Creekside Church, Sunday, November 20, 2022
Forgiveness
Locations & Times
Creekside Church
660 Conservation Dr, Waterloo, ON N2J 3Z4, Canada
Sunday 9:00 AM
Sunday 10:30 AM
Forgiveness is the deliberate choice I make
to release my offender from the debt they owe me
for the personal wrong done to me.
To further understand forgiveness we need to know that . . . .
1) FORGIVENESS IS A CHOICE:
When someone wounds you, you have three choices, and only three.
1. Denial
2. Vengeance
3. Forgiveness
2) FORGIVENESS IS COMMANDED:
Forgive each other as readily as God forgave you in Christ.
Ephesians 4:32 (Jerusalem Bible)
3) FORGIVENESS IS HEALING:
In the Bible the most common New Testament Greek word translated by our English word forgive means literally “to release, to hurl away, to free yourself.”
Lewis Smedes writes, “Forgiveness is the only way to heal the hurt you never deserved”.
Some men stay healthy until the day they die. Others have no happiness at all. They live and die with bitter hearts.
Job 21:23-25 (Good News)
4) FORGIVENESS IS OUTRAGEOUS:
To forgive is a decision to not seek personal payment for a deliberate wound caused me by another person or persons. Outrageous, right?
5) FORGIVENESS IS AN ACKNOWLEDGMENT THAT YOU HAVE BEEN WOUNDED:
Forgiveness isn’t at all about minimizing what has happened to me. Forgiveness isn’t saying “It’s no big deal!” It was a big deal. It’s not saying, “It didn’t hurt!” It did hurt. Forgiveness is not saying, “It wasn’t anything really!” It was something really. It was a big thing and that’s why you need to forgive. Forgiveness is a part of the equation precisely because what happened was a big deal. When it is big then the only thing you can do is forgive.
6) FORGIVENESS IS OFTEN A JOURNEY:
Forgiveness is sometimes a one-time deal but more often than not it is an on-going repeated event.
Forgiveness is never easy and rarely completely satisfying. Nagging injustices remain, and the wounds still cause pain. We often have to approach God again and again.
7) FORGIVENESS IS AN ACT OF FAITH:
By forgiving I release my own right to get even and leave all the issues of fairness for God to work out. I leave in God’s hands the scales that must balance both justice and mercy.
Don’t take it on yourself to repay a wrong. Trust in the Lord and he will make it right.
Proverbs 20:22 GN
When I am able to trust him to do the right thing with the wrongs that have happened to me then I am in a place where forgiveness becomes easier.
Don’t take it on yourself to repay a wrong. Trust in the Lord and he will make it right.
Proverbs 20:22 GN
We need to let it go and trust God with it. This is what Jesus did when he was wronged.
When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.
1 Peter 2:23
8) FORGIVENESS IS ABOUT YOU, ME AND GOD:
This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.
Matthew 18:35
Forgiveness then isn’t just about you and me. Forgiveness is a trio. Forgiveness is always about you and me and God. God is so intent on us forgiving that he jumps right into the situation and tells us that our relationship with him is also at stake. If I have a problem with you and refuse to forgive you I now have a new problem. I have a problem with God.
You could call it the forgiveness triangle.
9) FORGIVENESS IS MODELED BY GOD:
. . . forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you.
Ephesians 4:32
This is a spiritual law. Forgiven people forgive. If you know the full dimensions of what it means to be completely forgiven by God then you cannot help but be motivated to forgive others.
10) FORGIVENESS IS OFTEN MESSY AND THAT'S OKAY:
The account of forgiveness in the life of Joseph
11) FORGIVENESS IS POSSIBLE:
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Philippians 4:13
Do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat you.
Luke 6:28
----
"The most creative power given to the human spirit is the power to heal the wounds of a past it cannot change."
Smedes
to release my offender from the debt they owe me
for the personal wrong done to me.
To further understand forgiveness we need to know that . . . .
1) FORGIVENESS IS A CHOICE:
When someone wounds you, you have three choices, and only three.
1. Denial
2. Vengeance
3. Forgiveness
2) FORGIVENESS IS COMMANDED:
Forgive each other as readily as God forgave you in Christ.
Ephesians 4:32 (Jerusalem Bible)
3) FORGIVENESS IS HEALING:
In the Bible the most common New Testament Greek word translated by our English word forgive means literally “to release, to hurl away, to free yourself.”
Lewis Smedes writes, “Forgiveness is the only way to heal the hurt you never deserved”.
Some men stay healthy until the day they die. Others have no happiness at all. They live and die with bitter hearts.
Job 21:23-25 (Good News)
4) FORGIVENESS IS OUTRAGEOUS:
To forgive is a decision to not seek personal payment for a deliberate wound caused me by another person or persons. Outrageous, right?
5) FORGIVENESS IS AN ACKNOWLEDGMENT THAT YOU HAVE BEEN WOUNDED:
Forgiveness isn’t at all about minimizing what has happened to me. Forgiveness isn’t saying “It’s no big deal!” It was a big deal. It’s not saying, “It didn’t hurt!” It did hurt. Forgiveness is not saying, “It wasn’t anything really!” It was something really. It was a big thing and that’s why you need to forgive. Forgiveness is a part of the equation precisely because what happened was a big deal. When it is big then the only thing you can do is forgive.
6) FORGIVENESS IS OFTEN A JOURNEY:
Forgiveness is sometimes a one-time deal but more often than not it is an on-going repeated event.
Forgiveness is never easy and rarely completely satisfying. Nagging injustices remain, and the wounds still cause pain. We often have to approach God again and again.
7) FORGIVENESS IS AN ACT OF FAITH:
By forgiving I release my own right to get even and leave all the issues of fairness for God to work out. I leave in God’s hands the scales that must balance both justice and mercy.
Don’t take it on yourself to repay a wrong. Trust in the Lord and he will make it right.
Proverbs 20:22 GN
When I am able to trust him to do the right thing with the wrongs that have happened to me then I am in a place where forgiveness becomes easier.
Don’t take it on yourself to repay a wrong. Trust in the Lord and he will make it right.
Proverbs 20:22 GN
We need to let it go and trust God with it. This is what Jesus did when he was wronged.
When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.
1 Peter 2:23
8) FORGIVENESS IS ABOUT YOU, ME AND GOD:
This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.
Matthew 18:35
Forgiveness then isn’t just about you and me. Forgiveness is a trio. Forgiveness is always about you and me and God. God is so intent on us forgiving that he jumps right into the situation and tells us that our relationship with him is also at stake. If I have a problem with you and refuse to forgive you I now have a new problem. I have a problem with God.
You could call it the forgiveness triangle.
9) FORGIVENESS IS MODELED BY GOD:
. . . forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you.
Ephesians 4:32
This is a spiritual law. Forgiven people forgive. If you know the full dimensions of what it means to be completely forgiven by God then you cannot help but be motivated to forgive others.
10) FORGIVENESS IS OFTEN MESSY AND THAT'S OKAY:
The account of forgiveness in the life of Joseph
11) FORGIVENESS IS POSSIBLE:
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Philippians 4:13
Do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat you.
Luke 6:28
----
"The most creative power given to the human spirit is the power to heal the wounds of a past it cannot change."
Smedes