Episode Details

The Believers’ Riches in Christ -Freedom From the Past Does God Ever Forget? Hebrews 10:17 Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more The Freedom of Forgiveness How can we be free from the tyranny of the past? Forgiveness is the key to freedom from the past Three Steps: • Accept God’s Forgiveness • Forgive Others • Forgive Yourself John 10: 10 Jesus said: The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I (Jesus) came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. • Why did Jesus come? • Who is the thief? We all have a past We cannot change the past But we can be changed by the past We can be in bondage to the past: We all have past things in our lives, that have the potential to affect how we live • Regrets It worries me that I was not kinder to my brother before he died It worries me that I did not spend more time with my children It worries me that …… It worries me that ……. Regrets are the ghost of the past that haunts us, can make it difficult for us to live at peace Sins David cried out in Psalm 51, “My sin is ever before me” How many people have dark pages in their diary? And when these pages flash through their mind they hate themselves? • Mistakes, wasted, lost and misused opportunities Multitudes of people are making life miserable for themselves and others by repeating, “if only…”, “if only…”, they dream of life that can never be because of lost opportunities. • Failures Years ago, in some culture, a man who failed was expected to commit suicide to atone for his failure. Today, most people don’t kill themselves, they spend the rest of their life torturing themselves, punishing themselves for mistakes they have made We live in a world that demands success, according to most people, success is a measure of a man’s worth, if a man fails then he must live with that burden the rest of his life The past has a way of moving into the present and making the future look very dark. Hello my name is Regret (Matthew West) The Past as a Thief Most people are crucified between Two Thieves: the Regrets of Yesterday and the Fears of Tomorrow; and this keeps them from enjoying the blessings of today Jesus knows about your regrets, your sins, your wasted opportunities, your failure and He loves you just the same He wants to liberate you from this bondage that is robbing you of joy and peace John 8: 31-32 Jesus said: “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:36 Jesu said: If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. When you turn yourself over to Jesus He completely washes away your past • Every sin • Every mistake • Every foolish act • In fact he promises to forget our past and never hold it against us Hebrews 10:17 Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more Woman at the well Woman caught in adultery Woman in Simon’s House Man at the Well at Bethsaida We forget what God want us to remember We remember what God wants us to forget. Christ died for our sins The blood of Jesus Christ was away our sins The old record has been destroyed And we have made a new beginning in Christ Apostle Peter Think of Apostle Peter, the man openly denied the Lord Jesus three times Luke 22:54-61 Apostle Peter Acts 3:14 Peter knew that his sins were no longer held against him. Timothy 1 • A proud Pharisee • A blasphemer • A persecutor of believers • Even a murderer Apostle Paul • Accept God’s Forgiveness Freedom From the Past Timothy 1 12 Apostle Paul • If you are a Christian, God has completely dealt with all of your sins Not just part but all of your sins. • You are justified –God has declared you righteous in Jesus Christ Romans 5:1 Therefore, having been justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