Let It Go-God's Forgiveness
Let It God • Sermon • Submitted
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· 29 viewsSometimes we need to be reminded that God's forgiveness is complete. It is hard to forgive others until we realize that we have been forgiven.
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Introduction
Introduction
Good evening and welcome back!
I hope that everyone had a pleasant afternoon on this beautiful day that the Lord has blessed us with.
Tonight we are going to start looking at the subject of forgiveness.
On Sunday mornings we have been looking at being a neighbor to others and more specifically the capacity to love and receive love.
However, there is another aspect of this whole neighbor business, and that is forgiveness.
In order to be someone’s neighbor and in order to love others we have to be able to forgive others.
In fact, Jesus reminds us that . . .
14 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
I think we need to let that sink in for just a minute.
If we are able to forgive others who sin against us, then God forgives us, but if we do not, then we cannot be forgiven.
And the reason this is, is because if we hold a grudge against others, then the love of God is not in us.
John also reminds us that . . .
1 john 4:
19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.
So, again it goes right back to whether or not we have the love of God residing within us.
It is the key that everything else hinges on.
So, if we say we love God then we must love others.
If we say we love others, we must then be able to forgive them.
And the thing about forgiveness is that we really do not know what forgiveness is unless we have also experienced it.
Think about it for just a minute. How would you describe or define the term “forgiven?”
I looked up the term “forgiveness” in the dictionary and it says it is the “act of forgiving or being forgiven.”
That really doesn’t tell us a whole lot, but when we look up “forgive” we find that it means “to stop feeling anger toward (someone who has done something wrong) : to stop blaming (someone), to stop feeling anger about (something) : to forgive someone for (something wrong), to stop requiring payment of (money that is owed).”
So, to forgive involves a change of heart and a change of mind, which is pecisley what God does in us through the work of the Holy Spirit.
Ezekiel even tells us that God revealed to his people that . . .
26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.
Ezekiel 36:
And that is how we experience forgiveness, that gives us an understanding of what forgiveness really is.
But its more than just that.
We often say we are to “forgive and forget,”
But how often do we actually do it?
How often do we forget the wrong that was done?
We may forgive but a lot of times in the back of our mind we remember what happened.
We remember what they did to us.
And we keep that person at a distance, even though we say that we have forgiven them, yet we don’t trust them.
And when we do that, is that really forgiveness?
No, not really, but what makes it worse is that we define our relationship with God in the same way.
We will say that God has forgiveness but we really do not grasp what God’s forgiveness looks like because we think of God’s forgiveness in human terms.
We think that God forgives us but God remembers everything we did prior to being forgiven and some how holds that against us.
We think that God is going to keep bringing us back to that place over and over again, holding it over our heads.
But that is not what God’s forgiveness looks like and that is not what our Bible tells us.
Looking at our passage from Psalms we find that . . .
Scripture Focus
Scripture Focus
6 The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. 7 He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel: 8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. 9 He will not always accuse, nor will he harbour his anger for ever; 10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. 13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
Psalm 103:6-
We Don’t Get What We Deserve
We Don’t Get What We Deserve
And my favorite part of that whole passage is verse 10 . . .
10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.
And I think we lose focus of that sometimes.
Our sins and iniquities as the passage puts it are deserving of death, hell, and the grave.
But because of God’s love, mercy, and grace . . .
10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.
WE ARE FORGIVEN, and when God forgives, it is complete.
God doesn’t hold anything thing, to use against us later.
In fact, Micah tells us that . . .
19 You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.
Micah
Not only into the depths of the sea, but as our passage points out . . .
Psalm 103:
12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
How far is the east from the west?
How deep are the depths of the sea?
We don’t know, but the point is when God forgives, God forgets it.
Isaiah
25 “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.
So, if God doesn’t remember it, if God forgets it, why don’t we?
Why can’t we forgive ourselves?
I will tell you why...
Because Satan has a long memory and Satan knows that we have a long memory.
And all those things that God has long forgotten, Satan continuously reminds us of, trying to keep us in bondage.
But I want to remind you of what Paul tells us that. . .
Romans 8:1-
1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.
Folks, Jesus Christ has set us free.
36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
We are no more prisoners of sin and death.
We are no more prisoners of sin and death.
We are forgiven and we are free and we have to accept that.
We have to understand that God has freed us, God has forgiven us, and God has forgotten our sins.
Psalm 103:
8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. 9 He will not always accuse, nor will he harbour his anger for ever;
Remember , we talked about it this morning . . .
And remember , we talked about it this morning . . .
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
And that is a key thing we must realize.
Because remember Jesus’ words from earlier . . .
Forgive and Be Forgiven
Forgive and Be Forgiven
14 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’ 14 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
When we can realize and understand the depth of God’s forgiveness we then can understand the depths to which God expects us to forgive others.
If we really love others and really forgive them, can we let it go?
Can we let go of the harm they have committed against us?
Can we let go of the hurt they have caused?
One of the key ingredients in hate is the inability to let things go.
We hold on to things and they grow and build up inside of us.
And our heart grows harder and harder, colder and colder.
And it pushes us further and further away from God.
This is the opposite of what our Bible tells us.
32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. 1 Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Ephesians 4:32
And . . .
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
Col 3:12-
Can we say tonight that we do this?
Can we say that we forgive as Christ has forgiven us?
Do we realize the mess we were in before Christ forgave us?
We were destined for a devils hell and if it were not for Christ, when we leave this world that is where we would have been.
But because of the forgiveness of Jesus Christ we are promised an inheritance of eternal life and glory in heaven forever and ever.
All because of forgiveness.
So, what is holding us back?
What is preventing us from being reconciled to the ones we just can’t seem to forgive?
Many times it is because we cannot turn it over to God.
We just can’t seem to give it up.
Altar Call
Altar Call
Tonight however, I’m going to ask you to do something different.
I am going to ask you to let go of whatever it is that is holding you back.
Whatever it is that is causing you to miss out on the fullness of God’s grace.
Whatever it is that is preventing you from being able to fully forgive.
Are you willing to let go of that burden?
It is so oppressive and it is serving no purpose but keeping you in bondage.
The other person may not even know that you are harboring something against them.
The reality is the only person it is hurting is you.
You can take care of it tonight if you are willing.
Are you willing to do that tonight?
We are going to put on some music and if you need to come and pray, please come.
If you would like to pray where you are at, you can do that.
But we all need to pray.
What will your choice be today?