“The Unforgiving Heart”
Jonah pt 4
Opening Illustration: Trying to forgive from Blue Fish TV - Teaching Moments Vol. 1- “A Daughter Killed by a Drunk Driver”.
Thesis: Jonah exposes his unforgiving heart in chapter 4 and God challenges him with the question, “What right do you have to be angry?” The question reminds Jonah that God showed him mercy and grace in the belly of whale so needs to pass on this same gift of forgiveness to the Ninevites.
Scripture Text: Jonah Chapter 4
1But Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry. 2He prayed to the LORD, “O LORD, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. 3Now, O LORD, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.”
4But the LORD replied, “Have you any right to be angry?”
5Jonah went out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city. 6Then the LORD God provided a vine and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the vine. 7But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the vine so that it withered. 8When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, “It would be better for me to die than to live.”
9But God said to Jonah, “Do you have a right to be angry about the vine?”
“I do,” he said. “I am angry enough to die.”
10But the LORD said, “You have been concerned about this vine, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. 11But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?”
Introduction:
Summary of series: In chapter one Jonah ran away from God. In chapter two after running right into a storm of life, Jonah found himself cast into a raging sea and then swallowed by a whale. But in the midst of his whale of an experience Jonah ran back to God. Then God delivered Jonah and then Jonah ran to Nineveh. He obeyed the voice of God and revival ran wild through this great city. In chapter 4 we discover Jonah running from a city in revival and picking up an attitude of anger and un-forgiveness with God because of His mercy and grace.
Historical Background on the Book of Jonah: Following information from THE MINOR PROPHETS “Jonah” by Al Maxey
Jonah is the only "minor prophet" ever to be mentioned by Jesus Christ. He is also the only OT figure that Jesus Himself likens unto Himself (Matthew 12:39-41; 16:4; Luke 11:29-32). Although some contend this book is a fable and that Jonah never actually lived, the biblical evidence is to the contrary. II Kings 14:25 speaks of him as an actual historical figure. So does Jesus Christ. Josephus (an early Jewish historian) also regarded him as historical rather than fictional (Antiquities of the Jews, Book 9, Chapter 10, Sections 1-2). Also, when Paul wrote that Jesus "was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures" (I Corinthians 15:4), he may well have been alluding, at least in part, to Jonah’s experience.
DATE & OCCASION
From II Kings 14:25 we know that Jonah lived during the time of Jeroboam II (793-753 BC). He was sent to Nineveh --- the capital city of Assyria --- to deliver a warning from God that unless they repented they would be destroyed. There are several historical clues which seem to point to a date for this prophecy somewhere in the late 750’s BC --- perhaps around 758 BC:
• During the reign of Adad-nirari III (811-783 BC) there was a swing toward monotheism. However, at his death the nation entered a period of national weakness and even greater moral decay. "During this time, Assyria was engaged in a life and death struggle with the mountain tribes of Urartu, and its associates of Mannai and Madai in the north, who had been able to push their frontier to within less than a hundred miles of Nineveh" (Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 7).
• In 756 BC a plague struck the nation, followed by a second plague in 759 BC. In 763 BC there was an eclipse of the sun. These were "events of the type regarded by ancients as evidence of divine judgment, and could have prepared the people to receive Jonah’s message" (The Ryrie Study Bible). "No doubt this depressed state of Assyria contributed much to the readiness of the people to hear Jonah as he began to preach to them" (Homer Hailey).
• There is some historical evidence that during the reign of Ashurdan III (771-754 BC) a religious awakening occurred. This may have been the result of Jonah’s preaching. In 745 BC Tiglath-pileser III (745-727 BC) came to the throne and Assyria again became a major power. Under his leadership the Assyrians became "the rod of God’s anger (Isaiah 10:5) against His rebellious people Israel. Israel finally fell to the Assyrians with the capture of Samaria in 722 BC (through the efforts of Tiglath-pileser’s successors --- Shalmaneser V and Sargon II).
