Skip to main content

Devotional Sermon #53: FORGIVENESS IN THE BIBLE - Short powerful bible sermons

“Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” - Colossians 3 Verse 13 (NIV)

Forgive whatever grievances. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

Whatever the grievances, and whatever the circumstances, God expects you to forgive the offender.

Whether the offender offended you deliberately or by accident, God expects you to forgive them.

Whether the offender hurt you once or continually hurts you, you have to forgive them. Please note that this does not mean that you let yourself be abused; you can forgive them and take any appropriate measures to protect yourself, especially from physical and psychological harm.

Whether the offender is sorry about the hurt they caused you, or not, you still need to forgive them.

It's always important to recognize that forgiveness is probably more about you than it is about them. That's why the Bible's teachings or lessons on forgiveness seem jarring to some ears.

Let the offender go. By so doing you also let yourself go; you open the doors to the prison in which unforgiveness had shut you.

The above are some of the biblical lessons on forgiveness that you need to keep in mind.

Depending on your circumstances, you may forgive somebody without talking to them. You may not want to talk to the offender because you are still traumatized or angry, or you just don't feel like it at the moment. That's ok. With the passage of time, you may bring yourself to actually tell them that you've forgiven them. It is a good thing for them to know that they are forgiven, especially in relation to those who regret their actions, because this relieves them of the weight on their shoulders.

Can you stand before God today and emphatically declare to Him that you've forgiven everybody that ever offended you? If so, I applaud you. But if you still find it hard to forgive the one who hurt you, it's back to the drawing board, for you definitely are missing the will of God in this regard.

But how many times, exactly, are you expected to forgive somebody who continually hurts you? 

“Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, ‘Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?’” - Matthew 18:21 (NIV).

Peter thought that it would be too much to forgive a person seven times; he thought it would be stretching the limit too far. But “Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.’” - Matthew 18:22 (NIV). 

The message is quite clear - you should forgive others for as long as you live!

Let us now get a bit more practical. How can one forgive someone who has hurt them? Somebody says, "I really want to forgive, but I just can't." Below, I try to give some practical steps to forgiveness:
  • I am addressing the believer. Forgiveness is the nature of God; it's the nature of our Lord Jesus Christ. It should be the nature of every child of God. Unfortunately, Christians are at various stages of transformation by the Holy Spirit; some are still infants while some are already senior citizens. So, the first practical step for one to take is to work towards approximating Christ in every aspect of life, for the more like Christ one becomes, the easier it will become for one to forgive.
  • When it comes to forgiveness, the willingness to do so is important. Are you willing to forgive but can't, or are you unwilling to do so? If you are willing, ask God for help. He will help you because of your sincerity in the matter, and because it also is His will for you.
  • Change how you view both the offender and the situation or circumstances. Ask yourself the following questions: "Could the offender be going through troubling personal circumstances?" "What burdens could they possibly be carrying?" "Are they mentally capable of appreciating the hurt they have caused me?" "Do they come from abusive families and communities?" "Have they grown up unloved?" or "Don't they just care?" You may find it easier to forgive after you've considered all these factors. You may even find that the offender needs your help with some of their life issues.
  • One thing that tends to sober us up regarding forgiveness is to ask yourself the question, "Have I ever hurt anybody?" This question puts you in the place of the offender. While in the place of the offender, because you most likely have offended people before, how would you want your victim to react towards you? Most probably you want them to forgive you. If so, then why don't you respond the same way toward the one who offended you?
  • Consider the Jesus dimension. He forgave wholesale; He forgave everybody for whatever sin committed. Where would you be if Jesus had not forgiven you? So, the final step I encourage you to take is to follow instructions. The opening Bible verse says: forgive as the Lord forgave you.
Let's continue to work at it. We get better with experience!

"Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." - Ephesians 4:32 (NIV)

I pray that the Lord gives you the spirit of forgiveness.

Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Devotional Sermon #116: WALKING IN OBEDIENCE TO GOD - One of our most powerful sermons of all time

Do whatever He tells you to do. His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he [Jesus] tells you.” John 2 Verse 5 [NIV] Do you struggle with obeying God? Or do you question why you need to obey God at all? "What's the point?" some wonder. This message discusses one good example of obedience to God from the Bible, to inspire the believer. Christians should strive to obey God always and to keep their will aligned to God's will and purpose for their lives. The Holy Spirit is our ever-present helper in this regard. This message demonstrates the power of walking in obedience to God and of living a life that is fully surrendered to Him. Your plans and your decisions should always align to God's will. Oh, how important obedience to God is! How blessed they are those who live in the perfect will of God! But what does it mean to obey God, in our context? What does it take to obey Him? In my view, obeying God means hearing His voice (through reading the written Word, o
12 comments
Read more

Devotional Sermon #115: SETTING A GOOD CHRISTIAN EXAMPLE TO OTHERS - Short daily devotions and prayers

Philip found Nathanael and told him,  “ We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote - Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. ” “ Nazareth! Can anything good come from there? ”  Nathanael asked. “ Come and see. ”  said Philip. John 1 Verses 45-46 [NIV] Nazareth was a despised town. That is why Nathanael was taken by surprise that Jesus could have come from there. Nazareth was regarded as a desert, where nothing useful was expected to grow. Nathanael's surprise was quite revealing;  "Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" Nathanael asked.     What a viewpoint! People could be viewing your country, city, or village in a similar light. "Can anything good come from there?" they may be wondering. Yours might be a locality that is expected to produce nothing good. Despite this, I encourage you to surprise people like Jesus did Nathanael by originating from Nazareth. I urge you to surprise people, for the glory of God
2 comments
Read more

Devotional Sermon #60: DEATH & BEREAVEMENT - Message of hope after losing a loved one

The death of a loved one is always a tragic incident  to the family. The sorrow normally is so powerful that it casts a dense and dark shadow over the bereaved. Time appears to freeze. Nothing seems to matter anymore. It is a time of mourning - an episode that none of us can get accustomed to no matter how many times one might have experienced death in the family. Help is desperately and urgently required if those affected are to quickly find the strength to cope with their loss. This sermon attempts to offer hope and comfort to the grieving. I hope you will find encouragement after you are done reading it. You may understand, from past experiences, the message that I am trying to convey here. The distress and emptiness caused by the death of a family member or any other loved one are normally very difficult to imagine and absorb; sometimes the loss comes suddenly, and thus totally unexpected.    It is hard to cope with the death of a mother, father, sister, brother, child, or fri
Read more

Devotional Sermon #114: SHOW THEM JESUS - Powerful daily devotions

“The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God!’ When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus.” John 1  Verses  35-37 [NIV] This is an excellent example of, and lesson on, how to lead people to salvation; a good example of how to win souls for Christ. This was a very effective method, in my view, judging by the results achieved.  Soul winning is probably the most important activity that the Christian should undertake for the sake of both the Lord and mankind - bringing souls into God's Kingdom. Tell somebody about Christ before the day ends; win them over to Christ! This is the spirit of the above-cited bible scripture. You are a Christian, and are now enjoying the benefits of salvation, because somebody took it upon themselves to win you over to Christ. They might not have shared the Word with you; instead, they might just have invited you to a place where the Word was shared, as happen
Post a Comment
Read more

Devotional Sermon #113: THE VOICE CALLING IN THE WILDERNESS - Free daily devotionals

“ Finally,  they said, ‘Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself? ”   John 1: Verse 22 "I am the voice calling in the desert."  "I am the voice crying out in the wilderness." That was John's answer. That is what Christians should say about themselves; that's what Christians should be in this life. That is what you should say about yourself, and honestly so. You should be seen to be calling out, to be truly crying out for the salvation of mankind. It would be unfair of you to claim that you call out or cry out when you never do. But then why should you act dumb when you can speak? God expects the Christian to be ever calling out, ever crying out, for noble reasons. While John cried out to prepare people for the first coming of Jesus, we should of necessity also cry out because Jesus is coming for the second time, this time not as a baby in a manger, but as a roaring lion, the King of Kings! That's wh
1 comment
Read more

Devotional Sermon #112: THE SECRET OF GOD'S BLESSING AND FAVOR - Our most inspiring sermons of all time

