Say Goodbye to Regrets...About Regrets

Hey, podcast listeners. Thanks for streaming today's podcast, From Pathway to Victory. Pathway to Victory is a nonprofit ministry featuring the Bible teaching of Dr. Robert Jeffress. Our mission is to pierce the darkness with the light of God's word through the most effective media available, like this podcast. To support Pathway to Victory, go to ptv.org slash podcast and click the donate button or follow the link in our show notes. Now here's today's podcast, From Pathway to Victory. Thanks to the horrific attack on Israel, I've written a brand new book called Are We Living in the End Times?

Go to ptv.org to order your copy. Welcome to Pathway to Victory with author and pastor, Dr. Robert Jeffress. Living with regret is futile and exhausting. Regret drains us of energy and steals our hope at the same time. Well, God has a much better plan, one that involves redeeming the future rather than lamenting the past. Today on Pathway to Victory, Dr. Robert Jeffress describes how you can make your regrets work for you and not against you. Now here's our Bible teacher to introduce today's message.

Dr. Jeffress? Thanks, David, and welcome again to Pathway to Victory. For the first three weeks of the new year, I've been talking about saying goodbye to regrets. Well, there's an exclusive vacation opportunity coming up that you will regret missing if you don't sign up soon. I'm referring to the Pathway to Victory cruise to Alaska June 15th through 22nd. On June 15th, we'll meet up in beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia. Together, we'll board a luxurious cruise ship that's headed for a seven-day adventure to the great frontier. Along the way, we'll be stopping in quaint ports of call such as Skagway, Ketchikan, and Juneau, just to name a few. So be sure to check out the superb itinerary and reserve your cabin today by going to ptv.org.

We'll be joined on our cruise by Christian artist Rebecca St. James and Michael O'Brien, along with comedian Dennis Swanberg, and I'll be teaching most evenings from God's Word. Now, it's no mistake that we're talking about saying goodbye to regret in January. With 12 months in 2024 before us, we're starting the new year with a clean slate. For that reason, I'd like to send you my best-selling book called Say Goodbye to Regret. In my book, I address 10 of the most common disappointments in life. Things like regretting our career choices, our sexual mistakes, or regretting a bad personal investment. You're invited to request your copy of my book today.

It's yours when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory. We'll give our contact information a bit later in today's program, but right now let's turn our attention to the very last message in this topical series. I titled today's final message Say Goodbye to Regrets About Regrets. Today, we've come to the final message in our series, Say Goodbye to Regrets. Over these last weeks, we've seen that regrets in life over mistakes, they can't be erased. You get no do-overs in life.

Have you discovered that? However, you can allow your regrets to help you avoid future regrets in every area of life. But throughout the series, you may have been wondering, well, what do I actually do about those regrets that have accumulated from my marriage or from my finances or my career? What do I do with those regrets? One of my daughters said, do you just say goodbye to them?

There has to be something more to it. Well, there is, and that's why I saved today's message for the very last one. Today, we're going to discover what the Bible says about how to say goodbye to regrets about regrets. If you're going to make your regrets work for you instead of against you, if you want them to be your slaves rather than your master that paralyzes your life, there are four biblical insights about regrets that I want to leave you with this morning, and I want you to write them down and remember them. First of all, regrets are inevitable.

They are inevitable. Just accept the fact that somewhere along the line, you're going to make a colossal mistake that will forever change your children or your marriage or your career or your health or your finances or some other important area of life. Regrets are inevitable. You know why you are prone to make mistakes?

It's very simple. You are one giant clod. Did you know that? That's what the Bible says.

Well, it uses a different phrase. You're one giant lump of clay. That's what the Bible refers to us as. In Genesis 2, 7, in the account of the formation of the first man and woman, Moses writes, then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a human being.

That word formed in Hebrew refers to a potter that takes a wet lump of clay, places it on a spinning wheel, and forms it, shapes it into what he wants. That's what you and I are. We're clay. We're a collection of dust and chemicals. To be more specific, you are 58 pounds of oxygen, 50 quarts of water, 3 pounds of calcium, 2 ounces of salt, and 6 pounds of Oreo cookies all formed together to make you who you are. Now, of course, you're a lot more than that.

