1 00:00:00,720 --> 00:00:04,440 Oh, crossing family. I am so glad that you are here. 2 00:00:04,440 --> 00:00:06,320 I want to begin with a little story. 3 00:00:06,360 --> 00:00:10,760 Some of you already know it. In the late 1800s, there were 4 00:00:10,760 --> 00:00:14,840 two families occupying the border towns of Kentucky and 5 00:00:14,840 --> 00:00:19,520 West Virginia, and one family was accused of stealing the 6 00:00:19,560 --> 00:00:22,680 other family's pig. You can imagine how big of a 7 00:00:22,680 --> 00:00:25,720 deal this was. In fact, it went to trial and 8 00:00:25,720 --> 00:00:29,000 the family that was accused of stealing the pig, they were 9 00:00:29,000 --> 00:00:31,920 actually acquitted and they were able to go free. 10 00:00:32,240 --> 00:00:35,360 This angered the family who lost their pig and so they took 11 00:00:35,360 --> 00:00:40,280 revenge by killing a trial witness for the accused people 12 00:00:40,720 --> 00:00:42,360 who they accused of stealing the pig. 13 00:00:43,400 --> 00:00:46,040 So this led to a fight between the two families where the 14 00:00:46,040 --> 00:00:49,240 accused family actually lost another family member. 15 00:00:49,960 --> 00:00:53,120 So they went out and executed three of the people that accused 16 00:00:53,120 --> 00:00:57,160 them for stealing the pigs. In response, the accused family 17 00:00:57,160 --> 00:01:01,080 surrounded the cabin of the accusers, set fire to it, and 18 00:01:01,080 --> 00:01:04,480 killed two more of the family members who'd lost the pig. 19 00:01:05,200 --> 00:01:08,960 Eventually, state militias had to be intervened and put an end 20 00:01:08,960 --> 00:01:13,240 to the 11 year squabble between the two families. 21 00:01:13,840 --> 00:01:17,600 The name of the families? The Hatfields and the Mccoys. 22 00:01:18,000 --> 00:01:23,040 When the dust settled, the two family members had lost 12, or 23 00:01:23,040 --> 00:01:29,120 the two families had lost 12 family members over a pig. 24 00:01:30,160 --> 00:01:35,880 Today we are going to talk about forgiveness and I want to 25 00:01:35,880 --> 00:01:38,520 welcome all of you joining from all of our different locations. 26 00:01:38,800 --> 00:01:41,760 Those of you who are watching online and inside, we are so 27 00:01:41,760 --> 00:01:43,320 glad that we get to partner with you. 28 00:01:43,720 --> 00:01:46,920 We had such a powerful weekend as we celebrated Easter as a 29 00:01:46,920 --> 00:01:50,960 church and I want to encourage you not to give up the ground 30 00:01:50,960 --> 00:01:53,480 you've taken if you came for the first time. 31 00:01:53,640 --> 00:01:55,440 Keep it up. God's up to something. 32 00:01:55,760 --> 00:01:58,480 If you served for the first time, keep it up. 33 00:01:58,720 --> 00:02:01,120 God wants to do a work through you. 34 00:02:01,520 --> 00:02:04,960 If you prayed at the steps for the first time, keep praying. 35 00:02:05,320 --> 00:02:08,080 If you invited somebody, keep inviting. 36 00:02:08,280 --> 00:02:12,160 Satan wants to knock us off our path and to get us to stop 37 00:02:12,160 --> 00:02:14,680 moving in the direction of Jesus. 38 00:02:14,960 --> 00:02:19,000 However, in his desire to rob you of your purpose, to blind 39 00:02:19,000 --> 00:02:23,840 you from God's plan, He only has power to do that if you allow 40 00:02:23,840 --> 00:02:25,800 it. And there is an incredible team 41 00:02:25,800 --> 00:02:28,840 of staff and difference makers at all of our different campuses 42 00:02:29,080 --> 00:02:33,000 who would love an opportunity to join you, to encourage you to 43 00:02:33,000 --> 00:02:36,440 cheer you on as you move forward. 44 00:02:36,960 --> 00:02:41,800 Last week we started a brand new series entitled Jesus Is Better 45 00:02:41,800 --> 00:02:46,000 Than You Thought with the tagline God's Way is the best 46 00:02:46,000 --> 00:02:48,720 Way and there might be some of you who are going. 47 00:02:48,720 --> 00:02:51,800 I don't want to give up the life that I'm living and you're 48 00:02:51,800 --> 00:02:52,920 going. It's not that. 49 00:02:52,920 --> 00:02:56,680 I think that the life I'm living is all that fantastic and all 50 00:02:56,680 --> 00:02:59,800 that fulfilling. I just don't know if there's any 51 00:02:59,800 --> 00:03:03,520 better options than to live life on my own terms. 52 00:03:03,960 --> 00:03:06,240 Some of you, you're think you're looking at following Jesus and 53 00:03:06,240 --> 00:03:09,080 you're going, that's kind of a downgrade and my life's already 54 00:03:09,080 --> 00:03:10,680 kind of bad. So I don't really want to take, 55 00:03:10,680 --> 00:03:13,720 you know, another step back. Some of you, when you look at a 56 00:03:13,720 --> 00:03:17,080 life of following Jesus, you see it as limiting. 57 00:03:17,680 --> 00:03:21,440 You see it as restrictive. Some of you might be thinking 58 00:03:21,440 --> 00:03:24,320 about Jesus and you're going, yeah, I'd live for that, but I 59 00:03:24,320 --> 00:03:27,200 think that's completely archaic and out of touch. 60 00:03:27,200 --> 00:03:30,160 How can something that was founded, you know, thousands of 61 00:03:30,160 --> 00:03:32,920 years ago be relevant to what I'm doing today? 62 00:03:34,160 --> 00:03:40,640 But what if following Jesus is actually way better than you've 63 00:03:40,640 --> 00:03:45,400 ever thought? What if God's way really is the 64 00:03:45,400 --> 00:03:48,160 best way? Not just in like 1 area of your 65 00:03:48,160 --> 00:03:54,600 life or two areas of your life, but absolutely every area of 66 00:03:54,600 --> 00:03:57,160 your life. I'm convinced of it. 67 00:03:57,280 --> 00:04:01,160 In fact, next week I'm going to be talking about what do you do 68 00:04:01,720 --> 00:04:05,480 when you've messed up? What do you do when you've 69 00:04:05,480 --> 00:04:08,040 failed? How many of us at our different 70 00:04:08,040 --> 00:04:10,920 locations, you know, somebody who's messed up? 71 00:04:11,840 --> 00:04:13,000 Yeah, you drove them here, right? 72 00:04:14,680 --> 00:04:18,279 We get it. And some of you right now you're 73 00:04:18,279 --> 00:04:21,600 in the middle of a mess up. You're right in the thick of it. 74 00:04:21,600 --> 00:04:24,720 You're navigating stuff at home. You're navigating a failure 75 00:04:24,720 --> 00:04:27,720 maybe in your marriage or your parenting or at work. 76 00:04:28,120 --> 00:04:31,080 Some of you, if you were to be honest, you've had some pretty 77 00:04:31,080 --> 00:04:35,600 substantial failures when it comes to relationships or faith. 