Good, we truly exalt thee and as we come together, as a company
of your paper, is a gathering of your people that your name will
be exalted. Father.
We just pray for Shane. As he takes the pulpit today
that you will be with him. You will be his all and all
father, that you will just apply his needs in there.
We will be attentive a hunger that we have to learn your word
and to share in your word Lord and have Fellowship Together
made the children. And they go to the Sunday School
classes. Be blessed this morning as well.
And may they be a blessing to our teachers?
We thank you for our teachers. We thank you for all things.
Be with us. We do ask and your holy and
worthy name. Amen.
Morning, everyone. I've been us this morning to
come here and speak with you about Epsilon.
One of those dragons have coming into a church when they're going
through a series. You don't know what's been said
before hand, and you don't know really where they're up to.
As I walked in this morning. I said, I'm doing the second
Samuel. 18, you got to get this chapter 13 through to 8:00 a.m.
This morning, but it's incredible.
See you growing like this. It's a real joy to see how God
is working in you. Who can do any bible church?
Today? I'm going to start off with
that, looking at Absalon. And before we get there, I just
want to share something that I've seen so often and it's a
real struggle. That I think we have often often
talk with people. My role in the, in the middle
Bible. Chapel is community and I'm
often working with people in the community and often one of the
big struggles, they have, is this area of bitterness.
Us towards something that's happened in their life.
And I've seen how business can cripple decisions and people's
lives. It can cripple their whole lives
and it becomes everything in their lives.
It just takes them over and not being able to get over things.
I've seen this both in Christians and non-christians
alike. Yeah.
Christian's aren't exempt from this.
In fact, I've seen Christians who will cross the road, so they
don't have to talk to another Christian.
If they have something in their lives that they don't want to
talk to this person. I've got bitterness of got
grudges of and it really pulls down the whole concept of what
Christianity is about. I've also seen someone who held
onto bitterness for over 45 years till a deathbed.
I spent the time with her just before she died, and she kept
going on about what happened back in 1974 and it was, you
know, she, she passed away two years ago and all she could see
was this bitterness in her lives.
And I think it really grasp us. And as I was looking at the life
of Epsilon, I was really taken by how his life was directed and
guided by the bitterness in his life.
Now. If you look at his name, it's
father of peace. That wasn't his life, that
wasn't the life of Epsilon. And so I've renamed it and I've
called these chapters overcome by bitterness.
So we're going to be going through quite a few verses.
So if you open your Bibles to second, Samuel chapter 13, and
we're going to be dumping along the way as we look through it.
Before we see this guy, Absalon was a guy of great potential.
When you think about Epsilon, he had the opportunity to do
something great in that Nation. He was first of all, he was born
into the royalty. He was born the son of David,
one of the greatest Kings or the greatest King that has been on
Earth until Christ returns. He was in this family.
He'd come into this family. He was favored by his dad.
He like he was loved by his father, but not only that.
He was also born as the son of the daughter of the king of
another kingdom. So he was born into to a royal
family. He had everything going for him.
This one. I'm afraid.
Well, miss me out on this one. He was praised for his looks.
He was the most handsome guy. If you read that chapter, 14,
verses 25 and 26. And second, Samuel says, now, in
all Israel. There was no one so much to be
praised for his handsome. Appearance is Absalon from the
sole of his foot to the crown of his head.
There was no blemish in them. And when he cut the hair of his
head, for at the end of every year, he used to cut it when it
was heavy on him. He cut it.
He way. The head here of his head 200
shekels by the Kings wait. Now, some of us don't have that
problem, as you can see, but he was an amazing looking young
guy. But as here would be his
downfall. As you'll see later on, we'll
get to that. But he was in a position.
He was loved, he was in a royal family.
He looked great and he was loved by David.
And first Samuel, 1833 is says, yo, in when Absalon had passed
away. He said, oh my Absalon, my son,
my son, Absalom. What did I have died?
