¶ The Concept of Forgiveness and Unforgiveness
Hello and hello welcome , welcome , welcome , gosh diamonds in the rough . A man , we are here and ready to do it again . A man , honey you okay yeah , I'm okay .
It's kind of weird , you know those who can't see us , you know , during the audio , but if you look at the video part , we're actually standing this time instead of sitting . You know , trying something new , something different . Only lab out of spirit to do it . You know it's something . You know , just a stand .
You know it's one thing when we stand , when reading the word , but you know doing our traditional service , but when the word is being read , but it just a stand to do a podcast is it's something different and I think that you know that's something that bleed , as you know , different from most podcast , because if you look at most podcast , you know they always
sitting and you're not doing .
That's what sets us apart from a lot of different podcasts yeah , well , well , I don't know the prompting , certainly the prompting of the Lord , a man . Maybe we get some tall chairs , yeah , yeah , just , and it's working right now , in the moment , for what we are doing a man in our little corner .
So , before we go any further , y'all know what we gotta do let us pray .
Dear heavenly father , we just come to you right now saying thank you . We thank you for your grace and your mercy . We're taking free love encounters and tender mercies .
We pray in name of Jesus , beg and you forgive , and for anything we might have said , done or thought that's not pleasing , just say that you'll grace , you , forgive us and cast back into the hotel where it came from . We pray in the name of Jesus . We get into your word of what you're trying to reveal to us , of being diamonds in your glory .
We pray in the name of Jesus that it will open our eyes and our ears to the understanding to know and disregard the negative feedback from other people who might not tell us , who might tell us that we're nothing . We pray in the name of Jesus for counseling any assignment at the enemy , sending it back into the picture hell where it came from , with authority .
We pray in the name of Jesus rebuking any tactic from the enemy that might try to stir up , to distort with a word . We pray in the name of Jesus for the ones who said prayed for me . We even asked for prayer for the ones that has no desire to know who you are . We ask this all in Jesus mighty name .
We say thank you and we say amen , amen amen , amen . So , as promised , we're gonna be talking about forgiveness and unforgiveness on today . What's your thoughts ? Even before we do anything at all , honey ?
well , my thought about that is , you know , forgiving somebody or asking for a given . You know many times we sit and you know it was part of my prayer this morning was on this podcast that you know we ask God for forgiveness for anything we might say it down , the thought that wasn't his to him .
Many times we ask God for forgiveness of our own faults but we have a hard time forgiving people right . But we want , we want God to forgive us , but we just don't want to forgive somebody else , right ? And I think you know when we , when we don't forgive people , you know God is probably looking down , hold up , hold up , hold up .
You want me to forgive you , but you won't forgive that person right there . What's wrong with that picture ? And I dare to say that's what God's , you know the posture that God's having , because many times we ask for forgiveness , but we can forgive our own brothers to the one we can see right , absolutely amen .
Oh , when I , you know , when I think about forgiveness , I just think let him go , amen , that's that's really what I think when I , when I think about the word of forgiveness , and just that's really what I get . You know what I mean ? Just letting it go . And how hard is it for people to let things go . You know what I mean .
I mean , you see all kinds of things happening because somebody can't forgive . You know what I mean . They've made up in my mind I won't forgive . They did this to me , they did this , they said this about me . So I'm not gonna forgive them .
Matter of fact , I'm gonna do something , and I'm gonna try to do something to make them wish they had never crossed me the wrong way .
You know , I mean and you know , when you look at it like that , you know and just you know , dr Smart Spirit , when we , when we , have unforgiveness , it's almost likea pain that , no matter what you take , you can't shake it and and I think that's the pump into the Lord saying look , I can relieve that pain for you , whether it be through a headache or
heartache or whatever have you , but I can be your medicine . You tried everything else , try me right . And it's a hurtful feeling to have a pain that you can't see . It's like it takes your whole body out of alignment .
Right , right . Well , the definition of forgiveness according to biblically the definition , it is the act of forgiving the pardon of an offender , by which he is considered and treated as not guilty . The forgiveness of enemies is a Christian duty , so I don't know if y'all caught that part of the definition .
The part that really stands out to me is it says by which is considered and treated as not guilty . So if you say you forgive , then you got to treat them as such . You know what I mean . Sometimes we tend to we say we forgive , but we don't treat them like we forgive them .
