I’m Sorry So Sorry

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A time where I had to ask for forgiveness: airsoft shooting Colten

SO we have talked about Generosity of money, of serving and now we are talking about generosity of Forgiveness.

We all mess up, it is true.

EVEN me, just ask Karen

The truth is that forgiving someone is not always easy

In fact many times it is something that we DO not even want to do

When we are hurt it really takes a toll on us and we want to get as far away from that hurt as we can.

I am not going to say that this is going to be easy, and I am going to say it most likely will be a difficult thing to do

First I want to say this,

Forgiveness Does Not Mean Condoning Their Actions

Let’s be real for a second, forgiving some one does not mean that you are saying what happen is OK

That’s look at a definition for forgiveness

Forgiveness is the act of pardoning someone for a wrong or an offense. It involves letting go of feelings of resentment, anger, or the desire for revenge against the person who has caused harm. Forgiveness can be understood both as a personal, emotional process and as a moral or religious practice, often linked to concepts of mercy and grace. In many religious traditions, forgiveness is considered a virtue and is seen as essential for spiritual growth, reconciliation, and peace. It doesn’t necessarily mean forgetting the offense or condoning the behavior, but it does mean releasing the hold that the offense has over one’s emotions and thoughts.

So how many times do we forgive, here is a verse that has been quoted so many times,

Matthew 18:21–22 NIV

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.

This is more like telling you, you never stop forgiving, NEVER

If you add up each time you forgive some one to get to the number of 77 times you are missing the point of what Jesus is saying and your heart might not be in the right place

I mean lets look at this, Are you really forgiving that person if you are counting

Act this out,

I forgive, you (71 times)

I forgive you (72 times)

Ect.

We are to be generous with our forgiveness.

This is something that we should be giving away. And often.

Lets look at this a different way.

If you were given a million dollars and you ran into someone that asked you for a top ramen soup that cost .35 cents would you give it to them?

The answer is most likely yes, in fact I would say most of us would buy them more then just a ramen pack.

See so many times times we forget the debt that was forgiven

Romans 6:23 NIV

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

We literally had a death sentence, and we were forgiven of the debt of sin

Colossians 2:13–14 NIV

When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.

God made a way for us to have a relationship with Him

Let go of our of our debt to Him, and be forgiven

We were given Forgiveness

Ephesians 4:32 NIV

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

God tells us that we should also forgive those who do wrong against us

The thing about it is that us holding on to bitterness and hatred does nothing for us except to pull us away from Christ.

How do we do this

Remembering That God Forgave You

1 John 1:9 NIV

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

It is important to understand what God has done for us, so that we can then set ourselves up with the right heart

He has given us grace and mercy and He asks us to also have the same heart in this

Our Forgiveness is not based off of Others

We cannot base our forgiveness of others actions.

What do I mean by this, we cannot have an attitude that, “Well, they did not ask”, or “they will just do it again” These might be true but we cannot control other people’s actions, but we can do what we have been called to do.

This does not mean it is going to be easy

Forgiveness Can Only Be Done With God’s Help

Psalm 46:1 NIV

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

Psalm 54:4 NIV

Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me.

When we are living for God, we rely on Him, when things that seem hard or impossible God is there to Help us including forgiving those who have done wrong or evil to us.

See the world tells us to get back at the person that did wrong, the world tells us to get revenge

but God has called us for more than what the world calls for

Romans 12:19 NIV

Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.

Paul is referring to

Deuteronomy 32:35 NIV

It is mine to avenge; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them.”

We give our issues to God, We let God deal with the wrongs that are done to us,

God takes care of the issues

We take care of the forgiveness

Our souls can not handle holding on to unforgiveness

May we never risk the life of our souls by being resentful or by bearing grudges.

Gregory of Nyssa

Holding on to the offensives of others will do nothing but destroy us

So as we go into a time of reflection for communion, I am going to ask you to take a moment and if you have someone you are holding forgiveness from, ask God for help, ask God for strength to be able to have a heart of forgiveness and let go of what is going to keep you from getting to a deeper faith.

Matthew 26:26–28 NIV

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.