November 12-19, 2023
Sermon Part 6C: "The Master's Jacket of Forgiveness Fits Perfectly When Your Forgiveness is Whole-Hearted!"
Is your Forgiveness of Sin One-Sided, or Two-Sided?
Good Morning Saints and Happy Sunday to you!
Introduction
I need to add this Sermon to our last Sermon entitled, “Put on the Master’s Jacket of Forgiveness and Never Take it off.” (See Sermon dated, Nov. 5, 2023.) I will be somewhat brief because I also want to get us started today in our new Series called, “Spiritual Warfare 101.”
For the past two Sessions in the Series, we have been focusing on the art of “Forgiveness,” and how it enables the born-again Christian to not only see the eternal things of God more clearly, but with confidence, also to ask and receive from God the things He has freely given to us by His Spirit. (I John 5:14-15 & I Cor. 2:9-12) Glory be to God!
So I urge each every one of you to yield your will, to God’s Will, and put on the Master's Jacket of Forgiveness, which requires that you forgive and love universally and perpetually all people, just as Jesus Christ loved you. (John 13:34)
More Adjustments Are Needed to Your Master’s Jacket of Forgiveness: You Need to Understand “Whole-Hearted” Forgiveness
Now, please hear me clearly, as what I am about to say has to do with the fitting of the Master's Jacket of Forgiveness, as it still requires some adjustments to be made to fit “perfectly” on you. The Master’s Jacket of Forgiveness will not fit perfectly, until you know how to forgive “Whole-Heartedly.”
What I mean by Whole-Hearted Forgiveness is that, “Bible Forgiveness is two-sided.” First, there is a systematic and tactical approach we use to forgive the sins of others, including our sore enemies, as we taught you. (See Sermons dated, Oct.29, and Nov.5, 2023.) Secondly, there is a systematic and tactical approach we use in forgiving, when “you” commit sins against other people.
Here is a news flash for you: Your enemies and other people are not the only ones who commit sins. You commit sins too, including sins that have hurt people, caused harm, and inconvenience to others! There may even be people and institutions today sitting wounded, offended, disadvantaged by your wrong behavior and performance.
Please let’s not just see forgiveness as act of godliness that we use when others have offended us. No, no, no that has the potential to make us think we are always the “victim;” with people taking advantage of us, hurting us, persecuting us, and crucifying us. In fact, some people only see themselves as martyrs being burned at the stake and never doing wrong to anybody! But the truth is everybody has faulty behavior that needs to be cleaned-up! (James 5:16)
Saints, just as we learned how to systematically and tactically forgive the sins of others the Bible Way, we also must learn how to forgive ourselves the Bible Way, when we are the ones who have committed personal sins, as well as sin(s) against other people.
Tell me, when you commit a sin, whether it’s a personal sin, or a sin against someone else, how do you go about receiving forgiveness?
I can almost with certainty tell you what you do. Like most Christians, when you sin, you say, “Lord forgive me for my sin.” (Side-note many Christians motivated by pride never ask forgiveness for the sins they commit against others because they choose to hide their sinful acts, and/or try to forget their wrongs. This halts their prosperity!) (Prov. 28:13)
As a born-again Christian—a new creature in Jesus Christ—asking God to forgive your sins, never works! It may make you feel better in your emotions, but does not move heaven on your behalf. Yet, Christians daily and even go through life, when they commit a sin, ask God to forgive them—almost like a ritual; like a broken record stuck on the same old tune. When they commit a sin, immediately they say, “Lord forgive for my sin”—over, and over, and over!
Saints, what the body of Christ needs is a much greater and higher understanding of Forgiveness.
