Encounter! Experience Christ’s Life SESSION 2: Receiving God’s Forgiveness

What is repentance? Repentance indicates a return,Repentance indicates a return, a change of mind a change of mind Repentance is renouncing sinRepentance is renouncing sin and returning to GOD

THE PROCESS OF TRUE REPENTANCE Parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-24) 1. RENEWAL OF THE MIND. vs MAKING THE RIGHT DECISION. vs.18 “ I will return to my father.” 3. CONFESSION OF SIN. vs. 18 “I will say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.”

THE FORGIVENESS OF GOD But while he was still a long way off, his Father saw him (vs. 20) and was filled with compassion for him (vs. 20) he ran to his son threw his arms around him and kissed him (vs. 20) Bring the best robe and put it on him (vs. 22) Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet (v. 22) Celebrated with a feast (vs. 23)

HOW TO RECEIVE GOD’S FORGIVENES 1. REPENT - To realize that the offense is primarily against God. - To change our attitude and thoughts. 2. CONFESS THE SIN - To confess them one by one (Psalm 139:23-24) - To renounce it (formally to give up a claim, title, position, or right) - To break the bondage that the sin has caused (John 8:34- 36) 3. ASK GOD TO TRANSFORM THAT AREA IN YOUR LIFE (Rom. 12:1-3)

Components of forgiveness: (detailed in the following slides) Principle #1: accepting and receiving God’s forgiveness for each area of your own life Principle #2: forgiving others. Principle #3: asking others to forgive you.

“We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6) First Principle: Accept God’s forgiveness Scriptures tell us that God forgives us through Jesus “who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion.” (Psalm 103: 3,4)

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9) 1. ACCEPTING GOD’S FORGIVENESS Not forgiving myself is saying, in effect, that Christ’s death on the cross isn’t sufficient for my own sin. We must receive God’s forgiveness for each area of our lives

Why is it hard to forgive ourselves? We base forgiveness on good works We feel disappointed with ourselves and feel we must pay for our shortcomings We fear failure, thinking that we’ll do it again

We are human, finite and imperfect We are human; thus, we’re finite, imperfect, and have the propensity to make mistakes. We must forgive ourselves by receiving the truth that God has forgiven us, especially when we feel guilt for: Past sins Having made wrong decisions Having failed to make the most of opportunities Dr. Erickson, a famous theologian, writes, “Proper adjustment to life can be achieved only on the basis of acceptance of one’s own finiteness. We must accept that we are not perfect. Only God never fails or never makes a mistake. It is not necessary for us, then to make excuses for our shortcomings or to be defensive because we are not perfect” (Milliard Erickson, Christian Theology, p. 492).

CONSEQUENCES OF NOT RECEIVING GOD’S FORGIVENESS Self chastisement. Living with doubt. Feeling unworthy. Development of compulsive behavior. Denial of what God wants to give us.

The process of receiving God’s forgiveness Recognize the problem and repent “Father, I recognize that I haven’t received Your forgiveness. I repent of my failure to believe in all that You’ve done for me on the cross. I now receive Your forgiveness.” Reaffirm your confidence “Father, I reaffirm my confidence and faith in Your Word” (Psalm 103:12) Confess your liberty “Father, as an act of my will, I will receive Your forgiveness and believe it is sufficient because You have forgiven me. From this moment I believe I’m liberated from past bondages, and I ask You to fill me with Your Spirit.”

Forgiveness exercise (alone and in groups of two) Take some time to get alone with God. Pray and meditate silently. Confess any sin but especially receive God’s grace and forgiveness. Some might find it helpful to write the situation or action in the left hand column and the feelings that you’ve experienced in the right hand column. Then claim God’s promises of His forgiveness. In groups of two, pray for one another to receive God’s grace, love, and forgiveness.