If you have your bibles, we're going to begin in 2 Samuel chapter 12, then we're going to flip over to John chapter 8. "Why a sermon about two sinners?" Because today, I want to remind us all of the grace, the mercy, the forgiveness and the love God showed us when we gave our hearts and our lives to the Lord. How many of you have been hurt by someone in the past and you still remind yourself of that hurt? Why? Why would you torture yourself like that? What good will it ever do you to remember how someone hurt you? Let me tell you, it will accomplish absolutely nothing! When you cling to past hurts and remind yourself of the ones who hurt you, you are giving the devil all the opportunity in the world to come down on you like a ton of bricks! You are giving the enemy foothold in your life and room enough for him to whisper in your ear that you're not good enough. People will always be out to get you, to hurt you, and to betray you.
What possible reason could you have to do that to yourselves? Let me tell you another thing, it's not worth it! It will never be worth it! No matter what you believe or what you think, it will never be worth it! I knew a woman a few years ago who went through more trials in her life than anyone I've met, other than Christ. She had been abused as a child by her half-brother and his friends, she had been gang raped as a teenager, and she had been physically abused severely in past relationships. And when I tried to explain to her that she needed to let all that anger, all that hostility, and all that pain go, she said, "I can't let it go! It's what made me who I am today!" You know what I say to that? Horse hockey!
Your past cannot and should not define who you are. If it does, then it's because you have allowed it! It doesn't matter what anyone did to you in the past! If your past defines you, you, and you alone, are responsible for that! Your enemies didn't do that to you, you did that! Why? Because even though they did all kinds of horrible things to you, even though they hurt you so deeply, even though they are the ones who were in the wrong, you are the only one who has the power to release that memory and let God have it so you can be at peace. And friend, when you do that, when you let God take your heartache and your pain from you, not only will you be at peace from it all, but God will make sure that true justice will prevail in the end!
The reason I bring all this up is because it's obvious to me that we, as the Church, have allowed this world to poison our minds and our hearts with vengeance, with fury, and with bitterness. Paul wrote in Romans 12:2, "do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." One translation reads, "Do not be conformed to the WAYS of this world." What are the ways of the world? Hatred, bitterness, unforgiveness, idolatry, greed, lust, and anything that God opposes in His Word. Paul said not to be conformed to that, but to be transformed by the renewing of your mind! How do we renew our mind? By prayer, reading the Bible, studying the Bible, giving praise and worship to God. By having fellowship with our Heavenly Father through Jesus Christ. That's how. Why do you think it's so hard for people in the church to maintain a consistent prayer life? Because our prayers will destroy all the works of the enemy, the devil!
But I want to show you today two accounts straight from the Word of God about 2 people who were guilty of one of the most shameful sins of them all, adultery. Why adultery? Because I have seen so many marriages in the church destroyed by the sin of adultery. I knew one couple where the husband fell into adultery. And when his wife at the time found out, the husband was sure that it was the end of his marriage. The husband came to his senses, repented to God and to his wife for the sin, and strived to save the marriage. And for another year, it seemed like the marriage was saved. Then a woman at the husband's job accused him of sexual harassment. Which he was innocent of all along. However, knowing what he had done in the past, his wife immediately started doubting his loyalty.
A woman in the church who had befriended the wife convinced her that God would indeed tell His people to get a divorce because she believed that God told her too. Let me tell you, God would never tell any of His people to do something His own Word says He hates! But the wife was convinced by this friend that God would do just that. She even received a word of knowledge at a night service she was convinced was for her. That word was, "There's someone here who is in a relationship that they need to get out of." The wife was sure the speaker was talking about her. I can honestly tell you this, that word was not for her at all. Why? Because a marriage is a covenant, not just a relationship. A man and a woman who are boyfriend/girlfriend is a relationship. Even an engaged couple are a relationship. The covenant does not come into play until you say, "I do".
