Today’s Bible Study, Authored by Arthur
Cincotti. 01/29/2023
Listen to our Bible
Study Discussion at: The Weight of the Past Podast
Or watch the Video Zoom Session of our Study on YouTube:
The Weight of the Past
“…forgetting those
things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I
press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ
Jesus.” Phil. 3:13,14
Adam was created from the dust,
in the image of God, and received the breath of life. He was a man without a
past, but he was also designed to have a memory. When God commanded “the
man, saying, ‘Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree
of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat…”
Gen.
2:16,17, it was necessary for Adam to remember
that command.
As we have seen in past
studies, there are good dimensions to design and corruptible dimensions. Memory
is a gift of God’s design and a reflection of His likeness. In Gen. 9:15 God
says to Noah, “and I will remember My covenant…” God charges the
children of Israel to remember the Passover, and we are directed by Jesus, when
celebrating the supper to, “do this in remembrance of Me”
Remember is translated “be
mindful” in the YLT. and, Phil. 4:8 gives a list of good things to, “think
on” or “meditate on”. These are God honoring expressions of
the use of memory.
But
we see how memory is subject to frailty and corruption.
In Gen. 3:1 we see Satan
engaging “the Woman” in the realm of remembrance, and He immediately
exploits her failure. In the wilderness of Exodus the children of Israel are
inappropriately remembering Egypt (Num. 11.5) and longing to return as if there
was some virtue there. The entire letter to the Galatians is a corrective
epistle compelling them to remember the means of their salvation that they may
not depart from the Spiritual life in Christ.
In essence, corrupted or
inaccurate memory is a lie. It is a distortion or an outright departure from the
truth. And we know who is the “father of” lies. Jn. 8:44
When we distort or exaggerate
the truth, in the form of a story, or a remembrance, or prophecy a lie in the
form of something comical or outright ungodly, we are exalting self and walking
in the likeness of Satan. This was Satan’s real temptation in Gen. 3; exalt
yourself by knowing the hidden knowledge, and be like me, desiring and
receiving worship.
We may tell a story
inaccurately hoping to get a favorable reaction (worship) or demonstrating ourselves
to know something fully that we only know in part (exaltation).
Pastor Finn use to say, “the
past is only useful for the school of remembrance”, but if that remembrance is
inaccurate then the movement forward will also be off course.
Our words are powerful; more
so than we understand. James says, “no man can tame the tongue”: Read
Js. 3:1-12. We can and will have our confession.
We are new creations in
Christ, II Cor. 5:17 and Eph. 4:20-24
The old man is dead, Rm.
6:3-6
Yet we resurrect him by giving
him a voice with our perky stories about our past (which may be true), with
inaccurate remembrances from our past, and with inappropriate prophecies about
ourselves and others. Satan gains access and authority through our voices.
When we declare someone evil,
that is a lie against the word of God. Rm.
12:14, “bless and do not curse.”
When we declare someone (even
ourselves) contrary to how God created them; a loser, stupid, ugly,
incompetent, gay, we; “bear false witness” Ex. 20:16
When we distort the truth we
align with, “savage wolves”
Acts 20:29,30
We must be far more
mindful of our speech!
Why exalt the old man by
giving him a voice?
Col. 4:6
“Let your speech always be with grace,
seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.”
Rom. 15:18 “For I will not dare to speak of any of those
things which Christ has not accomplished through me, in word and deed, to make
the Gentiles obedient”
Col. 3:16, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all
wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual
songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”
Col. 3:9, “Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the
old man with his deeds.”
II Cor. 10:5, “casting down arguments and every high thing that
exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought (and
subsequently, every word) into captivity to the obedience of Christ.”
“For My yoke is easy and
My burden is light” Jesus, Mt. 11:30
Throw off the weight of the
past. Give it to Jesus!
Give Him glory, honor and
praise!!!
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Encouragement for the Path of
Christian Discipleship
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