November 14, 2021 - How to easily know when you forgive with your whole heart

Biggest buck. Vicodin Tina, Matthew chapter 18. If your brother sins against you go and rebuked him in private. If he listens to you you have one of your brother, but if you won't listen take one or two more with you so that by the testimony of two or three, every fact may be established. If he pays no attention to to them, tell the church, but if he doesn't pay attention to even the church, let him be like an unbeliever in tax collector. I assure you whatever you bind on Earth has already been bound in heaven and whatever you loose on Earth is already loosed in heaven. Again, I sure you if two or three of you agree about any matter that you pray for it and it will be done for you by my Father in heaven for where two or three are gathered in my name. I am there among you. Then Peter came to him and said, Lord, how many times should I forgive my brother? When he sends against me? Should I haven't many is 7 dimes? I tell you not as many as seven Jesus at the end, but Seventy Times Seven. For this reason, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a King who wanted to settle accounts with this slaves when he began to settle accounts. The one who owed 10000 talents was brought before him since he had no way to pay it back is Master commanded that he his wife and his children and everything be sold to pay off the debt. At this lady that fell face down before him and said, be patient with me and I will pay you everything in the master of that slave had compassion and released him and forgive him. The loan. But the Sleep went out and found out one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred. Denarii. Let's just pause here, 102 not a denarii was one day's wages to 100 and re was one-third of your salary for the year a little bit less. But basically a third of your salary is was not an insignificant amount. Some translation says a few thousand dollars not in my account on me. It doesn't. It was a significant amount. He grabbed them and started choking him and said, pay me what you owe at. This is fellow slave fell down and began begging, big and be patient with me and I will pay you back. You wasn't willing on the contrary. You went and threw him in the prison. So we could pay until he could pay. What he was old. When the other slaves saw, what had taken place. They were deeply distressed and went and report to their Master everything that it happened. Then after he had, some of them is Master, said to him, you Wicked slave. I forgive you all the debt because you big men me, shouldn't you have also had mercy on your fellow seats, leave cuz I had mercy on you. And his master got angry and handed him over to the jailers until he could pay everything that was owed. So my heavenly father will do to you. If each of you does not forgive his brother from his heart.

I didn't know what it meant to forgive with your whole heart. When I showed a friend of mine, this portion of scripture.

I had ran into him at church one day and he had a big lump on his head and I asked him, what happened and he was Hesitant hesitantly and cautiously. He told me that. He was walking down the stairs and a demon had tripped him and he fell down the stairs. Was interested. That's a good story. It says, n, and I found out he'd been seeing demons in his house. And then this was the first time one of them had done something, but he needed. Help. Could I come help? It's like, no problem. I'm there. Let's go. Bring chips. And so Karen. And I went over to their house and we prayed in the places where he'd seen the demons and it was kind of like you. Okay, they're here because they think they have a legal right to be here. So can we go through some things and kind of shut the doors for them? And he thought that was a good idea. And that the time we will use the Neil T, Anderson steps and freedom, to Christ, and soak a big part of what Neil titas is to walk through forgiveness. And we get to the point where I normally, when we have taken people through that, you got to the point where it is, there. Anyone, you need to forgive and they just think about it and think about it. I think about it. Maybe this person like right away. He said his wife and his father. Without even thinking and so I had to make sure he didn't mean his wife. That was sitting next to him. On the couch know, it was his first wife, you was talking about. Okay. So more of the story I just like, okay, so I'm going to have my wife stand in the place of your wife and ask for forgiveness and you'll forgive her cuz you need to forgive her. I'm and Karen tried to eject at that. Point saying he she he should forgive the father. His father. First knows, I can't do it. Just do it this way. You got to listen to your wife guys, like, especially if she's prophetic. Oh my goodness in about 2 minutes. I had to stand up in front of Karen because this guy was going to jump across a coffee table and strangled her and it was okay. Time out time out. Let's hear the rest of the story is going on here. What had happened. What had happened was? This guy was part of a Christian organization in him. And his wife were part of the Christian organization. His wife had an affair with somebody else, in that organization, and a leader in that organization told him. You do not forgive them until they come and ask for forgiveness.

I'm like, here. It is Matthew. Let's read. Matthew Russell and I got them for you will hand them over to the jailers. That's what God has done to you. The tormentors, the version. I was using the timer clock tormentors, you're seeing tormentors because you of your unforgiveness. Oh my goodness.

