On This New Year’s Eve

Philippians 3:13-14

INTRO: Good morning church. I hope everyone had a wonderful time this holiday. I thought I’d start this morning with a story about a Sunday school teacher in a community church who had been telling her class about the Birth of Jesus. The teacher then asked, "Who do you think the most important woman in the Bible is?” Little Johnny raised his hand and said, “Eve.”
Surprised the teacher asked him why he thought Eve was the most important woman in the Bible. Johnny replied, “Well, they named two days of the year after Eve. You know, Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.”

Turn in your Bibles with me this morning to the book of Philippians. What do you think about when you think of New Year’s Eve? That is, what does New Year’s Eve mean to you? Well today is New Year's Eve, and I invite you to open your bibles to Philippians 3:13-14 as we contemplate New Year's Eve.

The Apostle Paul is writing to the church at Philippi, and he's writing about his own past. Paul writes, “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

As we know, the Apostle Paul had a past that was dismal in comparison to a lot of the pasts that we who are here this morning have. In fact, I would dare say that most of us have a relatively timid and tame past compared to the Apostle Paul.

Paul was one of the men at the stoning of Stephen, and they laid their garments at his feet, then picked up rocks and killed Stephen as he was preaching about Jesus Christ. In 1st Timothy 1:13 Paul in describing his own behavior, said, “… I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man;…” Then he says, “but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.”

Paul also writes in 1st Corinthians 15:9 – “For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.”

And in Galatians 1:13 Paul writes, “For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it.”

We hear about people today who do some horrible things to churches, and we just shake our heads in disbelief that someone would do that. Yet, here is Paul, openly confessing that at one point in his life that was exactly who he was, a man who tried to destroy the church.

It would have been very easy for Paul to wallow in self-pity and to think about how terrible his life had been and how awful he was to people who he now called brothers and sisters. No doubt that plagued his mind at times and he did write about it on occasion, but Jesus helped him to overcome all these things of his past.

He became a very powerful gospel preacher, and wrote numerous letters to congregations. We now have those letters as several books in the New Testament. We can turn to those for solace and comfort in times of difficulty and trouble, precisely because the Apostle Paul had those experiences.

When Paul wrote those words in Philippians 3:13-14, I strongly suspect he was thinking about all the things that had happened in his past. Paul says, “… forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Those words should be a wonderful encouragement to everyone. Let them be the guide for our thoughts on this New Year's Eve morning.

Looking at Paul’s words, I find three things I would like us to consider. First, I'm going to forget the things that are behind me. Second, I'm going to reach forward to the things that are ahead. Third, I am going to press toward the goal. Let’s take these one at a time and think about how we can accomplish them.

I. First, on New Year's Eve, I will forget the things which are behind me.

A. When Paul said forget, he didn't mean to forget everything. Obviously, he didn't forget everything literally. We in fact don't forget the negative events in our life. They continue to haunt us from time to time.

1. David certainly did not forget his sin with Bathsheba. He wrote about his repentance in Psalm 51.
2. Moses didn't forget the sins of the people wandering in the wilderness. He wrote about that in Psalm 90.
3. We use these past experiences to learn so that we can grow.

B. When Paul says forgetting about the things which are behind, what does he mean by that? I suggest He means that I forget, in the sense that I stop letting those things affect my identity. That is, I'm not going to let my past define me. That's not going to be who I am.
C. Instead, I am going to be defined in the present, and in the future, with the identity of Jesus Christ.

1. Paul said in Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” That's my identity as a Christian.
2. I could point to numerous things within my own past and say; look at this horrible thing that I did. Look at this terrible deed I had committed. Look at all these horrible things that I said… and all of that could be brought against me.

a. I have no doubt Satan wants me to bring up those things and wants to bring them against me. He is the great accuser, after all.
b. Jesus Christ does not want me to identify with those things because He knows that I am something greater than the past sins that I have committed.
c. In fact, I am a person made in the image of God and redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ. That is what defines me today.

3. That is why the apostle Paul writes and understood very well what he was writing because of his own past, when he said in 2nd Corinthians 5:16-17, “Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

a. How fantastic it is to understand that I am a new creation in Christ and that my old sins do not identify me, but rather that Christ is my identity, forgetting the things which are behind.
b. When we are forgiven, God forgets those past things. We don't. We tend to hang on to them. Occasionally we'll slip into a pity party and moan and groan about our past. God doesn't do that. He forgets the things that are forgiven. In Psalm 103:12, the Bible says, “As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.”
c. In Jeremiah 31:34, it says, “No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, `Know the Lord,' for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,'' says the Lord. "For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.''” God forgets the forgiven past.
d. “He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.” Micah 7:19.
4. God does not hold those things against the forgiven Christian, though we often hold them against ourselves.

