Someone asked an elderly Christian lady, “Does the devil ever trouble you about your past sins?” She answered, “Yes.” When the inquirer asked what she did then, she replied, “Oh, I just tell him to go east.”
“What do you do if he comes back?”
“I tell him to go west.”
“And when he comes back from the west, what do you do then?”
She said, “I just keep him going from the east to the west.”
“As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12). Satan often uses the past to stir up guilt, fear, anger, and worry.
Preoccupation with our past sins derails our present-day growth and clouds our view of God’s amazing grace.
It is vital we do not live in the past. In Philippians 3:12-21, Paul speaks of the necessity of leaving the past in the past. Let’s look at 3 directives in the second half of this chapter.
LIVE IN THE PRESENT (3:12-16)
The goal is not yet reached (3:12). The word “attain” in verses 11 and 12 does not mean the same thing. While Philippians 3:11 speaks metaphorically of an inheritance coming down or descending to an heir, verse 12 speaks of getting or winning a prize (cf. I Cor. 9:24). The verb tense in verse 11 is in the aorist, pointing to the time of his conversion. The literal reading of the aorist tense here would be, “I say not that I did at once win the prize.” He then switches to the perfect verb tense in verse 12, pointing to his present state. The perfect here reads, “nor have I been already made perfect.” Even with all of Paul’s many sacrificial labors for the sake of the gospel, Paul had not yet reached perfection. The prize would be the outcome of a lifetime of effort. He is still “working out his own salvation” (Phil. 2:12). Remember, this is not a reference to earning salvation (that would contradict many scriptures). However, it is a reference to living the reality of his salvation in everyday life. (Source: Vine’s Expository Dictionary; The Pulpit Commentary; Vincent Word Studies Commentary)
Don’t live in the past (3:13). Paul made his fair share of mistakes; in fact, he called himself the chief of sinners (I Tim. 1:15). Perhaps it was his partaking in the first Christian martyr’s stoning (Acts 7-8), or his argument with his long-time co-laborer, Barnabas (Acts 15:36-41). Perhaps it was his longing to have seen more churches established and more people saved, but here Paul urges us all to leave the past in the past! Nothing we do in the present will ever change the past.
We often struggle with our past as well. I Corinthians 10:13 reminds us that wrong choices from our past are common struggles among the church. Consider a small list of possibilities that the Philippian believers needed to leave in the past: relationship hurts (2:2-3), selfishness (2:3), pride (2:7-8), complaining (2:14), arguing (2:14), and belief in false teaching (3:2-3). Here are some signs you are living in the past:
o Refusing Change: you believe change is wrong unless you came up with the idea. Spiritual growth requires change (II Pet. 3:18). This means there are times we all must admit we were wrong and then choose a right pathway to walk.
o Unforgiving: you do not forgive easily and when you say you forgave. You are prone to resentment, bitterness, and you are easily offended over small things.
o Rehearsing the Past: you regularly talk about past offenses. You rehearse the offense in your mind, even after one has asked for forgiveness.
o Selective Memory Disorder: You can remember specific details of a relationship fight from 5 years ago, but you cannot remember the plans you have agreed to with your spouse that week.
Here is a practical pathway forward:
1. Confess an unforgiving spirit to God and those involved.
2. Commit to read and study the Bible every day.
3. Proactively rehearse truths about God. Replace toxic thinking with Bible truth in the first 4 seconds the toxic thought begins (II Cor. 10:5).
4. Imagine the consequences of where your current choices will take you.
5. Aim for the target your loving God gave you.
Strive for the prize in the present (3:14). The Spirit of God calls us to leave the past in the past and to press on! Live in the present! Yes, we have chosen poorly in the past. We have argued with those we love, embraced strife instead of unity, nurtured anger instead of patience, and preferred self over others. It is time to confess it all as sin, turn away from it, and press on for Jesus! It is time to get back on the tracks of a godly marriage, a godly home, and a godly personal life!
It is pride that too often
holds us back from pressing on.
Greater depth of relationship with God brings forward this mindset (3:15-16). We often realize that these truths are more easily taught than they are lived. How do we find traction in pressing on? It is undeniably connected to a deeper relationship with Jesus. So, believer, get in the Word, read the Word, pray the Word, memorize the Word, and rehearse the Word every day!
FOLLOW GODLY EXAMPLES (3:17-21)
The Danger of Falling Away (3:18-19). It is interesting that Paul does not shy away from or attempt to hide those in the church that are doing wrong. He comes right out and warns the rest not to follow their example.
The church is merely broken people pointing broken people to the Holy God.
The reality is that the church does have some who rebel, who are stubborn, and who simply do not follow Jesus well – and the impact is real. Look at these 6 outcomes of those who walk far from Jesus:
o Grieves the heart of a believer - “and now tell you even with tears”
o Is an enemy of Jesus - “walk as enemies of the cross of Christ”
o Finds personal destruction in the end - “Their end is destruction”
o Follows selfish desires - “their god is their belly”
o Is proud of their shame - “they glory in their shame”
o Focused on temporary things - “with minds set on earthly things”
PURSUE HEAVENLY CITIZENSHIP (3:20-21)
In contradiction to the “enemies of the cross,” the believer’s citizenship is in heaven. During this time in history, Roman citizenship was a prized position. Heavenly citizenship far exceeds any other possibility. Believers are merely pilgrims in the here and now awaiting the ultimate “prize” of heaven. So, look for Jesus…expect Jesus! (Source: Jameison, Faucett, & Brown Bible Commentary)
A Brooklyn man was once arrested for stealing and sentenced to several years in the state penitentiary. A few years into his sentence, the man escaped from prison and disappeared. Police detectives spent hours searching for him, following leads, and analyzing his escape, but to no avail. Although many detectives gave up on the case after several years, one young detective never gave up. Bit by bit, he tracked down every clue and kept searching for the escapee until one day, many years later, he finally found the escaped criminal.
Following him to a convenience store, the detective approached him from behind, laid his hand on his shoulder, and notified him that he was under arrest. Shocked, the escapee said, “What’d I do officer?”
“I know what you did years ago. I know how you broke out of prison, disappeared out west, got married, then came back to live with your family.”
Realizing his future would be in prison, the man asked the officer if they could at least go to his house so he could say goodbye to his family. Seeing the sorrow in his eyes, the officer agreed. When they arrived at his house, the man asked his wife, “Have I been a good husband to you? Have I been a good father to our children?”
“Why yes,” replied the wife, “you have. But why are you asking me this?”
At that point the escaped man explained everything to his wife, relaying past events he thought would stay hidden. He begged the detective to recognize how he had turned his life around and pardon him, yet the detective still handcuffed him and led him away.
While the escaped criminal may have lived several years as a law-abiding citizen and had demonstrated love and kindness for his family, he was still guilty of stealing and had not finished his sentence. He may have been good, but his good actions didn’t outweigh his past actions. (Source: Daily in the Word, February 6, 2010)
Our past actions cannot be outweighed by our present good choices. However, the Lord’s selfless sacrificial act on the cross, shedding his blood to cover our sin, does pardon our sin! He alone took the judgement we deserve, and He offers this gift freely to all. When you receive His gift, you are pardoned!! Free from the past and truly forgiven. Believer, do not live in the past. You are free!