Untitled Sermon

Let Stop Looking Back Luke 9:57-62

Luke 9:57–62 (KJV)

57 And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.

58 And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.

59 And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.

60 Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.

61 And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house.

62 And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.

INTRO: It was Satchel Paige, the great baseball player who paved the way for blacks to play in the major leagues, who made famous the saying, ”Don’t look back, something might be gaining on you!’

Long before Satchel Paige ever gave his advice, the Apostle Paul was telling Christian folks, in so many words, ”Don’t look back!” Paul writes in his letter to the Philippians, ”Brethren, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

God’s word to us is, ”Don’t look back!” Like the Apostle Paul we must forget ”what lies behind and strain forward to what lies ahead.”

· There is a natural, human tendency for us to look back. Life magazine has the ”Year in Pictures,” Sports Illustrated has the ”Year in Sports.” We have history books, yearbooks, photo albums, home movies and memories that allow us to look back.

· And there can be great value in looking back. We look back to learn. We look back to affirm the places and faces and circumstances from whence we have come.

Reset and Reposition

As you walk by the pitfalls of isolation, sitting quietly to find direction, take the time you need, but know that the purpose of this time is to reset your life. This repositioning time says to take action and rejoin the world.

Repositioning a life or an organization is a critical process following a shattered moment. The process is much like traveling by several gates at the airport. Repositioning will often feel like an exhausting, endless task. But each gate will be followed by the next until you reach the designated gate Z65.

Some people spend years or decades poring over life without making a decision to move to the next gate or reposition themselves.

Some spend a lifetime writing a journal and never live what was written. You must live by inspiration or die by procrastination. Repositioning starts with a mind, body, and soul reset. It is an internal decision to move forward

In The Sacred Journey, Frederick Buechner writes, ”it is mainly for some clue to where I am going that I search through where I’ve been; for some hint as to whom I am becoming or failing to become that I delve into what used to be.” So there is, indeed, a time for us to look back, if that looking back carries with it a positive purpose.

At the same time Paul tells us to ”forget what lies behind.” But Paul is saying don’t look back in a way that will keep us from going forward. Don’t look back in a way that makes us prisoners of our past, because looking back in the wrong way enslaves us or enslaves others to past mistakes and sins. Looking back in the wrong way does not allow the healing of old hurts and painful memories.

Even looking back at past accomplishments and successes can keep us from discovering what lies ahead. So the advice that’s given to us is, ”Don’t look back!”

There’s no reason for us to remain enslaved to the mistakes and sins and shortcomings of our past. We don’t have to continually feel guilty and ”second rate” because of something we did years ago or even yesterday.

God in Christ has forgiven us, and all we do is accept His forgiveness and say ”thank you.” It’s as simple as that. Don’t look back at past mistakes!

Neither should we look back at the past mistakes and sins of other people. Just as God has forgiven us we are to forgive one another.

· The memory of a painful, unhappy childhood.

· The memory of a love that was lost.

· The memory of a traumatic happening in our lives.

· The memory of a tragedy that we’ve experienced.

· The memories may not be healed overnight, but they can be healed. We can leave them behind us and go on. As the Lord told Israel, which was suffering in captivity, ”Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing.” Don’t look back!

We can’t live in the past and still be fully alive. There is even the ever-present temptation for us to look back at our accomplishments without accepting new challenges that lie ahead.

It’s good for us to celebrate our successes. It’s right that we should pause and thank God for our blessings. But we can’t be content with where we’ve come from; it’s where we’re going that’s important!