How to Forget

How FORGETTING Fixes Your Thoughts

Philippians 3

 

October 16th  2011 PM

Pastor Craig Ledbetter

Bible Baptist Church, Ballincollig, Cork, Ireland

www.biblebc.com

 

I.       Introduction (Philippians 3:13)

 

A.    I think we would all agree that it is hard to do what God says do here – to forget some things

 

1.      Forgetting is not easy

2.      But it is necessary if we are to have sound minds

3.      Troubled minds cannot forget! Sound minds are able to forget some things!

 

B.     Now, Let’s be Clear… There are some things NOT to forget

                                                                                                                                                                                                      

1.      Psa 103:2  “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits”

2.      Psa 119:16  “I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.” Store it away for the rainy days

3.      Deut 8:2  “And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.”

 

C.     But, It is Possible to Forget

 

1.      God forgets (Heb 10:17) – on purpose!

2.      We already Forget Some Things

 

a.       God (Psalm 9:17; Jer 2:32)

b.      God’s Blessings (Psalm 103:2)

c.       God’s LAWS (Hos 4:6) – Pharisees forgot them all the time (Mt 23:23)

d.      To do right (Heb 13:16) no matter how much we are taught, and preached at

 

3.      The world turns to drink and drugs to help them forget (Pr 31:5,7)

 

D.    Paul commands us to make it one of our highest priorities to forget some things!

E.     God promises that we CAN forget the things behind us (Isa 54:4)

F.      Let’s learn how tonight!

 

II.    How to Forget (Philippians 3:1-14)

 

A.    Reject Your Importance (Philp 3:3-7)

 

1.      It starts with dethroning YOU!

2.      People won’t forget some things because they feel it proves they are right

3.      They need those memories sharp, to use like a lawyer to be right

4.      Yet God says that we need to:

 

a.       Die to self (Rom 6:1-6)

b.      Reckon yourself to be dead (Col 3:2) – unimportant, old news!

c.       Quit thinking your rightness, and your needs really matter right now

 

B.     Respect Christ (Philp 3:8-10) – Esteem Him! Magnify Him!

 

1.      Paul added up all that he accomplished in his own life, and all that he got in Christ, and saw only Jesus left standing!

a.       Everything in Paul’s life except Jesus was a loss!

b.      If there was anything good in his life, it was because of Christ

2.      Compared to Jesus Christ, his own life, successes, accomplishments were only dung

3.      What do you think Paul’s FAILURES were then? LESS than dung!

4.      Example:

a.       It’s like a wealthy prince falling in love with a commoner, and throwing his kingdom all away as if nothing because of the greater wealth in the person of his love!

b.      THAT is how Paul felt about discovering Jesus!

5.      Prize Jesus, the Son of God!

 

a.       That He loves you and gave Himself for you (Gal 2:20)

b.      That you know Him (Jer 9:23,24)

 

6.      It will help you forget anything holding you back!

 

C.    Release to the Past – Forgive (Philp 3:13,14)

 

1.      I have a past life that is in the PAST (1Cor 6:9-11).That is where it belongs!

2.      But not everyone lives a different life now

 

a.       Still struggling with hurts from years ago

b.      Still struggling with sinful habits, and sinful thinking

c.       Some of the worst damages to our minds are not what we experienced years ago, but when we relive it over and over and over every time a memory comes up

 

1)      That is the problem with memory – it can be played over and over and over

2)      And it affects us just as if the words, or the pain was happening all over again!

 

3.      The Biblical Meaning of Forgetting

 

a.       It is not possible to remove an event the memory – not possible – unless brain damaged

b.      To forget means to not think about –

 

1)      If you are running a race, and there are 50 other runners, you “forget” about those other runners, and focus only on WHAT? The finish line!

 

c.       To forget means to not pay attention to something (James 1:24)

 

1)      We so often ignore important things and remember hurtful things

2)      A Christian has to turn that around

 

d.      The memories of our past will always be there…

e.       But their power in your life needs to be ignored

f.       To forget means

 

1)      To LOSE the memory of something – like, Oops!

