THE DOCTRINE OF LEAVING AND PRESSING

In the book of Acts, there is the story of two men leaving Jerusalem and heading to Emmaus. They had lost heart and were walking away from the place of the greatest victory in human history. There has never been a greater victory than what happened on Calvary’s hill, when Jesus Christ died, defeated the power of death and the grave, destroyed the work of the devil, and opened the way for you and me to enter not only eternal life, but abundant life on this earth.

All of that was available to them, but their understanding was incomplete, so they were moving away. Their only testimony was, “We had hoped this would have worked out the way we thought it should.”

But Jesus came and walked beside them. He opened the Scriptures concerning Himself, and later they sat at a table and broke bread together, and their eyes were opened. They got up because they realized it was Him reaching out to them, and they headed back to Jerusalem. Their testimony was, “Did not our hearts burn within us?” Even while they were walking away, He was still walking with them, still speaking His Word.

And the Word of God will cause that burning inside. Have you ever been in a service where there is a stirring you cannot explain? That is something God begins to do in your heart.

Before I go to the message, I want to quote Luke chapter 4, where Jesus stood in the synagogue, opened the scroll of Isaiah, and read, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me.” He was saying, I have been sent as the Son of God, empowered by the Spirit of God, and the Spirit is upon Me for this reason:

He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor, to those who feel they do not have the strength or resources to get back to God. He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, those wounded by life who believe they will never recover. He has sent Me to proclaim liberty to the captives, to open prison doors for those bound by darkness, habits, and addictions. He has sent Me to give sight to the blind, to those who cannot see a way forward or a future. He has sent Me to set at liberty those who are oppressed, those crushed by lies, condemnation, and hopelessness. And He has come to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, meaning you do not have to wait. This can be yours now. This is the heritage of the people of God.

My grief is that we often live far beneath what Christ died to give us. He paid a tremendous price to purchase this inheritance, and yet we settle for less. But in this last generation, there will be people who rise up and say, “Enough. I’m going back to the cross. I’m going back to the victory. I’m going back to my inheritance.” Their hearts will burn again, and they will discover that God has more than what they imagined: healing for the heart, freedom for the mind, vision for the future, and a message from God.

For too long, we have been reduced to an argument in this world. Truth matters, but we are called to be more than opinions. We are called to be a demonstration of the supernatural power of God and partakers of the resurrection life of Jesus Christ. I am not content to be less than what God is calling me to be. Yesterday may have been good, but I do not live there anymore. I want everything God has for my future, and I want to become the fullness of what my life is meant to be.

In Philippians 3:10, Paul prays, “That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection.” Not just to know about Him, but to know Him, to experience His life within my life, to be yielded to God as Christ was yielded, and to walk in newness of life. Christ was raised, and we who trust in Him are raised with Him into newness of life, not only eternal life, but abundant life now. A supernatural life that only God can give, with strength, resources, and ability that come from Him.

This is the cry of God’s heart for this last generation. Paul says he has not yet attained, but he presses on to lay hold of what Christ laid hold of him for. He did not even fully understand the purpose, but he had that inner burning, and he kept pressing forward. That must be our story, too. We are not meant to be governed by natural thinking and fear. There is something of God for every life, and I would rather arrive in heaven having fulfilled what God intended.

Paul says, “I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do: forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus”.

Therefore, let as many as are mature have this mind. And if you think differently, God will reveal even that to you. When we talk about revival, many people think it simply means, “God, make me happy where I am.” That may sound good, but what if God wants to make us joyful in a place, we are not in yet because we are moving toward it? What if He wants to do something deeper and richer than we have imagined?

Revival is not about being comfortable where we are. It is not like a father sending a message to the prodigal son saying, “I will send you a cake so you can be happy in the pigpen.” Revival is not God helping us settle in bondage. Revival is God calling us out of it.

Revival is a renewed excitement about the joy of salvation. David prayed in Psalm 51, “Lord, restore to me the joy of Your salvation.” David remembered when the Spirit of God came upon him as he fought the lion and the bear. He remembered facing Goliath and winning by the power of God. That joy overflowed in his life and even drove darkness away in seasons from Saul. So, he prayed, “Restore to me, God. Restore my expectation.”

Do not let me live only in the past or grow stagnant in the present. Do not let me believe the lies that say, “This is all you will ever be.” Healing is a promise of God, but it is only the beginning. It is the doorway into what He has prepared for us.

I remember as a young man sitting in church and hearing, “With God, all things are possible.” I leaned forward and wondered, Is that true? Then I heard, “There are no limitations on what God can do through a surrendered life.” Again, I wondered, God, is that true?

I went to the altar and prayed, “Lord, I have nothing to give You. I am selfish, struggling and have a temper. But if You can use any of that, I am Yours.” I told Him, “If You can use nothing, You can have my life.”

There was a joy burning inside me. I knew that if anything meaningful would come from my life, it would have to be God alone. I had no natural ability for ministry. I battled fear for years and did not even like crowded rooms. Yet one day, when the call was given to surrender our future to God, my heart began to burn. Out of hundreds of people, only two of us came forward. But that simple step of surrender changed everything.

Years later, I returned to that same church and shared the story. I told them I was going back to that altar to give the last portion of my life to God. When I opened my eyes, hundreds were kneeling, weeping before the Lord. That is what revival does.

Revival renews our identity and calling in Christ. “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.” Old things have passed away. All things have become new. In Christ, I am not trapped by my past. I am who God says I am becoming. I will walk through the doors He opens and speak what He gives me to speak.

Revival also brings clear vision. As Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 2, God reveals through His Spirit the things He has prepared for those who love Him. Revival lifts the fog. We begin to see what God intends for our lives.

That is why I call this message The Doctrine of Leaving and Pressing. Paul says he leaves behind what must be left behind and presses forward into the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

There are things we must leave behind, sometimes even good things. Leave it all behind and press into what God has prepared.

If you are discouraged about where you are, leave it and press on. Jesus came to heal your heart, set you free, and deliver your mind from oppression. Our part is to rise up and decide, “I am not staying here. I am not living here.”