God

Peace for Your Past

“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭26‬:‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭1‬:‭12‬-‭14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

You are not defined by your past, you are prepared by it.

Imprisoned by Your Past

Unfulfilled expectations.

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭13‬:‭12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Untreated pain.

“Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.””
‭‭Luke‬ ‭2‬:‭34‬-‭35‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Unresolved traumas.

““In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭4‬:‭26‬-‭27‬ ‭NIV‬‬

  • Forgiveness doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.
  • Forgiveness doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt.
    • Walk by faith, not by feelings
  • Forgiveness doesn’t mean reconciliation.

“It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭1‬:‭15‬-‭18‬, ‭20‬-‭21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Forgiveness is free, trust is earned.

Guilt is not from God. It paralyzes action.

Peace for Your Past

Your biggest sings are not too big for God’s grace.

“I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison,”
‭‭Acts‬ ‭22‬:‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

You are not what you have done.
You are who God says you are.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”
‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭5‬:‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Sin is not a person, it is an event.

Your trauma wasn’t your fault.
but the healing is your responsibility.

  • Process the pain of your trauma
    • You heal best in community, not isolation.

“We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself.”
‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭1‬:‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

  • Prayerfully press into God with your trauma

“Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭12‬:‭8‬-‭10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

  • Pursue purpose in your trauma

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”
‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

You can’t change your past
but Christ can change your future.

“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, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3‬:‭13‬-‭14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Source: 
Perfect Peace: Peace for Your Past (VIDEO)
Discovery Church Sermon Notes (11/13/2022)
Pastor Jason Hanash - Bakersfield, California

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