Forgiveness is a key to...

1
Forgiveness is a key to...

• Fellowship with each other
• Fellowship with God
• Healing
• Peace in your Heart
• Gods will in your Life

2
What it is not

• Feeling
• Pretending its ok
• Justified because..
• Having to trust again
• Removing responsibility

3
What it is. and How to do it

• Forgiveness is a choice
• Forgiveness is practical
• Forgiveness is commanded
• Forgiveness has eternal consequences

4
Reality Check

• (Matthew 614-15) For if you forgive men when
  they sin against you, your heavenly Father will
  also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive
  men their sins, your Father will not forgive your
  sins.

5
Something Gained

• Q. What is it that you Gain when
  someone sins against you?
• A. The Right to Retaliate
• Where did you learn that?

6
The Two Trees

• Tree of Life
• Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil
• We make a choice every day which one to eat from
• Get out of that Tree!

7
What are your Choices?

• Take immediate action
• Reserve the power for latter
• Just do nothing.

8
Forgiveness is.

• Taking the Right to retaliate and laying it
  down at the Cross.
• Returning to the Tree of Life.

9
Is Forgiveness outside of Christ possible?

• The real power of Forgiveness is in the fact that
  someone else takes the Right and you dont have
  to deal with it any more.

10
What does Jesus do with it?

• (Rom 1219) Do not take revenge, my friends, but
  leave room for God's wrath, for it is written
  "It is mine to avenge I will repay," says the
  Lord.
• (Exo 3319) And the LORD said, "I will cause all
  my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will
  proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I
  will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I
  will have compassion on whom I will have
  compassion.

11
The Benefits are...
One more little thing

• You are now Free
• The person you forgave is now free
• God is Pleased

12
Practice makes perfect!

• Choose a small thing
• Go the that person
• Forgive them
• Pray together and lay your rights down before
  Jesus
• Be Free!