D. On this New Year’s Eve, let us resolve to leave the past in the past and forget the things which are behind by not letting those things create our identity. Let us do as Paul says, and as we forget the things that are behind, we also should look forward to what is ahead of us.

II. Second, on New Year’s Eve – I will reach forward to the things that are ahead.

A. Forgiveness enables us to go forward. If we didn't have forgiveness, we would be weighed down by our sins, and there wouldn't be anything that we could do about that. There would never be any hope for us… if we did not have forgiveness.

1. As Christians we do have forgiveness, and because we have forgiveness our identity isn't tied to our past. We can look forward to the things that are ahead. With forgiveness, we have a clean slate.
2. I’m sure when you were in school you would have had a chalkboard or a whiteboard. We would take chalk, and write on the chalkboard, or would take a marker and write on the whiteboard. After a while, and all that writing, the whiteboard would get kind of dark. The blackboard or chalkboard would look a little gray.
3. You could tell that it had been used repeatedly because of the tint of the board. Then we would have to clean those boards. They would get so dirty. We would take a sponge and clean water to wash the chalkboard or a special cleaning fluid to clean the whiteboard and then wipe it down. I remember the whiteboards would look brand new after cleaning and you couldn't tell that anything had ever been written on it.
4. At that point, it was a clean slate, as we like to say, perfectly clean, like new. Maybe some of teachers have come back from summer break and seen how clean and spotless the blackboards or whiteboards are. If they could only stay that way.

B. With God, we can stay that way. With forgiveness, we have a clean slate, and it stays clean. It's like that clean water or special cleaning fluid I talked about, metaphorically speaking. It's the blood of Christ, non-metaphorically speaking, that cleanses our sins and wipes them away completely and entirely so that we have a fresh, clean, new start.

1. “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.” Psalm 32:1-2.
2. Romans 4:7-8 says it this way “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin.” … Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute sin. What does this mean?

C. It means we can start fresh without the guilt of our sin holding us back. We can reach forward to engage in the mission that Christ has called us to—to seek and to save that which was lost. Luke 19:10.

1. Jesus wants us to focus on that mission; “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you”. Matthew 28:18-20
2. But how can I do that when I have such a horrible past? How can I do that when I've committed so many sins? You can do it because God says you're forgiven and we can go forward.
3. Oh, but they'll think I'm a hypocrite. Folks, it doesn't matter what they think. God says you're forgiven. That means we can engage in the work that God has called us to do without reservation. It doesn't matter what other people think. It only matters what God thinks.
4. God wants us to engage in the work to fulfill the mission, to make disciples of all nations, go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Mark 16:15-16.

D. We reach forward in the fellowship and the unity that we have together with one another in the body of Christ, which is the church of Jesus Christ.

1. Why do we engage in the mission of evangelism? To bring others into the body of Christ so that they may have the wonderful blessings we experience as well. The fellowship that we have with God, with Christ, and with one another.
2. This is the Paul's point in Ephesians 2:11f when he says, “11. Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands 12. that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been made near by the blood of Christ.” We've been brought near, to fellowship with God's people, for He is our peace.
3. Verse 14f, “14. For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of division between us, 15. having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace,” What is Paul saying here? He's saying at one time God only worked with the nation of Israel and that was His primary focus.
4. He had a covenant relationship with that nation, but He didn't have such a relationship with all the other nations. Then in Christ, all the other nations, the Gentile nations have been brought near to the covenant relationship that God had with Israel through Abraham.
5. It's no longer the case that physical Israel is God's chosen special people, but anyone who through faith and obedience, would come to Christ, accept the purchase of their souls by the blood of Christ, be baptized into Him, identify with Him… they can come near as well. They can be reconciled. He's made peace, you see, with all of these.

E. God wants everyone to have peace with Him. He wants everyone to be part of the body of Christ, so that we would no longer be strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.
F. What then is our task as we reach forward?

1. Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians wrote, 1 Corinthians 3:6-9 – “6. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. 7. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. 8. Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. 9. For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, you are God's building.”
2. They were one in mutual love and respect for each other, one in purpose, one in status as God's servants, and one in their reliance upon the Lord who would reward both.
3. Between us we have the work of visiting, giving, preaching, encouraging, uplifting , helping each other grow in knowledge and understanding, and countless other jobs to make sure the church and its work is successful. For that to happen we first must all work together and each do what we can to help.

G. On this New Year’s Eve, let us resolve to reach forward to the things that are ahead, engaging in the mission that Christ has brought for us to do and engaging in the fellowship that He wants us to participate in. As we are busy doing God’s will, what He has for us to do, we also should look forward to what is ahead.

III. Third, on New Year’s Eve – I will press toward the goal.

A. We all have a common destiny. In 1st Peter 1:3-5 Peter talks about this destiny. He says, “3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4. to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5. who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

1. What is that common destiny? It's this inheritance, this incorruptible inheritance. It's this place that does not fade away.
2. It's this hope of being in heaven together forever with God and Christ and all the saints.

B. Paul writes about this destination in 1st Thessalonians 4:13f, “13. But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. 14. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. 15. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18. Therefore comfort one another with these words.”  We have a great destiny awaiting us, and we press toward the goal of that wonderful destiny.

1. This common destiny encourages us to keep going forward toward that goal, and it should motivate us to encourage others as well.
2. Look at 2nd Corinthians 4:16-18 for example and think about the great encouragement that we have here. “16. Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
3. “the inward man is renewed day by day …” A Christian is not overly disturbed by the erosion and decay of physical life, because their soul is feasting upon that Bread which came down from heaven, even our Lord Jesus Christ. Our inner spiritual life, which is the glory of the "new creature" in Christ, does not diminish or fade. For those who are without this treasure, the decay of the outward is the decay of everything.
4. When Paul writes “our light affliction” this cannot mean, literally, that they are in any sense "light"; except IN COMPARISON with the ultimate glory of Christians, they are light.
5. We have working for us a far more enduring weight of glory, and that's what we're waiting for. That's what we're anticipating, that's what we're hoping for. That's what encourages us to continue to move forward.

C. The apostle Paul, after talking about the resurrection in 1st Corinthians chapter 15 talks about the wonderful spiritual body that we're going to have when Christ comes back again. He talks of the fact that Christ was raised from the dead and is the first fruits of our expectation of being raised from the dead as well. He ends that chapter talking about how Christ has overcome death with victory, and that we have that victory.

1. Then he says this, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain...” 1st Corinthians 15:58. We press toward the goal because we anticipate the second coming of Jesus.
2. I notice in 1st Thessalonians 5:4f “But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.” He continues, “6. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. 7. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. 8. But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. 9. For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10. who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.”

D. We anticipate the coming of Jesus Christ. We look for it. We expect it. In it we have placed all of our hope. On this New Year’s Eve, let each of us resolve to press on toward the goal.

CONCLUSION:
The Apostle Paul's words in Philippians 3:13-14 are so full of meaning. Precisely because Paul had a past, a very serious past, and because he had been forgiven of his sins, he could press forward to those things that are ahead, he could press toward the goal.

Brethren, he says, “I do not count myself to have apprehended but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to the things that are ahead, I press toward the goal of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

Let's resolve to do that very thing on this New Year's Eve.

Forget the things that are behind. Do not let those things identify you.
Reach forward to the things that are ahead, focusing on the mission that Christ has called us to, focusing on the fellowship that He wants us to engage in and pressing toward the goal, letting the hope of heaven and the resurrection inspire and motivate us to move forward into this New Year, unabated by the cares and difficulties of the past, with confidence… and joy… and peace… and love for one another.

Do you need the forgiveness that only Christ can give?

Do you need the hope of a wonderful future unburdened by the sins of your past?

Then why not identify with Christ today?

Become His by hearing His word and believing it, repenting of your sins, confessing Him as Lord and being baptized to identify with Him and have your sins forgiven.

Having done that, you too can reach forward as you go into this New Year.

I couldn't think of a better way for someone to put behind the old year and to start the New Year than by identifying with Christ Jesus in baptism.
If you need to do that, we stand ready to help you.

If you need the prayers of the church to put aside those old past sins and to reach forward toward that which is new, then now is a good time to ask for those prayers as well.

We will pray with you and for you that the old things can be put away, because Christ makes all things new. Why not give your life to him today while we stand and while we sing?
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Reference Sermon by: Kevin Cauley