baggage check - Connection Point Church

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Feb 2, 2014 - trillion connections for those memories, 46 ounces of memories in all, and ... to unpack a lot of our bagg
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BAGGAGE CHECK

Baggage  Check      

Dr. Brandon Park | February 2, 2014

 

 

         The  worst  thing  about  traveling  is  having  to  lug  your  luggage  and  bear  your  baggage.    Many  people   cannot  live  in  spiritual  victory  because  they  are  dragging  around  all  of  their  baggage  from  the  past.     You  do  not  have  to  live  life  depressed  and  discouraged  because  of  what  you  have  been  through.              Your  memory  is  a  very  powerful  tool.  Your  memory  is  capable  of  containing  500  times  the   information  contained  in  a  complete  set  of  encyclopedias.  Your  brain  has  100  billion  neurons,  and  100   trillion  connections  for  those  memories,  46  ounces  of  memories  in  all,  and  that's  if  you're  average.     But  just  as  your  memory  can  work  in  the  positive,  it  can  also  work  in  the  negative.            You  cannot  live  in  the  _________  and  be  an  effective  champion  for  God  in  the  _____________.    In   fact,  if  you  are  living  in  the  past,  it  neutralizes  and  paralyzes  your  effectiveness  in  the  present.      

Why  We  Must  Let  Go  of  the  Past   1. It  is  an  ___________________  to  live  in  the  past.    You  cannot  change  anything  that  has   happened.    As  painful  as  it  is,  you  must  move  from  this  point  on.    We  have  to  stop  trying  to   change  what  happened  in  the  past.     2. Past  _________________  are  Flawed.    Past  memories  are  almost  always  exaggerated.   When  you  look  back  over  your  past,  things  are  never  as  good  as  you  think  they  were  and   they  are  never  as  bad  as  you  think  they  were.  We  have  a  way  of  looking  at  the  past   idealistically  or  we  misunderstand  and  inflate  it.    Memories  will  lie  to  you.     3. We  ___________  What  We  _______________.  If  our  past  dominates  our  minds,  we  will   begin  to  act  out  what  we  think  we  are  as  a  result  of  our  past.  We  act  out  what  we   remember.  If  you  dwell  on  the  garbage  of  your  past,  it  will  just  be  a  matter  of  time  before   garbage  begins  to  come  out  again  in  your  life.    

         In  this  series,  we  are  going  to  unpack  a  lot  of  our  baggage  and  ask  God  to  check  it  for  good!    God   wants  you  to  drop  some  of  these  burdens  that  you  were  never  meant  to  bear.              Definition  of  “Baggage:”  This  refers  to  the  ____________  and  ______________  burdens  you  were   never  meant  to  bear.    It  could  come  in  a  variety  of  forms  such  as  anxiety,  worry,  addiction,  a   relationship,  or  a  loss  suffered.              In  Matthew  11,  Jesus  actually  said,  “Come  to  me,  all  of  you  who  are  weary  a nd  carry  heavy   burdens,  and  I  will  give  you  rest.”    God  wants  to  check  your  baggage  for  good.              What  are  you  ______________  into  2014  that  you  know  shouldn’t  be  on  your  journey  with  Christ   this  year?    What  issue  in  your  life  would  y ou  love  for  God  to  check  for  good?    

How  Do  We  Pick  Up  Baggage?  

         There  are  3  Biblical  sources  of  where  baggage  comes  from.      

1.  Baggage  that  Comes  From  ___________  ___________________.            You  thought  that  a  situation  was  going  to  go  one  way,  but  it  ends  up  going  another.    It  could  be  in   the  form  of  a  relationship  (singles  wishing  they  were  married  or  married  people  not  satisfied  with   their  relationship).              Proverbs  13:12  says,  “Hope  d eferred  makes  the  heart  sick.”    Some  of  us  had  dreams  that  we   thought  would  happen,  but  they  haven’t  yet  –  and  it  makes  our  heart  sick.    The  source  of  anger  comes   from  unmet  expectations.    