2)      To neglect to remember, on purpose hopefully!

3)      To let go of a memory and its IMPORTANCE – don’t tell me it won’t let go of you, when it probably is YOU that won’t let go of it!

 

g.      It requires that we forgive – there is NO OTHER WAY

 

1)      If memories haunt you, then unforgiveness is the cause!

2)      Release our enemy, the one who hurt us, who owes us – release them from the debt that they owe you!

3)      Only Christians can do this!

 

a)      Ephesians 4:31,32

b)      Colossians 3:12,13

c)      Romans 12:20,21

 

4.      Forgiving is Releasing a Debt (Dt 15:1-3,9)

 

a.       And you forgive because GOD said to

b.      Pilate made a RELEASE (Mt 27:15-26)

c.       Forgiveness enabled GOD to forget (Heb 8:12; 10:17)

 

5.      Joseph allowed GOD to help him forget his past (Gen 41:51) – he allowed it!

 

a.       Joseph still remembered everything, but he chose to actively, forget it ever happened at all – he chose to LIVE like it never happened: even while as a slave, or in prison!

b.      Joseph could have gotten and stayed bitter like Esau did, but he didn’t!

c.       The only difference between Esau and Joseph was that Joseph allowed God to move him forward!

d.      They both were abused, hurt, taken advantage of

e.       But only ONE decided to forget about it!

 

6.      What Should We Forget?

                                                        

a.       Every memory that defiles your mind. Whatever pulls you back under bondage of the past is not a memory to keep around

b.      Every failure (Isa 38:17).

 

1)      Learn from them, yes

2)      But then ignore their power over you

3)      No Christian is a failure until he or she quits (Pr 24:16)

 

c.       Every thing that calls for our attention from following God’s will! (Luke 9:62)

 

7.      Believe me, Christians need to desperately forget some things – to make room so that you can start remembering some better things!

 

a.       When others have hurt you in the past, Disappointed you, said and done hurtful things against you - Pro 18:8  The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.

b.      There’s not one of us who doesn’t have a collection of hurts. But God says let them go into the past where they belong

 

1)      Your Pain and Scars. Pro 18:14  The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity; but a wounded spirit who can bear? Only a born again, Bible believing child of God!

2)      Psa 147:3  He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.”

 

c.       If you CAN’T forgive, it is ONLY BECAUSE you won’t put away those things – you WON’T let them go!

d.      "Forgiveness is the power to change the past."

e.       God’s Forgiveness means

 

1)      God buries our sins and does not mark the grave. It is part of His forgiveness!

2)      Our loving Father would much rather forgive than judge. Do YOU have that desire and attitude?

3)      When God looks at a Christian he sees a person who is totally covered by the righteousness of Jesus Christ. That's what He sees when He looks at you. He doesn't think of all those sins. They're all forgiven. They're all blotted out.

4)      Once you delete a memory, it should be gone forever. And that's exactly what God does to your sins. They're gone forever! Deleted, purged, wiped out, forgiven! When He sees you, He sees a forgiven person!

 

f.       Hey! Decide to start LEARNING from your failure, not just living with it! Mistakes make great teachers, especially when we own up to our own mistakes and sins instead of always blaming others for the way we are!!!

g.      Don't waste any more days and nights…

 

1)      Living in the past

2)      Dwelling on past disappointments

3)      Some of you wouldn’t know what to do if you didn’t wake up depressed and discouraged about what happened yesterday!

 

h.      If you DON’T forget some past things, You will Never be Able to Reach Forth to Some FUTURE Things

 

D.    Reach Forth to More Important Things (Philp 3:13)

 

1.      Take some risks

2.      Leave your comfort zone of bitterness and sorrow, and frustration and step out by faith to new levels of spiritual growth

3.      Settle Your Target - Press On Towards a Target (Philp 3:14) and reach it!

 

a.       To “press toward the prize” means

 

1)      To force myself forward

2)      To thrust myself forward

 

a)      To push against what’s behind me

b)      Yes, gravity is pulling the climber down all the time

c)      But at first he has to push away from the gravity to start climbing

d)     Push away from your old drinking buddies, and your secret sins

e)      Thrust yourself in a different direction – God’s will!

