Forgiven to Forgiving

On this compelling episode, we navigate the powerful theme of forgiveness from a biblical and practical perspective. We examine its significance, how it is demonstrated, and the impact it has on our relationships. We share enlightening insights from the story of Philemon and Onifomas, where we explore the power of grace, and the profound change it can bring about in the dynamics of relationships. We then look at how to effectively disagree without causing further hurt or conflict, taking a leaf from the resolution of the disagreement between Paul and Barnabas.

In the second half of the discussion, we move deeper into the theology of forgiveness, breaking down the meanings of 'forgiven' and 'forgiving', and how these participles are more than just words, but actions that shape our character. We also explore how prosperity and blessings are not necessarily indicators of forgiveness. The discussion then pivots to prioritizing family and setting boundaries in our lives, and the vital importance of understanding the root cause of forgiveness.

We round off our discussion by analyzing the concept of sin in relation to forgiveness. We refer to scriptures that reveal God's merciful removal of our sins and discuss the concept of imputed sin. Finally, we share insights into the power of forgiveness, using Jesus’ example of sacrifice, and discuss the importance of accepting our own sins. Tune in for this enlightening conversation that's guaranteed to change the way you perceive and practice forgiveness.

1. The sermon discussed the story of Philemon and Onifomas. How does this story illustrate the transformative power of grace and forgiveness? Can you think of other biblical stories that demonstrate this theme? (Refer to the book of Philemon)

2. Paul and Barnabas were used as an example of navigating disagreements without causing further hurt. How can we apply their approach to our own relationships? What specific actions did they take that we can emulate? (Refer to Acts 15:36-41)

3. In this sermon, the act of forgiveness was dissected into being 'forgiven' and 'forgiving'. How does understanding these concepts as actions impact our understanding of forgiveness? How does this compare to your previous understanding of forgiveness? (Refer to Ephesians 4:32)

4. Family and personal boundaries were highlighted as important aspects in the practice of forgiveness. Why do you think understanding the root cause of forgiveness is essential for setting these boundaries? How can we better implement this in our lives? (Refer to Proverbs 4:23)

5. The sermon delved into the topic of sin and its connection to forgiveness. How does understanding the divine removal of our sins and the concept of imputed sin help us in our spiritual journey? (Refer to Romans 3:23-24)

6. Jesus' example of forgiveness was a central point in the sermon. How can we model our own practice of forgiveness after Jesus' example? What specific actions or attitudes can we adopt? (Refer to Luke 23:34)

7. The sermon ended with a discussion on the liberating power of forgiveness. How has this sermon changed your perspective on forgiveness? In what ways can you apply these insights to your own practice of forgiveness? (Refer to Colossians 3:13)

8. Reflecting on the sermon's discussion of sin, forgiveness, and the divine perspective, how can we practically live out these concepts in our daily lives? (Refer to 1 John 1:9)

9. How does the exploration of forgiveness as an art form in this sermon challenge or affirm your previous understanding of forgiveness? (Refer to Matthew 6:14-15)

10. How can we cultivate a more forgiving nature, following the example set by God, as discussed in this sermon? (Refer to Ephesians 4:31-32)

Devotional
Day 1:
Bible Reading: Genesis 3:1-19
Devotional: The Origin of Sin and Need for Forgiveness
Today's sermon touched on the roots of sin, stemming from the disobedience of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Reflect on Genesis 3:1-19, which details this pivotal moment. Think about the consequences of their actions and the introduction of sin into the world. How does this foundational story illustrate our inherent need for forgiveness?

Day 2:
Bible Reading: Psalm 51:1-19
Devotional: Seeking Divine Mercy and Forgiveness
In the sermon, we dissected the concept of being forgiven and forgiving. Spend time with Psalm 51:1-19, a plea for God's mercy and forgiveness from King David after his sin with Bathsheba. How does David’s remorse and plea for forgiveness resonate with you? Reflect on God's enduring mercy and how it offers us a pathway to forgiveness.

Day 3:
Bible Reading: Malachi 7:18-20
Devotional: God's Merciful Nature and Removal of Sins
Today, meditate on the words of Malachi 7:18-20. This passage was used in the sermon to illustrate the divine removal of our sins. Ponder on God's merciful nature and His promise to cast our sins into the depths of the sea. How does this assurance from God comfort you in your daily life?

Day 4:
Bible Reading: 1 John 1:5-10
Devotional: Acceptance of Sin and The Need for Repentance
In the sermon, we discussed the importance of acknowledging our sins. Reflect on 1 John 1:5-10, which highlights the need for us to accept and confess our sins to receive God's forgiveness. Consider how this practice of acknowledging and confessing sins has influenced your relationship with God.

Day 5:
Bible Reading: Matthew 18:21-35
Devotional: The Practice of Forgiveness
On the final day, read Matthew 18:21-35, the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant. This passage serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of practicing forgiveness, as highlighted in the sermon. Reflect on how this parable challenges you to forgive others as God has forgiven you.

Each day, let's reflect on the scriptures and connect them to the themes from the sermon. Ask yourself: How can I better embody the spirit of forgiveness in my daily life? How does understanding the biblical roots of forgiveness deepen my faith?

Sermon Title: Exploring the Art of Forgiveness: Biblical Roots, Relationship Dynamics, and Personal Boundaries

Key Points:

1. The sermon discusses the complex nature of forgiveness, defining it as an art form that requires practice and understanding.
2. The biblical story of Philemon and Onifomas is used to illustrate the power of grace in transforming relationships and how forgiveness can alter dynamics.
3. The hosts delve into the theology of forgiveness, breaking it down into being 'forgiven' and 'forgiving', demonstrating how these concepts actively mold our character.
4. The sermon emphasizes the importance of setting personal boundaries and prioritizing family, and discusses the often overlooked aspect of understanding the root cause of forgiveness.
5. The connection between sin and forgiveness is explored, discussing the divine removal of our sins, the concept of imputed sin, and the importance of accepting our own faults.

