Would you turn with me to 2 Corinthians
2. I have entitled this morning's
message. What happens. When I do not forgive. What happens. when I do not forgive. Verse 10 of 2 Corinthians, Chapter
2, to whom you forgive anything,
I forgive also. For if I forgive anything to
whom I forgave it for your sakes, forgave I it in the person of
Christ, lest Satan should get an advantage of us. For we are not ignorant of his
devices. What happens when I do not forgive? has the advantage over me. Satan is a real being. It is very, what I say, disconcerting
to know that probably either he or his emissaries are here
this morning because he's always active in the preaching of the
gospel. You remember the parable of the
sower? When the word is preached, he is there acting. Satan is a created being. He's a fallen being who has great
power. While he is very powerful, remember,
he is God's devil, and he can't make a move without God's permission. God has complete control over
him, and although he is powerful, what is that compared to omnipotence? He is God's devil performing
God's purposes. I think of when the scripture
says the devil entered into the heart of Judas Iscariot. He was
doing God's will at that time. Remember when God brought Job
up to Satan? Have you considered my servant
Job? He was going to do his work through
the devil. I think the greatest example
of this is the cross, and I know the greatest example of this
is the cross. Satan thought he had the Lord defeated, and he
didn't know that he was God's devil, God's puppet performing
God's will. That's what was going on on the
cross. He was performing God's will
to bring about God's purpose of salvation. Now, he thought
he was defeating the Lord Jesus, But he didn't know he'd signed
his own death warrant. He goes by many names. An angel
of light. Abaddon, which means the destroyer.
He's called the accuser of the brethren. He's called your adversary. He's called Apollyon. Beelzebub,
which means the Lord of the flies. He's called Belial. the devil,
the enemy, the evil one, the father of lies, the great red
dragon, the lying spirit, the murderer, the prince of this
world, the God of this world, the prince of the power of the
air, the ruler of darkness, Satan, the serpent, the tempter, the
wicked one. He is the enemy of the Lord Jesus
Christ, and he is very deceitful and all-working. He's introduced
to us in Genesis chapter 3, if you would turn there. Genesis
chapter 3. Now remember, The devil is the
enemy of the Lord Jesus Christ and everything that's associated
with him. Genesis chapter three. Now, the serpent. Was more subtle. Was more deceitful than any beast
of the field which the Lord God had made, and he said unto the
woman, yea, hath God said. You shall not eat of every tree
of the garden." Well, for one thing, God never said that. He
said, you shall not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good
and evil, but he slightly modified what God said. As he said, you
shall not eat of every tree, he called into question what
God said. And he took it further than that.
He said, did he really mean that? I know he said it, but is that
what he meant? Creating all this question, and
this doubt. And the woman said unto the serpent,
We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden. No, he didn't
say that. But of the tree Which is in the
midst of the garden, God has said, You shall not eat of it,
neither shall you touch it, lest you die. And the serpent said
unto the woman, You shall not surely die. You don't have to
take this literally. I know God said that, but that's
not what he meant. You don't need to take this literally,
for God doth know that in the day you eat thereof, then your
eyes shall be opened and you shall be as God's, knowing good
and evil. Now, here's what he's saying
at this time. Right now, you're nothing more than a robot. That's
it. But if you eat of this fruit,
you're going to know the difference between good and evil, and you're
going to be able to choose the good over the evil. That's what's
going to make you like God. You're going to have a free will,
and you're going to choose the good. Now, that sounds plausible,
doesn't it? It does seem like it would be
better to choose the good rather than to just do the good. You'll
be like God. Can you see how deceitful he
is? How subtle he is? And when the woman saw that the
tree was good for food and it was pleasant to the eyes, a tree
that desired to be made one wise, she took of the fruit thereof
and did eat and gave it unto her husband with her and he did
eat. And the eyes of them both were opened and they knew that
they were naked and they sewed fig leaves together and made
themselves aprons. Now, we know from the parable
of the sower that he is always at work. during the preaching
of the gospel, and I have no doubt, and I say this with fear
and trembling, I also say this trusting the Lord Jesus to take
care of us, but I have no doubt that he's at work here. Every time the gospel is preached,
he or one of his emissaries is at work. Now turn with me to
2 Corinthians chapter 11. Paul says in verse 2, 2 Corinthians 11, verse 2, For
I am jealous over you with godly jealousy, for I have espoused
you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin
to Christ. But I fear, lest by any means as the serpent
beguiled Eve through his subtlety, through his deceit, so your minds
should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. Now, Satan does not have access
to the Lamb's Book of Life. He does not know whether you
or I are elect or not. He has no access to the Lamb's
Book of Life. If he knew invalidly that you
were one of the elect, he'd leave you alone. There's no point.