2.  Baggage  that  Comes  From  ________________  ______________.          Perhaps  something  happened  to  you  in  the  past  and  it  hurt  you  real  bad.    You  may  have  tried  to   move  on  from  it  but  that  wound  hurt  you  so  deeply  that  now  your  past  affects  your  present.          Psalm  109:22  says,  “I  am  poor  and  needy  and  my  heart  is  wounded  within  me.”    David  wrote  these   words  and  he  knew  about  heartache.    Everyone  he  c ared  about  had  deserted  him  and  his  heart  was   wounded  within  him  and  he  broke  inside.            We  are  told  as  c hildren  that  time  will  heal  all  wounds  but  the  Bible  does  not  teach  that.     Wounds  come  when  we  lose  things  we  love  –  people,  jobs,  relationships.    When  the  source  of  our   wound  goes  untreated  and  it  remains  unhealed,  it  becomes  a  weakness  (i.e.  when  someone  wounds   your  heart  –  it’s  difficult  to  trust  again.)              God  doesn’t  want  us  just  to  put  on  a  fake  smile  and  minimize  our  hurt.  The  prophet  Jeremiah   predicted  that  there  would  be  a  generation  to  come  that  would  minimize  the  wounds  that  God’s  

people  were  carrying around.      Jeremiah  6:14  says,  “They  dress  the  wound  of  my  people  a s  though  it   were  not  serious.  'Peace,  peace,'  they  say,  when  there  is  no  peace.” 3.  Baggage  that  Comes  From  ___________  _______________.          Once  you  get  honest  with  God  about  the  hurts  you’ve  received  as  well  as  the  hurts  you  have  caused   – then  healing  c an  begin  in  your  heart.    Healing  cannot  happen  if  you  STUFF  it  or  stay  SILENT  about  it.            Psalm  32:3-­‐5,  “When  I  kept  silent,  my  b ones  wasted  away  through  my  groaning  a ll  d ay  long.  For  day   and  night  your  hand  was  h eavy  upon  me.  My  strength  was  sapped  as  if  in  the  heat  of  summer.  SELAH” Christ  died  in  order  to  free  us  from  our  ________;  then  He  rose  again  in  order  to  give  us  a  ________.

How  Can  We  Check  Our  Baggage? 1.  You’ve  got  to  check  your  baggage  with  ___________          Jesus  is  truly  the  only  one  who  knows  what  you’re  going  through  and  who  has  the  power  to  heal   your  heart  for  good.    He  wants  to  begin  healing  your  heart  by  applying  the  balm  of  His  grace  and  love.          Psalm  71:20,  “Though  you  have  made  me  see  troubles,  many  a nd  b itter,  you  will  restore  my  life   again;  from  the  depths  of  the  earth  you  will  again  bring  me  u p.”            Jesus’  death  means  that  your  past  is  dead  and  over  – it  no  longer  has  to  define  you!            Isaiah  53:5,  “But  He  was  wounded  for  our  transgressions,  He  was  bruised  for  our  iniquities; the   chastisement  for  our  peace  was  upon  Him, and  by  His  wounds we  are  healed.            ________ wounds  heal  ________ wounds.    In  Christ,  we  check  our  Past  so  He  can  take  control  of   our  future. 2.  You’ve  got  to  check  your  baggage  by  _______________ on  the  _____________        Phil.  3:13,  “ This  one  thing  I  do:  forgetting those  things  which  lie  b ehind…” You  will  never  sail  the   ship  of  your  life  into  the  future  with  joy  and  peace  if  your  anchor  is  stuck  in  the  mud  of  the  past.   How   can  you  forget  your  past?    The  word  “forget”  in  the  Bible  does  not mean  to  no  longer  remember.    The   word  forget means  “to  no  longer  be  ________________  or  affected,  or  ______________  by.”            Forgetting  is  caused  by  Refocusing.    Refocus  on  Jesus  Christ  and  his  plan  and  purpose  for  your  life   and  you  will  be  so  consumed  and  c ommitted  that  you  won’t  have time  to  think  about  the  past.    Unless   you  let  go  of  the  old,  God  will  not  bring  in  the  new.            In  John  5,  Jesus  encountered  the  man  by  the  Pool  of  Bethesda.    He  was  lying  around  feeling  sorry   for  himself.  It  was  obvious  that  he  was  crippled,  but  Jesus  asked  the  man  what  seemed  to  be  a  strange   question,  “Do  you  want  to  be  made  well.”    I  believe  God  is  asking  a  similar  question  of  us  today:  “Do   you  want  to  be  well  or  do  you  want  to  continue  lying  around  feeling  sorry  for  yourself.”    When  Jesus   asked  him  this  straightforward  question,  he  came  up  with  all  kinds  of  excuses.    Jesus  didn’t  sit  down   and have  a  pity  party  with  him.    He  told  him  to  get  up  off  the  ground,  take  his  bed,  and  be  on  his  way.   When  the  man  did  what  Jesus  told  him  to  do,  he  was  miraculously  healed.   You  have  to  make  a   decision,  are  you  going  to  set  around  the  pool  for  38  years  or  are   are  you  going  to  get  up  and  get  moving   with  your  life.          Luke  9:62,  ““Jesus   Jesus  said  to  h im,  No  one  who  puts  his  hand  to  the  plow  and  looks  b ack  [to  the  things   behind]  is  fit  for  the  kingdom  of  God.”   .”  [Amplified] God  has  designed  us  to  move forward,  not   backward.   3.  You’ve  got  to  Check  Your  Baggage  in  ________________.            Galatians  6:2 tells  us,  “Carry  each  o ther’s  burdens  a nd  this  way  you  will  fulfill  the  law  of  Christ.” hrist.”    The   first  step  involves  you  going  to  God,  the  second  step  involves   nvolves  you  going  to  His  people.  Christ  doesn’t   just  save  us  on  a  personal  level  – after  that  He  puts  us  into  a  community  and  it’s  called  the  c hurch.  The   idea  behind  this  is  you  need  “traveling  partners”  – you  need  other  people  who  will  come  alongside  of   you  and   d  carry  that  baggage  when  it  gets  heavy.            James  5:16,  “Confess  your  sins  to  o ne  another  and  pray  for  one  another  so  that  you  may  be  healed.” James  is  alluding  to  the  fact  that  one  of  the  ways  God  restores  your  heart  is  by  giving  you  other  people   to  unpack  your  baggage  with.   4.  Check  Your  Baggage  with  a  Christ-­‐Centered   Centered  _________________ _________________          When   When  it  comes  to  the  deeper  wounds  of  the  heart,  we  may  need  Christian  counseling.    1  Chronicles   27:32  says,  “Jonathan,  David's  uncle,  was  a  counselor,  b eing  a  man  of  insight…”    That’s   That’s  how  the  Bible   defines  a  counselor  – it’s  someone  who’s  able  to  see  “inside”  a  matter.   Many  times   times  God’s  path   towards  liberating  you  from  your  past  does  involve  the   the  counsel  you  receive  from  godly  people.            Proverbs  20:5,  “The  purpose  in  a  man's  heart  is  like  deep  water,  but  a  man  of  understanding  will   draw  it  o ut.” ut.”    Think  of  a  counselor  as  a  professional  “baggage  handler.”   What  is  the  primary  source  of  baggage  that  you  need  Christ  to  check  for  you  today? 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BAGGAGE CHECK

