FORGIVENESS

There is a bumper sticker that reads, "to err is human, to forgive is out of the question." Unfortunately, that is how most people view forgiveness. As a result of people failing to forgive, parent-child relationships are broken, marriages fall apart, and churches struggle with unity. Realizing that we are all sinners and imperfect, we can understand that forgiveness is essential in any healthy relationship.

What does it mean to forgive someone? According to the Word Study Dictionary the primary word used for forgiveness in the New Testament means "to send forth or away, to let go from oneself; to dismiss; to let go from one's power, possession, to let go free, let escape; to let go from one's further notice, care, attendance, occupancy, i.e., to leave or let alone; to let go." Therefore, to forgive someone means that I am releasing them from the hurt they caused me. According to Jay Adams in "The Christian Counselor's Manual" to forgive a person means a commitment to not hold the issue against the offender anymore; this is accomplished by (1) a commitment to not bring up the issue again, (2) a promise to tell no one else about the issue, and (3) a promise not to dwell on it oneself. The issue has been released like a helium-filled balloon is released by a child. The offense is sent away and the offender is released from any future punishment due to the forgiven offense.

The same concept is found in the Old Testament in Leviticus chapter 16. God, in giving instructions concerning the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), instructs Aaron, the High Priest, to select two goats. One of the goats will be sacrificed and his blood sprinkled on the Mercy Seat. The other goat was called the scapegoat. Aaron would confess the sins of nation while placing his hands on the head of the goat, transferring the sins of the people to the goat. The goat was then sent "away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness" and let go. This was a picture of God's forgiveness. He dismissed the sins of the children of Israel because of the blood sacrifice.

The Day of Atonement is a great picture of how the Lord Jesus Christ forgives sinners. In the New Testament the sinner is seen as a prisoner to sin, enslaved and bound by sin and unable to free himself from the its bondage and run to God. Jesus sets the sinner free from the bondage of sin by taking the sinner’s punishment for sin and by taking away their sins. Jesus is the sacrificial goat and the scapegoat of Leviticus 16. This is why Jesus described His ministry as one of setting captives free in Luke 4:18-19 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance (forgiveness) to the captives (prisoners of war), and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty (forgiveness) them that are bruised, (19) To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. (parenthesis mine)

Therefore, the basis of forgiveness, or the reason the sinner can be forgiven for his sins and forgive others for their sins, is the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Notice these verses:

Hebrews 9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission:

Ephesians 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

Ephesians 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

Colossians 3:12-13 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; (13) Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

Forgiveness is never earned by the offending person, it is granted by the offended person, just as Christ granted the sinner forgiveness.

The question most asked about forgiveness is, when should I forgive someone who offends me? Should we wait to forgive someone until they ask for forgiveness? Absolutely not! Actually, there are two points to this answer. First, we must spiritually forgive people who have wronged us. In other words, we must forgive them in the sight of God. Jesus said in Matthew 6:14-15 "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: (15) But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." You should forgive the person in your heart immediately, regardless of their desire to be forgiven. Failure to do so results in broken fellowship with God and bitterness toward that person that permeates every area of your life. Forgiving a person in your heart spiritually allows you to easily forgive the person personally when the time comes to do so.

Secondly, we must personally forgive the offender. Luke 17:1-10 is a classic passage on forgiveness in relationships. Forgiveness is not a suggestion, it is commanded by Jesus Christ (v. 3). It is not optional for the believer. When a person is wronged, it is the responsibility of the offended person to go to the offender. The offended are never to wait for the offenders to come to them to ask for forgiveness. Also, forgiveness is to be granted every time it is requested (v.4). It is difficult to forgive someone repeatedly, but it is still commanded. Failure to forgive is not a lack of faith, but a lack of obedience (v. 5-6). Finally, when we forgive in the manner commanded here, we are simply doing our duty (7-10) and no more. It is not the super Christian who forgives in this manner, but the obedient Christian.

