Elevate - Onward - Launching Into a New Year

In this message, Pastor John DiQuatro encourages listeners to not dwell on the past, but to look forward and press on towards their goals. He emphasizes the importance of learning from past mistakes and experiences, but not getting stuck in them. He uses the example of King David's response to victories in his life, highlighting the need to stay fresh in our testimonies and continually seek God's guidance for the future. The message also mentions some global events and personal experiences of the year 2023. Now's not the time to look back and just talk about how good it was. Now's not the time to look back and see how hard it was and then just give up and sit down. Now's the time to get busy. Get on your face before the Lord and ask Him what your next steps are. Keep fighting, keep praying, keep pressing into His presence, keep pushing. Welcome to Elevate from Authentic Life Church in Mobile, Alabama with Pastor John DiQuatro. We hope it builds your faith and helps you to live a life for God that you've always wanted to live. We hope it inspires you to be a fully devoted, authentic follower of Jesus Christ. Enjoy the message and welcome to Elevate. All right, I get to preach the last message I'll ever preach in 2023, and I'm excited for it. I hope that you are as well. But when we come to this point in any year, we tend to get a little bit reflective. We tend to look back. We tend to say, okay, I was fat in the beginning of 2023. I'm still fat at the end of 2023, but I'm going to do something about that this year, right? And we try to set these resolutions and make some changes. And so we're going to talk a little bit about that today. Well, let's first look at Philippians chapter 3. We're going to begin in verse 13 there, familiar Scripture for most of us. But it said, Paul says this, brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do, 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. You know, it's kind of a vogue thing. You know, if you're online at all, you see it that it's just always vogue to talk about how difficult each year was. You know, no matter how good or what, it's always the worst year of my life. And we love to do that. But on the world stage, it was quite a year. This year, we've seen spy balloons over the U.S. territory. We've seen all the Russian-Ukrainian war get started, indictments of a former U.S. president. We've seen one of the most divisive political seasons that we've ever seen. We saw war against Israel break out just two months ago. We've seen record inflation and gas prices rising and economic uncertainty. And among that, we've seen so many of our beloved celebrities that have passed away this year. Matthew Perry, Tina Turner, Tony Bennett, Pee Wee Herman, Tom Jones, Jimmy Buffett. Some folks that maybe you were connected to and have passed away this year. But we've also seen some good things on the world stage this year. Egg prices are back down to $2 a dozen. They've discovered that the rate that the whole of the ozone layer is shrinking. They've projected that now within 20 years, it will be at the level that it was in the 1980s. That's a good thing. The official ending of the pandemic was May 5th, 2023. Can somebody shout the victory for that one right there? A new and promising treatment for sickle cell disease was approved this year. In fact, two treatments that are supposed to be very, very promising were approved this year. Hey, we had a boring hurricane season. Yes. And of course, Alabama are the SEC champs this year. All right. So that's the global list. But we all have our own list of what 2023 brought us. Our triumphs and our failures. The good decisions and the mistakes that we've made. The good things that happened to us. And then, of course, the tragedies that struck unexpectedly in our lives. And so how do we process all of this, right? What do we do about it? When we stand here on December 31st with all that has just happened over the last year, how do we take all of these things, wrap them up in a nice, neat little package, and move on? Well, to do that, let's go back and re-read this passage of Scripture. Philippians chapter 3, verse 13. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it, but one thing I do, 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. Paul says, I forget what is behind. Forgetting what is behind. That word forgetting in the Greek is a really long word. I'm not going to try to pronounce it. But it doesn't mean to forget as in to remove it from your memory, but it means to disregard. To disregard. You know, we've often heard it said that you can't go through life looking through a rear-view mirror. Right? You can't look back. We always say that, right? We have a windshield to look forward, and we don't want to be looking in the rear-view mirror. But I will say this, you still need a rear-view mirror. In your car, you definitely need one. I don't know about you, but I'm checking that thing every three seconds, right? It's for safety. You're making sure that you don't get into any accidents. And so the Scripture tells us to disregard what is behind us, but it doesn't mean there's