Gospel House Ministries

Pastor Dr. Herbert Ward, Sr.: Today, our sermon title is "The Pain of Your Past is in Your Way!" The pain of your past is in your way. There are some things in your past some of you have not gotten over. It can be stemming from your family. It could stem from something that happened to you as a child. But there is some pain that you're feeling from your past.

You've been carrying it for years. You've been carrying it so long that it has become the norm. It doesn't even seem like a pain anymore because you've accepted it, and you've allowed it to park in your heart and stay there. It is the will of God that you release the offenses.

Guest (Female): Yes, yes.

Pastor Dr. Herbert Ward, Sr.: You release those things that came against you, those things that have been against you. Some of the things of your past were not your fault. Somebody did something to you. Somebody made something happen to you. There's a lot of pain from your past.

The question is, how do I get over that? It's been a part of my life most of my life, so I've accepted it. But how do I get over that? What I want to say is give it to Jesus. Now, we say that lightly, "Give it to Jesus," but what does that entail?

Guest (Female): Yes, yes.

Pastor Dr. Herbert Ward, Sr.: What it entails is a total commitment to Christ. Your life is given to God. You're not playing with God; you're serious with God because you want to walk better with God. So what God does is He brings you into His arms, and He rocks you.

If He's rocking you, you're close to Him. He rocks you, and He tells you everything about yourself. He tells you what's ailing you, why this happened to you, and all the reasons. He shows you everything about why you are the way you are, but He shows you that He is not holding it against you.

Guest (Female): Hallelujah. Thank you, Lord.

Pastor Dr. Herbert Ward, Sr.: He says, "I'm not holding it against you. I've come to deliver you from it." Nobody wants to get delivered today? You better act like you want it. It is the will of God for you to live in peace and harmony with Him. He doesn't want anything nagging you, bothering you, or hindering you from your past because He wants you to look forward.

He doesn't want you to look back. If you keep looking back, you're not getting where He wants you to fast enough. What is the pain of your past? The pain of your past is anything you did, said, or lied about. It can be a horrible misdeed you participated in or committed.

Guest (Female): Right.

Pastor Dr. Herbert Ward, Sr.: It can be a betrayal where you lost your trust from people. It can be a debt you owed and never took care of; just ask the IRS. It can be because you stole something or took something, and nobody ever thought of all people you would do something like that, and you lost your reputation.

The pain of your past is anything you did wrong that keeps surfacing in your mind and in the minds of people years later that seemingly condemns you for life. You cannot seem to get past it or beyond it.

Guest (Female): Yes.

Pastor Dr. Herbert Ward, Sr.: The pain of your past can also be what was done against you as a child that has put a scar on your life. You're unable to live it down because people won't let you live it down. They keep bringing it up.

The pain of your past can be what was wrongly done to you by the culture you live in, like slavery. That can tarnish you and your family for generations, putting some stigmas on you so people look away from you, putting you in a box by stereotyping you into their frame while putting you to shame.

Guest (Female): Yes.

Pastor Dr. Herbert Ward, Sr.: I can recall Daddy Bush telling America, "Read my lips: no new taxes." He stated that his opponent will, but he wouldn't do that. When he became president, he did exactly that; he raised taxes. His approval rating soured, and he lost his bid for the next presidential election. The pain of his past was in the way of his political future. He never lived that scandalous lie down, and he never became president again.

Who can forget when Will Smith slapped Chris Rock? The sound of that slap sent a crescendo around the world. It was so embarrassing; both parties were ashamed. But who was the pain of the past on and still on? Will Smith. He was at the height of his career, but what he did hurt his movie box office numbers. No one is really that enthusiastic about seeing him again on the big screen. The pain of his past is still in the way of his acting career.

Guest (Female): Jesus.

Pastor Dr. Herbert Ward, Sr.: We all can recall when Bill Cosby and R. Kelly were sidelined from their careers permanently, which is in the way of them ever returning to the status they once upheld. This pain can be agonizing and debilitating to the human psyche, to the mind, and lead to years of deep regret.

This pain can be permanent if you let it. But I say let it go and let God take the pain away. He can take the pain away. There's nothing impossible to God, nor is there anything too hard for God to do. It's according to your faith and your trust in Him.

Guest (Female): Hallelujah. Amen.