78 00:04:35,840 --> 00:04:39,520 Some of you are actually in a battle in your faith right now. 79 00:04:40,160 --> 00:04:44,440 What do you do when you find yourself at the bottom of a hole 80 00:04:44,600 --> 00:04:50,320 you never intended to dig? Well, I'm going to answer all of 81 00:04:50,320 --> 00:04:53,120 those questions next week, and if you're the kind of person who 82 00:04:53,120 --> 00:04:56,240 goes that would register with me, you'd be a perfect candidate 83 00:04:56,240 --> 00:04:59,280 show for church next weekend. Because I am thoroughly 84 00:04:59,280 --> 00:05:03,840 convinced that when you failed, God's way is the best way. 85 00:05:04,280 --> 00:05:08,800 But today I want to talk to you about what do you do when you've 86 00:05:08,800 --> 00:05:13,520 been hurt? Is God's way really the best 87 00:05:13,520 --> 00:05:16,760 way? When someone has harmed you, 88 00:05:17,920 --> 00:05:20,240 Hurt you? You guys know this. 89 00:05:20,440 --> 00:05:24,920 The longer you live, the more pain you'll experience, the more 90 00:05:24,920 --> 00:05:29,760 hurtful and harmful situations you will have to navigate. 91 00:05:30,920 --> 00:05:35,960 And when these things happen, you have two choices. 92 00:05:36,640 --> 00:05:41,120 You can either withhold forgiveness or you can give 93 00:05:41,160 --> 00:05:47,200 forgiveness. And to not make a choice is to 94 00:05:47,200 --> 00:05:50,680 make a choice. And it should come as no 95 00:05:50,680 --> 00:05:54,880 surprise to many of you that when you have been hurt, when 96 00:05:54,880 --> 00:05:59,960 you have gone through a harmful situation, God's way, God's 97 00:05:59,960 --> 00:06:06,720 path, God's best for you is for us to be in the forgiveness 98 00:06:07,200 --> 00:06:09,680 business. Now, I already know what some of 99 00:06:09,680 --> 00:06:11,960 you are getting ready to e-mail me, Clayton. 100 00:06:12,240 --> 00:06:15,320 You don't know what I have been through. 101 00:06:15,720 --> 00:06:17,760 And I want you to know you're right. 102 00:06:18,680 --> 00:06:20,280 I don't know what you're what you've been through. 103 00:06:20,640 --> 00:06:22,160 I don't even know what you're going through. 104 00:06:23,600 --> 00:06:27,840 But I'm going to circle back to that pain in just a little bit. 105 00:06:27,840 --> 00:06:30,960 So if you would just let me talk to you for like 15 minutes, then 106 00:06:30,960 --> 00:06:34,760 we'll circle back to the exact thing that you're navigating. 107 00:06:35,280 --> 00:06:38,120 What I want to do is I just want to spend a little bit of time 108 00:06:38,600 --> 00:06:43,400 exploring what forgiveness is, not what forgiveness is. 109 00:06:43,880 --> 00:06:47,840 And the reason I want to do that is I want us to establish some 110 00:06:47,840 --> 00:06:52,480 boundaries because every person needs boundaries. 111 00:06:52,720 --> 00:06:58,800 Unhealthy people have either no boundaries what so whatsoever or 112 00:06:58,800 --> 00:07:02,240 they are completely walled off from everybody. 113 00:07:03,520 --> 00:07:07,960 They either let people walk all over them and everybody has 114 00:07:07,960 --> 00:07:12,920 access to every part of them, or they have walled themselves off 115 00:07:13,120 --> 00:07:18,440 so that nobody can get in. Both of those are unhealthy 116 00:07:18,880 --> 00:07:24,720 people. Healthy people have very clear 117 00:07:25,120 --> 00:07:29,520 boundaries. Imagine your social life. 118 00:07:30,000 --> 00:07:33,880 Your emotional life should look a lot like your house. 119 00:07:35,080 --> 00:07:38,800 You probably have a fence. You probably have a gate. 120 00:07:39,320 --> 00:07:43,280 Hopefully your house has doors and windows. 121 00:07:44,440 --> 00:07:47,480 And there are clear ways for people to enter into your home. 122 00:07:48,160 --> 00:07:52,320 And when someone tries to come in through the window or by 123 00:07:52,720 --> 00:07:57,000 beating down the door, that is not a friend, that is an enemy. 124 00:07:57,680 --> 00:07:59,600 And you should be able to distinguish that. 125 00:08:00,240 --> 00:08:04,400 A wise person has the ability for people to come in, but they 126 00:08:04,400 --> 00:08:12,440 have to come in the right way. You can give unconditional love 127 00:08:12,920 --> 00:08:16,840 without giving unrestricted access. 128 00:08:18,040 --> 00:08:20,080 Some people, when we're following Jesus, we're trying to 129 00:08:20,080 --> 00:08:22,880 be everything we can be for God and everything we can be for the 130 00:08:22,880 --> 00:08:26,720 people around us. And we somehow think that I can. 131 00:08:26,880 --> 00:08:30,600 If I really love people, I can let them into every area of my 132 00:08:30,600 --> 00:08:32,600 life as often as they want to come in. 133 00:08:33,000 --> 00:08:36,159 That is not healthy. Those are not good boundaries. 134 00:08:36,760 --> 00:08:40,520 The wisest man born outside of Jesus writes these words in 135 00:08:40,520 --> 00:08:44,000 Proverbs Chapter 4. Above all else, guard your 136 00:08:44,000 --> 00:08:48,280 Everybody say that word heart, for it is the wellspring of 137 00:08:48,280 --> 00:08:51,080 life. He's saying put some boundaries 138 00:08:51,080 --> 00:08:55,600 around it, station some people to guard it, to protect it. 139 00:08:56,200 --> 00:08:59,080 And one of the ways that we guard our heart is by 140 00:08:59,080 --> 00:09:02,040 establishing really clear boundaries. 141 00:09:02,480 --> 00:09:05,880 In fact, Psalm, one verse one says blessed is the man who 142 00:09:05,880 --> 00:09:09,720 doesn't walk in the counsel of the wicked, stand in the way of 143 00:09:09,720 --> 00:09:12,760 sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. 144 00:09:14,040 --> 00:09:19,280 What he's saying is as you walk, as you stand, as you sit, you 145 00:09:19,280 --> 00:09:21,080 should pay attention to those people. 146 00:09:21,320 --> 00:09:23,560 And if they're not the right people, you should have the 147 00:09:23,560 --> 00:09:29,360 wisdom to step aside. Proverbs 1320 says He who walks 148 00:09:29,360 --> 00:09:36,480 with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm. 149 00:09:37,080 --> 00:09:40,960 So you should have some boundaries about who you let 150 00:09:40,960 --> 00:09:44,760 into your heart. There can be boundaries about 151 00:09:44,760 --> 00:09:49,440 who you allow into your life. And when it comes to 152 00:09:49,440 --> 00:09:53,320 forgiveness, there are clear boundaries. 153 00:09:53,880 --> 00:09:56,440 So let's talk about what forgiveness is not. 154 00:09:56,520 --> 00:09:58,880 Let's get rid of all the bad teaching that's out there. 155 00:09:59,160 --> 00:10:05,880 So the first one is forgiveness is not denying or diminishing 156 00:10:06,280 --> 00:10:09,760 the sin. The last thing that forgiveness 157 00:10:09,760 --> 00:10:13,240 is, is acting like the thing didn't happen in the 1st place. 