It's in the past

Where do the past, present and future sleep when they go camping? In Tense of course.

The past the present and the future had a meeting the discussion got heated some might even say it got intense.

They say the past is history, the future is a mystery and today is a gift, that’s why they call it the present.

Ok that is all my stupid tense jokes and puns. Now that I got that out of my system let’s talk about the past.

They say that those who fail to remember history are doomed to repeat it!

How many people think that is a good and accurate statement?

I would agree that this is a thought provoking statement and seems to imply that those who do know history can in some way prevent it from repeating, yet one of the my biggest take aways from studying the past is that history does repeat itself whether we know it or not.

Also not all history is bad history, in fact there are some parts of history I would love to see repeat itself. Sadly knowing about those events in history is not enough to force them to repeat, and even if we could, they wouldn’t be the same.

I won’t even mention the fact the history that most of us know is so skewed and biased, because history is recorded by man with an agenda, so they tend to gloss over some stuff and exclude important information on purpose to tell a story that kinda happened but not in the way of for the reasons they seem to imply.

In fact the only reliable history book out there in my opinion is the word of God, because although penned by men it was completely inspired by God. It is reliable, faultless, infallible and irrefutable. It does not gloss over man’s mistakes or omit short comings. It is honest, at times painful and most importantly it tells of The One who loves us so much that nothing would stop Him from trying to redeem us and take us home to be with Him.

Not even death, not even death on the cross.

Therefore if we are to study history let us make the bible our greatest source and authoritative measuring stick.

But even knowing the history of the bible doesn’t seem to help us prevent its repetition. I mean we still have modern day Pharisees. Those who care more about outward appearances that matters of the heart. We still have corrupt governments, who seem hell bent on persecuting the church.

Nor does it mean we can reproduce events from the past. Trust me if we could we would be having a day of pentecost message here everyday where 3000 people are added to the family of God.

If Hind sight is 20/20, no wonder we like looking back so much, although at times it seems like our hind sight is more like 20/200 we see the big things but lose the small yet important details.

So my question today is If knowing the past won’t help us keep from repeating the parts we don’t want and it doesn’t help us repeat the parts we do like what do we do with the past?

We all have our own history, our own past, that has helped define who we are. As a church we also have a history that has added to our collective identity, yet too often we as people become too focused on the past.

We become stuck in the past trying to (unsuccessfully) recreate what once was or trying to (Unsuccessfully)prevent the mistakes of the past from repeating.

So what do we do with our past?

To answer this question I want to look at

Isaiah 43:14–44:5 NLT

This is what the Lord says—your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “For your sakes I will send an army against Babylon, forcing the Babylonians to flee in those ships they are so proud of. I am the Lord, your Holy One, Israel’s Creator and King. I am the Lord, who opened a way through the waters, making a dry path through the sea. I called forth the mighty army of Egypt with all its chariots and horses. I drew them beneath the waves, and they drowned, their lives snuffed out like a smoldering candlewick. “But forget all that— it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland. The wild animals in the fields will thank me, the jackals and owls, too, for giving them water in the desert. Yes, I will make rivers in the dry wasteland so my chosen people can be refreshed. I have made Israel for myself, and they will someday honor me before the whole world. “But, dear family of Jacob, you refuse to ask for my help. You have grown tired of me, O Israel! You have not brought me sheep or goats for burnt offerings. You have not honored me with sacrifices, though I have not burdened and wearied you with requests for grain offerings and frankincense. You have not brought me fragrant calamus or pleased me with the fat from sacrifices. Instead, you have burdened me with your sins and wearied me with your faults. “I—yes, I alone—will blot out your sins for my own sake and will never think of them again. Let us review the situation together, and you can present your case to prove your innocence. From the very beginning, your first ancestor sinned against me; all your leaders broke my laws. That is why I have disgraced your priests; I have decreed complete destruction for Jacob and shame for Israel. “But now, listen to me, Jacob my servant, Israel my chosen one. The Lord who made you and helps you says: Do not be afraid, O Jacob, my servant, O dear Israel, my chosen one. For I will pour out water to quench your thirst and to irrigate your parched fields. And I will pour out my Spirit on your descendants, and my blessing on your children. They will thrive like watered grass, like willows on a riverbank. Some will proudly claim, ‘I belong to the Lord.’ Others will say, ‘I am a descendant of Jacob.’ Some will write the Lord’s name on their hands and will take the name of Israel as their own.”

Isaiah 43:14-

In this passage God speaks to the Israelites through Isaiah, first he reminds them of the past, then He points them to the future. In this we can learn a great lesson about dealing with the past.

When it comes to the past, we need to...

Learn And Move On

Me: Lion King video

We: We all have a history. This church history is one of resilience...

God: In this passage God reminds them of the Exodus from Egypt. This was a major event from their past....

He also reminds them of their failures to meet the old system....

Then He tells them of a new system...

If they were going to really get to the new, they had to let go of the old. The Exodus was a defining moment in their history....

If they were too focused on that, they would miss out on What God was going to do.

Some did.... Some did not....

You: What is in your past that you are stuck on… Learn and move on.

We: If we keep trying to make history repeat itself we will miss out on the new things God is doing.

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