Stories Used:

1. The story of Philemon and Onifomas, two Christians where the former was a slave owner and the latter a slave who ran away. This story serves to illustrate the transformative power of forgiveness and grace in relationships.
2. The disagreement between Paul and Barnabas serves as a guide on how to navigate differences without causing further hurt or conflict.
3. The monumental example of Jesus' forgiveness is used to highlight the liberation that comes with forgiveness and the importance of accepting our own sins.

Scripture References:

1. The story of Philemon and Onifomas as a guide to the power of forgiveness.
2. Paul and Barnabas' resolution of their disagreement is examined.
3. References to scriptures like Malachi 7:19 and 1 John are utilized to discuss the divine removal of sins and the concept of imputed sin.

1. "Can forgiveness be considered an art? We believe it is, and it's layered, profound, and transformative."
2. "Forgiveness actively molds our character. It's not mere words, it's an action that changes us."
3. "Understanding the root cause of forgiveness is key to achieving true forgiveness."
4. "The story of Philemon and Onifomas serves as a canvas for our discussion, illustrating the power of grace."
5. "In our journey through forgiveness, we examine how to navigate differences without causing further hurt or conflict."
6. "We are forgiven to forgive. Once you've been forgiven by God, you should be in the position to be a forgiving person."
7. "Forgiveness doesn't mean forgetfulness. We can't expect to always bend over backwards to accommodate others."
8. "When we talk about forgiveness, we cannot escape the concepts of grace and mercy. Grace and mercy are all over that."
9. "When you receive God's mercy, you have to give it. Christianity isn't a store-up kind of thing. You're a conduit, you get to give."
10. "Understanding the divine perspective of forgiveness reveals how far our sins are removed from us. They're cast into the depths of the sea of forgiveness."
11. "Our sins are forgiven; past, present, and future sins paid for by the blood of Jesus Christ. We must walk in this knowledge, knowing we're no longer driven by sin."
12. "When we're forgiven, we must be ready and able to forgive those who seek forgiveness."
13. "We discuss the liberation that comes with forgiveness and the importance of accepting our own sins."
14. "Forgiveness enables us to heal and move on from the wrongs committed against us."
15. "Jesus’ monumental example of forgiveness shows the ultimate act of love and sacrifice. He is our guide in mastering the art of forgiving."

Our Master and our Lord, we approach our Mercy Seat today with humility and with a broken and a contrite heart. We ask your forgiveness, we ask your pardon and we ask for restoration Wherever we have walked out of line. We pray that today, in this service, right now, that you will forgive us and that there will be no blockage between us given and receiving from you today. So let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight. You are my Lord, you are my Savior, you are my Spirit and they give you thanks in Jesus' name. Come on, somebody, just give God a praise. I want to take time today to be respectful about the theme that has been given to me, as we've been to it today. I hope we can talk together today. Amen. It's so good to have my wife here with me this morning. Always good to have her. But those of you who don't know, she's one of the best things that ever happened to me Next to Salvation. She's been just an awesome wife and partner in the ministry. I just give God thanks for her and for her ministry. One of the things I know about my wife she knows her calling and she walks in her calling. She's not afraid to tell me that you are the pastor and I'm here to support you. Amen. And I tell you that is good, because so many people are just looking for who is it, and when you can find rhythm in service, it is great. Amen. I don't just brag on my wife when I'm up here. I brag on my wife all the time. Amen. Because when I talk about her, I can talk in front of her, behind her back, because it's true and it's good to have a spouse or somebody to share your life with. That love God and love the people of God. Amen. And not only that, you have a referee that you will listen to, and it's the Holy Spirit. Amen. And it does help us a lot.

So the task given to me today for a couple of minutes is to preach, teach whatever the Lord used to say On the theme Forgiven and Forgiven are Forgiven, and Forgiven to Forgiven yes. So F-O-R-G-I-V-E-N to F-O-R-G-I-V-I-N-G yes, so you are forgiven to be forgiven. Yes, so that's what we want to talk about today. But in essence, the subject is about forgiveness. Amen, that's the norm.

The meat of the matter here is about forgiveness and it boils down to the fact that once you have been forgiven by God, then you should be in the position you must be in the position to be a forgiving person. The question therefore is not are we forgiven? The question is, what do we mean and understand by forgiving? And I think that's what triples up a lot. And so I feel today that I need to talk more, kind of do a lecture more than a preaching, because I think this is the root of a lot of disagreement in the church, and not only that. I think we also hold ourselves unnecessarily under a burden that we should, and by that I mean that we hold ourselves more accountable than the people who should be the one requesting forgiveness. Can I talk Because people expect, because you're a pastor, you're a preacher, you're a Christian, you should be an overback with Trump and my neck throw me to death and I still get up and hug you and love you and pretend nothing ever happened and God would call us to be recipient of abuse. He called us to be receptive to His love and forgiveness.

And so that's what we want to talk about here this morning and the story that's going to underline this couple of stories, but the main story I want to dig into a little bit is a story of it's finding this one little book that is buried in the New Testament, 25 verses, philemon, anifomas, philemon, as was instructed by Paul in that conversation. A matter of fact, the story I'll talk a little bit more about later. Anifomas ran away. He was a slave, and he ran away from his slave master and Paul, and he ran to Paul. Both of them were Christians. The slave and the slave owner were Christians, and they ran to Paul, who were their friends. A matter of fact, philemon is said to be led to Christ by Paul, and so Paul, therefore and this text is a place where we have a lot of controversy in the church, where we talk about slavery and slave and so Paul sent back Onifomas to Philemon and asked Philemon to forgive him, but here it is to treat him as a fellow brother in Christ, not as a slave, but as a fellow brother being born by grace. And so when people read this and sometimes use it in a controversial sense, they say oh, the church of slavery was known. Paul wasn't sending him back to slavery, he was sending him back as a brother, to be restored into that relationship. So be in that in mind as we get back to that text.