Instead of you? Oh Absalom, my son and, and that
repeating and Hebrew. Is that a real intense emphasis
that David loved him. He didn't cry like that for any
of his others other Sons. So he was loved by the way,
David. So he could have been a great
leader. He could have been an amazing
young man. Who took took took join two
Nations together, join two kingdoms together, who would
have been a great. Boy.
This. He allowed himself to be.
But that all changed as, you know, when you looked at chapter
13, didn't it? I understand you've looked at
chapter 13 and what happened in there?
Is that right? Someone's nodding your heads.
Yep. Okay, in Chapter 13, we know
what happened. His sister was raped by amnon.
And what happens is? He becomes bitter about it.
He finds out he finally forces it out of us.
It's just that. And he is filled with what
revenge for two whole years at tells us in first second,
Samuel, 14 to 23, but two full years, he was For a chance to
get back. And that's what business does in
our lives when we start getting a grudge, or when we start
focusing on things. We don't like happening to us.
We start looking for a way to get back and we often hear This.
This term that says your time will come, your time will come,
you know, already we're sort of thinking about revenge and and
you may say I'm not really but that's what that is because we
become bitter about things that happen in our lives.
And it's It's controlling us and it really controlled him.
He spent two years looking for that opportunity.
To get revenge. Now, we could say.
Well David was actually, you know, the reason the cause of
this. It's so easy to blame him.
Isn't he David? You should have acted out justly
and punish them. Then you should have done this
job. So it's your fault that I'm like
this. But no, you see I hear that
often people saying to me, it's someone else's fault.
They should have done that. But each of us have our own
choice. How we react how we respond and
Absalon chose to get revenge. So bitterness filled them with
revenge and bitterness really controls people.
And I've seen how, you know, we have a community Cafe at the
atiawa MU 2, and we deal with different people and I can see,
I see two great male friends, suddenly no longer sit together.
Together, don't talk to each other.
Don't greet each other. And oh, because something
happened a couple of days ago, or or yesterday and now this
lady used to come and her car. Now, she won't pick her up.
But and it just controls us because we are filled with
Revenge, but that's not all. This is the, I'm sure none of
you will do this. But this is the ultimate of
business. It created a murderer.
Absalom. After two full years, he found
the opportunity tells us in second Samuel 13.
The opportunity came for him to Kuhlman and When he did it, it
didn't make him feel any better. In fact, after you're done that
what happened? That lead to fear.
So he's got revenge for his sister.
He's killed this, got his half-brother, by the way colum
off. And you'd think now that's just
I've got revenge but it didn't result in there.
And that's often what happens when you have this decision of
bitterness in our lives or these grudges.
You may do something. It's the end, but it's not At
least a fear, so, because of epsilon's murderous act, he ran
away, and he went off to where his mother lived.
And after you find people who have grudges are always in fear.
People who have bitterness in their life tend to fear what's
going to happen next. And, as I talk to people and
talk to them about this. They were always afraid of what
their brothers going to do or the person they are up against.
You know, there's all this fear. There's no Freedom when you're
full of bitterness. There's no Freedom.
When you have grudges in your life, you're always afraid of
what's going to happen next. And you will always go back and
say but it's his fault. Her fault not My fault.
One thing I want to get across today.
There is always a choice for you to make.
Absalon had a choice. Absalon had a choice.
But he chose to go away. That was not helpful.
But in the beauty of God, there was the opportunity route to
repent. Wasn't there, you know in 2nd
Samuel 14. He returns to Jerusalem. and,
The king says, come back and live here.
And in this you thought about it, Absalon should have said or
go to the king and I'll ask for his forgiveness.
He had that opportunity to repent. in fact, in Samuel
second, Samuel 1433 It says, then job went to the king and
told him and he's stubborn Absalom.
So he came to the king and bowed himself on his face to the
ground before the king and the King because Absalon King David.
Accepted Epsilon. He was willing to forgive.
And in the see when you look at this picture, you sort of looks
like epsilon's repenting. Doesn't it?
