Learning How to Forgive

A lot of Christians don't understand forgiveness and we've gotta get this straight, and I believe that by the time I'm done, you will have a fresh revelation, a fresh understanding of what God calls us to do in this area so that we can be free and we can enjoy what is provided for us and not walk in perpetual bondage because of our people issues and Jesus said to them, if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your father forgive yours hello and welcome to Destin for victory with pastor Paul Shepherd, senior pastor of destiny Christian Fellowship in Fremont, California. Welcome strong words were true words and they remind us just how seriously God takes the act of forgiveness today pastor Paul shows us how we can learn to forgive and how doing so can set us free from bondage so that we might walk in the victory for which we have been destined stay with us here or visit pastor Paul.net any time to listen to Destin for victory on demand. You can also download the podcast. It's bona fide, or wherever you get your podcasts right now. Let's join Pastor Paul for today's destined for victory message. Learning how to forgive. Jesus said I've come to do good things in your life. I've come to help you resolve your issues and become 40 so that you can enjoy the rest of your life and I don't know about you but I'm interested in enjoying everything that Jesus paid for if he paid for it on the cross. I wanted it is paid for.

I wanted if he paid for joy instead of despair. I wanted if he paid for release. Instead of being imprisoned and bound I wanted, whatever he has done for us.

We all want to lay claim to it. When looking at what that means as it relates to our people issues now as I wrapped up the last message we were looking at the fact that there are two categories of people that give us challenges. There are people who have done us wrong and they are willing to acknowledge it and only and repent of it. That's the ideal situation.

So Jesus told us in Matthew chapter 18. He said if you're brother or sister offends you trespass against you do something wrong: show them their fault. He said if they hear you. You want them. That's the ideal situation, but if not he give some other steps. Sometimes you try to get some other mediators involved to be objective to try to help a person see how they treated you role, but ultimately he said if nothing works, treat him like a pagan or tax collector, and I told you the end of that method that then mean you can mistreat them. It simply means that you know you're dealing with an unsafe person who is selfishly motivated and does not have your best interest at heart, but were told to love them just to do it in a safe way and from a safe place so I want to pick up at that point and talk more about how to deal with our people issues because Jesus said in Luke 17 if your brother trespass against you rebuke him, and I made the point in the last message you get to tell people how you really feel about what they did just do it respectfully had to call them out of their name to tell them that, but you do get to share. Here's what you did. I don't like it, don't be a plastic Christian as you move on in your journey with Christ be real with God. That's the only way you'll become a real follower of Christ is the be real in everything and don't be plastic don't be phony.

Don't grin when you really ought to be frowning, don't tell you're happy when you're really not tell them if they trespass against you rebuke them, that's a very strong word. I don't like what you did. I resent you have no business treating me that way, how dare you disrespect me that way. The real we serve our real Savior Jesus one plastic off only get those false ideas when you read the Scriptures you're dealing with a real man. Jesus was real, and even look like those effeminate pictures you see on people's walls when you see that man, blondish hair look like he just came from the hairdresser that what Jesus that's somebody's idea, but that is not consistent with Scripture. You know what Jesus did in the years prior to age 30 when he launched his public ministry to you. Nobody did. He was a carpenter.

It was his family business. His father Joseph was a carpenter he was a carpenter. Say what you bring it up because in his day carpenters didn't drive the pickup to the lumber yard and have the team of people loaded onto the truck carpenters in his day cut down trees with an ax that means Jesus had muscles Jesus one flabby. He was a man and he lived a life where he was true. The Bible says that he was in all points tempted like we yet without sin. He lived a real life. He called it like he saw when he looked in the verities. One day he said y'all look like you remind me of the cemetery as not being complementary. No remind me of the cemetery you are full of white look of light and structure and meet, but David and John the Baptist were worse than him. John the Baptist was out in the wilderness, eating grasshoppers, and honey. And when the Pharisees came out there where he was baptizing people and calling them to repent. One day, saw the Pharisees he coming toward me in my first called him a brood of vipers. All bunch of snakes.

Not only were you is that your mom was a snack before you run man. I'm just trying to tell you don't have to be plastic and phony to serve the Lord. And Jesus said if they trespass against you rebuke, but then he said he forgot to pick it up if they repent for different that's what we gotta talk. We gotta talk about forgiveness. A lot of Christians don't understand forgiveness and we've got to get this straight, and I believe that by the time I'm done, you will have a fresh revelation, a fresh understanding of what God calls us to do in this area so that we can be free and we can enjoy what he is provided for us and not walk in perpetual bondage because of our people issues.

