First Baptist Church of Highland Park

Rev. Dr. Henry P. Davis III: Hi, I'm Henry Davis, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Highland Park in Landover, Maryland, a Bible-believing, Christ-centered, and spirit-led congregation. I want to welcome you to our radio broadcast. And remember, there's power at the Park.

Philippians chapter 3. I'm looking at verses 12, 13, and 14, New Living Translation. "I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us."

Amen. You may go to your seats around the building. That 12th verse says, "I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me." There's more ahead for you. That's what I want to talk about in this service. There's more ahead for you.

I talked last night from the theme "You Can’t Stay Here." Abram was given the assignment to move away from familiar territory. You can’t stay where you are. God wants you to move forward. There comes a moment in every serious walk with God when you have to learn how two truths, how to hold them together at the same time. You have to be able to look backward with gratitude while looking forward with expectation. That balance of looking back, not to go back, but to look back with gratitude for how far God has brought you.

Look back and have appreciation for everything poured into your life. I told the family this week that gathered for a young man who was in church about three weeks ago, walked down here, shook my hand, and he said, "Pastor, I’m coming back." Well, he did not come back physically because he was on his way to a doctor’s appointment, and his life came to an end on the metro. So we celebrated his life on Thursday.

You don’t know how quickly things can shift. Look backward with gratitude while looking forward with expectation. You ought to be able to say, "Lord, I thank You for where You brought me from." But then, in almost the same breath, say, "But Lord, I know You’re not finished with me yet." Thank You, God. Twenty-six years of standing in this pulpit, thank You, God. But we’re not finished. Gratitude does not require stagnation. I don’t have to be stagnant.

Thankfulness does not demand that you stop growing. Appreciating yesterday does not mean you have to live there. I appreciate it, but I’m not living in yesterday. I’m living today. That’s the danger of some of our churches; they live in yesterday, and they talk about what we used to be. One of my colleagues in ministry pastors a church, and he had to follow a legend. It’s difficult to follow anybody, but he had to follow a legend.

For so many years, he would preach his heart out, and then after they would finish service, people would rush to the bookstore to buy the recordings of the previous minister. They would be in line. He just gave it all he had. Of course, there is a dangerous temptation that comes when you’ve been walking with God for a while. When you’re young in faith, the temptation is often to give up too soon. Now, for many of you in this service, that’s not your struggle. You’re not giving up. I mean, we’ve come too far for that.

We’ve seen too many miracles, too many blessings, too many doors opened. You know what I’m talking about. We’ve seen all this. There’s a sense of appreciation. You are not supposed to be here. But look at God. You’ve seen some things. You’ve survived some things. You’ve accomplished some things. You’ve got some testimonies. As a matter of fact, if you’re going to have a testimony, you’re going to come through a test. No test, no testimony.

You’ve learned some scripture. You’ve been through enough storms to know, and we had storms to come through. Lightning hit the breezeway of our church, and as a matter of fact, it sent a hole right through the breezeway. But look at God, that all of the electricity was out all around here, but yet on this campus, every light was on. That was not because of a generator; that was because of the covering of God. No matter what goes on around you, how grateful we can be.

You’ve lived long enough to know trouble doesn’t last always. If you’re not careful, you can begin to assume maybe this is as far as I’m supposed to go. No, no. I came with an announcement for somebody today: there’s more ahead for you. More God wants to show you. More God wants to teach you. I know you can have your AARP card, I know you can have all of that, but there’s still more that God can teach us, more God wants to heal you, more God wants to develop you, shaping you, building you up.

More God wants to do through you. You’re not here for yourself; you’re here to be a blessing to somebody else. Somebody got up this morning, and you might be the solo person coming to church, but I want you to know that you’ve got a light, and you can let that light shine. I don’t care how ornery and evil folk you run into, you still can smile, you still can have joy, you can still lift up your head. You can still talk about the goodness of the Lord.

