Forgetting What Is Behind, Pressing On Toward What Is Ahead
Pastor Tan Thai · Dec 29, 2019
Based on Philippians 3:13-15, this year-end Sunday sermon calls believers to focus like a laser on God's calling, release the burdens of the past, and press forward with perseverance. The pastor outlines three practical attitudes: focusing after being seized by Christ, forgetting what lies behind that no longer serves the future, and pressing on toward the eternal goal by relying on God's strength.
The sermon opens with a central question: what do we do with our past, present, and future? Through an illustrative story of two friends, the pastor sketches a common predicament: grieving over the past, anxious about the future, and paralyzed in the present — a vicious cycle with no way out. The foundational text is Philippians 3:13-15, in which the apostle Paul declares he does 'one thing: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead.'
The first section develops the theme of focusing after being seized by Christ. The pastor uses the image of a laser to illustrate the power of concentration: ordinary light scatters and weakens, but a laser focused in one direction with a single frequency produces extraordinary power. Similarly, Paul before his conversion was a laser causing harm through persecution of the church, but after being seized by Christ, he became a laser bringing the good news of redemption to all nations. Christ's words in Matthew 16:26 remind believers that the soul is the most important thing, and every follower of Christ must concentrate on this supreme priority.
The second section unpacks the meaning of 'forgetting what lies behind.' The pastor clarifies that 'forgetting' does not mean erasing from memory, but refusing to allow the past to dominate and control the present and future. Three categories of things to release are identified: (1) Suffering, loss, and even success — through the moving story of Jacob and Lila, the pastor illustrates the danger of spending one's whole life fleeing pain while neglecting the present; (2) Criticism and praise — psychological research is cited showing that negative experiences outweigh positive ones, and Christ's restoration of Peter through love rather than rebuke provides a key lesson; (3) The faults and sins of others — Joseph's naming of his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim illustrates forgiveness and God's grace in transforming suffering into blessing.
The third section focuses on 'pressing on toward what lies ahead.' The pastor highlights two emphases in Philippians 3:14: (1) Paul does 'one thing' — meaning he concentrates, knowing his spiritual gift and deploying it for God's work; (2) Pressing forward means fixing one's eyes on Christ as the founder and perfecter of faith, not on circumstances or people around us. The example of Joseph — sold into slavery, falsely imprisoned, forgotten — yet recognizing God's hand in everything, and the parable of the prodigal son contrasted with the older brother who remains chained to past comparisons, both serve as vivid illustrations.
The sermon concludes with a practical application for the new year: the pastor proposes a 'math problem' for the church consisting of four operations — add (love, knowledge of God's Word, forgiveness, joy), subtract (jealousy, bitterness, criticism, greed), multiply (faith, faithful workers, godly influence), and divide or share (burdens, sorrows, money, time and effort for God's work). The pastor expresses confidence that when the church lives by this equation, unity and joy will become its distinctive and treasured identity.