What Lies Ahead: Pressing On, Honoring Our Heritage

Devotional

Day 1: Planting Trees for Unseen Shade

A society grows when generations plant what they’ll never enjoy. Like ancestors who built schools and mutual aid societies to answer urgent needs, we’re called to sow seeds for futures we may never see. Their work wasn’t about preservation but purpose—responding to their moment with God-given vision. What trees are we planting today? What needs demand our hands? The shade of tomorrow begins with today’s faithful planting. [48:03]

“They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit.”
(Amos 9:14, ESV)

Reflection: What “seed” has your spiritual heritage handed you? What specific need in your community might God be calling you to plant toward, even if results remain unseen?

Day 2: The Sankofa Bird’s Seed in Flight

The Sankofa bird carries a seed from the past not to dwell there, but to nourish the future. Like Paul honoring his heritage while pressing forward, we grasp the essence of our ancestors’ faith—not just their methods, but their mission. They built schools as acts of resistance; what forms might faithful resistance take now? The seed matters more than the soil it’s planted in. [51:18]

“Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?”
(Isaiah 43:18–19, ESV)

Reflection: What one tradition or practice from your spiritual roots holds purpose needing fresh expression? How might its core truth address a modern challenge?

Day 3: Pressing On With Scars as Compass

Paul pressed toward Christ’s call with prison scars and persecution fresh on his body. Our ancestors pressed through slavery, segregation, and soup pots stretched thin. Faith isn’t the absence of wounds but the courage to let scars point us forward. Pressing isn’t denial—it’s defiant trust that every faithful step writes a testimony someone will need tomorrow. [01:04:12]

“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)

Reflection: What current “scar” or hardship might God be using to direct your next faithful step? Who modeled pressing forward for you, and how can their example strengthen you today?

Day 4: Jesus Pressed Through the Garden to Glory

Before resurrection came Gethsemane’s anguish. Christ pressed through betrayal, denial, and nails because He saw us beyond the cross. His “not my will” in the garden fuels our courage to face deserts, Red Seas, and Jordans. When vision fails, we walk where His feet first bled the path. [01:10:55]

“Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”
(Hebrews 12:2, ESV)

Reflection: Where do you need to whisper “not my will” today? How does Christ’s journey from garden to empty tomb reframe your current struggle?

Day 5: God Waits in the Unseen Ahead

The future is not a blank space—it’s a room where Christ already sits. Our ancestors trusted a God who parted seas they’d never sail and planted trees they’d never sit under. We walk toward whispers, not blueprints. Uncertainty becomes holy ground when we know Who holds the map. [01:02:15]

“It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”
(Deuteronomy 31:8, ESV)

Reflection: What unknown “road ahead” makes you hesitant? How might embracing God’s presence—not perfect clarity—change your next small act of obedience?

Sermon Summary

Paul names a rich heritage, but he refuses to live looking backward. Philippians 3 gives him language for this posture: “forgetting what is behind and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on.” The Sankofa bird becomes the picture of that move. Its head reaches back for a seed while its feet keep moving. Memory is not a museum; memory carries a seed that must be planted in a new season. An old proverb sharpens the point: elders plant trees whose shade they will never sit in. That proverb speaks of inheritance and responsibility. Admiration preserves a tree because it exists; understanding plants another because it was planted on purpose.

The ancestors’ witness exposes the purpose beneath the practices. Their building was born of necessity. Churches became sanctuaries, schools, meeting halls, mutual aid. Women’s missionary societies created leadership and livelihood for those shut out elsewhere. Class meetings and prayer bands formed souls and sustained survival. Burial societies stepped in when insurers would not. HBCUs answered exclusion with education. Savings clubs and land ownership pushed against economic walls. The AME Church rose not out of preference for separation but a call to worship with dignity and to lead under God’s hand. Everything they built answered a need in their season. The question now is not whether their work mattered, but whether this generation discerns the purpose beneath it well enough to carry that purpose into today’s challenges.

Faith then takes the hand of the unknown. Abraham walked without a map, Moses stood at a sea without a bridge, priests stepped into a Jordan before it parted, disciples followed Jesus before they understood. God does not require twenty-twenty vision; God requires trust. God is already at the end before anyone arrives, already making a way before obstacles appear. What lies ahead is unseen to saints, but never unknown to God.

The call to discipleship presses. Paul writes “I press on” with scars still healing. Arrival is not the testimony; perseverance is. Futures are reached by many faithful steps: one prayer, one obedience, one day at a time. Because somebody kept pressing, here a people now stand. Now it is their turn.

Jesus embodies the press. Misunderstood, rejected, betrayed, accused, pierced, he prays “not my will, but thy will,” and keeps moving from garden to judgment hall, to cross, to grave, to resurrection. That is why the church can face what lies ahead. Christ has already gone ahead. So the path is clear: honor what lies behind, trust who is ahead, and keep pressing through what stands in between. What lies ahead is more of God’s purpose, promise, and presence.

