THE PROCESS OF FORGIVENESS
SERMON STARTER
Last week we spoke about the need for forgiveness: we forgive because we have been forgiven. Friday, I engaged in a conversation with a man at WalMart. Actually, we were swapping testimonies and bragging on the Lord for more than 20 minutes while the batteries on our scooters were charging. An older gentleman approached us who was identified as the father of the man I was testifying with. The older man asked me as I left the charging station, "Are you a veteran?" I replied, "Yes and no! I AM a veteran of the Lord's Army, but I'm still on active duty and not yet been discharged." The man looked surprised, "Read about it in Ephesians 6:12, but no, I never served in the service of my country." At that point I drove off.
One area of the Christian life where we engage the enemy most frequently is forgiveness. The Accuser wants us oppressed and obsessed by the notion of getting revenge on those who have caused us pain. The Word of the Lord says,
Romans 12:19-21 (NKJV)
19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord.
20 Therefore "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head."
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
If someone has done an injustice to you forgive them and leave the vengeance to the Lord. This morning's sermon has to do with how to deal with human evil. The tension between Vengeance and Forgiveness is the primary battleground for we who follow Jesus. Win or lose the battle, whether or not you are obedient to God's Commands to forgive, establishes whether you are a follower of Jesus.
Matthew 5:43-45 (NKJV)
43 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
Pastor Phil <><<
October 14, 2018 - Sheepfold Ministries
Pastor Phil Roland <><<
THE PROCESS OF FORGIVENESS
THE PRAYER OF FORGIVENESS
Various Texts
"Forgiving an enemy an injustice that's like climbing Mt. Everest for the Christian believer. Eventually, someone will deeply hurt you cause you great disappointment and pain. The greater the injustice, the greater the difficulty to forgive. The Forgiveness Prayer shows how." Pastor Phil <><<
DEFINE: The word “forgive” means to wipe the slate clean, to pardon, or to cancel a debt.
PREPARE YOUR OWN HEART FIRST:
1. REMEMBER, forgiveness is the prayerful act that releases your anger and makes way for God's love to convert your rage into His peace.
a. Forgiveness begins in the human heart
b. It is unnatural to forgive an injustice
c. We (our flesh) demands satisfaction, revenge, full payment
2. ACT OF THE WILL - Forgiving an injustice is an Act of the Will. It is not an act of the emotions.
a. Determine to Obey the Command of the Lord
b. Jesus obeyed the Lord's Commands that led to His Crucifixion
c. He steadfastly determined to go, Isaiah, 50:7 sets his face as a flint
7 "For the Lord GOD will help Me; Therefore I will not be disgraced;
Therefore I have set My face like a flint, And I know that I will not be
ashamed.
d. We determine to Obey and Follow God's Commands to forgive
3. We who follow Jesus take up our cross by forgiving others as an act of obedience to His Directive Will.
a. Bending our Stubborn Will makes it Compliant with God's Will
b. Pride keeps us from Obeying His Clear Word
4. Forgiveness is not a divine suggestion, it is a divine command.
a. Jesus said we are His friends if we do what He commands
14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. John 15:14
b. Those unwilling to forgive aren't even counted among His friends
5. Forgiveness is a Process that begins with a single obedient act of the will.
6. You may need to forgive yourself.
a. Forgiving yourself may be your hardest task in obeying Jesus
b. Anger directed at ourselves is difficult to release - 1 John 3:20-21
20 For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God.
c. The Self-Condemning heart can be called the "Guilty Heart"
THE PROCESS OF FORGIVENESS, cont. p. 2
7. You may need to forgive another an injustice.
a. People can get mad and carry grudges for years, decades , even lifetimes
b. It's like playing a never-ending Instant Replay over and over
c. There can be great torment in playing that litany again and again
8. You may need to forgive God.
a. God is sinless, but we may perceive He has sinned against us
b. Yes, people get mad at God - Eg. Woman mad at God
c. Maybe God's outcomes may leave us out-of-control and angry
d. We need the Power of God to forgive it. . .only through Jesus. . .
9. You will probably need to repeat the prayer over and over again, as often as you rehearse your pain or injustice in your mind.
a. This is NOT vain repetition
b. Our hardened hearts are stubborn, refusing to let go
c. Remember, God is greater than our hearts
THE PRAYER OF FORGIVENESS
HEAVENLY FATHER:
I confess (1 John 1:9) anger / bitterness / resentment toward
.
(Name the person) {Remember, it could be others, self or God}
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
You commanded us in Your Word not to go to bed angry.
In this I have disobeyed Your Word. (Eph. 4:26-27)
26 "In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. Ephesians 4:26-27 (NIV)
Lord, I ask you to forgive me.
I CHOOSE to forgive . (Matt. 5:43-45)
43 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the g3od, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. Matthew 5:43-45 (NKJV)
I RELEASE . (Matt. 18:18)
18 Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
THE PROCESS OF FORGIVENESS, cont. p. 3
SEND Your Holy Spirit into my life to release me from my anger, bitterness and resentment and set me free. (Romans 5:5b)
5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
I ask You to release heaven in their life.
Bless spiritually, socially and financially. Grace them with Your Salvation and Healing.
In Jesus' Name,
A-Men
PLEASE REPEAT THIS PRAYER EVERY TIME YOUR FLESH OR SATAN BRINGS THIS TO YOUR CONSCIOUS THOUGHT.
Eventually, the enemy will come to realize that every time he attacks with thoughts about the injustice, you will obediently pray and bless the perpetrator of the injustice. He will then be silent. We win!