The Forgiveness of Sin Is a Covenant Blood-Bought Right of Every Born-Again Christian
The Forgiveness of Sin Is a Covenant Blood-Bought Right of Every Born-Again Christian
In whom we “have” redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
We have been “redeemed” (repurchased/bought back) by the precious and spotless blood of Jesus Christ. We have been washed in the blood of Jesus Christ from all of our sins. (Acts 20:28 & I Pet. 1:18, Rev.1:5-6) With the blood of Jesus, God has “exchanged” our sin nature and all of the works of sin (past, present, and future); for the Spirit of the Life and Mind of Jesus Christ and His works of Righteousness. (Col. 3:4 & Rom. 8:11) Before Jesus shed His blood on the cross: We all were unholy, ungodly, unrighteous and guilty of all sins. But after Jesus’s blood was shed on the cross: We have been made holy, blameless, and righteous in Christ Jesus for all eternity! (Eph. 2:1-3 & II Cor. 5:21)
Moreover, our New-Covenant testifies that with “ONE” OFFERING” of His blood and life, we were “forever perfected!” (Heb.10:12-14) Praise God we have been saved from sin! We are born of God and cannot (in our born-again hearts)“sin!” See I John 3:9, the Apostle John wrote:
Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
The sin that we commit comes about because of the carnal mind (brain) not yet being renewed to the Word of God. (Rom.8:7-9) The sins you personally commit, and against others, is a result of yielding your brain to temptations of Satan that were rooted in your prior life before you became a Christian. But, your inner-man (born-again heart) where God in Christ Jesus dwells is protected eternally from all sins, and only desires to keep and do God’s Commandments. Your heart is sealed until the day of redemption. (Eph. 4:30) Your heart always desires to operate in two-sided forgiveness and love. The Godhead lives in you, and when God looks at you, He only sees Jesus Christ, as your life is hidden in Christ. (Col. 2:9-10 & 3:4 & II Cor. 5:17)
Remember, our New Covenant with God says, God remembers “our sins and iniquities no more.” “Where there is remission (the cancellation) of sin, there is no more offering for sin.” (Heb. 10:17-18) Praise God, all of our sins, iniquities, and transgressions have been cancelled!
Asking God continually for forgiveness when we sin is in direct conflict with Jesus’s finished works on the cross and our New Covenant. God does not remember our sins, as they all have been casted away, as far as the east is from the west. (Ps.103:12) When we ask God to “forgive” our sins, He cannot grant the “forgiveness”—because it’s already been given to you through the blood of Jesus as an inheritance. It’s an act of great grace!
Freely you have received forgiveness, freely give it away to others who sin against you, and to yourself when you commit personal sins, as well as offenses against others. Do not use this great grace of forgiveness as an occasion to sin more; instead, use forgiveness as an authority and power to walk free of sin. (Gal. 5:13)
The Apostle Paul declared that sin has no dominion over us.” As such, why would we ask God to forgive our sins, when we already have authority over sin? (Rom. 6:14-23) Paul also wrote to Timothy saying that every person who names the name of Jesus Christ must, “depart from iniquity.” (II Timothy 2:19) We have the power to let the practice of sin go and walk away from it!
Now, in Christian Circles, many Christians may totally disagree with me, as I maintain emphatically that we “own” the forgiveness of sins as an inheritance through the blood of Jesus Christ. Many born-again Christians may believe that by Scripture, when we sin, we must go to God in prayer and ask for forgiveness, and that we cannot forgive ourselves.
To support their position, for example, some Christians may cite the prayer that Jesus Christ taught the disciples to pray (called the Lord’s Prayer). Included in the prayer, Jesus said we are to ask God to “forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.” (Matt. 6:12-14) Yes, I agree that Jesus taught this, but this was before He shed his blood on the cross for the remission of our sins. Our debts have all been cancelled forever! (Matt. 6:12-14)
Also, they may cite the passage at I John 1: 9, which says “…if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Yes, but notice the Apostle John wrote if we “confess” our sins—not when we ask God to “forgive” our sins—that Jesus Christ is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. When we confess our sins, (one to another as James 5:16 says) we are revealing and acknowledging our faults rather than hiding them, so that the blood of Jesus shed for our sins on the cross, continually works to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Lastly, some may differ with me pointing to I John 2:1-2. It reads:
And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: and he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for our's only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
Yes, and Amen I say to this Verse, and love it! We sure do have an “advocate” and His name is Jesus Christ, who is with God Father, and who is the Righteousness of God. Jesus serves as the propitiation (substitute) for our sins—and not only for all born-again Christians, but also for the whole world! Whenever a born-again Christian sins—Jesus is the substitute for that sin—His sinless life replaces any sin we have committed past, present, and future!
