Don't Let Past Failures Discourage You -- Zac Poonen -- September 19, 2021
http://rlcf.church/media/sermons/dont-let-past-failures-discourage-you River of Life Christian Fellowship 1306 N Lincoln Avenue Loveland, Colorado - 80537, USA
Summary
The central message is that Christians should never become discouraged by past failures but must instead press on toward maturity and perfection in their faith. Drawing from Philippians 3, the speaker emphasizes that acknowledging imperfection is only the first step; the crucial action is to maintain a passionate commitment to growth, much like a student aiming for a high degree. This attitude requires embracing correction from others as a gift, viewing it as guidance toward Christlikeness.
Outline
The message in plain words, in the order it unfolds. Select a time to jump the video to that moment.
God wants us to mature like we want our children to matureJust as we are disappointed when our children remain immature, our heavenly Father wants us to grow up to spiritual maturity. He is never angry with us but loves us deeply and desires our growth.
Don't be discouraged - keep living by the standard you've attainedThose who are mature should have the attitude of pressing on toward perfection. Don't be discouraged by your current imperfection; thank God for what He's already done and keep advancing by the standard you've reached.Philippians 3:15–16
Paul's example - I haven't become perfect yet, but I press onPaul openly acknowledges he has not yet become like Christ, but he refuses to sit back in defeat. Instead, he presses forward with the ambition of a child pursuing a distant goal, never tiring of the journey.
Receive correction with gratitude - it shows you're serious about maturityWhen someone corrects you, respond with thankfulness rather than offense or defensiveness. Genuine correction is a teacher helping you solve a problem correctly so you can advance to the next level of spiritual growth.
You must forget what lies behind and reach forward to what lies aheadTwo foundational practices enable spiritual progress: forgetting past accomplishments and failures, and reaching forward toward your goal. This forward momentum prevents you from being stuck in either pride over victories or regret over defeats.
Your true goal is becoming like Christ, not gaining earthly reputationDon't chase the desire to be highly thought of by church leaders or to build a reputation. Your goal must be the upward call of God in Christ Jesus - to become more Christ-like in your behavior, attitudes, thoughts, and motives, whether anyone notices or not.
Christ's blood cleanses your past sins - understand its tremendous valueThe blood of Christ takes care of your past completely. Unlike Old Testament sacrifices that cost something tangible (an animal to purchase), we often treat Christ's blood casually because it costs us nothing materially. Yet it is far more precious and costly than any earthly sacrifice.
Even Joshua was told much land remained to be possessed - keep pressing forwardEven the best servant of God, Joshua, was told in his old age that very much land still remained to be possessed. This teaches us that no matter how much spiritual progress we've made, there is always more territory of our lives to bring under Christ's control.
Forget past achievements - stop congratulating yourself on sins overcomeDon't sit back satisfied and congratulate yourself for the spiritual progress you've made and the sins you've conquered. That satisfaction can prevent you from moving forward; you must forget your victories to keep pressing on.
Confess sin by taking full blame yourself - learn from Adam and ChristTo truly confess sin means to take personal responsibility without blaming others. Adam blamed his wife and God when confronted; but Christ on the cross took all blame, saying 'It's me,' taking responsibility for sins He didn't commit so you wouldn't have to bear the punishment.
God preserves the memory of past failures as a thorn to keep you humbleGod allows failure and often keeps the memory of past sin and foolish choices alive, like Paul's thorn in the flesh. This painful remembrance serves the purpose of keeping you humble permanently and preventing you from repeating those failures.
Forget by not punishing yourself - Christ already bore the punishmentYou cannot and should not erase the memory of past sin from your mind. Instead, 'forget' means you stop whipping yourself with guilt and self-punishment. Christ bore all the punishment; you don't need to inflict more pain on yourself.
Let regret spur you toward greater progress, not paralyze youTransform regret from a paralyzing force into a motivating one. When you remember past foolishness, let it fuel your desire to run hard toward Christ-likeness and make up for lost time, rather than leaving you stuck in shame.
The speaker discovered overcoming truth at thirty-six, sixteen years into ChristianityThe speaker wished he had understood the truths about an overcoming Christian life when he first became a believer at twenty. Instead, he struggled for sixteen years before his eyes were opened to how to make progress in Christ-likeness and usefulness to God.
Despite a late start, the speaker runs fast; urges young believers to also run hardBecause he is sorry for the foolish things he did and the years he lost, the speaker runs very fast today to make up for lost time. He urges young believers who have discovered these truths earlier to also run hard toward the prize of Christ-likeness, not taking their head start for granted.
Peter's denial of Jesus humbled him permanently yet didn't stop his mighty servicePeter's three-time denial of Jesus was permitted by God to humble him forever. Yet this humbling didn't paralyze him; after Pentecost, he became so powerful that three thousand people were converted through one sermon. The memory of his failure kept him humble all his life.
Don't regret earthly losses - trust that God allowed them for your spiritual benefitYou may have made wrong decisions that cost you money or lost opportunities. Rather than weeping over earthly losses, trust that God permitted those losses to keep you from drifting away from Him or being entangled by worldly wealth.
Final prayer - may the truth heard today permanently change your lifeThe speaker prays that listeners won't forget what they've heard today, but that it will change their lives permanently - not just for a few days, but for decades to come as they remember it and live it out.