But he doesn't. He doesn't have access to the
Lamb's Book of Life, and he's going to do whatever he can to
corrupt you and to corrupt me from the simplicity that is in
Christ Jesus. Generally, when people think
of satanic temptation, they think of fleshly temptation. sexual
sin, substance abuse, partying, materialism, the lust for power
and all that goes on under the lust of the flesh. And that is
indeed a part of the lust of the flesh. But stay here in 2
Corinthians 11, verse 13. For such are false apostles,
deceitful workers. transforming themselves into
the apostles of Christ. Satan's main sphere of operation
is in the pulpit. It's among preachers who transform
themselves to be the apostles of Christ. And no marvel, for
Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore,
it's no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers
of righteousness. Not ministers of sin, but ministers
of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their works. He comes as an angel of light
and as a minister of righteousness. Now, if he can get you to believe
in human righteousness, he's got you. If he can get you taken up with
a righteous cause, he's got you. He's got you trapped. If he can
get you messed up with what he would call imputed righteousness,
he's got you. Now, what do I mean by that?
Do you know that the Bible never uses impute as an adjective? only as a verb. There's no such
thing as imputed righteousness. It's only righteousness, God's
righteousness, imputed. You see, that subtle change of
the word makes righteousness to be somewhat less than real. He comes as an angel of light
and a minister of righteousness, and it behooves you and to understand
something about his workings, doesn't it? He is called your
adversary. And he is your adversary. He is the enemy of your soul. And he is far too powerful for
me or you to deal with. And we're taught to pray, deliver
us from the evil one. Now, in our text, his devices,
Paul says we're not ignorant of his devices. His devices have
something to do with a failure to forgive. And beloved, if we
fail to forgive, we will not be forgiven. This is a gospel
issue. This is not practical, although
it is. As far as that goes, every aspect
of the truth is practical. I hate it when preachers, they
divide, well, this is doctrinal and this is practical. If it
isn't practical, it's no good. You don't believe anything more
than you put into practice. You can just write that down.
We don't believe any more than we put into practice. This is
a gospel issue. This thing of forgiveness. Now,
what do I mean by that? Well, look up at the first of
this chapter in 2 Corinthians chapter 2. Let's see what led
Paul to say this. But I determined this with myself. That I would not come again to
you in heaviness. Now, he felt very heavy in that
first letter that he wrote the Corinthians. He rebuked them
for one thing after another. I mean, it's just a series of
rebuke after rebuke after rebuke for the things that were going
on in the Church of Corinth. Many bad things. And He said
it made me happy to have to rebuke you for these. I didn't want
to have to spend all my time rebuking. He says in verse 2,
For if I make you sorry, who is he that maketh me glad, but
the same which is also made sorry by me? You're the ones that would
make me glad. And I wrote this same unto you,
speaking of first Corinthians, lest when I came, I should have
sorrow from them whom I ought to rejoice, having confidence
in you all that my joy is the joy of you all. Like I said,
he's referring to that first letter. He wanted to see them
respond favorably to what he said. Now, look at look how he
wrote in verse four. This is how this was my attitude
while I wrote first Corinthians, for out of much affliction, and
anguish of heart, I wrote unto you with many tears." Not that
you should be grieved. I wasn't simply trying to grieve
you, but that you might know the love which I have more abundantly
toward you. But if any has caused grief,
He's not grieved me, but in part that I might not overcharge you
all. Now, I want reconciliation And
he's speaking of the man that he was referring to in First
Corinthians, Chapter five. So let's go over there. We need
to see this. First Corinthians, Chapter five. I'm going to read this entire chapter. It is reported commonly. That
there's fornication among you. And such fornication as is not
so much as named among the Gentiles, but one should have his father's
wife. And you're puffed up. and have not rather mourned that
he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.
