“Pressing Toward the Goal” Philippians 3:12-21

TRANSCRIPT

Date: July 13, 2025 Author: Wayne J. Edwards

The lack of effectiveness of today’s evangelical church is the result of pastors prioritizing the human needs of their congregation over their greater spiritual need to receive Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord, and challenging them to continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord until they reach to the level of spiritual maturity defined in Colossians 1:29, and Ephesians 4:11-16.  The apparent result of this shift is not only in the decline in church attendance, but even more importantly, in the lack of spiritual engagement of those in attendance – they are more like spectators at a concert than participants in a worship service. If the true purpose of the church, as defined in the New Testament, is to be restored, it is the pastors and church leaders who must take the lead. They must guide the church back to a God-centered, Christ-focused, Biblically-based worship service, where the unvarnished gospel is clearly preached, and those who express their faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord are challenged to grow in their faith until they become reproducing reproducers. The title of this sermon from Philippians 3:12-21 is, “The Epistle of Joy – Pressing Toward the Goal.” Thank you for your continued support and for sharing these sermon study guides with those you think might be interested. We are truly encouraged by the response we’ve received from viewers worldwide.

The lack of effectiveness of today’s evangelical church is the result of pastors prioritizing the human needs of their congregation over their greater spiritual need to receive Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord, and challenging them to continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord until they reach to the level of spiritual maturity defined in Colossians 1:29, and Ephesians 4:11-16.  The apparent result of this shift is not only in the decline in church attendance, but even more importantly, in the lack of spiritual engagement of those in attendance – they are more like spectators at a concert than participants in a worship service.

If the true purpose of the church, as defined in the New Testament, is to be restored, it is the pastors and church leaders who must take the lead. They must guide the church back to a God-centered, Christ-focused, Biblically-based worship service, where the unvarnished gospel is clearly preached, and those who express their faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord are challenged to grow in their faith until they become reproducing reproducers.

The title of this sermon from Philippians 3:12-21 is, “The Epistle of Joy – Pressing Toward the Goal.”

Thank you for your continued support and for sharing these sermon study guides with those you think might be interested. We are truly encouraged by the response we’ve received from viewers worldwide.

Download the following translated Sermon guides:

Old Testament Reading – Isaiah 40:25-31 New Testament Reading – 2 Peter 3:14-18

In his letter to the Christians at Philippi, who were being hassled by the Judaizers, the Apostle Paul exhorted them to stop letting the joy robbers distract them from their pursuit of that prize of a high calling of God to a deeper, more intimate relationship with Him.

For over 30-years, Paul thought he was right with God because of his Jewish heritage and his educational pedigree.

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