nothing to learn from what lies back there. There's stuff back there that we can learn from. And so, as we sit here today, ask yourself these questions. What decisions have I made this past year? How did they work out? How about ways that I related to people, to co-workers, to my church family? Ways in which I've related. Did I learn who is trustworthy in my life, and who is not? Did I learn some things about myself that I don't like, that I really feel I need the Lord's help in order to change those things about me? Look back. Take stock. Look at the mistakes, look at the circumstances, and learn. You know, even in the Bible, we're often reminded of the things that happened in the past. I love this in 1 Corinthians 10, verse 11. Paul says, these things happened to them. He's talking about Israel in the past, before Christ, right? These things happened to them as examples, and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. The mistakes of the Israelites were recorded for us, so that we don't make the same mistakes. Take a look in the rear view mirror. See what's back there, and learn from it. It's so good to look back and see the faithfulness of God, the goodness of God, to celebrate the victories, the wonderful things that have happened. But when we're celebrating the victories, we have to be careful, because we can respond the wrong way to these successes, and short-circuit God's plan. You see, everything that we experience, whether it's good or it's bad, it's a setup for you, for the next moment in your life, or in your family's life, or in our church life. What we experience is just another pathway getting you to a place where God is going to take you into the next phase of your life. Now, we've all known people that have gotten stuck in their victories, right? In the good things that have happened. They've kind of gotten stuck there, right? You know those people that all they do is they talk about the good old days. I don't know, the older I get, the more I just long for the good old days. Can we just bring back the 90s? Wasn't that just a great time in the history of our world? No, we talk about the good old days, right? That person, the one time that they did something great, and that's the one thing that they always just hold in their life, but it happened forever ago. Or maybe that one time that God provided for you in 1978. That one moment from 30 years ago, but nothing since. And these people, sometimes they just ride on that one moment, that one time in their life where things were good, and they just kind of coast ever since. You know, a true mark of the follower of Christ is that your testimony is fresh. Not what did God do five years ago, but what did God do five days ago? Or five minutes ago? What can I say how God is moving in my life? We don't want to get stuck, right? The rear view mirror is not a place for us to stare at, right? We don't want to get stuck. Now, is it wrong to remember the past victories and still celebrate those things? Of course not. The Bible is full of writers recalling all that God did in the Exodus, in the conquest of Canaan, in the establishment of the kingdom of Israel. There is much, right? The Bible shows us this. There's always much to look back on, but it's not a picture to hang on the wall and stare at. That one great thing that happened. It should be gasoline that fills us up and fuels us to move on to the next thing in our lives. So I want to look, I want to just do a little compare and contrast of a person that's very familiar to all of us in the Bible. This is King David. Two periods of King David's life. Two periods that were actually periods of great victory for David and how he handled them because the way he handled these two points in his life were very, very different. And I think we can learn from David's mistakes, but we can also learn from the things that he did right. We're talking about his response to victorious moments in his life, but the same lesson applies to our failures and our mistakes. It's how we deal with them and how we handle them and move forward that's going to make the difference. So we're going to read in 1 Samuel, in chapter 18, beginning in verse 2. It says, From that day Saul kept David with him and did not let him return home to his family. Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David along with his tunic and even his sword, his bow, and his belt. Whatever mission Saul sent him on, David was so successful that Saul gave him a high rank in the army. This pleased all the troops and Saul's officers as well. When the men were returning home, after David had killed the Philistine, the women came out from all the towns of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing with joyful songs and with timbrels and lyres. As they danced, they sang, Saul has slain his thousands and David his tens of thousands. Now here's this young kid. He's just a boy at this point. The Bible doesn't say what his age is, but most scholars place him around 16. Some say he could have been as young as 12. Some say he could have been as old as 20. But we'll split the difference and we'll say that David here is a 16 year old boy. And