Forgiveness part 1

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Forgiveness part 1

• How much or often should we forgive?
• Does God forgive us unconditionally?
• Must others ask us to be forgiven?
• Can we hold a grudge?
• If others sin against us again and again must we
  forgive them each time?
• Must we want to forgive those who sin against us?
• Must we forget to truly forgive others?

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We Must Forgive As God Forgives

• Ephesians 431-32
• 31Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and
  clamor, and railing, be put away from you, with
  all malice 32and be ye kind one to another,
  tenderhearted, forgiving each other, even as God
  also in Christ forgave you.

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We Must Forgive As God Forgives

• How can we know how to forgive others?
• We must know how God forgives us
• Look at 7 questions about forgiveness
• We must see how God forgives us
• Then we can know how to forgive others

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1. How much or often will God forgive us?

• Eph. 13-7 - Gods forgiveness is limitless
• We cant out sin Gods capacity to forgive
• Lu. 114 Jesus taught His disciples to forgive
• Father forgive us our sins
• Mk. 322-29 All their sins shall be forgiven men

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2. Does God Forgive Unconditionally?

• Jesus desired Father forgive His murderers
• Luke 2332-34
• Jesus prayer not answered as He wished
• Think of the significance of that Gods only
  begotten
• Why didnt Jesus just forgive them?
• Matt. 96 He had the power to forgive sins on
  earth
• Why ask the Father to forgive them?
• But God didnt forgive at Jesus word
• Acts 222-36
• They had to repent and seek pardon on Gods terms
• Repent and be baptized for the remission of sins
• H.S. inspired message convicted them of sin
• This sin remained unforgiven
• Even after Jesus expressed His desire to Father

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3. Must we ask to be forgiven?

• Acts 237-38
• They were cut to the heart with sorrow
• They asked what MUST we do?
• They came to God seeking forgiveness
• Not forgiven until in Christ Eph. 431
• Without them coming to God no forgiveness
• Eph 21-4 - Yet God is rich in mercy
• Wanting to forgive us even while we were enemies

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4. Does God hold a grudge?

• Ex. 345-7a
• 5And Jehovah descended in the cloud, and stood
  with him there, and proclaimed the name of
  Jehovah. 6And Jehovah passed by before him, and
  proclaimed, Jehovah, Jehovah, a God merciful and
  gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in
  lovingkindness and truth, 7keeping lovingkindness
  for thousands, forgiving iniquity and
  transgression and sin
• Yet 347b
• and that will by no means clear the guilty,
  visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the
  children, and upon the childrens children, upon
  the third and upon the fourth generation.

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4. Does God hold a grudge?

• God holds no grudges but desires to forgive
• But forgiveness must be on His terms
• Forgiveness that upholds Gods justice
• And extends Gods mercy at the same time
• But mercy denied demands accountability

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4. Does God hold a grudge?

• Is. 591-2
• Behold, Jehovahs hand is not shortened, that it
  cannot save neither his ear heavy, that it
  cannot hear 2but your iniquities have separated
  between you and your God, and your sins have hid
  his face from you, so that he will not hear.

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4. Does God hold a grudge?

• Col. 312-17
• Put on therefore, as Gods elect, holy and
  beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness,
  lowliness, meekness, longsuffering 13forbearing
  one another, and forgiving each other, if any man
  have a complaint against any even as the Lord
  forgave you, so also do ye 14and above all these
  things put on love, which is the bond of
  perfectness. 15And let the peace of Christ rule
  in your hearts, to the which also ye were called
  in one body and be ye thankful. 16Let the word
  of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom
  teaching and admonishing one another with psalms
  and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace
  in your hearts unto God. 17And whatsoever ye do,
  in word or in deed, do all in the name of the
  Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father
  through him.

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5. If I keep sinning against God, will He forgive
me?