So my task is really, as I said, to look at this subject forgiven and to forgiven. What we have here is the position of the receiver of forgiveness to becoming the one to forgive others. I must note that forgiving speaks of what to place in the past, and forgiving is now what we must do. And so, as I speak on this issue of forgiveness, I want to first of all define some terms and then dig into the theological application of those terms in our everyday life. So, as I speak to the issue of forgiveness, I want us to look at a couple of references, and I'm going to go through a lot of scriptures today, so take out your pen and paper, because we're going to leave those with you. The first one I would look at, as I said, is Paul's instruction to Philemon regarding his runaway slave. I also want to look at Jesus' instructions about forgiveness and how many times we should be forgiving someone.

We want to also look at God's perspective. We want to analyze what the scripture says in terms of forgiveness and how he put your sins, god, into what we call this metaphor see your forgiveness. I talk about that because there's no scripture in the Bible that says see your forgiveness. We'll come back to that for a second. What does that really mean? I also want to look at the story of Paul and Barnabas as an end note in their resolution or in their disagreement on how they had this resolution that did not cause damage to the gospel but actually helped to propagate the gospel. In some Bible theologians they would say that even after that disagreement Paul and Barnabas came back together later on for the advancement of the gospel. So how do we disagree in a process of being forgiven and don't have hurt and past that we can't get over?

I say about a bit I shouldn't say it's only, but predominantly in the church scene that we tend to not want to be able to understand forgiveness and how it works. I can walk away from a certain level of relationship, but not have a bad attitude towards it. I gave this analogy last week at the service I was preaching on. I always use this because it is a very good example of forgiveness and how you treat forgiveness and relationship to others. I'll give you that example today.

So when I was a kid and we were in primary school in Jamaica, we used to as boys. The woods were our playground next to the school. We would be back and forth, we would play callboys and thieves, we would do all kinds of, I think, tie up each other and leave each other after a break, and all that. One day the group that were the thieves were running and the callboys were running after them to catch them. I forgot which one of the group I was in, but I was behind a guy who was much taller than me. As we were running picture we were running very fast through these tracks, sometimes maybe as wide, as inside we are probably a little bit narrower. There was a branch in front of him, just right in the path, but I didn't realize he was taller than me and I was running behind him and he pulled the branch back to pass and then let it go and I didn't see the time and it slapped me right in the face, almost knocked out my head.

Now, the next day we went back to play in the same game and ran the same path. Do you think I played and ran the same path the next day? Well, you don't. If you said no, you don't know boys. If you said yes, you know boys, you met your way back there. But what did I do differently this time. No, every time I passed that place I looked To this very day. If I look in the mirror, there's a small scratch above my eyes and I read that situation every single day. Now that thing does not cripple me, it doesn't paralyze me, it doesn't have any influence on me. Right, I still remember it, but it doesn't have any impact on me.

And so forgiveness and time, from a psychological standpoint, we force people to say, oh, you got to forget. That's never what God says. God doesn't forget our sins. They are recorded. Amen, amen principle than God holds himself. So forgiveness, I won't talk about forgiveness, but forgiveness does not mean forgetfulness. We talk about seer and we use it. I use it sometimes when I preach God cast our sins into the sea of forgetfulness, never to remember it anymore. I mean we just add it to that verse and add it to that verse and add it to that verse so it fit what we want to see. That's not what God says and we'll read that text in a few, but we want to look at the Paul and Barnabas story and how that really impact the advance of the gospel if we get to that.

And forgiveness of sin often arises in response to an action and offense, whether it was committed intentionally or unintentionally, directly or indirectly. It may stem from a need for reconciliation or pardon, and this need can be acknowledged by the offender, or may be requiring mutual forgiveness between the offender and the offender party. In other words, forgiveness is a result of something that someone did that requires somebody to ask forgiveness and somebody to receive it. Amen, and I will address, as I go along and really talk about it, that we have to release ourselves from people's expectations that says, because I am a preacher or because I am a Christian, and I always have to bend over backwards. I have a mentor that we meet quite frequently and we were talking as we were looking at the denomination and some things that we're doing, and we were talking and said you know, one of the things that we have to do as leaders, as pastors, is sometimes we just have to point it out. And so, brother, what you're telling me is and tell it. And so that's what I'm getting from your conversation. And sometimes the pastor in us and you can ask me to the pastor for a second the pastor in us wants to take a what time with the person Because we don't want to kill them off, right, but on the other side, the question that really dropped into my mind this week, as I was partnering with, is that is it not also that you're killing the person off by stringing them along and not be brutally honest, upfront? And so there's a delicate balance of how direct or indirect, based on the circumstances, but we should not hold ourselves to a position that God doesn't hold us to, amen. So let us quickly define a couple of terms as we dig into this.

Words forgiven and forgiving are participles, which are verbs that can function as adjectives. They are participles, they are verbs, action words that can be used as a descriptive verb. So forgiven is the past participle of forgive and it's often used to describe someone who has received forgiveness or had their sins, their mistake or their debts pardon and washed away, kind of what Jesus did for us. Forgiving is the present participle of the word, in other words, it's a present, active word that requires us. It can be used to describe someone who has a forgiving nature, meaning they are inclined to forgive others and to show mercy and we talk about verses in a second and compassion. In both of these cases, these principles can be used as adjectives to modify any known and convey information about the state of forgiveness, of the character of the person. In other words, when you talk about God being a forgiving God, you can see how God being forgiven and now we look at him and say we receive forgiveness from God.

The word forgiveness then is in the known form, right, describing. It's like an abstract known right. It represents that concept. Right when you say you receive forgiveness, or forgiveness describing something. It's not tangible like the Bible, but it's there, describing the state of being right and it releases and the part of the creditor or offending party. It releases that one of any expectations that a debt will be repaid and that an offender will receive punishment. So when you say forgiveness, you're saying and when you hear, if you think of it from the financial standpoint, you understand it a little bit better.

When you owe a debt, right, and someone says the debt is forgiven, right, I don't remember that debt. The remembering is not that it's a forgotten state of mental being, it's just that I don't hold it against you anymore. Amen, that amount is still out there. Guess what Somebody paid for that debt. Amen, if you have, let's say now they have student loans and if you're a student loan, you can get somebody who is debt forgiven right. So when they forgive the debt, somebody paid it. When you go into your account, there's a credit on your account that says your debt is settled. So when we talk about forgiveness from the theological standpoint, it's not that our debt were just white clean like that. It was paid for.