I’m not going to be bitter. I’m not going to be angry. I’m not going to walk around trying to pull everybody else down. I can come lifting up my head and giving God praise. More God wants to do. More people God wants you to bless. More love God wants you to give. More purpose God wants you to fulfill. There’s more ahead for us. We’re not done. That’s why you can drive up on this campus, and you can see that building coming up next to here, the Highlands.

What makes our text so powerful is who says it. This isn't a beginner talking; this is Paul. This is the Apostle, the gospel globetrotter, as Freddie Haynes likes to talk about him, who has encountered the risen Christ. Paul has preached. Paul has planted churches. Paul has suffered. Paul has been persecuted. Paul has experienced revelation. Paul has watched God move. Paul has theological depth. Paul has spiritual mileage. And yet, Paul looks at his life and says, "I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things."

In other words, don’t misunderstand my testimony. I haven't arrived. That’s maturity. Maturity is being able to celebrate your progress without confusing your progress with your destination. In other words, you are still on a journey. As long as you got another birthday, you got another anniversary, you had another trip around the sun, you got another reason to give God praise. I thank God that I’m not going to lay down on God. I will lift up my head. I will give God all the praise.

Paul says God has brought me a mighty long way, but there’s still more ahead. Oh yeah, and that speaks directly to our weekend theme. Isaiah hears God say, "Forget all that. It is nothing compared to what I’m going to do. For I am about to do something new." That’s what I’m going to talk about in the next service. But I’m dealing with Paul in this service. Paul says, "I press on." Isaiah said God is doing something new. Paul said, "Then I’ve got to keep moving."

Somebody needs to hear this. You cannot experience God’s next while insisting on remaining on where you are. I can’t get to God’s next if I stay frozen where I am. So what does Paul teach us by moving forward toward what God has ahead for us? Number one: don’t confuse progress with arrival. That’s what it said. The A-clause of verse number 12 of Philippians 3: "I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection."

I love Paul’s honesty because some of us, we cannot be honest. When you talk and have a conversation with God, you don’t have to front with God. God knows all about it. Now, you can front with your family and front with your friends and front at the family reunion and all of that, but God knows. He knows about your jacked-up family. He knows about your jacked-up history. And yet God says, "Come unto Me," and I’ve got open arms.

Paul doesn’t minimize what God has done, but neither does he exaggerate where he is. You know, there are some folk, they're going to exaggerate everything. I mean, you know, as a matter of fact, you’ve seen some of these resumes, and artificial intelligence can help you to make you seem like you’re all that and a bag of chips. A person’s resume can be impressive and all that.

We had an organist when I was in Harlem. He came in, and he was on the Hammond organ, and he was playing. And you know, in our church, it’s Harlem, so they want somebody who can kind of move with it, you know? They want somebody who can move because we still did the usher’s march and all that other. We wanted somebody to kind of move, and he was struggling. So I asked him, I said, "I know I’ve looked at your resume, and obviously you’re a very accomplished musician, but you seem to have some struggles over here."

He said, "Well, Rev, my real instrument is the pipe organ." I said, "Well, you know, we like the pipe organ; it’s a lovely instrument. But we also like to get down." Yeah, we can pipe it, but we’ve got to know how to get down. In other words, if you know how to fly a 747, thank God for that, but you also have to have the ability to break it down for some folk. And that’s what Paul said, "I’m growing, but I haven't arrived."

I thank God for where I am, but I’m not going to look at my—I’m not going to start smelling myself. I’m not going to start acting like it’s all about me. I’ve got to understand that the Bible says every knee is going to have to bow, every tongue is going to have to confess. Celebrate how far you’ve come. There’s nothing wrong with looking back long enough to praise God. Some of us ought to thank God because we aren't where we used to be.

Your attitude isn't what it used to be. Thank God it isn't. Your attitude was a mess. As a matter of fact, you’re still not that great, but I thank God I’ve come a long way. I still need some work. Your prayer life isn't what it used to be. Your understanding isn't what it used to be. Your faith isn't what it used to be. Your response to adversity isn't what it used to be. There are things that would have destroyed you 10 years ago that don’t even shake you the same way today.