158 00:10:13,960 --> 00:10:16,160 That is one of the dumbest things that you could ever ask 159 00:10:16,160 --> 00:10:19,560 someone to do, Man, I I it's not that big of a deal. 160 00:10:19,560 --> 00:10:23,200 No, no, no, no, no, no. It's a really big deal to me. 161 00:10:23,560 --> 00:10:27,200 It really, really hurt. And when someone comes along and 162 00:10:27,200 --> 00:10:29,440 goes Oh well, it's just not that big of a deal. 163 00:10:31,000 --> 00:10:34,200 What you want to do is figure out if you can get forgiveness 164 00:10:34,200 --> 00:10:39,840 from God for punching that person in the face, right? 165 00:10:40,440 --> 00:10:43,000 Oh, it's not that big of a deal. Well, it didn't happen to you, 166 00:10:43,000 --> 00:10:45,480 did it? I'm sorry. 167 00:10:45,520 --> 00:10:49,200 Jesus, heal their bloody nose, OK? 168 00:10:49,520 --> 00:10:53,040 Forgiveness is not covering up a sin. 169 00:10:58,960 --> 00:11:03,720 You can still call the cops. You can still press charges. 170 00:11:05,120 --> 00:11:10,080 You can still tell somebody that it happened and forgive an 171 00:11:13,000 --> 00:11:16,640 abuser. A person who intentionally harms 172 00:11:17,200 --> 00:11:21,320 would get you to think that if you've really forgiven them, 173 00:11:21,920 --> 00:11:25,440 which is your obligation, that there are no more earthly 174 00:11:25,440 --> 00:11:28,600 consequences. Those are two completely 175 00:11:28,600 --> 00:11:31,680 separate issues. Forgiveness and justice are 176 00:11:31,680 --> 00:11:35,720 different. God tells us to walk in the 177 00:11:35,720 --> 00:11:43,000 light because he is in the light, and God is not honored 178 00:11:43,480 --> 00:11:46,560 when we push things into the corner, sweep them under the 179 00:11:46,560 --> 00:11:49,320 rug, or keep them in the shadows. 180 00:11:50,560 --> 00:11:54,720 You can forgive somebody and still tell on somebody. 181 00:11:56,160 --> 00:11:58,760 Forgiveness. This one's going to frustrate 182 00:11:58,760 --> 00:12:02,280 him is not a response to an apology. 183 00:12:05,240 --> 00:12:06,960 Parents, this is what we do a lot of times. 184 00:12:07,720 --> 00:12:11,120 Your two kids punching each other, or one punches the other 185 00:12:11,120 --> 00:12:16,400 one and then we say say you're sorry and then we turn to the 186 00:12:16,400 --> 00:12:18,400 other kid and go, what do you say? 187 00:12:18,760 --> 00:12:21,480 I forgive you. We have literally just taught 188 00:12:21,480 --> 00:12:24,720 our kids an unbiblical principle when it comes to forgiveness. 189 00:12:26,480 --> 00:12:29,040 Forgiveness does not require them to be sorry. 190 00:12:29,800 --> 00:12:32,280 It doesn't even require a conversation. 191 00:12:33,320 --> 00:12:36,160 If you are waiting for someone to say that they are sorry 192 00:12:36,160 --> 00:12:39,160 before you grant forgiveness, some of you will be waiting 193 00:12:39,200 --> 00:12:44,120 forever. A Harvard study shows that 52% 194 00:12:44,120 --> 00:12:47,960 of people reported receiving an apology from the person who had 195 00:12:47,960 --> 00:12:50,360 wronged them. What that would mean is that if 196 00:12:50,360 --> 00:12:52,880 God tells us that we are supposed to be in the 197 00:12:52,880 --> 00:12:57,200 forgiveness business, and if we are supposed to wait until they 198 00:12:57,200 --> 00:13:01,280 actually say they're sorry before we can obey God, that 199 00:13:01,280 --> 00:13:06,240 means that our ability to obey God is limited by the sinful 200 00:13:06,240 --> 00:13:09,440 behavior and the pride of the person who abused you or 201 00:13:09,440 --> 00:13:14,800 offended you. What that means is you can 202 00:13:14,800 --> 00:13:18,360 forgive somebody regardless of whether or not they ever say 203 00:13:18,360 --> 00:13:22,320 that they're sorry. So think about this parenting. 204 00:13:23,320 --> 00:13:25,920 One kid hits the other kid and you look at the little kid. 205 00:13:25,920 --> 00:13:27,760 You're going to have to forgive him. 206 00:13:28,760 --> 00:13:33,480 He hasn't said he's sorry yet. I know life sucks you. 207 00:13:34,040 --> 00:13:36,080 You better get right with God before your mom gets home. 208 00:13:38,440 --> 00:13:39,760 That's the second coming of Christ. 209 00:13:39,760 --> 00:13:47,200 Mom coming home. Forgiveness is not forgetting. 210 00:13:49,960 --> 00:13:53,160 One of the dumbest lines you will ever hear somebody say is 211 00:13:53,160 --> 00:13:55,200 forgive and forget. When you hear that from 212 00:13:55,200 --> 00:13:58,760 somebody, that is a foolish person and you should not give 213 00:13:58,760 --> 00:14:02,120 them authority in your life because what they are doing is 214 00:14:02,120 --> 00:14:04,520 they are speaking horrible things into you. 215 00:14:05,000 --> 00:14:09,280 How could you possibly forget? Some of the things that have 216 00:14:09,280 --> 00:14:12,880 been done to you have been unbelievably painful. 217 00:14:13,720 --> 00:14:17,840 And so somehow my ability to forgive somebody is now tied to 218 00:14:17,840 --> 00:14:21,200 whether or not I can forget the traumatic experience. 219 00:14:22,560 --> 00:14:29,200 That's foolish. Forgiveness is not trusting. 220 00:14:31,560 --> 00:14:38,000 You can forgive somebody and never trust them again. 221 00:14:39,400 --> 00:14:42,880 Sometimes we think, well, if I really forgive them, then we can 222 00:14:42,920 --> 00:14:45,640 have our life completely back to the way it used to be. 223 00:14:46,880 --> 00:14:52,000 No, you can forgive someone and never put yourself in an unsafe 224 00:14:52,000 --> 00:14:56,160 position again. You may never trust them again. 225 00:14:56,880 --> 00:15:01,360 However, even though you don't trust them, you can still 226 00:15:01,480 --> 00:15:03,080 forgive them. I'm going to unpack this a 227 00:15:03,080 --> 00:15:07,560 little bit more in this next one because forgiveness is not 228 00:15:07,800 --> 00:15:12,920 reconciliation. Those are two different things. 229 00:15:13,360 --> 00:15:16,720 You can forgive someone and never be friends again. 230 00:15:17,760 --> 00:15:22,960 Reconciliation requires 2 people and everybody has to do their 231 00:15:22,960 --> 00:15:26,720 part. It is very possible, and maybe 232 00:15:26,720 --> 00:15:31,360 highly probable for many of you that some of the people who have 233 00:15:31,520 --> 00:15:35,400 hurt you, some of the people that have harmed you, your 234 00:15:35,400 --> 00:15:38,360 future with them will never look like your past. 235 00:15:39,320 --> 00:15:41,560 You might be going. If I really, really forgive 236 00:15:41,560 --> 00:15:44,400 them, then we'll be the same friends we used to be. 237 00:15:44,600 --> 00:15:48,040 That might not be the case. Our relationship will get 238 00:15:48,040 --> 00:15:51,560 restored to what it once was. That might be the case. 239 00:15:51,720 --> 00:15:54,920 But forgiveness and reconciliation are different 240 00:15:54,920 --> 00:15:57,280 things. Because in order for there to be 241 00:15:57,280 --> 00:16:00,640 reconciliation, there has to be an apology. 