Why We Forgive

Testimony of the cop arresting someone for no reason

Introduction:

There are many sermons in our lives: my sermon on forgiveness has not been easy

Lately I have been confronted with situations that have called me to exercise forgiveness and asking others to forgive me.

There is something that we all have in common and that is that we all have gone through things. We all have scars, you’ve been through something. I may not know it, but God does.

• We always claim a promise found in the book of 1 John 1: 9.

It is not only that he can forgive us, but He is Faithful and Just to do it.

He is Faithful: He will do what he promised. He says he would forgive us. That is a promise that he made …

But then the apostle John continues saying that he is Just to forgive us = He has the legal right to do so.

How is that legal right that Jesus has to forgive manifested?

Romans 6:23

Justice demands that sin be not merely pardoned, but the death penalty must be executed. God, in the gift of His only-begotten Son, met both these requirements. By dying in man's stead, Christ exhausted the penalty and provided a pardon. 1SM 340.1

By means of the cross.

What happened at the cross?

Satan tried to prevent Jesus from having victory over the cross

Jesus was never tempted so strong until he was on the cross.

He was abandoned by his disciples, people mocked him ... If you are the son of God, get off the cross and we will believe in you.

Jesus had the opportunity to return to heaven and take his position again as the king of glory ... But what would have happened if Jesus had gotten off the cross? That forgiveness for you and me would not have been possible.

○ You've Read the story of Joseph. Joseph and Potiphar's wife.

Josephs answer wasn't, I shouldn't do this to you, or I cant really do this to your husband,

Joseph answers: Genesis 39:9

When we sin we hurt God and we hurt ourselves as a result. And if Joseph would had given in, he would have hurt Pothifar as a result of it

So when God makes that promise to us He will not only forgive us our sins, but he also says he wants to cleanse us. He wants to leave you as if nothing happened ever happened

When we do not believe in God's forgiveness, the enemy takes advantage to make you think that you still have that fight and that you can not overcome it. He is right because we can not overcome him, without the power of God we can not, but with the power of God all things are possible. But he cheats us …

So we seek God's forgiveness for that thing that we did.

Sometimes we are afraid and we think that God does not forgive us for that Thing we committed.

Have you ever had a hard time believing that he can forgive you?

○ Even if you did not go back to committing that thing, but that insecurity makes you feel so bad, and your conscience does not leave you alone, you ask him again and again for his forgiveness

Does God not keep his word? So then why do we tell God that he is a liar. (Titus 1:2) God cannot lie

What the conditions?

If we confess our sin: We meet that condition

Do we believe he is faithful? Well then we meet this condition

Do you believe he has the legal right to forgive us for that sin?

Isaiah 38:17 "Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back."

Why do you keep reminding him of something he has already forgotten about?

□ Isaiah 44:22

• When I had this experience, I realized something. I noticed that I had a little voice who comes to bother me because of that guilt I feel. When that happens, that's nobody but the accuser of the brethren trying to blame me. "Oh, Remember that thing that you did…do you really think he forgave you for that…"

• So when Satan comes to knock on our door to bother us, instead of submitting to guilt, we must turn that guilt into a praise "Thank you, God, because I know that you have forgiven me for my sins" And while you continue to hold that in the face of Satan, and you keep telling Satan that your clothes are clean by the blood of the lamb, one day he will get tired and he will stop bothering you because he is so sick and tired that you can’t stop praising the Lord. (James 4:7)

Accepting Gods forgiveness

I had to then ask myself this question: Have you accepted Gods forgiveness

If Jesus has forgiven you, what right do you think you have to condemn yourself?

You are walking every day blaming yourself after you had forgiven the person who hurt you ... You are still a prisoner of that pain ... Because I was relying on my own feelings, but Gods forgiveness is not given based on how I feel, but in who he is. The hardest person to forgive is not your mom or your dad, or you ex-partner, or the person who abused you when they should have been protecting you. The hardest person for you to forgive is youRself (explain)

That hurt has marked you, and a mark gives you and identity.

