http://bible.com/events/9323124

 Free From Yesterday

Conclusion: Hope for Tomorrow

Hebrews 6:18-20 NIV

“God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”

-The author is referring a promise God made to Abraham that was fulfilled.  

-We can have confidence that God keeps his promises. He does not lie. 

-Because of this confidence, we run towards the hope God has for us. 

-Hope is the anchor that holds us, even when storms are raging. 

-This hope is possible because the presence of the God is with us always. Jesus became the High Priest to give us access to the Holy Spirit. 

The problem is, a past filled with shame, rejection, and wounds seems like the opposite of hope.  We believe “hope is impossible for me, I’m too broken”. 

The truth is our past doesn’t disqualify us from hope.  Our past and the presence of hope are deeply connected.  

Romans 5:2-5

2 And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we[c] also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

-Our hope is grounded in God’s ability to get glory from our circumstances. 

-Hope is making a God-fueled decision about what has been and what will be. 

-Your suffering in the past produces your perseverance today. 

-Your perseverance today produces in you character right now.  

-And in your character, HOPE springs forth. 

Your past can actually become the fertile soil by which hope springs up! 

Bottom line: 

Being free from yesterday IS hope. 

More verses for reflection:

Hebrews 6:11-17

11 We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized. 12 We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. 13 When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, 14 saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.” 15 And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised. 16 People swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. 17 Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. 

Philippians 3:10-14

10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

1 Peter 1:3-5

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

http://bible.com/events/7205608

We acknowledge, our wounds can come from a lot of places:

• Wounds from past sin or from current sin (destructive behaviors) 

• Wounds from failure – you have disappointed yourself and others

• Wounds by other people – abused, disrespected, mistreated, abandoned

• Wounds from incredible loss in your life

• • •

Statement #1

(In the midst of your pain) He loves you.

• • •

Psalm 34:18

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. 

• • •

• Our emotions in the midst of our circumstances can sometimes make us feel like God is distant 

• But the truth is that Jesus weeps with us in our pain (John 11:35) 

• Jesus showed us a God who associates with the broken and the destitute

• Jesus is able to bring us the most comfort when we are hurting (Matthew 5:4) 

• • •

Statement #2

(In the midst of your pain) He can heal you. 

• • •

Psalm 34:18

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Add your private notes…

• • •

• It’s not just that God is close, but He desires to save, to minister, to heal

• “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3

-The wounds represented here were from years of being in exile

-God was healing deep emotional and psychological pain from all that was lost

• • •

John 5:1-9NIV

1 Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals.  2 Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades.  3 Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed.  4 5 One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?”  7 “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”  8 Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.”  9 At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, 

• • •

The Question:

Do you want to be healed? 

• The man’s response with reasonable excuses…”I have no help” and “Someone gets ahead of me” 

• Often we can identify all the reasons why experiencing healing is hard, without clearly answering the question 

• “God healed me, but I had to choose that healing. To be made whole, first I had to admit that I wasn’t.” Christine Caine

• Your past has no more power over you than what you give it.

• • •

Sometimes we want to be accepted, rather than healed.

We want to be comforted, rather than healed.

We want to be enabled, rather than healed. 

If we aren’t careful, our identity is totally caught up in our pain, our hurt, our wounds. 

Add your private notes…

• • •

“His healing follows you trust”

• • •

Philippians 3:13-14NIV

13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,  14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. 

• • •

“Straining toward what is ahead” is not easy. It sounds messy, even painful. There will be moments filled with uncertainty. But ultimately it comes down to trust. Trusting God means we are “straining toward what is ahead” and “pressing on.” 

How can God heal us if we will not trust Him with our wounds?

• • •

Other Texts for Further Reflection:

• • •

Isaiah 53:3-5NIV

3 He was despised and rejected by mankind,a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.Like one from whom people hide their faceshe was despised, and we held him in low esteem.  4 Surely he took up our painand bore our suffering,yet we considered him punished by God,stricken by him, and afflicted.  5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,he was crushed for our iniquities;the punishment that brought us peace was on him,and by his wounds we are healed. 

• • •

Psalms 73:26NIV

26 My flesh and my heart may fail,but God is the strength of my heartand my portion forever. 

• • •

Matthew 11:27-30MSG

27 Jesus resumed talking to the people, but now tenderly. “The Father has given me all these things to do and say. This is a unique Father-Son operation, coming out of Father and Son intimacies and knowledge. No one knows the Son the way the Father does, nor the Father the way the Son does. But I’m not keeping it to myself; I’m ready to go over it line by line with anyone willing to listen. 28 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” 29 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” 30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

http://bible.com/events/7197808

April 19
Free From Yesterday, Part 2: Rejection

Your past has no more power over you than what you give it.
o Last week we began by focusing on the powerful role of shame in our lives
o This week we focus on the role of rejection

