Leave the Past in the Past and Don’t Look Back

(Philippians 3:12-16)

To leave the past in the past is a good message from which we can all learn. Not just Christians, but everyone needs to learn this lesson.

Continually throwing up the things of the past does us no good, and in fact does us great evil as Christians. The past is where our sin is and the ways of the world that we escaped when we came to Christ.

Jesus has set us free from our sin and taken away the guilt of our past, so the lesson here today is particularly important, that we should leave the past in the past.

Leave the past in the past

The second and third verse in this section says this, (I’ll get to the first verse shortly).

13 Brethren, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13-14)

Note the words Paul instructs the Philippians to do in this section. He instructs them to forget what lies behind and to strain forward to what lies ahead.

The past has nothing for us, and yet as we know there are many people who live in the past. They talk about the “good old days” and reminisce about how things used to be better in the past. They shun the things of the present and want no part of the future.

This is a shame because you cannot live in the past. It is especially problematic for Christians if they follow these patterns of thinking.

We have been called to walk with Jesus Christ. Walking suggests a steady movement forward as we learn and grow with Christ. It is not a stationary situation we have been called into, but a path that leads us forward.

We must also consider the words of Jesus Christ when He said,

35 Jesus said to them, “The light is with you for a little longer. Walk while you have the light, lest the darkness overtake you; he who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes. (John 12:35)

In these words Jesus tells us that we must continue to walk and to move forward with Him, believing in the light who is Jesus Christ.

But note also that if we were to stop walking and remain stationary, the darkness will overtake us. What that says is that just as we must continue to move forward, the darkness of evil is also moving forward, continually pursuing those who have stepped into the light of Jesus Christ and nipping at the heels of the people of God to try and draw them back into the darkness.

This is another reason why we must leave the past in the past. What is past is gone, and all of the sin and darkness with it, while we walk in the light of Jesus Christ.

Consider also these words:

Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62)

When a farmer ploughs a field he must keep his eyes forward to see where he is going and to keep the plough going in a straight path. Likewise a Christian must keep their eyes forward on Jesus Christ who is leading them through the obstacles of this life along the narrow path that leads to life.

If the farmer continues to plough his field but is looking backwards, how will he know where to go? How will he know if the line he is ploughing is straight and where it needs to be to ensure the field is properly prepared?

So too, if a Christian looks back into the things of their former life, then they have taken their eyes off Jesus and will stray from the path that He is leading them on. They will suffer and may be lost.

This again shows us that we are to leave the past in the past. There is no good to be gained from raking over the past, especially as we know we have died to this world and the things of the past when we accepted the death of Jesus Christ as our own.

Perfection in Jesus Christ

This brings me now to consider the first verse in this section of scripture, which says:

12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. (Philippians 3:12)

Paul did not claim to be perfect, and who can anyway? But in his words we see there is the possibility of perfection in Jesus Christ.

Paul’s words make it clear that we can be perfected in Jesus Christ as we continue to walk with and in Him. He is saying that even though he was not yet perfect, Paul recognised that there is a way and that it was possible because he was pushing and pressing forward to the goal of perfection.

Jesus also made he statement that we MUST come into the place of perfection, and that makes sense because when He establishes His kingdom on earth and all of the evil and sin has been done away with so that the Father will live with man, then man must be perfect because no sinner or evil person will stand in the presence of God.

Consider the words of Jesus when He said:

You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:48)

Jesus did not specify that perfection would be something “nice to have.” No, He was adamant about the need to be perfect saying you MUST be perfect as the Father is likewise perfect.

The only way we can come to perfection is in and through Jesus Christ. It is His teachings that will take us into perfection and without Christ this is not possible.

Jesus is our future, and that is why we must leave the past in the past. Our past is all about imperfection, evil, sin and weakness. But our future is about life, freedom, hope and perfection.

So let us take heed to the words of Paul to forget what lies behind and strain forward to the future in Jesus Christ that is perfection and life. And as Paul finishes this section of scripture, we must be mature and keep these thoughts in our minds at all times.

15 Let those of us who are mature be thus minded; and if in anything you are otherwise minded, God will reveal that also to you. 16 Only let us hold true to what we have attained. (Philippians 3:12-16)

You might also like:

Perfection In Jesus Christ
What Shall I Do To Inherit Eternal Life
You Cant Go Back Part 1
You Cant Go Back Part 2
Oops I Did It Again
Walking In The Spirit
Transformation
Mystery Revealed
Understanding The Depths Of God
Perfected In Jesus Christ
Imitate Christ
Marriage And Freedom From Law
Aiming For The Goal
Becoming Perfect
Accepted For Who You Are
My Power Is Made Perfect In Weakness
Pray For Perfection