1. God's Purpose...Peace and Life
God loves you and wants you to know Him so He can fill you with peace and give you real life -- forever.
The Bible says::
•Because of our Lord Jesus Christ, we live at peace with God (Romans 5:1)
•God loved the people of this world so much that He gave His only son, so that everyone who has faith in Him will have eternal life and never die (John 3:16).
Jesus said:
•"I came so that everyone would have life, and have it in its fullest" (John 10:10).
Since God planned for us to have peace and real life right now, why are so many people hurting or angry inside?
2. Our Problem...Separation From God
God created us in His own image so we can know Him personally and have a joy-filled life. He did not make us as robots to automatically love and obey Him, but gave us a will and a freedom of choice. Since the beginning of time, we have chosen to disobey God and go our own willful way. We still make this choice today. This results in separation from God and ends in misery.
The Bible says:
•All of us have sinned and fallen short of God's holiness (Romans 3:23).
•The result of unforgiven sin is death. But God's gift is eternal life given by Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 6:23).
The Bible says that disobeying God results in being separated from Him.
Our attempts can never unite us with God. Through the ages, people have tried many ways to bridge this gap and reach God -- without success.
The Bible says:
•Adam sinned, and that sin brought death into the world. Now everyone has sinned, and so everyone must die (Romans 5:12).
•You may think you are on the right road and still end up dead (Proverbs 14:12).
There is only one way to reach God.
3. God's Remedy...The Cross
Jesus Christ is the only answer to this problem. He is the only One who can bring us back to God. He died on the Cross and rose from the grave, paying the penalty for our sin and bridging the gap between God and people.
The Bible says:
• For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you. (Ps 86:5)
•There is only one God, and Christ Jesus is the only one who can bring us to God (1 Timothy 2:5).
•Christ died once for our sins. An innocent person died for those who are guilty. Christ did this to bring you to God (1 Peter 3:18).
•But God showed how much He loved us by having Christ die for us, even though we were sinful (Romans 5:8).
•‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’ 23 Of this man’s offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised. ... 32 And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, 33 this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, ..., 37 but he whom God raised up did not see corruption. 38 Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, 39 and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses. Acts 13:22-39)
God has provided the only way -- we must make the choice.
4. Our Response...Give Ourselves to Christ
We must trust Jesus Christ to forgive our sins and determine to obey Him for the rest of our lives. That way we can know God and find peace again.
The Bible says:
•So you will be saved, if you honestly say, Jesus is Lord, and if you believe with all your heart that God raised Him from death. God will accept you and save you, if you truly believe this (Romans 10:9-10).
Is there any good reason why you cannot turn your life over to Jesus Christ right now?
How to give your life to Christ:
1. Admit you are a sinner and need forgiveness.
2. Believe that Jesus Christ died for you on the Cross and rose from the grave.
3. Repent from your independence and choose to be dependent on Jesus Christ for your life and salvation.
Through prayer, confess that Jesus Christ is the only way to God and commit to live for Him for the rest of your life.
Would you like to give your life over to Jesus Christ right now?
Grace
How does grace affect the way I live?
God gives me his name, and so gives me a family to belong to. I can take others into my family so that they have a place where they feel wanted, needed and loved.
God puts his eyes on me - to watch over me and to give me his vision
God puts his heart on me - to give me a purpose and a passion
Forgiveness - what is the role of Forgivness in grace
God provided the gift of salvation from sin and death through the death and resurectin of Jesus Christ His Son.
Acts 13:38 "Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins;
Acts: 13: 22‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’ 23 Of this man’s offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised. ... 32 And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, 33 this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, ..., 37 but he whom God raised up did not see corruption. 38 Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, 39 and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.
Matthew 6:14 "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
Like Oil/Lotion - when we receive it, it comforts, protects, softens, smooths - as we recieve grace we can give grace which includes forgivness
1) What is forgiveness?
Forgiveness is our decision to accept God's grace to let go of the hurt due to sins committed against us and to express this by acts of mercy and love toward the offender (see Lk 15:20-24).
1) What is forgiveness?
Forgiveness is our decision to accept God's grace to let go of the hurt due to sins committed against us and to express this by acts of mercy and love toward the offender (see Lk 15:20-24).
Forgiveness frees the giver from the bondage of pride, anger and bitterness.
2) How often must I forgive?
70 x 7, that is, indefinitely, always (see Mt 18:22).
