OUR PAST IS NOT OUR FUTURE
ONE OFF SERMONS • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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INTRO:
In our first city league game of the season I made the mistake of talking trash to the wrong team. City league can’t just be city league to me… you know, a place where has beens use the means of basketball to exercise for an hour every week. Proverbs 16:18 “Pride goeth before destruction, And an haughty spirit before a fall.” was very fitting for me on that night. At times I think it ought to be my life verse.
Immediately after the game I felt foolish. I griped myself out and preached to myself in the car. I confessed my sin to the Lord and asked Him for help to not be that way for the rest of the season. By His grace, I have been pretty mild mannered all things considering.
In the back of my mind, I knew we were going to have to play that team again and I knew it was going to be bad. I knew the moment that game was over that God was going to allow me to be humbled the next time we played them.
I thought about it often and I was reminded of it often. There was no escaping it.
Then, it happened. We played them on Monday and I received every receipt that I had coming to me.
Transition: Isn’t it true that we can’t always escape the sins of our past - their consequences or reminders about what we did? What sort of hope is there for people who carry around baggage of past sin? First we need to understand that...
I. We may not always be able to escape the consequences or reminders of our past sins.
And I commanded Joshua at that time, saying, Thine eyes have seen all that the Lord your God hath done unto these two kings: so shall the Lord do unto all the kingdoms whither thou passest.
Ye shall not fear them: for the Lord your God he shall fight for you.
First, Moses encouraged Joshua that what he witnessed God do to Sihon the king of Heshbon and Og the king of Bashan, God would do for Joshua with every king they would encounter. The account of Joshua that we will be reading beginning next month will once again prove God’s faithfulness to His people.
One commentator said this, “Remembering God’s past faithfulness is key to present and future victory.”
I was meditating on Psalm 22 this morning and the Psalmist does just that. He first asked, “Why have you forsaken me?” only to go on remembering how faithful God has constantly been to His people, then on to praise!
Joshua and the Israelites certainly wouldn’t have the red carpet rolled out for them when they went into the land of Canaan, but Moses encouraged Joshua by reassuring Him of God’s presence and willingness to fight on their behalf. Don’t fear, Joshua.
And I besought the Lord at that time, saying,
O Lord God, thou hast begun to shew thy servant thy greatness, and thy mighty hand: for what God is there in heaven or in earth, that can do according to thy works, and according to thy might?
I pray thee, let me go over, and see the good land that is beyond Jordan, that goodly mountain, and Lebanon.
Moses just got to see God’s power. Moses once again just got to see a glimpse of what God is capable of doing on their behalf as they were so close to going into the promised land.
Moses, knowing God is a gracious and merciful God, besought Him one last time to let him go over and see that land that he had been longing for for 80 plus years.
Wait… why wouldn’t Moses be going over? If you are reading the OT this year, you would have come across the reason for this back in Numbers chapter 20.
Then came the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, into the desert of Zin in the first month: and the people abode in Kadesh; and Miriam died there, and was buried there.
And there was no water for the congregation: and they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron.
And the people chode with Moses, and spake, saying, Would God that we had died when our brethren died before the Lord!
And why have ye brought up the congregation of the Lord into this wilderness, that we and our cattle should die there?
And wherefore have ye made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in unto this evil place? it is no place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; neither is there any water to drink.
And Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they fell upon their faces: and the glory of the Lord appeared unto them.
And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.
And Moses took the rod from before the Lord, as he commanded him.
And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?
And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.
And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.
Why weren’t Moses and Aaron going into the land?
They disobeyed God.
They misrepresented God to the people.
So, Moses prayed and besought the Lord about this one more time.
Here is God’s reply.
But the Lord was wroth with me for your sakes, and would not hear me: and the Lord said unto me, Let it suffice thee; speak no more unto me of this matter.
God said no. He wouldn’t hear him out. He wouldn’t grant his request.
Moses is once again reminded of his past sin with this painful consequence.
