Sermon Overview & Discussion Questions: "What Do We Do With Regret?"

Sermon Overview:
Paul encourages the church in Philippi to center their Christian walk around one thing: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead. Far from suggesting that Christians never reflect on their past experiences, Paul is instead urging all believers to not dwell on their former achievements or failings and instead meditate often on their future resurrection from the dead and eternal reign with Christ.

Discussion Questions:

1. Paul mentions that he does “one thing” and then proceeds to list seemingly two separate actions. How is forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead actually the same act of faith?

2. CJ mentioned that every Christian is tempted, to varying degrees, to look upon their own past sin in regret and think, “if only…” or “what if…”. How have you done this with your sin, and what (lack of) fruit have you seen it bear?
 
3. In what ways do you think it could be helpful to remember past sin without dwelling on it? What can you do in your life to avoid the remembrance of sin morphing into the dwelling on past sin?
 
4. How are you freed by the truth that the LORD does not grace you to carry the burdens of regret? In the face of regretful sin, what act of grace has the LORD supplied instead?
 
5. How might you share the gospel with an unbeliever who is plagued with regret over their failures? What hope does the cross of Christ provide for this type of person?