When you're looking at the leisure I'm going to call it by trade, I like to talk, but when you're looking at the leisure, you have beginning balance, holy pate. And when you look beneath that, you see paid by the blood of Jesus Christ, and it balance out to zero. That means it's not held against my account anymore. That's what we're talking about. And when we talk about forgiveness, we're not talking about that. You're no longer going to sin. Amen.

Yes, because people say that oh, you're a Christian, you can't sin. We want to talk about that. In a second. Your first John tells us that that's not true. Yes, all right. And so we live. We live trying to be perfect, and no man will be perfect in this life. But your possible right. So I said don't use this liberty as an occasion to say not always. You're not expected, you're not like a slave, it's not held over you. But don't you tell me that the more grace, the more sin about grace did much more about Right. We're not ultra grace people. We're not saying you sin holy, so God going to be in this holy. No, what it means is the bigger your sins than you come to God, he can cover it. And if somebody else come with a bigger sin and I'm using that in a way that God can forgive that sin and if the entire world comes, his grace can cover the entire thing. It's not a permission to say, oh, I'm going to turn around and I'm going to sit. No, then you are a sinner, not a Christian. Amen. You are now under the law of sin and not under the law of grace.

We know that in the Old Testament economic debt and wrongdoing after seven years it's wiped out. But, as I said before, if you know financial transaction, you cannot just go into the system and say wait something out. You have to put up credit against that debt. You have to show that debt is satisfied and it has to come from someplace. And that's what Jesus Christ did for us. What that means.

Psalm 73.3 says I was envious of the boastful when I saw them prosper. So, in other words, prosperity is not an indication of forgiveness, prosperity is not an indication of blessings, prosperity is not an indication that God is with you. So a lot of those folks were telling you oh you know, prosper, prosper. That's a question. I'm not saying we shouldn't, but I'm saying we should not base where we are spiritually on what we have. Because in Psalm 73, david says very strictly for I was envious of the boastful when I saw the prosperity of the wicked so the wicked will prosper in spite of the wickedness, in spite of the wrongdoing.

And when we look at the concept of forgiven and being forgiven, we cannot escape the concepts of grace and mercy. Grace and mercy is all over that. The mercy of God described His focused disposition of compassionate forgiveness towards His people. His focused disposition and His compassionate forgiveness towards His people, especially in light of the stressful and dire circumstances. The more we are marred by sin, the more God loves us and retold to us. The mercy of God is one of God's what they call communicable attributes. It transfers, moves on, and what happens is when you receive it, you have to give it. See, christianity is not that store up kind of thing. You are a conduit, you get to give, you are saved to preach. It's not me saving and sitting on the church and getting all of it. No, I get converted and I'm sent on my way to tell people about what I just got, amen. And so this mercy, this characteristic of God, is one of His attribute of goodness and love. It's a vital aspect of God's grace based, covenant relationship with His people.

God's mercy is evident whenever he display His punishment. Even when His people are lost in sin and not only are the relational consequence the sin entails he still shows mercy. When you look at Israel and the history of Israel, they walk out of line and God punishes them, but when they cry out, god loves them again. And they sin again and God loves them again. Now, ultimately, they are those who do not survive the first, some don't survive the second, and so don't put yourself in that position and say, oh, god is such a loving God he's going to forgive me. You might not even get the chance to be forgiven of the first mistake that you made, amen. So we're not going to walk in that. We're not going to test God. We're not going to tempt God.

Ezekiel 34, 6 to 7 says and the Lord passed before me and proclaimed the Lord. The Lord, god, merciful and gracious, long-suffering and abounding in goodness and truth. Keep Him mercy for thousands and require and forgiven iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clear indigility visiting the iniquity of the five of us upon the children of the children of children to the third or fourth generation. Therefore, o Son of man, say to the house of Israel just said Thus you say, if our transgression, our sins, lie upon us and we pine away them, how can we then live as I live, said the Lord. I have no pleasure in the debt of the wicked, but the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn. Turn from your evil ways, for why should you die? Or, house of Israel, god is not looking to kill us off in our sickness of sin. He's looking for restoration. Amen.

When we are punished by God for our wrongdoing, god's mercy can be had to those who fear God, seek forgiveness and appeal precisely to His merciful character. You can't just want forgiveness and you don't ask for forgiveness, amen. And there are sometimes folks no, they shouldn't. We don't want to ask for forgiveness, but they don't Right and the burden is not paid to you because your heart is so soft and you are trying to figure out how to navigate the situation to get to them to ask forgiveness. Yes, I don't know. I grew up, I don't play those games anymore. Amen. If you're wrong, you're wrong. Amen. And you must come and say you're wrong, I'm not going to really do it. I said boy, you know what you're doing. No, no, you know you're wrong. The church know you're wrong, everybody know you're wrong. So why are we pretending you're not wrong? Amen.

We have to make sure that we stand flat footed in the presence of God and we have to pray with expectation and know that God is within to forgive us. Psalm 51.1.2 says have mercy upon me, oh God, I call to your loving kindness, call to the multitude of your tender verses. Yes, blood out my transgression and wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sins. Amen. Grace speaks of the unmerited favor. It's not something that you deserve or do anything to receive Right. That's what God is given to us grace and mercy. So when we say grace and mercy, we should understand that is the nature of God to know us and to present us with an opportunity to turn from all wicked ways. And when you turn from your wicked ways, then you must be in a position ready and able to forgive those who seek forgiveness.

Now can I say this in a qualify this in a second, because I forgive you doesn't mean that the relationship or the position you held is restored. Amen, go ahead. Amen. I would love on you just the same. But you have forfeited the position you had before and it's going to take a lot of work to get back to that spot, if it ever got back to that spot, because now I've moved on to pouring into other people. That's right.

