2024 Pastors Conference Session 1

“What Do We Do With Regret?”- CJ Mahaney

Thank you for your kindness in that introduction because of my deep respect for you and appreciation of your leadership, those words are very meaningful to me and typically kind of you and it makes it difficult, difficult for me to pivot the way I'm going to pivot right now because earlier this afternoon I realized that I would be the only individual at this conference in a main session who is not a part of the Leadership Team. And so it would only be appropriate for us really at the outset of this conference, to thank these men and their wives, to thank Mark for his leadership of this team of men, to thank this team of men for their tireless service of each and every Sovereign Grace pastor present in this room and each and every Sovereign Grace church represented in this room. So it's been another year of tireless service by these men with their brides at their side, supporting them, praying for them, and cheering them on.

And it hasn't just been tireless service. It's been theologically informed service. It's been joyful service and we've been the object of that service and the recipient of their service for another year. Therefore, there is no way this conference is starting apart from us being able to say thank you to these individuals. Now if you are new, we assign all glory to God for the grace of God that is evident in their lives. But it's very appropriate for us to say thank you. Thank you for another year of theologically informed, tireless, joyful service of which we are all the beneficiaries. So Mark, if you and the entire Leadership Team would stand—and if your bride is here, if she would stand by your side—and if you would do it sometime in the next five minutes, I would be grateful. I understand this is awkward. Let them have it.

Amen. Please turn in your Bible to the letter of Paul to the Philippians chapter three. A few years ago, I was invited to join a small group of pastors for lunch with an older well-known scholar, author, and pastor. As expected our conversation covered a wide range of theological topics and issues as we peppered this man with questions when unexpectedly and completely unrelated to anything we were previously discussing, he asked us the following question: “What do you guys do with regret?”

Now not one of us sitting around the table that day anticipated this question, especially from someone whose life and ministry had been so fruitful if memory serves. I think my initial response to his question was not much.

It was humble of him to ask this question and it was apparent he had regrets. He was spot on to assume that we were all familiar with the painful reality of regret. I have regrets from as far back as I can remember and as recent as last week. We gather at a unique time this evening, the eyes of our nation and much of the world are fixated on the presidential election and we ourselves are understandably distracted by the election. Let me just acknowledge the obvious from the outset of my message. I'm aware tonight that you aren't listening to a word I say this evening.

I get that and I am assuming it isn't just the ESV Bible that you're looking at on the screen of your phone. Mark, this is awkward. This is awkward, but who made the decision? Who made the decision to have our conference at this time and are they still employed? Let me know after the meeting and I trust Tommy got a discounted rate for these dates.

The eyes of this nation, the eyes of this world, are fixated on this election. This election and its results will soon pass and for many of us, if not all of us, our eyes will once again drift to where they often do—not just to the next moment, circumstance or event that will soon pass. Not even to the future, but to the past—to a painful and perplexing moment in our past; to a moment, a decision, an action, an event in the past that we regret.

Oh, elections come and go. They are eventually forgotten. But certain moments in our past stubbornly remain. They are fixed in our memory. We can't change them so they are left to linger in the back alleys of our minds this evening. We are going to consider the harsh reality of regrets and you need to know that this message is well, it's an expression of Mark and Jeff's care. It's an expression of the entire Leadership Team and their care for you that they requested this message as a means of caring for you at the of this conference. They assume, and I assume, that we all arrive here with a list of things we regret saying or doing from our distant past or even our recent past; something we wish we could go back and avoid saying or doing or something we wish we could go back and say and do, something we regularly remember and rehearse, and each time regret.

So what are we to do? What are we to do with painful and perplexing regrets from our past. Should we expect them to be our lifelong companions? Well, this evening we want to answer the question. This scholar and pastor asked, “What do we do with our regrets?” This is a most important question to ask because there are many opportunities for regret in pastoral ministry. So what do we do with our regrets? Well, this evening we want to learn from the apostle Paul the answer to this very important question and the answer might surprise you. Now though our attention is going to be devoted to verses 12 through 14. I've been having difficulty determining where to begin reading because 7 through 11 informs 12 through 16; so I just thought, let's just read it from the get go.