242 00:16:01,400 --> 00:16:05,280 And that apology has to come with repentance. 243 00:16:06,640 --> 00:16:08,800 And you might be going, well, how do I know if they truly 244 00:16:08,800 --> 00:16:10,520 repented? Here's what I'll tell you. 245 00:16:10,520 --> 00:16:13,640 This is what I've learned even inside of our our church as 246 00:16:13,640 --> 00:16:17,760 we're leading staff and stuff, genuine repentance is impossible 247 00:16:17,760 --> 00:16:21,760 to hide. It's when a person is imposing 248 00:16:21,760 --> 00:16:25,440 things on themselves instead of pushing back on everything that 249 00:16:25,440 --> 00:16:30,760 you impose on them, they are truly and meaningfully sorrowful 250 00:16:30,760 --> 00:16:33,800 over their behavior. They're not trying to get out of 251 00:16:33,800 --> 00:16:36,400 consequences. They're not trying to stop 252 00:16:36,400 --> 00:16:39,960 people from punishing them or bringing stuff to the light. 253 00:16:40,200 --> 00:16:44,160 They are overwhelmed by the weight of what they have done 254 00:16:44,880 --> 00:16:48,760 and they are going, I want to do everything that I need to do to 255 00:16:48,760 --> 00:16:53,560 make things right. That's genuine repentance. 256 00:16:53,840 --> 00:16:57,080 You can spot a person who is going in One Direction. 257 00:16:57,080 --> 00:17:00,600 Repentance is turning. You can see a person who is 258 00:17:00,600 --> 00:17:03,320 genuinely turning. So if that is what forgiveness 259 00:17:03,320 --> 00:17:06,280 is not, then what is forgiveness? 260 00:17:07,400 --> 00:17:09,920 Well, one of the things about forgiveness is forgiveness is 261 00:17:09,920 --> 00:17:14,880 removing their control. When you forgive somebody, you 262 00:17:14,880 --> 00:17:18,359 are releasing them from having control over your life. 263 00:17:19,200 --> 00:17:22,800 You are no longer allowing their words or their actions to 264 00:17:22,800 --> 00:17:29,440 control your identity, your thoughts, your emotions, your 265 00:17:29,440 --> 00:17:32,080 activities. You are, and I'm using this 266 00:17:32,080 --> 00:17:36,520 word, intentionally divorcing yourself from their power over 267 00:17:36,520 --> 00:17:39,600 you. Somebody said a incredibly 268 00:17:39,600 --> 00:17:43,520 hurtful thing over your life at some point in time, and that 269 00:17:43,520 --> 00:17:49,240 thing that they said has defined you and it is still defining you 270 00:17:49,240 --> 00:17:52,240 today. Which means you have not truly 271 00:17:52,240 --> 00:17:55,120 forgiven them. Because when you truly forgive 272 00:17:55,120 --> 00:17:59,320 them, you are releasing their identity, or the identity that 273 00:17:59,320 --> 00:18:02,280 they spoke over you. You are releasing yourself from 274 00:18:02,280 --> 00:18:04,640 it. You are divorcing yourself from 275 00:18:04,640 --> 00:18:07,840 it. Forgiveness is forsaking 276 00:18:07,960 --> 00:18:12,240 revenge. It is a way for you and I to 277 00:18:12,240 --> 00:18:15,760 leave room for God to issue justice. 278 00:18:16,320 --> 00:18:20,400 You are saying I am not going to get even. 279 00:18:21,240 --> 00:18:24,960 You are looking at the person who offended you and hurt you 280 00:18:25,280 --> 00:18:28,440 and you are saying you do not need to fear me. 281 00:18:29,040 --> 00:18:34,040 We are no longer at war. You may still experience the 282 00:18:34,040 --> 00:18:39,560 justice of God, but I am not going to get revenge. 283 00:18:40,280 --> 00:18:44,840 You may still get justice in the courts, but you are not trying 284 00:18:44,840 --> 00:18:50,000 to get even or pay them back. Romans chapter 12 says. 285 00:18:50,000 --> 00:18:55,920 Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, 286 00:18:56,200 --> 00:18:58,520 for it is written, it is mine to avenge. 287 00:18:59,120 --> 00:19:08,400 I will repay, says the Lord. Forgiveness is a gift. 288 00:19:09,840 --> 00:19:14,600 It is a gift that benefits boast both the Harmer and the harmed. 289 00:19:15,280 --> 00:19:18,960 It benefits the abuser and the abused. 290 00:19:19,760 --> 00:19:23,960 It releases them from your wrath, and it releases you from 291 00:19:24,120 --> 00:19:29,320 bitterness. When something bad happens to 292 00:19:29,320 --> 00:19:35,360 you and you begin to feel the weight of this, we will desire 293 00:19:35,360 --> 00:19:40,320 to punish them. When we give them a gift, we are 294 00:19:40,320 --> 00:19:42,280 no longer seeking their punishment. 295 00:19:42,280 --> 00:19:44,440 But you know what else we're doing? 296 00:19:45,080 --> 00:19:49,280 We're releasing ourselves from the bondage of bitterness. 297 00:19:51,320 --> 00:19:56,440 We all know somebody who never fully forgave, and they became 298 00:19:56,440 --> 00:20:00,440 bitter over time and they punished all people for one 299 00:20:00,440 --> 00:20:06,000 person's behavior and bitterness took over. 300 00:20:06,640 --> 00:20:11,320 I wonder how many of us would be way quicker to forgive people if 301 00:20:11,320 --> 00:20:17,480 we saw it as a gift that we were giving ourselves and our future 302 00:20:19,560 --> 00:20:27,320 forgiveness is canceling a debt. In fact, the Bible uses the word 303 00:20:27,560 --> 00:20:30,360 forgiveness in a variety of different ways. 304 00:20:30,880 --> 00:20:36,880 It uses words like leaving behind, letting go, abandoning, 305 00:20:37,240 --> 00:20:40,680 pardoning, divorcing, and cancelling. 306 00:20:40,920 --> 00:20:43,720 It carries with it some financial overtones. 307 00:20:44,240 --> 00:20:47,880 In other words, you are looking at the person who hurt you, and 308 00:20:47,880 --> 00:20:57,320 you are saying you owe me and it cost me dearly and I am 309 00:20:57,320 --> 00:21:01,400 canceling. I am forgiving the debt 310 00:21:02,560 --> 00:21:06,920 emotionally, spiritually, physically. 311 00:21:07,280 --> 00:21:13,160 You are abandoning the event, you are letting go of it, and 312 00:21:13,160 --> 00:21:16,120 you are moving past it now. I'm not an idiot. 313 00:21:16,120 --> 00:21:19,280 Neither are you. The smaller the pain, the easier 314 00:21:19,280 --> 00:21:24,480 it is to do this. But the deeper the pain, the 315 00:21:24,480 --> 00:21:29,200 larger the offense, the harder this is to do. 316 00:21:30,280 --> 00:21:35,280 Forgiveness is both a decision and a process. 