" ATTAINING NEW SPIRITUAL HEIGHTS WITH GOD "

INTRODUCTION

(1) Where you go with God in your Christian journey in large part depends upon your recognition of  his purposes in your life.  

(2) When the Lord's purposes become your primary source of motivation you realize the day ahead will incur new challenges and new opportunities to attain something greater for God than yesterday did.

(3) Many view the Christian life as boring because they miss out on realizing what the Lord's intents for them are.     It's not easy to live for God in the world that we live in and to attain for God means to sacrifice worldly attainments

(4) In Hebrews 11:24-27    Notice Moses

24 By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter;
25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;
26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.
27 By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.

(5) Moses is no different than any child of God should be.    The believer knowing that this world and all that is therein will pass away should not make his home in it.    The believer has been called out of this world and is a pilgrim just passing through it.    

(6) While passing through this old sinful world we should seek to attain for God all we can those things that matter most for God
 

There are four gripping elements enabling the believer to reach new heights with God:

NOTICE WITH ME

I.   THE DECISION OF PRIORITY

8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for

**The question was asked, "What think ye of Christ ?"

**Most people will say with their lips oh yea, Christ is great and they may even genuinely mean it, but when it comes to their lives being effected by it .  Oh no !!!   I can live as I want to and still have a right relationship with the Lord

**I beg to differ,  "Christ is presented in the scriptures as Lord.   When one receives him as Savior they must also receive him as Lord because thats who he is.   II.Corinthians 5:17 "If any man be in Christ he is a new creation."   He, the sinner upon receiving Christ is made new as he recognizes the Lordship of Christ in his life.    This is not Lordship salvation but rather the effects of the Lord being received into ones life.     Just like medicine received into the body it brings about an effect.    So does Christ having been received into ones life.

A. No Doubt about it

**It was evident in the Apostles life, the fact that Christ Jesus was his supreame priority

A. Nothing stood in the Apostles way as deemed more important than his relationship with Christ, It was his number one priority

--> The Apostle saw nothing else in comparison as a higher priority than his relationship with Christ.

II. THE DESIRE TO EXCEL

"I do count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ"

"And do count them but dung that I may win Christ"

**The Apostle Paul had a desire to excell in his ability to know Christ

**A surface relationship was not sufficient.

**Unfortunately many so called believers have a surface relationship with Christ and may possibly make it to heaven, but if they do they will be saved yet so as by fire.

A.  A Departure from the things that prevent from having the best things

--> This world has alot to offer and most people are too busy seeking out the luxuries of this world to attain something new of this world rather than to seek out the best of things God has to offer.

--> In order to have the best of what God offers you must consider anything less than God's best but dung  -- Garbage thats not worth possessing

--> Like one believer testified:  "I love football and football loves me but I will not give a Sunday to the devil to sit in a beer boozin stadium with both hell-bound sinners and backslidden Christians watching greedy showboats strut their fortuned talents and paying bookoo's of dollars in the doing so.   My Sundays belong to God and Church is where God would have me to be so that I can hear from heaven and give my worship to him."

--> Would to God more believers would recognize the importance of giving their Sundays to God rather than enjoying the pleasures of sin for a season.

B. A Driving Desire to know the Redeeming Christ who provided for our deliverance

--> Excellency:   A supreame gripping hold or grasping onto

--> The Believers enablement comes through Christ.

--> When professing believers get away from thinking there is more to grasp of Christ and know of him then they begin drifting away.

--> There must be daily a driving desire to Grasp more of Christ now than was grasp of him yesterday.

--> There must be a driving desire to go further with Christ, to know more about Christ, and let Christ have more of us today than he had of us yesterday.

III.   THE DECLARATION OF TRUE WORTH

9 ¶ And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

A. There is something to glean and gain in Christ

--> There are benefits to prioritizing Christ in ones life

--> When one tries to earn of themselves favor with God they will fail all the time.

--> There is nothing we can do of ourselves we must turn our lives over to the Lord and permit him to live out his purposes through our lives.

B.  We become of worth when we strive to possess his righteousness in our lives

-->The Righteous Lord loveth righteousness but all our righteousness is as filthy rags

--> The Believer in his best efforts must strive to live out through his life the righteousness Christ teaches and demonstrates in and through his Word.

III.   THE DEFINITIVE OF EXPERIENCE

10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
11 If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. "

--> Those who live for him better know him.

--> When you live for him you identify with his expieriences

A.   Fellowship of his sufferings

--> All who will live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution

B.   Being made conformable to his death

-->The yielded believer expieriences death to self and expieriences the presence of Christ working through him serving out divine purposes through his life.

--> A believer who has yet to learn to die to self does not know what it is to expierience Christ.

--> 

--> Are you seeking new spiritual heights with God ?

--> Are you seeking to attain new experiences this world has to offer or is it more important to you to attain new spiritual heights with God ?

**Your Christianity will never really amount to anything until you make the Lord your priority and die to self !!!

> ATTAINING NEW SPIRITUAL HEIGHTS WITH THE LORD

>  LETS PRAY

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YOU ARE WELCOMED TO CONTACT PASTOR SCHALK WITH ANY  COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE. IF YOU HAVE NOT THE ASSURANCE OF YOUR SALVATION THEN PLEASE DO NOT HESITATE TO WRITE.    "SETTLING THIS ISSUE SHOULD NOT AND CANNOT WAIT"         E-MAIL ME AT:             apastorpreacher@yahoo.com

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PLEASE SIGN OUR ONLINE WELCOME BOOK

AND FEEL FREE TO BROWSE THROUGH

THE PAGES OF OUR WEBSITE  !!!

ONLINE WELCOME BOOK for EVERYONE TO SIGN

YOU ARE WELCOMED TO CONTACT PASTOR SCHALK WITH ANY  COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE.

IF YOU HAVE NOT THE ASSURANCE OF YOUR SALVATION THEN PLEASE DO NOT HESITATE TO WRITE:    "SETTLING THIS ISSUE SHOULD NOT AND CANNOT WAIT"

E-MAIL ME AT:

apastorpreacher@yahoo.com

PLEASE SIGN OUR ONLINE WELCOME BOOK

AND FEEL FREE TO BROWSE THROUGH

THE PAGES OF OUR WEBSITE  !!!

ONLINE WELCOME BOOK for EVERYONE TO SIGN