I don't know if it's just because of maturity or whatever that I am at this point in my life where I realize every time, every ounce of time I have is very valuable. So I'm counting on how I spend that time and I'm not going to be in the position of trying to force freedom. You're not a baby and I don't have any babies. You understand. You must show that you want, you must show that you desire, and my arms are wide open and I think we, as Christians, waste our time in places that we shouldn't. We waste our time on people that we should and not on myself. Controversial, but this is the truth. That's fine, amen.

And some folks, they're not ready to receive the love you're giving them. True, and what happens when we get frustrated? We get frustrated, we get tired and we all of a sudden say I'm done with this situation Because I'm giving love to this person who is throwing it back in my face, causing me to be frustrated, causing me to be upset, causing me to be impatient, and I begin to act out of character. No, I don't play those games anymore. If you want love, then you've got to show that you want love. If you want change, you've got to show.

Sometimes I go and just go to this barber shop. I always remember this story because it's a teaching moment. I sat in the barber shop. Maybe you might not know this, but there's a sort of protocol in the barber shop. You know I never sat there and if you have a barber that you're cutting with, you don't just go cut to another barber. That is not proper protocol. And when you're coming in, you assume your role. Just assume your next in line, not everybody else, and figure out where you are in the process. I know how much it's before you. Yes, you're coming in and you say how much I am and you know who is next in line. I got in and it was not that crowded so I sat down next to the person. This is the first time I'm in that bar so I assume that's my next spot and he finished cutting the guy before me and then this other guy came in and walked up to him and he said you're next. And then he looked at me and said the one that I cut to and I said yes, and he said close, both don't eat food, so ask for what you want. That's where I know that you are Truly worth investing in. Amen.

You can notice Jesus did not invest in a whole lot of people. Oh, he did quite a bit of that. He had three that he spent most of his time with Three Peter James and John. Those are the ones who saw him, saw his heart, saw his tears, heard his pain and frustration. And then he had the twelve, the additional nine right, and he put it to them. They walk with him, they were with him all the time. But then they were the 72. And there was the 500. When he showed Peter James and John, he did not show it to the 500. True, that's right. Amen, amen.

And I think we have to also understand that we have a certain bandwidth. Can I just teach this for a second? We have a certain bandwidth and we have to be careful as preachers and as Christians, brothers and sisters, that we don't burn ourselves out. True? What do you mean, preacher? What your first responsibility as a pastor is to your family? Yes, your first responsibility as a church member or church leader is to your family. Yes, and you must make sure that your family is taken care of.

Yes, you can't roll out of bed, go to church and your husband is seeking a bed and you don't make provision for your husband. Yes, oh, ladies are quiet. Yes, you are a great doctor, my son. You cannot leave your son in bed with sheet over his head. And you are going into service. No, not in my house, for another house. I am sleeping, but you sleep in my house. You are going to church with me and we get so caught up in church world that we forsake the very first church that God has given us, right? Yes, second, your relationship. First the relationship with God, relationship with your family and then relationship with the church, and we have to be careful that we don't over pack our schedule in churches, that there is no time for the family and the personal stuff. Years ago I made a decision to not have night services and we look at our calendar and we begin to trim down the activities on the calendar.

And some of you are coming from churches or part of churches, that every holiday is something at the church and so some people never spend a good time together with their family or a good Christmas day with their family, and then you have hurt and burn out because the people you take the time out, leave your family behind and you are torn into. They take the same thing. They give them, run with it and throw it back in their face and say sit down. I'm not saying that you don't do the same. We must be wise. Yes, because that's why we don't forgive people, because after that person does that to you, there's no way you're going to forgive them. Be right, be real with me. That's why when I tell people I had run in with church folks, I'm money Because I have a soft heart, and I come and I say can we borrow? And I talk to my wife and she has a soft heart, like me and loves to help people and I say yes, and then when I go back to cut it like that.

It looked like I'm the bad guy. She didn't come out first. I mean, the agreement was you're going to give it to me two weeks ago. This is two weeks later and I'm asking you for it. And it says why are you asking me for that one? So we assume our posture today. We are not a band. Yes, so we don't lend, that's right. I give you what I can. Yes, because I don't have any expectation of return. Amen, amen. That way, you and I don't have nothing for forgive about. No quarrel, it is given and forgetting that one is for getting. The guy gave it to you.

But this is an issue that cause unforgiveness in church. Amen, amen. We have to be real with ourselves In truth, amen. And so I don't say I won't give you. I won't say I don't have it. No, I'm not going to tell you I don't have it. I have it, but I can only give you 100 dollars, amen.

Now, if you want to stay there, try to figure out my finance and say oh, pastor, couldn't you give me more than that? That's your problem, not mine. I can give you what I can. Yes. And a matter of fact, how can we empty our chests for one person. So what happened with my family and the other persons that would come after you? Yes, and folks, I don't know why I'm going at this, but I'll follow me Because I pay my time at the church and give me back when I'm in trouble. Oh yes, there's no principle you're not a theological principle that says that that's right. You'll bring a gift, you'll give it to God and God will do the rest. He'll take care of you. Amen, yes, amen. And I write to say I'm deposit and I'm coming to draw back later. No, no, so you know what I heard my preacher say. You know what I did? I had an auditory paid. I gave it to him and said bless me, that is saving money, it's not a saving account. It's not a saving account. And people then hold us up because we can't take our gift. That's right. And sometimes the people who do that is the people who are not very tired.

Let me leave a few points with you on the issue of forgiven, forgiven and forgiven. First, you must understand the root cause of forgiveness. Why is it that we need to be forgiven? And this is the need for forgiveness, as I said before, comes because of an offense In the spiritual realm. This comes because of our sinful nature. Right Now, sin comes into the world.

If we go back to Genesis, sin wasn't created. The knowledge of good and evil was what's with sin. The actualization of that is what you and I do, because that's what Satan did. Satan then had a choice. He can choose to do good or he can choose to do evil. He choose to do evil. By choosing to do evil, he fall into a sinful state. The state he fall into is that he wanted to be like God.

