The Healing Word

Guest (Male): The Healing Word Ministry, on one place, is brought to you by the generous donations of people like you. At any time during today's message, feel free to send a prayer request or make a donation using the links provided. Now, I pray you will be blessed as Pastor Jack Morris delivers a message from the word of God that will encourage and strengthen your faith in him.

Pastor Jack Morris: Remember with me the goals that you used to have as a child and as a teenager and a young adult. No matter how old you are, there's things out there to be discovered and enjoyed and be blessed by. We can keep growing in the Lord.

Guest (Male): Welcome to The Healing Word. On today's program, Pastor Jack Morris will lead us in a study of pressing on with Jesus that involves cultivating a personal relationship with him through studying his word, praying, and sharing your faith. Be blessed by today's study and prepare your heart to receive abundant life.

Pastor Jack Morris: Most people have ambitions. We have goals. We have that which we're looking forward to and striving for. And some of these goals begin very early in life. But then the life seems to impact us in such a way, a negative way that it'll take away and we'll lose sight of those goals and those ambitions. Remember with me the goals that you used to have as a child and as a teenager and a young adult. No matter how old you are, there's things out there to be discovered and enjoyed and be blessed by. We can keep growing in the Lord.

And I was in let's see, I was in the fourth grade. I must have been about 10 years old. I remember the teacher, Miss Fleming, young teacher. I think this was her first school, first opportunity for her to be a public school teacher. And back then, it seemed like there was an effort being put forth by the teachers to cause the children to begin to project ahead where they wanted to go with their life. So she asked all of us to take a sheet of paper and to write down, what do you want to be when you grow up?

Now all you could all understand that if she had said what ambitions or goals do you have, we may have not caught what she was trying to to do. But when she said, what do you want to be when you grow up? And I took my pencil and I wrote down, I was 10 years old, a preacher or a missionary. But I couldn't spell missionary. I didn't know how to spell it. I could spell preacher. And so when she came she went up and down the the desk and she came by and I said, Miss Fleming, how do you spell missionary?

She told me. She looked at me. She said, there's not very many people today who want to be one of those, either a preacher or a missionary. But I had a goal and God gave me that goal and your desires. Check the desires of your heart. God puts certain desires and wishes and dreams. Don't let anybody steal them away from you. They're God given. And he not only will give the dream but the ambition and the energy and the know-how. Just follow the Lord step by step by step and he'll lead you and there'll be a great victory in your life.

Now the Apostle Paul had a dream and he had a goal and his goal was to know Jesus more completely than ever before. And you see Paul met Jesus on the Damascus Road. Acts chapter 9. He was a Jew of the Jews, a Hebrew of the Hebrews. He hated Christians. He was out to destroy the church if he could, but he couldn't. He was the one that consented to the stoning of Stephen and he held the clothes of the people. You go ahead and stone him. I'll witness it and we'll do away with another deacon.

And this was his ambition to stomp out and crush Christianity. But on his way to Damascus with letters of authority from the chief priest to arrest adult and young people and children and bring them back to Jerusalem to the chief priest for them to go through the arrest procedure. While on the way, something happened. Something happened. Friend, listen to me. Something may happen this morning. I hope it does and if it doesn't, why go to church and hear the word and sing the songs? Let God do a happening in your life today. He's here. The Holy Spirit is here.

Great things are about to happen. Are you ready for something to happen from heaven? Heaven will come down and fill your heart. And I believe the Lord is here to do it and I'm sure you have a desire and a hunger for that to happen. And while he was on his way to Damascus, you know sometimes God will surprise us. He wasn't thinking Jesus at all, only to kill more people that were following Jesus. And a light from heaven came upon him, brighter than the noonday sun. It knocked him to the ground. Boy, I'll tell you we need some conversions like that.

Maybe knocking us really good to get our attention. And he looked up and he saw Jesus. He saw Jesus, not a vision of Jesus. He saw the man with the nail prints. And he said, who are you, Lord? Jesus said, I'm Jesus. Why are you persecuting me? In other words, whatever trouble my church is going through, I'm going through that trouble with them. Friend, you never go through trouble alone, not if you're a child of God. Isn't that wonderful to know that Jesus walks this way with us? And he gave his heart to the Lord.

The Apostle Paul did. Now look at verse 10. The very first line, verse 10. I want to know Jesus. Years have passed. He's now planted several churches the Apostle Paul has preaching the word of God. Before I came out of my office today to the platform and even now on the platform while we were singing it was going through my mind. Pastor Jack Morris, you are preaching the same message that Paul preached. But are we getting the same results that Paul got? Where is that message going? But I thought awesome, dear Lord, it's true. All these years I had thought about it quite like that but I'm saying the same exact things that he said.

