FROM FORGIVENESS TO A MINISTRY OF RECONCILATION
2 COR 5: 14- 21 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for
all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for
themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. So from now on we regard
no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so
no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone,
the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and
gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in
Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message
of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making
his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: be reconciled to God. 21 God
made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the
righteousness of God.
IT IS SO VITAL TO LIVE WITH AN AWARENESS OF DAILY FORGIVENESS, AND CLEANSING!
- MOST MORNINGS….BREAK BREAD… TO STAY AWARE OF HIS GRACE
- 2 PET 1:9 OTHERWISE WE BECOME INEFFECTIVE AND UNPRODUCTIVE-BLIND
- NO! WE ARE FORGIVEN! WE ARE CLEANSED! WE ARE HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS
- TOO MANY CHRISTIANS FORGIVE EVERYONE…EXCEPT THEMSELVES
THEN QUESTION IS:
- HAVING BEEN FORGIVEN...ARE WE WILLING TO FORGIVE AND RECONCILE
- ARE WE WILLING TO SURRENDER OUR RIGHTS?
- IT COSTS TO SAY: “I FORGIVE YOU!”
- JUST AS IT COSTS TO SAY “I WAS WRONG!”
- WE CAN STAY IN OUR FORTRESS AND HOLD ONTO OUR RIGHTS...
- OR GET INVOLVED IN HELPING PEOPLE TO BE RECONCILED.
SO HOW DO WE PRACTICALLY FORGIVE AND GET RECONCILED?
- ACCEPT PAST CAN’T BE CHANGED
- RENOUNCE LIVING IN RESENTMENT
- REPENT EVEN IF YOU’RE THE VICTIM....
- REPENT OF ALLOWING UNFORGIVENESS IN YOUR HEART
- ITS YOUR HEART ...YOU HAVE TO GUARD IT! PROV 4:23
- SPEAK OUT THAT YOU HAVE DECIDED TO FORGIVE
BEWARE OF BITTERNESS AND OFFENCES
- HEB 12:15 DON’T MISS THE GRACE ….AND GET BITTER
- 1 SAM 30: DAVID AT ZIKLAG: DAVID HAD A CHOICE: TO GET BITTER OR BETTER
- PROV 13:12 HOPE DEFERRED MAKES THE HEART SICK
- POWER OF DISCOURAGEMENT, DISILLUSIONMENT
OFFENCES CAN COME FROM THE MOST UNLIKELY SOURCES
- THOSE CLOSEST…..PARENTS BEWARE! COL 3:21 DON’T EMBITTER…
- YOURSELF…FAILURE, DIVORCE, ABORTION, ABUSE, BETRAYAL..
- OTHERS….WE WILL BE PERSECUTED BY OUTSIDERS (2 TIM 3:12)
- CHURCH FAMILY OR LEADERS
- CHURCH SPLIT…..THEY MAY NEVER APOLOGIZE!! THEY CAN’T SEE IT
- BEWARE OF SECOND HAND OFFENCE !!...IT’S DANGEROUS!
- JESUS IS CALLED “THE ROCK OF OFFENCE”…..
- DAVID AND UZZAH!....
- JOHN THE BAPTIST, MARY, DISCIPLES, PETER,…
- GAL 5:11 THE CROSS WILL OFFEND
- N.IRELAND, RACHEL’S HEALING, VISIONS CRUMBLE, MANILA
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT OFFENSES?
- PR 4:23..ABOVE ALL ELSE
- PR 18:19: AN OFFENDED BROTHER IS HARDER TO WIN THAN A FORTRESS
- ACTS 24:16 I STRIVE TO KEEP CONSCIENCE VOID OF OFFENCE
- 1 TIM 1:15: LOVE COME FROM...A GOOD CONSCIENCE
- HEB 12:15 BEWARE...IT DEFILES MANY
- MATT 6:15 FATHER CAN’T FORGIVE YOU!
WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU GET STUCK IN UNFORGIVENESS
- PRAYERS UNANSWERED...PS 66:18 IF I CHERISH SIN..HE WON’T LISTEN
- LOSE GOD’S BLESSING...LIVE AS IF UNDER A CURSE 1 PET 3:9
- ITS A LANDING GROUND FOR THE DEVIL! EHP 4: 27
- COMPULSIVE ANGER...
- PERSISTENT SICKNESS...BAD HEALTH....ARTHRITIS!
- LOSE YOUR PEACE AND YOUR JOY, ....VACUUM...EMPTINESS
- EMOTIONAL PROBLEMS...DEPRESSION...70%
- WE CAN’T BOND..RELATIONSHIPS CHALLENGED
- LOSE PEACE IF SOMEONE ENTERS....
- ITS LIKE CARRYING A CORPSE!
- ITS LIKE AN AMALEKITE...COST YOUR LIFE
WOUNDS CAN BECOME DISEASED
- FEAR, ABUSE, CRITICISM….
- SEED SOWN….CAN GET DISEASED….DEMONIZED
- OFFENCES: SKANDALON…
- DON’T BE TRAPPED!...INVISIBLE SHELL
- LK 17:1 OFFENCES WILL COME…DON’T TAKE THE BAIT!
- PAIN CAN’T BE BURIED!...
- IT MUST BE SURRENDERED AT THE CROSS...LET GOD TAKE IT FROM YOU!
- BURIED PAIN IS NORMALLY BURIED ALIVE! IT SCREAMS INSIDE US!
- RACHEL’S PASTOR IN INDIA.... POWER OF FORGIVENESS!