My pastor once said that everything changes when you get married. "Yours" becomes "Ours", "I" becomes "We", and "I do" means "You better!". When you stand before God and man and pledge yourself to your betrothed, you are making a covenant, not to your spouse, but to God. You are telling God that you VOW to love, honor and cherish for as long as you both shall live! You VOW to forsake ALL others! So, when the husband had an affair, he broke that vow! He broke that covenant! And as a result, proverbial blood was on his hands! And yet, God forgave that man. God gave him forgiveness. God had mercy on that man. But the wife was deceived by false doctrine. Doctrine that convinced her to file for divorce. And to this day, the only reason she has anything to do with her former husband, is because of the child they have together. She has even told him that if it weren't for their child, she would have NOTHING to do with him!
Now, most of you would probably take her side in this matter. However, keep in mind, she believes God told her to divorce that man. The husband was honest with her about the accusations made against him when they were brought! And yet, because someone who believes a false doctrine poisoned her mind to believe as she does, the wife ended that marriage. I firmly believe God wants to restore that marriage! The question is, will the wife ever realize the deception that befell her and allow God to restore it? I don't know.
That's why I want to talk about these two people in the Bible who were both guilty of adultery. So I can show you how God handled both of them and what they had done. Let's read now 2 Samuel 12:1-14, "Then the Lord sent Nathan to David. And he came to him and said to him: “There were two men in one city, one rich and the other poor. The rich man had exceedingly many flocks and herds. But the poor man had nothing, except one little ewe lamb which he had bought and nourished; and it grew up together with him and with his children. It ate of his own food and drank from his own cup and lay in his bosom; and it was like a daughter to him. And a traveler came to the rich man, who refused to take from his own flock and from his own herd to prepare one for the wayfaring man who had come to him; but he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.
So, David’s anger was greatly aroused against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this shall surely die! And he shall restore fourfold for the lamb, because he did this thing and because he had no pity.
Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your keeping and gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if that had been too little, I also would have given you much more! Why have you despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in His sight? You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the people of Ammon. Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ Thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will raise up adversity against you from your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, before the sun."
Sounds like David is in it deep, doesn't it? All of this will happen because of what David did out of lust and selfishness. But listen to the other half of what the Lord says to him here. I want you to focus on this part especially because even though you are going to get a whoppin from God for your sins, He still loves you, He still forgives you, and no matter what you or anyone might think, God is not about to smite you off the face of the earth. Listen to the word of the Lord through Nathan the prophet beginning in verse 13.
"So, David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also who is born to you shall surely die.” Then Nathan departed to his house."
There may not have been as many words of good as there were bad, but the value of these words, when weighed out, are indeed different. David will have to endure a lot of hardship for his actions. But God said He will not take his life. And to this day, David is still considered by God to be a man after God's own heart. One of the greatest kings Israel ever had. People sin everyday. The Bible says, "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God". And yet, God is still loving, He still forgiving, and He is still merciful to us sinners.
Romans 5:8 says, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." There is no such thing as "beyond all hope" with God. If God can use David, an adulterer and murderer, if He can use Moses, another murderer, if He can use Jacob, a deceiver and a liar, if he can use Peter, a hot head with a short temper, if He can use Saul of Tarsaus, who murderer and persecuted Christians all over Jerusalem, He can certainly use you! No matter what you've done!
What troubles me though is how so many people who claim to be children of God walk around to this day with a chip on their shoulder towards someone. How people of God can still gossip and persecute others in the church who messed up just as bad as David did but have since repented of their sin and God has forgiven them. There are people in the church who have messed up big time! But instead of showing them the love of God and the mercy that God has shown them, they instead persecute these people and look their pointed noses down at them.
The second account of an adulterer I want to look at is a familiar one as well. John 8:1-11, "But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.
So, when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” And again, He stooped down and wrote on the ground. Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”
Can you imagine that? Here they religious crowd caught a woman in the very act of adultery, they said. And they were right as far as the law of Moses was concerned. Which said that such a woman is to be taken out of the city and stoned till dead. Now for any of the younger generation who might be reading this, I don't mean they were going to stone her as you would think. In those days, when they "stoned" someone, they literally stoned them by throwing rocks the size of your head at them. Rocks so big and heavy, that they could easily crush someone's skull!