That’s growth. That’s how God has developed you. There were seasons when one disappointment could ruin your whole month, but now you’ve learned God is still God. There were seasons when everybody had to like you. Now you’ve learned if God is pleased, I can sleep at night, whether you like me or not. I thank God whether you like me or not, I know a God who loves me. Thank You, God, for loving me.

There were seasons when you didn't know how you were going to survive. Now you’ve got enough history with God to say, "Somehow, somewhere, the Lord will make a way." I like "the Lord will make a way somehow." Do I have a witness here? You can close doors; God can open up another door. You can talk about me, call me whatever you want to call me, but I thank God I’ve got a praise and I’ve got to get it out. I’m going to give God the glory. I’m going to give God the honor. Somehow, somewhere, the Lord will make a way.

You can celebrate your progress, but don’t build a house there because yesterday’s victory can become today’s limitation if you stop growing. You can start resting on what was done instead of going for more. Now, I’ll be honest, I was watching the Colorado game on Friday night, and I gave up on them. I’ll be honest. I said, "It’s a wrap." Henry had come in, my son, and I said, "It’s a wrap." And then I said, "But I’ve got it on. I mean, I don’t turn the TV off; I keep it on."

But then all of a sudden, thanks be to God, Deion and his team, they worked their way down the field, scored a touchdown, then the other team came back down, got in field goal range, and then they got ready to kick it, but a fellow came from the side, he blocked the kick, and then he ran down the field, threw his helmet one way. They had won the game. What I’m trying to tell somebody: I thank God I’m not going to let yesterday’s victory become today’s limitation.

There is one of the subtle dangers of success. Failure can make you quit, but success can make you comfortable. Success can make you comfortable. We got too many comfortable Nubians. Success: your resume, your neighborhood, your gated community, your two and three-car garage, your split-level home. Success can send you to the golf course on Sunday morning. Come on somebody, success.

One of the things I started doing during my time away from you was biking. I’ve been running in the morning, biking in the evening. And then one day, I saw two Black brothers buzzing past me. Sometimes we become so enamored with what God did that we lose sensitivity to what God is doing. This is a dangerous area. It’s dangerous. Dangerous because we got so much Black wealth. Black folk doing real good. I don’t care how good you’re doing, you still need Jesus.

Have we gotten the buses together yet? We're still trying to figure it out, in all of our smartness. And my wife said the other day, she said, "I didn't see the buses practicing this year. I didn't see them practicing." But they waited, and then they had bus drivers trying to figure it out. Still trying to figure it out. They're still riding around. Success can make you comfortable. Sometimes we become so enamored with what God did that we lose sensitivity to what God is doing.

Thank God for what He’s done, but I thank God for what He’s doing. That’s why Isaiah 43 is a radical verse. Isaiah knew God as the God who opened the Red Sea. And God essentially says, "Yes, I did that, but don’t limit Me to the Red Sea. Don’t reduce Me to a memory. Don’t imprison Me inside your previous experience. In other words, I’m about to do something new."

I told the folk last night, I said we're getting ready, coming up this year, celebrating our 105th church anniversary. 105 years. Been on these grounds since 1954. We came up on Sheriff Road. Church, we got great history. We got testimony. We’ve got traditions worth honoring. We’ve got people who sacrificed so we could stand where we’re standing today. As a matter of fact, 26 years ago, this was the parking lot.

But the best way to honor people who moved forward in their generation is not becoming stationary in ours. Thank God for Wiley Lucas and George AC Crocker. Thank God for their sacrifices and their prayers. But we have to take it from where we are now. Not going to be stationary. Our ancestors did not pray through oppression, organize communities, establish churches, build schools, educate children, resist injustice, confront racism, and insist upon the God-given dignity of Black humanity so that we could inherit their progress and then stop progressing.

We don’t honor their journey by turning their stopping point into ours. I’m praying that as persons will come to our church years from now, that will keep moving that bad boy forward. We honor them by continuing to move toward freedom. And there is still work to do. There are still children who need opportunity. There are still families who need support. There are still communities that need investment. There are still systems that need transformation.