317 00:21:35,880 --> 00:21:40,960 You are making up your mind to let go and then over time you 318 00:21:40,960 --> 00:21:44,680 are moving away. Now, time has no magical 319 00:21:44,680 --> 00:21:48,720 properties. It just takes some time to move 320 00:21:48,720 --> 00:21:52,200 on. You are distancing yourself, 321 00:21:52,480 --> 00:21:56,360 distancing your identity, distancing your emotions from 322 00:21:56,520 --> 00:21:59,400 the event. And when you're here and you're 323 00:21:59,400 --> 00:22:04,120 beginning the process of forgiving, here is what you're 324 00:22:04,120 --> 00:22:07,600 typing into your GPS now this is going to mess with you, but just 325 00:22:07,600 --> 00:22:10,840 bear with me. What you're typing in your GPS 326 00:22:10,840 --> 00:22:16,240 as a future destination for you is I want to get to a place 327 00:22:16,520 --> 00:22:19,800 where I genuinely want good things for them. 328 00:22:23,160 --> 00:22:29,640 That takes time to let go of what happened and move to a 329 00:22:29,640 --> 00:22:34,920 place where one day you are wanting good things for the 330 00:22:34,920 --> 00:22:41,800 people that did bad things to you, and your ability to want 331 00:22:41,800 --> 00:22:46,320 good things for them is an indicator of how well you have 332 00:22:46,320 --> 00:22:52,120 forgiven them. So why should you do this? 333 00:22:53,120 --> 00:22:57,840 Why is forgiveness so important? Why is God's way actually the 334 00:22:57,840 --> 00:23:01,800 best way for us? Because forgiveness is the 335 00:23:01,800 --> 00:23:07,160 pathway for a better quality of life and a longer life. 336 00:23:07,720 --> 00:23:10,080 How many of you at all of our different locations raise your 337 00:23:10,080 --> 00:23:12,560 hand if you'd like to have a better quality of life. 338 00:23:13,560 --> 00:23:17,560 If you didn't, raise your hand, It's a little concerning how 339 00:23:17,560 --> 00:23:21,720 many of you would like to live a longer life if you didn't raise 340 00:23:21,720 --> 00:23:23,560 your hand. Glad you're here. 341 00:23:23,640 --> 00:23:25,280 Make sure you get right with God before you leave. 342 00:23:26,840 --> 00:23:30,320 John Hopkins medicine states that chronic anger resulting 343 00:23:30,320 --> 00:23:33,720 from unforgiveness puts you into fight or flight mode. 344 00:23:34,280 --> 00:23:37,280 This results in changes in your heart rate, blood pressure, and 345 00:23:37,280 --> 00:23:40,040 immune response. It increases the risk of 346 00:23:40,040 --> 00:23:42,280 depression, heart disease and diabetes. 347 00:23:42,440 --> 00:23:44,760 You might be going Clayton, how did you become such a forgiving 348 00:23:44,760 --> 00:23:47,040 person? It's because I like Donuts, and 349 00:23:47,040 --> 00:23:48,760 that's going to be my risk for diabetes. 350 00:23:48,760 --> 00:23:50,120 It's not going to be unforgiveness. 351 00:23:50,120 --> 00:23:52,840 I had to pick one. Mayo Clinic states that when you 352 00:23:52,840 --> 00:23:56,200 bring anger and bitterness into new relationships as a result of 353 00:23:56,200 --> 00:24:00,600 being unforgiving, you will lose valuable enriching and enriching 354 00:24:00,600 --> 00:24:06,880 connections with others. However, when you choose to 355 00:24:06,880 --> 00:24:10,600 forgive, it creates healthier relationships. 356 00:24:10,880 --> 00:24:15,040 Improved mental health lowers blood pressure, provides a 357 00:24:15,120 --> 00:24:18,840 stronger immune system. You get less sick, and you get 358 00:24:18,840 --> 00:24:22,520 sick less often. Better heart health lowers the 359 00:24:22,520 --> 00:24:25,840 risk of heart attack, improves cholesterol, creates less 360 00:24:25,840 --> 00:24:28,560 stress, and gives you better sleep. 361 00:24:29,160 --> 00:24:34,800 In fact, the research points to an increase in the forgiveness 362 00:24:35,120 --> 00:24:40,600 health connection as you age. Remember what I said earlier, 363 00:24:41,000 --> 00:24:44,040 that the longer you live the more pain and hurt you will 364 00:24:44,040 --> 00:24:47,400 experience? And their research indicates 365 00:24:47,880 --> 00:24:52,200 that as you age, if you would put yourself in the I've aged 366 00:24:52,360 --> 00:24:58,080 category, you self identify no emails. 367 00:25:00,080 --> 00:25:05,120 That the longer you live the more there is a correlation 368 00:25:05,320 --> 00:25:09,120 between your health and your ability and capacity to forgive. 369 00:25:10,840 --> 00:25:16,680 In short, when you and I choose to withhold forgiveness, we are 370 00:25:16,680 --> 00:25:21,920 making the quality of our life worse, the length of our life 371 00:25:22,160 --> 00:25:25,200 shorter. What that means is, is that we 372 00:25:25,200 --> 00:25:29,840 are taking an event from our past and we are allowing it to 373 00:25:29,840 --> 00:25:35,280 dilute the quality of our life in the present and reduce the 374 00:25:35,280 --> 00:25:39,360 length of our future as Christians. 375 00:25:39,400 --> 00:25:43,960 This is an exchange we cannot possibly make. 376 00:25:44,320 --> 00:25:49,320 Like I said, God's way is the best way, but it doesn't just 377 00:25:49,880 --> 00:25:53,560 impact your relationship with the people around you, and it 378 00:25:53,560 --> 00:25:56,160 doesn't just impact the quality of your life and the length of 379 00:25:56,160 --> 00:25:58,440 your life. Forgiveness impacts our 380 00:25:58,440 --> 00:26:02,280 relationship with God. In fact, Jesus tells an 381 00:26:02,280 --> 00:26:06,440 incredibly scary story in Matthew chapter 18 says 382 00:26:06,440 --> 00:26:09,280 Therefore, the Kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to 383 00:26:09,280 --> 00:26:11,080 settle accounts with his servants. 384 00:26:11,800 --> 00:26:16,560 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him 10,000 bags of 385 00:26:16,560 --> 00:26:20,120 gold was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, 386 00:26:20,320 --> 00:26:23,720 the master offered or ordered that he and his wife and his 387 00:26:23,720 --> 00:26:28,000 children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. 388 00:26:28,600 --> 00:26:30,960 At this the servant fell on his knees before him. 389 00:26:31,120 --> 00:26:35,280 Be patient with me, he begged. I will pay back everything. 390 00:26:35,960 --> 00:26:40,680 The servants master took pity on him, cancelled the debt and let 391 00:26:40,920 --> 00:26:43,880 him go. But when that servant went out, 392 00:26:43,880 --> 00:26:47,480 he found one of his fellow servants who owed him 100 silver 393 00:26:47,480 --> 00:26:50,160 coins. He grabbed him and began to 394 00:26:50,160 --> 00:26:54,440 choke him. Pay back what you owe me, he 395 00:26:54,440 --> 00:26:57,640 demanded. His fellow servant fell to his 396 00:26:57,640 --> 00:27:02,280 knees and begged him. Be patient with me and I will 397 00:27:02,280 --> 00:27:05,440 pay it back. But he refused. 398 00:27:05,880 --> 00:27:09,320 Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he 399 00:27:09,320 --> 00:27:13,120 could pay back the debt. When the other servants saw what 400 00:27:13,120 --> 00:27:16,640 had happened, they were outraged, and they went and told 401 00:27:16,640 --> 00:27:19,880 the master, the king, everything that had happened. 