Sorta. Looks like he's come before the
king and he's bound and he kissed but if you know the whole
story of Epsilon, You know, he came because of a need, he
wanted something and that's what business does.
It causes a what we call a two-faced aside of a person.
So when I need something and often I deal with many people
and often you'll find people have these real talking to a one
of our friends about it. And he said this person is
really Aunty this friend of mine.
Any cause I don't say anything. Nice.
But one day, actually this week, they rang him.
She look, I can you take me grocery shopping today.
And my friend had a choice to make this is, what do I do Shay.
I said Hagar so that you're not affected by it.
But as soon as it done that, she rang me up afterwards and
complained about him taking a drug grocery shopping.
You, when you have a need, you have this two-facedness about it
and its bitterness. And this is what Absalom was
like. He had this Grudge, but Susie
need had a need of the king. He went there, and he never
really repented. And I thought about that often
people come to the Lord like that.
Often people come to know Jesus Christ like that, but they don't
really know Jesus Christ because they had a need.
So they come before. God and say, Lord.
I need this and God helps them and then they walk away again.
This is what the life of Absalom was happen.
Was like he was a two-faced bitter, man.
Who used people, but he was a, he had this great potential, but
he couldn't live up to it because he is overtaken by
bitterness. Athene.
Even more resonance, created a rebel.
He couldn't agree with King David.
He couldn't stand King David. So he started showing doubt
about the leader of Israel. If you go to 2nd Samuel 15 and
would say this, see, your claims are good and right.
But there is no designation designated by the king to hear
you. He's planting doubt in people's
minds about the leader. He's planting doubt about who
the king really is and he's starting to become the rebel.
Is better said, I want to take the throne.
It could have been hers. The king probably would have
gladly given it to him. But he went about it the wrong
way. And often you see this happening
that people start, sowing doubt about someone in leadership.
That's why it says, in the and the, in the New Testament that
if someone comes to the, the elders, about one of the elders
in these to be real proof about it.
I saw the side as you've not in my notes Ari, but as a leader,
we need to be, you know, if you have something against a leader
go and talk to the leader. Not backbite in the background,
not go behind his back and say oh, do you know Paul is like
this, you know, Shane is doing this.
All hearsay, he started doubting and what he did was he focused
on something that people could grasp.
Yeah, if he was a good King, he would be putting someone here.
He started focusing on something that they could grass, but then
he did something more. In verse 4.
He promised a better. Life said, oh, that I were the
judge in the land that every man with a dispute or cause might
come to me and I would give them Justice.
So he started building himself up now.
He said I'm better than King David, you know, if I was King I
could do this. If I was the leader, this would
happen all based around, that person is for what happened in
his who are sister and he was if you think about if I would judge
you the lamb. What happened to her sister,
there was no judgment. There's no punishment.
There was no justice. Now.
He's focusing on if I was the judge.
If I was the leader, so he's starting to build a base.
And man, how many times I've seen this when People don't
agree with other people. I start going to people to start
saying yeah, but if I was there, you know, if we did this and it
comes from that graduate of the bitterness, but it also built a
great base for in valuing. And whenever a man came near to
pay home, it's verse 5 of second, Samuel, 15 to him.
He would put out his hand and hold of him and kiss him.
Thus, Absalon did to all of Israel who came to the king for
judgment. So, Absalon stole the hearts of
the men of Israel, one of the things you find with people who
are full of bitterness or grudging, and they start Getting
people to come onto this side. They start taking people as a
look. If I was like that look, are you
such a great guy and they start praising you for different
things and slowly build up a base for Rebellion.
Yeah, we lived in the Philippines for a number of
years. I was a missionary there.
My wife said today which is great and we were over there for
24 years and we had the what we call the npa's, they were the
New People's Army and they were the communist Army and what they
do is say they go in and they teach Young people about how bad
the government is. And they can do something about
it. So they start recruiting people
and they build a base for rebellion.
