USEFUL FORGETFULNESS
Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>
September 5, 2004
Text: Philippians 3:12-4:1
When caused by a disease such as dementia or Alzheimers, forgetfulness
is not at all funny. I certainly never intend to make sport of someone
elses illness. There are incidents that can be rather humorous, though,
when considering typical, everyday forgetfulness. In fact, last Sunday
morning I had a sudden revelation about the usefulness of forgetfulness.
As I was heading up to the balcony to turn on the microphones and start
the CD so the Praise Team could rehearse, I intended to grab a bulletin
and take it up so that I could leave notes for Kevin so that he would
know which CD and track needed to be played. But I forgot the bulletin.
So after getting things started, I came down from the balcony, picked up
the bulletin, and went back up. So it went all morning. Following the
service, I noticed that the screen was still down. So I went up to the
balcony to raise it, but noticed something else that needed attending to
(I dont remember what). I came back down from the balcony only to notice
that the screen was still down! So up I went again, raised the screen,
and came back down. My revelation? Forgetful people get more exercise.
In fact, I was tempted to make that the sub-title of this mornings
sermon. Friday morning, my office trash can raneth over, so I bundled
it up, took it downstairs, set it into the utility room, and went to the
kitchen to grab another trash bag. I noticed some left over cookies,
chocolate chip of course, couldnt resist, and ate one. I went back up to
the office and noticed that the trash can didnt have a trash bag.
Neither did my hand hold a trash bag. So, back downstairs to the kitchen
to get my trash bag. And, yes, with all the extra exercise that Ive been
getting, I ate another cookie. But I got the trash bag first!
The good news is that not only do forgetful people get more exercise,
forgetfulness is also Biblical. Now Im teasing a little bit here because
only certain types of forgetfulness are Biblical, not necessarily the
type that enables us to get more exercise. Paul writes in verses 13 and
14, 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.
Before I focus on Biblical forgetfulness, though, I want to talk about
its opposite: remembering. Paul is not telling Biblical readers to just
try to erase everything about their past from their memories. In fact,
just prior to this part of his letter, in verses 4-11, Paul does quite a
bit of remembering. Remembering is Biblical, too. God remembers. Lets
read Exodus 2:23-25. During that long period, the king of Egypt died.
The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for
help because of their slavery went up to God. God heard their groaning
and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob.
So God looked down on the Israelites and was concerned about them. God
remembers his covenants; that is, His promises. He is faithful to keep
His promises. This is one of the truths of Gods everlasting nature. This
is repeated by the author of the Hebrews letter 6:17-18. Because God
wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the
heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so
that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to
lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be
greatly encouraged. God remembers His promises and His people.
Gods people are to remember. Psalm 77:10-12 is one record of what we are
to remember. Then I thought, To this I will appeal: the years of the
right hand of the Most High. I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes,
I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will meditate on all your
works and consider all your mighty deeds. Without a doubt, God wants us
to remember His mighty works, His promises, and the fulfillment of His
promises.
Still, forgetfulness is also Biblical, and Biblical forgetfulness is
useful. So what does useful forgetfulness look like? Im going to begin
with God, because God forgets. Indeed, we are filled with rejoicing
because God forgets. Turn to Jeremiah 31:31-34. This passage is repeated
in Hebrews 8. The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make
a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It
will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took
them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my
covenant, though I was a husband to them, declares the Lord. This is
the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,
declares the Lord. I will put my law in their minds and write in on
their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer
will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, Know the
Lord, because they will all know me, from the least of them to the
greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their wickedness and
will remember their sins no more. God forgets forgiven sin, and that is
reason for rejoicing.
Returning to Philippians 3, Paul demonstrates some useful forgetfulness.
He writes that he is forgetting what is behind
What could he mean by
that?
Paul wants us to forget our failures. Applied this way, forget means
for us to not dwell upon the past. Paul had a lot in his past that he
could have dwelled upon. His life as Saul was as a Pharisee. And not just
any Pharisee; he was a zealous Pharisee who set about to persecute the
Christian Church, to bring them back to the straight and narrow path of
Judaism, even if it killed them! Surely we all know the details of Saul's
conversion: of his getting permission to go to Damascus in order to
arrest those there who were practicing "the Way" of Christ; of his trip
to Damascus; of the blinding light that threw him from his horse; of the
voice of Christ saying, 'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?'; of the
three days of blindness and fasting in Damascus; of the visit of Ananias;
of the restoration of his sight; of his baptism. He became as zealous a
Christian as he was Pharisee. He preached in synagogue and street; he
established church after church; he comforted and healed many sick and
poor with words and miracles of God. Because of Paul's work, the powerful
Word of God reached hearer after hearer and who knows how many were
saved?
But it did not have to be this way for Paul. It could have been very
different for him had he not let the whole gospel of Christ take over his
life. Imagine something like this instead of what really happened: Saul
travels to Damascus; he is confronted by Christ as before; he is healed
and baptized by Ananias. This time, Saul becomes bogged down in his past.
The persecutions that he has led come back to haunt him. He hears the
cries of innocent men and women as they are carried off to the dungeons.
His nightmares of the stoning of Stephen, as he stands there holding the
coats of those who hurled the rocks, continue to haunt him. Instead of
the flood of relief which comes from the pardon of Christ, Saul cannot
believe that he is forgiven, and that his past is put behind him.
Of what use would that kind of Paul have been to the Lord? Not much use
at all. Imagine how much vitality would have been robbed from our
Christian heritage if Paul had been unable to forget his failures.
This applies to us. We all have pasts, and we all have failures. I can
always think back on things I could have done better and things I should
have done differently. Any of us can get bogged down by dwelling on such
memories. Paul lets us know that it is not past sins or failures that
rule us anymore. It is Christ who rules us. We have been forgiven,
cleansed by the blood of the Lamb. If Paul was able to become the kind of
Christian he was with a past like he had, then surely we, too, can forget
our sins and our failures and be the kind of witnessing, proclaiming
Christian that our Lord intends for us to be. Useful forgetfulness.
"Forgetting what is behind" also means that we are to forget our
successes. Once again, the application of forget is to keep from
dwelling upon our past. Not only can we be trapped by dwelling on past
failures; we can be trapped by dwelling on our past successes - the "good
ol' days," you know.
It is natural for us to remember the joyful times in our past and to want
to relive and remain in them forever and ever. But this is not the
Christian way, either, Paul tells us with good reason.
Consider again Paul's life. He demonstrates that he could have fallen
into such a trap also. Along with his failures, didn't he also have some
spectacular successes? Most Bible scholars believe that if Paul had
continued as a Pharisee, he would have likely become a member of the
prestigious Sanhedrin, if not the High Priest himself. Paul could have
had some remorse over giving this up; wondering how things "could have
been." Had he given himself over to such remorseful daydreams, he would
not have become the great disciple that he was.
Paul could have even become bogged down by his success as a Christian
missionary and evangelist. Having gotten two or three churches
established, he could have decided to quit traveling. After all, he was
successful. Why take any more chances?
In prison, Paul could have resented having to rub elbows with a variety
of criminals. After all, he was a successful missionary. Paul could have
sat in prison yearning and pining for the "good ol' days" when he was
surrounded by caring friends who shared the faith. What if he had spent
all of his prison time bemoaning the fact that God didn't throw open the
doors and let him go so that he could once again return to his days of
success and glory? If that had been Pauls attitude, we would not have
with us today the testimonies of this great man of faith, for much of
Paul's inspired work was done in prison! He wrote letters of
encouragement to churches, such as the Philippians; he sang; he converted
prisoners and jailers; he praised the Lord for the situation he was in!
Paul didn't waste away longing for his "good ol' days;" he lived his
"good ol' days" by applying some useful forgetfulness.
The type of forgetfulness that I began talking about isnt Biblical
forgetfulness. Its just lack of concentration or absent-mindedness.
Except for getting a little more exercise, it isnt really all that
useful. When I go to the balcony to raise the screen, I really wish
thats what I would remember to do - the first time. Nevertheless, I hope
I can continue seeing the humor in it.
Biblical forgetfulness, on the other hand, is quite useful. "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." Anything that encumbers our journey to Jesus and with Jesus is to
be forgotten. It is to be put behind us. Past sins holding you back?
Confess them to God, and forget them. God forgets them. "Press on toward
the goal." What about past successes? Are you dwelling on them in ways
that prevent further spiritual growth? Remember the pieces of past
successes that help you now, then forget the rest. "Press on toward the
goal."
The Lord is leading us along the way with a "power that enables him to
bring everything under his control," a power that enables him to
"transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body."
If we want to receive the same joy and power from the Lord that Paul
experienced, then we need to remember what to forget. But our
citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the
Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything
under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be
like his glorious body. Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long
for, my joy and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord,
dear friends!
Rev. Charles A. Layne, pastor, First Baptist Church, Bunker Hill, IN
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