3) Are there any sins committed against me which I don't have to forgive? God calls us to forgive all actions against us - sins — even rape, murder, abuse, adultery, etc. We never have the occasion to forgive others for their character, attitude, or motives. We are not to judge these things.
4) When I forgive, am I condoning sin? No, God forgives all our sins and condones none of them (see Jn 8:11).
5) Must I forgive if the person offending me isn't sorry? Yes, for-giveness — to give pardon before asked forgiveness or even if never asked forgiveness.
6) Must I forgive if a person continues to hurt me? Yes. While hanging on the cross, Jesus forgave His enemies even as they continued to spit at Him and blaspheme Him (see Lk 23:34).
7) If I forgive a person, do I stay in an abusive situation? No. When others are living in disobedience to God we use discernment and free yourself to obey God and remove ourselves from an abusive situation until it is changed. If we continue to allow the abuse, we will often enable others' irresponsible behavior by becoming co-dependent.
8) How do I forgive?
None of us can forgive by our own power. God promised us His divine power to forgive. Therefore, forgiveness is our decision to accept God's grace to forgive.
9) What if I don't want to forgive? We should pray and ask the Lord to change our hearts.
10) How quickly must I forgive? Immediately (Mt 5:25). We're in a self-made jail and at a stand-still in our relationship with God until we forgive.
11) What if I forgive and not forget?
Forgetting offenses against us does not mean we have amnesia but that there by having accepted God's grace we can heal and pass on that grace to those who have offended us.
12) How do I forgive myself?
The Bible does not speak of our forgiving ourselves. Not forgiving ourselves is a symptom of not having accepted God's forgiveness.
13) What if I don't forgive?
1. We "give the devil a chance to work on" us (see Eph 4:27).
2. We are handed over to the torturers (Mt 18:34). These torturers are such things as fear, loneliness, depression, frustration, anxiety, and self-hatred.
3. We cut ourselves off from receiving forgiveness (Mt 6:12, 15), healing (Sir 28:3), prayer (Mk 11:25), worship (Mt 5:23-24), and Christian community.
4. We lose our appetite for fellowship with God and his people. We become spiritually anorexic.
14) How do I know if I have forgiven?
Forgiveness is not a feeling but a decision. Moreover, forgiveness is not only praying for those who have hurt us or treating them politely. We know if we have made the decision to forgive when we show it in acts of love and mercy to those who have offended us. For example, the father of the prodigal son threw his arms around his son, kissed him, gave him gifts, honored him, and celebrated his return (Lk 15:20-24). By God's grace, we must go and do likewise. Even if the persons we need to forgive have died, we should give love and mercy to their family members.
How to forgive others...www.christcovenant.org
For the Christian, forgiveness is a possibility. This is not a strong enough way to understand this, yet, for those who are in Christ, having been forgiven infinite debts and empowered by the Holy Spirit, forgiveness is never impossible.
For the Christian, forgiveness is a duty. As we will see from passages like Luke 17:3-5 and Ephesians 4:32, we must choose forgiveness. We may overlook offenses or we may only ever be able to adopt a disposition of forgiveness due to an unrepentant sinner, but these at least we must do.
For the Christian, forgiveness is a gift. One of the two principal words for forgiveness in the Old Testament has as its core idea, “to lighten by lifting. See Genesis 50:17. Forgiveness is the means that God has ordained that we would experience relationships debt-free. In other words, through forgiveness we may have closeness, openness and safety that we would not have without it.
Forgiveness is not...
In the Bible, forgiveness is not a feeling, therefore it isn’t only required when someone has recovered a sense of affection or good will towards a sinner (how easy would that be?). Instead, it is an act of the will. To forgive involves someone sinned against canceling a live debt that he is owed. It involves both the sinner and the one sinned against to think-speak-act. In the Bible, forgiveness is not forgetting. Forgetting is passive and is not guaranteed. We cannot think that if we’ve forgotten we’ve forgiven or that until we have forgotten we have not forgiven. Thought of in this way, it doesn’t engage people in a process of reconciliation and sanctification when there’s an objective need for such engagement. Instead of “forgetting,” forgiveness keeps no active record. Jeremiah 31:34b: “…For I will forgive their iniquity and I will remember their sin no more.” Isaiah 43:25: “I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake, And I will not remember your sins. Psalm 103:11-12: “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.” Psalm 130:3-4: “If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared.” 1 Corinthians 13:5: “…[love] does not take into account a wrong suffered” (NASB)
In the Bible, forgiveness is not excusing. As we will see, forgiveness is transactional and so it automatically assumes a wrong done for it to be valid. Sin creates debts that we as humans instinctively recognize (cf. Romans 2:14-15). We also recognize that as we sin against others we are saddled with a deepening burden for that debt over time. Forgiveness does not allow this as it doesn’t automatically release a wrongdoer of the consequences. Consequences are often our teachers that instruct us and keep us from repeating sins against God and other people. Forgiveness takes the reality of sin into account and sets us on this path of learning (cf. Numbers 14:20-23 and 2 Samuel 12:11-14).
