I Am A Has Been

HAS BEEN

2nd cor. 5:17

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

I AM A HAS BEEN

What is a has been?

a person or thing considered to be outmoded or no longer of any significance

a person or thing that is no longer popular, successful, effective, etc

IN other words, a has been is a once was

I once was lost in sin but Jesus took me in

And then a little light from heaven filled my soul

He bathed my heart in love and wrote my name above

And just a little talk with my Jesus made me whole

(Now let us) have a little talk with Jesus (let us) tell him all about our troubles

(He will) hear our faintest cry (and we will) answer by and by

(Now when you) feel a little prayer wheel turning

(Then you'll) know a little fire is burning

(You will) find a little talk with Jesus makes it right

I am not what I once was, because about 20 years ago, I was lost in sin, and because I had a little talk with Jesus, He made me whole-----I was wrong, but a little talk with Jesus made it righT

I want you to know that really all new beginnings begin with Jesus Christ.

Born again-means to be born from above, or born anew!

How many of you understand that there is a process to change!

In my scripture text this morning there is not only the understanding of a new beginning but also the understanding that it is progressive.

New beginnings don't happen instantly!

God could deliver us immediately from whatever we face but he chooses not to.

Because it is in the struggle that true change really happens.

Well, okay – I’d like to start over again. Can I have a do-over?

Thank you Lord, for granting me that – a clean start – a new beginning.

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What is better than a new beginning?

A new beginning means so much to us so many times in life … it is:

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Starting clean … … a clean slate

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Leaving behind that pesky baggage of what you’ve done in the past

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Going down a new path

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The optimism of looking forward to new things Letting go of the guilt

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Exciting receiving a new name while getting a brand-new start. Examples are:

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Saul became Paul

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Simon became Peter

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Cassius Clay became Muhammad Ali you have to be willing to look backward at your past.

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You have to be willing to look at what you have done and what you still do.

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You need to recognize the wrongs you have done.

God can take a wrong and make it right.

God delights in making wrong things right.

The gospel assures us that God will make every effect of sin right. There will be a day when he will wipe away all tears. Those who hope in him will stand before him in a glorified perfect body (Job 19). There will be perfect unity among mankind as all nations stand united in him. The earth and heaven will be restored and made right. There will no longer be a struggle with sin. There will be no more suffering, for in his suffering he ended suffering. This is at the core of the message of the Bible. We serve a God who delights to make wrong things right!

Someone once said that " Right is right even if no one is doing it; wrong is wrong even if everyone is doing it.”

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You need to confess your wrongdoings.

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You need to be truly sorry for what you have done.

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You have to turn to a new direction for you life.

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The word “repent “is actually a key to what is happening. The word “repent”

means “to turn.” That’s a very important thing.

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Repentance is turning from the direction you were going before.

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It is taking a new direction.

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It is turning toward God.

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It is turning to the good.

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It is turning toward the light.

Turning from darkness , to the light.

repenting, means admitting to God that you have been wrong, that your a once was, or has been, but you want to make all things new, or make it right.

God doesn't want to hear our excuses.

Proverbs 28:13 Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper,

but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy

Isaiah 43:18 18 “Forget the former things;

do not dwell on the past

To make a new beginning, we need to confess our past sins, then forget them, and do not dwell on them.