Yesterday I preached on the horrors of unforgiveness. I talked about what happens if we are unforgiving.
Being unable or unwilling to forgive brings terrible consequences. Unforgiveness leads to bitterness and all of its associated hurts and troubles.
The worst consequence of being unwilling to forgive is that it leads us away from God (Matthew 6:14-15) and grieves the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30).
But what about forgiveness?
What happens when you choose to forgive?
First, when you forgive you are choosing to be obedient to God. Forgiveness shows you are willing to follow Him in all things.
Forgiveness is not a concept that comes naturally. You have to decide to forgive. When we forgive we do so by determining we want to live differently.
Second, forgiveness means you are connecting with God. God is a forgiving, loving God. When we forgive we are becoming like God. We are choosing to become like Him and follow in His steps.
Third, by forgiving you are choosing to give to others what God has given to you. Forgiveness shows that you appreciate God’s ultimate gift. You value the cross and you value His grace. Not being willing to forgive shows that we don’t really value what God has done for us.
Jesus told the story of a woman who anointed his feet with oil. She obviously had lived a difficult life. Meeting Jesus brought what she had never had before–joy, peace, and forgiveness. She expressed her gratitude by expending expensive oil over Jesus. When those around Jesus expressed indignation over her gift, Jesus reminded them that she who is forgiven much loves much. She showed her love for Jesus and appreciation for her new life by giving the extravagant gift.
When we forgive we show that we appreciate God’s forgiveness for us.
Finally, our forgiveness brings us peace, hope, and joy. I thank God for these great gifts. May you experience them as well.
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6 Responses
Great sermon this weekend pastor, keep up the Good Work and Good Word.
As you quite correctly qualified your message yesterday, Paul is writing to believers, like-minded, in Christ Jesus; to those who received and pledged their lives to God’s Provision in His Commission.
I asked my psychologist son what forgiveness meant in psychological terms. He thought for a few minutes and said, “Having the memory without the emotional attachment.” Basically, that means we do not get mad all over again on the situation that happened in the past.
That seems to be an excellent assessment. Thanks for sharing him with us.
Waylon, Your new sermon series, “Forgiving and Letting Go,” may be your most important ever. A forgiving spirit is an essential characteristic for one who has been forgiven by Christ (Colossians 3:12-13).
One of my favorite Christian authors is David Roper; the following excerpt is from his book: “A Heart of Wisdom”. The past cannot be changed, but it can be redeemed. It cannot be forgotten per se (for some things will never be fogotten), but it can be swallowed up in God’s sovereign purposes and left behind. How can we forget the bitterness of our past? By seeing God’s providence in every event of our lives, even in our mistakes and others’ malice.
Thanks for the affirmation. That is a great quote.