Learning From The Past

A. INTRODUCTION: PHILIPPIANS 3:13-14

"Because I am not perfect and have not attained, I am going to let this one standard guide me. I am willing to forget the things of the past. I am willing to give everything to reach the things of the future, and I am willing to give all my energy to win the goal for which God has called me in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 3:13 - 14 ELT).

1. Three guiding principles.

a. Learning from the past..

b. Living the present with purpose.

c. Be future goal oriented.

2. The past - you cannot change it.

The present - you can give God everything.

The future - your future is hidden in your daily routine.

B. LEARNING FROM THE PAST

Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind . . .

1. Learn from the past and forget it. Focus on the future and charge it. You cannot successfully focus on the future until you have learned from the past.

2. Three things you can do when you make a mistake:

a. Resolve to never make another mistake. That is impossible.

b. Retreat and let mistakes make a coward of you. That is foolish.

c. Rebound to learn from your mistakes. That is profitable.

3. Interview with Jerry Stackhouse, NBA player. "Pro basketball is win and forget, lose and forget." He was wrong.

a. If we win and forget, the lesson of winning becomes, (1) temporary, if we win and forget we might (2) not be successful again. If we win and forget, we might have just been (3) lucky. If we win and forget, it did not come from our (4) character.

b. If we lose and forget, losing becomes permanent. If we lose and forget, we did not (1) learn. If we lose and forget, we cannot (2) correct the future. If we lose and forget, we have (3) not grown from the experience.

4. What is the worst thing about losing? It is not what we lose, or the fact that we lose, but that losing becomes a life style. Losing becomes a journey, and many people are still on that road. When we lose and not learn from it, we will only lose again.

5. Losing is automatic in life, but winning is a choice and a journey.

a. If you do not show up, you lose.

b. If you do not try, you lose.

c. If you do not risk, you do not gain.

d. If you do not sow, you do not reap.

C. LIVING WITH PURPOSE

Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but . . . reaching forth unto those things which are before . . .

1. The value of developing a winning attitude is not getting the trophy, but becoming a winner. Winning does something to you, for you, through you, and with you. Winning becomes you.

2. What to look out for when making mistakes.

a. Excuses keep me from learning. When I become defensive about "not winning," then I begin to make excuses why I did not win. As long as you are defensive, you are not open to growth. Let go of the mistakes you have made, and hang on to the lessons you learn.

b. Repeated mistakes. This tells me that I am not learning, I am on the failure journey.

c. A no brainer. When we do not know why we made mistakes, we do not care that we make mistakes, and we do not learn anything from mistakes, "it’s a no brainer."

d. Blind sided. Sometimes circumstances, or others come along and dump a mistake in our life. You can ask, "Why ME?" Why THIS? Why NOW? Or, you can learn from it. You are not responsible for what happens TO you. You are responsible for what happens IN you.

EIGHT QUESTIONS TO OVERCOME MISTAKES

1. Decision: What was my original motive?

2. Action: What did I do?

3. Time: When did I do it?

4. Results: What happened?

5. Evaluation: Why did this happen?

6. Correction: How can I change the mistake?

7. Action: What will I do differently?

8. Improvement: How well will I do it the second time?

D. MY GOAL - CHRIST

"I press toward the mark of the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 3:14).

1. Example. "Leaving us an example, that we should follow His steps" (I Peter 2:21).

2. Content. "Come unto me . . . learn of me . . ." (Matt. 11:28,29).

3. Motivation. "I can do all things through Christ" (Phil. 4:13).

4. Passion. "For me to live is Christ" (Phil. 1:21).

5. Power. "Christ liveth in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God" (Col. 2:20).