Memory of Past Sins
By Greg Johnson
April 11, 2007
The devil is full of strategies that will keep followers of Christ from continuing the ministry of Jesus in the fullness of the Holy Spirit. One such strategy is the memory of past sins.
We have all made bad choices that have led to sin. Sin that is confessed, repented and forgiven needs to be forgotten. Otherwise, you will be distracted from your mission. God wants to free you from guilt so that you can accomplish your mission and fulfill your purpose.
In the book of Genesis, God’s Word tells of Joseph who was sold into slavery by his own brothers because of their jealousy of him. They lied to their father Jacob and told him that a wild beast killed Joseph. Joseph’s brothers sinned against him and his father Jacob.
God used what was meant for harm to Joseph and turned it into good. Joseph is promoted to a high position in Egypt and is second only to the Pharaoh. He is used of God to preserve a nation in the midst of severe famine. Joseph’s brothers come to him in need of food not knowing who he was. God’s Word says (Genesis 45:1-13 NIV) "Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, "Have everyone leave my presence!" So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. {2} And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh’s household heard about it. {3} Joseph said to his brothers, "I am Joseph! Is my father still living?" But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence. {4} Then Joseph said to his brothers, "Come close to me." When they had done so, he said, "I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! {5} And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. {6} For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will not be plowing and reaping. {7} But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. {8} "So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt. {9} Now hurry back to my father and say to him, ’This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; don’t delay. {10} You shall live in the region of Goshen and be near me--you, your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and all you have. {11} I will provide for you there, because five years of famine are still to come. Otherwise you and your household and all who belong to you will become destitute.’ {12} "You can see for yourselves, and so can my brother Benjamin, that it is really I who am speaking to you. {13} Tell my father about all the honor accorded me in Egypt and about everything you have seen. And bring my father down here quickly.""
DISTRESS AND ANGER OVER PAST SIN.
When we sin and hurt others, we find ourselves in a similar position as Joseph’s brothers. We become distressed and angry at ourselves for the pain that we have caused others. Left unchecked we will be absorbed with our failures and lose sight of what Christ did for us at the cross. Joseph is an Old Testament type of Christ. He tells his brothers (Genesis 45:5 NIV) "And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves". Christ tells us the same today. We are not to be distressed and angry with ourselves. We are to get on with our mission. We are to get on with continuing the ministry of Jesus in the fullness of the Holy Spirit.
OVERCOMING THE MEMORY OF PAST SINS.
How do we get on with it? How do we move past the hurt that we have caused others? How do we overcome the memory of past sins?
Know that through the work of Christ on the cross, God cleanses you from sin. (1 John 1:9 NIV) "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."
Know that through the work of Christ on the cross, God separates you from your sin. (Psalms 103:11-12 NIV) "For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; {12} as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us."
Focus on Jesus and not your past. Focus on what Jesus has done for you on the cross instead of what you have done. At the cross, Jesus died for your sins and He broke the dominion of sin over you. Now sin does not control you. You have been set free. You are a temple of the Holy Spirit and you walk in the Spirit and not the flesh. (2 Timothy 1:7 NIV) "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline." (Galatians 5:16 NIV) "So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature."
Beloved, Jesus wants to set you free from the memory of past sins. He does not want you to be distracted from your mission and purpose in life. Don’t fall for the wiles of the devil. Instead, fall at the foot of the cross and let Jesus set you free. If you have confessed and repented, you are forgiven. Forgiveness was provided at the cross and your freedom from the memory of past sins is found at the cross of Christ. Be set free in the name of Jesus!
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