The Past is the Past Leave it there

The Past is the Past Leave it there

Welcome to 02 02 2020

we’re 1 month into seeing the greatest release of Holy Spirit on the earth

I’ve noticed a real shift in our worship time, and I expect this to even increase in a greater capacity over the coming months

Today I’d like to continue the Vision 2020 series that I began on Jan 5th .

You may remember this series began with a vision a word God gave me for this Church.

there are copies in the foyer if you like to review it for yourself.

Today I want to talk about “the past is the past....leave it there!”

this message comes from the following 2 verses that God highlighted to me

2 Corinthians 5:17 NASB95

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

and

NASB95Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.​

Isaiah 43:18–19 NASB95

“Do not call to mind the former things, Or ponder things of the past. “Behold, I will do something new, Now it will spring forth; Will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, Rivers in the desert.

NASB95“Do not call to mind the former things, Or ponder things of the past. “Behold, I will do something new, Now it will spring forth; Will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, Rivers in the desert.

All of us probably have regrets. something we did in our past that we wish we could undo. Or maybe something we should have done but we didn’t. We may fall Victim to the actions of others. These things can weigh on us, and the enemy often uses it as ammunition against us. Preventing us from walking fully in the destiny God laid out for us. But God has provided a way to overcome.

We have 3 options

simply try to ignore and forget about it.

that never works. as it pops up at the most inopportune times

allow it to cripple our future endeavors

well that’s no fun!

learn and grow from it!

Its often our greatest failures that we learn the most from.

— Albert Einstein

Albert Einstein, one of the greatest thinkers of our time, didn’t speak until he was four-years old. He also failed his entrance exam to the Swiss Federal Polytechnic school located in Zurich at sixteen-years old. And, even his father, up until the time of his death, considered his son to be a major failure. After eventually graduating from college, Einstein actually worked as an insurance salesman, but quit after some time because he failed at that as well.

— Thomas Edison

Thomas Edison is by far one of the most famous inventors in history. He holds 1,093 patents to his name. However, when attempting to invent a commercially-viable electric lightbulb, he failed over 10,000 times. When asked by a reporter how it felt to fail so many times, he merely stated, “I have not failed 10,000 times. I have not failed once. I have succeeded in proving that those 10,000 ways will not work. When I have eliminated the ways that will not work, I will find the way that will work.”

Michael Jordan

“I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”

Walt Disney

Mickey Mouse creator Walt Disney dropped out of school at a young age in a failed attempt at joining the army.[3] One of his earlier ventures, Laugh-o-Gram Studios, went bankrupt due to his lack of ability to run a successful business. He was once fired from a Missouri newspaper for “not being creative enough.”

Failure is always an option

what you do after that determines whether or not you succeed

I think we can agree that no-one except God is perfect. We all make mistakes.

I remember 1 mistake that still bothers me today. When I was a preteen in the mid 80s I was given a gift of a Silver dollar from someone in our church. I took that silver dollar and bought a slurpee. one of the most expensive slurpees probably ever purchased .

There was another time. buying my 1st car with Shirley. we saw an add, went into the dealership, liked the car. filled out the paperwork, it was a little complicated as we were consolidating our previous car loan. A few month later I was looking through all the documents and noticed we paid an extra $6000. over what we agreed the salesman slipped in an extra amount with out my notice.

I think we can agree that no-one except God is perfect. We all make mistakes.

that really hurt us financially, but I learned from it.

Now when I go into a dealership I don’t play the negation game.

I go in prepared, if I’m trading in I know its value, I know research the value of the vehicle i’m purchasing.

I remember when we bought our escape. I gave the salesperson a bottom line. All in. no extra fees or charges this is what I’m willing to pay. He laughed at me and said there’s no way. I simply said take it to your boss. He came back and said boss said no. I said ok and we got up and left. seconds later after we left the building he comes running after us. You got a deal, we’ll take it.

He tried to add a few hundred bucks for different fees, I said no. we’ll all in at the agreed price. take those fees out of what we’re paying you. He agreed.

You see it took a mistake on my part to decided, I would not fall for that again

NOT only do we have to deal with our own mistakes, but we can also be affected by the mistakes of others

we can become a victim by the decisions of other people, But you only remain a victim by your own choices

But you only remain a victim by your own choices

People are capable of doing horrendous things to one another.

but the perpetuation of the effects of those wrongs are under your control

To remain a victim you must first choose to remain one

But its equally important that we don’t use those mistakes to prevent us from walking in the future God designed for us!

So How do we learn to get over the mistakes we have made and the violations made against us?

the First Step is always Forgiveness

Parable of the 2 debtors

Matthew 18:21–35 NASB95

Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. “For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. “When he had begun to settle them, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. “But since he did not have the means to repay, his lord commanded him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made. “So the slave fell to the ground and prostrated himself before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you everything.’ “And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt. “But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and he seized him and began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay back what you owe.’ “So his fellow slave fell to the ground and began to plead with him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you.’ “But he was unwilling and went and threw him in prison until he should pay back what was owed. “So when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and came and reported to their lord all that had happened. “Then summoning him, his lord said to him, ‘You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. ‘Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?’ “And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him. “My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.”