DO WE GIVE PEOPLE A SECOND CHANCE AND FORGIVE ?
- HOW DO WE HANDLE SOMEONE WHO HAS WRONGED US.
- ADULTERY?…. SEVERAL CASES RECENTLY…AMAZING GRACE!
- ABUSE?…. THE ABUSED TEND TO ABUSE.
- BETRAYAL?..BEWARE OF INNER VOW: I’LL NEVER TRUST AGAIN!!
- BEING CHEATED OR A CONTRACT BEING BROKEN?
BE GENEROUS!! RELEASE PEOPLE…
- DON’T HOLD THEM TO ACCOUNT....OR YOURSELF!!
- DO I WANT THEM FREE…OR HUMILIATED…
- DEEP DOWN DO WE WANT THEM TO PAY?
BEWARE IN MARRIAGE ...BUT ALSO IN EVERY RELATIONSHIP
- Eph 5:23-25 WE’RE TOLD TO LOVE AS CHRIST LOVED THE CHURCH
- HE GAVE UP ALL HIS RIGHTS...JUST FOR US
- WHEN WE WERE IN THE WRONG…HE TOOK THE BLAME!
- PUTTING RELATIONSHIP BEFORE PRINCIPLE INCREASES AUTHORITY
- IT DOESN’T WEAKEN IT!
- IT’S BETTER TO BE RECONCILED THAN RIGHT!“
- MALAWI: MY INITIATION INTO PEACEMAKING!
- MOMBASA : FIRST EXPERIENCE: RECONCILATION OPENED THE CITY!
- WATFORD: RECONCILIATION OPENED THE WAY FOR GOD TO MOVE
LOOK AT THE HEART OF FORGIVENESS IN JESUS
- Matt 18 UNJUST STEWARD- $MILLIONS .V. SERVANT 100 DAYS WAGES….
- OH..ITS NOTHING!....NO!!ITS NOT JUST NOTHING! IT NEEDS FORGIVING!
- (Mat 18:35) "This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you
forgive your brother from your heart."
- FORGIVENESS IS NOT WEAKNESS….
- BE GRACIOUS/MERCIFUL
- JESUS WAS SINNED AGAINST…YET LAID LIFE DOWN FIRST
THE CHALLENGE IS TO BE GOD’S PEACEMAKERS…
- (Eph 2:15-16) His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the
two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God
through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.
- THE MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION…BUILD BRIDGES
- FOR FAMILIES , CHILDREN, NEIGHBOURHOOD , NATIONS
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT PEACEMAKING:
- JESUS Mat 5:9: Blessed are the peacemakers, they will be called sons of God.
- PAUL:(2Co 5:20): WE’RE CHRIST’S AMBASSADORS WITH A MESSAGE OF RECON
- PAUL: (Ro 12:18) as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
- PAUL: (Eph 4:3) Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the
bond of peace.
WHAT IS THE MAJOR DIFFERENCE YOU CAN MAKE:
- WE ARE RECONCILED TO RECONCILE: WE ARE ALL CALLED TO BE PEACMAKERS
- WE ARE CALLED TO MODEL UNITY, LOVE, COMPASSION
- SEE WHERE HAS THE DEVIL DISCONNECTED
- THEN STAND IN THE GAP AND CALL GOD DOWN...AND RECONNECT!
- EZEK 22:30 I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand
before me in the gap on behalf of the land so that I would not have to destroy it,
but I found none.
- FIND A GAP THEN STAND! REBUILD THE WALL THRU REPENT/RECON/FORGIVENES
WHERE ARE THE AMBASSADORS OF RECONCILIATION?
- Find a disconnection and be God’s answer to fill the Gap!
- The enemy has divided so many people, communities and Nations through
differing Perspectives, and Purposes.
WHAT IS YOUR GAP? MEDIA/ARTS/GOVERNMENT/NATIONAL CONFLICTS/ CHILDREN
EDUCATION/MEDICAL/SCIENCE/BUSINESS/FINANCE
- BUT FOR MOST PEOPLE: JUST SITUATIONS IN FAMILIES/COMMUNITIES
- IF YOU CHOOSE TO GET INVOLVED.....IT COSTS!
- WILBERFORCE...AND EVERY REFORMER ...THEY PAID A PRICE
WHO WILL STAND IN THE GAP TO HEAL TODAYS WOUNDS?
- MARRIAGES, CHURCHES, WORK COMMUNITIES,NATIONS
- PEOPLE WE’VE WRONGED - family, spouse, kids, colleagues, staff members
- CHURCHES WE’VE WRONGED – Evangelical, Pentecostal, Catholic etc
- COMMUNITIES WE’VE WRONGED – “Love Oxford” -All churches together
- NATIONS UK WRONGED – Ireland, Germany, Canada, India, France, Africa…..
- IRELAND: RECONCILIATION OPENED A WAY FOR PEACE TO COME
- CANADA: RECONCILATION OPENED THE HEAVENS AGAIN!
- GERMANY: DEALING WITH SOME OF THE PAIN OF THE LAST WAR
- CRUSADES: WALK OF RECONCILIATION
- MAHABBA : MY CURRENT GAP:...THE GAP CAUSED BY FEAR IN THE CHURCH
PRAYER TIME:
Where have I compromised, or been robbed, and bounced off someone?
- (1 Sam 30:6) REMEMBER DAVID AT ZIKLAG
- “each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David
found strength in the LORD his God.”
- TAKE BACK EVERY RELATIONSHIP STOLEN!
- Time to get courage from God: repent if we have compromised, but also take
back every relationship that has been stolen from us…and others!