Leaving the Past Behind with Forgiveness

Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Yeshua. Phil 3:13-14

Why am I qualified to speak on forgiveness?

Definition of Forgiveness Remembering the past without pain

Areas of Forgiveness Failure to forgive father and mother Failure to forgive sexual injustices of the past Failure to forgive children Failure to forgive ex-spouses Failure to forgive present spouses Failure to forgive employers & fellow employees Failure to forgive your neighbor Failure to forgive yourself Failure to forgive God

Biblical Approach to Forgiveness

For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But, if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. Matthew 6:15

And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins. Mark 11:25

Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First, go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. Matthew 5:23

Matthew Chapter 18

"This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart." Matthew 18:35

What Will You Have to Give Up to Forgive?

That they may never know the extent to which they have hurt you That they will never have to pay for what they have done It may feel to you that they have won You may have to level the playing field You will have to pull down the walls of protection

How often must we forgive? Then Peter came to Yeshua and asked, Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to 7 times? Yeshua answered, I tell you, not 7 times but 77 times. Matthew 18:21-22

Process of Forgiveness

Write a six-part letter

Letter of Forgiveness Part I Write “Dear _____” . . . Everything you always wanted to say to them incident by incident with all the emotion possible . . . also, make a list of the labels you need to let go of and forgive the person for labeling you. It went down with emotion—bring it up with emotion.

Letter of Forgiveness Part II And now, them , I forgive you. I forgive you for ____ and for ____. I forgive you for ___ and for ____. You don’t have to feel it, just mean it.

Letter of Forgiveness Part III And now, (you) I forgive you for carrying around all of this junk and allowing it to garbage up your life.

Letter of Forgiveness Part IV And now, Heavenly Father, I ask that you forgive me for not forgiving. In your word, you commanded me to forgive and I have not done it. Please restore the flow of your grace to my life.

Letter of Forgiveness Part V And now, them, I bless you in the following ways . . .

Letter of Forgiveness Part VI Now that I have forgiven and have been forgiven, my life will be different in the following ways: John, Chapter 5