Baggage  Check      

Dr. Brandon Park | February 2, 2014

 

 

         The  worst  thing  about  traveling  is  having  to  lug  your  luggage  and  bear  your  baggage.    Many  people   cannot  live  in  spiritual  victory  because  they  are  dragging  around  all  of  their  baggage  from  the  past.     You  do  not  have  to  live  life  depressed  and  discouraged  because  of  what  you  have  been  through.              Your  memory  is  a  very  powerful  tool.  Your  memory  is  capable  of  containing  500  times  the   information  contained  in  a  complete  set  of  encyclopedias.  Your  brain  has  100  billion  neurons,  and  100   trillion  connections  for  those  memories,  46  ounces  of  memories  in  all,  and  that's  if  you're  average.     But  just  as  your  memory  can  work  in  the  positive,  it  can  also  work  in  the  negative.            You  cannot  live  in  the  _________   past and  be  an  effective  champion  for  God  in  the  _____________.   present  In   fact,  if  you  are  living  in  the  past,  it  neutralizes  and  paralyzes  your  effectiveness  in  the  present.      

Why  We  Must  Let  Go  of  the  Past   impossibility to  live  in  the  past.    You  cannot  change  anything  that  has   1. It  is  an  ___________________   happened.    As  painful  as  it  is,  you  must  move  from  this  point  on.    We  have  to  stop  trying  to   change  what  happened  in  the  past.     memories are  Flawed.    Past  memories  are  almost  always  exaggerated.   2. Past  _________________   When  you  look  back  over  your  past,  things  are  never  as  good  as  you  think  they  were  and   they  are  never  as  bad  as  you  think  they  were.  We  have  a  way  of  looking  at  the  past   idealistically  or  we  misunderstand  and  inflate  it.    Memories  will  lie  to  you.     become What  We  _______________.   remember If  our  past  dominates  our  minds,  we  will   3. We  ___________   begin  to  act  out  what  we  think  we  are  as  a  result  of  our  past.  We  act  out  what  we   remember.  If  you  dwell  on  the  garbage  of  your  past,  it  will  just  be  a  matter  of  time  before   garbage  begins  to  come  out  again  in  your  life.    

