Have you ever had regrets? Maybe it is something you did last year that you should not have done?

2. Have you ever had regrets? • Maybe it is something you did last year that you should not have done? • Or may it something you should have done? • The only person who never had regrets while living on earth was Jesus Christ.

3. The apostle Paul was the greatest Christian to have ever lived. • But he too had regrets, heartaches, sorrow and remorse. • But today, Paul is going to help us get out from the cloud of guilt and move onto a crown of glory.

4. Paul was saved, sure and sanctified. • But he was not satisfied. • Even though Paul was a dynamic leader, • A powerful prayer warrior and • A spiritual giant, • He wanted to improve his spiritual walk.

5. Do you want to grow in your personal life and in your spiritual journey? • Then you must never accept: • A. Living in the past. • B. Never rest in the present. • Paul was such a great man because he was more concerned with his character than his reputation.

6. He never thought of himself as being successful. • We all want to be successful in our own way. • Remember – success is not a destination. • It is a never-ending process. • How can you make the rest of your life the best?

7. We can never experience a better tomorrow if we are always thinking about the past. • Ecclesiastes 7:10 – “Do not long for the old days” • We will never be able to focus on the future until we get unfocused from the past.

8. Paul uses very aggressive terminology in these verses. • “Press on”; “Reaching forward”; “the goal”. • As in every race, it is not where you have been, but where you are heading. • You will never sail your life to peace and joy still while still anchored to the past.

9. Remember, God is not as concerned with your past as you are. • Paul was striving to move past his position in life and his life of the past. • Paul had to: • a. Forget his past guilt. - He was a murderer, a blasphemer and a persecutor.

10. The deep scar of sin and sorrow was on his heart. • b. Forget his past grief. - He was beaten, jailed, mocked, shipwrecked and rejected. • c. Forget his past grudges. - He was lied to, mistreated, forsaken and thrown out.

11. Forget in this verse means is to be no longer influenced of affected by our memory. • We must cut the ropes of our anchored past and start sailing past our guilt, grief and grudges.

12. Paul did more than one thing. • He made tents. He preached sermons. • He planted churches. • He wrote books. • Paul did a lot of things

13. But his top priority in life was to "press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God.” v.14 • “Goal” – a mark on which the eye is fixed. • Paul had his eyes on his goal in this life and his prize in the next. • What is your priority today?

14. “ I press on” –v.12 • “ I press toward” – v.14 • It takes more than aspiration, inspiration and perspiration. • It takes determination. • When life delivers hard blows, we need passion to fight back.

15. What matters most is not where you have come from. • But where you are going and do you have the passion to get there?

16. True Life Story • He was 93 years when he died in 1970. • Suffered economic crisis early in business. • His bankers stole 47 million over a period of time.

17. Suffered mental breakdown. • Hospitalized for 10 years. • Tried to commit suicide but unsuccessful. • Tried again. Heard the nurse singing “God will take care of you”

18. Remembered his mother. • “When everything goes wrong and all seems hopeless, do not forget that God will take care of you.” • Was healed instantly. Doctors surprised. • Goes on to recoup his money. • Who was he?

19. J.C. Penney

20. J.C. Penney. • As he grew older his eyesight was greatly impaired. • But he said, “My vision is greater than ever.”