WHAT FORGIVENESS IS NOT

IOI CHRISTIAN MORNING MEAL

TOPIC: WHAT FORGIVENESS IS NOT.

TEXT: 2 corinthians 2:5-8 NIV
If anyone has caused grief, he has not so much grieved me as he has grieved all of you to some extent—not to put it too severely.
The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient. Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow.
I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him.

......continue from yesterday.

9. FORGIVENESS IS NOT TRUSTING.
I hear this all the time. "My dad molested me. He said he’s sorry. Can he babysit my kids?" Answer? No way. No way. "My boyfriend or husband hit me, but he said he’s sorry.
Should we just pick up where we left off and keep going?" No way. See, trust is built slowly. It’s lost quickly. Trust is built slowly.
Those of you, now hear this, I’m your pastor who loves you. Let me put an airbag around this. For those of you who are naive and gullible, trust is to be given slowly, lost quickly.
Some of you give your whole heart away and never take it back. Give it away slowly and if someone sins against you grievously, trust has to be rebuilt over time. It’s not trusting. It’s not trusting. Some people can be trusted in time with fruit and keeping with repentance after they’ve gotten help.
Other people should never be trusted because the risk is simply too high.
This is particularly true with children who are vulnerable. We need to be exceedingly careful with who we trust.


10. FORGIVENESS IS NOT RECONCILIATION.
It’s not that you’re friends and you hang out and everything’s okay. You’re close and it’s back to normal. Not at all. It takes one person to repent. It takes one person to forgive. It takes two people to reconcile.

That’s why Paul says, "In as much as it is possible with you, seek to live at peace with all men." Here’s what he’s saying. Do your best, but you can’t be at peace with everyone. But if it doesn’t work out, make sure it’s their fault, not yours. Right? It takes two people to reconcile. This is where I’ve got a friend right now who’s in the midst of a divorce because she is acknowledging her own sin, her husband really is the problem, and she’s saying, "I love you, I forgive you. If you’ll meet with counselors, if you’ll submit to the authority in our church, I extend a hand to you and we can reconcile and save this marriage." He’s saying, "No. I don’t think I did anything wrong.
I don’t think I need to listen to the pastor. I don’t need to meet with a counselor. I don’t need to listen to anyone. It’s your fault." There will be no reconciliation. Not with a man like that. Repentance takes one, forgiveness takes one, reconciliation takes two.


FORGIVENESS AND JUSTICE
Now, in hearing this, some of you, like me, will have strong sense of justice. You say, "But if I forgive them, where’s the justice?" Justice comes, friends, ultimately from Jesus. Either they will come to faith in Christ and you will get your justice at the cross, where Jesus’ blood was shed in their place for their sins as Jesus’ blood was shed in your place for your sin, because Lord knows we’ve hurt people too, or, if they remain unrepentant, your forgiving them does not mean that they are ultimately forgiven.
They’ve sinned against you and God, and as you forgive them, you’re leaving them to Jesus. And if they live in a state of unrepentance and they don’t come to Jesus for forgiveness, they will stand before Jesus in the end. And they will be judged and sentenced to the conscious eternal torments of hell to suffer forever for all of their sin, paying their eternal debt to the living God. So, in forgiving someone, we are not neglecting justice. We’re leaving it to the perfect judge to enact perfect justice, either at the cross or in hell, but either way justice will be served. And we forgive in light of that.

LET US PRAY
FATHER IN JESUS NAME HELP US TO FORGIVE AND WORK IN YOUR WAY IN JESUS NAME

share this meal
Good morning brethren