Pressing On: Laying Hold of God’s Purpose - Br Suresh

 

The Apostle Paul’s Pursuit of God’s Purpose

Praise God for what we heard. I was thinking of the Apostle Paul. He said, “I want to lay hold of that.” This is in Philippians 3:12, where he declared, “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own” (Philippians 3:12, ESV). Brother Victor often speaks of Paul being arrested by Jesus through the Holy Spirit. Paul was arrested, but why? Was it just to stop him from persecuting Christians? No, he understood there was much more. He said, “Even though I spent 30 years of my life like this, God has laid hold of me for a plan and a purpose. He’s arrested me, and now I belong to Him.”

Paul didn’t say, “I want to lay hold of God.” No, God had laid hold of him. He said, “I want to lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has laid hold of me” (Philippians 3:12, paraphrase). It’s not about merely surviving and going to heaven despite persecuting Christians. No, no, no. God has a wonderful, glorious plan. We can follow in Jesus’ footsteps. Paul wanted to lay hold of that. At the end of his life, he said he had “fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7, ESV).

Reflecting on Personal Regret and Redemption

I thought of my own life in light of what I said about Paul. Brother Zach shared that when he was 19, the Lord showed him a light, and things changed. He thought, “Oh, I wasted 19 years of my life.” I considered my own life. When the Lord arrested me, it wasn’t in a single moment like Paul’s experience. It took maybe five years or more. The Lord was trying to hold me, but I’d escape, get stirred up, and go back to my old ways. Brothers and sisters, many of us may feel like this. My greatest regrets are not what I did before I was born again. No, I have far more regret for how I’ve lived after being born again—for not responding with the fullness of zeal, strength, and love for the Lord as I should.

The Call to Zealous Repentance

What shall we do? What is the right, biblical attitude to take? I thought of the church in Laodicea, the last of the seven churches in Revelation. Jesus says, “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent” (Revelation 3:19, ESV). The problem with the Laodiceans was they thought, “We’re okay. We’re doing fine.” They didn’t recognize that they were “wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked” (Revelation 3:17, ESV). Oh, may a day like this stir our hearts to be zealous and repent!

Godly Sorrow and True Repentance

Let’s consider what zealous repentance looks like. In 2 Corinthians 7, Paul talks about the Corinthians’ repentance. He writes, “For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. For see what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you, but also what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what punishment!” (2 Corinthians 7:10-11, ESV). When we repent with zeal, this fruit comes out of our lives: earnestness, vindication, indignation, fear, longing, zeal, and a desire to right wrongs. Paul distinguishes two kinds of sorrow: worldly sorrow that produces death and godly sorrow that produces repentance without regret, leading to salvation.

I want to sorrow according to the will of God. I don’t want to dwell on what I’ve lost or think, “Oh, those years of my life are gone.” I want to think about what God has lost because that’s what’s worth considering. I want to reflect on the sorrow I’ve brought to the heart of God and let it melt me.

The Kindness of God Leads to Repentance

This brings to mind Romans 2:4: “Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?” (Romans 2:4, ESV). The kindness of God leads us to repentance, but in context, it’s about God’s daily patience, forgiveness, and mercy. If we don’t repent zealously, Paul warns, “Because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself” (Romans 2:5, ESV). Brothers and sisters, I don’t want to bring condemnation or fear, but we shouldn’t be like the Laodiceans, thinking everything is fine because God is good and forgiving. No, His kindness is meant to lead us to repentance. We must take seriously the things that cause Him sorrow.

The Blood of Jesus Speaks Better

I was reminded of Brother John’s message about Abel and how faith led Abel to give his best. In Hebrews, it says, “You have come… to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel” (Hebrews 12:22, 24, ESV). When we think of Abel, we feel sympathetic sorrow. He was a righteous man who gave his best, yet his brother murdered him. That’s wrong, and it stirs a cry for justice. But the blood of Jesus speaks better than Abel’s blood—it speaks of forgiveness.

The real loss isn’t what Abel suffered but what Jesus redeemed. Because of Jesus, Abel is remembered as an example of faith. Though he died young, “through his faith, though he died, he still speaks” (Hebrews 11:4, ESV). Abel’s life speaks to us across generations because of Jesus’ work. It’s impossible to lose out if we give our best to the Lord. The Moravian missionaries understood this, crying, “May the Lamb that was slain receive the reward of His suffering!” They gave their lives without counting the cost.

Sustained by the Holy Spirit

We must turn away from worldly sorrow that says, “I’m missing out. I lost so many years.” No, the true loss is the grief I’ve caused God. That should stir godly sorrow in me. The problem is that we feel this zeal momentarily, but by midweek, it fades. What do we need? The Holy Spirit. As Brother John said, when the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus, John the Baptist noted that it “descended and remained on him” (John 1:33, ESV). We need the Holy Spirit to remain on us.

Consider David. Despite his gross sin, he fulfilled God’s plan for his generation. When he recognized his sin, he prayed, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10, ESV). He also asked God to sustain him with a willing spirit. David didn’t want this to be a fleeting moment—he wanted God to keep him on track. That’s a prayer we need, because without the Holy Spirit, our emotions and responses to a message won’t last. Only the Holy Spirit can sustain us with a willing spirit and God’s love.

A Poem of Gratitude and Trust

In closing, I want to share a poem by Amy Carmichael, a godly woman, thanking God for daily blessings:
“For the love that like a screen
Sheltered from the might-have-been,
For the fire could never burn us,
Deeps could never drown or turn us.
For our daily blessings, Lord, be Thy name adored.
Many a storm has threatened loud
And then melted like a cloud,
Seeking to distress, confound us.
It met Thy great wings folded round us.
For our daily blessings, Lord, be Thy name adored.”

A Call to Trust and Recommit

Brothers and sisters, let’s come as we are, in our need, trusting that the Lord can sustain us with a willing spirit day by day. As we recognize His great mercies and His plan for our lives, He can turn everything—even our failures and sluggishness—into good if we repent with zeal and faith. He’s able to turn things around.

Closing Prayer

Loving Father, we thank You and praise You for what we’ve heard. We thank You for these precious words, though we are utterly undeserving. You chose us, arrested us, and laid hold of us. You have a good plan and purpose for each of us listening and responding today. We thank You for Your presence and power. It’s more than a feeling, Lord—You’re able to finish the work You’ve begun in us for Your glory. We recommit ourselves to Your hands. Thank You for this time. We pray in Your mighty name, Jesus. Amen.