Overcoming the Past: Embracing New Life in Christ

At Fullwood Community Church, everyone is welcome to bring their pain, past, and pressures into the presence of Jesus, knowing that He meets us right where we are. Life is often a struggle, and many of us carry burdens that feel too heavy to bear. Yet, in the midst of our mess, God invites us to lay everything at His feet, to encounter His grace, and to move forward into the purpose and promise He has for us. The story of the woman caught in adultery is a powerful reminder that Jesus stands between us and our accusers, offering not condemnation but new life. However, even after such encounters with grace, the reality is that our past often tries to return—like a monster that keeps coming back, threatening to pull us into old patterns of shame, fear, and regret.

The enemy is persistent, crafting attacks uniquely designed for each of us, tempting us with old sins in new forms, and tormenting us with memories of past failures or wounds. Sometimes, the hardest battle is not with others, but with ourselves—struggling to forgive ourselves even after God has already forgiven us. The echo of our past can be louder than the original roar, keeping us looking over our shoulders, afraid that what we left at the altar will return. Yet, Scripture assures us that there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. God is not only able to forgive our sins but to create new life out of our dirt and brokenness, just as He did when He formed Adam from the dust and again when Jesus wrote in the ground before the accusers.

Moving forward requires us to stop living in fear of the next attack and to trust that God’s grace is sufficient, even when the enemy returns. The persistent attacks of the enemy are not a sign of his power, but of his stubbornness—and every time he comes back, it’s an opportunity to remember God’s past faithfulness and to grow stronger. We are called to let go of the stones we hold against ourselves, to stop defining our lives by what has happened to us or what we have done, and to embrace the new thing God is doing. Whether our struggle is with sin, trauma, or the fear of repeating old pain, God invites us to move forward, not by our own strength, but by leaning into His grace, which is made perfect in our weakness.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Grace Meets Us in Our Mess, Not Our Perfection God does not wait for us to have it all together before He meets us. Like the woman caught in adultery, we often find ourselves at the feet of Jesus because our sin or pain has brought us low. Yet, it is precisely in our brokenness that Jesus offers grace, not condemnation, and invites us to new life. The place of our greatest shame can become the place of our greatest encounter with God’s mercy. [52:40]
• 2. The Enemy’s Attacks Are Persistent but Not All-Powerful The enemy crafts temptations and attacks uniquely suited to our weaknesses, returning again and again like a monster that refuses to stay gone. However, his persistence is not a sign of his power, but of his stubbornness. Every repeated attack is an opportunity to remember that God’s victory is final, and the enemy cannot repeat his victory over us when we are in Christ. [53:51]
• 3. Our Past Does Not Define Our Future—God Does It is easy to live in fear that our past failures, sins, or traumas will return to haunt us. But God calls us to remember not the former things and to perceive the new thing He is doing. If we are always looking over our shoulder for the next attack, we will miss the new life and purpose God is offering us right now. [60:09]
• 4. Forgiving Ourselves Is Often the Hardest Step Even after God has forgiven us, we often struggle to forgive ourselves, holding onto the stones of self-condemnation long after others have let them go. True freedom comes when we lay down those stones and accept that, in Christ, we are a new creation—the old has passed away, and the new has come. [56:06]
• 5. God’s Grace Is Sufficient in Every Weakness and Repeated Battle Paul’s plea for God to remove his “thorn” was met with the assurance that God’s grace is sufficient, and His power is made perfect in weakness. The struggles and attacks that persist in our lives are not wasted; God uses them to transform us, teaching us to rely on His strength rather than our own. The enemy may return, but God’s grace is always enough.
  
  ** [70:12]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [05:12] - Fullwood’s Open Invitation: Bring Your Pain and Past
• [05:42] - Community Announcements and Appreciation
• [25:39] - Honoring Service in the Church
• [26:57] - The Struggle to Show Up and the Open Altar
• [27:27] - God Has Something for You Today
• [38:33] - Worship: The Father’s Arms Are Open
• [40:45] - The Enemy’s Custom Attacks
• [42:01] - The Woman Caught in Adultery: Encountering Grace
• [47:19] - The Universal Struggle with Our Past
• [53:02] - No Condemnation in Christ: Living in the Now
• [55:05] - God Creates New Life from Our Dirt
• [56:31] - Becoming a New Creation and the Challenge of Self-Forgiveness
• [57:41] - Moving Forward After Trauma and Hurt
• [60:09] - God Is Doing a New Thing
• [66:03] - The Roar and the Echo: Letting Go of the Past
• [70:12] - God’s Grace Is Sufficient in Repeated Battles
• [74:08] - Every Attack Is a Reminder of God’s Faithfulness
• [75:12] - Declarations for When the Attack Returns
• [77:45] - The Invitation: Move Forward and Receive Grace
• [81:12] - Closing Prayer and Open Altar

Bible Reading

John 8:2-11 (ESV) — > Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”

Romans 8:1 (ESV) — > There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (ESV) — > So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Observation Questions

1. In the story of the woman caught in adultery, what did Jesus do when the accusers brought her before him? What was his response to both the accusers and the woman? ([42:01])
2. According to Romans 8:1, what is the present reality for those who are in Christ Jesus? How does the word “now” shape our understanding of this verse? ([53:02])
3. In 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, what was Paul’s “thorn in the flesh,” and how did God respond to Paul’s repeated prayers about it? ([01:08:22])
4. The sermon mentions that the enemy’s attacks are persistent but not all-powerful. What examples did Pastor Lloyd give to illustrate this point? ([41:26])

Interpretation Questions

1. Why do you think Jesus chose to write in the dirt instead of immediately answering the accusers? What might this action symbolize, especially in light of God creating life from the dust in Genesis? ([54:09])
2. The sermon says that sometimes the hardest person to forgive is ourselves, even after God has forgiven us. Why is self-forgiveness so difficult, and how does holding onto “stones” of self-condemnation affect our ability to move forward? ([56:06])
3. Paul was told by God, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” How does this truth change the way we view our ongoing struggles or repeated battles? ([01:10:12])
4. The sermon compares the return of our past struggles to Godzilla coming back in movie after movie. What does it mean to “stop living in fear of the next attack” and instead trust God’s grace? ([01:00:09])

Application Questions

1. The sermon says, “Grace meets us in our mess, not our perfection.” Is there an area of your life right now where you feel like you have to “get it together” before coming to Jesus? What would it look like to bring that mess to Him today? ([52:40])
2. Pastor Lloyd talked about the enemy crafting temptations “specifically for you.” Can you identify a recurring temptation or struggle that seems tailor-made for you? How have you seen it show up in new forms? ([50:52])
3. The message highlighted that our past does not define our future—God does. Are there specific memories, failures, or hurts from your past that you find yourself “looking over your shoulder” for? How does this affect your ability to see the “new thing” God is doing? ([01:00:09])
4. When was the last time you struggled to forgive yourself for something God has already forgiven? What “stones” of self-condemnation are you still holding onto, and what would it look like to lay them down? ([56:06])
5. Paul’s experience with the “thorn in the flesh” shows that God’s grace is enough even when the struggle doesn’t go away. Is there a persistent struggle or weakness in your life where you need to rely more on God’s strength than your own? ([01:10:12])
6. The sermon said, “Every repeated attack is an opportunity to remember God’s past faithfulness and to grow stronger.” Can you share a time when a repeated struggle actually led you to deeper trust in God or spiritual growth? ([01:14:08])
7. If you find yourself always waiting for the “next attack” or for your past to come back, what practical steps can you take this week to focus on God’s grace and the new life He offers, instead of living in fear? ([01:17:45])