That is, almost daily he appeared on television, and it seemed like the very serious allegations that were being leveled against him were not phasing him in the slightest.
• Some said it was because he is shameless
• Others, pundits in Washington, had a different take on it. They said, the only way he could survive this scandal physically was due to his remarkable ability to compartmentalize.
That is, some folks have the ability to take something as serious as the allegations being leveled at him, and shove it in a corner and leave it there. They then go on about the routine of life as if the problem never existed.
One of the remarkable abilities God has given us is the ability to compartmentalize things, such as: Past, Present, and Future.
Let’s look at-
I. THE PAST
Look at these words in verse 13. We read, “…This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind…”
One of the most foolish things a person can do in this life is to live in the past. That is, they always want to live in the “Good old days.”
Illus: A young lady had a college romance with a handsome young man. They got into an argument at the end of the school year, and the next year she did not get a chance to go back to college. He met another girl and he fell in love with her, and later married her.
But this other young lady is now in her sixties, and she has never gotten over this fellow. She still talks about him like it was yesterday.
Her life has been ruined, because she lived her life wishing she could return to the “Good old days!”
Well the fact is, she can live the remaining days of her life still wishing for the “Good old days”, but they never will come back again.
So many people live in the past.
Illus: A mother with two teenage daughters cannot accept the fact she is getting old. She wears the same kind of clothing her teenage daughters wear.
And if you really want to make this woman happy, just walk up to her and say, “I can’t tell which one is the daughter and which one is the mother.”
There are so many people today who are still trying to live in the past.
Illus: Some lost a spouse many years ago, and they have never gotten over it.
What we have to do with the past is what Paul did, he said, “…This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind…”
Maybe you made some terrible mistakes in the past. You need to put those things behind you because the PAST IS THE PAST!
WHY SHOULD THEY PUT THE PAST BEHIND THEM
Because, most of the time when we think of the past we do not do it wisely.
Look at Eccl. 7:10. We read, “Say not thou, WHAT IS THE CAUSE THAT THE FORMER DAYS WERE BETTER THAN THESE? for THOU DOST NOT INQUIRE WISELY CONCERNING THIS.”
There are two things we need to be concerned with when we live in the past.
1. Our memories of the “Glory days” can be SELECTIVE.
That is, our memories of the “glory days” are RARELY ACCURATE.
When we look back, we always look selectively. We remember how GOOD THINGS WERE, but we forget about how BAD THINGS WERE.
Illus: There is a book that is titled, “The Good Old Days…They Were Terrible!”
2. Also, our memories of the “glory days” can be SEDUCTIVE.
When we are looking at the past, there is a temptation to go back and desire the sin of the past.
SATAN WANTS YOU TO -
• Remember the taste of the alcohol on a hot day
• Remember the pleasure of a cigarette after dinner
• Remember the physical pleasure of a sinful sexual experience
SATAN DOES NOT WANT YOU TO REMEMBER -
• The hangover after the alcohol
• The bad taste in your mouth, the stained fingers, the smelly clothes, the cough, and the smoke covered lungs caused by the cigarettes
• The guilt and worry produced in your heart (would there be a child, a disease, etc.?)
We look at THE MEMORIES OF THE PAST, and also we look at...
II. THE MISTAKES OF THE PAST
We can regret the mistakes we make, but we cannot change them.
A. THE PAST CANNOT BE CHANGED
What is done is done!
Illus: David’s sin brought about some terrible things in his life. His child became very sick, and David fasted and prayed for God to spare the child, but God saw fit to take the child.
All of David’s friends saw how he fasted and prayed. They were shocked after the child died, because David got back into the routine of life so quickly.
He was asked about this, and this is what he said in 2 Sam. 12:22-23. We read, “And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether GOD will be gracious to me, that the child may live? But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.”
THE PAST CAN NOT BE CHANGED, but-
B. THE PAST CAN BE CONFESSED
Look at Psa. 32:3-5. We read, “When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah. I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.”
THE PAST CAN BE CONFESSED - and needs to be!
We read in 2 Cor. 7:10, “For GODLY SORROW worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.”
C. THE PAST CAN BE CONSTRUCTIVE
Illus: Dr. Ron LaFlam states it this way, “A healthy sense of shame for past errors will not paralyze us with regret, but rather will spur us on to greater service in the present.”
Paul is a great example of this.
Look at 1 Cor. 15:9,10. “For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.”
He knew his past. He recognized all of the harm he had done, and the mistakes he made motivated him to WORK HARDER FOR THE LORD!
We have looked at THE MEMORIES OF THE PAST, THE MISTAKES OF THE PAST, but before we close, let us look at-
III. THE MATURITY OF THE PAST
Paul said, in Phil. 3:14, “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
The past gives us something to measure our successes by.
Illus: Every brick layer knows that in order to lay a straight wall, he has to have a starting point and a place where he plans to finish.
The same thing holds true for the Christian life. Our PAST FAILURES are our starting point, and obedience to the commands of God’s Word is our final destination.
When we look at where we started, and where the Lord has brought us to, we see a measure of maturity in the different areas of our lives.
While we see change, we know there is always room for greater maturity in our lives.
Look at verse 12, we read, “Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.”
We all are aware that we need to improve. We should ask ourselves:
A. HAVE WE GROWN IN OUR LOVE?
There are two ways we should grow in love:
(1) FOR GOD
Look at what the Bible says about our love for God. In Deut. 6:5 we read, “And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.”
(2) FOR THE BRETHREN
In 1 Pet. 1:22 we read, “Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye LOVE ONE ANOTHER WITH A PURE HEART FERVENTLY:”
B. HAVE WE GROWN IN OUR THINKING?
We must continue to grow and to have the “Mind of Christ” in us. We need to think about things with His mind.
Phil. 2:5 “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:”
Rom. 12:2 “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
C. HAVE WE GROWN IN OUR WALK?
Have we separated from some of the worldliness that made up our past? Have we moved along in the process of sanctification?
1 Cor. 1:2 “Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:”
Phil. 3:16 “Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.”
While we may have come a long way, there is still more growing to be done.
D. HAVE WE GROWN IN OUR SPEECH?
It is not a mark of maturity to say, “Oh my God!” or “Oh Lord” or “Dear Jesus”, etc.. This is taking the name of the Lord in vain if we are just saying the name and not calling on Him.
Conclusion:
We have seen THREE areas where we may look at the past and be encouraged by change. While we may have cause for encouragement, we also realize the need to constantly press on.
May each one of us have the determination and courage to continue to live in the Present and look to the Future, as we grow daily in the Lord Jesus Christ!
I. THE MEMORIES OF THE PAST
II. THE MISTAKES OF THE PAST
III. THE MATURITY OF THE PAST
