RISE: TURN YOUR SETBACKS INTO COME BACKS, SLIDE 1.

Slide 2. Step #3. RISE: LET GO OF THE PAST

Act 9:1 - 6 (KJV) And Saul yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, 2 And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. 3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: 4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? 5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. 6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. 

For the last two weeks I have been preaching to you from the series, RISE: TURN YOUR SETBACKS INTO COME BACKS, Slide 1, The first sermon was entitled BORN TO RISE: THE DAY THAT TURNS YOUR LIFE AROUND. There comes a day in our lives that can change the rest of our lives. Setbacks will come. But now we understand that WE WERE BORN TO RISE! Then last week’s sermon was step #2, STOP DIGGING!

Because when you are in a hole, the first thing you want to do immediately is to stop digging! 💯 🤔 But all too often, we keep digging, making our setbacks worse. But now we are more informed, and we know what we have to do to allow God’s strategy to work in our lives. This week we move on to step #3 in the rise series. And step 3 is LET GO OF THE PAST. Slide 2 How the Past Can Accelerate You into a New Future. To move forward, you have to let go of the past. But that is MUCH easier said than done! The past has a serious hold on some people, and letting go of past beliefs, past failures, past pain, past relationships, is NOT easy. One of my goals is to help you reframe your past setbacks as God’s setup for a comeback. Another goal that God has given me is to help you emotionally let go of the past. This is a harder task for some of us, but an essential one. One reason that it is so emotionally hard is what kind of setback that it is. Slide 3 There are two kinds of setbacks. The ones we cause, and the ones others cause.

Let me give you some background before we explore our text. SLIDE 4 Acts 8:1 (KJV) And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles. 

SLIDE 5. Verse 3 lets us know that As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison. 

SLIDE 6. In Acts chapter 26 Paul testifies to king Agrippa that he had cast his votes against the saints of GOD. Thus, having them put into prison. *

SLIDE 7. Act 26:11 And I punished them often in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities. But something happened to Saul (Paul) on his way to Damascus with authority to arrest the believers of Christ. SLIDE 8. Suddenly a light shined around Saul. Not just any light, this was a light from heaven. * SLIDE 9 In fact the light was so bright that it knocked Saul down to the ground. And while he was on the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? 5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. Jesus gives Saul instructions to keep traveling to Damascus. But now that he has met Jesus his purpose for going to Damascus has changed. SLIDE 10 When Saul got to his feet, he realized that he could no longer see. * SLIDE 11. SLIDE 12. SLIDE 13. SLIDE 14. Some setbacks such as loss of a relationship, SLIDE 15 loss of a job or SLIDE 16 a bad doctor’s report can change your life. But these things do not have change the purpose for which God has chosen you for unless you allow them to. *

SLIDE 17 THE KEY TO RISING IS HOW DO YOU SEE YOUR PAST. * SLIDE 18 Creating the life you want after messing things up can feel like you're carrying an invisible weight. 🏋️‍♂️

It's as if your past experiences have set up camp in your present, influencing how you see the world, yourself, and your future.

💡But here's something vital to remember: Your past mistakes do not define you or your potential for happiness and success. 🚫🔗

Our past can indeed leave deep marks, but these marks are not your identity. They are signposts of where you've been, not indicators of where you're going. 🛣️✨

Healing and growth are possible, and they start with acknowledging that you are more than the mistakes you made and the negative experiences you’ve endured.

Imagine your life as a book 📖—your past traumas and mistakes are chapters, not the entire story. Every day gives you the opportunity to write new pages, filled with resilience, strength, and the pursuit of joy. SLIDE 19 How do you see your past? If you are still holding on to some things in the past that are holding you down and you want to let them, go. SLIDE 20 Well I have good news for you today! Act 9:15 But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: SLIDE 21. How do we let go of the past? I want to share with you three important steps. SLIDE 22. STEP #1, BE CONNECTED TO GOD’S MESSENGERS. Act 9:10 (NKJV) Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, "Ananias." And he said, "Here I am, Lord." God gave Ananis some instructions. SLIDE 23 Act 9:11 So the Lord said to him, "Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying. Act 9:12 And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight."

Act 9:13 Then Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. Act 9:14 And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name." SLIDE 24 Act 9:15 But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel.

SLIDE 25 STEP #2, LET GOD HEAL YOU. Act 9:17 And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit." 

Moving forward is possible when we can heal from the hurt. When we try to move forward before, we are healed from the pain, we carry that same pain into new relationships, a new job and yes even into a new church. SLIDE 26 Acts 9:18 Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, 19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength.

SLIDE 27. STEP #3, EMBRACE GOD’S FUTURE FOR YOU. Acts 9: 20 At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. *

SLIDE 28. Your Moment of Truth: Will You Let Go of the Past & Embrace God’s Plan? *

SLIDE 29. * SLIDE 30 * SLIDE 31 * RISE: TURN YOUR SETBACKS INTO COME BACKS, #3

STEP 1. BORN TO RISE: THE DAY THAT TURNS YOUR LIFE AROUND.

STEP 2. STOP DIGGING.

STEP 3. LET GO OF THE PAST.

Act 13:9 Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him,