You're a lot more than that, but you're still encased, your spirit is still encased in a body that is dust. Now, somebody says, well, that doesn't do a lot for my self-image to think of myself as a clod, as a lump of clay. Well, the purpose of the Bible isn't to make you feel better about yourself necessarily. It's to teach us how we really are.

But here's the good thing. Not only should we not be surprised by our mistakes, because we are that lump of dust or clay, the good news is God's not surprised either by your mistakes. I love Psalm 103 14, for He Himself knows our frame. He is mindful that we are but dust. Doesn't that give you comfort to know that God understands us as we are? We are but dust.

We inhabit bodies that are weak. And because we have bodies that are weak and have been infected with sin, that translates into poor choices, frequent mistakes, and inevitable regrets. Regrets are inevitable.

You're going to have them. Just mark that down and remember it. But secondly, regrets are also forgivable. I don't want you to misunderstand what I just said about the inevitability of regrets. You can't get away with God by saying, oh, I'm only human. I can't do any better than that.

No. Sin, which is another way of saying mistakes, sins have to be dealt with. God is a holy God. He cannot allow sin to go unpunished. God is a God of justice. He has to deal with sin. Nahum in the Old Testament chapter 1 verse 3 says God cannot simply overlook our transgressions.

He has to deal with them. But in the same passage that deals with God's kindness toward us is the way that God deals with us. Look at Psalm 103 verses 10 to 12. For God has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.

For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is God's loving kindness toward those who fear Him. You see, a holy God has to deal with sin. Our sin is deserving of the wrath of God. But when you trust in Jesus as your Savior, it's not that God forgets about your sins or plays like they never happen. He has to deal with your sin.

So what does He do? He separates you and me from our sin, and He takes our sin and prays God. Colossians 2 14 says He nails our sin to the cross of Jesus Christ, and He declares that it is paid in full.

That's how God deals with us. He separates our sin from us and nails it to the cross of Christ. That means that we are forgiven of our sins. Today when we think of people, we can't separate people from their sins.

If there is somebody who's wronged you every time you see that person, that's what you think about is how they have wronged you. If you think about famous characters in history, I won't name them, but if they've had a major public sin, that's what you remember about them. We can't separate people from their sins, but thank God He separates us from our sins. He takes our sins, separates us from them, and nails it to the cross of Jesus Christ.

And I love this verse in verse 12. How far has God separated us from our sin? As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. You remember in our series Invincible, I explained there's a reason God doesn't say as far as the north is from the south, so far has He removed our sins.

Do you know why He doesn't use that? Because there are poles associated with the north and the south. There is a limited distance between north and south.

Let me illustrate that for you. If you get in your car this afternoon and start driving north, you'll go through Oklahoma, you'll go through Minnesota, you'll go through Canada, you keep going north and north and north until you meet Santa Claus at the North Pole. And an interesting thing happens. When you hit the North Pole, you're still going in the same direction, but now you're going south. North has become south because of the north and south poles. But if you're traveling from east to west, there's an infinite distance you go without ever changing directions. If you start traveling west from Dallas, you'll go to El Paso, you'll go to Arizona, you'll go to California, you're still going west, you'll go to Hawaii, you'll go to Japan, you'll go to China, you keep going west and west and west. It doesn't matter how long you go, there is never a moment when you start going east again.

You go from west on and on and on and on. How far has God removed that terrible mistake we're so embarrassed about? He hasn't moved it just from the north to the south, He has moved it from the east to the west and He remembers our sin no longer. Praise God for a God who does that with our sin. That is why I say, yes, regrets are inevitable, but they are forgivable.

He has not dealt with us according to our sins. There's a third truth about regrets. Not only are they inevitable, not only are they forgivable, but thirdly, regrets can be instructional. They can be instructional. Authors Arthur Freeman and Rose DeWolf have painted a vivid word picture to describe the potential benefits of results.

Listen to this. Somewhere inside of all of us, there is a hall of memories where we keep the people, places, and events of our past. These memories may be bittersweet, these memories may be instructive, these memories may be painful. You come away from visiting the hall of memories refreshed, warmed, and warned, ready to deal again with the future, maybe even able to warn others not to repeat your mistakes. The key to progress in life is returning to the present.

