Don't Look Back

Do if you have a Bible love for you to turn if you don't have a Bible there's some orange and brown Bibles in the seats in front of you. We would love for you to write your name in those take one of those make it your own considered a gift from us to you. If you know somebody that needs some Bible and doesn't have one take one of those right there name in it and consider it a gift from you to them. We don't even need to have our name part of it. We just want to put God's work in as many hands as possible. Yes. I say that almost every week and I will continue to say that until Jesus comes we want to see people have God's word in their hands. Luke chapter 9 in verse 62 is where we're going to be.

This is what it says. But Jesus said to him no one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God. Bro, that's a that's a that's one of those what we called problematic passages. It says something that sounds one way but really means something different. So if we read that straightens as but Jesus said to him no one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God. So does that mean if I have a problem looking at my past and it and it keeps rearing its ugly head in my life and I I kind of dwell I fear on it and I stress about then. I must not be fit for the kingdom. The enemy comes in and starts jabbing ever-so-slightly. He starts picking and he goes. Well remember that time remember that thing remember that one moment in your past that continues to play over and over in your mind. See your not fit for the Kingdom. So why even try why even show up to that church where those people show up every week and try to talk you into a bunch of stuff? You stay home because you're not fit. You're not capable. You're not good enough. And that's the message that the enemy wants to tell you over and over and over and over gets his that you're not good enough.

But she the Bible tells me in Romans chapter 5 that while I was still a sinner while I was still messed up in my stuff in the world and all of the garbage that the Bible says so easily ensnares. Since Jesus came and died for me. Inu in the in the moment when he got up on the cross I say got up on the cross when he was nailed to the cross and his hands are stretched out and he says it's finished. The Xfinity is not I'm dead. I gave I failed I lost he says it's finished because I just died for everyone of the sins and everyone of the stuff they've ever going to be for all of my kids now and on into the future. He's taking on the send that we had and it is done. It is finished. The sin is no more. It is forgotten and this message that the enemy wants to tell you that you're not good enough. is garbage

Satchel Paige, you guys know who he is. He has a good rule for living. Just don't look back. Something may be gaining on you. There is a Christian comedian named Michael jr. And he has this bit and you know what? I mean by a bit of comedy routine one of the little jokes he tells the story of him running and there's this lady says I'm I'm going to I'm going to get fit this year. I'm going to start running and so he's running and there's this lady ahead of him and said she's running and she looks back and she starts running faster and he doesn't want to look back his something might be gaining on him. That's why he starts running a little bit faster when she looks back and she starts running even faster. He goes well if she's afraid then I'm afraid. Well, obviously the joke, isn't she sees this man running at him or at her and so she thinks he's running after her when in fact, he's just out for a jog. But it goes along with this idea of not looking back because something might be gaining on you, but see the Bible tells us not to look back also in our Passage.

No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.

Cheap for us looking back hinders forward progress looking back very often tethers us to something back here and we hold on to it and we're still trying to move forward and that that rubber band if you think think about the old cartoon the Wylie, Coyote stretching and stretching and stretching and and finally snaps and he goes shooting off into wherever he goes usually into a big old brick wall.

but with tethered ourselves

Now we're doing that and we snap back where we back at so many of us go but Pastor I live on this yo-yo. I do really good for a little while. But then I always find myself back where I started. I always end up back over there because you're holding on to the stuff back there. You're holding on to that that old life that old way. We're Looking Backward remembering the enemy is got control over who we are and we're holding on to all those things that used to be us rather than living in the freedom of who we are today in the name of Jesus.

Looking back is what gets us depressed. Looking back is what brings us defeat.

Looking back holding on to what used to be.

Securus for things five things that I think we need to do. I think we need to remember about Not Looking Back and having a success a a good 2019 number one don't look back at the sins that have been forgiven.

The Bible guarantees us forgiveness of all of our sins. Did you catch that guarantees? forgiveness of all of our sins God really does put all of our sins away Bible says as far as the East is from the West

your sins are forgiven their forgotten.

The ones who forgot you remember our sins, that's the enemy.

If you keep pulling back up.

If you keep dealing with the sins in your life. It isn't. That's reminding you of them. God doesn't work. That way if you're constantly being reminded.

Of the sins in your life. It's because you keep bringing them back up. It's because the enemy continues to bring them back up.

Daughters put away all of the sins in your life. That is forgotten all of them even the big ones. Even those things that if we were to start picking out and start listing sins.

Each one of us could probably find a few and there's places in Scripture that the talks about being an adulterer pornographer and idolator a murderer slander and goes through all these lists. God is forgiving everyone of those.