And in renny's Province where she came from, they had actually
had the comment, one of the Communist bases there, the NPA
by basis, there are quite scary. One day we were sitting there
and renny's Auntie's Place. Walking away to the batter a
little sari-sari store. Now, sari-sari store is like a
dairy but it's got bars on it and all that but we were, we
were sitting there and there's a couple came up and we just
started talking away and no problem.
We just started talking and my natural reaction was to start
sharing the gospel and and talk with them.
Anyway. They lift.
And when he's on t-64 Shane, I'm glad you said nothing against
the MPAA. She was it, that's the eagle.
One of the eagle units. Eagle units is the ones that
would go round. I saw as the sparrow units that
was a sparrow unit there on R&R. They are the R&R group are the
ones that are in vanilla shooting, all the policemen.
So they go over in threes on motorbikes and if you see it
anything against the NPA, Thankfully, the Lord didn't cut
my tongue that time, I think. Thank you.
Interesting. You have your spare units in the
government started, the eagle units which would chase after
these Sparrow units. But it was building a base, and
they would start building a base against the government.
This is what Absalon was doing. So that people would turn
against the king. When you look at it, isn't it?
You know, so doubt promised a better life and you think about
it. Is that what happened?
The Garden of Eden as well? Satan came along, he was bitter
and full of Pride. He had been chucked Out of
Heaven, what'd he do? He went up, is his did God
really say that, you know, if you if you if you take a bite of
that you'll be like God promise of a better life.
And he said, you know, good know you will know what is good and
raw and bad. So he started to build a base of
rebellion, which we face today as well, because exactly the
same thing, you see, that's what bitterness and grudges can do.
That's what they can do. It becomes we become more like
Satan. But that wasn't the end of it.
Person has created a liar. And I read 2nd Samuel 15 7 to
12. This chapter 15 verses 7 to 12.
It says this. And at the end of four years
Absalon, said to the king, please let me go and pay my vow,
which I have vowed to the Lord and He Braun or your servant.
They'll devour while I lived a Keisha in RM.
Say if the Lord will, indeed bring me back to Jerusalem, then
I will offer worship to the Lord.
The king said to him, go in peace.
So he arose and went to Hebron. But Absalon since secret
messages throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying as soon
as you hear the sound of the trumpet will then say Absalon is
King at Hebron, with Absalom in 200, men from Jerusalem who were
invited guests and they went in their innocence and you nothing.
And while Absalon was offering the sacrifice he sent for a
thought bubble, The Gila night David's counselor from his City
Gila and the conspiracy grew strong.
And the people with Absalon kept increasing.
He became a liar. He lied to David the king.
He had had the opportunity to repent but here he is lying.
And it might have been a half-truth.
He might have said, I'd made a vow to go and not offer worship
to the Lord and He Braun. He might have made that that
foul, but it was actually a half-truth.
That was a lie. Was he was veiny support, he
wanted to to take the king over and he starts preparing for it.
And he gets everyone behind him and I love the fact that he said
there were 200 men who had no idea what was going on.
Well, me and probably that's half our lives but never mind.
But these 200 mean who had no idea, they were innocent.
And they went along with Epsilon thinking though doing the king
of favor going with Epsilon. They'll probably protecting him
from the bandits and all that. And they were going along
thinking. Well, you know, this is really
neat, absalon's come become no, worshiping the Lord, and he's
doing it or what's happening. Absalon in his bitterness and
his grudges preparing to take over the kingdom.
And then in front of that and this is what really gets me.
He convinced a king's Ally to follow him. see, once people
start gaining ground, and, and, and Ally, They easily convince
other people. If we are not aware of what God
is doing in our lives, here. Is this man?
Toons against King. David Ben has a lie.
Being this counselor and he turns against David because
Absalon was so convincing and I often say to people, when you
hear a story of someone's drama, make sure they hear the other
side because the other side is always got a different view on
it, but it is amazing how quickly take the sides of people
and we start believing people without really thinking about is
this true? And I'm not saying it's not
Chris. I'm saying this as well.
We need to start looking at what?
What is being said? What is true?
So that we aren't convinced to a false necessity.
