RESTORING THE RESURRECTION LIFE - Part 4

• forgiving all those who have sinned against us
  
• forgiving ourselves where we may have done wrong against ourselves.

• thanking Him for His love
  
• thanking Him for sending Jesus to die for us,
  
• thanking Him for giving us a new life in Christ Jesus,
  
• thanking Him for filling us with His Holy Spirit and His kingdom riches,

• daily repentance & daily obedience

1. Cause of self-hatred

2. Other causes of self-hatred

3. Results of rejection and self-hatred

4. Removing self-hatred by forgiving those who have hurt us
THE FIRST STEP toward living the new life in Christ is forgiving those who have hurt us, including forgiving ourselves. As we forgive others, we are set free from being bound to our past life.

However, as long as we do not forgive, we are still bound to the past. We are bound by the memories of past hurts. We are bound by our bitterness. We are bound by our sinful ways of responding and reacting to these hurts. We are bound by self-hatred to our old carnal adamic life. We will therefore live from this life.

Because we are hurt, we will have deep self-hatred. As a result, we hate even our new life in Christ. We will therefore never appreciate our new life in Christ. We will therefore not live from this new resurrection life.

a. Forgiving others is a commandment of God
God commands us to forgive those who have hurt us. Because God has commanded us, we must obey Him (Matthew 7:24-27). We must obey, no matter how much we have been hurt. In this way, as we forgive, we please God.

And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, FORGIVE him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.
(Mark 11:25)

FORGIVE, and you will be forgiven.
(Luke 6:37)

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?" Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times."
(Matthew 21-22)

b. Forgiveness is and act of the will
God holds us responsible for forgiving others. Forgiving others is a choice we make, everyday. We forgive by an act of our will, through the words of forgiveness that we speak.

When forgiving others, we do not depend of our feelings. Forgiveness is not a feeling. It is an act of love.

We can forgive others no matter how deeply we have been hurt. God commands us to "live by faith, not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7). We live by believing and obeying God and not by depending on our feelings.

c. To forgive is to live by the Spirit of God
As mature sons of God, we are to live by the Spirit (Romans 8:14; Galatians 5:16). The fruit of the Holy Spirit includes love, joy and peace (Galatians 5:22). And love "keeps no record of wrongs"; love forgive (1 Corinthians 13:5).

On the other hands, those who do not forgive are not walking in love. They are not living by the Spirit. They are living after the flesh (the sinful nature, the old adamic life). From the works of the flesh, they will reap destruction (Galatians 5:16-6:8).

d. As you forgive, you will receive forgiveness
We reap what we sow (Galatians 6:7). As we forgive, we will be forgiven (Luke 6:37). As we show mercy, we will receive mercy (Matthew 5:7).

Blessed are the MERCIFUL,

for they will RECEIVE MERCY.
(Matthew 5:7)

And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, FORGIVE him, SOT HAT your Father in heaven may FORGIVE YOU your sins.
(Mark 11:25)

FORGIVE, and you WILL BE FORGIVEN.
(Luke 6:37)

As we show mercy, we will receive the mercy of God and of men. God will forgive us of our sins as we repent and ask for forgiveness. Men will also readily forgive us whenever we make mistakes or do wrong to others.

e. Why God wants us to forgive others
God has forgive us in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 4:32). Therefore, He wants us to likewise forgive others (Matthew 18:33; Ephesians 4:32). Forgiveness is part of God's mercy and goodness. As His children, god wants us to express that same mercy and goodness to others.

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

In fact our sins against God are more grievous than the sins of others against us. Yet God forgive us even though we have sinned greatly against Him. We should likewise forgive others, who are sinned only a little against us in comparison to our sins against God.

In the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant (Matthew 18:21-35), Jesus compared our sins against God with man's sins against us. Our sins against God is equivalent of a debt of 10,000 talents (several million dollars), while the sins of others against us is equivalent only a hundred denarii (a few dollars).

Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a kings who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owned him TEN THOUSAND TALENTS was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

The servant fell on his knees before him. "Be patient with me," he begged, "and I will pay back everything." The servant's master TOOK PITY on him, CANCELLED HIS DEBT and let him go.

But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owned him A HUNDRED DENARII. He grabbed him and began to CHOKE HIM. "Pay back what you own me!" he demanded.

His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, "Be patient with me, and I will pay you back."

But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay his debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.

Then the master called the servant in. "You wicked servant," he said, "I cancelled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn't you have had MERCY on your fellow servant JUST AS I had on you?" In anger his master turned him over to the JAILERS until he should pay back all he owned.

This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.
(Matthew 18:23-35)

f. Jesus forgave all his enemies
Our Lord Jesus, the sinless SOn of God, came to earth to seek the lost. He heal the sick, set the oppressed free, and preached the Good News of the kingdom of God (Mark 1:14-39). However, His own people did not receive Him (John 1:11).

In spite of what He did, He was slandered, rejected and betrayed. He was crucified as a common criminal, although He did no wrong (1 Peter 2:21-23). Yet as He hung on the cross, He forgave all his enemies. He said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." (Luke 23:32).

People who hurt us do not know what they are doing (Luke 23:34). They are not aware of the eternal consequences of their sin. Their eyes are blinded by the devil, the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4). Just as Jesus forgave His enemies, so we also can forgive all who have hurt us.

