Sermon Tone Analysis

Forgiveness

I believe this morning will be practical and helpful in so many ways.

As we continue to talk about healthy relationships in our Relationship Tune Up series, I look back and see so much good fruit from what we have discussed.

If you missed the kick off when we talked about expectations and how those impact our relationships go back and catch up with our podcast.

Rick did a great job during week 2 and 3 of our series, and last week I felt like our panel was so practical as we simply discussed our story and found hope in God’s Word, trusting Him and His faithfulness with the processes of our various relationships.

ATTACK: I don’t want us to be ignorant that when we begin to take strides towards healthier relationships, especially within our families, that the devil is just going to lay low.

(EXAMPLE: this past week)

Today, we are going to shift gears.

We are going to dig deep on one idea, one topic that significantly impacts all of our relationships.

What we are going to talk about today may impact all of our relationship, with God, our family, our church, our community, more than any other thing we could talk about.

It impact our lives when we don’t engage in this as well as when we positively give and receive what we want to discuss today.

I am talking about FORGIVENESS.

I want us to think about the topic of forgiveness.

Now we’re going to think about the topic of forgiveness.

Optional Joke: The only person who ever married a perfect person is my spouse!

spouse!

In all seriousness, is anyone perfect?

No.

So that means that every person has wounded another and been wounded by another.

and been wounded by another.

No couple will avoid the damage to their relationship caused when one partner hurts another.

The question is whether couples accumulate damage over time, ultimately destroying their relationship, or whether there is some way to repair the damage and restore intimacy.

This is why we want to discuss the forgiveness.

hurts another.

The question is whether couples accumulate damage over time,

ultimately destroying their relationship, or whether there is some way to

repair the damage and restore intimacy.

This is why we want to discuss the

concept of forgiveness.

 There are legitimate concerns regarding forgiveness.

 Some ideas often linked to forgiveness are not always sound.

One of the my goal today is to “un-link” some of those inaccurate ideas.

lesson is to “un-link” some of those inaccurate ideas.

Be sure to bring them up:

 If your couples miss any of the following, be sure to bring them up:

“It’s a sign of weakness.”

“If I forgive, that’s giving permission for the person to do it again.”

“Forgiving someone means what they did was okay or there aren’t any consequences.”

consequences.”

 There are also some healthy ideas associated with forgiveness:

Not all ideas associated with forgiveness are helpful, as we’ve just talked about, but some ideas are a really healthy approach.

about, but some ideas are a really healthy approach.

For instance, couples who do well in marriage report that it’s a key to their success.

their success.

Forgiveness is critical for maintaining your bond together.

Forgiveness is a great expression of love and commitment.

Forgiveness takes courage.

There’s a big myth that people think forgiving is a sign of weakness.

It is exactly the opposite.

Have you ever seen a couple of little toddlers fighting?

One hits the other.

What does the other naturally do?

Hits back.

It’s natural to hit back.

It takes strength and self discipline to get past that hurt and anger and do the work of forgiveness.

a sign of weakness.

It is exactly the opposite.

Have you ever seen a couple

of little toddlers fighting?

One hits the other.

What does the other

naturally do?

Hits back.

It’s natural to hit back.

It takes strength and self

discipline to get past that hurt and anger and do the work of forgiveness.

We have all been hurt, will be hurt and have a choice to make toward forgiveness.

Watch this short video.

VIDEO

IMO, FORGIVENESS is the most Christ-like, the most God-like thing we could ever do.

Let’s look at God’s character and nature as it regards forgiveness.

When I think of forgiveness, I think

Who God is

One of the greatest stories in the Bible gives us a reflection of Christ but also God’s ability to work in and through all humanity to see redemption on various levels.

It is the Story of Joseph.

STORY OF JOSEPH:

Let’s take just a few moments and look at the life of Joseph, examining how forgiveness played a role in his life and relationships.

Notice, if he hadn’t extended forgiveness how things could have played out differently.

Joseph goes on to share his dreams with his family, possibly prematurely, possibly with the wrong people at all.

Either way, what Joseph didn’t recognize initially was that it was going to be through a pit that God would elevate him to a palace.

Let me say that again.

Joseph didn’t realize that the path and process that was going to lead to the fulfillment of what God had shown Joseph was going to be filled with difficulty.

Joseph didn’t recognize that the path and process to get to palace would include the pit.

I want to encourage you today that if you feel like life is full of pits right now that our God is faithful.

He gave you His precious promises.

He started you on this journey.

He began it, and He will finish it.

Even through the pits of life we can trust Him, He is redemptive in all things.

So, Joseph shares his dreams of supremacy and finds himself hated even more by his brothers.

You know the story.

They look for ways to get rid of him and end up selling him into slavery.

It looks like things have taken a turn for the worse.

I don’t know about you, but I would consider a day where my brothers hate me, put me into the system of human trafficking as a slave…A BAD DAY.

But that wasn’t the end of his story.

Genesis

I believe the enemy tried to sabotage Joseph’s influence by sending the temptation of being relationship with Potiphar’s wife.

Joseph refused to give in to the temptation but that didn’t come without consequences.

Joseph finds himself in a difficult situation again, thrown in prison as a result of not giving in to sin.

Joseph refused to mix God’s promises with his own sinful desires.

Do you remember what happens next?