I say to you again, we have been given a very special grace from God—and inheritance of Forgiveness of sins purchased with the precious and mighty blood of Jesus Christ. God wants you to be thankful and acknowledge the great things He has done for you!
Affirm with me saying: “I own the forgiveness of sins, as an inheritance through the blood of Jesus Christ."
As such, we must Whole-Heartedly forgive sins:
1) Sins committed by others against you.
2) Personal Sins, as well as sins you have committed against others.
So how do we forgive ourselves for personal sin(s) and sins we commit against others? In many respects we follow the same method we used to forgive others for their sins against us. See the following steps.
1. We acknowledge and thank God, that through the shed blood of Jesus we have an inheritance of forgiveness of sins. (Eph. 1:7 & Ph.1:6)
2. In the Spirit, we see the specific sin(s) we have committed and strip them off ourselves—separate them completely from us. (II Cor. 4:18 & Heb.12:1)
3. In the Spirit, we see ourselves as blessed, holy, blameless, useful unto God, having no “Fault” because Jesus Christ is our life! (Eph. 1:3-6) We see only Christ in us! (Col. 3:4)
4. In the Spirit, we see ourselves worthy of acts of the exceedingly great kindness of the richness of God. (Eph.2:7)
5. We then take the Word of God and examine our wrongful actions against our brother in the light of the Word, and allow the Holy Ghost to teach and reprove our sinful behavior in righteousness. (Eph. 6:10-18 & John 16:8)
6. We pray with God and “Repent” (“change” the way we think about the wrong behavior, to match what the Bible says is right) and with the help of the Holy Ghost we resolve to bring our conduct in line as the Bible commands.
7. We pray with God that our repentance brings about reconciliation and restoration when we meet with the person(s) we have offended to resolve the conflict. (Heb. 13:1 & Gal. 3:26-29)
8. We go to the person immediately who we sinned against and reconcile (take responsibility for our actions, confess our faults, communicate the correct actions we are taking to rectify the situation in line with God’s Word, and steps to avoid future conflict.) (Matt. 5:23-25)
8. We rely on the Holy Ghost to lead and inspire us to give God-good things to the person(s) we have wronged.
9. No matter how the offended party responds to our efforts to reconcile, (as some people may not desire to forgive you for your wrong deeds) we remember that our sins against them are forgiven, and we remain in a spirit of meekness and cooperation in hopes of reaching reconciliation. (Matt. 5:43-45, Rom. 12:9-10, & I Pet. 1:22)
In closing, this is how our inheritance of Forgiveness works—it’s a two-way street. When others sin against us, we freely and quickly forgive them by stripping away and separating their sins from them; and seeing them as God sees them: good, useful, and purposeful unto God. We judge them worthy to receive acts of kindness, without concern for how they may treat us. And, with a spirit of meekness and love we correct wrong behavior by the Word of God.
On the other side, when we commit personal sins, as well as sins against others, thanking God always for our inheritance of forgiveness through the blood of Jesus Christ, we quickly forgive ourselves of the sin(s), repent of the sin and take the progressive steps mentioned above to rectify and resolve the conflict, no matter how the offended party may treat us.
This is “Wholehearted Forgiveness,” and when put to work, we Master Forgiveness. We walk in forgiveness and love just like Jesus. (I John 2:6) Nothing short of wearing the Master’s Jacket of Forgiveness can ever be acceptable for those of us who have surrendered our “will” to the Master’s Will, to be a blessing to mankind and the world, just as Jesus Christ is as seated at the right-hand of God the Father. Amen.