For I, barely as absent in the body, but present in spirit,
have judged already, as though I were present concerning him
that hath done this deed, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
when you are gathered together in my spirit with the power of
the Lord Jesus Christ, to deliver such a one unto Satan, for the
destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the
day of the Lord Jesus." Somebody says, what does that mean? I
don't know, but it doesn't sound good. It doesn't sound good. Verse 6, your glory is not good. The fact that you don't seem
to even be troubled that this is in your midst. He wasn't even
rebuking him at this time for the fact that that fellow was
there, but the fact that they were tossed up, it didn't even bother him.
We're okay. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the
whole lump? Purge out, therefore, the old leaven, that ye may be
a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our Passover
is sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast,
not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and
wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
I wrote unto you an epistle, not to company with fornicators,
yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with covetous,
or extortioners, or with idolaters. For then must ye need to go out
of the world." Now he's saying, I'm not talking about staying
away from unbelievers who are like this, because if you did
this, you can't go out the door. I mean, that's the way everybody is.
That's just, that's, that's life. If you say, I'm not going to
associate with anybody like that, well, you're not going to associate with anybody
then. He says, but I'm talking about in the church. Verse 11,
but now I've written unto you not to keep company, not to keep
social relationships, if any man that is called a brother.
be a fornicator, a covetous, or an idolater, or a railer,
or a drunkard, or an extortioner, with such a one know not to eat.
For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? Do
not you judge them that are within? But them that are without God
judges. Therefore, put away from among yourselves that wicked
person." Now, this is what he's referring to in 2 Corinthians
chapter 2. Evidently, what they had done, they pulled themselves
away from this man. Because they weren't going to
put their stamp of approval on what he was doing, and it brought
this man to repentance. Let's go on reading. He says
in verse 6, sufficient to such a man, that's the man referred
to in 1 Corinthians chapter 5, sufficient to such a man is this
punishment which was inflicted of many, so that contrary wise,
you ought rather to forgive him. Don't hold him off. Forgive him. and comfort him, lest perhaps
such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow." I love
the compassion of the Apostle Paul. He said, forgive him. Be
quick to forgive him. Wherefore, I beseech you that
you confirm your love toward him. For to this end also did
I write that I might know the proof of you, whether you be
obedient in all things. Now to whom you forgive anything,
I forgive also. I forgive him. For if I forgive
anything to whom I forgive it, for your sakes forgive I it in
the person of Christ, lest Satan should get an advantage of us.
For we are not ignorant of his devices. Now, this spirit of
not forgiving means Satan has the advantage over me. And that's enough to make me
want to know how I'm supposed to respond in this thing of forgiveness. Like I said, this is a gospel
issue. If I refuse to forgive, what I'm doing is I'm denying
the gospel. Now, that's how important this is. This isn't just some
kind of practically how to learn how to forgive and have a better
life and clear your spirit and all that kind of stuff. No, not
at all. This is a gospel issue. Now, turn with me to First John,
chapter one. First John, chapter one. Verse nine. If we confess our sins, to confess means to speak the
same thing. It means to agree with God. When we confess our sins, what
we do, we take sides with God Himself against ourselves. That's what we do when we confess.
We agree with God. If we confess our sins, He is
faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us
from all unrighteousness. Now, we do confess our sins before
God, and we ask for forgiveness. And we're not forgiven apart
from that, but we're also not forgiven because of that. Did
you notice how it says if we confess our sins, he's faithful. And just to forgive us of our
sins, not merely merciful and gracious, but faithful, faithful,
because he determined to do it before we asked. He's faithful
to His purpose. He's faithful to His decrees.