And so comes the battle. David.
Flees Jerusalem, heads out gets out of town when you think about
David could have raise up an army, but I guess when you think
of it, it's his son. And when he said when they did
go to war he said take care of this guy Absalon.
It's my son. Don't kill him.
So I guess he runs out of Jerusalem thinking, if I give it
over there'll be no more nothing, but they end up in the
woods that are frame and a big war starts.
And what happens? Burton the sport, the
destruction of Absalom. His life had become so so rough
and so bad. He is defeated by a small army
is defeated and by this Army that that David had with him
with these servants, he had and he takes over.
This is twenty thousand were killed on that day.
So you can see how many people that they absolutely convinced
something. He had mistaken or forgotten,
was that the Lord was on David side.
And David was given a victory. But he did say he did say don't
kill my son deal. Gently in chapter 18, June deal
gently for my sake with the young man Absalom.
And all the people heard when the good King gave orders to all
the commanders about their belt Absalon.
Is a Jesus David loved his son? Despite everything that had
happened, despite all that. He that had that Absalon had
done, David, still love the sun. I think man what an example for
us, you know, you still love those who hold grudges against
us on our site. Not not if we have the gradual,
we'd better but the people had a bitter against us.
Still love them, still careful them.
Still look after them. As the guy that rang me, this
week, is his look, it's our responsibility as God-fearing
people to look after that. Even if they disagree with us.
Like David, he looked after Epsilon.
He was totally convinced Absalon, shouldn't be killed
deal with him gently. But that wasn't what happened
was it? And first and second Samuel, 18.
We read the story of Epsilon. We start at verse 9 and Absalon
happened to meet the Servants of David.
Absalom was riding on his mule and the mule went under the
thick branches of a Great Oak. And as he'd called faster than
the old and he was suspended Between Heaven and Earth while
the mule that was under him went on.
This big hit, because he what what he used to do is tie up his
here when he went to battle, and he got caught the pride of his
life is here and he got caught stuck between branches.
And of course, his downfall. Now, there are things in our
lives that are we are very, very proud about.
We've got to remember that God has given us new life, and it is
only because of God, it's not because of us.
Nothing we can do, can change our lives, only God can do that.
But the story didn't end there. And a certain man saw it and
told Joe, a behold. I saw Epsilon hanging in a note
job said to the man who told him, what you saw, what you saw
him. Why then did you not strike him
there to the ground. I would have been glad to give
you 10 pieces of silver and about.
But the man said to Job, even if I felt it in my hand, the weight
of a thousand pieces of silver, I would not reach out my hand
against the King's son or in our hearing the king commanded you
and to be shy and he thigh For my sake, protect the young man,
Absalom. On the other hand, if I had
dealt treacherously against his life and there is nothing hidden
from the King. Then you yourself would have
stood aloof. Joe said, I will not waste time
like this with you and he took three javelins in his hand and
thrust him into the heart of absolon while he was still
alive. And the Oak in ten young men,
Joe is our jobs armor. Bearers surrounded, Epsilon and
struck him and killed him. How do you think Jay Ed was so
adamant about there? Well, I just like to think he
was killed by another bitter man.
You know, what happened back earlier when Absalom wanted to
see the king. He went and burned Joey's
fields. So Joe was looking for an
opportunity to get back at him. So here was another bitter, man,
and there's something you notice with bitterness.
If you have better and we they really I know Billy.
So I'm really bitter against Billy.
So I'm doing things to Billy and then Jonathan there's is well,
I'm going to take care of Shame for you, Billy and Jonathan
becomes better better and it just grows and you may think
that that doesn't happen. I'll tell you the tell you a
story. A true one.
As a missionary, we would travel around New Zealand.
When we came home. And I used to be not now, but I
used to be involved in the gym. Okay?
Yeah, I was a lot better than Jonathan.
When we got to Hornby in Christchurch, I went to a gym
there. I walked in this gym and I was
going to sign in and there was this named Shane will damoff.
I thought I haven't been here yet.