Turn piped up more and and said he's not going to be able to trust the father to forgive his wife unless you forgive his father first. Pregnant woman. I married to hear. Yeah, that makes sense. So I stood in the place of his father and ask for forgiveness in bless them. It is a father and then Karen and he was able to forgive his father and then it was tough. It wasn't easy, but he worked through, it wasn't as violent as it was her first time. But he worked through and he forgave his first wife.

In the time, we knew him. He had never seen humans again in his house.

Forgiveness is absolutely. Critical to us.

Yep.

Where we at? I didn't know at the time. What it meant to forgive with her whole heart. If I did, I think we could have helped him a lot more. but, What I've learned since is the the Hebrew understanding of heart is that it is the seat of our emotions. Yes, but it's also the seat of our decision in the seat of our action. And I had known all along or I'd learned all along that sometimes people can make the decision to forgive. And it is a decision. Sometimes we make that decision and we feel forgiveness. We feel like we forgiven we have that piece weekend. We're done, okay. Other people. I found that if they don't, they can make the choice to forgive. But if they don't bless that person in, either a verbal blessing, or in some way if it's safe, they can do it in some safe way. They will never feel like they forgiven. And then there's other people who can make the choice. And feel like they forgiving make the choice and do the blessing and yet never feel like they forget it. And I'm not even saying it's people sometimes it's not it's situations, we face. A lot of times I make the choice and I feel the Forgiveness. Sometimes I have to make the choice and then bless them in some way and I feel forgiveness other times. Oh my goodness. I got to work for some junk. Before I feel that forgiveness, but I do I've learned how to feel forgiveness for every offense.

I learned about forgiveness when I was a young pastor and they die young. to young, like,

I can't believe what God. Entrusted to me when I was this young. We had. When lady come to her church, she hit star the sign we put up and it was a Weber put up the sign. Put up pink letters and pink was her favorite color. So she felt God was telling her to come here like, okay. She?

Her husband had an affair. He wasn't the Christian.

He had an affair. She found out confronted him. Let him to Christ. And now she's trying to find a church for him to go to cuz she doesn't want anything to do with them.

and, Basically, in her mind. She believed God had forgiven him his sins. So I let him off the hook. So if she lets him off the hook, he's going to get off scot-free. There's always going to let him do that.

And we, we met I don't know how many times it was a series of meetings over a long period of weeks.

and finally, in one of our last meetings, I knew like it was a word of knowledge at this is not a blanket statement for everybody. It's a blank and it's, it was a sure thing for her. I told her that if she didn't choose to forgive her husband, in six months time. She would not believe God existed.

because when seeing Jesus prayed, Taught us to pray. Forgive us, our sins as we forgive others. If we don't do that, he can't forgive us. And then separation occurred. She was blowing away. But she said she didn't feel she said that God is the only thing you can be getting me through this. How on Earth would I never not believe God existed?

around that time, another lady came to the church and She was in dark glasses in the hoodie, pulled over her head and then she sat in my office. She said away from the window like against the same wall of the windows are there is no line of sight of the window.

And she showed me the button. She had that if she pressed the police would be there within two minutes, but Her husband was a sharpshooter and he figured, she figured she, he had told her, she would, he would shoot her from a distance. So

She was an abused. Hurt.

Stream Lee fragile. Person.

And me, this young pup of a pastor.

You know, you got to forgive them.

Her eyes got big and I can't live with them anymore. I can't, I can't I can't. No, no, no, no, no, no. No, that's not what I'm saying. Forgiveness and trust are two separate things. Forgiveness is between you and God trust. He needs to earn. He has lost that. You do not put him in that place where he can hurt you in order to regain, trust. Do not do not, do not, do not.

I don't know if I said much more than that.

And I can't remember her coming back another time, but she, she made that decision to forgive.

And something happened.

Six months later, I was preaching at this.

Beautiful. Lady came to the back of the church and sat there and the whole time, she had this huge smile on her face and it was strange. It was weird.

and, After the service I had to find out why she was smiling cuz people don't smile like that for no reason. And so is what's 6 months after.

Answer, why? I went up beside. Like to go meet her. And she kind of ran at me and jumped and gave me a hug. And it literally I said nice to meet you. Have you met my wife?