Forgiveness is.
Forgiveness is canceling debts people owe you. Ken Sande writes that to forgive is, “To release from liability to suffer penalty or punishment and to bestow favor freely and unconditionally.”3
There is a distinct process in forgiveness written in many places. A key passage that captures this is Matthew 18:21-35. Matthew 18:21-35 introduces the concept of forgiveness in terms of debts owed to each other. On the heels of the traditional church disciplined passage (Matthew 18:15-17) where sin is the focus, this terminology helps outline the biblical approach to forgiveness. First, Jesus equates sin (18:15, “if your brother sins…”) with debts (18:23, “settle accounts with his servant”). Secondly, Jesus equates forgiveness (Luke 17:3, “…and if he repents, forgive him”) with exacting payment (18:24-25, “one [servant] was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. And since he could not pay…”). Sin creates a debt while forgiveness cancels the debt. In other words, forgiveness means that someone has done a wrong against you and they owe you / deserve punishment but you give up your right to recoup what they owe / punish them. Forgiveness is costly. Sin-debts are real: the violate the covenants between people. Sin-debts are specific: those violations are never vague as they transgress real boundaries (see the Ten Commandments for example). Sin-debts are costly: they weigh on both parties. And sin-debts have lingering effects.
Forgiveness works.
Still, Jesus highlights that it is also a process: 17:4, “and if he sins against you seven times in the day and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent’ you must forgive him.” Someone who commits sin and repents must be forgiven. Lane and Tripp say, “The Luke 17:3-5 provides a condensed and effective summary. First, forgiveness is an event: 17:3, “If your brother sins, rebuke him; if he repents, forgive him.” In order to bring about forgiveness, there must be a confrontation. It must either be initiated by the one sinned against as in this case (cf. Matthew 18:15) or by the one who committed the sin (Matthew 5:23-24).
This principle [of Luke 17:5] applies to countless offenses and even the same endlessly repeated offense. We’re tempted to think that once we have forgiven someone we’re done. But forgiving someone is not just a past event. It’s something we must continue to practice even when we’re dealing with an offense we have already forgiven.”
Biblical forgiveness heeds the following four promises:
a. I will not think about this incident anymore;
b. I will not bring up this incident again and use it against you;
c. I will not talk to others about this incident;
d. I will not allow this incident to stand between us or hinder our personal relationship.
For each incident “I forgive you” means an affirmative answer to each of these questions about the incident. No one should suggest forgiveness is easy. In order to absorb the wrongs done, God will have to strengthen the offended party. Forgiveness in the strength of self will lasts a very short time, if at all. Each offense contains painful detail, a decision to absorb them, a looking past the urge to punish and a commitment to treat the offender almost as if he never did them! Who is up to this task?! Forgiveness’ language.
Language in forgiveness is very important. The nature of sin is to create a debt. The nature of forgiveness is to forgive that debt in detail. Repentance and forgiveness must carry specificity in the language.
This is seen in the Peacemaker Ministries “Seven A’s of Confession”6
Adams says, “Seeking forgiveness is not apologizing. There is nothing in the Bible about apologizing…the world’s substitute for forgiveness that doesn’t get the job done. You apologize, and say “I’m sorry” but have not admitted your sin. The offended party feels awkward, not knowing how to respond. You are still holding the ball. You have asked him to do nothing.”: Address everyone involved; Avoid if, but and maybe; Admit specifically; Acknowledge the hurt; Accept the Consequences; Alter Your Behavior; Ask for Forgiveness.
The attitude of forgiveness will transition into actual forgiveness when a sinner repents and asks for forgiveness. This may never happen. To fail to have an attitude of forgiveness violates Mark 11:25 and will inevitably lead to bitterness (Ephesians 4:31; Hebrews 12:15). Unforgiveness. An unrepentant sinner may not keep us from forgiveness. Mark 11:25 says, “And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses” (see also Luke 6:28 and Acts 7:60). God calls us to an attitude of forgiveness towards those who sin against us.