Second is don't look back at the defeats that get you down. This is a difficult one and I'll admit this is a difficult one for me.

Every one of us has some defeats in our past every one of us has something some kind of of defeating breaking down hurt situation in our our past life.

Only those who never attempted anything are free from failing.

It's a god lifts up those who fail Psalm 37 23 and 24.

Don't allow the feeling to make you feel like you're a failure.

Did you catch that don't let? the fear of failing

make you feel like you're a failure. All of us have failures in our lives whether it's sinful whether it's just a challenge that we weren't able to overcome.

You think of somebody like Abraham Lincoln? And I forget the number of busy. But the number of failed attempts he had he ran for office several times didn't get elected. He started several businesses all of them failed. He was an attorney. He had all these different things that happen each and every one of them had a failure in them and it wasn't the only reason we know about him now is because he finally won the presidency And it was at a Pinnacle Point in our history.

The only reason we have any any real knowledge, Do you know anything about Zachary Taylor? No, probably don't he was one of our presidents to he just one he was president. He's gone. That's the end of it. Number three don't look back at the past and see it better than it was. This is a difficult one for many Ecclesiastes 7:10. It says this. Just don't say why were the former days better than these since it was it is not wise of you to ask this. Why was the old days gone by better than today? Israel looked back at Egypt Numbers chapter 11 verse 18 ago things were better when we were in Egypt. At least we had bread at least we had shelter.

See distance both physically and in time the amount of time separated they used to say the old adage is Time Heals all wounds. Because the farther you get away from it lends itself to enchantment lends itself to ideology thinking that something is better than it really is. Tina is never quite as honest as it could be easy to think back on the old way of life. We think about technology. the way things used to be most kids today have no concept of what it is. Do you remember what would happen when the phone would ring? Like I'm talking about the real one. That was like Tethered to the wall. I'm not talking about that pick it up. And what would you say? Hello. Did you have to have a general greeting cuz you didn't know who it was on the phone. Kids have no concept of what the what do you mean? I can't look and see who's calling before. Or in my house. It was hello Gonzalez residence. Ask who's calling?

What's up milk on my boys have no concept of that.

Let's see, we were tied to the wall right. What were some of the negative things about that? Cuz I remember that I think all that I was so much better than people were taught manners and they were taught a better way to do things and they were taught how to how to have a proper conversation. That's true. But you can only talk to one person at a time. You were Ted tied to the wall. So you had to be out in the big room or wherever the phone was or you had to stand at the wall. I don't know if any of you have been to my house or not. But on our wall, it's not currently hooked stop. But on our wall. We have an old Payphone. It's a replica but it's an old payphone with the rotary but it's not buttons, but it's it's got a rotary dial on it and it's got the big long cord that you could stretch off and we thought it was fun. I was just kind of a nostalgic thing, but wife was very different than that. If we allow ourselves to fall into the well life was better than Trap then we get down and discouraged about life today. One person says the present is Never As Good As it used to be? A great future beats a great past every time. A great future beats a great past every time. Why because I know who holds the future.

Used to be a song that that that had those words. Christian song old old him

said that life is worth the living Because He Lives. Because Jesus Lives because I Know Who Holds my future? It's worth living. Last thing I want us to hold onto today. Sorry, second-to-last don't look back at Old conflicts that make you bitter.

If you relive old conflicts the heart returns, this is again one of those that I struggle with I'll just be honest with you. I'm not a preacher who has it all together. I have my own issues my own struggles my own challenges in life. The difference is I know where to turn to when I start seeing those things happen, but wait a minute. I need to go and get answers from the one who had who wrote wrote all of it. If you rehearse the old conflicts the heart return rehearsing these opened up all those Old Wounds. Even those where the forgiveness is taking place will become dangerous again if you're going if you keep going over them over and over and over again in your heart.

someone to think back of those old hurts you know what and you know what the the consequence that I paid for doing this exact thing as I sat out of Ministry for 8 years something that God called me to think about that for me to put it in context something that the almighty creator of Heaven and Earth set me apart for something. He called me to directly I know beyond a shadow of a doubt as well as I know my own name. But the Creator called me to minister to his children.

And because of hurts. I stopped doing it for 8 years think of the people that God could have affected.

To that one person that one serving if I wouldn't have let let those hurts continue to fester and continue to work and continue to struggle in my life.

Forget the past and get on with profitable living 1st Peter chapter 2 verses 1 and 2. Says this is therefore rid yourself of all malice all deceit of hypocrisy envy and all slander. Like newborn infants desire the pure milk of the word so that you may grow up into your salvation. Then verse 3 says if you have tasted that the Lord is good.