Matthew 18:21-35

Forgiveness is not and option, Its God’s expectation of us

God expects you to forgive, just like He has forgiven you.

Let’s talk about 5 things forgiveness is NOT

Forgiveness is not a feeling or emotion

you don’t feel like forgiving

2. Forgiveness is not pretending you were not hurt

Forgiveness is not pretending you were not hurt

don’t put on a mask and pretend everything is alright... its not

In Scripture, we never see Jesus pretend. When He was sad, He cried (). When He was angry, He turned over the tables in the temple ().

Someone has betrayed your trust, damaged your soul or caused a loss.

It is OK to recognize and feel the hurt instigated by another’s behaviour.

3. Forgiveness is not condoning what the person did to you

don’t say it OK!. do you want them to do it again? No! than its not OK

Many people hesitate to forgive because they feel as though the wrongdoer is getting away with the offense or that forgiveness will somehow condone the offender’s choices.

It doesn’t. Instead, forgiving releases the wrongdoer from the debt she owes you and releases you from the bitterness

4. Forgiveness is not trusting the offender

After a betrayal, trust is not an automatic right of the offender. Forgiveness does not mean you immediately allow the person back into your life or heart. If someone is repentant and willing to work on restoring the relationship, you might be able to trust him again eventually. However, sometimes those who wound us shouldn’t be trusted again. Though forgiveness should not be contingent on the perpetrator’s repentance, a truly repentant person doesn’t demand forgiveness or misuse Bible verses in an attempt to make you feel guilty. He humbly accepts complete responsibility for the sin and the consequences for his actions (), which may include giving you time to see evidence of his trustworthiness.

I have people in my life whom I have forgiven but I no longer trust because they have chosen to continue the same negative patterns that caused the offense or hurt in the first place.

5. Forgiveness is not relieving the person of responsibility

Forgiveness is not relieving the person of responsibility

A person shouldn’t be "off the hook" from his or her responsibilities just because you choose to forgive. For example, a wife may be forgiven for placing the family in financial ruin with debt, but she should still be responsible for paying off the debt. A former husband may be forgiven for destroying his marriage with an affair, but he should still pay child support to his former wife.

Forgiveness doesn’t eradicate responsibility. It’s not unloving to hold someone accountable. Often, accountability is the most loving thing you can do because it could lead to repentance.

Offended

Now if your the offended party your only responsibility is to forgive the offender.

You don’t have to tell them you’ve forgiven them, unless they ask you to forgive them

One of the test I’ve used to know whether or not I’ve actually forgiven someone for hurting me is this

Can I pray for God to Bless them?

If your like no way I want that person to suffer!!! well you have not forgiven them

Matthew 5:44 NASB95

“But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

Pastor Trevor Shared a message on forgiveness 6 months back take a listen to that online

What if you’re the one who hurt you? Same steps apply

Be willing to forgive yourself. go through the process,

sometimes it helps to walk through this with someone else.

You Pastors and Elders are here to help you through this

talk to them

Offender

Now if your the offender in need of forgiveness

Matthew 5:23–24 NASB95

“Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.

Seek Forgiveness

Own your mistake, don’t try and excuse it, or give reason why!

You made a mistake, take responsibility for it!

Be specific, not....... I’m sorry for everything I have ever done to do. Really? Are you?

I’m sorry I did ___________ I will do everything in my ability to make sure I don’t do it again

list the steps your willing to take!

Matthew 5:23 NASB95

“Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you,

Don’t expect them to forgive you immediately. That is between them and God.

Allow them time to go through the process of dealing with the emotions

often if they give you a quick I forgive you. They might not mean it, or they’ve already gone through the process and are waiting for you to catch up!

Make it Right

Exodus 22:7 NASB95

“If a man gives his neighbor money or goods to keep for him and it is stolen from the man’s house, if the thief is caught, he shall pay double.

Exodus 22:7–8 NASB95

“If a man gives his neighbor money or goods to keep for him and it is stolen from the man’s house, if the thief is caught, he shall pay double. “If the thief is not caught, then the owner of the house shall appear before the judges, to determine whether he laid his hands on his neighbor’s property.

Luke 19:8–9 NASB95

Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham.

Make restitution. do What you can to make things right

Sometimes there nothing you can do, seek God on the next steps to take

Luke

Humble yourself

Ephesians 4:2 NASB95

with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love,

It takes humility to truly forgive and be forgiven

Conclusion

You will make mistakes. learn from them, develop a strategy so you don’t do it again.

seek forgiveness of those you have wronged

Others will hurt you. It a guarentee in this world

Don’t remain a victim to their choices. Don’t put up with the offence

Be quick to forgive

Colossians 3:13–15 NASB95

bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.

Let’s pray

Next Message: Can you really live a life without sinning?