Having the right to be angry …

That means that those things belong to you ... and it's a sacrifice to surrender what legally belongs to me ...

Micha 7:19 "He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea."

Will I continue to condemn myself

Evolution Vs. creation

So you've asked God for forgiveness…

Forgiving Someone Else

Then there is that other side of forgiveness, when you have to forgive someone else. Someone who has hurt you so much, or someone you love.

• Has anyone here been hurt? I mean ridiculed, belittled, crippled, damaged, bruised… by someone who at that time was nobody but a puppet in the hands of Satan to bother you?

Is it easy to forgive others?

No, is not.

That is not human nature. Human nature wants revenge. Our human nature likes to be creative and say, I will bring all my talents and advantages to be able to destroy you as much as I can for what you did to me.

Sometimes we put off our duty to forgive by saying things like, well if something bad happens to that person then I will be there for them, but I rather keep my distance for now.

Many times that people have reconciled it has been when that bad thing happens. But must we wait till then to make amends?

(Testimony of forgiving my mother)

Pain I went through Asking my mom about her addiction Realizing she needed forgiveness But still being a prisoner to the pain because I made my own mistake as a result of it.

In Matt 18 we find the story of the two debtors:

35: So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.

If that person hurt me then they are going to pay for it…you have all this front for no reason because when Jesus comes even the most brave human will tremble

Take a do over:

Is not that what we all want? A second Chance? The opportunity to try again, because maybe the first time we messed up so badly.

But we all want a second chance. Would someone here want a second chance? Did any of you ever make a mistake?

Yes, Me pre-continuously, It's something that discourages me, and every time you fail, don’t you feel like you lose a little more of yourself?

Your Conscious bothers you and you ask yourself, ‘Why I keep holding on to that thing? If I could only stop doing ______ then I could be a better person for my neighbor, my friends, and my wife (or)

But that is exactly what it is in this verse of 1 John 1: 9, it is the power of God to make you that person that you want to be.

Testimony of the two guys in Puerto Rico

to condemn myself or will I accept that God has forgiven me?

I know we all have private pains. I know that all of us have done things that make us hate ourselves, and we want to have that day again, if I could go back to that day and fix everything ... but we can not …When we ask for forgiveness God is willing and able to restore our past by giving us a better future

Romans 8:1 "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."

So as I think about forgiveness today, I wonder where you’ve been wounded…

Jesus was wounded in his hands.

Jesus showed forgiveness at the cross, not only in saying “father forgive for they know not what they do”

He also showed it by the scars in his hands.

Jesus was pierced by those nails, but when he resurrected the nails weren’t there anymore. Jesus showed that he let go of what had hurt him before. And you don’t need to let what wounded you hold you in a prison. You can be set free.

Jesus died to set you free

Song, Heal the wound but leave the scar.

God may not take away your scars, but what he does take away is the power that those scars have had over you.

Jesus kept those scars in his hands, not as a bad memory, but as an eternal witness of what he has done for you. He forgives you. Do you accept it?

He wants to be your friend.

You accept or deny it ...

And he comes to us with that gift in his hands. The redemption, the salvation, and the restoration that he wants to give us.

That’s why is not enough to just have mere knowledge. You can tell anybody to forgive his neighbor because the Bible says so but then you fail to experience it. Something is wrong there.

That is the side of forgiveness that has been forgotten ... It is very essential that you can forgive others, and accept that God has forgiven you

Which aspect of forgiveness do you find yourself struggling with this morning? Is it In asking God to forgive you for that thing you have done over and over again? Or maybe you did ask God to forgive you, but you have a hard time accepting that he has, and so you go and ask him to forgive you for that same thing over and over again? Or is it in forgiving someone else who has hurt you?

We are bought with a price. You don’t even belong to yourself, if you take Gods gift today.

What is delaying you?

He is my friend, my savior, and my redeemer, and he invites us to receive his peace today ... Are you ready to receive it?