There are still people who need Jesus. There is still injustice that needs to be confronted. There is still hatred that must be overcome and must be overcome by courageous, Christ-like love. We haven't arrived yet. We haven't arrived. We're moving, but we haven't arrived. The closer you get to Christ, the more you realize how much growing remains. Closer I get, you still know there’s more work to do. Paul isn't embarrassed to say, "I’m not perfect." That’s spiritual maturity.

Immaturity says, "I’ve got it all together." No, you don’t. Maturity says, "God is still working on me. I still need more patience. I still need more wisdom. I still need more compassion. I still need more discipline. I still need more courage. I still need more forgiveness. I still need more love. I still need more Jesus." Somebody ought to declare: "I’m better, but I’m not finished. I’m stronger, but I’m not finished. I’m wiser, but I’m not finished. I’m growing, but I’m not finished."

God has brought me. Thank God. On that morning, you saw that incident up here. I did some foolish stuff that week. Foolish stuff that day. Foolish stuff the day before. I mean, you just run, run, run, but you’ve got to realize you’ve got to learn. You’ve got to learn. God isn't through with me, and God isn't through with you. And if God isn't through with you, that means there’s more ahead.

Here's my second point, and I’m through: let God create what I’m going to call a holy dissatisfaction in you. Holy dissatisfaction. Paul says, "I press on." Those three words change the entire atmosphere of the text. "I press on." Paul knows he hasn't arrived, but he doesn't use imperfection as an excuse for inactivity. He says, "Since I’m not there yet, I’m going after it."

Greek word translated "press on" is *diōkō*. It carries the sense of pursuing, chasing. Chasing after God. Pressing toward something. My late father-in-law, Dr. Harold Carter, loved the word "determine." Determination. You have to have some spiritual determination. Paul isn't wandering; he isn't drifting. Paul is pursuing. You can be grateful without being satisfied.

There's a difference between contentment and complacency. Not going to be complacent. Biblical contentment says, "God, I appreciate what You’ve given me." That’s contentment. Complacency says, "God, I don’t expect anything else. I’m good." No, and those aren't the same thing. You can say, "Lord, thank You for where I am," and I’m still hungry for where You’re taking me. I don’t care how old you are; you can still be hungry for where God is going to take you.

He still has breath in your body. Abraham was not a young man, and he was still able to fulfill dreams. Thank You for what You’ve taught me, but I’m available for You to teach me some more. Thank You for how You’ve used me, but I thank You also, God, for how You can use me some more. Thank You for the people we reach, but there are still more people out there. Thank You for the ministry we’ve done. Thank You for the years we’ve had. But there’s still more ministry ahead.

Thank You for every soul who has come to Christ, but somebody else still needs Jesus. There ought to be holy hunger. Holy hunger. You can’t ever be casual about somebody saying yes to Jesus. That’s why I had to hug those young people last night and thank God for them making a decision. Sometimes God disturbs your comfort because comfort can become your captivity. I’m preaching this morning. There are seasons when God puts something in your spirit, and when God puts it in your spirit, you can’t settle yourself.

My daughter, when she was growing up, we would tell her, "Settle yourself." And then she would yell back, "I can’t settle!" She’s going to learn some lessons with this new baby. We're going to find out about Baby A. You can’t explain it. Things aren't necessarily bad, but something keeps whispering in your ear, "There’s more." More purpose, more depth, more impact, more service, more generosity. You're not tithed yet.

More courage. More freedom, more love. That’s not always frustration. Sometimes what I would call that is divine agitation. I’m agitating you. God is disturbing where you are because God knows where He’s taking you. Ask Abraham; he was comfortable in Haran, then God said, "Leave." Ask Moses; he was comfortable where he was, then God said, "Go back to Egypt." Ask Esther; she was comfortable in the palace, then purpose came knocking at the door.

Ask Peter; he knew fishing, but Jesus said, "Drop your nets, drop the fishing pole, and follow Me." God has a habit of disturbing comfortable people when He has something greater connected to their obedience. Many of us are working in areas that we did not necessarily prepare for. God knew what He was doing. Sometimes the discomfort isn't the devil; sometimes God is calling you to move forward.