Philippians 3:1-15, ESV:

Finally, my brothers,rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you. 2 Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. 3 For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God[b] and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh— 4 though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law,[c] blameless. 7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. 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. 13 Brothers, 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. 15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. 16 Only let us hold true to what we have attained.

In his commentary, Kent Hughes writes of the well-known verses, verses 7 through 11,

“There is nothing in scripture, nothing in scripture, quite like this explosion of spiritual longing.”

What is so remarkable about this explosion of spiritual longing is that at the time of this, Paul had known and followed Christ for almost 30 years. Yet his passion to grow in the knowledge of the risen Chris of the cross hasn’t diminished over time, but only deepened. May Paul’s compelling example provoke us afresh this evening and may the same be said of us as we age because there is nothing, my friend, there is nothing more important for pastoral ministry than cultivating a passion to know Christ. Nothing.

And immediately following verse 11, Paul's pastoral care and wisdom for this church he planted and deeply loved are on full display. In verses 12 through 16 there is a change in tone and content immediately following this spiritual explosion. Beginning in verse 12, Paul anticipates the potential for the original readers to misunderstand what he has written in verses seven through 11. So he makes sure they don't misunderstand by the clarifying content of verses 12 through 16 where he provides them with a definition and description of the mature Christian.

Notice he writes in verse 15, “Let those of us who are mature think this way.” What way? Well, this way first, a mature Christian humbly acknowledges they haven't arrived. A mature Christian humbly acknowledges they haven't arrived. The mature are those who recognize they haven't arrived but still need to grow in their knowledge of Christ, the power of his resurrection and share in his suffering.

Paul defines mature thinking and models mature thinking when he writes in verse 12,

“Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect.”

And if this point isn't sufficiently clear, Paul repeats himself in verse 13 where he writes,

“Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own.”

And you always want to pay careful attention when Paul repeats himself. Paul is a pastor par excellence and he does not want the Philippian church, whether it's a new Christian or a weak Christian or a zealous but theologically uninformed Christian, to misunderstand the explosion of spiritual longing in verses seven through 11; or to be discouraged by comparing themselves unfavorably to Paul.

He wants to protect the church from any form of legalism and perfectionism. So he wisely and humbly informs them that he has yet to attain the goal he is most passionate about, articulated in verses 7 through 11, the knowledge of Christ, the full knowledge of Christ, that will be his when he has attained the resurrection from the debt.

So this humble acknowledgement by Paul should protect the Philippians from error and give them hope for their relationship with Christ. They should have the same effect on us this evening. A mature Christian is one who humbly acknowledges they haven't arrived and following Paul's example of humility should be evident in the tone and the content of our preaching as well when appropriate, where appropriate.

We should remind those we serve that we are fellow travelers with them on this dangerous journey of the Christian life and have yet to arrive. However, Paul makes clear that his humble acknowledgement that he hasn't arrived isn't an excuse for complacency of heart or life.

Second point: a mature Christian presses on to make this prize, this knowledge of Christ, their own. A mature Christian presses on verse 12, but I press on to make it my own. I mean just feel the intensity in those words feel Paul's intense resolve.

This is the most important prize. This is the only prize that ultimately matters and this man is pressing on to make it his. Oh, and he doesn't just declare his intent to press on in pursuit of Christ. He also describes his practice that informs this pursuit in verses 13b and 14.

“But one thing I do forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Oh, my friends, oh my. What a gift Paul gives us in this passage! Not only his passion for Christ, but also describing his practice in pursuing Christ.

I'm sure we are alike in this regard. Whenever I get with another pastor, I have questions for that pastor. I have theological questions and I also have questions about their daily practice. I seek to pepper any pastor I'm hanging with over a meal or really for any period of time, even at times to the point it appears of annoying certain people over the years, as I press for details. I say to someone,”Okay, we're going to start on Monday morning. What are you doing on Monday morning?” And I'm going to walk through your day. I don't want to understand what you are doing devotional where you are reading in the scripture. We're going to just exhaust that throughout the entire week.

Then I've got questions about your sermon prep. I've got a lot of questions because in my experience, the answers to those questions normally don't show up in sermons. So one has to press for the answers to those questions. But those answers, oh, those are the answers that I desire. That's the wisdom that I need. So I press with my questions. What a gift Paul is giving us in this passage—not only communicating his passion for Christ in the familiar verses 7 through 11, but also describing for us his daily practice. Aren't you glad tonight that we're not left to speculate how to pursue the prize?