And I think it goes a little bit further than that , and we're just reading that . Something's out to my spirit . We tell the person we forgive them in that face , but as soon as they're out of our presence we don't act . It .
Yeah , yeah , absolutely . So you know , it really is a reality check when we're talking about the subject of forgiveness and unforgiveness . It also says the pardon or remission of an offense or crime as the forgiveness of sin or injuries . Disposition , disposition to pardon , willingness to forgive . It's a willingness , you know .
In order to truly forgive , you got to be willing again to let it go . Amen . Look , the enemy will trick you and try to say you know , put these little thoughts in your mind . You dare do it again . You know they're going to do this , they're going to do that to make you not forgive . But once that willingness comes forth , then you have obedience .
That comes by the willingness . This is how it's made effective . Forgiveness look to walk around . And unforgiveness , it's like a cancer . It slowly eats at you . Amen . You got to decide I'm not going to hold on to this thing , I'm going to let it go . Amen . You got any more thoughts ?
Yeah , I was just going to take a step further .
You know , with what's written right there , what you just said about the third definition , the definition of pardon , willingness to forgive and mild forgiveness in a seed to stop coming blows , and you can put that reality of , okay , if somebody do something to you and you don't forgive them , what will happen the next time when you do something and somebody don't
forgive you ? Yeah , I do , you know , and that's like how I say when people say just wait till the other shoot dropped .
Right .
What if you do something ? It could be the very same day , it could be months and years and decades later . What if you do something and you reminded of that thing , that you did not forget somebody for ?
Absolutely .
And God is the type of God that he will bring it back to your memories . Just to teach you a lesson .
Amen , absolutely every 100% . You have God . We have God too , because we all encounter things that require us to forgive Our marriages , and when we're dealing with our children , dealing with our self , dealing with family , dealing with people on your job , dealing with ministry , in all arenas , you gotta choose to forgive .
So today we're gonna really focus on and beam in on what it looks like to forgive , and then on the next episode , we're gonna talk more in detail about the fruit of unforgiveness .
And then , following that episode , we have an interview we're gonna share with you , and her name is Audrey Dutton and she's sharing her story about the depths of unforgiveness and forgiveness and just her journey into the light .
I say her journey into the light , so you got a lot of different things going on in that interview and we are super excited to share it with you , but we just wanna kinda lead us there , amen .
We wanna lead you into a place so that her story makes sense in regard to everything that we've talked about in this season and how it equates to revival Amen , cause we wanna constantly remind everybody that we're still in our , I guess , the in the midst of God teaching us all about revival Amen . You have any thoughts before going further ?
I was just gonna add to that . You know it's .
¶ The Importance of Forgiveness in Relationships
It's funny how we we go to things in life and Even if we don't intensely attentionally Do these things , the reminder that God sent us is okay and it's funny , as you mentioned about you know , things can happen your job or any way you go , because I Got into argument with somebody my job and it wasn't a two-sided argument , it was more of a one-sided argument .
But I was thinking in my head I wish this person would get out of my way and the day after that happened I Go back to work and I injured myself and see that's you can relate that to .
You know , you get into argument with your spouse and the word tells us touching up my anointed and and you wind up getting out the bed and you step your toe and I think that's a that's a reality that we had to understand . That God says you know , stuff is not really gonna harm us , but Something to get our attention .
Absolutely getting our attention . Yeah , yeah , when something that offense has occurred , he will do something that will absolutely Absolutely make us think about Not necessarily what they did , but what you did , how you contributed to the problem . Come on .
I ended up getting a split in my hand . I End up pinching my finger to the point I got a blood vessel popping up and then , on top of that , wind up getting the headache right . So yeah , so yeah .
We think we write . When we think that we write , God knows how to sit us down and say wait a minute , you ain't all the way right . Yeah , you didn't handle it properly . You know the way that you were talking or the way he was moving . You know you was doing it not in me , but in your own righteousness . He will show us in a heartbeat . Hallelujah .
And and that takes us back to a couple of upper Couple episodes prior you know your body language , absolutely yes , because your body did not line up With what your mouth is speaking . God said hold on , hold on , hold on , hold on , hold on .
You've been , you've been doing this , you've been doing that , you've been doing good , but you slipped up and you think you're righteous , you think you're right for the way your actions are , but let me , let me put you in reminder of no , you're not . I'm gonna make you get a split in your hand , I'll make you pinch your finger .
