Forgiveness

Hasn't it been a joy to see each other this morning if this really is very exceptional it's just that part of us. That's Only touched, I think, by singing together blending, our voices. And it's just a unique place of the unique feeling it, it could be a very, very very, very positive and wonderful. I want to explain to you about the PowerPoint this morning last night at 2 in the morning. I woke up and thought I'm not sure if it's the right. Which scripture reference with the right verse? So I got to did that and then about 7 this, I was getting up, I thought I better check that again. So I can put them in their place. So when I got here to church, I was going through them. And now I don't know where they're supposed to go. So, the first half or so is where I intended for it to be but the last half is going to be just kind of dicey and And he's back there. He's going to try to help us out as much as we can, but be patient with me and be patient with the sister be with this morning. That's supposed to be a church sign because I was driving not too far away. I was this past week and I saw this sign with these words on it without forgiveness, there is no future. Well, I was like I don't know if I buy that or not. and so when I got home, I was looking through some information and I just sat down and started studying and and the more I spent time with it, the more it Tyler became real to me. because when you think about it, If there's no forgiveness. What is there after that?

And there really wouldn't be any kind of future. The New Testament is filled with forgiveness. The idea, the concept, the the the motivation, all of those things and coming from Jesus's mouth directly over and over again. Are these teachings about forgiveness in The Sermon on the Mount.

Jesus is scripture.

You've heard that it was said, love your enemy of your neighbor and hate your enemy but I tell you love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you that you may be children of your father in Heaven. He caused the sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what we're bored where you get are not even Tax Collectors, doing that and if you greet only your own people, what are you doing? More than others are not even pagans do that. He perfect. Therefore as your heavenly father is perfect, we knowledge God's forgiveness in the way we meet and interact with other people in the prayer that uses the model prayer for his followers to forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors No sir parallel there and then ask for the prayer. He goes back to those disciples that are listening and being taught. He asked information, just for if you forgive other people with a sin against you, your heavenly father will forgive you also. But if you do not forgive others, their sins, your father will not forgive your sins. He's going to go on and talk about so many different places and so many different things about judging and it is very easy to be unforgiving with this. Judgmental attitude. Why did you do that on there? What is that person do? When they are just look at Jesus parables? Unmerciful servant. Guys for giving this incredible debt and you know sometimes you don't say well how much is that really that we don't know how much that is really. We have some information that could be helpful and useful at what I was thinking about it. We don't even know how much money is in our relative past. You know, there are people in this audience today that I'm guessing we're already working when the minimum wage was a dollar an hour. So even if I will, are we talking about, you know, early 21st century about the middle part of the century before and a dollar certainly doesn't mean what it did? Interesting historical note, if you take the Tax obligation of the nation of Israel that they would have to pay to Rome on an annual basis. This amount that the first guy is forgiving is not that amount is just

Sorry it's smaller Israel's allegation is smaller. In fact, you have to include the six nations around them for that number to get up high enough off to reflect what the original debtor of. And then this guy comes along and he's probably about a day's wages and the first guy who's been forgiven so much, not even willing. and that's supposed to strike in our hearts and certainly it has the power to do that tax collector, says that this guy No. I mean she's making all kinds of judgments about his circumstances situation.

There's this good father at the end who says, welcome back. I forgive you, you wasted half of my fortune but I don't hold that against you. I said that many times but this father doesn't do that. And in the parable of the weeds What Louie's in the week? What does that have to do with forgiveness? Well, the impulse was to go out there and try to pull out all those weeds. And Jesus is teaching, just don't know. No, let God take care of that. God will handle that Harvest and it reverberates to us about the The need to recognize God's role in forgiveness. Well. As you get into this. I thought and it's one of those interesting things, you can say it either way, works out for you this or some future. Some people say there is no future without forgiveness and it's exactly the same thing. It's credited to different people. So if you look up the author of his statement, good luck because there's a lot of discussion and then thought about who would really is first thing I'd like to pull. Now is we have forgiveness by God God forgives Us in Ephesians 1:7 in him. We have Redemption through his blood, the Forgiveness of sins in accordance with the riches of God's grace. Now, you have heard for probably for the most part over and over these verses about forgiveness. and because we hear the so often it becomes very easy for us to really

It kind of become throat is something we've heard before, it's not challenge you to us how to protect it or what. sometimes when people come to church, now, they say, I Didn't feel worthy to be there. What do you mean? Well, everybody, there is upstanding and everybody their reflects this, or that. They look like impressive people. They seem like they know what they're doing. They seem like very spiritual people. when we say, I don't know if I'm forgiven It's because we haven't had a lot of communication with other people about that process in their lives. With people come in, they want to know what our struggles are. They want to know where we fail? They want to know how God has helped us to overcome those failures and to put ourselves in a place where we're useful beneficial servants and we don't get that by just sitting in the auditorium. We get that by being typically in smaller groups or informal groups. Maybe even at bible class we have the courage to say I'm a damaged person. I'm not a perfect Christian. and if we talked more about how blessed we are to be forgiven, I think there were people who be attracted to what we're trying to do.

Satan has done an amazing job. Skillful job is confusing this whole forgive this issue. There's so many different opinions. There's so many different things being taught. The Bible is really clear. But following all the different routes that Satan has laid down. We can get very confused about that process. Another thing, another reason why people don't feel forgiven.

