Sermons
A Message by the Rev. Harvey G. Throop
Palisades Presbyterian Church
San Diego, California
Forgetting What Lies behind
( Philippians 3:7-14 )
". . .but one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal of the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."
(Philippians 3:13b-14)
One of the things we like most about New Years is the opportunity it brings to us to make a fresh start. We open new calendars. We create new diaries. We set up new financial books.
Many folks also like to make New Year's resolutions. We are told that among the most popular New Year's resolutions are these: to lose some weight, to exercise more, to get better grades in school, to handle our money better, to get out of debt and to be more regular in church attendance. All of these are worthy goals and I wish each of us the best of luck in achieving them if those are our goals.
But there's another New Year's resolution that we need to consider along with all the rest. It is one that was stated well by the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Philippians, “…but one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead…" (Philippians 3:13,14).
I believe that there is a need in each of us to forget much what lies behind. For some among us, doing that is not all that difficult.
You've heard about the man who came to his doctor and said, “Doc, I have a terrible memory; I can't remember anything.” The doctor replied, “How long have you had this problem?” The man replied, “What problem?”
The need for us to forget certain things is important. Two people were talking one day and one of them said to the other, “You know, I have a friend who has a terrible memory.” The other person said, “Forgets everything?” “No,“ said the first, “Remembers everything!”
The Apostle Paul knew there are certain things we need to forget. That is why he wrote what he did in our scripture reading. Paul had learned that as wonderful as it is to remember, it is also good sometimes to forget. Certainly, life teaches us the same thing.
For example, there are times when we need to forget past successes.
Oh, I know. It's fun to re-live past moments of achievement. To some extent, we all like to do that. However, some folks who bask in the glow of their past successes become complacent and forget about the tasks at hand.
How many times have we heard coaches in interviews say words to the effect, “We were successful too early.” Former Denver Bronco's coach Mike Shanahan could have said that! As we are all well aware and, also, quite thankful, the Denver Broncos led the division all season and seemed on their way to the division championship. However, they lost their final three games, becoming the first team since divisional play started in 1967 to blow a three-game lead with three games left.
It's true: our successes can make us complacent when we dwell on the past and forget about the present. The Apostle Paul wrote: “Forgetting what lies behind … I press on.”
None of us dare rest on past accomplishments. Paul knew that. He knew there were new challenges and new opportunities in the present. And he summons us to forget what lies behind and to press on into the future.
In addition to forgetting past successes, we also need to forget about past hurts. These can not only drain away our energy from us, but they can poison our souls.
How often we nurse bitter wounds or mourn lost opportunities! Sometimes, we will allow a personal failure to live endlessly in our minds so that our lives are literally imprisoned in bitter remorse. What a pity it is when that happens!
We are each guilty of that in our own way!
What about the time we had an argument with a co-worker or former friend? It wasn't about anything really important, but we allowed it to become that way, didn't we? Are we going to feed our bitterness over that during this New Year? Or are we going to follow the advice of the Apostle Paul who said, "Forget what lies behind?"
What about that time our toes got stepped on and our feelings got hurt? Maybe it happened unintentionally, but we didn't want to think it was unintentional. No, we wanted to believe that we were hurt deliberately! So we became bitter … maybe toward a friend … maybe toward someone at work … maybe even toward the church or school.
Are we going to carry that bitterness over into this new year, too? Or, are we going to follow the advice of Paul who said, "Forget what lies behind!" You know something: maybe the whole incident was our own fault. Did we ever consider that possibility?
How many people do you know who have said words to the effect, “I will never forgive so and so for what they did to me.” We've all heard those words spoken. But what good are they expecting to accomplish from that?
I remember visiting with a woman one day who was talking about her ex-husband. After she had talked about what a no good lousy creep he was, etc. etc., she said, “And if he thinks I'm going to do this or do that, he's got another think coming.”
Well, it may feel good at the moment to say things like that. However, if you continue to hate another person for something they did once upon a time, that other person will control your life forever. There comes a time when you have to let go and move on.
That's what Paul was saying. Don't let past hurts fester within you. Don't let past hurts make you ill. Forget about your hurts. Put them behind you. Get on with your life.
Certainly, Paul knew what he was talking about. If there was ever a person who had a past that could have ruined him, Paul was the person. Had he allowed the past to live in his mind, how imprisoned and confined his life would have been. But having been transformed into a new person, he put away all memory of former things and set his life for the present. "I press on," he wrote, "toward the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."
Will Rogers put it well when he said, “Don't let yesterday use up too much of today!” We need to forget past successes and past hurts. And I would add to that, “And we need to forget past failures!”
Each of us has known failure. We have all made mistakes. We have all fallen short. We have all sinned. We all need to be given a fresh start. We need to move past our failures and to welcome today as the first day of the rest of our lives.
In the Old Testament prophecy of Jeremiah, we read the word of God speaking through his prophet, “I will forgive your iniquity and remember your sin no more” (Jeremiah 31:34-35).
What a wonderful thing it is to know that, with the forgiveness of God, we can have new life and can erase from our memories our past failures. Isn't that key to a meaningful life?
As you and I begin a new year, let us set our sights on the goals we have set before us. Let us throw away old hurts and failures, so that we, too, may press on toward the goal of a stronger faith, a better discipleship, and a deeper love for Christ and for all whom he loves!