And notice that Paul employs here, athletic imagery, athletic imagery, the imagery of running a race. To make his point and to impress this point on the Philippians, the Greek games would've captured the imagination of the original audience just like the Olympic Games capture ours every four years. Notice that with this race, Paul is describing this pursuit of the prize.

This is one thing that informs the entirety of his heart and life. It has two components: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead.

This is how the race for this prize is to be run. And given my purpose this evening and the limitations of time, I'm going to devote our attention to Paul's resolve and practice to forget what lies behind. Because one cannot strain forward if one is distracted by what lies behind. One cannot run a race effectively and win the prize if one is glancing backward while one runs historic races.

My friends have been lost because a runner has succumbed to the temptation to look back at his competitors. One of the most famous is known as the mile of the century or the miracle mile that took place August 7th, 1954 between the British runner Roger Banister and Australian John Landy. At the time, these two guys were the only sub four minute milers in the world. At this time, Roger Banister was more famous for being the first to do so. So in May of that year, banister was the first runner to break the four minute mile at 3:59:0.4. But the following month, Landy smashed the world record when he ran 3:57:09. Now one article described the buildup to their race in Vancouver that August was more like a heavyweight world title fight than running a race. More than 35,000 people were in attendance and media from all over the world were in Vancouver.

To cover it in his book titled The Miracle Mile author, Jason Beck describes the crowd as the final lap of this race unfolded. He writes,

“By now the crowd was on its feet screaming itself horse. Everything else in the stadium stopped concession staff hurdled over their deserted counters and ran to the stadium entrances to watch the final lap. The Canadian men's four by 110-yard relay team preparing outside the stadium halted their warmups and sprinted inside. On the infield, competitors in the hammer throw pole vault and broad jump stopped everything and turned to watch. New Zealand's Yvette Williams—on her way to winning two more gold medals that afternoon—stood at the broad jump pit, transfixed hands covering her mouth as she held her breath. The defining moment of this race, this race which had the attention of the world at the time, the defining moment of this race took place when Landy, who was in the lead at the final turn looked back. He looked back over his left shoulder for Banister and Banister seized that moment to pass him on the right and win the race.”

See, because in looking back, Landy lost his momentum. He lost his momentum, he lost his rhythm. He was distracted. He was distracted from concentrating on the finish line and he lost the race. And my friends, long before Roger Banister and John Landy, the apostle Paul knew that to win a race, a runner must not look back. In the race to attain the prize of seeing Christ face-to-face, Paul was deliberately intentional about forgetting what lies behind.

Now listen, so there is no misunderstanding. This doesn't mean Paul was somehow incapable of remembering the past and there is an appropriate time to remember the past and feel a godly sorrow whenever we've sinned against God and others. And this forgetting obviously doesn't apply to past mercies he had received. No. This forgetting what lies behind it describes the intentional practice of Paul. Listen, the intent, the deliberate intentional practice of Paul to not dwell on either his past achievements or his past failures.

Paul won't let his mind ponder, think about, or dwell on his past achievements or failures. Paul refused to dwell on the past. It was intentional. It was an intentional, purposeful discipline so that he was free to give his undistracted attention to the present and to the future. And for Paul, forgetting what lies behind included both his achievements and his failures. In his commentary, Peter O'Brien helpfully describes Paul's intentional forgetting what lies behind whether it was his achievements or his failures when he writes,

“Paul will not allow either the achievements of the past which God has wrought or for that matter, his failures as a Christian to prevent his gaze from being fixed firmly on the finish line.”

And I love this last sentence in this sense: he forgets as he runs. Paul forgets as he runs. He intentionally doesn't look back to dwell on the past as he runs.

And my friends this we must learn to do as well. And since looking back on our achievements, at least in my experience in Sovereign Grace, it is not a temptation that is common to us. And for that I am grateful. There are many reasons for that.

I had a friend who told me his football coach in high school said to him, “Charles, you are small but you are slow.”

And I have said that many times as I think an accurate and appropriate description of Sovereign Grace.

I don't know how many people have given that: “Yeah, how would you describe Sovereign Grace?

“Well, we're small, but we're slow.”

Takes him off guard there for a second.