I'm a gear headed , I'm a car , all cars , all this stuff because we're so busy thinking we doing the right thing and Going the right way , but we understand that it's not our Way , it's God's way that's right .
The Bible teaches us . He says in Mark 11 he says , therefore , I say unto you what things , however , you desire . When you pray , he says believe that you receive them and you shall have them . He says in 25 and when you stand praying , he says forgive if you have all against any , that your father also , which is in heaven , may forgive you your trespasses .
But if you do not forgive , neither will your father , which is in heaven , forgive your trespasses . It is so important for us to walk in truth . It is so important for us to understand the world standards are not God's standards .
Mm-hmm .
Amen . It is so important for us to understand , as as Disciples of Jesus Christ , that we are able to discern truth . People offend us , we offend the people offend people , whether he or she comes to you or not . If you know better , you know that there was a problem .
He tells us Go and fix it , no matter whose fault it was , doesn't matter if you're right or wrong , you know there's a problem . Then you go and you fix it . Mm-hmm , amen , you have to fix it . I Look , this is how your diamond shines brighter . This is how they see more of the more of who he is through you .
It's you Humbly coming forth to do what he's told you to do . Amen . Here's the reality . You're not always right , but then flip side of the coin is you're not always wrong , but he's always requiring , requiring us as his disciples , to bring his kingdom into the earth , his ways into the earth , amen .
And you don't know his ways and you don't understand what he tells us about forgiveness . How can you move in it ? You want to tell him about the story about Peter ? when was it Peter who asked the question of how many times we're supposed to forgive ? Yeah and all of that .
Please share that and you know I like that because you know , I was just just Just thinking that .
Okay , so take , take , for example and this is this is a model that this particular passage my wife is talking about is that if and I'm gonna put in this this kind of context if somebody , whether it be at your job , your house , your assembly with the Saints , or In the streets , in the store , anywhere that you go , they sit there and cuss you out , that's
an offense . You supposed to forgive them seven times , seventy , which is four hundred and ninety times . But this is a kicker , though . If that person curses you out , say at twelve o'clock pm , they walk away , they come back at twelve , oh one , and do the same thing , you supposed to forgive them for that one as well .
That's right .
It doesn't mean , well , I'm already forgiving them for that . They did it again . I ain't got a , I'm it's gonna , it's gonna Cycle itself out . No , you have to forgive them seven hundred Four hundred ninety times for that offense as well . So if they cuss you out the whole week Each day , they come and cuss you out 15 times a day for the whole week .
That's what ? 15 times seven is what on ? Well , not good on math , but you have to forgive them all those times . Y'all gonna laugh , you know you won't . Yeah , I mean , I mean , it's real 15 times issues calculator . Yeah , my math is not that good , so let's see this . Let's see this 15 times seven , it's 105 , but then you take 700 , 490 .
You have to forgive them five , fifty , one thousand four hundred and fifty times . But that's that week . That's a lot of times . And just imagine , if they do it Longer than that , what they do it for a whole year , mm-hmm , or two years , or ten years , hmm , or 20 years , and you still live . And and that's the living .
By the grace of God , excuse me , by the grace of God , if you have to forgive them that many times .
You'll wind up going to heaven , still forgiving them . Well , if you want to find out exactly where where that question is X , it is in Matthew , matthew 18 , and it reads thus says this this is there in the , the background . Oh , what's going on in this time ? This is the disciples .
Jesus is with the , some of the disciples and he there , you know , just asking questions . Um , and if you look at verse 21 , it says then came Peter to him and said Lord , how off shall my brother sin against me ? And I forgive him till seven times .
So the first thing part about this particular verse is that he asked how often Shall my brother sin against me ? How many times is it that they are allowed to come at me , mm-hmm ? And then I turn around and forgive them . He says do I give them seven times ? Jesus says unto him .
I say unto thee , until seven times , or Not seven times , he says , but until 70 times Seven . So he says to him look , let him come at you 490 times and you forgive him . I mean you don't encounter people that much to forgive them . No , you know what I mean . The whole moral of the story is Forgive and let it go . Amen , here's a reality .
