Come to The Father part 7

Our Heavenly Father, Father of Forgiveness and Restoration

I would like to continue with our series “Come to the Father” Jesus, is the only one who has the right Theology about our Heavenly Father, the perfect relationship, any other concepts or opinions about God the Father, needs to be corrected by Jesus’ teachings. My prayer is, that during this series we will see our Heavenly Father, just the way, Jesus sees Him.

Our Heavenly Father, Father of forgiveness and restoration.

I pray for us to have a revelation today, to see our forgiving father the way Jesus sees Him.

Lets’ pray

1 God’s forgiveness is perfect.

When sin entered the world through man’s disobedience, we were separated from the presence of God, our spirit died.

Rom 5:12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, so death spread to all people [no one being able to stop it or escape its power], because they all sinned.

We are all sinners sentenced to hell, not because of an angry God, but because of a just and perfect God. A Father who hates evil but loves sinners.

Forgiveness from our Heavenly Father is crucial to restore our relationship with Him, with ourselves and mankind.

Without forgiveness we would remain separated from God, lost forever.

But because of His love and mercy He made us alive in Jesus.

Eph 2:1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,

Eph 2:2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,

Eph 2:3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

Eph 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,

Eph 2:5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

Our Heavenly Father has fully forgiven us, in Jesus,

Isa 53:5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was crushed for our wickedness [our sin, our injustice, our wrongdoing]; The punishment [required] for our well-being fell on Him, And by His stripes (wounds) we are healed.

Jesus became sin for us, He took our place at the cross, our punishment for our sin, iniquities and curses our infirmities. So we can live as free men and women and have a relationship with our God.

God’s forgiveness for us is perfect, there is nothing to add, there is no sin to great for it, whatever you have done God has forgive you.

Heb 10:14 For by the one offering He has perfected forever and completely cleansed those who are being sanctified [bringing each believer to spiritual completion and maturity].

Heb 10:15 And the Holy Spirit also adds His testimony to us [in confirmation of this]; for after having said,

Heb 10:16 "THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THEM AFTER THOSE DAYS, SAYS THE LORD: I WILL IMPRINT MY LAWS UPON THEIR HEART, AND ON THEIR MIND I WILL INSCRIBE THEM [producing an inward change]," He then says,

Heb 10:17 "AND THEIR SINS AND THEIR LAWLESS ACTS I WILL REMEMBER NO MORE [no longer holding their sins against them]." [Jer_31:33-34]

Heb 10:18 Now where there is [absolute] forgiveness and complete cancellation of the penalty of these things, there is no longer any offering [to be made to atone] for sin.

I had different people come to me to ask if I was sure God has forgiven them, some because they committed crimes against society, some killed people, others because of their many abortions, divorces, abuse of others and themselves, and many other things I can’t share.

God was not shocked, unaware or shaken by any of these things, Jesus sacrifice is sufficient to forgive us from our sin.

2 to receive His forgiveness we need to repent of our sins.

The message Jesus preached from the beginning of His ministry “repent for the kingdom of God is near.”

To repent is to change direction in the way we are going, in our mind soul, spirit and physically if there is no change in my physical behavior, repentance has not taking place yet.

If we are walking away from God repentance means I’m now walking towards Him, we need to understand the consequences of sin, how destructive and evil it is.

Repentance must be specific, and with understanding, to pray lord forgive me for all my sins, without a sorrowful repentance will keep us on the same path of destruction.

The folly of man is to think that there are no consequences for their sin, that being separated from the presence of God is something we can live with.

Somehow, we try to look the other way and not to pay attention to what is going on in us and around us.

I remember my days before Christ, I was oppressed by demons, had no peace, troubled in my spirit it was miserable, I did not want to live the rest of my life like that. I wanted peace and love and freedom.

sometimes talking to people they like to remember their good old days, I don’t remember any good days outside of God’s mercy that kept me alive, I never want to go back to that again, Jesus set me free and saved my soul, yes he deserves to be my Lord and savior.