Key Takeaways

1. Heritage honored, purpose carried forward [57:28] The ancestors did not enshrine methods; they met needs. Their practices were tools in service of mission, not monuments to be guarded. Faithfulness today means tracing the purpose beneath their building and carrying that purpose into new problems with fresh courage. [57:28]
2. Faith trusts what cannot be seen [01:01:24] Scripture’s pattern is movement before maps, obedience before outcomes. God is already in the end, arranging provision before the obstacle appears. The future is not secured by certainty but by surrender to the One who leads. [61:24]
3. The future belongs to those who press [01:03:46] Paul presses with scars, not with ease. Progress comes as steady, ordinary obedience when results are slow and the road is hot. Many small steps, sustained by new mercies, finish journeys that one heroic leap never could. [63:46]
4. Jesus pressed from cross to resurrection [01:11:20] Christ’s perseverance is not just an example; it is the energy of the church’s endurance. The One who pressed through suffering now walks with his people in their struggle. Because he went ahead, their pressing is never alone and never in vain. [71:20]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[13:47] - Call to praise and centering
[46:45] - Title: What Lies Ahead
[48:03] - Planting trees for future shade
[49:49] - Every generation must plant
[50:50] - Sankofa: seed in the beak
[52:20] - Forgetting what’s behind, pressing ahead
[53:39] - Built by necessity: purpose beneath practices
[55:18] - HBCUs, economics, and resistance
[56:14] - Mission over methods, purpose over practice
[58:30] - Trusting what cannot be seen
[63:13] - Pressing through discomfort and limits
[65:26] - Many faithful steps, new mercies
[67:31] - Because they pressed, now our turn
[69:00] - Jesus, the ultimate press
[71:59] - Who lies ahead, not what
[75:08] - Invitation to press into Christ
[78:36] - Benediction and charge to press

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
- Philippians 3:13-14 (ESV): "Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."
- Luke 22:42 (ESV): "Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done."

Observation Questions

What does Paul mean by “forgetting what lies behind” in Philippians 3:13? How does this connect to the idea of honoring heritage without being trapped by it?
In the sermon, how does the Sankofa bird illustrate the balance between remembering the past and moving forward? [51:18]
What examples from Scripture (e.g., Abraham, Moses, disciples) show faith in action when the future was unclear? [59:24]
How does Jesus’ prayer in Luke 22:42 model pressing forward despite suffering?

Interpretation Questions

Why might Paul emphasize “pressing on” with “scars still healing” rather than waiting for ideal circumstances? [01:03:46]
The sermon contrasts “methods” with “mission.” How can clinging to past practices hinder carrying forward God’s purpose in new seasons? [57:28]
How does trusting God’s presence in the unseen future (e.g., Abraham’s journey) differ from demanding certainty before acting? [01:01:24]
Why is perseverance, not arrival, the focus of Paul’s testimony in Philippians 3?

Application Questions

What “seed” from your spiritual or cultural heritage (e.g., a value, practice, or sacrifice) could you plant in a new way to address a current challenge? [49:19]
Where in your life are you tempted to prioritize preserving traditions over responding to urgent needs? What step could you take to refocus on mission? [58:05]
Describe a situation where you feel stuck between honoring the past and stepping into an uncertain future. How can you “press on” this week in trust? [01:04:12]
Jesus prayed, “Not my will, but yours.” What area of your life requires surrendering control to God’s purpose, even if it involves discomfort?
The sermon says, “Many small steps finish journeys.” What daily act of obedience (prayer, service, courage) can you commit to, even if results aren’t immediate? [01:05:26]
Who in your community needs encouragement to keep pressing forward? How will you support them this week? [01:07:31]
Reflect on a time someone’s perseverance blessed your life. How will you honor their legacy by pressing through your current challenges?

Sermon Clips

39s

“``Not because you know everything is alright but because you know not what lies ahead but you know who lies ahead and if Jesus pressed from the cross to resurrection, then surely god can bring you through whatever stands between where you are right now and where god is calling you to be. So, I get it. Let's honor what lies behind. Trust what lies ahead and keep pressing through what stands in between because the god who was faithful to our ancestors is still faithful to us today.”

30s

“Sometimes we become attached to methods when God is calling us back to mission. Sometimes we protect practices when God is calling us to remember the principles beneath the practice. The generation before us gave us roots. God is asking us now to grow some branches because what lies ahead is not built by rejecting our heritage, but by understanding it fully well enough to carry its purpose into a new season.”

42s

“When Richard Allen founded the African Methodist Episcopal Church, he was responding to segregation within the church itself. The AME church was not created because black Christians wanted separation. It was created because they desired the freedom to worship with dignity and to exercise a leadership under God's calling on their lives. Everything they built answered a need. Everything they organized answered a challenge. Everything they established emerged from a particular season, and because they understood the season, they built faithfully for their future.”

42s

“The Christ who pressed onto Calvary is still, guess what? The one, the true, and the only risen savior and the spirit that sustained the church yesterday is still leading us ahead. So, what lies ahead More of god's purpose. Lies ahead? More of god's promise. What lies ahead? More of god's presence. Don't you stop. Don't turn back. Keep pressing ahead because what lies ahead belongs to the god who is already there.”

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What Lies Ahead: Pressing On, Honoring Our Heritage

Devotional

Day 1: Planting Trees for Unseen Shade

Day 2: The Sankofa Bird’s Seed in Flight

Day 3: Pressing On With Scars as Compass

Day 4: Jesus Pressed Through the Garden to Glory

Day 5: God Waits in the Unseen Ahead

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

What Lies Ahead: Pressing On, Honoring Our Heritage

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