Freedom From and In Our Past

11 For I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel preached by me is not of human origin. 12 For I did not receive it from a human source and I was not taught it, but it came by a revelation of Jesus Christ. 13 For you have heard about my former way of life in Judaism: I intensely persecuted God’s church and tried to destroy it. 14 I advanced in Judaism beyond many contemporaries among my people, because I was extremely zealous for the traditions of my ancestors. 15 But when God, who from my mother’s womb set me apart and called me by his grace, was pleased 16 to reveal his Son in me, so that I could preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone. 17 I did not go up to Jerusalem to those who had become apostles before me; instead I went to Arabia and came back to Damascus. 18 Then after three years I did go up to Jerusalem to get to know Cephas, and I stayed with him fifteen days. 19 But I didn’t see any of the other apostles except James, the Lord’s brother. 20 I declare in the sight of God: I am not lying in what I write to you. 21 Afterward, I went to the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 22 I remained personally unknown to the Judean churches that are in Christ. 23 They simply kept hearing, “He who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith he once tried to destroy.” 24 And they glorified God because of me.

Pray

This passage sounds very familiar and I should. Because we have just finished a study through the book of Acts that lasted over a year. So we have seen Paul’s life before he was confronted by God. And we have seen Paul’s radical transformation after. He moved from a place of killing Christians, To worshiping with Christians. To “making” Christians. (“making” because it’s actually God who does that but Paul was a tool used mightily by God for that purpose.)

Paul began his life with a “gospel” that was to please man.

Last week we mentioned ever so briefly that Paul was preaching the Gospel not to please man but to please God. But Paul started his career studying the instructions of God, the Prophets, and the Writings. What we know as the Old Testament.

And this message was from God. But the message had been lost in the sea of “religious” teachings. And Paul was killing Christians not to please God in some attempt to keep out heresy and bring the people back to God like Elijah killing the 400 prophets of Baal that were worshiping and turning the Israelites away from God and to this False God.

Paul wasn’t doing that He was killing Christians in order to please the religious order. Who saw Christianity as a threat to their power bases and their understanding of the Scriptures. Not a threat to the scriptures.

Instead this gospel is not “according to man”. this means that it wasn’t that man has made up or “received from man”. It was not given to him through some religious teaching. Nor was it “taught”.

Raised up from childhood being endocrine into. Which many of us were taught about Christ. Many of us did receive our instruction from man And some of our teaching is from man.

Instead this Gospel was from God. Now we can say that because God specially appeared to Paul in a special light.

Literally; His light blinded him. And not just by the fire of a tough and the flame in your eyes. He was born again to be a brand new man. Because Jesus Appeared to him and called him out. But was that the only reason that this message came from God.

See the wonderful thing about the working of the Holy Spirit and the power of the blood of Jesus. Is that when we are called to become children of God. He comes to each and every one of us specially for us. We can reject the light or we can embrace the light. But he speaks to us through the Holy Spirit special for us. Calling us to be set apart. Calling us to be the Light

But could we be the light that we need to be without our past?

Look at Paul “he who once persecuted us is now preaching the faith which he once tried to destroy.” And they were glorifying God because of me. He would not have been the Person, the great missionary, the church planter, the writer. If he had not Gone through and done things before he came to Know Jesus as the Christ. Nor would he be if he had not gone through during his time as a Christ follower. Before he was a Christian it was his sin that he was slave to that God used to make him the person that God worded. After it was what he went through.

Have to be careful with my wording. Sin is not good. Yes God uses it for his Glory. But God does not cause it, doesn’t want it, But he can use it. Don’t be like those hypocrites that says God will use this to make you a better person or a better Christian and therefore it’s ok.

That also means that all those Christ followers had to suffer under Paul for Paul to be the person that he needs to be. Thus God allowed the persecution.

So when you look at your past. It’s what you had to go through to become the person God wanted you to be. “Good” past or “Bad” past. Wonderful family life no real problems. or Abuse, Drug problem (To church or other wise), Alcohol.

It’s what you had to go through to make you the person God wanted you to be

As hard as it is. It also may have been the thing that someone else had to go through. Paul was a persecutor so others suffered as hard as that is. And then as you are going through. Remember it’s all for the better Glory of God. However tough that is and how much we may not like it or understand it.

What happens when you can’t forget or forgive?

Challenge for us is to work to the place of forgiveness when horrible things have happened to you. Live is about Journey which is made up of little moments. As we journey those moments add up and we have to make moment by moment choices to work towards forgiveness and wholeness. Sometimes it means we have to pray to forget. Not forget the actions but the emotions tied to those moments. This is what some of the newest research on PTSD is suggesting. PTSD is higher in some not because events are worse but because people can’t forget the emotions tied to the moment. As where others those emotions fade. So pray to forget. But one foot in front of the other we choose to walk towards forgiveness. Not anchoring ourselves to the past, but acknowledging that those events helped formed you into the beautiful mess you are today. Walking to glorification in Christ.

What did you go through?

What is your past?

Don’t forget the past. Don’t let the past hurt you don’t live in guilt, fear, depression, anger, bitterness. Forgive But don’t forget the past.

What did you go through.

How has that made you the person to give the glory to God?

How is God telling you to use that to give glory to God?

What are you going through?

How can that be used for his Glory?

As Were Closing

Your still in the past need to accept Jesus as the Lord and savior

Need support from others Seek help

Need to remember your past

Need to remember to trust YHWH cause YHWH is the right way

Pray

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