• 1 Jo. 18-9 He is faithful to forgive if we
  confess
• 8If we say that we have no sin, we deceive
  ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9If we
  confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to
  forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all
  unrighteousness.
• Col. 213 He forgives us of ALL our trespasses
• And you, being dead through your trespasses and
  the uncircumcision of your flesh, you, I say, did
  he make alive together with him, having forgiven
  us all our trespasses
• God wants to forgive us

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5. If I keep sinning against God, will He forgive
me?

• Rom. 47 Blessed whose sins covered
• Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven,
  And whose sins are covered. 8Blessed is the man
  to whom, the Lord will not reckon sin.
• God wants to forgive us
• Luke 1210 There is a point when God will not
  forgive
• Heb. 1019-29 For willful sin there is no more
  sacrifice
• Consider greater context for willful sin
• Rejection of gospel and Jesus as its
  implementer

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5. If I keep sinning against God, will He forgive
me?

• But there is a point when He will not
• Luke 1210 Attribute evil to God
• And every one who shall speak a word against the
  Son of man, it shall be forgiven him but unto
  him that blasphemeth against the Holy Spirit it
  shall not be forgiven.
• Heb. 1019-29 Willful sin
• Consider greater context for willful sin
• Rejection of gospel and Jesus as its
  implementer

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6. Does God Have A Forgiving Spirit Toward us?

• God answers our prayers
• Matt. 77-11 Lk. 119
• Ask, and it shall be given you seek, and ye
  shall find knock, and it shall be opened unto
  you 8for every one that asketh receiveth and he
  that seeketh findeth and to him that knocketh it
  shall be opened. 9Or what man is there of you,
  who, if his son shall ask him for a loaf, will
  give him a stone 10or if he shall ask for a
  fish, will give him a serpent? 11If ye then,
  being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your
  children, how much more shall your Father who is
  in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
• Not unconditional forgiveness of sin
• Prayer to God is not like a magic lantern
  granting wishes
• But God forgives righteous requests 1 Jo 514-15

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6. Does God Have A Forgiving Spirit Toward us?

• God has a compassionate spirit toward us
• Jas. 15
• And let patience have its perfect work, that ye
  may be perfect and entire, lacking in nothing.
  5But if any of you lacketh wisdom, let him ask of
  God, who giveth to all liberally and upbraideth
  not and it shall be given him. 6But let him ask
  in faith, nothing doubting for he that doubteth
  is like the surge of the sea driven by the wind
  and tossed. 7For let not that man think that he
  shall receive anything of the Lord 8a
  doubleminded man, unstable in all his ways.
• But God forgives righteous requests 1 Jo
  514-15
• God will not clear the guilty Ex. 347

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7. Does God forget when He forgives?

• God does not forget the death of His Son
• It is the constant message of the 1st century
• The main mission of the apostles
• Acts 433 - Witness the death and resurrection
• Acts 223-21 - Pauls message to the gentiles
• God does not forget the cost of our sins His Son

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7. Does God forget when He forgives?

• God does not forget our works good and bad
• 2 Cor 510 We are judged based upon our deeds
• Answer deeds done whether good or bad
• Rev. 2011-13 At the final, universal judgment
• The books will be opened in the judgment
• One of these books is our deeds Vs. 12
• But to those whom He forgives He forgets
• Jer. 3131-34 Speaking of the New Covenant
• He forgets that it was Wayne Seaton that
  crucified His Son
• He forgets MY culpability, My sin
• Acts 2028
• He does not forget the cost of my purchase
• But he forgets my guilt, my shame, my sin

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How God Forgives Us - Summary

• Forgives ALL sins whatever we ask according to
  His will.
• He forgives when we repent and turn to Him.
• We must ask for Gods forgiveness.
• He holds no grudge but will not excuse guilty.
• He forgives us over and over again.
• God wants to forgive us with a forgiving
  spirit.
• God forgets our responsibility in sin.

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You Can Be Forgiven Also

• Eph. 431-32
• 31Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and
  clamor, and railing, be put away from you, with
  all malice 32and be ye kind one to another,
  tenderhearted, forgiving each other, even as God
  also in Christ forgave you.

Where Forgiveness Is found