402 00:27:20,560 --> 00:27:24,040 When the master called the servant in You. 403 00:27:24,200 --> 00:27:28,400 Wicked servant, he said. I canceled all of that debt of 404 00:27:28,400 --> 00:27:34,440 yours because you begged me to. Shouldn't you have had mercy on 405 00:27:34,560 --> 00:27:39,560 your fellow servant just as I had on you? 406 00:27:40,400 --> 00:27:43,960 In anger, his master handed him over to the jailers to be 407 00:27:43,960 --> 00:27:47,840 tortured until he should pay back all he owed. 408 00:27:49,040 --> 00:27:53,320 Here's the warning. This is how my Heavenly Father 409 00:27:53,600 --> 00:27:57,640 will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or 410 00:27:57,640 --> 00:28:03,160 sister from your heart. Let's unpack the story. 411 00:28:03,640 --> 00:28:08,720 In this story, God is the king. He's the master. 412 00:28:09,680 --> 00:28:16,400 And you and I are the ones who owe the king 10,000 bags of gold 413 00:28:16,400 --> 00:28:19,400 or 1000 bags of gold, which in today's currency. 414 00:28:19,600 --> 00:28:23,360 I did the math this week because I was born is $11 billion. 415 00:28:23,600 --> 00:28:25,960 Raise your hand if you have $11 billion. 416 00:28:27,120 --> 00:28:29,920 If you raise your hand, call me. I have some projects I'd like to 417 00:28:29,920 --> 00:28:34,440 talk to you about. OK, now question. 418 00:28:35,000 --> 00:28:38,080 If none of you raised your hands, how would you pay back 419 00:28:38,080 --> 00:28:42,280 that debt? Do you have any chance of being 420 00:28:42,280 --> 00:28:45,920 able to pay that back? You begged, You got on your 421 00:28:45,920 --> 00:28:49,560 knees, you looked at the king, and you said, hey, please, 422 00:28:50,120 --> 00:28:55,040 please just give me some time. You don't have $11 billion worth 423 00:28:55,040 --> 00:28:58,120 of time. You have a 0% chance of paying 424 00:28:58,120 --> 00:29:05,480 you back, and so God Forgives your $11 billion debt. 425 00:29:07,160 --> 00:29:10,480 How would you feel? How fired up and excited would 426 00:29:10,480 --> 00:29:17,200 you be? And then you walk outside and 427 00:29:17,200 --> 00:29:22,040 you see somebody who owes you. Get this 11 grand. 428 00:29:23,520 --> 00:29:28,840 Pause. 11 grand is not an insignificant amount. 429 00:29:29,880 --> 00:29:35,320 There's real hurt there. It was costly. 11 grand is not 430 00:29:35,360 --> 00:29:41,400 easy to come by and you see somebody who's hurt you to the 431 00:29:41,400 --> 00:29:46,720 tune of $11,000. And what do we do? 432 00:29:48,560 --> 00:29:55,920 We withhold forgiveness and we say you are not getting out from 433 00:29:55,920 --> 00:30:03,320 underneath my thumb until you pay me back all $11,000. 434 00:30:05,000 --> 00:30:14,160 And then the world notices that you were forgiven 11 billion and 435 00:30:14,160 --> 00:30:20,360 you were squabbling with a guy who owed you a million times 436 00:30:20,480 --> 00:30:24,480 less. Sometimes I think it's 437 00:30:24,480 --> 00:30:25,680 Christians. I just want to talk to the 438 00:30:25,680 --> 00:30:28,520 Christians for a second. This is where we struggle 439 00:30:29,560 --> 00:30:33,400 because we have a very limited view of the cross. 440 00:30:34,000 --> 00:30:36,360 And when you have a limited view of the cross, you have a limited 441 00:30:36,360 --> 00:30:38,920 view of God. And when you have a limited view 442 00:30:38,920 --> 00:30:41,920 of God, you have a limited view of his love for you and you have 443 00:30:41,920 --> 00:30:45,440 a limited view of the sin that you have committed against him. 444 00:30:46,280 --> 00:30:51,880 We see the difference between US and God as 18 inches. 445 00:30:52,840 --> 00:30:55,600 And so when we talk about the glory of the cross, we're like, 446 00:30:55,760 --> 00:30:57,880 well, the cross was only 18 inches. 447 00:30:58,720 --> 00:31:01,960 It wasn't that far of a chasm between where we are and where 448 00:31:01,960 --> 00:31:04,960 God is. But if you don't see God in all 449 00:31:04,960 --> 00:31:08,480 of His Holiness, in all of his perfection and all of his 450 00:31:08,480 --> 00:31:13,000 righteousness, and you see yourself as a pretty good 451 00:31:13,000 --> 00:31:17,040 person, you don't see the chasm as being that far. 452 00:31:17,640 --> 00:31:22,160 So you don't realize how much Jesus did on your behalf, how 453 00:31:22,160 --> 00:31:24,640 much God actually forgave in you. 454 00:31:25,440 --> 00:31:28,120 You don't glory in the cross because you don't actually think 455 00:31:28,120 --> 00:31:31,920 you need it. And so the cross becomes smaller 456 00:31:31,920 --> 00:31:35,880 and smaller as we have a smaller and smaller view of our sin and 457 00:31:35,880 --> 00:31:39,360 a smaller and smaller view of God's holiness. 458 00:31:40,560 --> 00:31:46,240 But the chasm between who we have been and who God is is $11 459 00:31:46,480 --> 00:31:53,640 billion wide. The debt that we owe is 460 00:31:53,640 --> 00:32:00,440 unpayable and when you see what you have been truly forgiven of, 461 00:32:03,040 --> 00:32:09,080 it will change how you forgive. What's the goal? 462 00:32:10,280 --> 00:32:15,440 The goal is for you and I to become more and more like Jesus. 463 00:32:17,520 --> 00:32:20,800 There's this interesting side note that takes place during the 464 00:32:20,800 --> 00:32:23,040 crucifixion of Jesus on the cross. 465 00:32:24,120 --> 00:32:26,040 This what it says in Luke chapter 23. 466 00:32:26,800 --> 00:32:30,120 Two other men, both criminals, were also LED out with him to be 467 00:32:30,120 --> 00:32:32,760 executed. When they came to the place 468 00:32:32,760 --> 00:32:35,240 called the skull. They crucified him there along 469 00:32:35,240 --> 00:32:38,720 with the criminals 1 to his right and the other on his left. 470 00:32:39,720 --> 00:32:46,800 Jesus said father forgive them for they do not know what they 471 00:32:46,800 --> 00:32:50,360 are doing. He's looking at the Roman 472 00:32:50,360 --> 00:32:55,320 soldiers who've been hitting him, beating him, making fun of 473 00:32:55,320 --> 00:32:57,760 him. He's looking at those who've 474 00:32:57,760 --> 00:33:01,600 been nailing his hands and his feet to the cross. 475 00:33:01,920 --> 00:33:04,720 He's been looking at the people who have wrapped the crown of 476 00:33:04,720 --> 00:33:06,560 thorns and placed it on his head. 477 00:33:06,560 --> 00:33:11,520 He's looking at the crowds of people who shouted crucify him, 478 00:33:11,720 --> 00:33:14,080 crucify him. He's looking at the religious 479 00:33:14,080 --> 00:33:19,120 leaders of the day who are mocking him and saying if you 480 00:33:19,120 --> 00:33:24,840 really are the son of God, come off the cross and Jesus is 481 00:33:24,840 --> 00:33:32,600 going, father, forgive them for they don't know what they're 482 00:33:32,600 --> 00:33:36,040 doing. That's the target on the wall 483 00:33:36,040 --> 00:33:42,760 for us, that when somebody hurts us, when somebody harms us, we 484 00:33:42,760 --> 00:33:46,960 are going, God forgive them, they don't know what they're 485 00:33:46,960 --> 00:33:50,560 doing and you might be going, this is impossible. 