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Upcoming Sermons & Devotional Message
June Sermons 2026
6-7- Soup for the Soul
Genesis 25:29-34 Mark 8:34-38
6-14- Words on a Tombstone
Nehemiah 6:1-3 Philippians 1:6
6-21- Father’s Day Sunday
“The Bond”
2 Samuel 18:1-5 Luke 15:11-24
6-28- Youth Sunday
Devotional Message : These will change 1-2 times a week. Stop by often to read the new message.
Some Thoughts about Living in the Present and Looking forward to the Future
Philippians may be my favorite of the Apostle Paul’s New Testament letters. It has been called Paul’s last will and testament. It may not be the last of the letters he wrote, but it is the most personal and revelatory about his situation.
It was written while he was under house arrest, chained to members of Caesar’s Praetorian Guard, for up to two years, while awaiting his eventual execution. He is writing to dear friends from his sweetheart church in Philippi who had been supportive of his ministry from the very beginning.
The average person writing from this situation may have had a difficult time being hopeful, but not Paul. The entire letter can be summarized with the word “rejoice.” He can rejoice because of his unswerving belief in the Lordship of Jesus. That belief was the lens through which Paul looked at his past, present and future.
In chapter 1, he declared:
“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21)
That belief changed everything Paul believed about his life, death and eternal life.
In chapter three, he shows us his priorities as he faces death:
“Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13-14)
Two things were important to Paul as he raced toward heaven: forgetting the past and straining toward the future. He didn’t dwell on former achievements or failures. He kept his eyes on the finish line and pressed on with all his might.
If you have ever done something good for God, you might be tempted to rest, as though you have done enough. And if you’ve ever done something terrible, you might be tempted to dwell on it. But neither one is worth the time, and both must be forgotten in order to press on.
God remembers the good we do, so we don’t have to keep track. And he forgets our sins, so we can forget them, too! God forgets our sins and lawless acts (Hebrews 10:17). Like Paul, we can forget about the past and strain toward the future as we approach the finish line.
Forget what lies behind, and press forward, my friends!