 

3)      To not allow myself to slip backwards, to backslide

4)      To pull myself towards my target like a mountain climber

 

b.      The Example of Israel

 

1)      Israel’s past, and the world around them constantly pulled them away from God, and back first to Egypt, then into the paganism of the surrounding cultures around them – same with us

2)      The nation of Israel just constantly repeated its past sins because they never aimed higher than their past!!!

 

c.       God calls us to aim HIGH

 

1)      The HIGH calling of God – God’s design, purpose for your life

2)      There is a mark, and to reach it, you ALWAYS have to aim HIGHER than the mark if you want to hit it

 

d.      What is our target? We already are headed to heaven…

 

1)      A call to holiness, not mediocrity

2)      A call to resisting the devil, not becoming his slave again and again

3)      A call to passionately, fervently serve, like no other ever has

4)      Don’t be like Thomas who constantly doubted Jesus and expected to lose and die every day!

5)      Be more than a conqueror like Christ died to make you into!

6)      A call to lay up treasures in heaven instead of here on earth

7)      A challenge to hear, “Well done” from the Lord Jesus

8)      A challenge to be so sold out for the Lord Jesus Christ that the world would never be the same, just because of one well aimed life!

 

4.      Stretch your focus and efforts out to

 

a.       The Future – not the past! You can’t go back! But you CAN and MUST go forward!

 

1)      Reaching forth unto those things which are before 

2)      Stretching forward

3)      Stretch yourself

4)      Reach into your future

5)      For the Christian, there is only hope in the future

6)      There is only adventure ahead (some rough spots, but adventure and reward)

7)      Unexplored territory

 

b.      The victorious Christian life – seek to live like God designed you to live

 

1)      Quit reminding yourself of the failure you were!

2)      Loving God always

3)      Faithful serving God always

4)      Free from sinful habits and secret sins always

 

c.       Jesus Christ – win Him like you did your wife, or your husband, your Boss’ approval or your parent’s praise!

d.      The needs of the world around you

                                                                                                                                

1)      Stretch out your voice to witness to that impossible person

2)      Stretch out your kindness to that enemy that repulses you

 

e.       Take some risks folks! That’s what living by faith means!

f.       Quit looking back!

 

III. Conclusion

 

A.    I think we would all agree that it is hard to do what God says do here – to forget some things

B.     But, It is Possible to Forget

 

1.      Paul commands us to make it one of our highest priorities to forget some things!

2.      God promises that we CAN forget the things behind us

 

C.    How to Forget (Philippians 3:1-14)

 

1.      Reject Your Importance (Philp 3:3-7) – get off the throne!

2.      Respect Christ (Philp 3:8-10) – Esteem Him! Magnify Him! It will help you forget anything holding you back!

3.      Release to the Past – Forgive (Philp 3:13,14)

 

a.       To forget means to not think about –

b.      To forget means to not pay attention to something (James 1:24)

c.       To LOSE the memory of something – like, Oops!

d.      To neglect to remember, on purpose hopefully!

e.       To let go of a memory and its IMPORTANCE – don’t tell me it won’t let go of you, when it probably is YOU that won’t let go of it!

f.       It requires that we forgive – there is NO OTHER WAY

1)      Forgiving is Releasing a Debt (Dt 15:1-3,9)

2)      If you CAN’T forgive, it is ONLY BECAUSE you won’t put away those things – you WON’T let them go!

3)      Don't waste any more days and nights…

 

a)      Living in the past

b)      Dwelling on past disappointments

c)      Some of you wouldn’t know what to do if you didn’t wake up depressed and discouraged about what happened yesterday!

 

g.      If you DON’T forget some past things, You will Never be Able to Reach Forth to Some FUTURE Things

 

4.      Reach Forth to More Important Things (Philp 3:13)

 

a.       Leave your comfort zone of bitterness and sorrow, and frustration and step out by faith to new levels of spiritual growth

b.      And reach it!