And that’s what I call holy dissatisfaction. Holy dissatisfaction refuses to normalize what God wants transformed. I will not normalize it; I want transformation. And this cannot merely become a sermon about personal advancement. The gospel is bigger than "God wants me to have more stuff." If that’s what you’re getting out of it, no, I’m not talking about you getting more stuff.

Jesus didn't die so we could become spiritually baptized consumers. The kingdom asks: who’s out there still hurting, who’s still hungry, who is still excluded, who is still being ignored, who is still being dehumanized, who has been pushed to the margins, who needs somebody to stand beside them, who needs somebody to speak up, who needs somebody to love them enough to refuse to leave them where they are? We cannot be satisfied with churches full of worship while communities remain empty of hope.

We’ve got some empty youngsters out there. That’s why they're carrying guns and knives to school. They're empty. They're missing something. I thank God when the blue bus was picking up folk bringing them to Sunday School. But now we're laying in the bed with 500 channels, walking around with smartphones, and now they're figuring out that we don’t want you to have all that stuff in the classroom because it’s messing up your mind.

We cannot shout about liberation on Sunday and remain silent about oppression on Monday. We cannot celebrate God’s love while refusing to extend that love across lines of class, generation, gender, neighborhood, nationality, circumstance, because God’s love is never passive. I can’t be passive about my love. Love moves, love serves, love advocates, love confronts, love heals, love liberates, love goes looking for the person everybody else forgot. When you really love like Jesus, you can’t stay comfortable while somebody else is hurting. Paul says, "I press on."

Keep—here’s my third point, and I’m through: Keep chasing what Christ has already claimed for you. I’m going to keep on chasing it. Now, that’s where verse 12 really opens up. "I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me." Don’t run past that. Paul says, "I’m pursuing something because Christ first pursued me. I’m reaching because He reached me. I’m chasing purpose because purpose first came looking for me."

Thank God for purpose. Thank God that God had a purpose for me. Your pursuit of God began with God’s pursuit of you. Paul knew this personally. He wasn't looking for Jesus on the Damascus road; he was fighting the church. He was persecuting Christians. He had letters authorizing him to arrest followers of Jesus. Paul wasn't chasing Christ; Christ chased Paul.

In other words, Jesus interrupted his journey. Jesus confronted his assumptions, Jesus overturned his agenda, Jesus redirected his future. And Paul never got over the fact that when I wasn't looking for Him, He came looking for me. Anybody have that testimony? You weren't always praying, you weren't always faithful, you weren't always making the best decision, you weren't always thinking about God. But God kept thinking about you. That’s nothing but the grace of God. That’s love.

What’s love got to do with it? Everything. Because He loved him. He loved you. Before you reached toward Him, He reached toward you. Before you called His name, He knew your name. Before you figured out your purpose, He had already put His hand on your life. Somebody ought to thank God that He came after me. I thank God that Jesus didn't merely save you from something; Jesus saved you for something.

We sometimes make salvation too small. We reduce salvation to "when I die, I’m going to go to heaven." And yes, we all want to go to heaven, but thank God for eternal life. But Jesus didn't only save you for later; He saved you for now. Christ possessed me for something. There’s purpose connected to your life. There is somebody your testimony is supposed to encourage, somebody your wisdom is supposed to mentor, somebody your generosity is supposed to help, somebody your love is supposed to embrace. Some door you’re supposed to open. Some injustice—I see a SCLC folk out there—some injustice you’re supposed to challenge. Some ministry you’re supposed to strengthen. Some young person you’re supposed to pour into. Some burden you’re supposed to help somebody carry.

You still have purpose. Your age doesn't cancel it. Your mistakes don’t cancel your purpose. Your setbacks don’t cancel your purpose. Your disappointments don’t cancel your purpose. And if God has allowed you to wake up this morning, there is still purpose attached to your breath. The greatest more ahead of any of you is becoming more like Jesus. This is where we’ve got to rescue the sermon from shallow prosperity. When I tell you there’s more for you, I’m not necessarily telling you there’s a bigger house ahead. I’m not promising a bigger bank account. I’m not promising everybody will know your name. The more Paul wants in Christ is Christ. Look at verse number 10: "I want to know Christ." That’s context. Paul’s got great ambition. This isn't more stuff; it’s more Jesus.