Is it just me, or does this very account resemble most people in the church today? Todd Agnew, a christian contemporary artist, released a beautiful song many years ago called, "My Jesus". In the lyrics were these words, "but my Jesus would never be allowed in my church. The blood and dirt on His feet might stain the carpet." As shocking as that sounds, that's very, very true! Have we gotten so wrapped up in the church scene, that we have forgotten where we were when Christ saved us?
In matters such as these, of David and this woman caught by the Pharisees, we need to remember what God told the church in Ephesus in Revelation 2:1-5, “To the angel of the church of Ephesus write,
‘These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands: “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not and have found them liars; and you have persevered and have patience and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary. Nevertheless, I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent."
I know a man who was engaged to a woman in the church who serves in the choir. When they got together and decided to get married, the man was overjoyed that his long quest to find a bride was over. He was so sure that at long last, his loneliness was done. Imagine his heartbreak when that woman ended the relationship abruptly and without any warning? Not even the slightest hint of a problem in the relationship.
It was on Father's Day a few years ago. This woman was constantly trying to get him to join the church choir. She finally talked him into being in the choir for Father's Day because the church had planned on having all the Fathers come up on the stage to sing a special song in honor of Father's Day. That man told me he felt like a fish out of water up on that platform. He said she was giving him instructions on how to move during the song service so it would look good on camera when the service was televised.
That day, this man had car trouble. His tired warning light had come on in his car. He had just gotten this car, so, he was obviously concerned why this light was coming on. He had to work that night and didn't want to take the chance of putting the problem off and get stranded after work, he worked so late. He explained to his then fiancé what was happening and how concerned he was about the problem. Nevertheless, she convinced him to at least stay for the praise service, which sounded very reasonable at the time.
After the praise service was over, he went to his usual repair shop to see what the problem was. He found out that all four of his tires were worn to the nub right down the very middle of each tire! So, he had to have all four tires replaced. If he hadn't, the shop said he would have certainly had a major blowout that night.
The man arrived at work, called his fiancé to tell her what the shop had found. And she didn't believe him. She thought he was making more of the situation than there was. She also conveyed to him her disappointment in him in church that morning. While he was in the praise service, the church announced their prison ministry was going to be starting up again. And that he knew God was talking to him about signing up. This enraged his fiancé even more. That phone call was where she broke off the engagement and ended the relationship.
The man was in tears sobbing at the realization of yet another failed relationship. He was so sure it was all his fault. Until, he heard the voice of the Lord speak to him, "Are you going to listen to her or to Me?" He said an instant peace came over him and the pain was gone. He said the Lord also told him, "Because she has done this and heeded a voice other than My own, she will NEVER receive a husband from Me again!" What happened here? The so-called "woman of God" was nothing more than a religious hypocrite.
This man told me that throughout their relationship, she was constantly pushing him to join the choir, join a men's group so he would have a male mentor in his life, and the pastors Ordination classes so he could be ordained as a minister. The common thread here, was everything SHE thought he should do, had to be done at THAT church and no other. She was trying to make him what SHE thought he should be.
Ladies, let me tell you something, it is not your responsibility to make your man what God wants him to be! That is for the Lord to do Himself! This woman should have been delighted that the man found his calling in the church and was eager to get started. Instead, she scolded him for not wanting to be in the same ministry she was in! That's a hypocrite! That's a religious person!
What am I saying here? Simple. If God wouldn't do it. YOU shouldn't do it either! Forgiveness is not optional in the Kingdom of God. Matthew 6:14-15 says, "For if you forgive men their transgressions, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you". Notice this phrase, "But if you forgive not men their transgressions, your Heavenly Father will not forgive you, neither will your Father forgive you your trespasses". Listen to the thundering truth of this verse. If you do not forgive other people, God's not just going to look over it: He is not going to forgive you. And without God's forgiveness, you're not going to enter the gates of Heaven.
