Sermon Central
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Big Enough To Forgive Series
Contributed by Doug Johnston on Jan 2, 2002 (message contributor)
Summary: David discovered that sometimes personal offenses are best forgiven, not paid back by holding grudges, getting angry, or giving paybacks.
When David met Shemei the first time (2 Samuel 16:5-8), Shemei:
+Kicked him when he was down.
+Threw rocks at him,
+Yelled at him,
+Said God was judging the King,
+Probably reminded David who Shemei’s dad was
The second time they met (2 Samuel 19:22-23),
1. David kept his focus on God clear
2. David was aware of his own failures
One of the essential qualities of having a heart after God is to possess a forgiving spirit. Most people opt for one of three options instead of that one:
1. Conditional forgiveness
2. Partial forgiveness
3. Delayed forgiveness
In the rest of his second meeting with Shimei, David:
-Didn’t get offended
-Didn’t take it personally
-Didn’t even yell
If you hope to be used of God, you need:
1. A soft heart
2. Really thick skin
How can we better forgive?
I. Cultivate thicker skin
II. Try to understand where the offender is coming from
III. Recall when we needed forgiveness ( right?)
IV. Speak our forgiving words