And if you look at everything that man is trying to do today, they put themselves in place of God. They want to change your gender. They want to change the this, they want to change the that. They want to do this. They want to start developing baby in an embryo outside of the womb. They want to determine if they can control your mind. They want to be God. So they give you AI, sir, and even AI is limited. Ai doesn't know everything. Ai only know what you tell AI. So I decided to test AI and I said AI, there's a back that crashed in early 2020, this year. So I asked AI what's the reason the man crashed? Ai tell me? I only have data about the 2022. I can't tell you. Ai is limited to what you put into it. The only person who knows everything before now and to come.

The root cause of sin, of forgiveness, is sin. Sin is needed. We need to understand forgiveness from a divine perspective, looking at God's position and how he relates to this whole concept of sin and forgiveness. From God's divine perspective, the scripture revealed a remarkable metaphor, talking about casting our sins. Malachi 7, verse 19. Malachi 7, verse 19. What does it say? And he will again have compassion on us and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all your sins into the depths of the sea, we said, into a sea of forgiveness. What Jesus was saying, what the scripture was saying, is by casting your sin, he's using a metaphor to show you how far your sin is removed from you. When he said I forgive you positionally. Your sins are gone from you. I'm not going to count against you Because you know, as I said earlier, it's been paid for, the transaction has been settled, my account is balanced Because I have a multitude of sins and the blood of Jesus paid for it. So now I'm zero, I'm balanced, I'm good.

I don't walk around with a load on my shoulder that I have always asked forgiveness. I don't walk around with a load on my shoulder that I have always asked forgiveness. I have a repented attitude. But my attitude is not that I am trying to count every sin that I have, every sin that I have. No, I'm walking in the light of God and guess what? I'm no longer slave to sin. A person who is a slave to sin has to. When you are a slave, you don't go anywhere unless your master tells you. You don't do anything unless your master tells you. I'm not a slave to sin, but I don't live under that law. I live under the law of grace. So what I try to do is what I live by the word of God. And a lot of times the problem we have is that, because we don't know who is a slave and who isn't, some people who say they aren't a slave. That's why they live in a rich life.

When you go to 1 John, 1 John 1 tells us I know children are writing to you that you sin. Not that you sin not, but if you sin. So the premise of that text is, assuming that you are not going to willfully sin, would you form into sin, do you make a mistake, do something happen. Then you come to God and penitent and say Lord, forgive me. Yes, it wasn't my intention, that just happened. I'm not talking about a person who sit down there and make up their mind and say I'm going to do this. I'm not talking about Nang Naes and Tawara. They clearly were living in sin, thinking about it, planning about it, plotting about it, and then walking to the church and did it. And we see what happened to that person who lived under that law.

Malachi says into the sea, the depth, showing that it's far removed from us. It's not in God's mind. He has written it down. He just don't hold it against us. Our sin the Bible says our sins are forgiven, our sin in the past, our sin in the present, our sins in the future paid for by the blood of Jesus Christ. Yes, and we have to walk in that knowledge, knowing that we are no longer driven by sin.

But what 1st John 3 says whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness and sin is lawlessness. So the act of committing it is that deliberate process of you going and doing that thing Do your enemies says remember, do not forget how you provoke the law of your God to wrath and the willingness. From the day that you departed from the land of Egypt until now, you've been rebellious against the Lord. These were people who were continuously being in a rebellious state. Yes, and that's why sin is needed. Now there's a sin we commit and then the sin that is imputed. The sin that is imputed is a sin because of our sinful nature. To Adam, by research, because of one man, sin entered into the world. So we have the sinful nature that calls us Apostle.

Paul says in Romans 8, every time I try to do good, evil present itself and he says oh wretched man I am. Who will deliver me from this? Paul says I know the law of God, I love the law of God, I desire to do the law of God, but there is the side of me that is fighting. He says there's a war inside of me. Anybody have that war inside of them. Every time you want to do good, evil comes up. Yes, sir, that's why Paul says I beat my body and bring it on a subjection. Paul says I'm not going to sit here and pretend that I am so holy and never going to sin. He said look, one writer said there goes me except for the blood of Jesus Christ and it wasn't for God, I wouldn't be the one doing that. Yes, sir, because I draw myself under the covenant of his blood. I am not the sin that is imputed on us.

This sin comes because of Adam's sinful nature, in Romans 5, 18. It tells us that it belongs to our credit. It was put against our account and we come into this world as a debtor, wanting to be forgiven. That's why Paul says, that's why Jesus come. He said because debt came to one man, life comes to another. We sat with the burn of sin, needed to be forgiven, and Jesus showed up. Somebody said Jesus showed up, I couldn't pay for it. I wasn't qualified to pay for it, but Jesus was. I loved it.

The song that says he left the splendor of heaven, knowing his destiny. It was the lonely hill of Golcata. They had to lay down his land for me and the son went up to God and said if that is love, then the ocean is dry. There's no star in this. If that is not true, lord, he loved me in spite of what happened, even when I didn't know. I wasn't even thinking about God. I have no desire for God, but God in his grace and his mercy loved us. I don't ever lost in love. So we see the reason for sin. We see the reason for forgiveness. The essence for forgiveness is because of sin. And, by the way, between you and I, the reason why we have to forgive each other is because of sin. Amen. If we were truly loving each other, we wouldn't have that issue. If we won't have a heart that was plain and pure and true to each other and we were able to get young ourselves, because most of the times we cause problems because of our egos.

Amen, I know who I am. I don't need you to tell me who I am. I don't need you to tell me anything to make me feel good. I'll feel good all by myself In the presence of God. Because he tells me I'm fearfully and wonderfully made. He tells me I'm royalty. You don't see Prince Harry walking around and saying I wonder who I am. He knows he's royalty. He will only kick him with an England. He's still a royalty. And guess what? Anytime he turned from his ways and said I want to become a part of that, he'd go to his daddy and his daddy said come, my son.

Amen, I know who I am in Christ. I told the church the other day. I said, no, christians would have no self-esteem. If you do, let us talk, because I need the word of God to fill you up. So he tells you who you are. It puts you where you are. When you walk into a place, you hold it in your head. No, I don't know. No, I don't shake it hard. Amen. Your blood, no more expensive than mine. I serve a recent savior. How do we unlock the power of forgiveness, as the scripture says, in the realm of fear? There's a few subjects more profound and transformative as forgiveness.

