1. Four Hard Things To Say: I Forgive You Rob Keller 8 th July 2012

2. Forgiving Wrongs Wrong Doing Pain Anger Alienation Broken Relationship Justice & Vengeance

3. Justice & Vengeance Belong to God Genesis 18:25 Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just? Romans 12:19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay”, says the Lord

4. Forgiving Wrongs Luke 17: 3b-4 If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, ‘I repent,’ forgive him. Wrong Doing Pain Anger Alienation Broken Relationship Justice & Vengeance Repentance & Reconciliation

5. Forgiving Wrongs Luke 17: 3b-4 If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, ‘I repent,’ forgive him. Wrong Doing Pain Anger Alienation Broken Relationship Justice & Vengeance Repentance & Reconciliation

6. What is Forgiveness? Forgiveness means dismissing a debt. When you grant forgiveness, you dismiss the debt owed to you. When you receive forgiveness, your debt is dismissed. (You are released from any requirement for repayment.) So forgiveness is dismissing your demand that others owe you something, especially when they fail to meet your expectations … fail to keep a promise … fail to treat you justly.

7. Forgiveness is Not … … circumventing God’s justice.… It is allowing God to execute His justice in His time and in His way. … waiting for “time to heal all wounds.” … It is clear that time doesn’t heal wounds—some people will not allow healing. … letting the guilty “off the hook.” … It is moving the guilty from your hook to God’s hook. … excusing unjust behaviour.… It is acknowledging that unjust behaviour is without excuse, while still forgiving. … explaining away the hurt.… It is working through the hurt.

8. Forgiveness is Not … … minimising your anger.… It is resolving your anger by releasing the offence to God. … a natural response.… It is a supernatural response, empowered by God. … denying the hurt.… It is feeling the hurt and releasing it. … conditional.… It is unconditional, a mandate from God to everyone. … a feeling.… It is a choice - an act of the will. … based on what is fair.… It was not “fair” for Jesus to hang on the cross - but He did so that we could be forgiven.

9. What Forgiveness Means To forgive means to release your resentment toward your offender. To release your right to hear “I’m sorry” To release your right to be bitter To release your right to get even To forgive is to release your rights regarding the offence. To release your right to dwell on the offence To release your right to hold on to the offence To release your right to keep bringing up the offence To forgive is to reflect the character of Christ. Just as God forgives us, we are called to forgive others.

10. What Forgiveness Means Forgiveness: The key to releasing the weight