Forgiveness is a major decision that will indeed determine your eternal destiny. Colossians 3:13 reads, "Forgiving one another even as Christ forgave you, so also are you to do". The message is clear. If you will not forgive others, God won't forgive you. There are 62 words in the New Testament for forgiveness. And 22 times out of those 62, it relates to forgiving other people.
Secondly, forgiveness is the secret of absolute freedom. It is the secret of absolute freedom. Forgiveness brings freedom from those that have hurt you. The sweetest revenge you will ever experience is to totally forgive and forget the incident, and then you will be free. Otherwise, you are in a prison that you allow other people to build for you, because the foolish opinions of other people should not shape your destiny, and your past should not control your future. Forgiveness breaks the handcuffs. It opens the door. Forgiveness is the key that removes revenge, and bitterness, and hatred from the soul.
Jesus used his last breath on the cross to forgive the Romans, who were executing Him. He looked at them and said, "Father, forgive them: for they don't know what they're doing". That was His last example to the church. And I can see that some of you say, "Well preacher, that kind of forgiveness is unrealistic in a dog-eat-dog world of the 21st century". Why don't you get real about something that's happened lately in the matter of forgiveness?
Let me tell you this true story from the dark days of the Korean war. A South Korean Christian was arrested by the communists, and he was ordered to be shot. When the communist commander learned that the foreigner was in charge of the local orphanage, he was caring for small children, and so he decided to spare the leader of the orphanage. But he decided to shoot his 19-year-old boy. The communist leader took the believer's son, 19 years old, and shot him dead in front of his father and mother.
The fortunes of the war changed. And the same young communist leader was captured by U.N. Forces. He was tried and condemned. Before the execution was carried out, the Christian, whose son had been killed, came and pled for the life of this communist leader. The Christian said, "This man is young. If you will give him to me, I will train him in the ways of the Lord". The U.N. Forces granted this strange request. And the father took the murderer of his son into his home. He forgave him. He loved him. This man gave his heart to Christ and served the Lord until the day he died, as a missionary. That's the power of forgiveness!
Or are you on the other side of that nickel? You get high on the hatred you have for somebody else. Do you relish planning the revenge that you want to take? If you will not forgive another, there is no forgiveness for you, not ever! We are like beasts when we kill each other. We're like men when we judge each other. We are like God when we forgive each other. Forgiveness is a full pardon. It's a fresh start. It's another chance. It's a new beginning. It's the canceling of a debt. It's not burying the hatchet with the handle up so you can get it just in case.
Forgiveness is, first, an act of your will. If you wait until you feel like forgiving somebody, you'll be waiting till your hair turns whiter than snow. It'll never happen. In an act of courageous faith, forgive that person! And then watch God go to work in your defense. Watch how everything they put their hands to crumbles, and everything you put your hand to, God blesses. Forgiveness will release a healing force that will change your life forever. Joy will replace grief. Peace will replace anger. Love will replace hate. Contentment will replace frustration. Your mental, emotional, physical health will surge with new life! Do it! Do it! Do it, in Jesus' name! Give the Lord praise where you are!
Ephesians 4 is Paul's miracle formula concerning forgiveness. Ephesians 4:32 says, "And be ye kind one to another, tender hearted, forgiving one another even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you". Notice the golden chalice of forgiveness presented by Paul to the church. "For Christ's sake". This is why I chose the King James version here, because it is literally the text, "For Christ's sake". For Christ's sake, all the good things God has given to us, have come to us because of Jesus. The forgiveness of our sin has come to us for Christ's sake, who at the cross, did a redemptive work that made us sons and daughters of the Most High God. If there was not another message in Christianity other than that one, it would make this message the most important message in all of the world. You are sons and daughters of the Most High God! You are ambassadors of Christ! The royal blood of heaven is flowing through your veins! You are somebody! Lift your head and square your shoulders! You are a child of God! Give Him praise today!