486 00:33:52,120 --> 00:33:56,760 It's not Six months later, in the very same town in Jerusalem, 487 00:33:57,480 --> 00:34:01,280 a Jesus follower by the name of Stephen who had been selected as 488 00:34:01,280 --> 00:34:04,880 a leader in the church, was captured and falsely accused. 489 00:34:05,560 --> 00:34:09,080 Stephen took the opportunity to preach to them the good news 490 00:34:09,080 --> 00:34:12,719 about Jesus, and while he was preaching, the people around him 491 00:34:12,840 --> 00:34:16,360 became angered and incensed. Acts Chapter 7 records it 492 00:34:16,360 --> 00:34:20,360 starting in verse 57. At this they covered their ears 493 00:34:20,360 --> 00:34:22,719 and they started yelling at the top of their voices. 494 00:34:22,920 --> 00:34:27,639 They all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city, and began 495 00:34:27,639 --> 00:34:30,080 to stone him. That's where you throw rocks at 496 00:34:30,080 --> 00:34:34,120 somebody until they die. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid 497 00:34:34,120 --> 00:34:37,239 their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. 498 00:34:37,840 --> 00:34:42,040 While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed. 499 00:34:42,280 --> 00:34:48,159 Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And then he fell on his knees 500 00:34:48,159 --> 00:34:50,560 and he cried out. Check this. 501 00:34:51,159 --> 00:34:55,520 Lord, do not hold this sin against them. 502 00:34:56,040 --> 00:34:59,760 And when he had said this, he fell asleep. 503 00:35:00,480 --> 00:35:03,720 You might ask how did Stephen do this? 504 00:35:04,400 --> 00:35:08,000 It was because of who was in Stephen. 505 00:35:08,920 --> 00:35:12,720 Hear me, the forgiveness that we are talking about today is not 506 00:35:12,720 --> 00:35:16,360 possible on your own power. It is not possible on your own 507 00:35:16,360 --> 00:35:18,720 strength. But when you come into an 508 00:35:18,720 --> 00:35:21,720 intimate personal relationship with Jesus Christ, the Word of 509 00:35:21,720 --> 00:35:24,880 God promises that we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 510 00:35:25,400 --> 00:35:28,400 That the power of the Holy Spirit takes up residence in us. 511 00:35:28,600 --> 00:35:31,880 That the very same power that raised Jesus from the dead 512 00:35:32,040 --> 00:35:36,640 becomes available to you and I, which means you have the power 513 00:35:37,120 --> 00:35:40,240 to forgive people like never before. 514 00:35:41,040 --> 00:35:45,200 Let me explain. This is a juicer. 515 00:35:45,440 --> 00:35:49,520 I've only heard stories about these because Mountain Dew, it 516 00:35:49,520 --> 00:35:52,440 comes pre juiced. That's how I get my citrus 517 00:35:52,440 --> 00:36:00,600 flavors. And as you go through life, you 518 00:36:01,160 --> 00:36:06,280 are going to be pressed and you are going to be crushed. 519 00:36:07,640 --> 00:36:11,360 And the longer you live, the more experiences like this 520 00:36:12,240 --> 00:36:15,720 you'll have. Some of you, you are doing 521 00:36:17,000 --> 00:36:19,960 pretty good right now, but your crushing's coming. 522 00:36:21,240 --> 00:36:23,960 Some of you, you're in the middle of it right now and 523 00:36:23,960 --> 00:36:29,560 you're going, it is unbearable. Some of you, you just came out 524 00:36:29,560 --> 00:36:33,040 of it. And that cycle is going to 525 00:36:33,040 --> 00:36:36,040 repeat itself over and over and over again. 526 00:36:40,240 --> 00:36:43,840 Anybody know what this is? We got a good zoom lime. 527 00:36:43,840 --> 00:36:45,200 I didn't know I was asking. Thank you. 528 00:36:47,040 --> 00:36:51,520 What's this Lemon. OK, we just have the bottles. 529 00:36:51,600 --> 00:36:53,200 So I've never seen these in real form. 530 00:36:55,240 --> 00:36:56,640 Who has a lime tree, you know what I mean? 531 00:36:57,200 --> 00:37:00,040 And. And what is this? 532 00:37:01,320 --> 00:37:04,120 OK, So what happens when you squeeze an orange? 533 00:37:05,720 --> 00:37:09,480 What kind of juice comes out? OK, we got the best and the 534 00:37:09,480 --> 00:37:14,200 brightest Juice comes out, man. We're tracking what comes out 535 00:37:14,200 --> 00:37:17,640 when you squeeze an orange. What comes out when you scream? 536 00:37:18,120 --> 00:37:21,800 Squeeze the lime good. You guys are getting super good. 537 00:37:21,880 --> 00:37:26,400 And So what comes out when you get squeezed? 538 00:37:29,080 --> 00:37:32,880 Some of you fear. To be honest, what's been coming 539 00:37:32,880 --> 00:37:38,160 out of you is not of God. But when you get squeezed, what 540 00:37:38,160 --> 00:37:46,480 should come out is Christ, because Christ is in you. 541 00:37:48,280 --> 00:37:53,440 And when you get crushed, when you get pressed, when you get 542 00:37:53,440 --> 00:37:58,480 hurt, when you get harmed. And what comes out of you is 543 00:37:58,480 --> 00:38:05,680 bitterness and rage and revenge. Alarm bells should start going 544 00:38:05,680 --> 00:38:14,200 off inside, because we serve one who died, and in the midst of 545 00:38:14,200 --> 00:38:17,800 his death ask for the forgiveness of those who were 546 00:38:17,800 --> 00:38:21,560 killing him. You and I are going to get 547 00:38:21,560 --> 00:38:27,160 crushed and pressed, but you know what happens if we are in a 548 00:38:27,160 --> 00:38:28,960 right relationship with Jesus Christ. 549 00:38:29,200 --> 00:38:32,240 It isn't easy, but it is possible. 550 00:38:32,840 --> 00:38:37,640 The love of Christ, the fruit of the Spirit, come out and the 551 00:38:37,640 --> 00:38:41,840 rest of the world takes notice. I'm not just asking you to do it 552 00:38:41,840 --> 00:38:45,000 for the sake of the gospel. I'm not just asking you to do it 553 00:38:45,000 --> 00:38:48,360 for the cause of Christ. I'm asking us to be in the 554 00:38:48,360 --> 00:38:51,640 forgiveness business because it's also good for you. 555 00:38:52,040 --> 00:38:55,920 It is God's best way. We're moving to a time of 556 00:38:55,920 --> 00:39:04,040 decision to those of you who are here or watching online who 557 00:39:04,040 --> 00:39:06,840 haven't started an intimate personal relationship with Jesus 558 00:39:06,840 --> 00:39:10,880 Christ. Perhaps that reason might be 559 00:39:10,880 --> 00:39:13,560 because you don't think you need forgiveness. 560 00:39:14,040 --> 00:39:17,360 Or maybe you can't forgive yourself. 