“You understand what he just said?”

“Oh yeah. Oh yeah. Good to go with both of those?”

“Absolutely. Yeah.”

We don't gather here to celebrate our achievements. We are grateful to God for those achievements, but we also live very aware. Our achievements in advancing the gospel, they're small, are they not? I mean, listen, I don't know if this is your experience. It seems like every week I either hear about or meet somebody who has a church of 1,000, 5,000, 10,000, 20,000. And if these people are interacting with you, how many in your church? Not that many. Not that many.

So I'm not concerned about you in that regard. I don't think that is our common temptation. I think the temptation that is common to us is the temptation to look back on our sins and failures and experience—the regret that hinders rather than helps are running this race. And I think this is the temptation that awaits each of us in some way when we return home following the very sweet temporary distraction of this conference. That's the temptation that awaits us to live each day at some point in the day looking back on our lives and thinking if only I hadn't said that, if only I hadn't done that, if only I would have said that, if only I would have done that instead everything would be different in my life. If only in the process of preparing this message, I just began to compile a list of common “if onlys,” I've heard, “if onlys” I'm personally familiar with.

If only I had parented differently when my children were young, if only I had parented differently in their teen years. If only I had encouraged and romanced my wife more effectively In the early years of our marriage. If only I had preached more effectively. If only I had counseled more wisely. If only I had been there when that person was suffering severely to wisely care for them from God's word. I mean I could easily go on.

I sent an email to a few of my friends asking for their list of “if only.” Gary got back to me and at the top of his email he said a few thoughts from my experience and then he added a not pleasant exercise. But each of us carries with us our “if only” list. So a question for you: What items appear on your list?

Not a question of whether you have a list, you have a list. What items appear on your list?

Most likely, whatever you've been thinking about. So I've been making this point. So what are we to do? What are we to do with our failures and our regrets? Because there are countless opportunities for regret in pastoral ministry. How can we follow the example of Paul and forget what lies behind so that we might strain like never before for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus? Well, Paul models for us and teaches us that the mature way of thinking is not to dwell on the past so that one might strain forward to what lies ahead in pursuit of the prize. Paul was intentional about forgetting the past. Is that what you do? Do you do this? That's what he does and he's divulging what he does in the pursuit of this prize in running this.

Is this your resolve? Is this my resolve as you and I awaken each day? Do you purpose each day? Did you purpose at the outset of this day to intentionally forget what lies behind by the enabling grace of God? Is this a part of your one thing, a part of your spiritual regimen each and every day? Or is your common practice each and every day remembering and reviewing and endlessly rehearsing the past?

Now friends, if you are preoccupied with the past, you'll be vulnerable to all manner of regret in the present. And this will hinder your liberated pursuit of Christ himself in the present. And by the way, the temptation and tendency to take a fatal look back and to dwell on the past, it only increases as one grows older. In his book titled, Lost in the Middle: Midlife and the Grace of God, author Paul Tripp describes the temptation and tendency when he writes,

“A young person tends to think like an astronaut, always looking upward, outward and forward with the majority of life ahead. It seems as if the sky is the limit. Even if you haven't fulfilled all of your dreams, there's still plenty of time. But in midlife you stop living like an astronaut and you start acting more like an archeologist. You spend time digging through the mound of your existence. You look through the pottery shards of past situations, relationships and achievements, trying to make sense of your life. So we look back and regret decisions we made, words we spoke, and the actions we took.”

That's the temptation. The temptation as we age is to become a spiritual archeologist, digging through the pottery shards of the past, trying to make sense of it, making our way through each day accompanied by a low grade guilt. And this temptation only intensifies as we age. So how can we follow the example of the apostle Paul and his definition of maturity by intentionally forgetting what lies behind? Well, I've got three recommendations for you to consider. Three recommendations to consider in creating a biblical strategy to forget what lies behind.