And here he is in Rome. He writes a letter to his beloved congregation, his favorite congregation in Philippi. You know the larger community church is my favorite congregation. And he he's talking to his his people. And he tells his people, I want to know Jesus. What about you? Philippian church, what about you? Let me tell you what I want to know. I want you to know my ambition, my goal in life is not new houses and bigger cars and horses and chariots and and whatever material things and advancement. We are preoccupied and we are being driven by these desires and Paul said, I have one desire.

Now Paul had a career. He was a tent maker. He worked and earned money to live off of. We all have to have our jobs and give attention to them. But the predominant desire of his heart is, I want to know Jesus. If I know Jesus, he'll help me with every desire and every ambition. This is what Paul was saying. Jesus after his resurrection, what an experience the disciples had with the resurrected Christ, the alive Jesus, not a dead Jesus but the alive Jesus. Jesus being resurrected from the dead called his disciples aside and he looked at one of them straight in the eye.

And he said, Peter, do you love me? Either you basically either you do or you don't. Peter, you denied me three times. You took an oath and you swore. Not that he used profanity, no. But it was like say with my hand raised up, I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Do you love me? Do you love me? Peter said, yes, three times. Three times Peter denied the Lord. Three times he affirmed his faith in the Lord three times. You see, friends, Christ must be all or he is nothing at all.

Did you hear what I just said? Christ must be all or he is nothing at all. And so I have to examine my heart because I can examine your heart. I have to examine my own and find out how much of Jesus is there and how I how much I love him to the degree that I love him. We sang a moment ago, knowing you Jesus, knowing you, there is no other thing. You're my all. Is he really? You're the best. Is he really the best? You're my joy. Oh, I've got sadness. I don't have joy.

Well, then where is Jesus? Have you pressed on into his presence and allowed him to bless? But be like Paul. Notice what Paul said. Not that I have already obtained all of this. Some of us Christians not only here all over the world, we act like we're already there. We're we're we're we're spiritual as we ought to be. Paul said, I'm not I not have I'm not already have obtained all of this or already been made perfect, meaning mature. That's what the word perfect means uh the Greek word that it came from, mature. But I press on.

Are you pressing on? How are you doing it? Press on. Seek the Lord. Know his word. Love his people. I mean all of his people. And when you avoid people, then you don't have the love of Jesus in you. Look out. Friend, the test isn't going to last too much longer until the burden becomes heavier and more acute. But come on, get healed. Make that full and complete surrender to the Lord and watch what he does. Tell him, Lord, I'm a Christian. Paul accepted Jesus on the Damascus Road years later. He said, I'm still not where I want to be spiritually.

But he said, I'm going to do something about it. Basically, this is what he was saying. What is he doing? Look at verse 13. Look at verse 13. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it but one thing I do. We can say, hey, there's a hundred things I'm doing and Jesus is tucked in there as just one of those hundred or one of those many things. I have my career. I have my avocation. I have my family. I I have all of these things that I have to take care of and then all my Sundays coming.

I got to get ready. Make sure my shirt's pressed and you know hey, it dawned on us that this is the day the Lord has made for him to bless, to heal, to forgive and to do something great. And I come rushing in like a freight train going through town blowing its whistle. Look at me. I'm there. I've arrived. No, not yet. Not Paul hadn't arrived yet. He knew it. Said, brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it but one thing I do. What what are you doing, Paul? What is that one thing?

If you have your Bibles with you, you could be following along or number two. No, where am I here? Yes. One thing I do. I have acknowledged that I'm not there yet. Friend, you have some confession and I have some confession to do. Paul was confessing openly. How many of us would stand up and say, hey, I'm not the Christian that you think I am. Do you know one person in all these years came to me and said that? Said, Pastor, I'm not a good as Christian as you think I am. Very humble, very meek, very lowly.

That person was reaching out for God. I believe that person found what she was reaching for. I truly believe that. It was astounding. It was awesome. Christianity, Jesus, forgiveness and healing, blessing of God. So the first thing I 'm going to do, I'm going to forget those things that are behind, all those mistakes that I've made and all those sins that I have confessed and all of those problems. I'm not going to reach back and pull those problems up and wrestle with them all over again. They're under the blood. I 've confessed and I've repented.

I 'm going to forget the past because there's so much beauty and greatness ahead of me. I'm pressing on. That's what I'm saying. Right here it is. I'm pressing on. I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it but one thing I do for getting what is behind and straining forward. I don't have time for church. Don't have time for Sunday school. Don't have time for small groups. My time is precious. Then give it to the Lord. I surrender all, even my time. I surrender to the Lord. Paul is saying I press on.

I am straining forward. How do or die? But I'm straining forward to what is ahead. Verse 14, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwardly in Christ Jesus. I am straining forward to win the prize. What is that prize? That prize is Jesus. Just a closer walk with thee. That prize is Jesus. That prize is Jesus. I want to see Jesus. I want to know Jesus. I I welcome Jesus. I surrender to him. Be abundant life. Jesus said, I have come that you may have life and have it more abundantly.