If I ask for forgiveness, it's because He decreed for me to
ask for forgiveness, and He caused me to do it, and it's a blessing
in His grace. I was included in that great
covenant of grace because anyone who ever truly asks for forgiveness,
they receive it. There's never been anybody who
asked God to forgive them that He said, no, I'm not going to
do it. If you ask for forgiveness, God's going to forgive you. That
doesn't mean bargain with Him and say, well, I'll do this if
you forgive me. No, not at all. I know I've said
this several times in the last several weeks, but it's important
for us to understand this. The gospel does not end with the
forgiveness of sins. If I do this, this, and this,
then I get my sins forgiven. No, it begins. Oh, I love that. I find out I'm forgiven. I find
out God put away my sin. The gospel begins with the full,
free, frank, complete, forgiveness of sins. He's faithful and he's
just. In other words, when he forgives
my sins, it's because my sins have been paid for, I've been
justified, I have a perfect standing before God. Now, if we confess
our sins, he's faithful and he's just to forgive us of our sins
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Now, when the Lord tells us how
to pray, What's the only part of the prayer he expounds on?
Do you remember? Turn to Matthew chapter six. Matthew chapter six. Verse nine. After this manner, therefore,
pray our father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be
done in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead
us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the
kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Four, and
here's the only part of this prayer he gives us a comment
on. Four, if you forgive men For if you forgive men their
trespasses, your Heavenly Father also will forgive you. But if
you forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive
your trespasses. Now, how many different ways
are there to take that? Turn to Luke chapter 6. Now, let me comment on this thing
of forgiveness before I read this passage of scripture. If I'm thinking so-and-so needs
to be more forgiving, I've missed it. I've missed the meaning. Luke chapter 6, beginning in verse But love your enemies, and do
good, and lend, hoping for nothing again. And your reward shall
be great, and you shall be the children of the Highest, for
He is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore
merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and you
shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not
be condemned. And you shall be forgiven. Do
you hear that? God is going to measure out his
blessings in the basket you bring. You forgive, you'll be forgiven. That's what God says. And conversely,
if you and I don't forgive, we will not be forgiven. You see,
when I don't forgive, I deny the gospel. Turn with me to Matthew
chapter 18. Verse 21, Then came Peter to him and said,
Lord, how shall my brother sin against me? And I forgive him
till seven times. Jesus saith unto him, I say not
unto thee until seven times, but until seventy times seven. Now, that doesn't mean at 491
it's OK to quit forgiving. That's a complete number. Seventy
times seven. That means always. Under all
circumstances. Yes, I am to forgive. I want to remind you of something. Whatever your brother has done
to you, you have done much worse to the Lord. Isn't that so? Whatever
your brother's done to you, it's nothing compared to what you've
done to the Lord. And he has forgiven you. Can you fail to forgive? Not
if you believe the gospel. Let's go on reading. Verse 23. Therefore, as the kingdom of
heaven likened to a certain king, which would take account of his
servants, And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto
him which owed him ten thousand talents. That's millions of dollars.
But forasmuch as he had nothing to pay, his Lord commanded him
to be sold, his wife and children, and all that he had, and payment
be made. And the servant therefore fell
down and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me.
I'll pay thee all. He couldn't do it. This was just
words. No sincerity. He's just trying
to get out of the trouble he was in. Then, verse 27, the Lord
of that servant was moved with compassion and loosed him and
forgave him the debt. That's what the Lord does. We
say, have patience, I'll pay all. No, you won't. I mean, it's
a wonder the Lord doesn't just kill us when we say something
like that. Rock didn't send us to hell. That's where we are. You
can't pay all. But the Lord was moved with compassion and forgave
him the debt. He put it away. But the same
servant went out and found one of his fellow servants which
owed him a hundred pence, fifteen dollars. And he laid his hands
on him and he took him by the throat saying, pay me that thou
ow'st. And his fellow servant fell down
at his feet and besought him saying, have patience with me
and I'll pay thee all. He could have come up with fifteen
dollars. He could have done it. And he would not, but went and
cast him into prison till he should pay the debt. So when
the fellow servants saw what was done, they were very sorry
and came and told unto their Lord all that was done. Then
his Lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked
servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desirest me.
Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow-servant,
even as I had pity on thee? And his Lord was wroth, and delivered
him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto
him? So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if you
from your hearts forgive not everyone his brother their trespasses." Now turn to Luke 17. Luke 17. Verse 3. We'll start in verse 1. Then said he unto
his disciples, it's impossible, but the defenses will come. You
know, James said, in many things we offend all. Every one of us. In many things we create offenses. Now look what he says in verse
3. He says, take heed to yourselves. He doesn't say take heed for
your brother. Watch out for that fellow that's going to sit against
you. He says, take heed to yourself. You're the one in danger at this
time. Take heed to yourself. If thy brother trespass against
thee, rebuke him. And if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee
seven times in a day, and seven times in a day, again, turns
to thee and saying, I repent, thou shalt forgive him. And the
apostle said unto the Lord, increase our faith. We're going to have
to have more faith to do something like that. And we're asking you
to increase our faith. When you need to forgive somebody,
watch out. You're the one that's in trouble
at this time. Turn to Ephesians chapter 4.
Now, forgiveness is consistent with the gospel, it's a part
of the gospel, and it's so cleansing to the soul to forgive. So let's
turn to Ephesians chapter 4. Verse 31, Let all bitterness and wrath
and anger and clamor and evil speaking be put away from you
with all malice, and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted,
forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ's sake, has forgiven
you. Now, here we have the gospel. Isn't this a gospel? Be kind. Tenderhearted. Forgiving one
another. And notice it says forgiving
one another. It doesn't say forgiving that
person who's offended against you. It doesn't say forgiving
the other. It says forgiving one another. Now, that reminds
me Then I'm in continual need of being forgiven. And I have a continual need to
forgive you. It's a continual thing, isn't it? It means you're
going to have a relationship. You're going to have to forgive
me. And I'm going to have to forgive you. Forgiveness is a
gospel issue. Be ye kind. tenderhearted, forgiving
one another, even as God, for Christ's sake, has forgiven you. Here is why God forgives. He
doesn't forgive you because you asked. He doesn't forgive you
because you're sorry. He doesn't forgive you because
you'll promise to straighten up and turn over a new leaf.
He forgives you for Christ's sake. That's the only reason
he needs. God has forgiven you for Christ's
sake. And what all does that mean?
Well, first of all, for the sake of the atonement, the redeeming
work of Christ on the cross. Now, for God to do something
for me, he first had to do something for himself. He couldn't just
up and forgive me. Something has to be done about
my sins. God would cease to be God. He would cease to be just
if he just forgave my sins without a payment being made. No. Sin
must be punished. And God forgives my sins because
he took my sin and placed them upon Christ and punished Christ
in my room instead and took the very righteousness of his son
and gives it to me. He saves me for the sake of the
cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. He forgives my sins wholly for
the sake of the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. He forgives
us for Christ's sake in the sense that Christ did what he did in
a representative character and he Forgiveness for Christ's sake. Now, what do I mean by that?
Well, I fell in a representative, didn't I? When Adam fell, I fell. And I'm saved in a representative.
When Christ kept the law for me, I kept the law. I'm saved
in a representative, and He saves me for the sake of the representative
character of what Christ did on the cross. He forgives my
sins. For the sake of Christ, in the
sense of the deep love he has for Christ and who we are in
him. Oh, the love the Father has to
the Son. And the love he has to me in
him, because I'm united to him. He said, as the Father has loved
me, so have I loved you. And thou hast loved them. Talking
about all of God's elect, as thou hast loved me. He forgives
for the sake of the great love He has for the Son, and He forgives
for the sake of the glory of His Son, how the Lord Jesus is
glorified in the forgiveness of sins. Now, I want you to think
about what Christ has done for you. What God has done for Christ's
sake. It says He hath forgiven you. It doesn't say He will if. Beloved, I'm saying to every
believer, you've been forgiven. All your sin is washed away. You have been forgiven for Christ's
sake. Not you will if, but you have
been forgiven for Christ's sake. He forgave you freely. There's
nothing you did to merit it. He forgives continually. nonstop,
and he has a reason to forgive continually because you and I
sin continually. And for him to forgive, he must
forgive continually. He forgives fully. All sin has already been put
away. He forgives eternally and irreversibly. And he forgives divinely. Now, what do I mean by that?
His forgiveness is not like our forgiveness. He forgives divinely.
Here's what I mean. If you sin against me, if you
do me wrong, by the grace of God, I'm going to forgive you.