561 00:39:20,200 --> 00:39:25,760 But Acts Chapter 3 says this Repent then and turn to God so 562 00:39:25,760 --> 00:39:31,520 that your sins may be wiped out and that times of refreshing may 563 00:39:31,520 --> 00:39:35,200 come from the Lord. And if you're here today and 564 00:39:35,200 --> 00:39:37,400 you've never started that intimate personal relationship 565 00:39:37,400 --> 00:39:42,840 with Jesus Christ, your sins have not been wiped out and you 566 00:39:42,880 --> 00:39:46,600 are not going to experience a refreshing that comes from the 567 00:39:46,600 --> 00:39:49,400 Lord. And so I would encourage you to 568 00:39:50,360 --> 00:39:56,120 not just do your family a favor, but to do yourself a favor and 569 00:39:56,120 --> 00:40:00,200 get right with God. You might be gone, but, Clayton, 570 00:40:00,200 --> 00:40:02,080 you don't know what I've done. You're right. 571 00:40:02,400 --> 00:40:05,200 I don't. I don't have to know what you've 572 00:40:05,200 --> 00:40:07,040 done because I know what Christ did. 573 00:40:08,400 --> 00:40:11,800 And the Bible teaches that God is all knowing that nothing is 574 00:40:11,800 --> 00:40:15,080 hidden from him. You're not going to surprise him 575 00:40:16,800 --> 00:40:18,800 when you go, hey, God, these are some of the sins I need to be 576 00:40:18,800 --> 00:40:20,640 forgiven for. He's not going to go. 577 00:40:20,960 --> 00:40:24,280 What? I did not see that coming. 578 00:40:25,320 --> 00:40:27,400 He's like, yeah, I was. I saw that. 579 00:40:29,240 --> 00:40:31,640 And when you were doing it, I was like, you know what? 580 00:40:32,440 --> 00:40:35,720 Jesus cover it. And he didn't. 581 00:40:37,320 --> 00:40:40,480 And I'm like, yeah, but there's stuff from my, like, way past. 582 00:40:41,040 --> 00:40:42,760 Yeah. Just like, well, I'm an eternal 583 00:40:42,760 --> 00:40:45,280 God. So I was on it before you ever 584 00:40:45,280 --> 00:40:47,400 committed it. Something wrong with Clayton. 585 00:40:47,400 --> 00:40:48,840 I'm in the middle of it right now. 586 00:40:50,200 --> 00:40:52,160 I just want you to know God wasn't going, Oh my goodness, 587 00:40:52,160 --> 00:40:57,480 you still sin. He's like, I know my grace is 588 00:40:57,480 --> 00:41:00,480 sufficient for you. Some of you might be going, but 589 00:41:00,720 --> 00:41:06,240 I'm pretty sure I'm a screw up tomorrow because I'm right on 590 00:41:06,240 --> 00:41:11,240 the edge of winning my bracket and if I lose I'm probably going 591 00:41:11,240 --> 00:41:15,120 to anger cuss. I want you to know God already 592 00:41:15,120 --> 00:41:18,440 knows the score. He already knows your bracket is 593 00:41:18,440 --> 00:41:21,360 going to get further busted. He already knows that the person 594 00:41:21,360 --> 00:41:24,480 knows nothing about sports is going to taunt you to on Tuesday 595 00:41:24,680 --> 00:41:27,960 because they won, which is how you win the bracket the The most 596 00:41:28,240 --> 00:41:30,200 uneducated people win March Madness. 597 00:41:30,440 --> 00:41:32,920 So if you're at the top of your bracket, we just know you don't 598 00:41:32,920 --> 00:41:35,520 like sports. I bet you play a killer trumpet. 599 00:41:35,800 --> 00:41:40,360 Like I bet you are one of the best clarinet players ever. 600 00:41:45,440 --> 00:41:47,800 And God already knows the score. God already knows you're going 601 00:41:47,800 --> 00:41:49,960 to cuss and God's already going. I'm still rooting for you. 602 00:41:50,880 --> 00:41:52,960 Is he OK with the cussing? Of course not. 603 00:41:54,600 --> 00:42:00,720 But if God was wanting perfect people, he wouldn't find any. 604 00:42:01,960 --> 00:42:06,320 God's after saved people, people who've turned their life over to 605 00:42:06,320 --> 00:42:09,520 his Son Jesus and allowed the Holy Spirit to take up residence 606 00:42:09,520 --> 00:42:11,440 in their life. That's what he's after, and that 607 00:42:11,440 --> 00:42:15,720 could be you today. And if you're in that spot, I'm 608 00:42:15,720 --> 00:42:19,320 going to encourage you to take one of the most important walks 609 00:42:19,360 --> 00:42:22,720 you'll ever take. When everybody else around you 610 00:42:22,720 --> 00:42:24,880 stands and sings and some of them come to the steps and pray, 611 00:42:24,880 --> 00:42:27,040 I'm going to encourage you to take a walk from whatever seat 612 00:42:27,040 --> 00:42:29,680 you're in and walk right over there, underneath that screen, 613 00:42:29,680 --> 00:42:32,160 right next to the baptistery. And there will be people there 614 00:42:32,160 --> 00:42:35,400 who would love a chance to talk with you and to start answering 615 00:42:35,400 --> 00:42:39,200 some of the questions that you have to those of you in the room 616 00:42:39,200 --> 00:42:46,800 who are Christians, We must be in the forgiveness business. 617 00:42:47,400 --> 00:42:53,200 We should be known for it. And I know that right now there 618 00:42:53,200 --> 00:42:56,720 are situations that are running through your mind from the past 619 00:42:56,720 --> 00:43:01,480 and the ones that you're going through right now, it's going to 620 00:43:01,480 --> 00:43:03,880 be hard to forgive. So what I'm going to ask you to 621 00:43:03,880 --> 00:43:07,800 do if today you're carrying an offence, would you spend some 622 00:43:07,800 --> 00:43:10,400 time on your knees praying that God would give you the strength 623 00:43:10,640 --> 00:43:14,240 to forgive it? Would you spend some time 624 00:43:14,240 --> 00:43:18,280 praying for the good of those who harmed you? 625 00:43:19,280 --> 00:43:26,080 Pray that when pressed, the forgiveness of Christ flows out. 626 00:43:26,800 --> 00:43:28,760 I can't think of a better way to respond. 627 00:43:29,080 --> 00:43:30,800 So would you join me? Would you stand? 628 00:43:30,800 --> 00:43:41,560 Please, Heavenly Father, burdens could be lifted right now in 629 00:43:41,560 --> 00:43:46,560 ways that have never been lifted before God. 630 00:43:46,560 --> 00:43:48,800 People could get a fresh start on life. 631 00:43:50,440 --> 00:43:56,200 They could go home being the husband and father and wife and 632 00:43:56,200 --> 00:43:59,360 mother that their family has desperately needed them to be, 633 00:43:59,840 --> 00:44:02,480 and they couldn't become it because they were just covered 634 00:44:02,720 --> 00:44:06,440 and trapped in bitterness. But God, I'm asking that today, 635 00:44:06,440 --> 00:44:09,240 by the power of your spirit, you would release its hold on their 636 00:44:09,240 --> 00:44:12,240 life. God, that we would become a 637 00:44:12,240 --> 00:44:15,280 community of believers who are known for our capacity to 638 00:44:15,280 --> 00:44:19,720 forgive. That you would give us the 639 00:44:19,720 --> 00:44:26,040 testimony of Stephen, that we would become like you when we 640 00:44:26,040 --> 00:44:29,400 face hardship and adversity. And your name I pray. 641 00:44:30,080 --> 00:44:30,440 Amen.