GVCC sermon FORGIVENESS

Garden Valley Community Church

Pastor Shane Moffitt                           April 29^th 2012

“1 Corinthians 13 ~ LOVE” series

LOVE IS FORGIVING

Love doesn’t keep a record of wrongs that others do                       1 Corinthians 13:5b

As God has not kept any books on my sin, so I must not keep records on other’s sin

Romans 4:8; Psalm 32:1-2; Psalm 103:12;                          2 Corinthians 5:19; Colossians 2:13-15

  The ultimate test of love is when somebody hurts you.  How do you respond?

FORGIVENESS IS NOT

1) It isn’t conditional

It’s not based on someone else’s response

Luke 23:34 “Father, forgive them….”

2) It isn’t resuming a relationship without changes

a)     Demonstrate genuine repentance

b)    Make appropriate restitution

c)     Over time, rebuild trust

3) It isn’t forgetting what happened

     This requires a new level of spiritual maturity

     KNOW God can bring GOOD our of BAD

     Genesis 50:20, Romans 8:28

     WHAT IS GENUINE FORGIVENESS?

#1. Giving Up My RIGHT To Get Even

          “never pay back evil with more evil…”

                                                Romans 12:17-21

#2.    RESPONDING To Evil With Good

      “...do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat you.”    

                                                 Luke 6:27-28

#3.    REPEATING THE PROCESS

      “Peter asked, ‘"Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me?  Seven times?’  ‘No.’ Jesus replied, ‘seventy times seven!’”                

                                                  Matthew  18:21-22

·        How do you know when you’ve genuinely forgiven somebody? 

·        When You can pray for God to bless them 

THE SECRET OF FORGIVENESS

REMEMBER how much God forgave YOU

      “Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you                    

       must forgive others.”  Colossians 3:13

     "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."  Ephesians 4:32, Colossians 2:13-14

READ: The “Lord’s Prayer” ~ Matthew 6:9-13

·        Lord, forgive me to the degree I forgive others

Thoughts on Anger

~ ANGER ~
200 years ago Thomas Jefferson wrote, “When angry, count to 10 before you speak.  If very angry, a hundred.” 
100 years ago Mark Twain wrote, “When angry count to four.  When very angry, swear.”
Most of our movies today,  “When angry, blow them away.”
Anger is expressed in our relationships in a lot of different ways. 

In anger in relationships, we have one of two strategies. 

#1.  skunks

#2.  turtles. 

A skunk is the one who, when an argument occurs, you sort of spew.  Everybody in the room knows how you feel.  You stink up the place, and you want everybody to know. 

Then there are turtles.  When the bad times come, your head goes right back in the shell. 

Neither of those ways work. 

God has a better way to deal with the anger we sometimes feel in our lives.

ANGER in itself is NOT a sin. 

It is what you DO with the anger that becomes problematic. ANGER is a God given warning light that tells you when something is wrong

We get angry when:                   unaccepted, unappreciated, unsupported, unprotected, uncertain

6 “C”s of Fair Fighting

(1)  NEVER Compare

(2)  NEVER Condemn
(3)  NEVER Command
(4)  NEVER Challenge
(5)  NEVER Condescend
(6)  NEVER Contradict

Anger moves us in 1 of 3 ways: 

(1)    AGAINST people in anger
(2)    AWAY from people in fear 
(3)    WITH people in love

GVCC Sermon "God Pleasing Anger"

Garden Valley Community Church Pastor Shane Moffitt                         April 22^nd 2012

“1 Corinthians 13 ~ LOVE” series
Love Is Patient

“Love is patient and kind.                                              

 Love is not jealous or boastful                                       

or proud or rude.                                                             

It does not demand its own way.                                         

It is not irritable,                                                                    

and it keeps no record of being wronged.” 

Corinthians 13:4-5 NLT                               

“Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters:

You must all be quick to listen,                  

slow to speak, and slow to get angry.                              

Human anger does NOT produce

the righteousness God desires”       James 1:19-21 

         EVERY conflict results in either a

BREAKDOWN or a BREAKTHROUGH
It is determined by how you handle your ANGER

“But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language.  Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds.”     Colossians 3:8-9

~ “God Pleasing” ANGER ~

#1. Admit Uncontrolled Anger is SIN

·        “A fool gives full vent to anger,
but a wise man keeps himself under control”                  
                                                   Proverbs 29:11
·        “Like a city whose walls are broken down
is a man who lacks self-control”    Proverbs 25:28  
                               
·        “‘In your anger, do not sin’
Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,
and do not give the devil a foothold”     Ephesians 4:26-27 

#2.    Guard Your Relationships

·        “Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man,
do not associate with one easily angered
or you may learn his ways and get yourself ensnared”                              
Proverbs 22:24-25  
·        “A gentle response defuses anger,
but a harsh word stirs up anger”  Proverbs 15:1

#3.    Seek God’s Help  

·        “Refrain from anger
and turn away from wrath:
do not fret – it leads only to evil”                                                     
Psalm 37:8  
·        “Don't worry about anything;
instead, pray about everything. 
Tell God what you need,
and thank Him for all He has done. 
If you do this, you will experience God's peace…”   
                                                 Philippians 4:6-7

Do you Act or React?

Have you ever had a friend that was simply your friend because they chose to be?

Have you ever had a friend that wanted nothing from you, just your friendship?

Have you ever had a friend that you were not afraid to tell them your weaknesses?

Have you ever had a friend that would be honest with you, even if it was uncomfortable?

Have you ever had a friend that consistently demonstrates reliable sound judgment?

A few years ago, I had an employee that was very unhappy with me. Our conflict became very personal and things were deteriorating very quickly. I was at a loss on how to resolve the situation due to my obligations as a supervisor. Finally after spending many hours in prayer and seeking the counsel of a couple Godly counselors, I knew what would glorify God. I knew what time my employee got off work and would be leaving the parking lot. So I went to the parking lot and confronted my employee. The employee expected a rebuke and possibly a disciplinary letter. Instead, I extended my hand and said, "I am your friend. You may choose not to be my friend, but I choose you. There is nothing you can say right now that will change my mind. I value your character and dedication to your career. No matter how you decide to conduct yourself, know this, I am your friend." My employee shook my hand and opened up to share with me some concerns and problems that I was not aware of. This was a turning point in our working relationship and friendship.

So where did I come up with this plan of attack?

"A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger" Proverbs 15:1

"A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict, but the one who is patient calms a quarrel" Proverbs 15:18

You would be amazed at how many verses in the Bible gives counsel on how to handle difficult people and circumstances. My highly educated counsel to you is, "Get on the internet and Google: Bible verses on Anger".

One of my favorites is Ephesians 4:26, "In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry."

Whether or not you realize it, Ephesians 4:26 opens the door for me to start preaching and doing my "pastor thing". So in the interest of hoping you will come back tomorrow and continue following my blog, I will bid you adieu.

What you do with the Bible will determine what God will do with you.