Final Touches On Forgiveness - Part 1 - 09/12/2021

September 12, 2021 Final Touches on Forgiveness Select Scriptures This morning, I want to close out our long-running sub-series on FORGIVENESS by making good on a promise I made to address one of the most prominent sayings associated with the topic of forgiveness. That popular topic is "Forgive and Forget". . . . Along with it, I'll also hit a few additional forgiveness insights that will help us all grow in our understanding of practicing and extending Christ's brand of forgiveness. Now, let's look at Forgive and Forget . . . (By now we have a grasp of "the forgive or forgiveness" part of this phrase. Forgive or forgiveness is defined as "being completely forgiven of your sins and a full restoration in your relationship to the Lord God, forgiveness of others who have wronged you, and forgiveness of yourself). As far as "Forget" goes, here it is defined: . . . 1a: to lose the remembrance of: be unable to think of or recall. b obsolete: to cease from doing. 2: to treat with inattention or disregard. To inadvertently neglect to do, bring, or mention something. This is a conventional English definition of "Forget". However, according to the biblical standard, God's definition of "forget" carries a spiritually different connotation. But before we learn what that is, listen to the many ways the phrase "Forgive and Forget" is applied: • Some people use it to manipulate . . . in trying to get an advantage they might say to you after they have wronged you: "You're supposed to forgive and forget". • Others use it as line in the sand: they say: "I'll forgive but I won't forget." • Yet others may use it erroneously to intimidate Christians; they may say something like: "You're a Christian and you know what the Bible says: You're supposed to "forgive and forget". The Bible doesn't say any such thing, but the spirit of this phrase is represented in Scripture when it comes to forgiveness. • Still others struggle to apply this rule, but fail miserably because they just can't seem to achieve the "Forget" part. They can't seem, to erase the memory and the evil emotions that keep surfacing because the infraction cut so deeply. • Another way this phrase is used is when people, especially Christians, explain that real forgiveness only happens when you forgive a person, and you forget or erase, or wipe the infraction from your memory. Although that is impossible - it does come close to what is inferred by this phrase. The truth about this phrase is that it is saying to Believers: As God has forgiven you by treating you as if you never sinned against Him, [that is, by holding no anger or spirit of resentment or retaliation toward you -- throwing your sins into the sea of forgetfulness] - we too must follow the same practice toward our fellowman, especially those of the household of faith. In the equation of Forgive and Forget, the word "FORGET" means to "unremember". It bodes with the experience the Children of Israel had in the wilderness after God had taken good care of them, led them out with a mighty hand, protected them from their enemies, miraculously fed them and kept them clothed. After all of God's care - they quickly forgot Him. The Bible says: "They unmembered [forgot] Him. Listen to Deuteronomy 8:13-15 NKJV 13 and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; 14 when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; 15 who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land where there was no water; who brought water for you out of the flinty rock; In a positive way, when it comes to Forgiving and Forgetting - we are expected to unremember infractions and sins against us (and vice versa), not as though they never happened, but with the help of Christ the Holy Spirit - who causes us to see things through His eyes. He gives us strength to deal with the situation as He would. Through a demonstration of Christ's own complete, unconditional forgiveness of us, [just as He didn't deal with us according to our sin], we are expected to deal with debtors as if they owe us nothing, but hope that a door of ministry be opened so that we can reach them for Christ -whether saved or unsaved - just as Christ reached us. Thank God, when Christ was on the cross, He didn't deal with us according to our sins. If He had not "unremembered or spiritually forgotten" what we deserved while on the cross, we wouldn't be here today. God has equipped us to do the same. To "unremember", opens the way to unconditionally forgive others. It frees us dealing with our offenders based on the old man, but rather in the power of God which removes from us all the emotions, motives, and attitudes of bitterness, anger, hatred, and revenge. Christ the Holy Spirit exchanges our stony heart for a heart of flesh - one absent of anger and revengeful emotions. The real test of forgiveness is found in retaining a memory of the sin and wrong done against us - but not from a standpoint of addressing the offense from a position of payback or getting even, or even wishing ill will on someone. A Believer knows "when" they have Forgiven and Forgotten according