So let me ask and answer a number of questions about forgiveness. The first is do I have the option whether or not to forgive. The answer is no, Jesus commands us to forgive.

Forgiveness is not a suggestion, forgiveness is not a good idea. Forgiveness is not. If you feel like it. Forgiveness is a command were commanded the missed opposite from Scripture Matthew 612 in the Lord's prayer we call it the Lord's prayer is actually the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples to pray, they said, Lord, teach us to pray in response to that request.

He said when you pray, and he gave them a formula a template if you will for prayer our father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

He taught us to worship and think God will be praying he said, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

He taught us to pray that his will take place here on earth in our lives, just like his will taking place in heaven.

So it's a part of the prayer when you pray surrender to God and make sure your will lines up with his then he said give us this day our daily bread.

He told us to ask the Lord for what we need our provision.

Then he said, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Notice Jesus tied our request of the father for forgiveness with our willingness to forgive others. He said if you want the heavenly father to forgive you your sins.

Then, in that same moment, your praying, requesting his forgiveness.

He said, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Forgiveness is not an option. Mark 1125 Jesus says when you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your father may forgive your trespasses. Again, Jesus ties our forgiveness to our willingness to forgive and the most potent passage that drives home your need to forgive is the parable of the unforgiving servant is found in Matthew 18 verses 21 through 35. Now I will read with you through that but I will talk with you through it because I want you to get the point coming up next.

The rest of today's message. Learning how to forgive with pastor Paul Sheppard. If you've never stop by our website pastor Paul.net. I invite you to do it today you find all of Pastor Paul's recent messages on demand plus a host of great resources or online store, including books and MP3 downloads from pastor Paul pastor Paul.net is a great place to learn more about the ministry and all the great things friends like you are doing through your prayers and financial support and also don't forget to check out the links from pastor Paul social media, including YouTube, you can watch some of his best video clips. This information and more. Is it pastor Paul Melis rejoined pastor Paul for the second half of today's destined for victory message. Learning how to forgive all of the unforgiving servant Jesus tells the story of a servant who will the king and an believable amount of money believable amount of money if you want to try to make it makes sense in our economy. Well the point is only more than you could possibly pay an entire lifetime. That's the point.

So it's relative for us because it depends on how much you are worth for some of us it would take that high a figure for us to get the point of the parable, but it's more than you could ever pay in a lifetime. So whatever that figure is for you.

That's what I mean. Even those of you who are seriously paid.

The figure is over your head so that if you are, you could be a millionaire here. If you are worth tens of millions, then it means what you owed is hundreds of millions if you are worth hundreds of millions. Please identify yourself to me after service but so that you understand what I'm saying. If you are worth hundreds of millions of dollars. It means you all billion dollars you get the point is more than you can handle is what Jesus is saying this servant old the king more than he could possibly pay back in an entire lifetime. I will know how I got the line of credit in the first place.

But Jesus is just making a point, but king, though he couldn't pay, and the king forgave the debt that you know who he's referring to when he gives is that parable about God dealing with us our sins, we could never pay for so Jesus loved us so much he died on our behalf. Paid the penalty so that we could be free. Jesus said now that servant who owed more than he could pay back in a lifetime was forgiven by the king and in and went out and found someone who told him literally a few dollars just forgiven more than you could ever pay in a lifetime, and he goes out looking forth, he found him, he didn't just happen upon somebody he was looking for somebody who owed him a few bucks driving the streets looking for see them only on the corner stopped the car jumps out runs across the street. Jesus said grab him by the and said you owe me this a $20 I want my 20 what you and the man said okay, just give me a little time I get your money, and he was so mean and so unforgiving. He said no I'm not giving you time you will get paid back. And you don't let them go get up the money, but he showing us what an unforgiving heart is like. He said no I'm not giving you time. Well, the king, Jesus went on to say about it. See what you got understand is God sees everything that's going on in our lives.

He sees when he forgiven you for send past present and future and he sees when you turn around and have been her to hold somebody who's offended you in unforgiveness.

