Transcript Biblical Forgiveness - Lower Richland church

Forgiveness part 1
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How much or often should we forgive?
Does God forgive us unconditionally?
Must others ask us to be forgiven?
Can we hold a grudge?
If others sin against us again and again must we
forgive them each time?
6. Must we want to forgive those who sin against us?
7. Must we forget to truly forgive others?
We Must Forgive As God Forgives
Ephesians 4:31-32
31Let all bitterness, and wrath, and
anger, and clamor, and railing, be put
away from you, with all malice: 32and
be ye kind one to another,
tenderhearted, forgiving each other,
even as God also in Christ forgave
you.
We Must Forgive As God Forgives
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How can we know how to forgive others?
We must know how God forgives us
Look at 7 questions about forgiveness
We must see how God forgives us
Then we can know how to forgive others
1. How much or often will God
forgive us?
• Eph. 1:3-7 - God’s forgiveness is limitless
– We can’t out sin God’s capacity to forgive
• Lu. 11:4 – Jesus taught His disciples to forgive
– Father forgive us our sins
• Mk. 3:22-29 – All their sins shall be forgiven men
2. Does God Forgive
Unconditionally?
• Jesus desired Father forgive His murderers
– Luke 23:32-34
– Jesus’ prayer not answered as He wished
– Think of the significance of that – God’s only begotten
• Why didn’t Jesus just forgive them?
– Matt. 9:6 He had the power to forgive sins on earth
– Why ask the Father to forgive them?
• But God didn’t forgive at Jesus word
– Acts 2:22-36
– They had to repent and seek pardon on God’s terms
– Repent and be baptized for the remission of sins
• H.S. inspired message convicted them of sin
• This sin remained unforgiven
• Even after Jesus expressed His desire to Father
3. Must we ask to be forgiven?
• Acts 2:37-38
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They were cut to the heart with sorrow
They asked what MUST we do?
They came to God seeking forgiveness
Not forgiven until in Christ Eph. 4:31
• Without them coming to God no forgiveness
– Eph 2:1-4 - Yet God is rich in mercy
– Wanting to forgive us even while we were enemies
4. Does God hold a grudge?
• Ex. 34:5-7a
5And Jehovah descended in the cloud, and stood with
him there, and proclaimed the name of Jehovah. 6And
Jehovah passed by before him, and proclaimed,
Jehovah, Jehovah, a God merciful and gracious, slow to
anger, and abundant in lovingkindness and truth,
7keeping lovingkindness for thousands, forgiving iniquity
and transgression and sin;
• Yet 34:7b
and that will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the
iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the
children’s children, upon the third and upon the fourth
generation.
4. Does God hold a grudge?
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God holds no grudges but desires to forgive
But forgiveness must be on His terms
Forgiveness that upholds God’s justice
And extends God’s mercy at the same time
But mercy denied demands accountability
4. Does God hold a grudge?
Is. 59:1-2
• Behold, Jehovah’s hand is not shortened,
that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy,
that it cannot hear: 2but your iniquities have
separated between you and your God, and
your sins have hid his face from you, so that
he will not hear.
4. Does God hold a grudge?
Col. 3:12-17
Put on therefore, as God’s elect, holy and beloved, a heart
of compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness,
longsuffering; 13forbearing one another, and forgiving each
other, if any man have a complaint against any; even as the
Lord forgave you, so also do ye: 14and above all these
things put on love, which is the bond of perfectness. 15And
let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to the which also
ye were called in one body; and be ye thankful. 16Let the
word of Christ dwell in you richly; in all wisdom teaching
and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and
spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts unto God.
17And whatsoever ye do, in word or in deed, do all in the
name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father
through him.
5. If I keep sinning against God,
will He forgive me?
• 1 Jo. 1:8-9 – He is faithful to forgive – if we confess
• 8If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and
the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, he is faithful
and righteous to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from
all unrighteousness.
• Col. 2:13 – He forgives us of ALL our trespasses
• And you, being dead through your trespasses and the
uncircumcision of your flesh, you, I say, did he make alive
together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses;
• God wants to forgive us
5. If I keep sinning against God,
will He forgive me?
Rom. 4:7 – Blessed whose sins covered
• Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, And whose
sins are covered. 8Blessed is the man to whom, the Lord
will not reckon sin.
• God wants to forgive us
• Luke 12:10 – There is a point when God will not forgive
• Heb. 10:19-29 – For willful sin there is no more sacrifice
– Consider greater context for willful sin
– Rejection of gospel and Jesus as its implementer
5. If I keep sinning against God,
will He forgive me?
• But there is a point when He will not
• Luke 12:10 – Attribute evil to God
• And every one who shall speak a word against the
Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him
that blasphemeth against the Holy Spirit it shall not
be forgiven.
• Heb. 10:19-29 – Willful sin
– Consider greater context for willful sin
– Rejection of gospel and Jesus as its implementer
6. Does God Have A Forgiving
Spirit Toward us?
• God answers our prayers
• Matt. 7:7-11; Lk. 11:9
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it
shall be opened unto you: 8for every one that asketh receiveth; and
he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
9Or what man is there of you, who, if his son shall ask him for a loaf,
will give him a stone; 10or if he shall ask for a fish, will give him a
serpent? 11If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto
your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven
give good things to them that ask him?
– Not unconditional forgiveness of sin
– Prayer to God is not like a magic lantern granting wishes
• But God forgives righteous requests – 1 Jo 5:14-15
6. Does God Have A Forgiving
Spirit Toward us?
• God has a compassionate spirit toward us
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Jas. 1:5
And let patience have its perfect work, that ye may be
perfect and entire, lacking in nothing. 5But if any of you
lacketh wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all
liberally and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
6But let him ask in faith, nothing doubting: for he that
doubteth is like the surge of the sea driven by the wind
and tossed. 7For let not that man think that he shall
receive anything of the Lord; 8a doubleminded man,
unstable in all his ways.
• But God forgives righteous requests – 1 Jo 5:14-15
• God will not clear the guilty – Ex. 34:7
7. Does God forget when He
forgives?
• God does not forget the death of His Son
– It is the constant message of the 1st century
– The main mission of the apostles
• Acts 4:33 - Witness the death and resurrection
• Acts 22:3-21 - Paul’s message to the gentiles
• God does not forget the cost of our sins – His Son
7. Does God forget when He
forgives?
• God does not forget our works – good and bad
– 2 Cor 5:10 – We are judged based upon our deeds
• Answer deeds done – whether good or bad
– Rev. 20:11-13 – At the final, universal judgment
• The books will be opened in the judgment
• One of these books is our deeds Vs. 12
• But to those whom He forgives He forgets
– Jer. 31:31-34 – Speaking of the New Covenant
• He forgets that it was Wayne Seaton that crucified His Son
• He forgets MY culpability, My sin
– Acts 20:28
• He does not forget the cost of my purchase
• But he forgets my guilt, my shame, my sin
How God Forgives Us - Summary
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Forgives ALL sins whatever we ask according
to His will.
He forgives when we repent and turn to Him.
We must ask for God’s forgiveness.
He holds no grudge but will not excuse guilty.
He forgives us over and over again.
God wants to forgive us – with a forgiving spirit.
God forgets our responsibility in sin.
You Can Be Forgiven Also
Eph. 4:31-32
31Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger,
and clamor, and railing, be put away from
you, with all malice: 32and be ye kind one
to another, tenderhearted, forgiving each
other, even as God also in Christ forgave
you.
Where Forgiveness
Is found