Through the preaching of Jonah, and the repentance of the people of Nineveh, the city was spared at this time. However, history tells us their repentance was fairly short-lived. Soon they had fallen back into their sinful way of life. The prophet Nahum was then sent to these same people. However, they failed to repent (as they had with Jonah), and thus were destroyed in 612 BC.
THE MAJOR MESSAGES OF JONAH
The overall message of the book is basically twofold:
1. God’s love and concern is for all people, and anyone who is willing to repent and turn to God can find salvation (Acts 26:19-20; II Peter 3:9).
2. God is a universal God. There is but ONE God, and He alone is to be the God of all people. Jonah preached to a monotheistic people, but the god they worshipped was Nebo. He warned them they must repent and turn to Jehovah, and worship and serve Him only.
Some of the other great lessons of the book of Jonah are:
• "God’s judgments, even when declared in prophecy, can be averted by genuine repentance." This is a "crucial theological truth relating human repentance to escaping from anticipated judgment" (New Layman’s Bible Commentary).
o "Jeremiah 18:7-8 --- "At one moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to uproot, to pull down, or to destroy it; if that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent concerning the calamity I planned to bring on it."
• National sin demands national repentance! Just as this principle applied to Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, so also does it apply to the nations of today!
• In Jonah one sees "the forerunner of the universal gospel message" and messenger (Hailey).
• Also, we see the principle that "the most unpromising mission fields are often the most responsive" (The Ryrie Study Bible).
T.S. – Jonah is once again running in chapter 4 but this he is running away from a revival right into the grips of un-forgiveness. This is not the place you want to running toward because it has serious consequences!
I. An unforgiving heart gets angry with God.
a. “Do we have any right to get angry with God?”
i. According to Scripture “NO!”
1. Jonah was angry and upset with God for showing compassion and grace to the city of Nineveh!
2. The couple in our video clip experienced great loss at the death of their daughter from a drunk driver – their pain was real but their decision to forgive was a choice that they made to give to the driver for their own spiritual well being. If they would have chosen the path of un-forgiveness then they would have become trapped into the spirit of offense.
a. How many here remember John Bevere’s book The Bait oF Satan.
i. He said, “The Greek word for ‘offend’ in Luke 17:1 comes from the word skandalon. This word originally referred to the part of the trap to which the bait was attached. Hence the word signifies laying a trap in someone’s way. In the New Testament ift often describes an entrapment used by the enemy. Offense is a tool of the devil to bring people into captivity” (page 7).
b. This week I have been reading the book, “How to Forgive When You Don’t Feel Like It” by June Hunt.
i. She opened her book with the following Introduction, “Resentment...rage…retaliation. Ever struggle with forgiveness? Ever thought it was impossible? Ever knew you oughta but didn’t wanna? I believe the majority of the world’s population is struggling with forgiveness-right now! If you are human (which you are) and if you are reading this book (which you are), you have been hurt-deeply and profoundly-and have faced the formidable foe of un-forgiveness” (page 9).
1. The truth is Jonah is angry at God because his heart is filled with un-forgiveness toward these lost people.
a. He wanted them judged and condemned for their evil ways – not forgiven.
2. Jonah is mad, no, outraged and resentful that God would show mercy and grace to these wicked people. He was furious that God would bestow the gift of forgiveness on this wicked heathen city of a 120,000 people.
3. The truth is Jonah hated the Ninevite’s – they were the enemy of Israel and He hated the fact that God would save them from judgment. He had a spirit of offense against these people and he wanted them wiped out by God not saved by God.
a. Besides Jonah may have rationed in his heart that they were Gentiles! They were not even God’s chosen people the Jews!
i. How could God do this- save non-Jewish heathens?
ii. Why would God do such an awful and unfair act to the Israelites?
1. If Jonah would have gotten his way here with God then the reality is - none of us sitting here today could have been given the gift of salvation.
