The Freedom of Forgiveness | Part 1

Would you want God to treat you the way you treat others listen to Adrian Rogers have ever thought that this is a dangerous practice. It is what you said is God treat me like I freedom forgive me as I forgive others. You forgive others. If you don't devise God to be with you the same one you're saying to God.

God I want you to be with me the way I deal with. Welcome to love with finding where we share real true never changes.

Resented by acclaimed pastor Bible teacher and author Adrian Rogers two great enemies against the human soul or guilt, bitterness, and the freedom of forgiveness is the only thing that can combat them. We are freed from guilt when we are forgiven by God, and we are freed from bitterness. When we forgive others. One of the four compelling reasons to forgive the cost. The results if you have your Bible turn to Matthew chapter 6 will begin in verse nine is Adrian Rogers reveals freedom of forgiveness, that passage of Scripture that we call the Lord's prayer in a moment away going to read beginning in verse nine. But before we do that was an evangelist of yesteryear who was the counterpart of Billy Graham today greatly used an anointed man of God and this is what he said. He said there's one sin that Christians have more difficulty with than any other, and there's one sin that is holding back the power of God more than any other sin in the life of Christians that he was a wise and intelligent man and a man gift of God.

Would you like to know what that sin is. He said it is the sin of an forgiving spirit were talking today on the subject of freedom of forgiveness verse nine. After this manner therefore pray ye are father which art in heaven how would be thy name by kingdom come, thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven give us this day our daily bread.

And now we come to our text look at it and forgive us our database as in the same manner like we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and now notice verse 14 for if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your father forgive your trespasses.

When you forgive, you set a prisoner free and then you discover that prisoner is you the freedom of forgiveness there, two great enemies that come against the human soul. The human spirit.

Our psyche one enemy is guilt and the other is bitterness you have deal and bitterness.

So many people in this world are absolutely driven into the ground spiritually, psychologically and physically by guilt and bitterness there In a prison a prison called Bill and a prison called bitterness out of verse of Scripture that we are dealing with today deals with those two things.

It deals with guilt and forgive us our debts, and it deals with bitterness as we forgive our debtors.

Both of those problems are dealt with right here when we are forgiven we are set free from the prison of Jill. He breaks the power of counsel sin, he sets the prisoner free and when we forgive others.

Then we are freed from the prison of bitterness. One of God's greatest gifts to you and to me is forgiveness because you see the Bible calls sends a bad a look at the verse of Scripture and see how it delineates our sins.

Verse 12 and forgive us our database, our sins of put us in debt to God our Creator.

We been created to serve him, to love him, and we've not done it. We've been brought into heaven's court and we have been sued for damages and we cannot pay and were cast into a debtors prison. The only way will be set free is to be forgiving and then not only that, but friend, we must also then forget about when you forgive anybody you cancel the debt.

That's what forgiveness is seen as a debt forgiveness is the canceling of the debt. Actually the word, forgive here means to bear the burden that if you owed me $1000 and you had nothing to pay and could not pay and I said very well then. I forgive the debt that cost me $1000 it cost to forgive sin as a dad. When the debt is forgiven, the forgive her pay my salvation may be free to you but it cost the Lord Jesus just jotting your margin. For example, this text Ephesians chapter 1 in verse seven. The Bible speaks of Jesus, in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgive mist of sins, according to the riches of his grace, the riches of his grace our Lord paid through grace, out of his riches for my forgiveness.

That's the reason we say grace is what God's riches at Christ expansion GRA CE. That's how I'm forgiven.

God doesn't overlook my sin. God himself pays the debt of my sin and all the cross the Lord Jesus with his blood paid the debt of my sin. God never overlooks somebody must pay. Forgiveness is the paying of the day that another cannot pay. Forgive us our days. Now, when God forgives me then God says I must forgive others as I have been forgiven and according to this verse. If I withhold forgiveness to someone else after having been forgiven, then I damn up the stream of God's forgiveness and that strange stops until I am willing to forgive those who have sinned against me now with all of that is an introduction. Let me talk to you. First of all about the compelling reasons for forgiving the compelling reasons for forgiving.

I'm not talking about being forgiven now but if you have been forgiven. Look again at our verse of Scripture, the Bible says this after this manner will pray. Verse 90 says that an inverse 12 forgive us our debts, as in the same manner as we forgive other people may give you four reasons why you want to forgive that to somebody who's done you wrong. Perhaps it's your parents perhaps your husband wrap your wife. Perhaps your employer brand some employee, perhaps a brother sister. Perhaps a neighbor somebody who's done you wrong and I Lord has taught you to pray God forgive me as I forgive them. You ask yourself this question, why should I forgive for reasons they are.

