Past / Present / Future, Part 2: A New Perspective on Your Past

Grant Fishbook, Lead Teaching Pastor

Satan has two tools when it comes to your past:

When the devil reminds you of your past, remind him of .

And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. – Revelation 20:10

God speaks to both shame and condemnation in his Word

But the Lord God helps me;
       therefore I have not been disgraced;
therefore I have set my face like a flint,
        and I know that I shall not be put to shame. – Isaiah 50:7 (English Standard Version)

No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame,
        but shame will come on those who are treacherous without cause. – Psalm 25:3

Instead of shame and dishonor,
       you will enjoy a double share of honor.
You will possess a double portion of prosperity in your land,
        and everlasting joy will be yours. – Isaiah 61:7 (New Living Translation)

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus… – Romans 8:1

God has tools when it comes to reframing your perspective on your past

Father-given

For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more. – Hebrews 8:12

For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth;
        And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind. – Isaiah 65:17 (ESV)

The Lord is compassionate and gracious, 
        slow to anger, abounding in love.
He will not always accuse,
        nor will he harbor his anger forever;
he does not treat us as our sins deserve
        or repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
        so great is his love for those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
        so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion on his children, 
        so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
for he knows how we are formed,
        he remembers that we are dust. – Psalm 103:8–14

Spirit-given …

So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them.  – 2 Corinthians 5:16-19

…which is one of !

Small Group Questions

1. How are you doing with your New Year’s resolutions?
2. What is your normal emotional response to your past? Shame? No reaction? Pride?
3. Look back at what God says over your past. Which of the verses speaks the most to your heart? Why?
4. How does gratitude affect the way you view your past? What can you thank God for when it comes to reframing your past?
5. We all have a past, but we don’t need to get stuck there. One way to be free of the past is to share those difficult moments. Is there any part of your past that you would like to share with the group or a trusted friend, knowing that Jesus can cover it all in grace and mercy?
6. How can we pray for you right now and throughout the week?