2. Jonah did not want any of us Gentiles saved!
c. Let’s flash forward to the time of Jesus for a moment.
i. We leave Jonah stomping mad with God for showing forgiveness to a city full of sinners. We open up our new scene with a cloud of dust and a crowd of angry people dragging a woman half clothed to Jesus. They are mad – outraged – steam is coming off their fuming heads of anger! Jesus hears people shouting “Stone the wicked women! Stone her! She is despicable to our sight! Kill her!”
1. The crowd is angry at the act of the sin of adultery and demands justice – judgment on this sin!
ii. John 8:1-11: 1But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11“No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
1. Let’s gain some eternal perspective here. The crowd wants justice carried out against this woman – she is a sinner! The Scribes and Pharisees have her by the arm. She was caught in the very act of adultery. The Law says she is to be stoned to death! So they approach Jesus and ask “What do you think about this matter – you know the sin matter!” Of course Jesus knew it was a trap to get Him in trouble with everyone. Remember he has been preaching forgiveness of sin and this topic of grace. He has a following of people and if he says, “Forgive her” then he goes against the Scripture in Exodus 20:14 --One of the 10 Commandments-- This will make the people mad at him for disobeying God’s Word. If he says “Stone her!” as was required under the Law then He just undermined His message of Grace and Mercy.
2. So how does Jesus handle this situation:
a. He bends done and He writes in the sand with His finger. What do you think He wrote?
i. He says, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.”
1. Illustration: Pick up your stone with this phrase written on it and show it to the church.
ii. Let me throw a possible scenario out at you this morning as to what He might have wrote in the sand:
1. Could he have looked into the eyes of the angry people who wanted her stoned and wrote their sins in the sand and then looked them in the eye.
a. Lying – he then looks at a man.
b. Stealing - he looks another person in the eye.
c. Gossip - he looks another in the eyes.
d. Using the name of the Lord in vain – he glances up at another person.
e. Idolatry – he looks up at another.
f. False testimony – he glances at another.
g. Murder – he looks up at another.
h. Coveting – he looks at another.
b. It says “as he continued to write in the sand” – not sure what he is writing but they all start leaving. First the older ones walk away as Jesus Words echo in their ears, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.”
i. Take the stone and place it in front of the youth seating area. Could you have thrown the stone?
ii. Move the stone to the another area – “You without sin go ahead throw the stone if you have not sinned!”
c. They all walked away until it was just Jesus and the women!
i. Jesus stands up “Woman where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, sir,” She said. “Then neither do I condemn you.” Jesus declared, “Go now and leave you life of sin.”
1. Note – He said, “You are forgiven go and sin no more!”
a. Side note: There are some scholars who believe that this was Mary Magdalene.
b. Reference Mary from the Easter Sermon.
T.S. – An unforgiving heart will makes us angry with God and it will entrap us in misery and get us stuck in a lifecycle filled with resentment. It will hinder us from going anywhere with our life.
II. An unforgiving heart will grow in bitterness and get you trapped into a life which is going nowhere.
a. I have met too many people who are stuck in the cycle of bitterness. It’s a vicious cycle which goes nowhere. It seems as if they pick up the Spirit of Offense and in turn they never grow or mature in their life.
i. They seem to stop living freely and everything in life quits growing.
1. They are living a life with no eternal value or purpose.
2. They seem to stop living and their lives are filled with brooding and focusing on waiting for justice to strike the one who offended them.
a. They stop living and sit down and watch and wish for the demise of the offender! They get stuck in a rut of un-forgiveness – the trap of offense has then hooked by the jaw!
3. They actually quit living and spend their precious time watching and wishing for the demise of the offender.
a. They actually become obsessed with the demise of the one who offended them.
i. They spend most of their waking moments of precious time wasting it away on impure thoughts. Instead of investing their time into eternal things for God they waste it on anger, bitterness, hatred, and un-forgiveness.
ii. They quit living, they lose all their joy, they have no peace and they live a miserable life.
ii. We see that this unforgiving heart comes with many dangerous risks and consequences.
