How to Pray to Forgive 1.29.23

How to Pray to Forgive January 29, 2023 Good morning and welcome to Lake Erie Church! I'm Bill Isaacs and over the past 4 weeks we've been looking at How to Pray. Today is the final message in that series and may be the hardest...we are calling it How to Pray To Forgive. One of the important pieces of the Lord's Prayer (which Kai Fellenstein read today) reads like this... (Matthew 6:12) "...forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us." Sounds like you can't be FORGIVEN until you are ready to FORGIVE. But let's be honest-it's easier to ask God to forgive OUR SINS than it is to forgive the SINS OF OTHERS against us! Debbie Cuevas was a 16-year-old girl in Madisonville, Louisiana, in 1980, when she and her boyfriend, Mark, were abducted at gunpoint by two men. Debbie was repeatedly raped and Mark was shot in the head and left for dead in a remote area of south Alabama. For a total of 30 hours, Debbie did not know if she would survive this ordeal, but miraculously she was released by her captors. Her testimony helped authorities prosecute the perpetrators. One of them, Robert Willie, was eventually executed in the Louisiana State Prison five years after his conviction. The other man was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Even the justice of punishing these two vicious criminals did not free Debbie from the prison of her own mind and emotions. She writes in her book, Forgiving the Dead Man Walking, "For so many years, my reluctance to forgive was like a darkness inside, a barrier that barred joy and love and so many good things from my life. Forgiveness smashed that barrier and has enabled me to experience the giving and receiving of love again." Her story is a powerful example of how the hurts of our lives can trap us in a deep spiral of depression and despair and also teaches us that forgiveness is hard work. So because it's so hard, sometimes we decide it is easier not to forgive than to put forth the effort. More than 20 years ago I feel in love with a story in the Bible that teaches this so much better than I can...It so powerful that God commits 13 chapters in the book of Genesis to the story. God wanted you to notice Joseph. * He was one of 12 sons born to Jacob and his two wives. * He grew up in a very dysfunctional home. * His father was passive and preferential to the children of Rachel causing jealous and hatred to grow in the home. * Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery to get him out of their life and punish their father Have you ever hated someone so much you wanted to do away with them? Joseph's brothers did. He was 17 years old when he was betrayed by his brothers. It will be 22 years before he sees his father again. (no Facetime, no cell phone, no text messages) Joseph's Family Was His Enemy! Maybe you understand that all too well... o You haven't spoken to your siblings in years since that last blow up o You don't frequent family events because being with them stirs up too many emotions o You can't move on from the pain of abuse or neglect that came in the house where you grew up Years passed and through a remarkable set of circumstances (read for yourself) Joseph is reunited with his father and brothers-they are afraid now that he is powerful and influential in Egypt he will get his revenge... He told them... (Genesis 45:4-7) Then Joseph said to his brothers, "Please come closer to me...And he said, I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be grieved or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to keep you alive by a great deliverance." In time Joseph saw a bigger picture that allowed him to forgive what others had done to him... Remember Forgiveness Is Hard Work! What does the story of Joseph teach us about forgiving... Forgiveness Is Costly * Joseph had every reason to get even with his brothers o What they did was cruel-they deserved it! * When you choose to forgive you give up your right to get even (Genesis 50:19-20) Do not be afraid, for am I in God's place? And as for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive. * Have you ever said--I'll get even with you if it's the last thing I do! o Is that really the last thing you want to do before you leave this life? Of course not! * "Forgiveness is not a feeling. It's a decision to offer grace instead of demanding justice." (Gary Chapman) Refusing to Forgive is Hypocritical * The Lord's Prayer reminds us that forgiveness is reciprocal. * As we forgive, we are forgiven. (Matthew 18:32-35) Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. Shouldn't you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you? Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt. That's what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart." Forgiveness Is The Release That Begins Healing * Joseph had two sons in Egypt o Manasseh--God has made me forget all my troubles and everyone in my father's family. o Ephraim-- God has made me fruitful in this land of my grief. * What defines you? o Abuse o Betrayal o Cheated * Living in the past- o You cannot be defined by the pain of your past. (Exodus 4:19) Before Moses left Midian, the Lord said to him, "Return to Egypt, for all those who wanted to kill you have died." * It's unforgiveness that breeds bitterness o It's like poison in the soul * You have to start by forgiving others, yourself and accept God's forgiveness Conclusion: * To be truly forgiven is a powerful experience * To forgive takes courage and grace from God o Maybe you need to forgive someone o Maybe you need to forgive yourself * God has already forgiven you o He did so beyond our worthiness o He did not have to forgive us (Max Lucado) I looked for a Bible translation that read, "Jesus washed all the disciples' feet except the feet of Judas," but I couldn't find one. What a passionate moment when Jesus silently lifts the feet of his betrayer and washes them in the basin! Within hours, the feet of Judas, cleansed by the kindness of the one he will betray, will stand in Caiaphas's court. Behold the gift Jesus gives his followers! He knows what these men are about to do. He knows they are about to perform the vilest act of their lives. By morning they will bury their heads in shame and look down at their feet in disgust. And when they do, he wants them to remember how his knees knelt down before them and he washed their feet. He wants them to realize those feet are still clean. "What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this." He forgave their sin before they even committed it. He offered mercy before they even sought it. God I am a sinner I believe Jesus died for my sins I believe Jesus will forgive my sins I'm sorry for my sins I choose Jesus