Forgiveness is a profound act of grace that restores relationships and mirrors the forgiveness God offers to us through Jesus Christ. It is both a gift to be received and a practice to be extended to others. Through forgiveness, believers experience freedom from the burden of sin and contribute to the peace and unity of the community, reflecting the nature of God’s kingdom on earth.
[00:00:00] Welcome to the Bible Speaks with Elgin Carelock. The Bible Speaks is a weekly ministry of harvest international. Our prayer is that the Bible speaks for encourage you in your study of God's Word.
[00:00:38] You will be able to contact Elgin at the address given at the end of this broadcast. And now here's Elgin. We'll be on forgiveness. Our spiritual inspiration coming from Matthew chapter 18 verses 21 through 22 which reads,
[00:01:13] then came Peter to him and said, Lord, how off shall my brothers sin against me and I forgive him? Till seven times, Jesus sat onto him, I say not until seven times, but until 70 times seven. Forgiveness can be very difficult, especially when someone has hurt you.
[00:01:41] We may be able to be a round-up person and be civilized, but have we truly forgiven them? What a fit is someone who has committed bodily harm or worse killed someone you love. How are we to forgive them?
[00:02:00] In Luke chapter 23 verse 34, Jesus said, Father, forgive them for they know not what they are doing. Even as he was being crucified, Jesus acts for forgiveness for his executioners, demonstrating the ultimate example of forgiveness.
[00:02:19] I know you're saying it isn't fair to use Jesus as an example because he was and is perfect. But we are to model our lives after Jesus and lean on the power of the Holy Spirit to help us forgive.
[00:02:36] In John 14 and 16, it reads, and I will ask the Father and He will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever. The Holy Spirit plays an integral role in enabling us to forgive by transforming our hearts, empowering our wills and guiding our actions.
[00:03:00] Through the Holy Spirit's work, we can experience and extend the forgiveness that is central to Christian faith, reflecting the grace and mercy of God in our relationships with others. I want to make sure that I'm clear by stating, because if we give someone,
[00:03:19] it does not mean that that person should still be in your life. For given this freees you, so you should not reinsert yourself into situations that are toxic or dangerous. But I also want you to understand God's expectation as demonstrated in the parable of the
[00:03:38] unforgiving servant in Matthew 18 verses 23 through 35. The parable describes a servant being forgiven by his master for a great debt, but was unwilling to forgive a fellow servant who owed him a smaller debt. The parable ends on verse 35 with the unforgiving servant being handed over to jailers to be
[00:04:03] tortured and Jesus saying, this is how my Heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart. Finally, Matthew 6 verses 14 through 15 reading from the new international version reads, for if you forgive other people when they sit against you,
[00:04:28] your Heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others, there is sins. But if you do not forgive others, there are sins. Your Father will not forgive your sins. Well, as an assistant, forgiveness is a profound act of grace that restores relationships and mirrors
[00:04:51] the forgiveness God offers to us through Jesus Christ. It is both the gift to be received and a practice to be extended to others. Through forgiveness believers experience freedom from the burden
[00:05:04] of sin and contribute to the peace and unity of the community, reflecting the nature of God's kingdom, honor. I thank you for spending this time with me on today and I look forward to our conversation until then, God bless.
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[00:05:54] that's Harvest International Post Office Box 66090 O'Cala Florida 3448.