         In  this  series,  we  are  going  to  unpack  a  lot  of  our  baggage  and  ask  God  to  check  it  for  good!    God   wants  you  to  drop  some  of  these  burdens  that  you  were  never  meant  to  bear.     onal and  ______________   spiritual burdens  you  were            Definition  of  “Baggage:”  This  refers  to  the  _emoti ___________   never  meant  to  bear.    It  could  come  in  a  variety  of  forms  such  as  anxiety,  worry,  addiction,  a   relationship,  or  a  loss  suffered.              In  Matthew  11,  Jesus  actually  said,  “Come  to  me,  all  of  you  who  are  weary  a nd  carry  heavy   burdens,  and  I  will  give  you  rest.”    God  wants  to  check  your  baggage  for  good.     carrying into  2014  that  you  know  shouldn’t  be  on  your  journey  with  Christ            What  are  you  ______________   this  year?    What  issue  in  your  life  would  y ou  love  for  God  to  check  for  good?    

How  Do  We  Pick  Up  Baggage?  

         There  are  3  Biblical  sources  of  where  baggage  comes  from.      

unmet ___________________.   expectations 1.  Baggage  that  Comes  From  ___________            You  thought  that  a  situation  was  going  to  go  one  way,  but  it  ends  up  going  another.    It  could  be  in   the  form  of  a  relationship  (singles  wishing  they  were  married  or  married  people  not  satisfied  with   their  relationship).              Proverbs  13:12  says,  “Hope  d eferred  makes  the  heart  sick.”    Some  of  us  had  dreams  that  we   thought  would  happen,  but  they  haven’t  yet  –  and  it  makes  our  heart  sick.    The  source  of  anger  comes   from  unmet  expectations.    

unhealed ______________.   hurts 2.  Baggage  that  Comes  From  ________________          Perhaps  something  happened  to  you  in  the  past  and  it  hurt  you  real  bad.    You  may  have  tried  to   move  on  from  it  but  that  wound  hurt  you  so  deeply  that  now  your  past  affects  your  present.          Psalm  109:22  says,  “I  am  poor  and  needy  and  my  heart  is  wounded  within  me.”    David  wrote  these   words  and  he  knew  about  heartache.    Everyone  he  c ared  about  had  deserted  him  and  his  heart  was   wounded  within  him  and  he  broke  inside.            We  are  told  as  c hildren  that  time  will  heal  all  wounds  but  the  Bible  does  not  teach  that.     Wounds  come  when  we  lose  things  we  love  –  people,  jobs,  relationships.    When  the  source  of  our   wound  goes  untreated  and  it  remains  unhealed,  it  becomes  a  weakness  (i.e.  when  someone  wounds   your  heart  –  it’s  difficult  to  trust  again.)              God  doesn’t  want  us  just  to  put  on  a  fake  smile  and  minimize  our  hurt.  The  prophet  Jeremiah   predicted  that  there  would  be  a  generation  to  come  that  would  minimize  the  wounds  that  God’s  

people  were  carrying around.      Jeremiah  6:14  says,  “They  dress  the  wound  of  my  people  a s  though  it   were  not  serious.  'Peace,  peace,'  they  say,  when  there  is  no  peace.”

sins 3.  Baggage  that  Comes  From  _unconfessed __________  _______________.          Once  you  get  honest  with  God  about  the  hurts  you’ve  received  as  well  as  the  hurts  you  have  caused   – then  healing  c an  begin  in  your  heart.    Healing  cannot  happen  if  you  STUFF  it  or  stay  SILENT  about  it.            Psalm  32:3-­‐5,  “When  I  kept  silent,  my  b ones  wasted  away  through  my  groaning  a ll  d ay  long.  For  day   and  night  your  hand  was  h eavy  upon  me.  My  strength  was  sapped  as  if  in  the  heat  of  summer.  SELAH” past then  He  rose  again  in  order  to  give  us  a  _future Christ  died  in  order  to  free  us  from  our  ________;   _______.

How  Can  We  Check  Our  Baggage? 1.  You’ve  got  to  check  your  baggage  with  ___________ Christ          Jesus  is  truly  the  only  one  who  knows  what  you’re  going  through  and  who  has  the  power  to  heal   your  heart  for  good.    He  wants  to  begin  healing  your  heart  by  applying  the  balm  of  His  grace  and  love.          Psalm  71:20,  “Though  you  have  made  me  see  troubles,  many  a nd  b itter,  you  will  restore  my  life   again;  from  the  depths  of  the  earth  you  will  again  bring  me  u p.”            Jesus’  death  means  that  your  past  is  dead  and  over  – it  no  longer  has  to  define  you!            Isaiah  53:5,  “But  He  was  wounded  for  our  transgressions,  He  was  bruised  for  our  iniquities; the   chastisement  for  our  peace  was  upon  Him, and  by  His  wounds we  are  healed.   His wounds  heal  ________ our wounds.    In  Christ,  we  check  our  Past  so  He  can  take  control  of            ________ our  future.