this 16 year old kid, he goes on an errand to deliver supplies to the troops, to his brothers, who are on the front lines against the Philistines. And we know the story of David. He gets there, Goliath is taunting him, and David ends up being the hero by slaying the biggest challenge that the Israelite army was facing, the giant Goliath. So this is what happens. David, he gets called up and he becomes a hero. And here's what I know about human nature. Typically, a 16 year old boy is not emotionally mature enough to handle that type of achievement and instant fame. However, there's something different about David. Go back to verse 5 here. He says, whatever mission Saul sent him on, David was so successful. Now let me just point something out to you. When David slayed the giant, it says that Saul didn't let him go back home to his family. He put him in charge of the armies. And so, you would think that David would be like, wait a second here. I'm your hero, I'm your star. Look at what I just did. Give me a moment, please, to enjoy this. Don't put me on the front lines to die. But that's not how David acts, right? We see that he immediately puts his nose to the grindstone and starts working hard. He's no stranger to hard work. That's for sure. If we know anything about the life of David, we know he tended his father's sheep and he marched them around the countryside leading them to pasture, fighting off wild animals, staying up entire nights and searching for lost sheep. David was one of those hardworking, faithful kind of sons. So here in this situation, Saul puts him to work and David immediately gets to work taking whatever mission Saul gives him and he just knocks it right out of the park. And he does such a great job that he advances to a high rank and gains notoriety with the local townspeople. So as he's coming home, they start singing about him. Saul has slain his thousands, but David, his tens of thousands. You know, we often forget about this little part of Scripture. We just imagine that David wins this great victory over Goliath and then he heads back home with a big parade. Everyone's got him hoisted on their shoulders and they're singing this song. But here's the deal. They're crediting David with defeating tens of thousands people in battle. Not just one. So this kid went from defeating one giant on a hillside to single-handedly routing most of the Philistine army. Why am I telling you this? Because we see how David knew how to spin his success into greater success. He was able to take what he had and then just go on coast mode. But he took it and he went on to do greater things. He didn't sit down and bask in the glory of one victory, of one moment. He didn't sit down and let his head get real big rehearsing his one victory over and over until he was insignificant and washed up. He could have been a one-hit wonder. You know about one-hit wonders, right? Songs that hit real big, real quick. That's the only hit that they ever have, right? Achy Breaky Heart. Billy Ray Cyrus. If you hear Billy Ray Cyrus there's only one song that you think about. Ever heard of Tony Bazzill? Anyone know what Tony Bazzill's famous for? Hey, you're so fine, right? One-hit wonders. What about the Weather Girls? Anyone ever heard of the Weather Girls? It's raining men. Hallelujah. That says Hallelujah but it's not a worship song. Don't put that on in your car. But right, that's it, right? That's all the band is ever known for. That one big hit and they try to ride that thing as far as they can but eventually they just become irrelevant and nobody ever remembers their name but just the one song. But David wasn't like that. David has his big hit but he doesn't coast. He doesn't get lazy when Saul puts him in the army. No, he slams his foot down on the accelerator and does great things for God and for the people of Israel. Listen, if 2023 was a banner year for you if great things happened for you if it was just oh my goodness, I got the best job or God provided this or I saw so many great things happen in my family don't just go that was great, let me just coast. No, put your foot on the accelerator and keep on going and put your ear to the throne room of God and say, God, where are you leading me next? See, this is how I'd like to see 2024 go. I'm believing this year for signs and wonders. I'm believing God to give us more people that are getting saved and baptized. I'm believing for greater discipleship and growth in our church family for growth in our leadership for growth in our finances for greater community impact I'm believing for all these things and there's some things that we did really well this year and we can't just say oh, that was awesome great, let's keep looking back and going, remember how awesome that was? No, we can't do that we've got to, as a church we've got to put our foot on the accelerator and launch into the next season that God has for us. I'm not ready to sit down and coast on victories or just lick the wounds of our difficulties. That's what this week is for. We take these moments at the end of the year and we thank God for being with us and for empowering us in the ways that He did and for every minor