For Christ's sake, God the Father, hears your every prayer. He will send his angels to earth to protect you and to defend you. David writes in Psalms 91:11, "He will give His angels charge over you to protect you in all of your way". "He will make the crooked way straight," for Christ's sake. He will turn your darkest night into glorious day, for Christ's sake. For Christ's sake, God has forgiven us of every sin. They have been buried in the deepest sea never to be remembered against us anymore! For Christ's sake, God lifts the heavy burden that you can no longer carry, "Casting every care upon Him, for He careth for you". For Christ's sake, He gives you peace in the midst of the storm! Just when you're about to give up, when the winds and the waves have pounded your soul, you see Him walking to you on the water, saying, "Peace be still" and "Peace will be yours for Christ's sake"! Shout "Hallelujah" to the Most High God!
"For Christ's sake, hath forgiven you". Notice the absolute certainty of forgiveness. The apostle does not say, "He hopes you're forgiven". He said, "For Christ's sake, God hath forgiven you". Forgiveness is not something you earn for years of service after you come to Christ. Forgiveness is not infinite works. Forgiveness is by the grace of God.
Look at the woman caught in the act of adultery to Jesus. Obviously, by the law of Moses, she is to be stoned. Say it. Stoned with rocks, stoned. It makes you wonder where those pharisees were to catch her in the act of adultery, maybe standing in line. Jesus, of course, looked at the woman. Jesus being absolutely perfect and pure, he said, "Neither do I condemn you, but go and sin no more".
The message: I expect you to change. I expect you to change. Well, you have to have two verses to prove any thought. I can bury you with verses, but here's another. "Whoever confesses and forsakes his sin," the proverbs records, "Shall have mercy with the Lord". What? "Who confesses and forsakes his sin," he changes. She changes. They stop doing it! Grace gives you the opportunity to repent. It's not a license to sin, never, never, never.
What's the pattern of forgiveness? How do you forgive? First, you forgive immediately. Matthew 5:23-24, "If therefore, you are presenting your offering at the altar and you remember your brother has something against you, leave your offering at the altar before, and go your way: lest you be reconciled to your brother. And then come and present the offering". This is the one place in the Bible that God says stop praying. Leave the altar. Go be reconciled with your brother. And when you're reconciled with your brother, I'll receive your offering. He's not going to receive the gift of a king's fortune over the stench of an unforgiving spirit.
And the word "Stench" is just exactly what it is. If you have a miracle ministry, if you can cast mountains into the sea, and you have an unforgiving spirit, you are a charlatan. You are a charlatan. God does not hear the prayer of a husband, who does not treat his wife well. Read 1 Peter 3:7. He says the husband that abuses his wife, "His prayers are let". The word "Let" is an old English word that we still use in tennis. When the ball hits the net, it goes straight down. It is prevented from getting to the next court. The Bible is saying, when you, husband, do not treat your wife well, and you get down to pray, your prayer ricochets off the roof and hits you on the bald head. God is not listening.
Ladies, uh-oh. How do you forgive? Totally. Jesus, our teacher, told the story of the unmerciful slave. The king, who wanted to settle his accounts, called in a slave that owed him ten million dollars, which was ten times the national debt of that nation. And when the slave announced that he didn't have the resources and please not to throw him, his wife, and his child into debtor's prison, the king forgave him of that enormous fortune. And he went right out in the streets and found somebody who owed him $20. And he had that guy thrown into debtor's prison, because it was his right as a debtor.
And the other slaves heard about it, and they went to the king, and said, do you know what happened to that guy that you forgave of ten million dollars? He went out and found a guy that owed him 20 bucks, and that guy is now in jail. The king went back to the guy that he let go of the ten million dollar debt. He said, you unmerciful servant. I forgave you of all of that. And you went out and did that to another person. And the Bible says, "And he was turned over to the tormentors". And he was there for life, because there's no way he was going to pay 10 million dollars.