to God's way. The real test comes when the person who formally violated you crosses your path or comes up in conversation. That's the point at which you can determine if you're just tolerating the offender, or if you really are extending complete forgiveness. The fact that you and I remember the wrong committed against us - and yet not treat it with a natural (horizontal) memory of our hurt, pain and loss - stands as proof that true vertical forgiveness is at work. This is evidence of perfect forgiveness. Perfect Forgiveness is when we completely and totally forgive others - not according to our own standard, but based on God's Word which says "we must forgive" with no strings attached. Colossians 3:12-14 says 12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. 14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. When we experience God's complete forgiveness, there is no outside baggage. Vertical forgiveness carries no baggage; horizontal forgiveness does. When we obey God's commandment and do it, it is a sign of a changed heart, not merely a changed head. David, Bathsheba, Uriah . . . David had to develop a right and forgiving heart toward Bath and Uriah. He could show arrogance or misdirected pride for his sins. He first had to get his heart right with God. Ps 51:4 "against you only, you first God have I sinned'. For David to get it right with God, then he could get it right with Bath and Uriah who was dead in his grave. Because David got it right with God, then Bathsheba could guilt David down with his past adulterous sins with her. Deacon Hardy . . . horizontally, unsaved was out to kill a man; but after being born again, experienced Perfect Forgiveness. Came face to face with him and by the power of God, totally forgave him. Perhaps you and I are harboring unforgiveness. We erroneously say, "I'll forgive but I won't forget." If we don't do both God's way, we have failed both ways. We must always remember and never forget that we hurt Jesus and we too needed to be forgiven. [The memory of Christ's forgiveness of us should surpass any remembrance of the wrong or wrongs committed against us, or the wrongs we've committed against others.] This will help us put into perspective the hurt we feel coming from someone else. The true test of forgiveness is REMEMBERING. Remembering is a memorial marker that constantly tests to our conscious as to whether we have truly, perfectly, and completely forgiven someone, or whether we have not and are just being superficial or super spiritual acting. To Forgive is merciful; to Forget is a sign or evidence that you have experienced the miracle of perfect forgiveness in Christ. Your approach to the infraction is not like it never happened (it did), but rather with a new set of spiritual eyes set on Christ and His forgiveness of you on the Cross. You now process forgiving others through Christ's lens only, -- that is, through His blood which washes away the old and brings about the new - forgiven, full of hope, sin unremembered and processed in a Christ-like way. [Away with old man, in with the new man]. As a final word of encouragement, take note of what Christ has done toward us and for us regarding forgiveness. Even when we were yet sinners and mistreating Him, He died for us holding no anger against us and refusing to treat us based on our sins against Him (Rom. 5; Is. 53 said we turned our heads). Is. 53: 4-6 Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He cast our sins into the sea of forgetfulness . . . which means, He has forgiven us with no strings attached. Likewise, we are to forgive deeds and debts committed against us and to forget or unremember them, not as though they never happened, but as they happened, however, by processing them through the eyes of Christ minus the triggers or emotional reactions of anger, hatred, or revenge - but rather in love and full forgiveness. Can God truly forgive and forget? Yes, but by demonstrating that "forgiving and forgetting" is about love in action and demonstration -- not glorifying and esteeming the ills of man's ways. Stephen in Act 7 best illustrates this: 57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; 58 and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." 60 Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not charge them with this sin." And when he had said this, he fell asleep. The "Forgive and Forget" principle is all about timing and understanding . . . it's a process. Forgiving and Forgetting, in some instances, will not be achieved overnight. But it demands commitment, submission and surrender. Don't fall into the trap of the four scenarios we opened with; rather let words of Colossians 3:14-16 be your guide: 14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. 15 And let the peace of God rule [have authority over] in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell [lodge, reside, take up residence] in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. Final Touches on Forgiveness # # # Pastor Wayne Mack Sermon Notes Pastor Wayne Mack Sermon Notes 1 | P a g e 1 | P a g e Pastor Wayne Mack Sermon Notes 1 | P a g e