Instead of being angry with those who have mistreated us, we are commanded by God to love them and pray for them (Matthew 5:43-45). God sent Jesus to die for the sins of all men, even our enemies. No matter how evil they have been or are, all our enemies are God's creation and objects of His love. He wants all men to be save (2 Peter 3:9).

g. People with unforgiveness are foolish, self-righteous hypocrites
Those who do not want to forgive others are hurting themselves. Having been abused, rejected and hurt by others , they are now causing further damage to themselves through their unforgiveness. This is plain foolishness.

Unforgiveness does not hurt those who have wounded us in the past; it hurts us when we hold the bitterness in our hearts. In fact, some of those who have hurt us may have been long dead and gone.

All of us are imperfect. Our parents, our relatives, our neighbors, our employers, etc. all are imperfect. All of us have sinned and deserve to go to hell (Romans 3:23). All of us need the forgiveness of God and of men.

No one is righteous before God by his own work (Romans 3:20). We have all sinned against God and against one another. Only a fool thinks that he alone is without sin(John 8:7). Therefore we must never adopt a self-righteous attitude and be unforgiving of the sins of others. That would make each of us a hypocrite; and God will judge all self-righteous unforgiving hypocrites severely (Matthew 18:35).

h. People who are easily offended are immature people
As infants and children and young adults, all of us have been wounded and hurt by the neglect, abandonment and abuse of those close to us. We held onto our bitterness because we have not been taught to forgive.

However, as adults who are now children of God, we should not only forgive, but we should learn not to take offense at the behavior of others. Believers who are easily offended are immature believers (Mark 4:16-17).

Petty reason's given for being offended include the following:

To be offended is to be "hurt" by the words and actions of others. However, most of the time, the offence may not be intentional at all The offending party may not even realise it. At other times, we are offended because our pride is hurt, our traditions are not followed, our advice and opinions not accepted.

If we are easily offended, it means that we are keeping the hurt in our heart. It means that we are unforgiving. The hurt will defile us and get us into trouble with God.

Learn to forgive as soon as an offense is committed against you, whether real of imagined. Then no longer meditate on it and continue to love your brother or sister. Forgive quickly; forgive readily. This is the way to walk close with the Spirit of God (Galatians 5:16-18).

i. Destructive consequences of unforgiveness
If you do not forgive, you are living from the flesh (the sinful nature). You will reap destruction (Galatians 6:8). Your life, marriage, family, business, and ministry will eventually be destroyed. You will experience hell on earth.

Your sins will remain unforgiven by God if you do not forgive others. Your sins and their consequences will destroy you both now and eternally Heaven has no place for unrepentant and unforgiven sinners.

For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father WILL NOT forgive your sins.
(Matthew 6:14-15)

In the (Matthew 18:21-35), the master called the unmerciful servant a "wicked servant." God hates those who are unmerciful. They are "wicked" in His sight. In anter, the master turned him over to the jailers (tormentors, torturers).

Our Lord Jesus declared that God will likewise treat us if we do not forgive our brother. In other words, God will surrender us to demonic oppression and torment if we harbor bitterness in our hearts.

Then the master called the servant in. "you wicked servant," he said, "I have cancelled all that debt of your because you begged me to. Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?"
In anger his master turned him over to the jailers (tormentor, torturers) until he should pay back all he owned. Thus is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.
(Matthew 18:32-35)

When you hold bitterness in your heart, you can never experience God's joy. There will be no joy or gladness in serving God. Because of that, we will be continuously defeated by the devil, our enemy.

Because you did not serve the LORD your God JOYFULLY and GLADLY in time of prosperity, therefore in hunger and thirst, in nakedness and dire poverty, you will serve the ENEMIES the LORD sends against you.
(Deuteronomy 28:47-48)

Your unforgiveness binds you to your old life, (your sinful nature, the flesh). You will live from the flesh (the carnal life) and torture and torment yourselves and everyone around you. When we do not forgive, a root of bitterness grows deep into our soul and defiles and contaminates everything that we do or touch.

See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no BITTER ROOT grows up to cause trouble and DEFILE many.
(Hebrews 12:15)

Our unforgiveness breeds resentment, criticism, a judgemental attitude, backbiting, jealousy, envy, quarrellings, division, strife, anger, retaliation, revenge, hatred, and murder (See part 3). We withdraw from God's people, have few friends, indulge in self-pity, become aimless, self-righteous, defensive, depressed, etc (See part 3).

A simple prayer of forgiveness is as follows:

After we have been forgiven by God, our sins are washed away by the blood of Jesus. God "remembers them no more" (Isaiah 43:25; Jeremiah 31:34; Hebrews 8:12).

We should likewise never bring up the sins of others after forgiving them. If thoughts of forgiven hurts return, rebuke the devil and tell him to get lost. Tell him that you have already forgiven those who have hurt you.

Instead, begin to bless them in your prayers, and love them (Luke 6:27-28). If they are alive, do good to them and bring them to Jesus.

Your thought:

a. Ask the Lord to search your life and show you areas of hurts and bitterness in your life.

b. Repent of your bitterness.

c. Forgive those who have sinned against you and rejected you.

d. Ask God to bless them.