The first is what I want to call the grace factor the grace factor, you should forgive because you have been forgiven. You should forgive because God has so willingly forgiving you. Here's our verse Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 32 and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgive and you God has forgiven you. God has shown grace to you and therefore you must show grace to one another. Sam Jones, another evangelist of yesteryear said and I quote I had a hard time forgiving people until I made up my mind I wasn't going to fall out with anyone until he treated me worse than I treated Jesus we crucified the Lord Jesus Christ is a reasonable one that we need to be forgiving is that we had been forgiving. We have experienced the grace of God I would be kind tenderhearted, forgiving one another as God for Christ's sake has forgiven us. Reason number two not only the grace factor, but the guilt factor and the guilt factor means this, that if we do not forgive, then no longer can we be forgiven. We should be forgiving because unforgiveness shuts out the forgiveness of God. Verse 12 teaches us that an unforgiving spirit is unforgivable and the person who will not forgive destroys the bridge over which he himself must travel and never thought of this prayer how dangerous it is. Have you ever thought that this is a dangerous practice. It is what you've said is God treat me like I treat other people. Forgive me as I forgive others. Do you forgive others. If you don't you ask God to deal with you the same way, forgive me.

The way I forgive others what you say. Well I'll forgive her but I'll never have any more to do with God's is all right.

I'll forgive you and never having more to do with you to say but I can't forget God's is all right. I'll forgive but I won't forget you see what you're praying you're saying to God. God I want you to be with me the way I deal with other people. Why should you forgive the grace factor you received grace.

Why should you forgive the guilt factor. If you know your guilt will remain.

Then there's 1/3 reason that you ought to forgive friend and that's the grief factor the grief factor deceit.

You should forgive others. Because if you do not you will have personal harm and grief that will come to you and unforgiving spirit keeps you in prison, you say well I'm not going to let them off the hook. Our sense of justice, cries out and says we dare not forgive.

I will not let them get by with this. I'll keep them on the hook been the only one Dome of the you yourself by an unforgiving spirit are with why should you forgive the one number one for Jesus sake God for Christ's sake. For gave you. Can you not for Christ's sake, forgive them God for Christ's sake. For gave you.

Can you not for Christ sake, forgive them but not only for Christ sake, but for their site to see. Forgiveness is not given to a person what they deserve. Forgiveness is given to a person what they need.

But not only to do it. Listen for Christ's sake and for their sake, do it for your sake did you hear that, for your sake and unforgiving spirit. Bitterness will keep you in a prison of your own making. And when you refuse to let them off the hook. I remind you that you stay on the hook with you say well I'll just get even where you get even here you are up here. Here somebody wicked down here and they have done you wrong you going to get even argue you see where your when you get even, you come down to where they are with you for gave you bring them to where you are what you say.

Well then I'll just get even. I'll continue to hate I won't take revenge. I'll just continue to be a what to do you take acid into your system when you continue to hate and bitterness is an acid that destroys its container. I down there a few forms of dissipation that will do more to you than resentment and bitterness, resentment is slow suicide. Why should you forgive the grace factor you been forgiven, why should you forgive the guilt factor.

If you don't forgive you dam up the stream of continuing forgiveness and if you don't forgive the grief factor you will continue to have grief and the hurt that hurt. You will continue to hurt you until you release it and let it go. The fourth reason you ought to forgive the game that not only do you lose those things that have wounded you. You let them go. You release the but you gain your brother, the person who has wounded you is either a brother are potential brother sister are potential sister Matthew chapter 18 in verse 15. Moreover, if I brother shall trespass against the goal and tell him his fault between the and him alone and if he will hear the thou hast gained thy brother a brother is a precious thing. Matthew chapter 5 look in verse 24 leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way.

First be reconciled to thy brother, Matthew 524 be reconciled to thy brother, when you forgive another then you will gain a brother. How sad it is when brothers, sisters failed to forgive people what that does. It just graces the father. When my children do not love one another. It is a disgrace to me. Not only does it disgrace the father.

It discourages the saints, the few things that hurt the church worse than unforgiving spirit. It also discussed the loss unsafe people are quick to see when there is a rift in a family when there is a rift in the church when there is a tear in the fellowship there quick to point it out, and many of them are not saved because of the sin in our hearts and in our lives, and that sin is so often the sin of an unforgiving spirit.

What does it do it disgrace is the father. It discourages the saints, it discussed the lost, it delights the death but never more than anybody else loves to see brethren with an unforgiving spirit, Bible says, behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity. The Bible says that God hates that one that sows discord among brethren. You say will pastor he's not a brother.