Matthew 6 in the Lord's Prayer. He says forgive us our debts. As we forgive, give us our dinners. There was one story of the man who owes this king so much money. The king forgave him and this one? The guy owed him a very kind earlobe and he threw the guy in jail. That's not the process of forgiveness. That's it. Verse 14 and 15 of Matthew 6 says 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. You can read Mark 2, verse 7, and 1.

John 1 9 tells us if we confess our sins. By the way, I'll say this this was written not to the world, it was written to the church. If we sin, if, if, when you sin, if you sin, he is faithful and just to forgive you Of your sin and to cleanse you from all unrighteousness. This, this is the forgiven position. It's divine forgiveness in action, it's divine mercy. As the foundation of this forgiveness, it is the commutability of the grace resulting in forgiveness, for God forgives sin. Yes, hebrew 922 says according to the law, almost all things are purified with the blood and without the shedding of blood. That's the payment. There's no remission. There's no payment, there's no satisfaction. That's right. I'm, I'm so glad that God didn't just forgive me and and and and didn't pay it for it, amen, amen. When he said he has forgiven me, it includes a payment. Yes, oh God, do you not hear me? Amen.

When somebody said you know, never mind, you know, I owe a pastor a hundred dollars and the pastor said never mind, you know. In a way, even though pastor said never mind, I know in her head, you know why I, I, the pastor Jenkins, hundred dollars, I, you never really give it back to me, but, but I tell it, never mind. Two years later, something has happened in the callback in my mind that that I owe it. But you know what? Guess what? If pastor said to me pastor Jenkins, you owe me a hundred dollars, but guess what, you don't have to worry. Yes, because the Jenkins gave me a hundred dollars, my account is paid for and forgiven the act of whatever is done.

That's what Jesus did. Yes, god says you are going to die for the way it is. I'll see this there. But it gives God his turn on it. He says you're going to die. Yes, you did wrong, you deserve to die and you're going to die. Yes, because God is faithful and just.

If God didn't usher punishment for sin, he would not be a just God. Amen, amen, amen and we shall sing. He was dead. But then he says he searched all of heaven, couldn't find one word of his origins. But Jesus said I'll go.

God himself, in my opinion, came to consent for nature, lived like us, walked like us, cried like us, fight like us. I mean Jesus was in the fight of his life, fight in the devil. After 40 days in the wilderness, him and God having a good communion, and all of us, he comes out the next day and 40 days later, what happened? Say that show. Say that show tomorrow morning After this conference. That video, say that show right beside your church, right in front of your church. You have to know, to know. To Jesus, I'm coming now. That's right. The blood was spayed. Leave it, because 515 to 16 tells us the blood was spayed. Hebrews 10 1 to 4 tells us that the blood was spayed.

This divine metaphor for forgiveness into the sea tells us that God doesn't hold it to us anymore Forgiveness. God forgives our sins so completely that they might as well be buried in the bottom of the sea. Yes, that's how much God, that's how God forgives him, that that he said that in the depths of the sea. As a matter of fact, he says don't your sin be as colored red as colored, they shall be white, white as snow. I mean that's how transformative the love and the grace that God brings to forgiveness. We no longer are judged by a sin.

Romans 8 1 says there is dear for now, no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. This verse is not for those who willfully walk in a corner to the Spirit. The flesh is for those who are walking again according to the Spirit. Yes, the Spirit grows. Group spiritual growth requires that we recognize total forgiveness that exists in Jesus Christ and we rest in his forgiveness.

No one is good enough to do that. No forgiveness, it's true. None of us is good enough that we don't need forgiveness. If we say if we have no sin first, then we'll hate the dead and we deceive ourselves. And the truth is nothing else. If we confess our sins, as the scripture said, he's faithful and just to God. If we admit that we're sinners and trust Christ, he forgives you. Yes, for a person to find true forgiveness, he or she must admit to sin. Yes, this is God confession, amen. And if a person tries to pass off sin as a mere mistake one writer says human failing or a temporary lapse of judgment or if he or she simply denies sin altogether, it is not a barrier to forgiveness. You have to accept it. You have to say I have sinned. Yes, in order for God to forgive you, you must accept your sin for the nature and recognize that you are not in a position to even operate by yourself.

What is Jesus teaching? Unforgiveness. When we look at Jesus, your possible. Sorry, peter, you know. Say Lord, we're supposed to forgive, you know, seven times a day, seven times a day, and he was coming from a historical perspective of what he has seen. He thought that was enough and Jesus said no, no, no, seven times. But he wasn't used that as the ultimate sin. That's how much you should forgive. So if you forgive 490 times, the 491 time, I will forgive you in a day. No, that's not what Jesus is. That was your showing that Jesus was saying as long as you are able to forgive, forgive. But, as I said earlier, forgive doesn't mean that I forget. That's a Christian, that's a so-called Christian myth that we must get rid of. There's no way you can forget. You can forget something that has been terribly done to you. Amen, amen, all right, you don't believe me.

I was 13 years old. They had just changed the roof and the house and laid the zinc on the side and the curve was about to go this way and go that way. So kind of like the curve here and the zinc was there. Here it was. It was a whole other country. I would have to get water to take inside God. Now it is coming and I never liked it and I was in big country. So wherever I was, I would, I would make sure I'm with people and it would get dark and I would have to go around to the other side to get the water to bring inside. And I start to make up my dash to go to the top and I slid and my foot went under the zinc. And I got up and went to my mom. I said, mom, I got a cut that was as scratched as it looked white. I didn't realize I was looking at it. One, oh my God. And when I pulled my pants up and look at my foot.

Today I can relive every single moment of that cut. Now I don't feel no pain from it, nothing undercut, but as we do today, except when I look at it, I can, I can relive the story. I can tell you how, where, where it was, and how they put me in the car and how I was bleeding and how they took me to the hospital and how they had to hold me down and how many injections they gave me and how many stitches they gave me and how how long I had to stay at that school. I remember that vividly today. It doesn't have an impact on me one million. That's right. That's true. That's true. That's true.