1. June Hunt lists a few of the risks associated with a person who chooses to not forgive. The following information is from her book How to Forgive When You Don’t Feel Like It. Taken from pages 70-73:
a. Refusing to forgive means that God will not forgive your own sins.
i. Jesus said, “If you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you don’t forgive men their sins, you Father will not forgive your sins.”
ii. The risk you take for having an unforgiving heart is to suffer un-forgiveness from God for your own sins.
iii. This is a major risk and is a very severe consequence for the choice of un-forgiveness!
b. Refusing to forgive a person can actually hinder or even block your own salvation.
i. June in her book shared a real life story about a man named Bill who refused to forgive his ex-wife. This refusal to forgive her blocked his own salvation and he even knew it. When June confronted Bill for his choice of un-forgiveness and she shared the risk – he still choose not to forgive her. June warned him by saying the following:
1. “After hearing his litany of offenses, I explained, ‘Bill, becoming an authentic Christian means receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. The Bible says, ‘Believe in (rely upon) the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.’ ‘If He is truly your Lord, that means He is your Master, ruler, owner-to whom you yield your will to His. If He says forgive, you must be willing to forgive. If you refuse to forgive, you are still being your own ruler. You are not receiving Him as you Lord.’ He quickly responded, ‘I can’t.’ ‘Bill, God would never tell you to do something without giving you the power to do it.’ ‘I just can’t-no! I won’t.’ Bill walked away still carrying a bulging bag of bitterness…and I never saw him again” (71).
c. Refusing to forgive will block the blessings of God.
i. Remember: God will not bless sin!
ii. Un-forgiveness impacts our fellowship with God and with others in the Body of Christ. This hindering dimension to our relationship with God and others blocks the blessings of God in our lives.
1. I believe it steals the blessings away!
2. This weight of un-forgiveness weighs down our hearts and our minds and it leaves us crippled in life.
a. I have met far too many people who harbor the sin of un-forgiveness in their heart and they are crippled in life, in relationships and they are blocking the blessing of God for their life.
i. These people do not have the joy of the Holy Spirit!
ii. They do not have peace in life.
iii. They do not have love flowing freely!
iii. June Hunt says, “The choice is ours: We can be stuck with our stones of resentment, or we can be free to run with forgiveness” (72).
iv. June also shows us the other side of the coin – When we choose to forgive. “When we offer love, mercy, and forgiveness to others, it will be returned to us measure for measure. If we’re generous with our kindness toward other people, God will return that to us so it’s running over” (73).
b. What are the benefits of forgiveness? June Hunt tells us these are the rewards for choosing to do what God instructs us to do on pages 73, 74:
i. Forgiveness opens the door to God’s forgiveness.
ii. Forgiveness prevents a root of bitterness from growing.
iii. Forgiveness closes the door to Satan in our lives.
iv. Forgiveness brings us into the light.
v. Forgiveness reflects a Godly heart.
vi. Forgiveness gets us in sync with the Spirit of God.
vii. Forgiveness leads to blessings.
c. Forgiveness is a choice and it is not based on feelings.
i. June Hunt notes: “Clearly, not a single person on earth is immune from hurt and heartache. Still, that doesn’t mean we have to stay forever distressed, devastated by the destructive behavior that wrought such pain in our lives. We must remind ourselves, for our good, and for the good of others, that forgiveness is not a feeling. Indeed, forgiveness is a purposeful decision-an act of the will not dependent on our emotions. No matter what has been done to us, or how badly it hurts, we must forgive because of this inescapable and profound truth: Go has forgiven us all the more. Aren’t you grateful God is not gleefully piling up a bag full of offenses with your name on it?” (Page 76).
ii. Jonah needed to obey God and forgive the Ninevites but instead he chose to sit on top of the hill and wish for the city to be destroyed rather than to be forgiven.
