a popular sport. There are horse races, monster truck races, dog races, dog sled races, drag races, hot rod races, funny car races, stock car races, speed boat races there are even bed races. If someone can make it go somebody else will think they can make it go faster. That's what a race is.

The prize in the very first races was just the satisfaction of being the fastest. Being first. But as racing increased in popularity, the prizes increased. There are ribbons and plaques and trophies and major cash prizes to be won now. Finishing in first place wins you one of those prizes. And sometimes those prizes become the only goal.

Paul says FORGET WHAT LIES BEHIND, STRAIN FORWARD TO WHAT LIES AHEAD AND PRESS ON TOWARD THE GOAL. But what is that goal?

It's important to know what the goal is.

Two novice hunters decided to try their luck at duck hunting. Unfortunately neither one of them had ever been duck hunting before. They understood that they would need dogs to help them hunt, so the talked some buddies into lending their retrievers.

After several hours of duck hunting, the two men were exhausted and discouraged. It didn't look like the dogs could go on much longer either. They'd seen tons of ducks fly overhead, but they just weren't successful in getting even one.

One of the hunters looked at the other and said: "I don't understand why we aren't getting any of these ducks."

And the second hunter answered, "I think I finally figured it out. I think the biggest problem is that we're not throwing the dogs high enough." (1)

It's important to know what the goal is because the goal not only tells us who we are and what's important to us. But it also gives us clues as to how to get there. For Paul, the Goal was "the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus."

What does that mean? What is "the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus." Well, the other day in the comics, Mooch, the cat from Mutts is looking at his list and says, "Okay - what's on the list today? 'Love one another.' . . . Yup! That's the short list." (2)

Our goal is the same as Paul's. Our goal is the same as John the Baptist's. We're called to decrease as Christ increases. We're called to make being like Christ our goal. We're called simply to PRESS ON TOWARD THE GOAL. We don't have to be there yet. But we do have to be trying to get there.

CONCLUSION:

Paul says FORGET WHAT LIES BEHIND, STRAIN FORWARD TO WHAT LIES AHEAD AND PRESS ON TOWARD THE GOAL.

Paul doesn't claim to have already reached his goal. He says, [12] "I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me."

That's all we're called to do is reach out for Christ who has so wondrously reached out for us. That's what Grace is all about. That's what the cross is all about.

It's not who we are. It's not our impressive genealogies that matter to God. It's not our accomplishments. It's not how many verse of Scripture we have memorized or how much we give to the Church that matters.

All that really matters is what God has done for us through Jesus Christ.

Then FORGET WHAT LIES BEHIND, STRAIN FORWARD TO WHAT LIES AHEAD AND PRESS ON TOWARD THE GOAL.

Come to the Communion Table today, and feast upon the bread and wine. Eat and drink and be filled up with the one thing that really matters, the Grace of God.

1. Parables, Etc. (Saratoga Press, P.O. Box 8, Platteville, CO, 80651; 970-785-2990), October 2002

2. Mutts, Patrick McDowell, Oct 3, 2002.

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Preaching Magazine (Preaching Resources, Jackson, TN)

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The Interpreter's Bible, (Abingdon Press, Nashville, 1953)

The New Interpreter's Bible, (Abingdon Press, Nashville, 1995)

Lectionary Preaching Workbook, Cycle A, (CSS Publishing, Lima, OH, 2002) SermonPrep Version.

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