“Forgiving and Forgetting like Christ” “Christlike Forgiveness” Part 7

1 Corinthians 13:5 “Love keeps no record of wrongs”. Romans 4:8 “Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.”

THE DANGERS OF KEEPING A RECORD OF WRONGS When we forgive someone like Christ, we too refuse to keep a record of their wrongs.

LETTING GO of the RECORD of WRONGS JAMES 3:5-6 Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

LETTING GO of the RECORD of WRONGS How does a person deal with their tongue? Two things will help: When a person does wrong, refuse to point it out to the person himself. When a person does wrong, refuse to point it out to others.

Forgiving Ourselves Forgiving yourself may bring about the breakthrough you have been looking for. It could set you free in ways you have never before experienced.

What are some signs that we haven’t Forgiven Ourselves? Guilt 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness”. Unhappiness

WHY CAN’T WE FORGIVE OURSELVES? Anger It is almost impossible to say which comes first forgiving others so you will be able to forgive yourself, or forgiving yourself so you will be able to forgive others. But it is not Christlike forgiveness until both are equally true! God can take your sinful past and make it work together for your good so brilliantly that you will be tempted to say that that is the way it was supposed to be!

WHY CAN’T WE FORGIVE OURSELVES? Anger True guilt and pseudo-guilt Sin that has been confessed to God is forgiven by Him, and any guilt we feel after that is pseudo guilt. Fear and not forgiving ourselves Pride, Self-righteousness and Self- pity

What can be done to help you forgive yourself if you truly want to? UNDERSTAND GUILT PSALM 30:5 For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favour lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.

What can be done to help you forgive yourself if you truly want to? UNDERSTAND GRACE The ability to forgive ourselves extends from an understanding of grace. Grace is undeserved favour. Mercy is not getting what we do deserve (justice) Grace is getting what we don’t deserve (Christlike forgiveness).

What can be done to help you forgive yourself if you truly want to? All accusations regarding confessed sin come from the devil. When you know you have applied 1 John 1:9, and you still sense an accusing voice over that past failure, mark it down: That voice did not come from your heavenly Father. It did not come from Jesus. It did not come from the Holy Spirit. It came from your enemy, the devil, who works either as a roaring lion to scare or as an angel of light to deceive or both (1 Peter 5:8; 2 Corinthians 11:14).

What can be done to help you forgive yourself if you truly want to? LET THE PAST BE PAST The sweet consequence of not keeping a record of all wrongs is that we let go of the past and its effect on the present. We find ourselves, almost miraculously, accepting ourselves as we are (just as God does) with all our failures (just as God does), knowing all the while our potential to make more mistakes.

What can be done to help you forgive yourself if you truly want to? Moses David Jonah Peter All these men had to forgive themselves before they could move into the ministry God had planned for them. Can you do that? Having forgiven others, it is time to forgive yourself.