Sermon Tone Analysis

Intro:

Values to live by… Last time… Giving Respect

I have had to read obituaries and introduce people at places and mispronounced their names from time to time… to make it worse, we often try to correct what we did and often we make it worse.

Has anyone besides me ever tried to make something wrong … right?

We are going to talk about that today… making something wrong right.

We are going to talk about offering forgiveness.

It’s a value that is much needed in people’s live always, and even more today as our culture goes further away from caring about other people.

Let me tell you a fact.

In this life, you will be hurt.

It may be what someone says… what someone does and even by what you perceive people think about you.

When I mentioned forgiveness, many of you had an instance or a person pop into your mind and remembered the hurt… the problems someone caused.

You still make a face when those memories pop up.

The only cure for that pain is offering forgiveness.

It’s the only antidote that will let you get on in your life.

This morning we will look at why we should offer forgiveness?

and How we offer forgiveness.

Why Should We offer Forgiveness?

Why should we offer forgiveness to anyone who hurts us?

In Matthew 18, Jesus tells a story of what we know as the unforgiving servant.

tell the story.

The story illustrates 3 reasons why we ought to forgive other people when they have hurt you.

So, let’s look at three reasons we should forgive other people when they hurt us.

1.

We should offer forgiveness because Jesus has forgiven me

God has forgiven me so much, I have to learn to forgive others too.

When I think about how much God has forgiven in me over the years, it’s amazing and it makes me more open to forgiving people when they disappoint me, hurt me… it makes me more inclined to offer them forgiveness because I know what forgiveness feels like.

On the other hand, if you don’t really FEEL forgiven, you will have more difficulty offering forgiveness to others.

If you are a person who has a hard time letting go of hurt, of forgiving a grudge, and moving on, chances are that you don’t really feel forgiven yourself.

When that’s the case, if you don’t feel set free from the things that you have doe wrong, you don’t want someone else feeling good about being set free themselves.

That’s why it’s vital that you have experienced God’s love, forgiveness and his grace so that you can give it to others.

When you walk in God’s love and forgiveness and his grace, you want everyone to walk in God’s love and forgiveness and grace.

When I think about the fact that Jesus wiped out things… sins that I should have paid for, but didn’t because he paid the price and forgave me… I find it easier to forgive others when they hurt me.

We (you, me…) will never have to forgive others more than God has already forgiven us.

so the first reason we should offer forgiveness is because Jesus forgave me.

2. We should offer forgiveness because resentment doesn’t work

Resentment always hurts you more than it hurts anyone.

If anyone ever had a reason to be resentful, it was a character named Job in the bible.

He was the Bill Gates of his day.

He was the wealthiest man around and the most famous.

He had great character and placed God first in his life.

He had everything he wanted.

One day he lost it all.

Enemy nations came in and killed all of his livestock.

All of his children were killed.

He lost everyting he had and on top of that, he had a terrible disease.

He was living in pain and poverty and the only thing he had left was a nagging wife that told him to curse God and die.

Then his friends came along and told him that all of this was his fault.

Don’t you love it when that happens.

Society has done this… church people have done this.

If you had enough faith, this would not have happened.

If anyone had a right to be resentful it was Job.

But three times in the book of Job we are told resentment doesn’t work.

First, it’s ...

It’s unreasonable

It makes about as much sense as Boudreaux made.

Boudreaux came into the store to buy groceries.

Clarence saw him and said, what’s that lump on your chest.

Dynamite.

You know how Thibidoux always punches me in the chest.

Well, I got some dynamite and I]m going to blow his hand off.

That’s how much sense resentment makes.

When we say we will get even, it makes us do stupid things.

It’s unhelpful

It doesnt help because all it does is hurt you… not the other person.

Holding a grudge will make you miserable and miserable to be around.

No matter how resentful you are…

It can’t change the past.

All the resentment in the world will not change the past.

It won’t correct the problem.

It doesn’t make me feel better … it just makes you feel more miserable.

Maybe someone hurt you a few years ago.

Every time you think about it, it hurts and you become angry.

Meanwhile, they are going on their merry way… they probably don’t even remember.

When you don’t forgive others it’s like taking fire in your chest… it will burn you up.

It’s like a cancer that will eat you up.

Resentment doesn’t hurt the other person, it only hurts you and those around you.

It’s unhealthy

Research shows over and over that resentment is the single most destructive emotion.

When you hold onto bitterness and resentment, you hurt yourself with all sorts of emotional and physical consequences… pain in the neck… ulcers… back problem… Have you ever considered that maybe that ache or pain could be from resentment that you are carrying around with you?

Boudreaux went to the doctor… Hey doctor, I think I have colitis.

The doctor said, Boudreaux, who have you been colliding with?

It’s not so much what you eat, but what’s eating you that’s tearing you up inside.

Resentment just doesn’t work.

3. We should offer forgiveness because I need forgiveness too

I have needed forgiveness in the past and I will need it again.

You can’t expect people to forgive you if you are not willing to forgive them.

Forgiveness works both ways… it’s a two way street.

My dad always told me not to burn bridges behind me… you never know when you will have to walk back cross it.

Jesus said it like this…

He says we cannot receive what we are unwilling to give.

You cannot receive what you will not give.

You will reap what you sow.

If you sow forgiveness, you will reap forgiveness.

But if you are unforgiving, don’t expect others to forgive you.

A man came to John Wesley one time and said, I can never forgive that person.

John Wesley replied, Then I hope you never sin.

When you are unforgiving you are burning all the bridges behind you that you may need to walk back across… the bridge of forgiveness.

You will need forgiveness in the future so you better learn to be forgiving.

I have heard too many people say… you don’t understand, I’m different, my hurt is worse than anyone… You don’t know what they did to me… And you are right, I don’t know.

But god says for your own sake, learn to forgive.

When you hold on to hurt from the past, you are allowing that person to control you still.