Because I had no idea who she wanted to know after she eats. She broke the umbrella. She told me who she was, I could not believe she was the same woman. Who is who was covered up in the dark glasses in one. And she said, okay. She said what she said, blew me away. She said like she was so happy cuz she had testified against her husband. He is going to jail for a long time. She was in the witness protection program. She is leaving today. She just had to come and tell me that the moment she chose to forget everything.

and I heard, A noise and I turned around. And I saw the husband of the first woman. He had been attending the church the whole time. He was growing in the grace and knowledge of God. He was part of the Care Group in him and I met every week to talk about God.

And before. That service, you told me that. His wife doesn't believe in God anymore.

But he's going to try to love her until she doesn't get.

There is.

Both are absolutely for riffic riffic stories.

Another.

Young woman came. ask for advice and she

she wasn't married and she told me she was pregnant.

She said she had a friend over for supper and he had slipped something in her drink and she woke up and she realize she was raped.

and now she's pregnant and We got forgive her if she got had an abortion. Get this thing out of her.

What are you're asking the wrong question?

Except for your sake and for the sake of your child, you need to ask. Can I forgive them?

I talked to her about forgiveness. She chose to forgive nothing. Nothing changed.

Hey, can you bless them in the name of Jesus? Can you blast? The goodness that that he would, he would, he would find the blessing of God that he would be blessed by God.

And it wasn't an easy prayer, but when she got it out, a big smile came on her face, and she said I'm going to keep my baby.

Tell me how long ago. This was. She sent me a letter with a photograph in it. She had moved back with her mom, then went away and that she sent the letter with the photograph and she said, thank you so much. For helping me to forgive because this baby is God's blessing to me.

With her, it wasn't that choice. It was the choice and it was, she had to do something, the bus.

I should tell you the end of this story that first lady and her husband. We ran into them years later and they invited us over to their house because they wanted to introduce us to their sign. She eventually. Chose to forgive him. and I,

that was a really weird dinner.

She told me she said to her. I think you were a little bit harsh with me at that time. And I said I think you were a little bit stupid.

So, we were friends, but we haven't seen him for a while.

Oh my goodness.

Then I don't know if you've noticed this, but we've noticed it to like all horrific horrific things people can forgive. Any feel like they forgiven?

But then, somebody forgets. Give me a phone call and I chose a wonderful give them but I'm still angry.

Or nobody talks to me Sunday morning and in and yeah, I what I said pulled God, I forgave him, but I'm still upset with them.

and it really, it doesn't seem to be how Maybe the feeling forgiving seems as a less to do with the harm caused by the offense. Amor De do. With the lies. We don't allow Holy Spirit to heal with truth.

Let me say that again. Feeling like we've been through it. Like we've forgiven has less to do with the harm of the offense. And more to do with the lies. We don't allow Holy Spirit. Heal with the truth.

Or heart.

Is the seat of our decision, the seat of our action in the seat of our emotions?

When we forgive, it is a decision and sometimes the like, and simply be replaced by the truth. Let me give you some examples.

Lie, is that the offender won't pay if I forgive?

The truth is Matthew 1825. So my heavenly father will Willows also do to you if you don't forgive your brother from his, from his heart. If we don't forgive others, God won't can't forgive us. We need to forgive. It's hurting us is but unforgiveness.

The LIE is I don't trust, God won't let them off the hook.

Through things Romans 12:19, dear friends, never take revenge. Leave the righteous anger to God. For the scripture says, I will take revenge. I will pay them back, says the Lord. You could be a liar that I won't forgive unless they ask for forgiveness.

Truth is Jesus taught us to pray, forgive us, our sins, as we have forgiven, those who have sinned against us.

The LIE is I'm not hurting anyone. If I don't forgive all, I did. You catch that. Did you catch that? In the story? I read.

But the king threw the Sherman in jail, until he could pay back all that, he owes.

Does that make sense to you? It only makes sense. If you understand. It's his family and friends, who have to do with out and raise money and work hard in order to them for the for him to be released. Who you don't forgive affects me who I don't forgive. Affects you, it matters. It's not just between me. And God, is for all of us. It's for the generations that follow us. It's for the people around us.

It is, we have to forget.