Pastor Dr. Herbert Ward, Sr.: Many people have issues concerning their past. There have been some woes, some nos, and some goals that never were achieved. They experienced many setbacks, disappointments, and letdowns. Many of us process things differently. Some process things quickly, while others process things slowly. Others fail to process things at all and are still dealing with something they just could never get over.

It's in their way of mental progress and happy success. Seemingly, their minds just can't let it go. For some, their experience was traumatizing, embarrassing, and life-changing because of relational losses, job losses, or financial losses—whether it be because of death, an argument, a family dispute, or an investment that shattered their dreams and took a toll on their mind because of the money they could never find.

Guest (Male): Jesus.

Pastor Dr. Herbert Ward, Sr.: Some people can bear things better than others, while others have a mental breakdown or a mental meltdown. Whatever the case, many people are dealing with anguish, resentment, and low self-esteem.

These mental barriers hinder people from having a productive life, a fulfilling life, or a purposeful life. Then they're marginalized, criticized, ostracized, and cast to the side as a nobody, as though they don't count because the people in their bubble don't have the patience to wait on them and assist them.

Guest (Female): Yes, Lord.

Pastor Dr. Herbert Ward, Sr.: I must say this to all of you: many of the things you went through were made to make you and not break you. You're not broken anymore; you're well-spoken of now. You overcame what you went through, and now you're a better you. Amen, somebody.

The problem is there is some pain that remains that you can't get out of your brain. For some of you, you're stuck and can't seem to make progress. For another, you gave up a long time ago and said, "What's the use?" If you are a Christian—a really sanctified Christian—you're more than a conqueror. You're an overcomer.

Guest (Female): Amen.

Pastor Dr. Herbert Ward, Sr.: The question being that you are a Christian: why doesn't that power and title fit your garment, conqueror and overcomer? You do too much complaining. If you complain all the time, how can you be a conqueror or overcomer?

Watch your tongue. Mind your tongue. Because the words that are coming out of your mouth, it's either power or death. What does it say? The power of life and death is in the tongue. So, if you're more than a conqueror and you're an overcomer, what's coming out of your mouth?

Guest (Female): That's right.

Pastor Dr. Herbert Ward, Sr.: The devil is a liar. The devil better get behind me. I'm going on anyway. I'm strong in the Lord. God is with me. God is my God. You've got to speak positive. The problem came to you, and you helped the problem by talking about the problem. Don't talk about the problem; talk about the solution. Because when you talk about the problem, you're making the problem bigger.

Guest (Female): Amen. Preach it.

Pastor Dr. Herbert Ward, Sr.: So stop whining. And if it does suit you, you ought to show some signs and stop whining and crying about something you've been given the power to defeat. Where is your faith? Some of the greatest pain that I believe exists today in people is the lack of parental care, parental empathy, and parental guidance.

Some of these people's parents have gone on through death, and they're still battling with the emotional trauma left behind concerning what was going on in their home as a child. They're still processing the unfavorable treatment they received from either parent, or because there was no parent in their life. Someone who didn't love them took care of them, and now they're emotionally unbalanced for life.

Guest (Female): That is the truth.

Pastor Dr. Herbert Ward, Sr.: There is only one remedy for that, and that's love. Unconditional love. And that's not found in man; that's found in God, and Jesus His dear Son, through His Holy Spirit. First Peter 4:8-9 says, "Above all things, have fervent love for one another, for love will cover a multitude of sins." Aren't you grateful that Jesus loved you and covered your sins?

People are in pain because of their polluted name and unbalanced life because of their fame. There's a young lady from Hollywood who lost her life this past week at the tender age of thirty-four. She had a tumultuous life because of drugs and unhappiness stimulated by a strange love relationship. They say she would go into deep depression, not talkative. Fame is no gain if you don't know Jesus's name.

Guest (Female): That's right.

Pastor Dr. Herbert Ward, Sr.: And if you do know Him, call on Him. He'll help you carry the weight of what you're bearing or dealing with. He'll hear your faintest cry. Call Him; He'll answer by and by. Call on Him; He'll be right there and show you just how much He cares for you. The Bible says, "Cast your cares upon Him, for He cares for you."

I'm here to tell you about a love relationship that can wipe your pain away and give you a better name, a greater name without fame. He's my lover. Jesus is the lover of my soul. He's given me the power to be bold. Whatever pain has been a drain on your life that has blocked your progress, just sing this song: "I will trust in the Lord until I die." Through pain and scorn, He will lead me on. No other friend I know like Him.

Guest (Female): Hallelujah. Amen.