So I asked the guy at the desk. He says he's such a size in
there. Now.
She's alive because I'm Shane will D'Amato.
So, I put my name under his name and Windham to the German and he
was Shane will do boss and we got talking and we're about the
same age. And we had a really neat time
together, talking and he said, chain.
Give us a call. And we'll go out for dinner with
your wife, and then it's yeah, great.
So, finish up, Jim go home. And then the next day I rang and
this is basically conversation. I rang the phone that number had
given and Shane's father picked it up and I see it.
Hello is Shane there, please? Who's this?
I'm Shane waldemar. Where you from.
I'm from the North Island. Put the phone down on me.
Didn't have any clue what was happening.
It was until 2004 that we found out the story.
My great-great-great-grandfather fathers had run away from
Ireland and catch the boat, the Raglan, and they were on this
boat. And while they were on the boat,
they had a big scrap. So one of them jumped off the
boat at Raglan and swam ashore. The other guy carried on, he
went down to Christchurch. They had this Grudge and they
held that Grudge all their lives.
They passed it on to the next great grandfather and they pass
it on to my grandfather and then my grandfather passed it on to
his sons. So, when I rang up, he was still
thinking about it. Something that happened in the
eighteen hundreds. And we found that out and 2004
when I went to go and speak at te kuiti attempt on renew e
because the guy there we spoke out.
He was a policeman at Tamra. No, and he says, well, I know
that name, I put him in prison on that on Friday night.
I see I'm a I'm a good woman, but there's groans just carried
on, and on and on. And the bitterness just carried
on and in the Philippines and some of the Philippine they know
what that's like, I remember one day that some cousins were
getting were drinking. There.
Are there about 45 50 and now drinking and I got drunk and I
really doubt and I turned up and here they were going at each
other with these long bolos knives and we got them apart and
we held them apart. You know what, they'll find out.
Brother stole his girlfriend when he was 15 years old.
You see, we hold onto these grudges in this bitterness and
it just folds in our lives. And it destroys us destroys
everything about us even as Christians.
We can't live for God, because there is bitterness in our
lives, and we've got to get through it.
Who can overcome it? And that's where I really want
to finish. How do we overcome bitterness in
our lives? Absalon never did.
And the first thing we need to do is come to the Lord Jesus
Christ. We cannot overcome bitterness by
yourself. We cannot overcome grudges by
ourselves because here is our human nature that she is.
I am better than you. As human nature.
And we need to come before Christ and Sears before, because
if you confess with your mouth, that Jesus is Lord, and believe
in your heart, that God raised him from the dead, you will be
saved for with the heart. One Believes and is Justified.
And with the mouth one confesses and is saying, You need to, we
need to come before Christ and say, Lord.
I am a sinner. I don't know if this is allowed
in this church. So I'm going to say it anyway,
and because I'm a sinner, I'm going to hell.
And because I'm going to hell, I need a savior.
And that saviors, you Lord Jesus.
And when you look at Romans, we have a men's bible study group
in a coffee shop on Thursday mornings.
We were looking at this and we was talking about in Romans,
when you came to the Lord, Jesus said he is Lord, you were
willing to have your head chopped off.
You were willing to be fed to the Lions.
You were willing to be nailed to the cross because you are saying
Jesus is Lord, not Caesar. And that's what we need to get
back to in our Christian. Faith.
Jesus is Lord. He is Master.
He is most important. Then anything else in this
world? He's more important than that.
Job is more important than the promotion is more important than
the brand new Chi. Jesus is the most important
thing. And we need as a church.
And and in this world, you know, we're very privileged at the
moment. We're running Alpha and we're
seeing people come to the Lord there because there is confusion
in our world. There's one thing great about
this covid-19, no matter what you believe about it.
I listen to people talking about conspiracies and all sorts of
stuff, no matter what you believe about it.
People don't know what's going to happen next.
And we Christians have the answer.
