Embracing Forgiveness: The Path to Freedom and Love

Devotional

Day 1: Forgiveness as a Path to Freedom

Forgiveness is a transformative journey that liberates us from the burdens of resentment and guilt. It requires humility and courage to confront our past wrongs and seek reconciliation. By forgiving others, we also free ourselves, allowing us to live in peace and align our lives with God's will. This journey is not easy, but it leads to true freedom and peace. [04:41]

"For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." (Matthew 6:14-15, ESV)

Reflection: Think of a person you have struggled to forgive. What steps can you take today to begin the process of forgiveness and experience the freedom it brings?

Day 2: Reconciliation as a Reflection of God's Love

Reconciliation is a vital aspect of spiritual growth, as it reflects God's love and grace in our lives. It is not enough to simply acknowledge our wrongs; we must actively seek to make amends and restore broken relationships. This process involves understanding the harm we have caused and taking steps to heal those wounds, demonstrating the transformative power of God's love. [08:15]

"So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift." (Matthew 5:23-24, ESV)

Reflection: Identify a relationship in your life that needs healing. What practical steps can you take this week to seek reconciliation and reflect God's love?

Day 3: The Importance of Self-Inventory

Conducting a thorough self-inventory allows us to identify the harm we have caused and take responsibility for our actions. This process is crucial for personal growth and aligning our lives with God's will. By examining our actions and their impact on others, we can begin to make amends and live more authentically in accordance with our faith. [11:18]

"Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!" (2 Corinthians 13:5, ESV)

Reflection: Take time today to reflect on your actions and their impact on others. What areas of your life need change, and how can you begin to address them?

Day 4: Embracing the Challenge of Willingness

Becoming willing to make amends is a significant step in the journey of forgiveness. It requires us to confront our fears and trust in God's strength to guide us through the process. This willingness opens the door to healing and reconciliation, allowing us to move forward with a renewed sense of purpose and peace. [25:21]

"And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh." (Ezekiel 36:26, ESV)

Reflection: Consider an area of your life where you have been resistant to change. What fears are holding you back, and how can you invite God to help you become willing to make amends?

Day 5: Living Out Christ's Radical Vision of Love

Jesus calls us to love our enemies and respond to hate with kindness and compassion. This radical vision of love challenges us to go beyond our comfort zones and reflect Christ's love in all our interactions. By embracing this vision, we can transform our relationships and communities, becoming vessels of God's love and grace in the world. [41:29]

"But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you." (Luke 6:27-28, ESV)

Reflection: Think of someone who has hurt you or whom you consider an enemy. How can you show them Christ's love today, even in a small way?

Sermon Summary

Today, we delved into the profound and challenging topic of forgiveness, focusing on the journey of self-forgiveness and the willingness to make amends. We explored the eighth step of the 12-step program, which involves making a list of all persons we have harmed and becoming willing to make amends to them. This step is not just about acknowledging our wrongs but also about seeking freedom through reconciliation. The journey of forgiveness is not easy, as it requires humility and courage to confront those we have wronged. However, the ultimate goal is freedom from the guilt and shame of the past, allowing us to live a life aligned with God's will.

We reflected on the teachings of Jesus, who emphasized the importance of addressing our anger and the harm we cause with our words. Jesus challenges us to go beyond mere religious observance and to actively seek reconciliation with those we have wronged. This involves making a practical list of those we have harmed, understanding the nature of the harm, and being willing to forgive others as we seek forgiveness ourselves.

The journey of forgiveness is deeply intertwined with our spiritual growth. It is not just about personal healing but also about becoming vessels of God's love and grace in the world. By embracing Christ's radical vision of love, we can transform our relationships and communities. This vision calls us to love our enemies, bless those who curse us, and pray for those who hurt us. It is a call to live a life of self-sacrificial love, reflecting the love of Christ to a world in need.

As we move forward, let us commit to taking the necessary steps to address the "copper nails" in our lives—those unresolved issues and wrongs that weigh on our conscience. Let us seek God's strength and guidance to make amends and to live out His radical vision of love and forgiveness.

Key Takeaways

1. Inventory:** Conducting a thorough self-inventory allows us to identify the harm we have caused and to take responsibility for our actions. This process is crucial for personal growth and for aligning our lives with God's will. [11:18]
4. The Challenge of Willingness: Becoming willing to make amends is a significant step in the journey of forgiveness. It requires us to confront our fears and to trust in God's strength to guide us through the process.

5. Christ's Radical Vision of Love: Jesus calls us to love our enemies and to respond to hate with kindness and compassion. This radical vision of love challenges us to go beyond our comfort zones and to reflect Christ's love in all our interactions.