First, develop a biblical conviction from this passage about the wisdom of Paul's example and practice. Notice in verse 17, Paul invites the reader to imitate him, to imitate what Paul intentionally does, forgetting what lies behind. So the question is this: Do you practice your conviction? Paul says those who are mature don't dwell on the past. So it is not mature thinking to be preoccupied with your past, but is that your conviction? And if not, cultivate this biblical conviction by your unhurried study of this passage and other passages and study not only Paul's example in this regard, but the example of many others in scripture as well. In a fine article on the topic of regrets, Ed Welsh helpfully writes,

“Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, Jonah, Peter, and Paul all had good reason to have a bad case of the if only King David is the most severe example. His sin with Bathsheba resulted in the death of their son and his conspiracy to cover up the adultery caused the death of her husband. Even worse, his sin of numbering the people led to the death of 70,000 Israelite men. His remorse was great and his repentance sincere, but you won't find lingering regret in its place is doxology to the Lord who freely forgives. But in the post-resurrection era, it is Peter who is our mentor in handling regrets. After all, he knew Jesus from the beginning and assumed that his egregious sin of denying that on the night of Jesus arrest demoted him back to the rank of fishermen. But breakfast with Jesus and to walk on the beach changed everything. Try to find a hint of regret of “if only” in his two letters.”

Oh my friends, we have many examples in Holy Scripture to strengthen our conviction and our resolve to refuse dwelling on the past all because and only because of the gospel.

Second, evaluate the fruit and effect of looking back, evaluate the fruit and effect of looking back. Listen, there's an appropriate time to remember the past, to learn from it as long as you discern as painful as it was, God was sovereignly working out his purpose. But if the effect of looking back is fresh guilt and condemnation and shame and regret for sin that you've sincerely and specifically confess to God and, where appropriate, to others, my friends, this is neither wise nor is it an evidence of mature thinking. And you and I should be suspicious of any review of the past, any reflection on the past that leaves us asking or contemplating well what if. In his book, Good and Angry: Redeeming Anger, Irritation, Complaining and Bitterness, David Powlison warns about this tendency which he calls,

“Fruitless remembering. A whirlpool of excruciating details is an easy place to drown.”

Oh my, I am very familiar with this whirlpool. This piece of wise counsel has protected Carolyn and I from many a whirlpool where it would have been easy to drown.

And we've put this in play years ago, actually. When I first read this, I talked to my dear wife and I said, “Love, this is wisdom for us. This is wisdom from above and we need to put this in play with each other so that at any time in conversation, if the conversation drifts to a rehearsal and a reviewing of the past that doesn't seem to have any redemptive purpose or effect, but instead results in our experiencing this whirlpool in which we drown this phrase fruitless remembering needs to be put in play early in our conversation by one or the other of us.”

And it has served us countless it countless conversation where either Carolyn or myself just paused for a second and says, “This sure feels like fruitless remembering.”

Yes it does. I feel the whirlpool. We are about to drown. Let's bail from this.

Carolyn's tendency in the midst of any contemplation of the painful and perplexing is more to trust God in mystery. My tendency is to say, “Sure, of course. But why don't we see if we can extract a secret from him.” And so I can engage in conversation with the false hope that just one more rehearsal and we're going to be able to make sense of it all. Fruitless remembering. A whirlpool of excruciating details is an easy place to drown.

So my recommendation is identify where, identify when, identify who you are vulnerable with to looking back so that you can be alert to this temptation and not blindsided by it so that you can avoid drowning in fruitless remembering. Ask yourself this tonight and tomorrow as you awaken: What specific regrets do you need to cease dwelling on immediately? What specific regrets do you need to cease pondering, thinking about and dwelling on starting this very evening?

Third, learn from past regrets. There is an appropriate time to remember the past and learn from it. Most of us are familiar with Lectures to My Students by Charles Spurgeon, but fewer of us are familiar with his book titled, And All Around Ministry. I do recommend a different title, but fewer are familiar with this excellent book. It's a compilation of addresses that Spurgeon gave at the annual conference of the Pastor's College. And the purpose of this conference is described in the introduction of the book where we are informed that all the pastors previously trained at the Pastor's College were invited. The gathering being designed to provide a permanent bond between them. Mr. Spurgeon always regarded the conference week as one of the most important of the whole year. And he devoted much time and thought and care and prayer to the preparation of his addresses to the hundreds of ministers and students who then gathered together from all parts of the kingdom. And at this conference, more than 20 years after it had started, Mr. Spurgeon said the following in his address,

“Coming together as we do now, after more than 20 years of brotherly conferences and some of us after more than 30 years of ministry, what recollections surround us. Then just a few sentences later, he says, never do I look back upon my own past without regret. But then he quickly pivots and says, but what is the use of regret? Unless we can rise by it to a better future size, which do not raise us higher are an ill use of vital breath.”

