YES Series Forgive or Forget Opening Passage Hebrews 10:16-17 (NKJV) This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them, 17 then He adds, Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more. Opening Prayer Heavenly Father I pray that today s message transition from a head knowledge into a heart revelation and through the power and the person of the Holy spirit renew our minds and transform our lives with Your word in the name of Jesus. Amen 1
1. What is forgiving? There seems to be a fair amount of confusion surrounding the biblical mandate of forgiveness. What most people see forgiveness as is more akin to what Paul speaks to in 2 Corinthians 2:5-8 (NLT) I am not overstating it when I say that the man who caused all the trouble hurt all of you more than he hurt me. 6 Most of you opposed him, and that was punishment enough. 7 Now, however, it is time to forgive and comfort him. Otherwise he may be overcome by discouragement. 8 So I urge you now to reaffirm your love for him. Greek for Forgive khä-rē'-zo-mī: an act of benevolence This is a good thing to do, however, not once in the teachings of Jesus is this form of forgiveness mentioned. Jesus only taught one form of forgiveness known as ä-fē'-ā-mē. GREEK for Forgive is ä-fē'-ā-mē: 1. to send away, 2. to permit, allow, not to hinder, to give up a thing to a person 3. to leave, go way from one. Root word is ä-po': separation of one thing from another by which the union or fellowship of the two is destroyed. In other words, a divorce! Illustration I AM PREY TV Show This show is about people who survived attacks by wild animals like bears, alligators, mountain lions, etc. I was watching an episode about a lady who was mauled by an alligator and it took her arm. She said, I don t blame the alligator, it was just doing what alligators do. Q: No one ever says that about people, do they? A: Actually, someone did do that Jesus! ä-fē'-ā-mē is when we separate what was done from who did it. Jesus modeled this form of forgiveness on the cross when He petitioned God in Luke 23:34 (NKJV) Then Jesus said, Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do. And they divided His garments and cast lots. 2
Jesus essentially said, I don t blame the lost people, they were just doing what lost people do. Trust me, it s a lot easier to say that about an animal that attacks you than a person but if Jesus did it so can you! Look at it this way Q: Can Jesus lie? No. Q: Did they understand the full picture of what they were doing? No. A good indicator of this is seen in what they were doing while the Son was petitioning the Father on they re behalf! And they divided His garments and cast lots. Not only did they not know what they were doing to Jesus, they had no idea what Jesus was doing for them! Jesus divorced Himself from what was being done to Him and who was doing it to Him. This is extraordinary and not easy to do but it empowers you to feel hurt or anger and still forgive. It the only way you can ever truly forgive anyone! Forgiving like God forgives requires a divorcing of the offense from the offender but that not all ä-fē'-ā-mē forgiveness is not forgiving and remembering, it s forgiving and forgetting! 3
2. What is forgetting? If I had a dollar for every time I ve been told, I ll forgive but I won t forget I d be a rich man! Yet, listen to what God says in Jeremiah 31:34 Jeremiah 31:34 (NKJV) No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD, for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more. Living Bible (TLB) For everyone, both great and small, shall really know me then, says the Lord, and I will forgive and forget their sins. Q: But wait, isn t omniscient or all knowing? How can God, not know something? A: He can t and neither can you!! Forgetting is not unknowing something. You can t not have knowledge of something that you have knowledge of. The promise made in Jeremiah was retaught in Hebrews as fulfilled through the New Covenant the remission of sins through Christ. Forgetting is to not be conscious of or mindful of something! Hebrews 10:16-17 (NKJV) This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them, 17 then He adds, Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more. This is a legal divorcement of the sin and the sinner and it s binding and eternal in the courts of heaven! Your past sins are no longer a consideration! Satan can no longer accuse you of past sins because God will not recognize them! They have been forgiven and forgotten legally! There is no more documentation of you past sins. They are remembered no more by God! You are ä-fē'-ā-mēddd!!! Mark 11:26 (NKJV) But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses. 4
3. What does forgiving and forgetting look like? An amazing insight into what God expects from us in forgiveness. Matthew 18:23-35 Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents (roughly $500,000.00). 25 But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. 26 The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all. 27 Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. 28 But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii (roughly $100.00); and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me what you owe! 29 So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay you all. 30 And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. 31 So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done. 32 Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. 33 Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you? 34 And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. 35 So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses. The simple approach to this is found in Matthew 18:3 Matthew 18:3 (NKJV) Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Jesus didn t just say become like a child but a little child or infant. 2014 Study on Children and Memory: Few adults can remember anything that happened to them before the age of 3 a phenomenon known as childhood amnesia. This is how you can do what Jesus told Peter to do Matthew 18:21-22 (NKJV) Then Peter came to Him and said, Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times? 22 Jesus said to him, I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. 5
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