Tomorrow is not promised to any of us . Yeah , and if you go to bed and you know you leave this world anger , angry and bitter at the world , or or it's something , because somebody said , something , did something to you . What if you was just about there and you died ? He says you get to that gate Knocking at the door .
He says , apart from me , work of a liquid , I don't know you all , because you didn't do that last Thing you needed to do to change your heart . Mm-hmm , mm , jesus come on .
You know , even with that , you know and you can even throw in this that Everybody is going to be held to an accountability for what they know . So if you know that you're supposed to forgive that person , and written right there , black and white , You're gonna be held accountable for that when you get to heaven .
I mean that's . He's serious . The Lord is very serious about forgiveness . We're not supposed to be holding on the grudges . We shouldn't be holding on the things . And you know people's mistakes and because here's a thing , a lot of people Say and do things Because of something that's unhappy prior before they ever got into your , into your space .
You know , you don't know what's going on in that life . You don't know what's going on in their heart . You know what I mean . You don't know what their history was , you don't know the things they've had to encounter as to why they responded the way that they did to you , in whatever Circumstance it is . This is why we have to be willing to forgive .
You know what I mean . Just yes , just just the other day , my husband , he did something and he didn't realize the magnitude of why I got upset , but I didn't say anything at the moment because at the moment it wasn't word , that's a big old argument had I moved off , like out , from how I felt in that moment .
But time had passed and once he came home and I said you know what , you know what I was upset earlier today , and he said why ? His first , his automatic response was well , I gotta defend myself and I'm like no , don't defend yourself , just hear what I'm saying to you and Understand .
The same shoe I put on you put on a shoe too , and if I had did that to you , you would have been upset . So I'm telling you that this is why I got upset .
So next time because it will be a next time you better believe that it'll be another time that the same thing happens again , or a Circumstance similar what happened , and he'll have the chance to change his response . Do you understand what I'm saying ?
But if I sit there and I hold on to that oh , he did this to me , he left me , he didn't call me that and I continue to let that thing build and never let it go .
It's like every time it becomes a fire , that becomes bigger and bigger and bigger than then , all of a sudden , I got a huge fire going on inside of me and I don't even know where it started .
Mm-hmm , this is how you end up with an unforgiving heart and you become hard , hard , hardened , and that's on the next episode and you know , even even adding to that , you know , and a fire you can build very quickly .
And if you look at a real fire , okay , it might start off small , they're called one department , fire department to come and that's considered a wonder lawn . But as it get bigger and bigger and bigger , that's when they got called multiple departments out .
When you call the three alarm , that means everybody in the in the area needs to come right there fast because it's too big for us to put out of itself . And that's the fire that we have in our lives that only God can put that fire out .
If you let him Mm-hmm , If you let him , because sometimes we go through fires in our lives that we try to put these files out ourselves and we end up doing the accelerant into it , not knowing it . So you have to allow God to move and put that fire out . That's why it says , when you go to sleep , don't let the sun go down on your lap .
You have to , you have to put that thing and give it to God , right then and there , before you go to sleep . Because what if you argue with Somebody and you can't wake up , or you don't wake up , or they don't wake up .
I don't remember back in my past , when I was about nine years old , I had to argue with one father and I said something hateful to him I and a week later he passed away . I was unable to ask get his forgiveness , which I know he forgives me now because he's with my foot with that , my heavenly father .
But the thing I'm saying is look , that thing will eat you up and eat you out and eat you alive . You have to forgive your brothers and your sisters in Christ , because they can be doing all the right things , but your unforgiveness can keep you from seeing them in heaven .
That's my final thought well , amen , spring , father , we thank you so much for your word . Thank you so much . Or the topic of forgiveness , and I just pray for everyone that has an ear to hear , for earnest desire to what to forgive , to look within and see am I walking in forgiveness or am I walking in unforgiveness ?
Father , I pray that you will touch us all in a mighty way , from the crown of our heads to the soles of our feet , that we would be intentional about pleasing you , continue to shaping us into the diamonds you desire us to be . We bless every ear and every heart that is here . We pray God , that you would just have your way . We thank you .
We bless your name in Jesus first name . We do pray a man , a man and a man . All right , y'all now make sure you be intentional about letting things go , because if you don't , it will create a cancer inside of you that will slowly eat you away .
We look forward to the next episode , amen , and I hope that you do , michael and until next time , remember you are a diamond in the rough amen .
Hallelujah .