Can we just pause for a second? Just admire that sentence. I've never said anything like that in my entire life. Never thought it or said it. Never had an original thought and I never will because God couldn't trust something like that with me.

Chasten yourselves, but be not discouraged. Gather up the arrows which aforetime fell wide of the mark, not to break them in passionate despair, but to send them to the target with direct aim, and a more concentrated force. Weave victories out of defeats. Learn success from failure, wisdom from blundering.”

Oh my older friends. This is an invaluable way we can serve the next generation of pastors and next generation of pastors and the third generation of pastors who are present, who both bring us just great joy.

Take advantage of those of us who are older in ministry. Take advantage, in effect, of our mistakes and failures. Ask us about them so that we can help you avoid them.

Few things bring an aging pastor more joy than helping a younger pastor. Helping a younger pastor send an arrow to the target with direct aim and concentrated force. A few things bring me more joy than to pick up an arrow that was misdirected, that is broken, or to repair it, and to say to a younger man in pastoral ministry, “Listen man, take this stance. Put this arrow in your bow, pull it back, aim it there, not there. Aim it there, let it go.”

Few things bring more joy to aging pastors then not only learning from their regrets, but helping the next generation learn to avoid the mistakes and the failures that they made. So older pastors who are experiencing the intensification of this temptation, rather than being distracted and discouraged by our regrets, let's instead purposely use them for a better future, learning success from failure and wisdom from our blundering. Let us put our regrets of the past in play at the appropriate time so they serve a redemptive purpose and protect others from similar regrets all because of what we have learned.

Finally, there is something a mature Christian must never forget. A mature Christian must never forget that they have been apprehended by Christ.

Paul reminds each of us what we are never to forget in verse 12, where he writes, “I press on to make it my own because Christ Jesus has made me his own.” So Paul's passionate pursuit of Christ was only because he was first pursued and apprehended by Christ.

And our passionate pursuit of Christ is only because we have been pursued and apprehended by Christ through the proclamation of the gospel. Christ Jesus himself has made the likes of you and me this evening his very own.

Oh my friend. This is the greatest reason why we can forget what lies behind. He died in our place as our substitute for our sins on the cross so that we might be forgiven of each and every sin so that he might make us his very own and those he apprehends, those he makes his own, he holds onto as his own and will not let go of them because they are his own.

And when Christ makes you his own, he means the entirety of your life. That includes your sins, that includes your mistakes, that includes every circumstance of your past, present, and future. So nothing about Paul's past escaped Christ's notice and nothing could thwart the purpose of Christ in and through the Apostle Paul and the one who made us his own promises that every occasion for grief in our lives, every sin, every mistake, every failure, every missed opportunity, he will somehow work together for our good and ultimately his glory.

Those few verses are more familiar to us than Romans 8 28. But few verses are more powerful to apply to our regrets than Romans 8 28. God, somehow in his sovereignty, in his wisdom, in his goodness, he works all things together for our good, even the things we regret. John Piper makes this point effectively when he writes,

“There are no circumstances, there is no past or present act that I've ever done that God can't weave into a tapestry that is good and beautiful. That's the kind of God we have.”

So, my friends, our forgetting what lies behind is not the result of a diminished memory over time. No. Instead, it's the result of entrusting our past, entrusting our regrets to the one who pursued us, to the one who apprehended us, to the one who made us his very own and promises to preserve us and work all things together for good. And ultimately his glory.

Regret will not have the last word in our lives.

And one day, because of God’s sustaining, saving grace we'll see him face to face, and dwell with him in the new heavens and the new earth where there will be no regret, where he will wipe away every tear of regret.

But until that day, biblical maturity involves forgetting what lies behind and never forgetting that Christ Jesus has made me his own. Don't forget that because there is no maturing or effective pastoring apart from that.

Let's pray: “Father, thank you for this sweet and potent passage. Thank you for this divulging of Paul's practice. How, whose example we desire to imitate presses on. So may we beginning this evening, press on like never before by intentionally forgetting what lies behind so that we might strain forward in our pursuit of Christ because he has made us his own. In Jesus' name, amen.”