More like Jesus. More loving like Jesus. More forgiving like Jesus. More being courageous like Jesus. More compassionate like Jesus. More committed to truth like Jesus. More concerned about the marginalized like Jesus. More willing to touch people other people like to avoid. More willing to cross barriers like Jesus. More willing to sacrifice like Jesus. More willing to serve like Jesus. And here is what I want somebody to carry home: the greatest thing ahead of you may not be something God is going to give you; it may be somebody God is still making you.

You haven't met the fully developed version of yourself yet. You haven't seen everything God’s grace can do in you. You haven't seen everything that the wisdom, everything that God can open up. You haven't seen every healing that God can produce in you. You haven't seen what your testimony can become when God uses every chapter of your life. There’s more ahead. Thank You, God. That’s my word on an 8 o’clock service. You haven't seen all you’ve seen yet. You haven't seen what God is going to do.

So far, you’ve seen how God has kept you. So far, you’ve seen how God has developed you. So far, you’ve seen how God has used you. So far, you’ve seen what Highland Park has done. So far. But don’t put a period after so far. Because God says in Isaiah, "I’m about to do something. I’m about to do something new." And I wonder if there’s anybody here who still believes God has something new ahead. New opportunities, new ministry, new relationships, new understanding, new strength, new ways to serve, new ways to teach people, new ways to reach people, new generations to empower, new territory for the kingdom to expand. Don’t tell me you’re too old. If you’re still breathing, there’s still more. Don’t tell me you’ve made too many mistakes, and grace kept you this morning. There’s still more. Don’t tell me you’ve already done enough. There’s more. And don’t tell me you’ve been knocked down. If you can get back up again, there is more. I haven't achieved yet. Paul said, "I press on. I press on."

I’ve had disappointments, but I press on. I’ve had some cold nights. I’ve cried sometimes, but I press on. I’ve made mistakes. I’ve been wounded, but I press on. I’ve been misunderstood, but I press on. Because there’s more. I said there’s more. And if you need proof that what looks like when you get to the end, look at Jesus. It looked like Friday was the end. They arrested Him, beat Him, mocked Him, marched Him to Calvary, nailed His hands, nailed His feet, hung Him between two thieves. He dropped His head. He died. They took His body down, put him in Joseph’s borrowed tomb, rolled a stone in front of the entrance. But everybody didn't know God for themselves. They thought, that’s it, it’s over. But somebody should have told them, I said somebody should have told them, there was more ahead.

Yes! Friday wasn't the conclusion. Saturday wasn't the conclusion. The tomb wasn't the conclusion. The stone wasn't the conclusion. But early! I said early! Sunday morning, God rolled the stone away. Jesus got up! And when Jesus got up, heaven made an announcement: never call something finished just because you can’t see what God is doing. Because He lives, I can face tomorrow! Because He lives, I can keep pressing! Because He lives, my failures don’t get the final word! Because He lives, my pain doesn’t get the final word! Because He lives, my past doesn’t get the final word! Because He lives, there is more! There is more! So keep on walking! Keep on growing! Keep on loving! Keep on serving! Keep on believing! Keep on fighting! Keep on lifting people! Keep on opening doors! Keep telling somebody about Jesus! Keep pressing toward the mark of the high calling of Jesus Christ! Because God didn't bring you this far to leave you! God is calling you forward! And somebody ought to believe I’m not finished yet! God is still working on me! God is still shaping me! God is still using me! And God is still calling me! And there’s more! There’s more! There’s more! And He’s all right! Thank You, God, that there is more! Yes! Yes! Yes!

You’ve been listening to the radio broadcast of the First Baptist Church of Highland Park in Landover, Maryland. If you want to receive a CD or DVD of what you have just heard, please call 301-773-6655, or visit us on the world wide web. And remember, there's power at the Park.