Turn To Forgive S11e7 2cor2:7

This topic has to be in the top three of difficulty for the Christian walk. We best do it right, because it can wreck spiritual havoc without focused attention.

Let's use the "breadcrumbs of our emotion" to find those whom we haven't forgiven. These are sinners who occupy too much of the real estate of our souls. Yes, they really did do something wrong. The call today is to forgive; to get off our piece of supposed-righteousness and TURN TO FORGIVE.

It is letting God have the final word.  It is giving up our right for vengeance and turning him over to the justice of God. It is done with an assurance in the character of God and an eye to what God did for me.  Only then does any of this make sense.  Join me for 7 hard minutes today.  Subscribe for an easier 7 minutes most days at bewithme.us or bewithme.us@gmail.com.

Transcript

Michael Smith: 0:01

Good morning, my brothers and sisters, welcome to episode number seven in season 11. Today's a tough one today is turn to forgive, forgiving the Senator. This is from Second Corinthians chapter two, Paul is going to go and tell a little story about probably the guy who usurped his authority. And in Corinth, when it's not exactly clear, who he is asking the people to forgive, but the applications to us are just really hard. He's asking us to turn to forgive. So let me just read the passage. And then we're going to talk about forgiveness today. Second Corinthians chapter five, now, if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure, not to put a too severely to all of you. For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough. So you should rather turn to forgive, that's our phrase for today turned, forgive, turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him. For this is why I wrote that I might test you, and know whether you are obedient and everything, anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive, indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything has been for your sake, in the presence of Christ so that we would not be outweighed by Satan, for we're not ignorant of his designs. So point number one is be aware of forgiveness. And it's something that we all kind of carry with us, we have the sense of justice, personal justice. And on the good hand, it's, it's a godly justice. And on the bad hand, it's something that we can be outwitted by Satan over that this is a specific area that the Christian church and Christian individuals can stumble. So there's a collective part of this, and know that injury to one part of the body affects everybody. And this is not something that you should be leaning away from. But rather, it's something to lean into, I want to be a part of a body that I'm connected to so well is that when other hurt, others hurt, I hurt and when others forgive, I forgive and just be a part of that part of their lives. There is a limit here, and he's, he's telling a particular story about the limits of the assembled rebuke of community, they've probably delivered this person to Satan that is putting one inch outside the church. And it's obviously it's a powerful tool to be judiciously and carefully, carefully and used in a limited way. And again, the point is not that his spirit may be forever banished, but that the point is that he can turn and that his spirit may be saved. So let's talk about what this might mean for us. He says, that we should rather turn to forgive. And here's the big question today is Who might you be reserving this right for revenge? That's a state of non forgiveness that we stand in our sense of righteousness? Who is that person that you are demonstrating a lack of forgiveness for? And just casual ways of saying it is who's renting space in your head? Or who's renting space in your soul? In is a bad tenant and you want to get them out? How do you do it? It's via forgiveness. Who is that person said, occupying spiritual real estate in a negative way. And here's the key, I think of just little tip is we're going to use the breadcrumbs of emotions to find him the bread crumbs of emotion. So who makes you rageful? Who makes you angry? Who brings a sadness to that is an indication that that is probably a person that you haven't forgiven. Alright, So forgiveness is modeled by Jesus. It's something that that person in your head that occupies that real estate, trust me, they don't deserve to be forgiven. That's kind of the point. So who is that person, a co worker, a spouse, a betrayer. And that person in your life obviously seems very, very, very large. Overwhelmingly so until we put it in perspective of what God has forgiven me. Colossians 313 says, forgive each other, as the Lord has forgiven you. So you also must forgive. So, if we have trouble getting over how big that person Since sin is against us, we need to stop, take a step back and remember what the Lord has done for you. That's the only my only motivation up here. And in fact, in verse 10, he says, it's for your sake in the presence of Christ that this forgiveness takes place. So, teaching point, forgive in the presence of Christ, I decide to put you on God's hook. Not mine is how a friend of mine says this, I decided to put you on God, I'm going to forgive you and leave it to God. So if you're stuck in forgive LIS NIS, don't be outwitted by Satan. That's what Paul is saying to the Corinthians. And I'm saying to, to myself, and to you, perhaps do this in a community. I've seen people forgive heroically. I've seen people forgive, for sexual abuse, for spiritual abuse, for emotional abuse, for judicial abuse, these painful things, and it's leaving God to do the justice. So my question today is, who would it be best, who would be favorable to your spiritual walk, to forgive, to stop being angry, to stop standing firm on your apparent peace of righteousness, and turn to forgive? And what it would mean to leaving that person leaving him to God, leaving vengers to God, leaving the mercy to God or grace to God? Or whatever, but let leaving it to God letting God have the final word. So I'd ask who you still emotional about or mad at, and let your emotions be those bread crumbs to that person. And then don't be outwitted by stating Satan, and forgive that person and stop staying in unforgiveness. So the call today hardest thing ever, is to turn to forgive. And the only way we can do this is turn to forgive in the presence of Christ. And who might that person be today? Who we can decide who we can purpose to forgive, not to seek revenge upon and let God be the boss. I pray join me today. Find that person and let's turn to forgive them today. I'll see you tomorrow after this hard work is done.