Like I could be I won't forgive until I feel like it, the truth is Luke 6:45 a good person, produces good things from the treasury of the heart and the evil person, produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say, flows out from your heart. What, basically, what are you saying? Is that our emotions, tell us what we really believe. Okay, that's the key here. The key is our emotions. Tell us what we really believe. Now, the good news is some of you listening now or watching later. You've heard those versus come out. And that is enough truth to replace the lies and there's some healing that is taking place. Holy Spirit has infused that and Empower that and you've been able to say I forgive so-and-so for such and such and all of a sudden you feel like you forgiven is awesome. That is awesome. Some of us for some situations. That's all it'll ever take the liner hole.

A heart that was also the seat of our action. And that's why I prayer of blessing. Is something they can align our heart with God's heart? And or if it's safe, we can show appreciation to that person. We can serve them in some way if it's safe. We can be a blessing in a way that they'll appreciate if it's safe and that act of doing that, that act of sending rain on the righteous and the unrighteous like you're a good father in Heaven and how he hit shows his love towards all of us.

We don't do it for their sake. We do it for our sake and we bless, we love the hell out of. We bless them with kindness. And that's the thing that makes us feel like we forgiven.

When you do that, and you can do it. Now, tell me why you just a lined, your heart. It's a simple as saying, God bless someone. So in the name of Jesus, I bless Prosperity on the bus. Elf for them, what they meant, for evil, God, you're turning for good. That's all you have to say to blast them in Jesus name and that could be enough.

That action could be what replaces the lie with a truth allows? Holy Spirit to heal the line with the truth, but

Heart is the seat of our decision, the seat of our action in the seat of our emotion. And our emotions, tell us what we really believe. so,

I've come up with a tool that helps us. I've used this myself for all kinds of stuff. The thing, okay.

I'm pretty good with most people with it. The thing that I really need holy spirit's help with is when somebody hurts somebody, I left and I can't do anything about it.

And I got to go to God and say, okay God, what lie on my believing in that? Is it that I'm not enough? Is it that I am not like you're not going to take care of it. What? What lie? And if I go to Holy Spirit, he shows me what needs to be healed. And then I can start feeling like, I forgiven that the tool is Grace. Eventually use the word Grace. I will tell you why, but I think you can figure it out. Grace means the G is you get in touch with you motion. The r is remember what you felt like? When you felt like this before he a is to accept what the feeling reveals. The sea is the center in on the truth in the East to examine if the feelings have changed. That's all we're going to do. Okay. So what does that mean? So G you got in touch with your emotions? What am I feeling? What feeling do I feel when I think of that offense against me? If you can name it, that's great. If like if you can't Lord, what am I feeling that? Holy Spirit revealed that truth to you. What am I feeling? When when I am feeling this angst?

Then, whenever I felt this way before.

If there's an earlier time, go to that time. Go to that memory. Remember what it felt like before. Why does that event in that past? Make me feel like this? What am I believing in that? Am I believing that that I am not capable or I am not trusting God to do the work that he's done or I am not a good be anything. I'm just throwing these things out there. Holy spirit will show you what? When? Why does believing blank make me feel Blank? That's why does believing blank make me feel blank. ETA is except what the feeling reveals. This is a wonderful statement. Not that it's true, but it feels like it's true. It's not true. The God has ever left me or forsaken me, but in that moment, it feels God. Like you left me and forsaken me. It feels like you set me up for failure, even though your plans for me or defrost for me, in the army. It feels like whatever, whatever, holy spirit's revealing to you in that past feeling. See is you need to Center in on the truth? Because that's the way. I feel great fully Spirit. Show me what you think about that. What was actually taking place?

When I thought I was all alone. Show me like whatever you want to show me and what he'll show you is that the truth of it. You was probably carrying you. He was probably going before you. I don't know what he's going to show you what he's going to do. You some truth that totally blows you out of the water. It will shatter that lie that you helped held onto.

Lily is examined. The feelings of a feelings have changed. So in that in the past when I felt that way before, what do what does it feel like now? It should feel like I don't feel that way anymore. And you go to the feeling you're currently happening. And okay, why is it? Why is it, why can't I forgive this person like that? I feel like I forgive this person. If I do feel like I forgiven them rate, you're done. If not. What am I feeling? Whenever I felt this way before. God show me the truth of the situation. Okay. Examine it have. I felt this. Thank you for revealing, your true. Is there anything confession? If I'm feeling a lie? I want to confess it and repent. I forgot that that manner, but

Basically, this is form. The help you to feel that you forgiven.