** [11:18]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[04:41] - The Road to Freedom
[08:15] - Harm and Its Consequences
[11:18] - Creating the List
[14:02] - Owning Our Part
[17:23] - Character Defects
[25:21] - Willingness to Make Amends
[27:50] - The Challenge of Reconciliation
[32:43] - The Importance of Relationships
[36:27] - The Copper Nails Story
[39:25] - Living an Honest Life
[41:29] - Christ's Vision for Us
[44:00] - Embracing Radical Love
[46:30] - Closing Prayer

Sermon Clips

"So in essence, we go back to the inventory we created in step four. We go back to that list, but now we begin very specific about those folks in that list that we had harmed, and we consider our part in making amends to them, in making things right. The book 12 Step Sponsorship says it this way. It says, But now it is time to admit our faults, mistakes, and character defects, not only to God, or to ourselves, or to another human being in general, but also to the very individuals whom we have harmed." [00:04:00] (36 seconds)

"Only in that way can we find freedom. There is no other way to put the guilt and shame on the way. shame of the past behind us and ensure that we will not behave that way again. I just want to point out a couple things in this quote. First of all, notice that the result is freedom. The result isn't you pay penance, that you feel shame, that you, whatever the, whatever other thing you might want to fill in the blank. The, the result of this step is freedom, but that road to this freedom is hard." [00:04:35] (36 seconds)

"But Jesus says, but let me just tell you God's intention. It really, this isn't something new. It's, it's, you go back to Hebrew scriptures, it's there. They just didn't emphasize this. Just like we would like to emphasize certain things about Christianity and maybe de -emphasize other things, right? We might want to emphasize the certain things that the government should not allow, but we de -emphasize the names that we can call our politicians." [00:09:00] (27 seconds)

"And it has an effect on us and it has an effect on our soul. And it must be dealt with. And we need to be careful not to minimize it. Not to say, well, that's not everybody. Well, they do. And make our little excuses. Jesus, that wonderful, loving, grace -filled Jesus, is the one who said. these kind of reactions, you need to give an account for." [00:11:18] (30 seconds)

"To escape looking at the wrongs we have done another, we resentfully focus on the wrong that he or she has done us. And so it would be tempting to say, you know what? They're, they're really wrong. And all I did was respond to them. So they deserve it. Right? But you cannot move forward in freedom. You cannot move forward until even if it's, I always say, even if it's just 2%, you own your 2%. If you have harmed them, their names belong on the list. It doesn't matter if they're 99 .9 % guilty." [00:14:23] (38 seconds)

"but I still have to ask my question am I willing to forgive I'm gonna if I want their forgiveness if I want God's forgiveness am I willing to forgive them interesting enough in the book 12 -step sponsorship that just kind of goes to people it says this if we're going to ask forgiveness of others we must be willing to offer it ourselves so we look back at those who have harmed us and whom we have harmed in return and we forgive them we forgive them no matter what they have done to us and let me tell you for for the extreme cases of alcohol and addiction and whatnot they have been harmed tremendously I can tell you folks who haven't gone through AAA necessarily or I talk about some my own relatives who went through the Holocaust or in my relatives case it was through Russia that talk about extreme harm undeserved harm but they found unless they were willing to forgive they were always stuck there can you imagine trying to forgive the guards who killed your spouse or children in a gas chamber almost starved you to death but that was a very real thing notice it says here at the end we forgive them so that we can be free see it's not about them but we are in chains until that we until we can forgive and if you can't forgive you can't be free it doesn't matter if they deserve it or not the truth is none of us deserve the level of forgiveness that we get especially from God but it's not about them it's about us and what God's trying to do in our lives to free us and for those of you who grew up in church matter fact even if you didn't grow up in church you you already know what the Bible says about this right I'm just gonna remind you really quick I'm gonna spend a whole lot of time on this Paul writing to the church in Colossus he says this he says a make allowance for each other's faults notice that Paul pretty much takes for granted that the people you're sitting on your life right and left are going to have faults including by the way the guy standing on the stage and forgive anyone who offends you" [00:18:42] (140 seconds)

"12 -step sponsorship says, when we're enslaved by our resentments, freed by our loves, when we forgive, we can convert slavery into freedom. When we are enslaved by our resentments, and quite frankly, most of us, where you're wrestling in life, you might think it's because of finances. You might think it's because of other people. You might think it's because God doesn't work. For most of us, we're enslaved by our own resentments, our own past. But we are freed by our loves." [00:23:22] (39 seconds)

"This is worth, I would just challenge you, if you walk away with nothing else, I would challenge you to contemplate this. Make an appointment with yourself sometime this week, and just think about, I'm enslaved by my resentments, but I'm freed by my loves. Where am I enslaved? And how do I want God to interact with that? And how do I become free? I would also say that many of us are enslaved to politics." [00:24:00] (36 seconds)

"Because the only thing you know about politics is your resentment of the other side. And we have people on both sides of the aisle. You're enslaved. Because you have not, I have not learned, though hopefully we are learning, to love the other side. And you're enslaved. And as long as you're enslaved, it doesn't matter what government or what decisions are made, nothing will be solved. On the other hand, if you learn to love, it doesn't matter what government or decisions will be made, you can be free." [00:24:35] (38 seconds)

"The second part of this, step eight, is we became willing to make amends to them all. Now notice this step is just talking about willingness. We haven't, we're not ready to act on it yet. It's just a willingness. Right? It's a focus on the willingness. And the 12th step sponsorship says this. Once the list is complete, we face the major challenge of the step. Are we willing to make amends to these people, regardless of the personal cost? Only when we can answer yes has a step been taken." [00:25:21] (29 seconds)

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