The person who same against me as an unbeliever, well then he's all the more the object of your. Because if he's an unbeliever. Not only has he done wrong, but he's blind and he does not have the grace and the power that you have. If he is a brother here in the same body, and when you harm him. You harm you and is to be the object of your love. If is not a brother he's lost his way to hell and you don't need to drive and further that way.

He needs more of your love what I'm saying is there is again factor we have everything to gain. Nothing to lose by forgiving someone else, and I've given you for reasons why you want to forgive you see the person that you forgive is more than a person who is working he is a person who needs you and Grace is not giving the people what they deserve. It is giving to people what they need those other compelling reasons. Secondly, I want to talk to, not only about the compelling reasons but I want to talk to you about the costly requirements for forgiving when I talk to you about forgiving someone else. I'm talking to you about something that is extremely costly.

Remember what we said somebody pays somebody pays for dampness is the canceling of a debt. And when you forgive your debtor then you pay one of the costly requirements for forgiving well the model for forgiving is Jesus. Remember again.

Ephesians 432 and be you kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

That's the model not take that as a model, how you got forgiven and that's the way that you are to forgive the kind of price that have been paid is the kind of price that you do.

Therefore, number one as we talk about the costly requirement you ought to forgive freely, freely.

The Bible says freely you have received, freely give that some people forgive. After they collected their revenge there wrong. They want the individual to know that they been wrong. They want individual to know how badly he is hurt them. Therefore they criticize, they castigate base goal. They freeze out. They do everything that they can do to cause an individual to squirm like a worm in hot ashes.

They roast them. They pummeled him they excoriate. They do all they can do and then finally after they've had their pound of flesh. They say well I forgive African and the forgiving is like saying nevermind I've already paid you want to forgive freely, not after you extract your pound of flesh. And because you forgive freely you to be quick to do it.

The Bible says little bitterness be put away from me and a hurry to forgive if you're not in a hurry to forgive that bitterness will become an infection and will become much more difficult to heal. When Jesus Christ was on the cross while they were crucifying him.

He was praying father, forgive while they were nailing him to the cross. The Bible teaches that wisdom to be so anxious to forgive a brother or sister that we are to seek them out to forgive where to run them down to forgive. Matthew chapter 18 in verse 15, the Lord Jesus said more or if I brother trespass against the girl and tell him his fault. You say he's the one I did wrong, let him come to me if you want forgiveness him, and ask for what Jesus said no you go to him again.

He said the same thing when you bring your gift to the altar.

Remember there that a brother hath ought against the you go to him whether you are in the right whether you and the role whether you have all against your brother on whether you know that your brother has all against you. You ought to take the offensive.

You want to go to that individual. Isn't that what God did in the very God of Eden, Adam and Eve sinned against God and the Bible says that God came in the midst of the garden and God cried out and that was not the voice of the detective that was the voice of a broken heart and God will continue with the conclusion of this conflicting message. Tomorrow you're in love with finding but maybe you have questions about who Jesus is but what he means to you how to fully surrender your life to him, go to our discovery, Jesus page@lwf.org/radio to find resources and materials there that can answer questions you might have about your faith in Christ again go to LWF.org/radio and click Discover Jesus nephew like to order a copy of today's message on a single CD call us at 1877 love God and mention the title the freedom of forgiveness. You receive the entire lesson on your single CD. This message is also part of the powerful series. The school of prayer. If you'd like to complete collection. All five insightful messages.

Call that number 1877 love God will go online to LWF.org/radio or write us at love worth finding box 38, 600 Memphis, TN 38183 thanks for setting in God's word with us today as you go about your day. Maybe ask yourself this question, do I have guilt and bitterness in my life have I repented and accepted the forgiveness of God. Have I forgiven others answer tough questions are necessary if you want freedom from forgive us. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for more on love worth. Alyssa wrote recently and gave us a word of encouragement. I want to share with you.

He said I love love worth finding ministries. Even though Adrian Rogers is gone is messages from the past are is good for us as they were so true, and we are honored to present timeless truth that never changes. We are able to do that because God brings along. Faithful supporters like you as a listener supported ministry operate on your generosity this month when you give a gift of any amount you want to send you our journey of faith, booklet collection, each journey has a beginning and once you start you need. Be prepared to supplement your faith. These popular studies from Adrian Rogers such as finding God's peace predestined to hell. Absolutely not in the scarlet thread of redemption request the bundle when you call, with a gift right now at 1877 love God