Philippians 3:10-14
Paul made the decision to “forget what is behind”
o What were the things Paul needed to forget?
o Saul (before he was Paul) was an enemy of the church
-“Saul began to destroy the church” Acts 8:3
-“Saul was breathing our murderous threats” Acts 9:1
o God transforms his life and now He is Paul, servant of Christ  
o Paul experienced rejection from everyone
-the Jews wanted to kill him (Acts 9:23)
-the disciples and followers of Jesus were afraid of him (Acts 9:26)

The Truth About Our Own Journey
1.  We have all experienced rejection
 o often the memories of rejection stand out more than anything else from our past
2.  Rejection hurts
o There are scars that we carry for the rest of our lives because of the rejection of others
o As far as your brain is concerned, physical pain and experiences of emotional rejection are just as harmful
3. We can’t erase rejection from our past & we can’t prevent future rejection
o In fact, Jesus told us to expect rejection – John 15:18, Luke 10:6

The promise we can claim is that if we are followers of Christ, God will not reject us

Deuteronomy 31:6 
o At the end of his life, Moses wants the people of God to know that He will not reject them

Matthew‬ ‭27:45-46‬ 
o Ultimately, God would send His Son to the cross to pay the price for sin.
o We deserved God’s rejection, but instead Jesus took our place.  
o “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” 2 Corinthians 5:21

“God’s approval overwhelms man’s rejection”

o No matter how many time you have been rejected in your life today
God will not reject you
o If God won’t reject you, you can overcome any storm
o If Jesus conquered the grave….He can conquer the weight of your rejection

http://bible.com/events/7186638
April 12 – Easter Sunday
Free From Yesterday, Part 1: Shame

Many of us are prisoners of our past
o the things we have done
o the things that have been done to us
o Some would say, “I’m free of everything, except my past.”  The truth is, if you can’t get free from your past, you can’t get free of anything. 

The statement we will continue to come back to throughout this series:
Your past has no more power over you than what you give it.

Philippians 3:10-14 (NIV) 
Paul wants to know Christ in two specific ways:
o The power of His resurrection – The resurrection was not a past event, but rather it was a present reality in the life of the believer
o The participation in His sufferings – Jesus did not come as a conquering king, but rather His power was found in serving, in humility, and in weakness, even if it led to suffering

Knowing Christ in this way means we identify with Christ:
o Identify with his death – a death to self
o Identify with his resurrection – a resurrection to real life

The Easter message connects directly with power over your past
o Paul is forgetting what is behind, and He is moving forward
o It is removing the power of what’s behind to hinder him in the now. It is not removing the actual memory of the past, but its weight
o Easter holds the promise of freedom from your past – “It was for freedom that Christ has set us free” (Galatians 5:1)

For many the burden of shame seems to heavy for true freedom to be possible  
o Shame is the belief that we are flawed and therefor unworthy of love and belonging
o Believing that “I’m unlovable” and “I don’t belong”

John 8:2-11 (NIV) 
o The message from the religious leaders to this woman was clear: “Shame on you”
o For Jesus there is a clear difference between conviction and condemnation
o Conviction corrects…condemnation shames….

Romans 8:1-2 
Our church’s definition of The Gospel:
The Gospel is the good news message that God sent His son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for our sins. He was raised to life, victorious over the power of death. In choosing to live for Him, we can be free from the power of sin and experience abundant life today and eternal life in Heaven

The Gospel message is not a message of condemnation
o Jesus paid the ultimate price for our sins
o On Easter he roster again, overcoming death, conquering sin and shame
o No matter what our past is, we can experience freedom in Christ today

The power of God overcame the power of shame.

Other Verses for Study & Reflection:

Galatians 5:1 
2 Corinthians 5:14-17
Isaiah‬ ‭54:4‬ ‭
Romans 10:11

https://bible.com/events/7167361

Title: Perspective MattersJohn 14:27 (NIV)
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
At the start of this Holy Week there is good news that our visible eyes cannot see:
EASTER ISN’T CANCELED

The promise of Easter, that offers new life, also offers new perspective and peace that the world cannot take away
2 Corinthians 4:16-18

• We WON’T fix our eyes on
  • The flood of fear in the media and our world
  • Political banter that causes division
  • The hard hit financial portfolios
  • A rising death toll clicker

• We WILL fix our eyes on 
  • The peace he offers
  • The promise that He is working out things for our good
  • The prize of resurrection life
  • The people in need of hope that is found only in Him

The truth this Holy Week and throughout the entirety of this pandemic + beyond in our lives is this:

“Your heart will follow where your eyes are fixed”Where are your eyes fixed?

Let’s pray for perspective

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (MSG)

16-18 So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever.

Some practical ways to “fix your eyes”:

-Read God’s word, start a new bible reading plan on the YouVersion Bible App

-Set a time to pray regularly

-Stay connected to others, even if its virtually

-Turn on some worship music and turn the television off

-Tune into the Holy Week Daily devotional reflections this week + Midweek every Wednesday night.

Additional Texts: Romans 8:28, Genesis 50:20, Colossians 3:1-4