And I hope you'll do that for me. But it is totally impossible
for me to plum forget it. I'm watching out for you. Now I forgive you. But look what
they did. Look what they did. But you know
when the Lord forgives, it's not like that at all. When somebody sins against you,
you kind of draw back. You can't really embrace them
the way you would. There's an element of mistrust. You won't trust yourself to that
person. Because of what's happened. You can't really give yourself
completely. You can't trust that person. And I understand that.
I understand that. But when the Lord forgives, He
doesn't hold that person off that He's forgiven because of
the past. But He completely entrusts with that person that which is
most precious to Himself. The Gospel. He doesn't forgive
and hold off. He forgives and embraces. He forgives and He forgets. Their sins and their iniquities
will I remember no more. And He takes me, as many times
as I've sinned against Him, He takes me and embraces me completely. He pulls me into His inner circle. That's what He does with all
of His children. He doesn't hold you off and say, well, once bitten,
fly shy. No, He entrusts. that which is most precious to
himself, and he calls you his best friend, his confidant. Now that is the way the Lord
forgives. Unlike ours, he embraces. That's divine forgiveness, isn't
it? No human can come up with forgiveness
like that. That is altogether divine. Turn with me to Jeremiah
chapter 50 for a moment. Jeremiah chapter 50. Verse 20. In those days. And in that time,
saith the Lord, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for
And there shall be none. And the sins of Judah, and they
shall not be found. For I will pardon them whom I
reserve." Now, here's the true annihilation. The annihilation
of my sins for Christ's sake. Now, here's the command. you
be kind, tender-hearted, forgiving one
another, even as God, for Christ's sake, has forgiven you. Forgiving
one another. Remember, this is a cooperative
thing. I need to forgive you, and you need to forgive me. And
forgive one another for Christ's sake. No other reason is needed. Now, we must forgive, or we won't
be saved. Isn't that what the Lord says?
We must forgive, or we will not be saved. Yet we do not forgive
because of that, but we do it for Christ's sake. Is that enough
to have power with you? It's enough to have power with
God, doesn't it? He does what he does for Christ's sake. And
I'm to do what I do for Christ's sake. No other reason is needed. Forgive. I don't care what someone's
done. Forgive for Christ's sake. No other reason is needed. Now, in this thing of forgiving and being forgiven,
I want to make just a few comments in closing. If I expect somebody to forgive
me, I'm in the wrong place. You need to forgive me if you're
going to be a Christian. If you're going to act like Christ. No,
don't talk like that. Would you talk that way to the
Lord? Lord, you need to forgive me. Oh, oh. That's not the attitude of forgiveness.
You owe me forgiveness. You claim to be a believer. You claim to be a Christian.
Forgive me then. No, no. That attitude is totally wrong. That's totally self-filled with
self. We may say forgive me for Christ's
sake, but don't forgive me to it. And in like manner, see that's
a denial of gospel, really, when I say you owe me forgiveness.
That's a denial of the gospel. And if I say... If I keep from forgiving you
for some reason, that's a denial of the gospel, isn't it? Both
of those things are denials of the gospel. So don't demand forgiveness
and don't refuse forgiveness. And be... Somebody that's easy to forgive. Don't. You know, some people
get offended easily. Remember this, you can't defend
the chief of sinners. If I get offended easily, the problem
is with me. Don't be offended so easily and be quick to forgive,
even as God, for Christ's sake, has forgiven you. Be quick to
forgive. And be someone that is easy for
somebody to forgive because of your attitude. Because when you
think forgiveness is expected as an entitlement to you, that's
contrary to the gospel. Be quick to forgive and be one
who's easy to forgive because of your attitude. Oh, may the
Lord enable us to do this. Lest Satan should get the advantage
of us. And do you hear what he says?
If I refuse to forgive, Satan has got the advantage over me.
So what happens when I do not forgive? Satan has got the advantage
over me, and I don't want that to be. So may the Lord enable
you and I truly to be forgiving individuals. And here's what
scares me. When I preach a message like
this, here's what scares me. The Lord's going to put me in a place where
I need to forgive. So I want you all to do me a favor. Don't
put me in that place. Let's pray.