victory that adds up to a greater victory for every lesson that we learn through difficult and challenging moments take a look and see God's faithfulness but then get back up and hit the ground running. So in David's life if we fast forward 30 or 35 years from the moment where he killed the giant and became a high ranking military official and now David is around 50 years old we see a much different reaction from David. You see, he's the king of Israel and has been for about the last 20 years or so at this point he's conquered Jerusalem at this point he's set up his palace and he's ruling from the city of David he's brought the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem and he has re-established the tabernacle and the presence of God in the city of Jerusalem he has had victory over victory over victory over his enemies he's raised up and he's trained his mighty men that were his personal bodyguards yet they became men of renowned military prowess he was beloved by all the people King David, everybody loved King David he was on top and he was still relatively young I say that because I'm only two years younger than where David was when we hear this story but I want you to see the way that David is now responding to his success at age 50 as opposed to when he was 16 2 Samuel 11 beginning in verse 1 in the spring at the time when the kings go off to war David sent Joab out with the king's men and the whole Israelite army they destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Raba but David remained in Jerusalem one evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace from the roof he saw a woman bathing the woman was very beautiful and David sent someone to find out about her the man said she's Bathsheba the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite then David sent messengers to get her and he slept with her now she was purifying herself from her monthly uncleanness then she went back home the woman conceived and sent word to David saying I am pregnant now most of us know the rest of the story right? Bathsheba's husband was away at war so David calls him back gets him drunk so that he'll sleep with his wife but he won't do that while his Conrads are still in battle so in order to cover his tracks he has Uriah killed and makes it look like a wartime casualty then he takes Bathsheba as his wife in order to justify the pregnancy and hope that people don't do the math so we see here that David goes from being a guy after a man after God's own heart a celebrated military warrior a benevolent beloved king to knocking up the neighbor girl and trying to hide it with murder two very different responses to success what happened? what happened to David? well here's the problem we see it in verse 1 he says at the time when kings go off to war David remained in Jerusalem David got lazy David was so puffed up and just so happy being the king and having all those successes behind him and all the legends told about the day he slayed the giant and he got lazy he decided to rest on his laurels and let somebody else do the work David decided to spend some time just basking in his victories and in his own glory and he figured everything's going well I'll just sit here enjoy being the king for a while while the army goes out and fights is that so wrong? well for David it was very wrong because of this one misstep David brought the judgment of God on his household you can read about it in the next chapter but the short version is that from that point forward David suffered much personal loss and difficulty so why am I telling you this story? well here's what I want you to see whether you've seen many victories or have had hard times this year now is not the time to coast now's not the time to look back and just talk about how good it was now's not the time to look back and see how hard it was now's not the time to just give up and sit down now's the time to get busy get on your face before the Lord and ask Him what your next steps are keep fighting keep praying keep pressing into His presence keep pushing let me tell you I know that that the turning from December 31st to January 1st is just the flip of one page it's just one rotation of the earth that's all that it is but we measure we measure our lives in days and weeks and months and years and so everyday His mercies are new for you and every week you've had His mercies new for you seven times and every month you've had 30 new mercies ready for you we mark out our days this way and that's how God marks things out for us in the Word as well and so when we get to an important moment like this where a year is flipping and we have this opportunity the whole world is going hey! 2023's over let's move into 2024 it's a moment in time it's a moment that we can stop and say who am I? where am I? what good has happened what bad has happened but don't just stay there keep fighting keep praying keep pushing into God's presence because your successes or your failures of this year are just a set up for what God wants to do next your victories aren't meant to be one hit wonders your failures and mistakes aren't meant to be your failures and mistakes aren't meant