The hall of memories becomes a fascinating place to visit, no longer a place in which to live or even to linger. These memories, these bad memories of mistakes from the past, need to be remembered, but not dwelt upon. And if we remember them in the right way, though they can never be erased, they can be instructional for the future. That's the potential benefit of a regret. It can't change our past, but it can change our future. I don't know how better to illustrate the potential benefit of mistakes from the past than from a personal illustration from my own life.

When I was pastoring my last church, over those 15 years, there came different opportunities to go to other churches, larger churches, in one case to become a president of a seminary. I remember one of those times I was dealing with a potential move and change. Our girls were little at the time, and Julia was nine years old. I remember one night, after she had gone to bed, I noticed that the light in her closet was still on. So I walked into that closet to turn the light out, and I noticed at the back of the closet, Amy had made a collage of Julia's first nine years of living, a picture from each year. And I looked down at 1989 when she was a year old, and I thought about the year 1989. I remembered when that picture was taken, but I thought, what else do I remember from 1989? And I could think of one or maybe two things that happened out of those 365 days, and I thought, what happened to that year? I looked at 1991.

Where did that go? 1994. And suddenly I was filled with regrets over times I had missed spending with my two daughters in order to take care of real or imaginary responsibilities I had. And feeling that pain, I thought to myself, now, if I say yes to this opportunity, what are the chances that one day in the future I'll be looking at a collage saying, what happened to 1999?

What happened to 2002 or 2004? I allowed that pain that I was feeling from the past to lead me to the conclusion to say no to this opportunity. That's the value of regrets.

You can't erase them, but you can avoid future mistakes. The writer of Proverbs says it this way in Proverbs 15, 31 to 32, he whose ear listens to the life-giving reproof will dwell among the wise, but he who neglects discipline despises himself, but he who listens to reproof acquires understanding. Remember in Proverbs, the word reproof and discipline, these mean negative circumstances we experience because of wrong choices we've made. And what the writer of Proverbs is saying, we need to learn from those wrong choices so we don't repeat them. Somebody once said, the worst thing about the school of hard knocks is that the tuition is very high.

And the only thing worse than paying that tuition bill once is having to pay it again and again and again. Only the fool refuses to learn from his past mistakes. Regrets are inevitable. They are forgivable. They can be instructional. And finally, regrets are providential.

They are providential. In my book, The Road Most Traveled, I give this definition of contentment. Contentment means being at peace with the unchangeable choices, circumstances, and mistakes of my life.

The only way you can be at peace with these mistakes you've made is when you understand and trust in the sovereignty of God. What does the sovereignty of God mean? It means God is in control. He is in control of everything that happens in this universe and everything that happens in your life and my life. Somebody said it this way when it comes to mistakes. God not only watches over our steps, He watches over our missteps and our stumbles.

Now, when we get into Ephesians in a few weeks, we're going to deal with the subject of predispination and election and sovereignty. But I want to be real clear when I say this. God never wills for us to sin. That's not what I'm saying. God is not the author of sin. When I say trusting in the sovereignty of God over our mistakes, what I'm saying is God is so powerful, He's so good, He's so loving that He can take the worst mistakes we make, the worst sins we commit, and He can use them for our good and for His glory.

God can cause all things to work together for good to those who love Him and those who are called according to His purpose. You know, the best example to me in Scripture of that is the story of Moses. Remember, Moses spent the first 40 years of his life in Pharaoh's palace. He was the son in many ways of Pharaoh. And when he was 40 years of age, he made one momentary bad choice that forever changed his life. In a heat of anger, he killed that Egyptian soldier, and immediately he became a fugitive. He started running from Pharaoh. And because of that one mistake, he spent the next 40 years on the backside of the desert. Can you imagine the number of times he must have kicked himself saying, if only I hadn't killed that soldier, if only I hadn't allowed my anger to give the best of me, I'd be back in the palace instead of out here in Nowheresville.

