NORTH YORK CHURCH OF CHRIST

Pastor Roger C. Marcos
January 14, 2018
Delivered at North York Church of Christ

Forgiveness Is a Choice, Not a Feeling.

“Forgiveness is a decision, but making that decision doesn’t override the emotional residue that often takes much longer to release. That feeling of wanting revenge or wanting to assert your rightness or your victimhood - depending on the depth of your wounding - can take days, weeks, months and even years to dissipate.

Our Text: Ephesians 4:32 Instead, be kind and tender-hearted to one another, and forgive one another, as God has forgiven you through Christ.

The point of the Apostle Paul's on final verse of this section offers a brief commands. First, he explicitly tells the believers to exhibit kindness. Paul is specifically thinking of compassion for other believers in the congregation.

Which means to be "tender-hearted," or "compassionate." It is sometimes taken to mean "strong-hearted," as well. Paul's use of it here focuses on the idea of showing sympathy like the GOOD SAMARITAN.

Forgiveness is choice, not a feeling. If we wait until we feel like forgiving we’ll wait forever.

To tell you honestly, thousands upon thousands of believers living without peace and blessing because of the unforgiving spirit toward others.

There was a true story in Cape Town South Africa the Archbishop Desmond Tutu say,. WITHOUT FORGIVENESS... THERE IS NO FUTURE.” He was speaking in the context of the healing that HAD TO TAKE PLACE after the Apartheid fell... And the formation of Nelson Mandela’s new government.... He Was Saying...

• Without forgiveness... Our country has no future.
• Without forgiveness... There’s no freedom...
• Without forgiveness... There’s no healing... No recovery...
• Without forgiveness... There is no peace...
• Without forgiveness... There’s no good life...
• Without forgiveness... There is no salvation...
  
• And we’re gonna hear God say this morning... Without forgiveness... There is no forgiveness.

Forgive because none of us are perfect.

The archbishop, wanting the nation to be healed from hatred to love thru forgiveness.

CHURCH:

If this works for Nations... It will work for Churches.
If it works for Churches... It will work for Families.
If this works for Families... It will work for Individuals.

Indeed, FORGIVENESS BRINGS A PROMISE FUTURE to any and I want you to enjoy God forgiveness of our sins!

What Is Forgiveness?

Webster says...

Forgiveness is to cease to feel resentment against another on account of wrong done to us.

Forgiveness is extending grace. It’s commanded by God, and it’s something you can do for others . . . and for yourself.

Notice the word “give” in “forgive.” When you forgive, you give someone a gift - you waive a penalty - and you give yourself the gift of grudge-free living. When you withhold forgiveness, you not only refuse to offer what God has given to you, but you also hurt yourself. Un-forgiveness bears down on your heart and gets in the way of spiritual growth. God knows it’s not easy to forgive, but He wouldn’t ask you to do something without giving you the strength to do it! Ask Him for the ability to forgive freely as you have been forgiven. He’s the Master of the impossible.

Forgiveness does not change the past but it does change the future.

What forgiveness really is in the Scripture ...is not what I say but what the scriptures says. Amen!

Psalm 103:12 has God saying... When I forgive... I place your sins as far as the east is from the west...

Not as far as north is from south... That has limitations... But east to west goes on forever and ever... There is no limit... Our sin is forever removed never to be considered again.

Isaiah 43:25... I will blot out your sins and never think of them again.

Micah 7:19... He tramples our sins under His feet... Hides them in the bottom of the sea.

Ephesians 1:7... In Him we have redemption through His blood... The forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace.

These Verses tell Us that...

• Forgiveness is turning a key... Opening the cell door... SETTING THE PRISONER FREE.
• Forgiveness is tetelestai.... To write across our life... DEBT PAID IN FULL.
• Forgiveness is hearing the courtroom gravel fall and the Judge say... NOT GUILTY.
• Forgiveness cannot be earned... It is a FREE GIFT of God... A blessing of being IN CHRIST

What is our Sin? Slander...Disrespect for Parents... Lying... Sexual improprieties... Gossip...Murder... Materialism... Worry... Doubt... Fear... Anxiousness? Whatever they are... When God forgives is package deal: Combo

• The debt is canceled...
• The prisoner is released...
• The offender is pardoned.

Church people, friends... Regardless of what you take home with you this morning... Let it be this... SALVATION BEGINS WITH GOD FORGIVING US... SALVATION IS THE RESULT OF OUR BEING FORGIVEN.

If God doesn’t forgive... We’ll have to suffer the consequences of our sin... ETERNAL SEPARATION FROM GOD... ETERNALLY SEPARATED FROM HIS BLESSINGS.

Not only does the Bible have a lot to say about God forgiving us...

It insists WE FORGIVE others.

I believe forgiveness has its beginning in Love... God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. John 3:16

Our forgiveness originates in the heart of God... In His grace... We’re forgiven because God loves us.

NYCC church... If we really LOVE OUR NEIGHBOR... WE WILL FORGIVE them.. And that forgiveness will be a GRACE GIFT from us.