to discourage you and take you out of the race they're meant to set you up for your next season of your purpose in Christ if you stop if you sit back and only focus on the rear view mirror then you lose focus you get lazy you lose sight of what is important and that's what happened to David in the second story but let's go all the way back to our first scripture Philippians chapter 3 but we're going to begin in verse 12 this time it says not that I've already obtained all this or have already arrived at my goal but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me brothers and sisters I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it but one thing I do forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead I press on to take hold of that for which what is ahead I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus so here's why all of this matters right because this is ultimately about the kingdom of God yes God loves you individually and it blesses Him to see you blessed but this is ultimately about Him all that we're about as a church as individual as families as individual people right we live for the glory of God Pastor Neil said it so well during worship we call Him Lord which means we give Him control we put Him in the driver's seat and we let Him determine the steps of our life it's ultimately about Him and His glory and His kingdom your good or bad moments are not your stopping points they are a if we stop at one victory then we've peaked already in our lives and we've already if we do that we've come to a place of contentment rather than climbing to the next level in Him here's what I love about this verse in the Philippians in Philippians that we just read Paul very clearly says my goal is unattainable on this earth so I keep pressing on I keep I don't I don't think that I've quite laid a hold of it yet but I'm gonna keep pressing on and then I'm gonna try to lay hold of that very reason and that very purpose for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus why did He lay hold of me why did He save me why did He seek me out and woo me with His Spirit so that I could call Him Lord why did He do it I'm gonna I'm gonna spend my whole life I'm gonna keep pressing and I'm gonna try to lay a hold of it and I probably never will on this side of heaven but in order to do it in order to keep pressing on like He says I press on in order to keep pressing on I've gotta leave some things behind me I've gotta leave some things in the past I've gotta leave my hurts and I've gotta leave my victories and I've gotta leave my offenses and I've gotta leave my lack and I have to leave my abundance and I have to leave my struggle and I have to leave my battles won and the battles that I've lost I've gotta leave it all so that I can keep pressing onward to lay a hold of that for which Christ Jesus laid hold of me today press onward in Him keep pressing into Him and I don't know maybe you're in this room and you're looking back and maybe you stalled out in 1980 or 2002 or 2017 or maybe just this year you've kinda gone into coast mode and you just stalled out if you've gone into coast mode today's the day to ask God as we're looking as we're standing on the precipice of an entirely new year to ask God to put that fire back in you that fire to press on to what it is that God has for you whatever that might be there's a there's a new ministry there's a new place to serve there's a new there's a new step of faith or some risks that you have to take there's a new prayer focus for you a new aspect of God's character to study a new book to read some habits to evaluate and change but whatever it is don't just kick the shifter into neutral and just let it take you wherever it goes now's the time to determine in our hearts that we're gonna put our foot on the accelerator and we're gonna move onward in Him we're gonna press in we're gonna press in with fasting and prayer press in with faith and take some risks press in with your worship go to a higher level in your worship this year press in with your faithfulness to serve in the house of God press in with your faithfulness to give and be generous to God's kingdom press in with the lifestyle choices that you make in and let's see God do something amazing in 2024 cause here's the deal if you're alive to see 2024 then God isn't done with you He has more for you I don't care if you're 65 75 85 95 105 it doesn't matter God is not done with you if you are still breathing the oxygen on this earth they don't get comfortable but continue on your journey to be all that God has called you to be thank you for listening to Elevate we hope this message encouraged inspired and challenged you Authentic Life Church is located at 3750 Michael Boulevard in Mobile, Alabama visit our website authenticlife.tv for more information about Authentic Life Church to find out what we have going on or to make a donation you can also find us on Facebook we'd love for you to join us on Sundays at 10am for our weekend service we have excellent children's, nursery and youth programs so bring the family for Pastor John DiQuatro I'm Scott Chestnut thanks again for listening and God bless you