When you refuse to forgive someone else, God will turn you over to the tormentors. And in our society, medical science are calling the tormentors, "Bitterness," and "Rage," and "Resentment," and "Ulcers," and "High blood pressure". Those kinds of things do destroy your health. They produce major physical illness. There's a simple statement, "Forgive and live". Say that with me. Forgive and live. Forgive and live. How often shall I forgive? There was a Jewish teaching that if you forgave three times, you were good. So Peter thought he'd impress the Lord and say, "Till seven times," because that really sounded spiritual. And Jesus said, no. "Seventy times seven," which is 490. The message is, you forgive until it becomes a habit.
Now I know you have relatives, not you, but you have relatives that carry clip boards, and say, "Harry, this is number 489. And bless your soul, one more time, and smack right in the kisser, I'm going to get you". You say, "There are not people like that". Oh, yes, there are. Don't keep records of anybody's faults but your own, and you'll find that you have very few to keep. The power of forgiveness can restore your home.
This is a story, a true story, of a rebellious young man who broke the law and was sent to prison for eight years. He knew that his parents were deeply hurt by his foolish deed and shamed by his imprisonment. As times past, he didn't know whether his dad would let him come home again after he was released from prison. So, he wrote a letter to his mother stating that he's going to be released in a few days and would take the train home. And in the letter, he said, "If you and dad will forgive me and let me come home again, please tie a piece of bed sheet in the oak tree by the railroad track, and I'll get off the train. If I do not see the ribbon of cloth in the tree, I will not get off the train. And I will never contact you again".
The day came for his release from prison. And he walked to the train station, and he bought a ticket. And with every turn of the wheels, the tension mounted in his heart and in his mind. "Would my parents forgive me? Would my dad forgive me?" Wondering if that cloth ribbon would be tied in the tree, as the train rounded the bend that led to their farm, he could not stand it any longer. Fearing he would be rejected and unforgiven, he asked the man riding next to him, "Would you please look out the window at the tree that's next to the railroad track and tell me if you see a cloth ribbon tied to it".
The man looked out the train window at the tree. And the boy asked him, "Do you see it"? The man said, "No. I don't see one ribbon: I see hundreds of ribbons on every branch of that tree. I see them tied to the fence. I see them on the clothesline. I see them on the back porch. There's so many white ribbons on that farm, it looks like it snowed. What does it mean"? He shouted through tears, as he leaped off the train, "It means I've been forgiven! I'm going home! I'm going home! I'm going home"!
How many of you here, there's someone in your past that has hurt you? The memory torments you. Just the recalling of it sends you into a rage. You know you need to forgive that person if you're ever going to really have real peace. It's for your benefit. Secondly, how many of you here need to extend forgiveness to your husband, to your wife, for your family relationships to be healed? Think about it. "Forgive one another for Christ's sake," because if you do not forgive another, God will not forgive you.
Or how many of you here can say, "Pastor, my relationships are corrupted by bitterness, and resentment, and rejection? I would love to live a life of joy and peace, but there's that something in my past that gnaws at my mind and never lets me go. I want the cord to be broken. I want joy. I want peace. I'm tired of this corruption destroying my life." If any of those things describes you, I want to have a prayer with you this morning. You're going to go from this place different today. Do you see how much pain this represents and how much of it is immediately going to be removed when we pray this prayer? And I'm going to tell you to exercise your faith and let it go. Pray this prayer with me.
Heavenly Father, I come before your throne, in the precious name of Jesus. And for Christ' sake, I ask you to forgive me all of my sin. And I ask you, on this day, to let me have the power and the grace to forgive those who have wounded me, those who have intentionally hurt me, those who have brought to my life great grief. Father God, today in Jesus' name, I forgive them. I forgive them. It's over! I'm free, in Jesus' name! Give the Lord a shout of praise in the house of God! Amen. Amen. Amen.