Pastor Dr. Herbert Ward, Sr.: Jesus is the way. Hallelujah. Is He not? Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by Him. In our sermon lesson today, I want us to put a magnifying glass on the life of David and Jacob. This week, we will deal with David. Next time, God willing, we will put the scope on Jacob.

Each one had family woes. Each one had obstacles they had to climb, and both lived with regret from their past. Yet, somehow they made it through. They overcame the pains of their past that could have limited their success. It was God that gave them the power to persevere. As you will see, both had a remedy for the challenges they faced when they couldn't keep the pace of life that seemed so overwhelming.

Guest (Female): Yes, Lord.

Pastor Dr. Herbert Ward, Sr.: We all know the story of David and Bathsheba. Bathsheba was taking a bath, and David watched her take that bath as a Peeping Tom. While he was supposed to be out to war with his men, he became distracted by her beauty. Many a man is distracted by the beauty of a woman.

Guest (Female): Amen.

Pastor Dr. Herbert Ward, Sr.: As a Christian man, your tongue should not be hanging out and salivating because you see a pretty woman. Just thought I'd touch that a little bit. So, he was a Peeping Tom while he was supposed to be out to war with his men. He became distracted by her beauty.

David sent his servants to her house and invited her to his castle, laid with her while her husband Uriah the Hittite was out fighting a war that he was supposed to be leading. Bathsheba becomes pregnant, and David decides to put her husband on the frontline of war to kill Uriah and hide his sin of shame.

Guest (Female): Oh yes.

Pastor Dr. Herbert Ward, Sr.: That became a pain of his past and did indeed last and got in his way. God sent Nathan the prophet to rebuke David and to give him God's judgment. The judgment is found in Second Samuel 12:10-11. It says, "Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house because you have despised Me."

How do you despise God? Trust me, all of you have. You despise God by not respecting Him, by not honoring Him and going against His word. You don't want to hear the truth. And if you don't want to hear the truth, you don't want to hear God because God is the truth.

Guest (Female): Yes.

Pastor Dr. Herbert Ward, Sr.: Someone's talking to you seriously and trying to tell you something, and you're all arrogant up here and don't want to hear it, and you think it's going to just wash away? No, it's going to keep coming back up until you deal with it. I don't know who this is for, but it's going to keep coming back up. You better deal with it.

And you know what? When it keeps coming back up, every time it comes up, the monster's head gets uglier. If I were you, I'd nip it in the bud. Amen. Hallelujah. Glory to God.

Guest (Female): Hallelujah. Thank you, Lord.

Pastor Dr. Herbert Ward, Sr.: So, Bathsheba becomes pregnant, and David decides to put her husband on the frontline and kill him. When you hear this later on in other books in the Bible, it doesn't say he took Bathsheba; it says, "And David was with the wife of Uriah." It keeps coming up.

He couldn't live it down. Even though he got forgiven, even though he got washed, when you go further in the Bible and people talk about it, they say David was with the wife of Uriah. They don't say Bathsheba; they just say Uriah. It's sticking it to him. You can't live some of this stuff down, but God gives you the power to overcome so it doesn't bring you down.

Guest (Female): Yes. Amen.

Pastor Dr. Herbert Ward, Sr.: It says that he has taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be his wife. "Thus says the Lord: 'Behold, I will raise up adversity against you from your own house.'" Now, that's bad when you've got trouble in your own house.

"And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor. He shall lie with your wives." Just me imagining that, no man wants that. "And he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun." Do you know what that means? That means he's going to lie with your wives, and everybody's going to know because the sun gives light.

Guest (Female): Amen.

Pastor Dr. Herbert Ward, Sr.: Open your Bibles to Second Samuel 13. Get ready; stretch a little bit. If you pay attention and if you really get involved in what is being said, you won't get sleepy. After this, Absalom the son of David had a lovely sister whose name was Tamar. And Amnon the son of David loved her.

Now, David had already did what he did with Bathsheba. So now it's on. The consequences. This is the start of David's consequences for sin. Amnon was so distressed over his sister Tamar that he became sick, for she was a virgin. He was sick in the head. It was improper for Amnon to do anything to her.

How are you going to get sick over your sister because you want to get in bed with her? You're sick already. You're mentally sick. But Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David's brother. So it was his cousin. Jonadab was a very crafty man. Crafty means cunning in a bad sense. You don't need to be around friends like that because they get you in trouble.