A lot of us are Christians but we're not enjoying the joy of living the Christian life. There's too many problems, too many difficulties. They're just coming at us and coming at us. Friend, forget what's coming at you and strain forward. Let's go forward into the Lord Jesus. The abundant life now and then eternal life forever more. There was a story. It happened in 1952. There was a young woman named Phyllis Chadwick. She purposed that she's going to swim from Catalina Island to the coast of um Long Beach, California. 22 mi. Now this woman had already swung swung the English Channel both ways.

The English Channel, the narrowest part is 21 mi. She said, I can do one more mile and make it 22 mi. So she purposed that she's going to swim all the way across that English Channel. The day came early in the morning just starting to get daylight and it would the day came for her to start her journey of swimming. Isn't it something the goals the people have? Swim the English Channel, swim from Catalina Island. Friend, I went over to Catalina Island years ago and spent a few hours there and had lunch and took a boat back.

It takes a a motor boat, a shuttle boat about an hour. Speeding takes a helicopter 15 minutes. But to swim it 22 mi. Well, the morning came and she got to the water to where the boats were. Several little boats were going to follow her and it was a chilly morning and the fog was dense. There's not usually that kind of fog in that area. Usually the bright warm sun of California shining down. But this was her day. And she started swimming. And these little boats stayed very close to her. The fog was so thick that she could barely see the little boats that was alongside her.

And she swam for 15 hours. Can you imagine? 15 hours. And she was exhausted. And she called to the boats. She said, pulling out. Pull me out. Get me out of the water. I can't make it. And they said, her mother was in one of the boats and her mother said to her, honey, you can make it. We're almost there. Friend, almost doesn't count. Almost isn't the prize. We're almost there. And she Florence said, I could just barely see the boat but I could hear my mother's voice and I was begging them, pull me out.

And then all of a sudden Florence stopped swimming. Just stopped. And they had to get her out. She was going to drown. And they got her in the boat. And her mother said to her, honey, we're almost there. We're only we are less than half a mile from the shore. Less than half a mile. The next day, there was a press conference. And this is what Florence said. She said, if it were not for the fog, if I could have seen the shore, I believe I would have made it. If I could have just seen the shore but the fog blinded me.

Our friend, you've got to focus and get your eyes on Jesus. I must do this. If I can just see the shore and the shore to me is Jesus. And if I can just see Jesus, I'm going to be able to make it to Jesus. How about the little baby just learning to walk? You stand it up and you back up maybe three steps. You say, come to me, honey. And that baby you If the baby can see mama or daddy, they can make it. It may slip and fall but mama will get him back on his feet again.

Friend looked to Jesus. Look to Jesus. I mean look to him today, right now, in this moment. And I let him he'll forgive your sins. He'll forgive your past. And you can then say, I'm forgetting the past. You see, if God forgets, why should I remember? And all those mistakes back there I've made shortcomings. But I keep remembering. I keep remembering. The Lord is with us today to bless us. Look at the screen. Read the conclusion with me. In unison, come on. May we press on in our pursuit of knowing Jesus and maturing in our life in him.

I will press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. And let me tell you a story, one more story. I do the conclusion and I preach another sermon. We were getting ready to build this church and I was working with the architect. Colonel Bill Wilson was the assistant pastor at the time. And I drove over to the office of Griman Parker and there was a huge roll of blueprints. Huge roll. I had to hold it like this and carry it out to the car and I put it in the front seat of the car.

And I was driving through Bowie and I stopped at a stop light. And I looked over at that big roll of blueprints. And I prayed. I said, Lord, how am I doing? How am I doing? I want to please him. But do you know those blueprints could have could have and were about to distract me from Jesus? Those blueprints were taking my eyes off of him. Those blueprints were becoming the fog. I didn't see the shore. I was looking at a building. The larger community church is people, you. Jesus never wrote a book. He never built a building, never traveled more than 200 mi from the place he was born.

But look at his church by the millions around the world today. Friend, even good things. You can become so busy for Jesus that you forget Jesus. And it has happened to many a pastor. Now let me tell you, don't ever forget him. Don't forget him this morning. Don't forget his healing power. Don't forget his saving power. Don't forget his forgiving power. Don't forget how much he loves you. Let the past be the past. Strain forward. Press on. Press on. Would you bow your heads with me, please?

Guest (Male): Remember pressing on with Jesus is a journey that requires commitment and dedication. With time, patience, and perseverance, you can grow closer to him and experience the joy and peace of a personal relationship with him. If today's message has blessed you and strengthened your faith in God, would you consider partnering with Pastor Morris and supporting The Healing Word Ministry with your prayers and donating to keep the gospel of Jesus Christ reaching thousands, go to the healingword.com and click the donate button to pledge your support. And remember, the faith building message you heard today is our gift to you.

Your donation is your gift to God.

Guest (Male): Join us tomorrow for another Healing Word message. Until then, blessings on you.