"THIS ONE THING I DO"

PHILIPPIANS 3:1

A. WHEN WE STUDY THE LIFE OF PAUL, WE LEARN THAT HE WAS A MAN OF DECISION
  1. He felt that Christ was an impostor and that it was his God given duty to oppose Christianity with all he had in his power:
    1. "And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, and desired of him letters to Damascus . . . that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem." - Acts 9:1, 2
    2. In his letter to the Philippians he says, "Concerning zeal, persecuting the church" - Phil. 3:6
  2. But after he had given his heart and life to the cause of Christ, he was equally determined to go all the way:
    1. His trip to Jerusalem - Acts 21:13
    2. His burning desire to help his own nation - Rom. 9:1-3
B. "THIS ONE THING I DO"
  1. Paul was not the only Bible character that was determined to do what he knew to be his duty:
    1. Ruth, the Moabitess, stands out as a vivid example of determination, "Entreat me not to leave thee" - Ruth 1:16
    2. Joshua, too, was a man of great decision, "choose you this day whom ye will serve . . . but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" - Josh. 24:15
    3. David is still another example of great decision - Ps. 119:30-33
  2. "This one thing I do":
    1. Paul was a realist; he knew his limitations; that he could do only one thing at a time.
    2. Too many people attempt to do many things at the same time and they fail.
    3. True men begin with wholehearted concentration - Read Matt. 6:24; Neh. 6:2, 3. That is why they succeed in what they do.
    4. Said Jesus, "the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force" - Matt. 11:12
C. "FORGETTING THOSE THINGS WHICH ARE BEHIND"
  1. What forgetting includes:
    1. Forgetting necessitates detachment. So long as a person is attached to someone or something, it is almost impossible to forget.
    2. Forgetting includes, also, to face in a different direction -- face forward, and you will forget the things behind you - EXAMPLES -
      1. Lot's wife failed to detach herself from Sodom and that caused her to stand still and to look back.
      2. Elisha, on the other hand, burned all bridges behind him and he succeeded - 1 Ki. 19:21
  2. Set the heart upon things that are before:
    1. Life is, in most instances, determined by what our hearts dictate, "As he thinketh in his heart so is he" - Prov. 23:7
    2. Said Jesus, "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." - Matt. 6:21
    3. If our heart is set upon what God has promised in the future, we will be resolved to focus our efforts toward that mark - EXAMPLES -
      1. Paul gives us a panoramic view of all who look for a new heaven and a new earth - Heb. 11:11-40
      2. Moses is an outstanding example of this group of believers - Heb. 11:23-28
  3. The mark of God's children is threefold:
    1. Christlikeness -- that is first - Rom. 8:29; 1 John 3:1-7; Phil. 3:7-15
    2. To have part in the first resurrection is the second mark for which all of God's children aim - Phil. 3:10; 1 Thess. 4:13-17; Rev. 20:6; Luke 14:14
    3. To be on the new earth is the ultimate in the mark that God's children have set for themselves - 2 Pet. 3:13; Heb. 11:14-16; Isa. 65:17-19
    4. If we are as determined as Paul was to make the kingdom of God the sole object of our life's efforts, we shall not be disappointed.


Design © John Bryant 2011