ng on  the  _____________ present 2.  You’ve  got  to  check  your  baggage  by  _concentrati ______________        Phil.  3:13,  “ This  one  thing  I  do:  forgetting those  things  which  lie  b ehind…” You  will  never  sail  the   ship  of  your  life  into  the  future  with  joy  and  peace  if  your  anchor  is  stuck  in  the  mud  of  the  past.   How   can  you  forget  your  past?    The  word  “forget”  in  the  Bible  does  not mean  to  no  longer  remember.    The   influenced or  affected,  or  ______________   controlled by.”   word  forget means  “to  no  longer  be  ________________            Forgetting  is  caused  by  Refocusing.    Refocus  on  Jesus  Christ  and  his  plan  and  purpose  for  your  life   and  you  will  be  so  consumed  and  c ommitted  that  you  won’t  have time  to  think  about  the  past.    Unless   you  let  go  of  the  old,  God  will  not  bring  in  the  new.            In   In  John  5,  Jesus  encountered  the  man  by  the  Pool  of  Bethesda.    He  was  lying  around  feeling  sorry   for  himself.  It   It  was  obvious  that  he  was  crippled,  but  Jesus  asked  the  man  what  seemed  to  be  a  strange   question,  “Do  you  want  to  be  made  well.”   ell.”  I  believe  God  is  asking  a  similar  question  of  us  today:  “Do   you  want  to  be  well  or  do  you  want  to  continue  lying  around  feeling  sorry  for  yourself.”   ourself.”  When  Jesus   asked  him  this  straightforward  question,  he  came  up  with  all  kinds  of  excuses.    Jesus  didn’t  sit  down   and have  a  pity  party  with  him.    He  told  him  to  get  up  off  the  ground,  take  his  bed,  and  be  on  his  way.   When  the  man  did  what  Jesus  told  him  to  do,  he  was  miraculously  healed.   You  have  to  make  a   decision,  are  you  going  to  set  around  the  pool  for  38  years  or  are  you  going  to  get  up  and  get  moving   with  your  life.          Luke  9:62,  ““Jesus   Jesus  said  to  h im,  No  one  who  puts  his  hand  to  the  plow  and  looks  b ack  [to  the  things   behind]  is  fit  for  the  kingdom  of  God.”   od [Amplified] God  has  designed  us  to  move forward,  not   backward.   community 3.  .  You’ve  got  to  Check  Your  Baggage  in  ________________.            Galatians  6:2 tells  us,  “Carry  each  o ther’s  burdens  a nd  this  way  you  will  fulfill  the  law  of  Christ.” hrist.”    The   first  step  involves  you  going  to  God,  the  second  step  involves   nvolv you  going  to  His  people.  Christ  doesn’t   just  save  us  on  a  personal  level  – after  that  He  puts  us  into  a  community  and  it’s  called  the  c hurch.  The   idea  behind  this  is  you  need  “traveling  partners”  – you  need  other  people  who  will  come  alongside  of   you  and   d  carry  that  baggage  when  it  gets  heavy.            James  5:16,  “Confess  your  sins  to  o ne  another  and  pray  for  one  another  so  that  you  may  be  healed.” James  is  alluding  to  the  fact  that  one  of  the  ways  God  restores  your  heart  is  by  giving  you  other  people   to  unpack   pack  your  baggage  with.   counselor 4.  .  Check  Your  Baggage  with  a  Christ-­‐Centered   hrist _________________          When   When  it  comes  to  the  deeper  wounds  of  the  heart,  we  may  need  Christian  counseling.    1  Chronicles   27:32  says,  “Jonathan,  David's  uncle,  was  a  counselor,  b eing  a  man  of  insight…”    That’s  how  the  Bible   defines  a  counselor  – it’s  someone  who’s  able  to  see  “inside”  a  matter.   Many  times  God’s  path   towards  liberating  you  from  your  past  does  involve  the  counsel  you  receive  from  godly  people.            Proverbs  20:5,  “The  purpose  in  a  man's  heart  is  like  deep  water,  but  a  man  of  understanding  will   draw  it  o ut.” ut.”    Think  of  a  counselor  as  a  professional  “baggage  handler.”   What  is  the  primary  source  of  baggage  that  you  need  Christ  to  check  for  you  today?