Jesus said in Matthew 6:14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Jesus is calling you and me to forgive!
Why?….because that is what he has done for us.
He does not keep reminding us that we deserved death more than He did.
Instead, He made a way for us to be able to forgive by forgiving our offences on the cross.
God, who was wronged by us, cancelled our debt and sent His son to pay the consequences…….DEATH.
If we desire forgiveness, we must extend that kind of forgiveness to others.
But cancelling the debt and paying the consequences of others is just part of experiencing forgiveness.
It’s the part where we extend grace and often it’s the only part we ever hear about, and we are left with a huge load of pain that we don’t know how to deal with.
This is where you will find those who are able to forgive but they lack the Joy of the Lord.
No one can take your pain away.
-You have to give it away.
You have to own the fact that you were hurt, regardless of whose “fault” it was.
If you ignore it or build walls in order to not get hurt again, you only forfeit healing.
The wall between you and the offender remains until you take personal responsibility to extend grace and forgiveness.
Jesus invites us to give all our pain to Him.
Matthew 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
When the pain hurts the most:
-Give it to Jesus!
Allow Him into what you are feeling and let Him give you rest.
Allow Him to speak truth into your life.
When we turn to Jesus, he is always ready and willing to extend and fill us with His Love.
The Women Caught in Adultery
John 8:1 ¶ Jesus went unto the mount of Olives.
2 And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them.
3 And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,
4 They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.
5 Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?
6 This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.
7 So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
8 And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.
9 And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
10 When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
John 15:9 ¶ As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.
10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.
11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
The reason that so many never find healing is:
1. Because of a wrong concept of God and who He really is.
Our god has become too small to handle our pain, our hurts, and our
problems. We somehow think that we have to do it on our own.
2. We don’t always understand God’s Love or will for us.
3. We are not willing to release and forgive the offender.
4. We want our relationships to be conditional instead of loving unconditionally.
5. We do not understand the power of Love.
6. We build walls to keep from getting hurt again.
I really believe that at the very bottom of our pain, it is not so much the offender that we have a problem with as much as it is God Himself.
I really don’t believe His Love for Me.
Romans 11:33 ¶ O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!
34 For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?
35 Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?
36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.
I know that He loves me but I go about seeking acceptance from people.
What other people think of me becomes more important than what God thinks of me.
I believe that when we come to the point that we care far more of what God thinks and far less of what people think then is when we can experience healing and the fullness of His Love.
Jeremiah 31:3 The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.
Romans 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Assignment:
1. Set some time aside where you can be by yourself and write out your story.
2. Write it out on paper so that you can look at it.
3. Write everything!
-What hurt
-Why it hurt
-How he or she hurt you
-How it has affected you and your relationships since.
4. Write out the lies that you have believed about yourself as a result of your pain.
Such as:
-I can’t do things right
-People don’t respect me
-I’m just a looser
-I’m worthless…..and so on
5. Think about what you have written down and ask this question.
-Does this sound like the God of the Bible?
If it is not something that God would say to you…It is a LIE!
6. Cross out the lies and under each lie write the truth larger than the lie.
Use the bible to identify the truth from the lie.
7. Find a friend you can trust and share your story with him/her.
When we get honest with God and are willing to work through our past…..we will find healing.
But just because you find healing once doesn’t mean that you won’t have to forgive again.
Don’t give up and never quit when it comes to making restitution.
2Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.
21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
When we give our pain and our past to Jesus, What will he do with it?
Isaiah 61:1 ¶ The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;
3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.
God can take your pain and turn it into passion.
Think about what would happen if we allow God to turn our pain into passion.
-We would be proactive instead of reactive.
-We would be engaged in relationships instead of keeping a safe distance.
-Our families would experience deeper intimacy.
-We would love as Jesus loved.
-We would be quick to forgive.
-And we would make a much greater impact on the world.