We Christians have Jesus Christ who gives hope cleans the
confusion heals the bitterness. And we need to be out there and
I really reiterate what Matt said about the community get out
there. You know, one of the things that
I've found with our in our community is often the common
comment was, you know, churches come into our community for six
months and then none of us go to church.
So they leave us. We've been working for six years
with these people in our community.
We are only now, starting to see results because you stick with
them. You build them as I get them
behind anything in the community, whether it's an
opportunity to share. But to overcome bitterness.
I got a sorry. I got off.
My subject. Overcoming bitterness is coming
to Christ and surrendering to the Lord, Jesus bowing before
him. Admitting we are a sinner man
missing that we need him admitting in the one wonderful
thing about crisis. When you call on his name.
Do you read through the down? The Romans?
It says this you will be saved, you will have eternal life.
You will be a child of God. What is another area that I
think we need to do as well? Forgive.
As Christ, forgave you. Put on there and it's God's
chosen ones. Holy and beloved compassionate
Hearts. Kindness humility.
Meekness and patience bearing with one another.
And if one has a complaint against another forgiving each
other as the Lord has forgiven you.
So you also must forgive Honestly, it's not hard to
understand, is it? Why do we struggle?
Why do we struggle in this area? We need to come before the Lord
and ask him to help us forgive and we will all have to do.
It is things in our lives that we know.
We need to forgive other people. It may not be all the time.
But there may be things that happen in our lives that we
start saying. Not going to have anything to do
with that person anymore. You know.
I did, I did some things that were not right and we got
separated from him and Basically us kids hated him except their
youngest was. She didn't really know what had
happened. He was doing the basketball
happen when it went down my brother.
For 30 years did not talk to my father because he was angry, he
was bitter. And I can only say it was
because I became a Christian that I actually forgave my dad.
I was 19 there. Seven years later that I
actually ended up for giving my father, but it was only because
of Christ. I couldn't do it.
My brother had to wait on my
father was in Tehran, a hospital dying before he realized.
You know, so often we hold on to the stuff and all the Lord is
saying forgive doesn't mean you forget.
I think people have a wrong understanding of forgiveness.
It doesn't mean that you will forget it.
We don't forget stuff, our mind. Is that breit, that, that great
that God has made it. We won't forget stuff that you
make an effort to forgive people.
That might mean going up and just talking to that person.
It doesn't mean that Justice stops.
If there's something has been done wrong, Justice continues,
but you can forgive It doesn't mean that you have to be best
mates again. although, you may be But it does mean freedom for
you, because when buttons and Grudge takes and grudges take
over our life. It's not the person.
We're bitter to that has struggles.
It's us, it's you. And I, we are the one that
struggles But continuing on their lives and, and their
potential, and we are controlled by what we've seen, what we and
our business. But it doesn't mean you have
freedom and you can do what God wants you to do.
It does mean that you can live to your potential as a Christian
whether it's in Ministry and full-time Ministry, whether it's
at work ministering at work, whether it's at University
Ministry, and you can live your life to its potential.
But a starts. With forgiveness.
We're going to the Lord's Supper.
I understand from here. Not encourage you in?
It's not be an Epsilon. Let's not allow it.
To destroy us. If you have to forgive a parent,
a child, a friend, a mate, do it.
Because you will experience. What?
It's like to be free and that you have the opportunity.
Absalom didn't Acres, maybe you can take its prey father.
We see in the life of Absalom the total bitterness he felt
because of what happened to her sister.
And it controlled his life, the point to his destruction.
But Lord, you have given us the opportunity today.
To come to you. The call on your name.
And have that strength to forgive those around us.
Lord, I pray that each of us will take that opportunity and
live their Christian Life that you've asked us to live
forgiving. As you forgave us completely.
Without condition. Good.
May, each of us today consider people that we may need to
forgive. And freely, forgive them.
Seeking the now. Talking to them.
Freeing us from any Grudge and bitterness and our lives.
Father. We know we can do this.
Only through you therefore we call on your name again.
Say Lord strengthen us. Encourage us and help us.
In Jesus name, amen. In Jesus name, amen.