Sermon Central
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#4 - Giving Forgiveness Series
Contributed by Darrell Stetler Ii on Feb 22, 2016 (message contributor)
Summary: How do I forgive? What does God say about forgiveness? How long will it take for me to forgive?
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I have felt a growing conviction that I had to share this with you.
I feel as though there is something that God wants to deal with in several people… he wants you to break through to the next level, but he has to take you past this big barrier in your life.
That barrier is Bitterness & Unforgiveness.
Let me take a little survey: How many of you have had conflict with members of your family?
Families are wonderful. . . but they can really be a pain to live with. Words get said, people get hurt and before you know it, you feel like the comedian who said:
“Who can ever forget Winston Churchill's immortal words: "We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills." It sounds exactly like our family vacation.” (Robert Orben)
Even when really do love the other person, we try to show it in a way that they don’t understand, and people get hurt:
“To prove his love for her, he swam the deepest river, crossed the widest desert and climbed the highest mountain. She divorced him. He was never home.” (Rose Sands, The Saturday Evening Post. )
If you’re a teen here, you might know how this guys feels:
How to Overcome Past Hurts in Your Family
There’s not a single one of us here that has not been hurt at sometime by someone in our family. It might be something very small:
- You were the brunt of a family joke.
- You were criticized.
It might be something from the past:
- You’ve been made to feel inferior your whole life.
- Your parents were abusive.
- Your parents loved their drugs more than they loved you.
It might be something from the present:
- He can’t let you be right.
- She can’t let you forget.
- He won’t take responsibility.
- He stays out late, forsaking his family.
- She spends without thinking of everyone else.
It might be something very serious:
- One partner had an affair.
- One family member has been abusive.
It seems like with all the blended family relationships these days (divorces, remarriages, stepchildren, his/hers/ours children) that there’s even more opportunity for hurt and bitterness!
Here’s the statement you’ve got to remember:
The only way to get over past hurts is to forgive.
3 things I want you to believe:
1. No matter ___how much____ there is to forgive, ___you can____.
Luke 7:41 "Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.
42 Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?"
43 Simon replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled." "You have judged correctly," Jesus said.
The implication of this story is clear: Your family bond and family love can be stronger than ever if we will practice forgiveness!
2. Trying to get back at the other person will not satisfy you.
Proverbs 20:22 Do not say, "I will pay back evil"; Wait for the LORD, and He will save you.
“Whoever opts for revenge should dig two graves.” (Chinese proverb)
“. . .not forgiving someone is like drinking rat poison and then waiting for the rat to die.” (Anne Lamott, Traveling Mercies)
3. If you won’t forgive others, God can’t forgive you.
Matthew 6:14-15 "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
