The relationship with God through the Lord Jesus Christ is unique. The founder is alive & reigning.
Revelation 1:18 He lived & died & has risen to live forever.
God took the initiative John 6:44 'No one can come to Jesus unless the Father draws him & Jesus will raise him up on the last day.'
James 1:17-18 The Father 'does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth.'
Total forgiveness is given out of Grace. It is not deserved or through anything we have done. Forgiveness is given by the death of the Son of God.
Romans 5:8-9 'God shows His love to us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by His blood how much more will we be saved by Him from God’s wrath.'
Ephesians 2:8-9 'By grace are you saved through faith & that not of yourselves it is the gift of God, not of works lest anyone should boast.'
To what extent are we forgiven & are we to forgive others? We are completely forgiven because of what Christ has done for us on the cross & must completely forgive others as though they had done nothing wrong.
Psalm 103:12 'As far is the East is from the West so far Has God removed our sins from us.'
As God has treated us so we must treat others.
GOD has totally forgiven us in Christ. Forgiveness of sins
Colossians 1:13-14 'He rescued us from the dominion of darkness & brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins'
Ephesians 2:8-9 'By grace are you saved, through faith & that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God - not of works, lest anyone should boast.'
Romans 3:22 'This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe'
Romans 3:26 He did it to show His love at the present time to be just & the one who justifies at the present time.
Imputed Righteousness Romans 4:3 'What does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God & it was credited to him as righteousness'
Imputed = put to the credit of. All that Jesus was & did is transferred to us.
His sinless life was put to our credit as though we were without sin
Romans 4:8 'Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord will never count against him.'
His blood assures us that the Father does not hold our sin against us but sees us in Christ.
Ephesians 1:7 'In Him we have the redemption through his blood the forgiveness of our sins in accordance with the riches of his grace.'
Eternal Life is the very life of Jesus Himself.
1 John 1:2 'The eternal life which was with the Father has appeared to us.'
John 17:3 'This is eternal life to know You the only true God & Jesus Christ whom you have sent.'
What sins are forgiven? The Sins of the past Romans 3:25 'God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement through the shedding of His blood to be received by faith.'
Hebrews 8:12 He 'will forgive their wickedness & remember their sins no more'
Pre conversion:
Revelation 1:5 'To Him who has loved us & freed us from our sins by His own blood.'
Present sin 1 John 1:7-9 'If we walk in the light as He is in the light we have fellowship with one another & the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we confess our sins, He is faithful to forgive our sins & cleanse us from all unrighteousness'
We must walk in the light & admit our failures.
Failure to do so loses fellowship with the Father & quality of building.
Future Sins: In Christ we are secure in Him. Our place cannot be lost
John 10:28 'I give them eternal life & they shall never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand.'
John 17:23 'You have loved them as much as You have loved Me.'
Chastening – enforced learning: Internal the work of the Holy Spirit. External God using circumstances. Terminal when repentance stops through hardening of the heart.
Discipline is out of love for our good. It is proof of forgiveness, a sign of sonship.
Our Forgiving others
When Jesus ascended He let the Holy Spirit take His place.
Romans 8:9 'You are in the realm of the Spirit if the Spirit of God lives in you. If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.'
The person of the Holy Spirit lives in us
John 14:16 'I will ask the Father & He will give you another Advocate to help you & be with you forever.'
The character of the Holy Spirit: He can be quenched or grieved by disobedience & not listening to Him resulting in losing the close fellowship of the Father.
1 Thessalonians 5:19 'Do not quench (put out the fire) of the Holy Spirit'
Grieving the Holy Spirit results in loss of insight & clear thinking.
Ephesians 4:31-32 'Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all rage, anger, bitterness, brawling & slander along with every form of malice. Be kind & compassionate to one another forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you.'
Result of our being forgiven? Romans 6:22 'You have been set free from sin & become slaves of God leading to holiness & eternal life.'
We live lives of holiness out of gratitude for the grace shown to us through to save & keep us in fellowship with the Father.
We show our gratitude by forgiving others as we are all sinners that need forgiveness.
When we are aware of how much we have been forgiven, what others have done to us pales into insignificance. God’s attitude to ingratitude?
Romans 1:21 'Though they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him & became darkened in their minds.'
God commands us to forgive: Ephesians 4:32 'Be kind & compassionate to one another forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you.'
Jesus taught us in prayer to forgive as we have been forgiven. If we do not, we will not be forgiven.
Mark 11:25 'When you stand praying if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them so that your Father in heaven may forgive your sins.'
Remove any obstacle in your communication with the Father. Confess when reminded.
Accept removal through the blood of Christ. Ask it to be removed from the mind.
Keep no record of wrong 1 Corinthians 13:5 'Love keeps no record of wrongs.'
Genesis 45:1 Joseph sent the Egyptians out of the room so that they would not know what his brothers had done to him by selling him. He told his brothers that they meant it for evil but God meant it for good to preserve life. Joseph wanted them to forget the past.
Proof You have totally forgiven another never remind them again
Hebrews 8:12 'I will forgive their wickedness & remember their sins no more'
We protect the identity of those that have hurt us in the past. Sometimes when there is conflict, honesty, in an attitude of love, can remove barriers.
When we forgive we put people at ease so that they are not concerned about their past actions.
When God forgives, He does not later on remind us of our failures. We must adopt the same procedure. Joseph had to reassure his brothers over & over that he held no grudges
Joseph was able to accept the ordering of his life by God
Romans 8:28 'We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him who have been called according to His purpose.'
God is able to make the past work out for His glory.
We might be tempted to think that it how it was supposed to happen, but if God could work it out for His purpose it does not mean it was right at the time.
When we have totally forgiven others we will want them never to feel ashamed, whatever they have done...
Never keep a record of wrongs done. Keep forgiving, keep forgetting.
Jesus became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him
Hebrews 5:9 God keeps on forgiving us. We must do to too. We need to be in harmony with the Father & have the same way of dealing with sinners like ourselves. God will use chastening to correct our behaviour & our attitude. We are all sinners saved by grace.
Self righteousness lurks in the background & is often the result of us being out of close fellowship with the Father, the Son & the Holy Spirit.
The fruit of the Spirit is the result of inner harmony from the cleansing blood of Jesus and obedience to the will of the Father.
Romans 12:17-21 'Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. Live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge but leave room for God’s wrath It is mine to avenge. I will repay says the Lord. If your enemy is hungry feed him. If he is thirsty give him something to drink. In doing so you will heap burning coals of fire on his head. Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good.'
Burning coals were taken off fires of the wealthy & given to the poor as they went around with a metal tray on their heads. In that way they too could enjoy a warm fire in their home
Whatever others do or why they do it, leave it to your Father to sort out the problem.
As Jesus said to Peter when he asked about John, what His will was for John was none of Peter’s business.
Peter had to follow Jesus and allow Him to order his life.
Jesus told him that when he was young he went wherever he wanted to go but later in his old age he would allow another to guide him and leads him to wherever he did not want to go.
Jesus word to Peter, ”Follow Me.”
Jesus says the same to us. Do not be concerned with the way others follow Jesus or what they do.
Our priority is to follow Jesus & love & obey Him.
