BIBLICAL WELLNESS & WHOLENESS

“Surrendering to Abbas’ Love – Choosing to Forgive”

God’s Shalom - Jn. 20: 19-23

  • “Peace be with you” – God’s shalom
  • Peace, wellness, wholeness, unity, harmony
  • “As the Father has sent me so I send you”
  • Jesus breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit”
  • For ministry, but first to forgive
  • “If you forgive the sins of any they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
  • The Message writes it this way, “If you forgive someone’s sins, they’re gone for good. If you don’t forgive sins, what are you going to do with them?”
  • Who would the disciples need to forgive?

Characteristics of Christian Forgiveness Present in This Story

  1. Christian forgiveness is always a choice rather than a feeling
  2. Jesus does not command the disciples to forgive - he encourages and urges.
  3. “The choice to forgive is the option to rework the script for our life’s story.”
  4. Corrie ten Boom story
  5. Christian forgiveness is often very difficult to do.
  6. Is it harder to forgive someone else or ourselves?
  7. Story of Jesus and Peter following breakfast - Jn. 21: 15-17
  8. Surrendering our unforgiveness to Abba’s Love requires God’s grace
  9. “and Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit upon them”
  10. “a current seemed to pass from my hand to his”
  11. We are unable to forgive those deep hurts on our own.
  12. We need God’s Spirit breathed into us, just as Jesus did to his first disciples, to empower our choosing to forgive others and ourselves.
  13. There is no co-dependency in Christian forgiveness
  14. Our choice to forgive is not based upon a contrite heart from the offender
  15. Jesus models this on the cross
  16. Such forgiveness is a sign of strength and choosing life

The Impact of Unforgiveness Our Wellness & Wholeness

  • What does Jesus mean when he says, “…if you retain the sins of any, they are retained”?
  • Story of former POWs visiting Vietnam Memorial
  • “Unforgiveness is like swallowing rat poison and expecting the rat to die.”(Madam Guyon)
  • “Unforgiveness is like a coronary occlusion within the body of Christ.” (Al Durrance)
  • When we are stuck in retaining the sins of any, we deny ourselves a significant part of the fullness of life that God wants to give us, especially the fullness of God’s Shalom

Mt16: 19b

“…whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

  • It is true with forgiveness
  • Whatever sins are retained, whatever you bind on earth, the effects of those sins are retained and are bound in heaven
  • Whatever sins are forgiven, whatever unforgiveness is loosed on earth will be loosed in heaven …..and the flood gates of heaven will open and the Holy Spirit will be poured out upon you, washing away the guilt and shame, washing away the anger, resentments and bitterness ….replacing it with a fresh in-filling of the Holy Spirit that brings new life and a future filled with hope.

Surrendering our unforgiveness to God is the key to healing hurts of the past.

  • Story of retired pastor

There is a time to forgive.

Corporate 4 Way Forgiveness Prayer – A Prayer Exercise

Rev. John Rice, 10/3/16

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