Listen to last week’s sermon There Is a NEXT: Finding God’s More found in Philippians 3:7-14

A Sermon from New Beginning Church, Rockland, Ontario — Pastor Eric Tremblay

Have you ever stood at a milestone in your life and felt two things at once? Gratitude for everything behind you — and a holy restlessness about everything ahead? That’s exactly where we found ourselves this Sunday as New Beginning Church celebrates seventeen years of ministry in Rockland, Ontario this month. And it’s exactly where the Apostle Paul found himself when he wrote the words we’re about to explore together. Whether you’ve been walking with Jesus for decades or you’re just beginning your journey, this message is for you.

NBC is Celebrating Seventeen Years of Gratitude but at the same time, we have a Conviction That There’s More

NBC turns seventeen this month. What a journey it’s been. We thank God for the incredible people He’s brought across our path — so many of whom have become lifelong friends. We thank Him for every life transformed, every worker sent from that very first service to today, every hand that served, every heart that showed up early and stayed late, every volunteer who simply said “yes”. We thank God for the miracles we’ve witnessed — miracle after miracle — and for His provision, for how He always made a way where there was no way. But in the middle of all that gratitude, Pastor Eric shared a phrase that reframes everything about serving the Lord:

“We don’t have to do this — we get to do this.”

Serving God is a privilege, not a burden. And yet, even with a heart full of thanksgiving, there was a conviction stirring: a strong, unshakable sense that God is not done with us. There is a NEXT for NBC — and there is a NEXT for you, too.

As grateful as we are, we are believing for more. Because it feels like God is just getting started.

So the question became: what will it take for us to experience the NEXT that God has for us? For that answer, we turned to one of the most powerful passages in all of Scripture.

Philippians 3:7-14

Philippians 3:7-14 (NIV):

But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Consider the context for a moment. Paul wrote these words from prison — under house arrest, confined to a cell. This man sounds so hopeful, so encouraging, and yet he himself is sitting in a cell. His circumstances didn’t change his message. His message rose above his circumstances. So if you feel discouraged today — if things aren’t going the way you planned — look at Paul. If he could believe God for a NEXT while confined and locked down, then so can you. And Paul’s goal was crystal clear. Read verses 10 and 11 and you’ll see it plainly: “I want to know Christ. I want to know His power. I want to know His sufferings. I want to become like Him in His death.”

In Pastor Eric’s words, Paul was saying, “I want the WHOLE package. I want the whole Christ. The FULL Jesus.” Not just suffering Jesus — resurrected Jesus! Not just the One who took the beatings for our sins, but the One who’s coming back as LORD of lords, before whom every knee will bow and every tongue confess. Paul’s direction was crystal clear. But notice — he doesn’t hide the cost. He tells us exactly what it will take to reach his NEXT. And in doing so, he hands us a blueprint for reaching ours. Here are the three movements of that blueprint.

1. There Is More

Look at Philippians 3:12: “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal.”

Think about who is saying this. Paul! One of the greatest men of God who ever lived. A giant of the faith. A church planter. A miracle-worker. The author of half the New Testament. If anyone had “arrived” — if anyone could say “I know Christ, I know His power” — it would be Paul. And yet here he is, saying: “I’m not there yet. I have not arrived. I am still pressing on forward. “So Pastor Eric asked the question plainly: if Paul didn’t arrive, is it safe to assume that none of us have arrived?

And that’s not meant to discourage you — it’s an invitation to NEXT. An invitation to more. God’s NEXT happens when we are humble enough to say, “I have not arrived.”

Look at where Paul was in life. He had done more for the Kingdom of God than anyone alive. He had seen the third heaven, survived shipwrecks, experienced revivals and riots. This was not false humility. Paul wasn’t being modest. He meant it. He knew there was more. Maybe that describes you. Maybe you’ve been faithful for decades. Maybe you’ve been fruitful — and that’s amazing; we celebrate that. But even if that describes you, there should still be a cry in your heart that keeps praying: “Lord, I want to bear MORE fruit for You. That’s why You put me here.”

Jesus said in John 15:16: “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit — fruit that will last.”

Notice — Jesus didn’t appoint us to sit, watch, consume, or spectate. He appointed us to go and bear fruit. When we get into that posture — hungry, thirsty, desperate for more of Him — something wakes up inside of us.

A NEXT for You

There is a :

• A NEXT level of faith to walk in
• A NEXT soul to reach with the Gospel
• A NEXT generation to raise up
• A NEXT door God is opening
• A NEXT chapter God is writing
• A NEXT step of obedience to take
• A NEXT promise to possess
• A NEXT harvest to gather
• A NEXT mountain to move
• A NEXT family to restore
• A NEXT calling to answer
• A NEXT move of God to welcome

And he addressed complacency head-on. When people say, “Wow, New Beginning Church is a big church,” the answer is perspective: there are 12,000 people living in Rockland, 26,000 in Clarence-Rockland, and 93,000 in Prescott-Russell — with not enough churches reaching them. So no, we are not big enough. There is a next soul to reach.

God’s promise stands in Jeremiah 29:13: “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

And 1 Corinthians 2:9 reminds us: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no human mind has conceived the things God has prepared for those who love him.”

There is more. God has more. And His NEXT begins the moment you and I realize there is more — and want it.

