APP NOTES FOR 2020-7-12

VICTORY CHURCH: A PLACE TO CALL HOME

SERIES: At the Movies: Home Edition
MESSAGE TITLE: LETTING GO of MY Ghosts

(Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is from the New Living Translation)

Pastor Keith Cross

Text:

Philippians 3:13-14 (NLT) No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus is calling us.

MAIN IDEA: I can GO into my FUTURE when I

of the Ghosts from my PAST.

Today, I want to help you escape those ghosts that are preventing you from living out God’s best. I want to share with you…How to LET GO of the Ghosts from my past?

To LET GO of my

, I FORGIVE those who hurt me. (Ephesians 4:31-32; 1 Peter 2:23).

Grudges: Feelings of PAIN caused by someone who….let you down, betrayed you, or wasn’t there for you when you needed them.

PROBLEM: Bitterness/Resentment HURTS YOU not them! Also, it’s UNHELPFUL…your resentment can’t change the past. Unforgiveness doesn’t solve the problem, it only makes it worse. 

SOLUTION: God is putting a face, a name, a person to mind, that you need to forgive. Don’t wait until tonight, tomorrow, or after this service today…pray right now to forgive those that have hurt you. Say, God I’m giving this hurt to you right now and letting it go!

1. To LET GO of my
   Reveal Answer
   , I TRUST GOD with my broken heart. (Psalm 147:3-4; Psalm 30:5,11).

Grief: the LOSS of something or someone you care about in a great way. 

PROBLEM: 1. You can’t avoid it. ALL of us will experience: failure, rejection, heartbreak, death. 2. You can’t predict it, or prepare for it because we don’t know it’s timing.

GOOD NEWS: even though you can’t avoid or predict grief….God can FIX IT! He loves you and cares about your loss, about your broken heart. 

SOLUTION: 1. Don’t RUN FROM Grief, EMBRACE IT….unlike grudges, which you run from, you must run to grief. It’s ok to grieve. 2. Don’t isolate yourself, ask for help…find a support system! 3. Don’t despair, it will end…lean into God, it will get better, he is faithful and will lead you to the other side.

1. To LET GO of my
   Reveal Answer
   , I RECEIVE GOD’s FORGIVENESS. (Acts 3:19-20; 2 Corinthians 5:17).

Guilt: Feelings of shame, regret, judgement because of what you did to someone.

PROBLEM: Sometimes Guilt can be the hardest Ghost to overcome. Why? Because Guilt is the Ghost we often feel like we deserve. 

How God uses Guilt vs. How Satan uses Guilt: 1. God uses guilt for good as a warning sign to get us back on path. 2. Satan uses Guilt to lie to us (my life is wasted and unrecoverable) and keep us off the path. 

SOLUTION: When you turn from your sins and turn to God…your guilt is removed and you receive God’s forgiveness. 

What Ghost needs to be exterminated from your life? if you want to live and experience the future God has for you…..#1 LET GO of your Grudges by forgiving those who have hurt you…#2 LET GO of the Ghost of Grief by trusting God with your broken heart, and finally, to experience the future God has for you, #3 LET GO of Guilt by receiving God’s forgiveness by accepting Jesus Christ!

My NEXT STEP today is to….

Commit my life to Jesus Christ for the first time today.
Receive more info about being water baptized.
LET GO of this Ghost of my past:

.
Sign up for the NEXT STEPS EXPERIENCE.
Sign up for a CONNECT GROUP.
Sign up to serve on a DREAM TEAM.
INVEST in & INVITE someone to church on campus or online.

For more info about taking any of these NEXT STEPS, please email or call me: pastorkeith@victorywinchester.com 540-667-9400 x117