So, do your Christian duty and be obedient to Jesus Christ. Go in the supernatural love and meekness of Jesus Christ to those who have hurt you, tell them how they have hurt you, and release them and yourself from the bondage of an unforgiving spirit. Tell them you forgive them because of the shed blood of Jesus Christ and release the balloon into he air as symbol of your release.

GOD IS FOR ME!

Psalm 56:9 “When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me.”

God is for me. Let this great truth sink in. Meditate deeply on this thought. Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent God is for you – He is on your side. Beloved, let this thought rule over you today – if you stand with God, God stands with you.

The God who is higher than the highest mountain - because he formed that mountain – is for you. The God who is deeper than the lowest valley – because He scooped out that valley – is for you. The God who is greater than the devil – because He crushed the serpent’s head on Golgotha’s hill – is for you. The God who is mightier than death – because He left it dead in the tomb – is for you. The God who is greater than all our enemies – because He has conquered them one and all – is for you.

GOD is for you. God IS for you. God is FOR you. God is for YOU. Regardless of where the emphasis is placed, this truth is almost overwhelming.

God – Jehovah, Elohim, Adonai, God of the Bible, Creator, Redeemer, The Judge of all the earth;

is – right now, present tense – in the lowest valley, on the highest mountain, facing the greatest struggle, experiencing the greatest joy, in the midst of your worst nightmare, or living you greatest dream – God IS for you!

for – in favor of, in support of, with, on the same team as - He is not against you, trying to destroy you, opposed to you; 2Ch 16:9 For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.

you – redeemed, blood-bought, born-again, saved from sin, insignificant, undeserving, usually-in-a-mess you; even unsaved, ungodly, wicked, disrespectful, sinful, nasty, could-care-less-about-God you; Jesus is even for YOU; He hates what you are doing and wants to save you from your sins; He came to you when you couldn’t come to Him; He died for you when you were dead in your sins; He helped you when you were helpless; He gave you hope when you were hopeless; Yes Jesus is even for you, so much so that if you will come to Him he will not cast you away, beat you down, or condemn you. He will forgive you of your sins and save you.

When life is against you, God is for you. When death is against you, God is for you. When your boss is against you, God is for you. When your health is against you, God is for you. When your family is against you, God is for you. When your finances are against you, God is for you. When your enemies are against you, God is for you. When sin is against you, God is for you. When the devil, every demon, every principality, every power, every ruler of darkness, every minion, every evil spirit – when the gates of hell are against you, God is for you. When your past is against you, God is for you. When you future is against you, God is for you. When your present is against you, God is for you!

Conclusion:
Rom 8:31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

THE WHOLE COUNSEL OF GOD

On Wednesday evenings at Texas Avenue Baptist Church I try to answer questions from the members. These questions are given to me in advance. I will use this blog to post the questions and answers on a regular basis. If you have questions about the Bible, spiritual issues, or your walk with God, please feel free to send me your question and I will attempt to answer your question from the Bible.

Q. Why are there not many sermons preached about everyday worldly issues that kids and young people have to deal with on a daily basis? It seems like sermons are preached to people with the presumption that they already know a lot about the Bible. If any of my old friends or any of these young kids were to attend some of the sermons that I have heard, they would be lost. I don’t believe any of them know who Job or Paul or Abraham is, much less Jesus.

A. At the heart of this question is the issue of preaching the whole counsel of God. Why do we preach the whole counsel of God and not just address the daily issues people face.

First of all, we preach the whole counsel of God because we are commanded to do so. In Matthew 28:20, Jesus instructed His followers to teach all that He had commanded. In 2 Timothy, preachers are commanded to "preach the Word."