So I can forgive you. I don't forget it. But I don't hold it against you. I don't go to sleep thinking about it. Occasionally it might come back to my mind, but I don't hold it against you. I can still work with you. But guess what? There are certain things I won't do anymore.

God called fooling. Don't keep fool. If you steal from me five times, shame on me for the six times. If every time I have to go drug out of this place, shame on me Next time. You have to learn the consequence. I learned the consequence when I was a boy. I used to play hard. If you're a young boy or not, any mind in here. You were a boy. I know a boy. We're not talking about the funny, funny boy, as these days. We're talking about real boys. We play hard. You have bruises and cuts to show it.

I was living close to school. I used to play cricket on red dirt in khaki uniform. I had to go home and change at lunch time. After dinner my mum would say you can't go back to school, I can't send my child up to school, but I had my lunch at Koga. I thought always will. Till Saturday come, there was a little band beside a big band. The little band was my band.

When we say you dirty, you must know how to clean it. Is it that she didn't love me? There's a consequence for your action. So you know, next time I think about washing that clothes. And I'm clear a little bit.

Brothers and sisters, we're talking about forgiveness and forgiveness. God has forgiven us, but our record is written. The Bible says every deed is written in the book. Don't tell me God forget it. No, but he don't hold it against you anymore. It's not imputed on your count, it's gone. And those who are Christians won't be judged by the act that's what he says Won't be judged by our sin. Won't be judged by our behaviors going forward, yes, but if you are active in sinning and you'll be judged for that.

Machu tells us 18, 21, 22,. Peter came to him and said Lord, how often should my brother sin against me and I forgive him? He says up to seven, up to seven times. I know no, no, no, 70 times, seven hours, as many times in the day. But forgiving doesn't mean restoration. Forgiving doesn't mean you know that I'll for that. I can still love you, but I can still know that certain things I don't do, amen. Certain places you don't go, amen. If you are a treasurer in the church and you steal the money, I should not put your back on a treasurer reward ever. Amen. Is it possible? You never forgive the person. I forgive him. He's singing on the choir. He's singing on the choir, not in the church, amen.

Let me close Poor instruction to Philemon. I love the sticks because it's so simple 25 words, no fluff, no anything. It's just a man. Philemon, I love you. You are my brother in Christ and, matter of fact, you are my spiritual son. Paul says, and I am clean to you as my son Take on this office, this, you'll fill up your field, your farmer's slayer, the one where I run from you. Take him back, ask him. Don't hear me now You're not taking him back and restoring to the state that he was before. You're taking him back in the state of a brother in Christ, amen.

So when we talk about slavery, we're not talking about forcing somebody back into slavery. We're telling the slave master you must now take this person you had as a slave. If you truly love God, take this person you have as a slave and restore him just like you. Give him all the rights, give him all the privilege. Let him stand up, put you.

One of the things I love about our enomination is that our history runs deep, and one of the reasons that we don't have a lot of churches in the South is because we had as our foundational requirement for membership you could not own a slave and be a member of our church. As a matter of fact, our couple of churches were on the wrong railroad for the slaves coming out to the side and in the church we have to understand that the slave is passed. But we also have slavery in the church today, yes, which we other people as their less than us, their second class citizens. But they don't work as much as I do. Oh, they don't have the education that I do. But trust me, all God, have to a lick his side of your head, two pines and you'll lose your memory. You're worse than everybody else in the church. That's right. That's why our church we say Jenkins can tell you nobody is considered insignificant. Amen, and God bless her with a gift where she's able to spot people and say what is it that you can do? Amen, and as I was your will to do it. We're going to put you in and we're going to encourage you. I'm going to give you all that we can to make sure you become who you want to be in Christ. Don't tell me that you're worth it some of the dollars. I don't want to see that. I want to see your heart. I want to see the love for God Because, trust me, today, brothers and sisters, a poor man, god can give that man the riches to pour back into the church. Amen, I share this and I close.

We went to Yonkers. We were on 306 Main Street and we had a young man, an elderly man, that came there. He wanted to stay because he loved the service, but he was homeless and we recognized that because of the way he was dressed. But he tried to dress the best way he can. He was a clean shirt, but he wasn't high. A clean pants but he wasn't high. But he came and he sat. Now we didn't look at him anyway and he said I am in a shelter and I need help, but if you can provide me, if you can give me dinner, I'll stay here because they have supper early. Do you know that years later, almost 10 years or more later, the building we bought as our own was part shelter, part church, and that was the place that man was living when he was coming to our church and we didn't give out, we looked all down at him but we received him with love and said come on, god, we are going to help you. Amen.

Paul was saying to find him and accept this brother back with love, forgiven. He did the wrong. That's what Paul says. But here's what Paul did not say. I don't want you to count what he did to you as if it never happened. Paul says whatever he had to read it when he gets it by himself. So whatever debt he has cost you, put it back on. Paul said I'm sending it back to you, but I'm telling you all that he cost you, I pay for it and when I come I will settle it with you. That's what forgiveness means. When you say we forget it, that's what it means. You're paid for it, you're satisfied, you compete it. I hope today, by the grace of God, that you're challenged, that you're encouraged that we are people who have been forgiven and in turn, we are to be forgiven. Amen, amen.

But forgiving doesn't mean that we behave as if we're fools and that we don't have sense. Forgiving means we take this in stages Amen, and you might need to go back. You might need to ask somebody for forgiveness. You might need to talk to somebody. You might need to tell us. You might need to write a piece of paper I've said this, sometimes a golden, maybe. You need to write a letter and you might need to burn it because a person dead and gone a long time, but you can't get out of their head.

I think it was TG J X says you gave a person 30 seconds of your life and let them stay there for 30 years. You got to release the person. Release yourself first of all. Yes, by forgiving the person. Yes, not that you're going to forget it, not that it's not going to be there, but you said no longer are you in control of me? Yes, you did me bad some years ago, but today I claim my liberation in Christ and you no longer have control over me. Yes, and I'm going to live the way God wants me to live. Amen, thank you.