June 7 2015 Freedom Through Forgiveness

/ Great Plains Community Church/

Freedom Through Forgiveness

Proverbs 10:12 – Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins.

Proverbs 19:11 – When someone wrongs you, it is a great virtue to ignore it.

I. First establish the forgiving motive.

Jeremiah 13:23 – Can the leopard change his spots?  Then may you also do good that are accustomed to doing evil?

HOW TO ESTABLISH NEW MOTIVES

1. Move Christ into the center of your life.

2 Corinthians 5:17 – Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.  Old things are passed away, behold all things are become new.

2. Live your life focused on Christ.

John 15:4 – Remain in Me and I will remain in you.

II. Secondly, we need to understand why we forgive.

1. First because God forgives us.

Colossians 3:13 – Be ready to forgive, never hold grudges.  Remember the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.

2. We need to forgive because resentment doesn’t work.

Job 5:2 – To worry yourself to death with resentment would be a foolish, senseless thing to do.

Job 18:4 – You are only hurting yourself with your anger.

3. You need to forgive because you need forgiveness in the future.

Mark 11:25 – When you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins too.

III. We deal with our hurt by learning the steps out of our hurt.

1. Never retaliate.

Proverbs 20:22 – Don’t take it on yourself to repay a wrong.  Trust the Lord and He will make it right.

2. Deal with your hurt immediately.

Ephesians 4:26 – Don’t sin by nursing your grudge.  Don’t let the sun go down with you still angry, get over it quickly.

3. Forgive them whether they ask or not.

Ephesians 4:32 – Forgive each other as readily as God forgave you in Christ.

4. Do good to them.

Luke 6:27-28, 35 – Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you.

Job 11:13-16 – Put your heart right, reach out to God, then face the world again, firm and courageous.  Then all troubles will fade from your memory, like floods that are past and remembered no more.