"From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another." John 1  Verse  16 [NIV] I am going to share with you a personal perspective on God's blessings, the way that I have decided to approach the issue for myself. Some Christians probably take the same view, but I believe there are many who hold a different view, and that's perfectly acceptable. There are many things that a Christian is required to do, consistent with their Christian faith. Giving in church is one of them, sacrificial giving for that matter. We should give because we are supposed to behave exactly as our Lord did as He walked the earth. We are only good to the extent that we are like Him. If you give, you walk in the likeness of Christ. If you don't, you walk in the unlikeness of Christ. That's as simple as it can get. I give because my mission is to be like Christ in the world. I give to make a contribution towards the Ministry of the Holy Spirit which has made me st
Post a Comment
Read more

Devotional Sermon #102: RAISING HOPE IN DIFFICULT TIMES - Daily devotions for women’s encouragement

I have observed and have become convinced that there are just two kinds of people in this world. The lives of these two kinds of people are as different as day is to night. Only two kinds, not more, not less. That is the message of this textual sermon. There are various difficulties, challenges, trials, and tribulations in this world, but only two kinds of people. There are various levels of poverty, but only two kinds of people. There are various forms of sickness and disease, but only two kinds of people. You put the two groups under the same kind and level of difficulty or pressure, and they react differently. It's amazing. Whatever challenging situation you face today, you are either hopeful or hopeless about it. These are the two kinds of people that I have been referring to - one kind is of the hopeful,  the other is of the hopeless , regarding a specific challenge that they might be facing in their lives at any particular time.   You are either hopeful or hopeless about y
Read more

Devotional Sermon #110: LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE BEFORE GOD AND MANKIND - Short powerful devotions

"The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it." John 1  Verse  5 [NIV ] This bible verse refers to Jesus Christ, the One who was in existence in the beginning. It refers to Jesus as 'the light'. According to the Bible, the life of Christ is the light of mankind. This is remarkable; it means that those who have His life have this kind of light in them - the light of mankind. And it's not just about having this light in you, you must let that light show through you, for there would be no point in lighting a candle if you go on to hide it under a bushel! This is probably the greatest lesson you will ever learn about how to be a light that shines in the darkness. You must first accept Christ, the light, so that you may be saved. The life of Jesus Christ is the source of light. In other words, Jesus Christ is the light of mankind. He shines in the darkness and confounds it; not only that, but the darkness has not and cannot overcome this li
Post a Comment
Read more

Devotional Sermon #101: YES, YOU CAN DO IT - Daily devotions for today

I remember the time when I was still a teenager. I kept grudges; real grudges, I mean. I did not know how to forgive; neither did I have the willingness to do so. If somebody did me wrong, they were supposed to pay for it! I was a stranger to God back then - I had never experienced the transforming power of the Holy Spirit in my life. Any talk about God actually had a jarring effect to my ears; it still does to some folks. I also would tremble in anger, sometimes to the point of shedding tears - even against an elder! I recall a day I got so angry at an elder that he almost fell off the chair on which he was sitting. The elder was evidently wrong; I could not tolerate it anymore - but seething in anger did not make me right either - it's only that I did not know at the time and actually felt justified in my actions. But since then the Lord has re-molded me. Praise to His Holy Name!  If you see me now, you see a totally different person. Simple. I now can forgive and do forgive. I
Read more

Devotional Sermon #111: I AM NOT THE CHRIST - Short easy sermons

"He (John) himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light." John 1  Verse  8 [NIV] I think we are in some kind of problem as the body of Christ. The problem, in my view, is that an increasing numbe r of men and women, even teens and senior citizens are, whether by word or deed, trying to take the place of Christ. Haven't you ever come across church denominations in which congregants seem to, or actually, worship the leader? That's idolatry! The congregants appear not to acknowledge Christ, and by their actions, neither do they seem to have anything to do with Him. All they are eager to do is please their leader, with the leader becoming an idol in God's sight. Never worship other gods. Never worship false gods. Never worship idols. Never worship your pastor. That is what God expects each one of us never to do!  I have earlier claimed that a Christian, because of their relationship with Christ, is actually a light. Jesus is 'the source light
1 comment
Read more