Breaking the "Past Barrier"

One of the greatest barriers to our future is often our past.

Even Christians who genuinely believe that their past is gone still tend to deal with thoughts, feelings, emotions, reactions & behaviors that are rooted in the past.

Worse yet,

Many of us have never really stepped into what is possible now because of what we have experienced before.

Today I want to help us all to launch into the greatness that is ahead.

Romans 3:23 NKJV

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Every & any sin separates us from relationship with God.

We all have a past!

Proverbs 24:16 NKJV

16 For a righteous man may fall seven times And rise again, But the wicked shall fall by calamity.

Did you notice what kind of a person falls down & makes mistakes?

It’s not just a bad person, an immoral person, a horrible person who falls.

Everyone falls, but we need to know how to get up and move forward when we do.

Learning to Forget:

Philippians 3:13 D-R

13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended. But one thing I do: Forgetting the things that are behind and stretching forth myself to those that are before,

This verse of scripture was written by Paul who wrote about 2/3 of the New Testament, was a powerful apostle, and boy did he have a past!

Acts 9:1–15 NKJV

1 Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. 4 Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” 5 And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” 6 So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” 7 And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one. 8 Then Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened he saw no one. But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 9 And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank. 10 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.” 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. 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.” 13 Then Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. 14 And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.” 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.

Forgetting: (G1950) to lose out of mind; by implication to neglect

A 2016 Study performed by Dr. Jeremy Manning, an assistant professor of psychological and brain sciences at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire found 2 ways of helping oneself to forget the past:

One strategy is to clear one's mind and deliberately try to think of nothing, and the other involves trying fill one's mind with thoughts about something very different than whatever a person is trying to forget.

Joshua 1:8 NKJV

8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

Philippians 4:8 NKJV

8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

When our past runs into the cross, we have the Divine Ability to forget it.

2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

We should let our past actually die & rest in peace instead of burying it alive and digging it back up for special occasions.

Stop talking about how cool you were

Stop talking about how bad you were

Stop recounting all the things you did

Quit exhuming the past that you say you’re not proud of.

Stop Glamorizing the past

-It’s Like putting lipstick on a pig.

Stop re-reading the last chapter.

This is all reinforcing the memory of your past, not helping you to forget it and move forward.

Talk about who you are becoming, talk about where you are going, talk about all the things you will do.

Jesus has a future for us that is separate from, and does not depend on, the past.

Jeremiah 29:11 NKJV

11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

God can radically change what’s ahead of us if we will simply forget the things behind us.

Just One Thing:

Let’s do what Paul did: Forget the things that are behind and stretch ourself toward those things that are ahead.

Discussion Questions:

What’s your best story of you or someone else trying to be sneaky and failing miserably?

What are some of the major things from your past that hold you back from stepping into your future?

Please read Proverbs 24:16 and share how it impacts you knowing what kind of person falls repeatedly.

How well have you done at forgetting your past? What did you learn, from this sermon that you can use to help you forget the past and launch into your future?