1. It’s amazing how when we sit and wish for the demise of others it impacts us more than those we choose not to forgive.
a. We need to choose to forgive if we want to get back to growing and to maturing in the Lord.
b. We have to choose to forgive if we want to start investing our life into eternity.
c. We have to choose to forgive if we want to start living life again.
T.S. – Un-forgiveness will cause us to get stuck into a deep rut of bitterness and despair. This despair will cause us to want to just die.
III. An unforgiving heart will eventually cause a person to want to die rather than to live.
a. Jonah is sitting outside the city watching-wishing for its demise. He wants them to back slide so God will destroy them.
i. As he is brooding on the hill overlooking the city God allows a vine to grow up to cover his head from the scorching sun.
1. It says that Jonah was very happy for the provision of the vine and the shade he received from it.
2. But once again his happiness was short lived because the next day the Lord sent a worm which ate through the vine and killed it so that it withered. The shade also withered with the severed vine.
3. The Lord also sent a scorching wind and a hot and intense sun beat on Jonah’s angry head and heart.
ii. I find this story a bit puzzling but enlightening so bear with me for a moment:
1. Jonah’s going nowhere in life now – because his un-forgiveness has caused him to sit and wait and hope for the demise of the city of Nineveh.
2. As he is camping in the desert of Iraq God allows a vine to grow overnight to shade him from the elements.
a. This really is a blessing of God – this makes Jonah happy.
i. He may be thinking God is blessing me with this vine.
1. He blessed with the vine because I am his prophet.
2. He blessed me because I am a chosen one.
3. He has blessed me because I obeyed Him.
4. He has blessed me because I have lived a holy life.
5. He has blessed me_______________????
b. The next day the Lord sends a little worm to destroy the vine.
i. The worm does its job and Jonah becomes angry, outraged, and disillusioned. He cries out to God “Just let me die!”
1. “Stop tormenting me – let me go home to Heaven!”
2. “I cannot handle this type of a life or existence anymore!”
3. “I cannot endure your gift of mercy and grace for evil people anymore God!”
3. Let me share what I think is being communicated in this part of the life of Jonah:
a. The vine represents life in Scripture so let’s fast forward again to the time of Jesus and see what He says about the vine. Jesus said in John 15:1-13: 1“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.9“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”
i. Jesus tells us that every branch which grows off the vine of life and produces no fruit with be cut off by the Father.
1. Note - we have a vine provided for Jonah from God – it shades him and protects him from the elements of life.
a. Remember: Jonah has latched on to an angry heart filled with un-forgiveness.
ii. The next day God sends a worm to cut off the life giving flow of life to this vine which is protecting Jonah from the scorching sun.
1. The worm – is the cause for the severance of the vine.
2. Could it be that the worm which eats through the vine of protection is caused by the worm of bitterness and un-forgiveness in the heart of Jonah.
3. So Jonah’s choice to not forgive actually releases the worm - which destroys the protection and the blessings of God?
4. Jonah’s unwillingness to forgive and to love the Ninevites caused his own misery!
5. His heart filled with un-forgiveness caused him to have no joy in life, no peace in life and it caused the blessings of God to wither in his life.
6. It drove him to the point of wanting to just die.
a. Have you ever met a person like this?
i. I have!
Conclusion:
Jonah 4: 8-11:
8When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, “It would be better for me to die than to live.”
9But God said to Jonah, “Do you have a right to be angry about the vine?”
“I do,” he said. “I am angry enough to die.”
10But the LORD said, “You have been concerned about this vine, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. 11But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?”
God once again confronts Jonah: “What right do you have to be angry about the vine? I provided it and I took it away because of the worm of un-forgiveness in your heart!”