Listen to these Scriptures that confirm our responsibility to forgive as we’ve been forgiven. WHAT CAN YOU SAY THEN?

Ephesians 4.32 says... Be kind and compassionate to one another... FORGIVING EACH OTHER... Just as in Christ God forgave you.

Matthew 6.12 & 14-15 is Jesus’ model prayer... Where He says... Forgive us our debts... AS WE HAVE FORGIVEN OUR DEBTORS... For if you FORGIVE MEN when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also FORGIVE YOU. But if you DO NOT FORGIVE MEN their sins, your Father WILL NOT FORGIVE YOUR SINS.

Mark 11.26 has Jesus saying... If you HOLD ANYTHING AGAINST ANYONE... FORGIVE HIM... So that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.

You see... The Bible teaches that forgiveness starts with GOD... And comes down to US. Then we in turn are to pass on this behavior to our fellowman... We are... To do TO OTHERS... FOR OTHERS... As God has done for us. We are to be conduits of His forgiveness

Plus... And here’s something WE MUST NOT MISS... There is a direct connection between our own spiritual health and our willingness to forgive those who have sinned against us.

Listen to Paul from:

Ephesians 4.31Get rid of all... Bitterness... Rage...Anger... Brawling... Slander... Along with every other form of malice.

Do You Know How To Do This?... How to get rid of... Bitterness... Rage... Anger... Brawling... Slander and every from of malice... FORGIVE... FORGIVE.

• Forgiveness removes the root of bitterness...
• Forgiveness has a cleansing power...

So... Forgiveness is a grace gift from above...

• It flows from God to us...
• From us to others...

That’s the way it is supposed to work...And we must NOT be guilty of breaking the chain of events... For Jesus said if we do... We interrupt God’s forgiving us... We can’t be forgiven.

Forgiveness is not a feeling... BUT A CHOICE.

If someone has hurt you deeply... You’ll probably never FEEL LIKE forgiving them.

Back to forgiveness being rooted in Love... 1 Corinthians 13.5 says that LOVE KEEPS NO RECORD OF WRONGS.

JUST FORGIVE... JUST FORGIVE.... REMEMBER... FORGIVENESS IS A GIFT.

Esau forgave Jacob without being asked.

Joseph forgave his brothers... Before they showed any sign of repentance.

David forgave Saul while he was still in pursuit of him... Trying to kill him.

Stephen... Dying from the stones... Asked God to forgive the very ones hurling the stones.

Stop thinking forgiveness is dependent upon the guilty party... It isn’t... IT DEPENDS UPON US!]

REMEMBER FORGIVENESS ONLY TAKES ONE!

Well. How do we do it?

HOW DO WE INSTIGATE THIS GRACE-GIFT OF FORGIVENESS?

1. We Must Have A CHANGE OF HEART.

Attempting forgiveness WITHOUT CHANGING OUR HEARTS leads to serious problems within self and our relationship with others.

• FORGIVENESS MUST NOT BE HYPOCRITICAL...
• IT MUST BE GENUINE... TRUE... AND OF PURE MOTIVE.

2. We must PRAY FOR GOD’S INTERVENTION IN THE PROCESS.

We must admit our need... And ask Him to...

• SOFTEN OUR HEART...
• GIVE US PATIENCE & UNDERSTANDING WITH ONE ANOTHER.
• MOLD US INTO THE IMAGE OF HIS SON... WITH A HEART OF FORGIVENESS.

Then we must ACT UPON OUR GOOD INTENTIONS.

• BE READY TO SAY... I LOVE YOU... I FORGIVE YOU...
• DO GOOD TO THOSE WHO HURT US....
• DO NOT QUENCH THE SPIRIT OF FORGIVENESS.

Conclusion:

HOW DO I KNOW I’VE BEEN FORGIVEN? When you apply God forgiveness to others.

God’s forgiveness is found in FAITH.

Have you placed your faith in God? Have you been born again?. Baptized into Christ.

During WWII... A soldier was killed in a firefight. After the battle... His comrades wanted to give him a decent burial. They found a small cemetery in a nearby town... Next to a church. Asking the priest if they could bury their buddy here the Priest asked... Was he Catholic?... No... Protestant. The Priest told them the cemetery was reserved for Catholics only.

After searching in vain for a proper place... The solders decided the thing they could do is to place their comrade just outside the fence of the old Catholic cemetery. Some months later they returned to the village to install a suitable marker. To their surprise... The fence had been moved to include the grave. Asking the Priest... He told them that his conscience bothered him with sleepless nights until he moved the fence.

This is what God has done for us...Moved the fence... Given us DIVINE FORGIVENESS... through His Son.

• He found a way to include us in His love...
• Remove our guilt...
• And make us fit for eternity.

What do we need to do this morning to be INSIDE THE FENCE?

• Accept Him.
• forgive someone... Opening the gate to God forgiving us.

Your decision today will makes you a better future!