Getting rid of all malice all the seat all hypocrisy envy and slander. Getting rid of all that junk that holds on Fitbit grabs hold.

And then I want to wrap up with this when this one's I think a little bit different in the way that we we process our thoughts. So don't look back at Old victories that may cause you to think that you've arrived. Sometimes we get a little cocky a little arrogant. Go. Well, I've got it all together. I'm in a good place. Everything is great. Life is good. Look at all these things that I've done in my past. I have the pedigree I come from the right family. I have the right money. I have the right situation. I live in the right kind of house. I drive the right kind of car. I've done well for myself I've arrived.

Philippians 3 13 and 14

Dutch Brothers and Sisters. I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do, this is Paul talking forgetting what is behind and Reaching Forward to what is ahead. I pursue as my goal. The prized promised by God's Heavenly called in Christ. Jesus. Paul says forgetting what's behind if you understand when this was written that the amount of things that pull it accomplished in his life from the time that he was Saul and that conversion to Paul so that the point he becomes a Christian to the time that he writes this letter to the church at Phillipi.

The amount of things that he's accomplished for the kingdom of God. We make each one of us. horribly horribly diminutive compared to his accomplishments

But he says forgetting what's behind. I press on. Forgetting what is what I've done before those people that I've saved those people that I've reached for the kingdom of God, those are fantastic, but I've got to keep moving on towards the prize that with the goal. The God has called me heavenward.

He says I serve the Lord with all of my heart. I was a soul winner. I was sold out to Christ.

We've all done that once twice. But what about today? Are we still talking to people? Are we still telling them about the love of Jesus Christ? When we move into 2019 are we ashamed of the Gospel or are we proud of it? Is it the power of God unto salvation?

What is the story you're going to tell in 2019? How are things going into this new year is I love to tell the story. There's an old old him by that name.

I love to tell the story of Jesus and his love.

What is the story we're going to tell moving forward Not Looking Back not holding on to that old stuff anymore. If you were a pornographer Let It Go if you were an adulterer Let It Go if your Let It Go if you're easily angered Let It Go if you're ever. Let those things go. That is the old you that is the old person at the point in you come to Jesus Christ at the point that you give your life over to him. The old person is buried. That's what baptism is. You don't know this is our baptismal looks like a table of soft the baptism. But at the point that you're baptized you go under the water that old person dies. That's what baptism is. It's a symbolic representations of the death and burial. and the rising again in New Life in Jesus Christ And that new man that new woman comes up out of the water and All Is Forgiven and all is forgotten. my God She don't pick it up anymore. Don't hold on and don't let somebody say. Well, you know, you're the same person you were yesterday. No, I'm not. Yesterday I was dying and lost and dead and going to hell. But today I'm a Child of God going to heaven. I am a new creature because of the promise of Jesus Christ. And yes, I may still have the Tendencies I had yesterday. And yes, I may remember in my biological brain of the stuff that I did 10 years ago. But as my Father in Heaven tells me he's forgotten it and I don't have to worry about it anymore.

Look ahead.

Because the best for your life is still to come.

Look ahead.

Because eternal life in Jesus Christ is still yours for the taking. All you have to do is receive it. Each of us this last week received gifts. each of us opened up packages

But some of us is not received the simplest gift of all and that's Jesus Christ. The old person hasn't died. The new person hasn't been raised to New Life In Christ. Versace on one invite you to make a decision today to follow Jesus Christ to make a decision today to make him Lord and savior of your life go into 2019.

a child of the Living God no longer a slave to sin. No longer dead inside riding and dying.

but a new creature In the name of Jesus, let's pray. Father. Thank you. God thank you for sending your son to die on the cross. Thank you for loving me. Father while I was still a sinner you sent your son. Jesus to die for me.

And when he said it is finished my sin is no longer. But it is written and covered by the blood of Jesus.

So father I pray that if anybody is in this place than this within the sound of my voice.

Needs to make a decision to follow you to make you Lord of their life. I pray father that today would be that day that you would give them the strength in the encouragement needed to make that decision to step out in faith and to say I need Jesus.

Father we pray that for those of us that are here that have already made you lord and savior.

father help us never remember Never look back on those things that used to be.

But you always look forward. To tell the story of Jesus and his love.

We thank you Father in your name. We pray. Amen. If that is you you need to make a decision, I would love to visit with you give you some some next steps on what it is to be a follower of Jesus. And you're welcome to visit with me anytime after church, and I'd love to just visit with you for a few minutes. We don't have much in the way of announcements this week.