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April 15, 2007
"Forgetting the Past"
It's All About Relationships—Part 1
Philippians 3:13-14
Brothers, 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.
—Philippians 3:13-14
I cannot relate to the present if I am still reacting to the past!
Emotional Garbage:
- Rehearse our resentments
- Remember our regrets
- Reinforce our remorse
Forget the former—Focus on the future
Our Problem: We forget what we should remember and we remember what we should forget.
1. I must give up my grudges.
Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.
—Ephesians 4:31
You can never change the past!
Resentment kills a fool and envy slays the simple.
—Job 5:2
You tear yourself to pieces in your anger. Should the earth be vacant just for you? Should the rocks move from their places?
—Job 18:4 (NCV)
2. I must give up my grief.
A lesson from David about grief: 2 Samuel 12:16-24
Key lessons:
- Accept what can't be changed
- Accept God's plan
- Focus on what's left and not what's lost.
3. I must learn to let go of my guilt.
- We torture ourselves with guilt.
- We torture others with guilt.
How do we get rid of guilt?
Two responses: Judas and Peter
- Judas:
- When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and the elders. "I have sinned," he said, "for I have betrayed innocent blood." "What is that to us?" they replied. "That's your responsibility." So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.
—Matthew 27:3-5 - Peter:
- Then Peter remembered the words Jesus had spoken: "Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times." And he went outside and wept bitterly.
—Matthew 26:75
Ways we handle guilt:
- Repress it
- Suppress it
- Express it
- Confess it
What does it mean to confess?
Forgiveness is setting a prisoner free, and then discovering the prisoner was you!
—John Eldredge
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
—1 John 1:9
Lifework
Some people have their dreams stolen from them. They spend their entire lives grieving the loss. Life is filled with loss. Our challenge is to acknowledge our losses, grieve them, and then move on the best we can into the future. Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the wind in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. Mark Twain
Jesus is a healer of scars.
Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.
—1 Peter 5:7