In the US alone

132 die everyday of suicide, 1.4 million attempted suicide in 2020

Homicides 19,141 2020

emergency visits for violent assaults 1.2 million

Sin and evil are all around us, a consequence of not walking with God, forsaking His ways and words.

I love the story of chiefess Kapiolani.

In her young age she broke the kapu the old religious system in Hawaii, she ate a banana with a friend, what was forbidden and one of the priests saw it, the consequence for that infraction was death, but because she was a chiefess, they decided to kill one her best friends in her place, a young boy.

Kapiolani became a drunk tormented, angry, the people did not like her. When the missionaries came, she heard about the love and forgiveness of God, she repent of her sins and her life was transformed. She support the missionaries and became a kind and caring woman.

The people living in Hilo and South of the Island were very much afraid of pele the goddess of the volcano and because of it they lived in extreme poverty, they believed that the only way to appease this angry God was to give everything they had, including some human sacrifice.

Empowered by her faith she went before the people and the volcano and defied their god, showing to be powerless, many came to Christ and the gospel continue to advance around the Islands.

We all sinned and fell short of the glory of God. There is a mechanism given by God that we experienced.

3 We need to forgive others.

Jesus taught us the Lord’s prayer, and right at the end of it He says if you don’t forgive your Heavenly Father will not forgive you.

Mat 6:14 For if you forgive others their trespasses [their reckless and willful sins], your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

Mat 6:15 But if you do not forgive others [nurturing your hurt and anger with the result that it interferes with your relationship with God], then your Father will not forgive your trespasses.

Forgiveness from our Heavenly Father cost Him an extremely high price, the life of His only son Jesus Christ. It is free for you and me, but we can turn it away by not forgiving our brothers and sisters.

The word for forgiveness’ in the new testament is aphiemi - The word " forgive " is the Greek word aphiemi. It means to set free; to let go; to release; to discharge; or to liberate completely.

This is what your Heavenly Father did for you, now we need to do the same for those who sin against us, if not we are kept in the same prison.

Forgiveness also needs to be specific, we can not forgive without understanding, so if I’m forgiving, my father, I have to be specific about what and when, if you are looking to take care of forgiveness with one general prayer let me tell you it will not work.

Jesus explains a little more when Peter comes to Him asking how many times he should forgive his brother.

Mat 18:32 Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me.

Mat 18:33 Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?'

Mat 18:34 And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.

Mat 18:35 "So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses."

Our lack of forgiveness is the only thing that will block us from receiving the forgiveness of Christ. I had people coming to me in the past to tell me that they had tried to forgive, but it was impossible.

I’m not saying or suggesting, that will not be one of the most difficult things you will ever do, but if you choose to forgive in your heart God will give you the grace to forgive.

I remember many years ago I met this gentleman in Spain he was the head of this ministry with 3 other men, and they squeeze him out, he felt betrayed and cheated by them. One day in prayer he was asking the Lord what to do, he had said he forgave them, he was willing to forgive them but in his heart he knew he was not free, so he ask the Lord what to do and the Lord said bless them, as he was asking how, he look across his window and saw his brown new car, he knew in his heart His Heavenly Father was asking him to bless them with a new car for their ministry, as he obey his heart was free, he no longer needed to see them failing, but he was now praying blessings on them.

We need to be committed to do whatever will take to forgive them, the problem is with us not God, but He will help us.

God’s forgiveness is perfect, to receive it we need to repent and forgive.

All this happens when we make Jesus the Lord of our lives.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Joh 3:16 To receive Jesus we need to accept Him as God’s son, repent from our sins and a life of selfishness, asking Him to be our Lord and savior , not that we deserve it, but is a gift from God. If this is your desire today, please repeat this prayer after me? Heavenly Father I’m sinner, I’m sorry for my sins, I’m willing to turn away from my sins. I receive Christ as my savior, I confess Him as Lord And from this moment on I want to follow and serve Him, in the fellowship of His church, In Jesus name, Amen! E mau aku ka loko maika’i o ka Haku, Iesu Kristo; me ke aloha a ke Akua, a me ka launa pu ‘ana mai o ka Uhane Hemolele ia ‘olua, a me makou apau. Amene. Our conscience