Now.

This works great. If I'm forgiving somebody.

It works even better. Will it works great to if I think I need to forgive God.

Forgiving God, by the way, it's not in the book, the book is you live on a fence with him. How do you live on a friend? It will do it. If I know I need to leave on a penny but I'm feeling a little under. Pended used Grace go through that and let God heal that memory that you're not trusting him. Are you at you don't you don't think he is really good or whatever God brings out like used that let him heal that with his truth.

If you need to forgive yourself again, that's not anything. That's in the book. The book never tells us to forgive ourselves.

But if you feel that way, there's a liar that you're believing. It could be that I'm I'm believing that. I don't believe that I'm forgiven and yet the Bible says, as far as the East is from the West. Hey, I got to deal with that. It could be that I don't.

I don't think I'm worthy.

I've been something so bad. Well, yeah. You trying to earn your grace?

You can't earn Grace. You receive it.

There's could be a lot of lies that you believe in. When you think you need to forgive yourself. Guess what? That Holy Spirit heal you of those lies. It's not enough. Just to make intellectual assent. It's it's got to be enough to let Holy Spirit speak. Truth to those lies and light and bring healing to those lies. What about if you need to ask for forgiveness?

Need to ask for forgiveness. Get your heart, right? Why did I do that thing? That needs to act? Like, I need to ask for forgiveness. Use Grace, use that tool to understand. What were you reacting to that? You hurt? Somebody else? Let Holy Spirit heal you of that before you go and ask for forgiveness.

We let Holy Spirit, you do the lies that we're believing with the truth that he reveals.

Listen.

We're in a season. In this world. Where? Everybody takes offense.

and,

We're in a season where people are trying to.

I use a fence the same word as harm if I've been offended there for, I've been harmed. Therefore. I need restitution.

That's completely wrong. I've been people all the time and where they want you to apologize. When I told him the truth like Get over yourself. I don't care. but,

Listen. The darker, the night, the brighter you're lying. You need to be shining bright. You need to be showing God's love, you can't do that. If you've got unforgiveness in your heart, you can't do it. If you, if you're holding on to grief, and let me tell you this nice up on you. It sneaks up on you. If you don't have it, there. There are things that can happen that will offend you and will harm, especially the people you care about. You can't do anything about.

Keep short accounts. Keep short accounts. Choose to forgive you something to bless, and then follow your feelings to see what God wants to heal.

cuz you,

Jesus said, you'll know the truth and the truth will set you free and I don't believe that it's just I believe Jesus is the truth that we need to know as we know him more and more healing comes more and more into our lives. Will you stand with me today?

Enclosing.

And if Holy Spirit has been speaking to you here today, or if you're watching online or you're watching later, you're watching online or watching later. You could contact us and somebody can help you with going through this process if you need to go through the process, but if you're here today, and holy spirit is prompting you at all. I just remember this.

Don't leave here today without letting Holy Spirit healing fat. we really, we can do to M distance conversation or Little bit closer if you're okay with it, but anyway, we won't broadcast at so we don't get in trouble.

I'm saying don't leave here today. If holy spirit, is brought anything to your heart, like a free be free. It's for Freedom that you've been created. So heavenly father right now. I do want to speak Freedom that every part here. Today. I want to speak freedom to every lie that we may be believing because we have not let you heal that true that Adam bring the truth to that lie. Lord right now. I thank you that you have done a good work in us and you are going to finish the work. You started in us and I thank you. Lord God that we don't have to do. Go jump through hoops in order to receive your grapes. But Lord, in this place today. Lord right now. I free freedom for the captives right now. I pray restoration. I pray, Lord, got that hope would be renewed and life would come, and light would be shining shine shine in the dark places of people's hearts and still in the name of Jesus. I pray for freedom to rain in our lives and in it through our lives. Do those around us. Lord, God, In The Name of Jesus. There is too many people who have been bound with found with a fence and Lord. We speak to the spirit of offense and we say, go in the name of Jesus. I pray, Lord, God that love would shine bright in us and through us. And Lord, God. We would know we would know, we wouldn't know the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living, in the name of Jesus. We pray. Amen. Amen. You may be seated.