But God used those 40 years in the desert to prepare Moses, to teach him invaluable lessons he never would have learned in Pharaoh's court, lessons that prepared him at age 80 to be called by God to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt. You will never be at peace with the regrets from your past until you believe in a God who can do the same thing for you. He can take the worst mistakes you've made and use them for your good and for his glory. I want to encourage you right now to visualize your biggest regret you have in your life, the biggest mistake you've made in your life. And I encourage you to see that mistake, that sin as God sees it. It's nothing that can be erased, but it's a regret that can be forgiven. And thank God never has to be repeated. Many of you remember perhaps the name of the humorous Irma Baumbach, who decades ago had a column that appeared in hundreds of newspapers several times a week.

Millions of people read the humorous columns of Irma Baumbach. She died when she was 69 years of age of kidney cancer, and shortly before she died, she made one of her last columns, a list of things she would do over if she had her life to live over again. This is what she said. I would have talked less and listened more. I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a nose before it melted in my garage. I would have sat on the lawn with my children and not worried about grass stains. I would have eaten popcorn in the good living room and worried less about dirt when somebody wanted to light the fireplace. I would have cried and laughed less while watching TV and more while watching life. There would have been more I love yous, more I'm sorrys, but mostly given another shot at life.

I would seize every minute, look at it and really see it, live it, and never give it back. Unfortunately, Irma Baumbach never got another shot at life, and neither will you. Instead of letting these regrets paralyze you, let them be instructional and prepare you for the future. The Roman statesman Cicero said, let us not go over the same ground again, but let us prepare for what is yet to come. I love what the Apostle Paul says even more in Philippians 3.

Remember his words. This one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal of the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Great words to remember for those who are intent on saying goodbye to regrets. Life is far too short to live with regrets, and I'm hoping and praying this teaching series inspires you to forget what lies behind and to reach forward to what lies ahead. Well, today concludes this teaching series that started on New Year's Day. For the better part of three weeks, we've been talking about saying goodbye to our regrets. And this is the very last day I'll mention my bestselling book on this topic.

If you've held good intentions about requesting a copy but have yet to reach out, now's the time to respond. The title of my book is Say Goodbye to Regret. The subtitle is living beyond the would haves, could haves, and should haves. You see, too many of us are paralyzed by regret. We're haunted by our mistakes. And God stands ready with open arms, prepared to forgive us and ready to carry us forward. Please, while there's still time, get in touch and request my book, Say Goodbye to Regret.

It's yours when you give a generous gift to support the growing ministry of Pathway to Victory. I'd like to add a quick word about tomorrow's program. On October 7th, you and I witnessed the horrific attack on the people of Israel.

In the ensuing months, we've been grieved to watch the bloodshed continue. So tomorrow, on Friday's program and for the next few weeks, we will hear a special teaching series I prepared for you. I titled this urgent series with the question, are we living in the end times? Tell your friends and family about this time-sensitive study. And together, let's continue praying for our beloved friends in Israel.

David. Thanks, Dr. Jeffress. You're invited to request your very own copy of the bestselling book by Dr. Jeffress called Say Goodbye to Regret when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory, or when you give your first gift as a Pathway partner. Just call 866-999-2965 or visit online at ptv.org.

Now when you give an especially generous gift of $75 or more, we'll also include the complete Say Goodbye to Regret teaching series on audio and video discs, perfect for listening to in the car or watching with your small group Bible study or Sunday school class. One more time, call 866-999-2965 or go to ptv.org. If you'd prefer to write, here's that mailing address, P.O. Box 223-609, Dallas, Texas, 75222.

One more time, that's P.O. Box 223-609, Dallas, Texas, 75222. I'm David J. Mullins. Join us again next time when Dr. Jeffress begins a brand new series on Bible prophecy, it's called Are We Living in the End Times, right here on Pathway to Victory. Pathway to Victory with Dr. Robert Jeffress comes from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas. You made it to the end of today's podcast from Pathway to Victory, and we're so glad you're here. Pathway to Victory relies on the generosity of loyal listeners like you to make this podcast possible. One of the most impactful ways you can give is by becoming a Pathway Partner. Your monthly gift will empower Pathway to Victory to share the gospel of Jesus Christ and help others become rooted more firmly in His Word. To become a Pathway Partner, go to ptv.org slash podcast and click on the donate button or follow the link in our show notes. We hope you've been blessed by today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.