Moses lived his life for God. Endured the people of Israel for 40 plus years. But because of his sin, Moses didn’t get to go in and enjoy the land God promised His people.
Transition: Isn’t it true that our past sin can haunt us whether that is through ongoing consequences or painful reminders?
Calling 9-1-1 at Family Dollar.
OR
Stealing shoes from Grandpas credit card.
Damage caused by sinful habits. Maybe it was time missed with family or the consequence of losing a job. From time to time you run into the people that you would do those things with and your past is thrown back into your face.
Maybe it was sexual sin for you. Whether with another human being on a computer screen, with someone in real life. You think often about your mess up or frequent mess ups and it always leaves you feeling gross, unloved, and unwanted.
Maybe you have wronged a church member, friend, or family member. You gossiped about them or stabbed them in the back. And you feel awful about it. You really do. You have confessed it to the Lord and have even tried to make it right, but every time you see that person you are reminded of your sin.
It could be that you used to struggle with anger. Your anger produced some really dark days in your marriage. Your kids were the object of your anger at times. You even see it in them and every time you do it reminds you of who you used to be or even the ongoing struggle you may still have.
Transition: My purpose tonight isn’t to throw your past sin in your face, my purpose tonight is to show you that…
II. If your past sin is under the blood of Jesus, nothing can keep you out of God’s Kingdom that is promised to all of His children.
Even though Moses didn’t get to go in, he got to see the land.
Get thee up into the top of Pisgah, and lift up thine eyes westward, and northward, and southward, and eastward, and behold it with thine eyes: for thou shalt not go over this Jordan.
God didn’t have to do that. He didn’t promise Moses after He sinned that He would allow Moses to see the land. Even though Moses didn’t get to go in, God was still merciful and gracious to Moses.
Moses got to see the land and Moses got to train God’s next servant to lead His people into the land.
Application:
Number one,
Past sin won’t stop God’s will from being accomplished in your life. Matthew 6:9-12 “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” The Lord’s prayer teaches us to continually desire of God that His will be done with the assumption He will do His will while simultaneously confessing our sin to God and asking for leading away from future sin.
Just because Moses sinned and couldn’t go in, that didn’t mean that God didn’t still have a job for him to do.
Just because we have pasts stained with sin, that doesn’t mean that God won’t use us going forward.
Life of David
Life of Jonah
Life of Peter
Life of Paul
Number two,
Your past sin won’t keep you from entering God’s Kingdom blamelessly. How is this possible?
Romans 5:1 “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:”
Romans 5:7-8 “For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 7:24-25 “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.”
Romans 8:1 “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”
Romans 8:35-39 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Could I just add this? Your past present and future sin will not separate you from the Kingdom of God as long as you are a citizen through Jesus.
We don’t enter God’s Kingdom on our merit alone. If we did, we wouldn’t even come close to it’s gates.
We are reading Little Pilgrim’s Progress as a family right now before bed. When little Christian makes it to the gates of the Celestial City, he won’t be let in based on all he overcame to get there, he will be let in because he looked to the cross of the King’s Son and the King’s Son took his burden away.
We enter God’s Kingdom through Jesus Christ, the perfect Son of God, who laid down His life for the sins of the world.
Conclusion:
Let’s go back to Moses.
Can you imagine the trip up the mountain?
Can you imagine lingering at the top of the mountain and seeing what could have been?
What was he thinking about on the way down?
Can you imagine the joy of getting to see the land mixed with the pain of not getting to go in?
When you are one in Christ, you won’t just get to see the Kingdom God has promised you. You will get to go in and enjoy Him forever.
Christians, are you still plagued by past sin?
I wonder if there is anyone in here that doesn’t know the Lord Jesus. You haven’t experienced the gift of God’s grace in the person of Jesus Christ. Would you like to meet him today?
I want to pray with you and then just open the altars up to come and give your past to the Lord, and thank Him for who you have in Jesus.