2. Release the Past

Philippians 3:13: “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead.”

Notice Paul says “one thing I do.” Not ten things. Not a checklist. One thing — and that one thing requires letting go of what’s behind. This single verse holds the secret to Paul’s remarkable life. A man who planted churches and wrote half the New Testament summed up his entire strategy in one sentence: forget what’s behind, strain toward what’s ahead.

Paul had serious baggage in his rearview mirror. He was a Pharisee — a member of the strictest sect of Judaism. He was a persecutor of Christians: he pulled believers out of their houses and brought them to prison, he approved their deaths, he stood at the stoning of Stephen holding the coats of those who killed him. Think about the weight Paul carried. He had watched people die because of him. He had shattered families. Can you imagine the memories that must have haunted him at night?

Yet he says: “Forgetting what is behind.” Some of us must release the parts of our past we’re not proud of. Why?

Three reasons: you’ve been forgiven. You are not that person anymore. And holding onto it is just baggage — heavy luggage that keeps you from reaching your NEXT.

Imagine driving down the highway while staring into the rearview mirror the entire time. You know how that ends — not at your destination, but in the ditch. The rearview mirror has a purpose — it’s good for a quick glance. But it was never designed to be where you fix your gaze. It’s small for a reason. The windshield is big for a reason.

But here’s the deeper cut: Paul didn’t only release his regrets — he released his credentials too.

His heritage as a Jew of Jews. His circumcision — the ultimate badge of religious status in his day. His education under Gamaliel, one of the finest teachers and rabbis of his era. His reputation as a rising star in Judaism. And this is a word for somebody today:

“Sometimes the hardest thing to release isn’t your failure — it’s your success.”

Some people are stuck because of their shame. Others are stuck because of their glory days — the season God used them most, the ministry that once thrived, the position they once held. It’s like they keep replaying the old series instead of filming a new season. Listen to Paul’s own words in Philippians 3:7-8: “But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ… I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ.” Paul looked at his worst regrets and his greatest accomplishments and called them garbage compared to knowing Jesus. The Greek word is skubalon — strong language meaning rubbish, something to be thrown out with the trash. His treasure wasn’t in what he had done good or bad. It was in becoming like Christ and knowing Him. 

“Your best days with God cannot only be yesterdays. They have to be todays and tomorrows.”

The prophet Isaiah said it well in Isaiah 43:18-19: “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”

God is doing a new thing — a NEXT — but you and I can’t perceive it if our eyes are locked on the old things.

The Miracle Mile: Don’t Look Back Now

One of the most unforgettable moments of the message came through a story from sports history — the “Miracle Mile” of 1954 at the British Empire Games in Vancouver. Only two men on the planet had ever run a mile in under four minutes: Roger Bannister and John Landy. And now they were competing head-to-head in the same race — the most anticipated race in the world at the time. Landy led for almost the entire race, and most people thought for sure he was going to win. But with about 73 meters to go, he made a fatal mistake: he glanced back over his left shoulder to check where Bannister was. In that split second, Bannister swept past him on the right and took the race. Landy was so frustrated with himself that he later delivered one of the most quotable lines in sports history:

“When Lot’s wife looked back at Sodom and Gomorrah, she was turned into a pillar of salt. When I looked back, I was turned into a pillar of bronze.”

Remarkably, there’s reportedly still a statue in Vancouver capturing that exact moment — Landy looking back, Bannister passing him. His mistake is literally carved in bronze for the world to see. Landy didn’t lose because he was slow. He didn’t lose because he lacked talent. He lost 73 meters from the finish line because he looked back. His feet never stopped running — but his eyes betrayed him, and his eyes controlled his race.

Some of us are 73 meters from our breakthrough.

73 meters from your NEXT. 

If you’ve truly repented and asked forgiveness — forget your failures. Forget your successes. They will only slow you down.

3. Press Forward

Philippians 3:12-14: “I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me… I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

The Greek word behind “press on” speaks of a relentless, energetic pursuit — like a runner straining toward the finish line. It speaks of relentless determination. Pastor Eric said it this way:

“The person who is serious about God’s NEXT can’t coast their way there. You have to press into it. That’s Paul’s word: press on. Strain. Reach. Pursue.”

Forward Motion Is Oxygen

Some of the most powerful sharks in the ocean — the great white and the mako, along with about a dozen other species — must keep moving forward to breathe. They are what scientists call “obligate ram ventilators.” Because they can’t pump water over their gills on their own, they have to swim to actually breathe. As they swim forward with their mouths open, water is forced into the mouth, flows over the gills, and exits through the gill slits.The moment they stop moving forward, they stop breathing. For these sharks, going forward isn’t optional — it’s oxygen. And in a sense, it’s true for the Christian. If you’re not moving forward with the Lord, you’re slowly spiritually suffocating. The church that stops reaching, stops breathing. The believer who stops hungering, stops growing. God’s NEXT normally doesn’t happen if we’re just content to be spiritually plateaued — it normally happens to those in movement, pressing toward Him.

Jesus promised in Matthew 5:6: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.”

Someone once said: “Hunger is the currency of heaven.” God fills empty, hungry vessels — not satisfied, comfortable ones.

You will be positioning yourself for God’s NEXT — because God’s NEXT comes when we are in movement: seeking, serving, hungering after Him

Watch the full sermon here: