Forgiveness and Release
Luke 6
37. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:
Unforgiveness is a prison of your own making.
Facts:
You cannot receive forgiveness unless you forgive.
Matthew 6
14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
You will receive forgiveness to the same degree that you give it.
Matthew 6
12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
Forgiveness will set you free. You are in bondage to the things you retain.
Forgiveness will set others free. They are in bondage to your hostility.
Forgiveness should be given as often as it is needed.
Matthew 18
21. Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
Forgiveness is not necessarily dependent upon their seeking it.
Matthew 5
23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;
24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
Unforgiveness is like a large weight. It is heavy and limits you - eats up your energy and resources. A grudge is like a flashlight left on - sooner of later it will drain the battery till it’s dead.
Unforgiveness - holding a grudge - is not worth the price it exacts from you.
Unforgiveness retains the pain of a hurt. It holds on to it - nurtures it - keeps it alive and lets it continue to hurt.
Did you ever get mad at somebody, and after a while the anger started to go away, so you stirred it back up to keep it alive - so you could stay mad?
Why do we do that?
It is easier to let it go. Just as the body will heal itself - the soul will do the same - if you let it.
Proverbs 26
20. Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth.
Let us remember, when we think it is unfair - that they don’t deserve forgiveness - that you have been wronged - just remember how much God has forgiven you of and how undeserving and how unfair it was.
I want you to let go of some things tonight.