However, many preachers preach only to felt needs, thinking they are helping people by dealing only with issues they face daily. Felt needs are what people think they need, as opposed to real needs, which are needs God meets. There are several problems with preaching to felt needs:

1. Many times people don’t know what they really need. Jeremiah 17:9 reads, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" Our hearts are deceptive and wicked. Our hearts lie to us about our needs. Our hearts tell us we need happiness, but God says we need forgiveness. Our hearts tell us we are good people, but God says we are sinners. Therefore, we must look to God for our real needs. For example, a couple comes for help in their marriage saying they are unhappy. They feel like they need principles that will help their marriage. However, after asking some questions about their relationship with God it was discovered that they really needed to become followers of Jesus Christ by being born again. They felt like they need help with their marriage, but what they really needed was a personal relationship with Jesus Christ
2. Most people’s felt needs are not really needs at all. Their felt needs are really desires, wants, and lusts, but not needs. Real needs lead us to realize we lack self-sufficiency and we need God’s intervention to meet the need. On the contrary, most people’s felt needs are really a desire for personal happiness, not godliness.
3. Preaching to felt needs often interferes with the ability to address the real needs. If felt needs are addressed and affirmed, the core issues of personal sin and guilt are never addressed.
4. If we only preach to felt needs we develop very shallow Christians. God wants His followers to be perfect (meaning complete or mature) so that they can thoroughly equipped for every good work. This means that the child of God understands doctrine and theology, not just how to manage his finances in a godly manner.
   

Therefore, the better option is to simply teach the Bible line upon line and precept upon precept so that God can deal with the real needs of people. It is for this reason that we are commanded to teach all that God has commanded, not just the parts we like (Matthew 28:20).

The second reason we preach the whole counsel of God is because God's Word is alive and powerful (Hebrews 4:12-13). The Bible is different from every other book because it is a living, powerful document. This does not mean that the Bible constantly changes because God's Word never changes. This truth simply means that God's Word does God's work by God's Spirit. When God's Word is preached the Spirit of God makes the Word of God speak to the individual so that God's Word is applied to the individual's need. The Bible says that it penetrates the heart and is able to discern the thoughts and intents of the individual.

Thus, the preacher’s responsibility is to deliver the Word of God so the Spirit of God can do the Work of God. As I preach, I believe the Holy Spirit applies the Word of God exactly how the individual needs to hear It. Notice Isaiah 55:10-11
(10) For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: (11) So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

Every time God sends His Word out It accomplishes His purpose because It is alive and powerful. Therefore, I have the confidence to know that when God’s Word is proclaimed, It will accomplish whatever purpose God has in mind, whether in personal Bible study, in Sunday School, or from the pulpit. Even if a person is not familiar with the people or stories in the Bible, because God’s Word is alive and powerful, God can still speak to them through the preaching and teaching of His Word.

The third reason we preach the whole counsel of God is that the primary purpose of meeting together is to edify and instruct believers. The primary reason Jesus started His church was so that each congregation could glorify Him by carrying out the Great Commission. However, the primary reason that congregations meet together regularly is to glorify Jesus Christ by edifying and instructing of believers, according to Ephesians 4:8, 11-15. In Titus 2:1-10, Paul exhorted Titus to teach things that become sound doctrine.

Therefore, the preacher needs to preach so that believers can grow. In Hebrews 5:12-6:3, the author rebukes the Hebrew Christians for their lack of spiritual growth. He cites the reason for their lack of spiritual growth as being the continual preaching of salvation sermons to saved people. His point in verses 4-8 is that it is impossible for believers to be saved over and over, therefore they need to move on to deeper doctrines so the believers can grow.

The purpose of the teaching doctrine and instructing believers is to equip them do the work of the ministry. In other words, churches should be equipping the saints to take the Gospel into the work place and neighborhoods. That is where we can address the individual issues people face. Being equipped means we can take our Bibles and show them how God can meet their real need for forgiveness of sins through the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross. We can show them how Jesus has been resurrected to give them eternal life and power to live for Him today. Thus, in equipping the saints at church, we are meeting the needs of the saint and the sinner.