God rebukes him even further, “You are more concerned about this vine and your own comfort than you are about the lives of 120,000 people and their animals. Jonah you are so selfish – you are so caught up into the sin of un-forgiveness – I care for this city – I care for these people but it is obvious you do not. So that’s the end of your story Jonah – we are done discussing this – you just need to repent!”
We never hear anything else about Jonah’s life or ministry again. We know that he penned this book after the fact and he pointedly ends this book with, “The Lord’s rebuke to Him!” The sudden conclusion of this book is a warning to all those who choose to become angry with God and who chose the path of un-forgiveness. Jonah is saying, “Don’t make the mistake I made by choosing not to forgive!” “Lear the lesson from my failure – run to God, stay with God, obey God and forgive like God forgives and it will be well with your soul.”
Jonah makes these messages clear:
God forgives those who repent of sin, Jew or Gentile.
God will not tolerate disobedience from His people and they will be reprimanded.
God will rebuke you if you choose the path of un-forgiveness.
God will cut off His protection from you if you allow sin to take root in your heart.
Hunt and Jonah remind us, “Why we should get rid of Un-forgiveness?”
1. The unforgiving heart is judgmental
2. The unforgiving heart is condemning of others
3. The unforgiving heart is merciless
4. The unforgiving heart is filled with contempt
5. The unforgiving heart is resentful
6. The unforgiving heart is envious of others
7. The unforgiving heart is vengeful
8. The unforgiving heart is retaliatory toward others
9. The unforgiving heart maligns others
10. The unforgiving heart slanders others
11. The unforgiving heart is prideful
12. The unforgiving heart is haughty
13. The unforgiving heart is profane –abusive to others
14. The unforgiving heart is bitter – harbors hostility
15. The unforgiving heart is always complaining
16. The unforgiving heart is resistant to the Truth
17. The unforgiving heart is impatient
18. The unforgiving heart is always annoyed
19. The unforgiving heart is bitter to the core and weighed down with the rocks of anger
20. The unforgiving heart is filled with negativity and has no joy
(The following list is adapted from pages 195-197).
The forgiving heart on the other hand looks like this (From Hunt pages 198-200).
1. The forgiving heart loves
2. The forgiving heart is filled with a loving spirit
3. The forgiving heart is joyous
4. The forgiving heart has the awareness of joy
5. The forgiving heart is peaceful
6. The forgiving heart has a peaceful demeanor
7. The forgiving heart is patient
8. The forgiving heart is committed to patience
9. The forgiving heart is kind
10. The forgiving heart is kind in deed
11. The forgiving heart is good
12. The forgiving heart is blessed with a good healthy heart
13. The forgiving heart is faithful
14. The forgiving heart is committed to faithfulness to God
15. The forgiving heart is gentle
16. The forgiving heart always has a gentle response
17. The forgiving heart is self-controlled
18. The forgiving heart responds to others in a controlled way
God’s Heart on Forgiveness from Hunt’s book pages 209-210:
1. God commands that we forgive each other (Eph. 4:32).
2. God warns us to forgive others because He has forgiven us (Col. 3:13).
3. God wants us to see un-forgiveness as sin (James 4:17).
4. God wants us to get rid of un-forgiveness and have a heart of mercy (Matthew 5:7).
5. God wants us to do our part to live at peace with everyone (Romans 12:18).
6. God wants us to overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21).
7. God wants us to be ministers of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18-19).
Altar Call: Play video Clip “It is well with my soul” Bluefish TV
Horatio could have chosen to get angry with God for his hard life but instead he said, “It is well with my soul!” Instead of running from God and into the arms of un-forgiveness he ran into the arms of God and chose the path of forgiveness.
June Hunt’s quote: “Forgiveness is not a feeling…forgiveness is a purposeful decision-an act of the will not dependent on our emotions” (page 76).
Question: Will you decide today to choose the path of forgiveness toward a person who has wronged you? If you do then you will be delivered and set free to live!