God, forgives us of the spiritual consequences. But what are we still left? Living with the physical consequences. if we take up a nun, not a good choice and that we pay make a mistake. We could damage ourselves, we damage our reputation. And then we've try to act as though we're forgiven. We sometimes really don't communicate that very well. Because God is just giving us things that are difficult to deal with. Sometimes in Ephesians chapter 2, verses 12 through 14. It's a remember. That at any time you were separate. At at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship for Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought me here by the blood of Christ for he himself is our peace who has made the two groups, one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility Jesus came pay for our sins. Do the way we look at for giving us the way we apply for use in our lives when it comes to us from God. the second thing that we need to keep in mind is Where would I relationships be? Or where do our relationships go? When we? Stop living life of forgiveness. We all live in relationships Church, co-workers, neighbors, is on, and on. And on.

Ephesians chapter 4 says be kind and compassionate to one another forgiving each other just as Christ God. Forgave you

People can be difficult and so we can kind of pull back and say I don't want to do that or I don't like to do that or if that's something you want to do or focus on. If this one time and we miss the opportunity, the heart of God Express to someone else and it gives great power. To those who feel they need to be bitter. I'll share with you a story. I may have shared it before but Oklahoma City Bombing. I came to know of a woman whose daughter was killed in that blast. And I've continued to know her and have interaction with her.

She lost her daughter and I understand that it was horrible. Painful was sad was wrong, was all those things. You can just make an infinite list. But she still is where she was the day of the bombing took place. She hurts so deeply to this day and she talks about her daughter and there's nothing wrong with that. Let's see how many people are alive. Got to the place where they said, okay.

And she say I can't, I can't again. And the unfortunate part of that, is it because she wouldn't wouldn't even try. I wouldn't even think about it that other people began to pull back from her until after all these years she finds herself very isolated very alone. When she so much needed other people.

We don't deal with situations that extreme but we do deal with situations where we can be bitter. We could be angry. And when we do that, our world gets smaller and smaller and smaller. Hebrews chapter 12. Just make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be wholly without Holiness, no one will see the Lord ctuit that no one's fault, short on the grace of God. And that no Bitter. Root grows up to cause trouble and defiled Mini.

The last thing that I pulled out, is it sometimes it's hard for us to forgive ourselves.

Why in the world would that be difficult?

We don't really get to see what a scorecard. You know, if there was a place, you could go to and say, okay, what are my grades here? Or these are my sins and now, they physically being washed out. Faith is required to practice, forgiveness. You have to have trust in God, but God, not only can, but we land is

taking those difficult things out of life. David said, I want a clean heart and we want that too, but sometimes we get caught up in wanting it so much that we we're looking for somebody to come along and give us an answer. That is really hard to find it hard to have. Paul writes in Philippians chapter 3 verses 13 and 14. Brothers and sisters. I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold the bed. But one thing I do forgetting, what is behind and straining toward? What is ahead? I press on to the goal to win the prize, for which God has called me at Windward in Christ. Jesus, Paul will say in scripture over and over again, I'm the chief Center, I'm the worst of all Talk about the position that he came from. He did Terrible Things can God forgive that? Paul knew that he could. If I'll recognize that he had and he could comfort in that.

We look at the God say, thank you for forgiveness. We look at each other, we feel the way we see the weaknesses in each other. We need so much to be able to say, I will forbear that I can work that out. We could do be connected in any way and then we look in the mirror I sent you. You don't deserve to be forgiven. So would you have to deserve it? It's a gift. Discounts for me.

whenever I talk about this so big people will come up inside but aren't there boundaries he now there are There's sometimes people who are so evil that you don't want to be around them, you may have people in your extended family that are so evil that you don't want your children to be affected or influenced and that's a really tough call to make. That doesn't mean that we just bought him off. But maybe the pattern that we can share with them all the power, we can interact with them, has to be altered, because we're trying to protect other people in our own families in our own churches. That were responsible for protecting.

Matthew chapter 18. 4122. Then, Peter came to Jesus and asked Lord, how many times should I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me?

Mini adds up to seven times.

I think what Peter expected was refused to say, wow, you are spiritual 235, that be a lot of patience, and a lot of willingness to forgive and you're asking seven. I'm so proud of her, for sure. You are, Peter

Jesus answered, I tell you not seven times but 77 times, some of your versions say, Seventy Times Seven, the point of that is, it's not really a number, it's a number that's too big to keep track of You just do it. That's what God has asked her.

Moving to the reasoning of the whole thing is there. Anyway, you could out give God in the rim of forgiveness. Do we all have a debt? That's so much greater than any. We could actually go through or are you using our own lies? Forgiveness is so important. And it really, I think, as I thought more about that original state, but I really do believe that without forgiveness, there's nothing to be on the hill.

Spiritually my relationships, the way I feel about myself the things I'm able to do whether I have an expanding world or whether have a I have a shrieking world. Is very much connected to, whether I understand and can manage the Forgiveness of God. Would you pray with me?

Dear God, we thank you today for your willingness to love us at an extreme cost. We thank you for the extension of that. Lovely. Thank you for the patience in the tolerance that you showed us when we're week. We thank you that we can be forgiven. and we prayed it, By knowing that, that we are willing to forgive other people. And finally, we can look in our own hearts and say I forgive myself. Father, give us the strength to do that, help us to understand the power that is Unleashed when we do. If I this all through your son and

We're going to have an invitation song. If you need to respond to your lord and savior, please do that while we stand as a new song together.