King heard about it called them back reinstated the debt and sending to the torture chamber until it was paid and it was never going to be paid. Why would Jesus tell such a graphic story. He ended by saying that's the way the heavenly father feels when he has forgiven us our trespasses, and yet we refuse to forgive other people.

Unforgiveness is not an option. We are commanded to forgive.

Now the all-important question, what is it mean to forgive, to forgive the Greek word means to send to send what's being sent to forgive us to sin. While in the context of our lives.

We are sending the offense and the offender away from ourselves and into the hands of a just God because God says vengeance is mine, I will repay. God says don't you make yourself the judge the jury the prosecutor and the warden when you form in jail. He says you transferred them to my court. Vengeance is mine, so when I forgive a person what am I doing I'm releasing them from the jail cell of my heart I'm saying I will not be the person who prosecutes you will hold you for the world you have done sending you to the God who is going to judge all of us.

That's what I do when I forgive I send the offense and the offender away into the hands of a just God. Now here is where I gotta do some work here is the next question who am I cold to forgive.

This is going to surprise some of you but it's going to hopefully enlightened many who am I cold to forgive because some of us have assumed when we are commanded to forgive.

We are commanded to forgive every body I want to correct that the Bible teaches we are called to forgive those who repent. Look at Luke 17 three again if your brother trespass against you rebuke him, they repent that would your Bible says if they repent, Luke 17, three. Forgive them parable of the unmerciful servant. Why was he in trouble. Why was his debt reinstated because he refused to forgive someone who said I want to make my 20 give me time all you give me time and he refused to forgive someone who requested genuinely desired to acknowledge their role and desired forgiveness.

The people we are called to forgive. That is to extend and expressed forgiveness toward are the people who have repented not think this through with me. Why is that so why does Jesus make it clear that the condition is that they repented. Because let's start with God. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes on him, believes what believes that he is the Savior who came to save us from our sins, whosoever believes on him should not perish but have everlasting life. Jesus died for us on the cross. The reason why more people are not saved, forgiven, set free from their sins. Children of God, is because although Jesus died for their sins, they have not acknowledged we are sinners who need to be say you can't just say if you don't need to be say between you and your friends or relatives or coworkers other people you know who are say is only one difference. You acknowledge, Lord, I need you. I'm a sinner who needs your gift of salvation they have that opportunity. But until they come to God and say I need you, they cannot receive the gift of salvation. Those who repent are eligible for the gift.

So in your life. It's the same thing. You can't express forgiveness to somebody who hasn't acknowledge wrong, I mean you can but you should not, in fact, you're doing them a disservice because your attempting to release them from something they have not requested to be released from. In fact, they have acknowledge their need. So when someone sins against you. The Bible is very clear because your child of God may send against you. They have to be what your daddy when somebody offender Jesus said it would be better for you rather than the mess with the least of his little ones. It will be better for you to be taken out in a boat to the deepest part of the sea have somebody tie a millstone which would wait you down around your neck throw you into the depths of the sea.

Jesus said that's a much better fate than for you to fool with one of my kids, which means God takes it very seriously when people offend you when people wrong. You so if they are responsible to God and have not acknowledged their need for forgiveness.

He has not forgiven, and so if they've offended you, and have not acknowledged their need for forgiveness.

Guess what you cannot extend to them a gift they have no desire were so glad you stopped by for today's destined for victory message. Learning how to forgive before we leave you today.

Pastor Paul Sheppard's been kind enough to join me from a studio in California pastor. I appreciate you being here with us at the end a very challenging year for most of us, but a very important time for destined for victory time here at year-end when we ask people to stand with us financially. Why is it so important that we hear from listeners, especially this month wealth because practical Bible teaching has always been important in the life of the church universal. But here in the 21st-century. It is more critical than ever that we hear clear sound engaging biblical truth. Today there are seven generations alive in America and they range all the way from the greatest generation. Which of those persons born in 1927 or earlier, all the way to the current and still developing generation social scientists have named it generation alpha.

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Pastor Paul.net I do the people who I think will die before they ever say to me.

I'm sorry. I release them in my heart within me. I don't express forgiveness to them because they haven't asked for, but to God. I say Lord I want to send them to you so that I don't carry them around or their offense around it's too heavy a burden that's next, I would Pastor Paul Sheppard's message.

Learning how to forgive. Until then, remember he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion in Christ, you are destined for victory