(Luke 17:3-4) JESUS SAYS, Take heed to yourselves: If your brother trespass against you, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.
And if he trespass against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to you, saying, I repent; you shall forgive him.
(Mark 11:25-26) JESUS SAYS, And when you stand praying, forgive, if you have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.
Brothers and sisters, forgiveness is necessary, because you have to forgive others for God to forgive you.
But there are many people that do not know how to say “I am sorry” or “I was wrong”, because their pride won’t let them ask for forgiveness to even be forgiven.
Brothers and sisters, how can you ask God to forgive you & not ask others for forgiveness?
Brothers and sisters, when you know you have hurt people, you know you have done people wrong, and you know you have said something you should not have said, then it’s always good to say I’m sorry, and I was wrong.
We are always asking GOD for forgiveness, but what if GOD told you to ask the people you hurt for forgiveness, that you might be forgiven?
Lately I have been dealing with people who do me wrong, hurt me, or say something wrong to me, & I have to forgive them even though they never say I’m sorry or I was wrong, but I have to forgive them anyway, because I know GOD.
But the people who do me wrong don’t know that it takes all of GOD in me not to react or respond the way I used to respond or act when people do me wrong or hurt me.
I believe GOD allows certain situations to come into our lives from time to time, just so we can see whether we have grown in that area of our lives or not.
Brothers and sisters, how can you be forgiven if you can’t ask for forgiveness, & how can you receive GOD’S grace, mercy, or his forgiveness, when you don’t even sow grace, mercy, or forgiveness?
Brothers and sisters, can you see yourself forgiving someone who has done you wrong numerous times, but every time they do you wrong, they come back and ask you for your forgiveness, and you forgive them every time?
Can you imagine yourself suffering the pain and hurt of seeing your own children hurt you, persecute you, beat you, spit upon you, betray you, and kill you, and you ask GOD to forgive them, even before they ask you for forgiveness?
Can you see JESUS?
Brothers and sisters, unforgiveness is a great sin in the eyes of almighty GOD, and this sin is why many of GOD’S people are sickly, destroyed, and will be greatly disappointed at the judgment seat of GOD, because they did not forgive men for the sins they committed against them, and GOD forgave them for the multitude of sins they committed against him.
Brothers and sisters, I know this is like a foreign language to most of you, because most of you cannot begin to imagine yourself forgiving someone who has done you wrong, but JESUS clearly says, “If you do not forgive men for their sins against you, then neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your sins.
(MATTHEW 18:21-22) Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?
Till seven times? JESUS said unto him, I say not unto you, until seven times: but, until seventy times seven.
(ROMANS 12:14-21) Bless them which persecute you: bless, and do not curse.
Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.
Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate.
Be not wise in your own conceits. Recompense to no man evil for evil.
Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lies within you, live peaceably with all men.
Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, says the Lord.
Therefore if your enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him a drink: for in so doing thou shall heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
(Matthew 5:38-48) JESUS SAYS, You have heard that it has been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That you resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also.
And if any man will sue you at the law, and take away your cloke, let him have your coat also.
And whosoever shall compel you to go a mile, go with him two miles.
Give to him that asks of you, and from him that would borrow of you do not you turn away.
You have heard that it has been said, You shall love your neighbour, and hate your enemy.
But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That you may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he makes his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
For if you love them which love you, what reward do you have?
Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you salute your brethren only, what do you more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so?
Be you therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
Brothers and sisters, all of these are acts of pure love, the real love of GOD, but you cannot love like this, and neither can you show this type of love or even express this type of love, if it’s not in you.
Brothers and sisters, love and forgiveness goes hand in hand, and you cannot have one without the other.
You cannot say, “I love GOD and hate your brother”, you cannot say, “I love GOD, but you can’t forgive your brother!”
Many of you so called Christians claim you love GOD, but you hate Muslims, and you don’t realize they are your brothers, because they are Abraham’s seed, and Isaac’s brother.
Brothers and sisters, the greatest weapons we have to fight against the enemy are love and truth, but you cannot have real love if you are unforgiving, and you cannot have truth if you have no love.
(John 14:23) JESUS SAYS, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our HOME with him.
(1 John 4:16-21) And we have known and believed the love that God has to us.
God is love; and he that dwells in love dwells in God, and God in him.
Here is how our love is made perfect, that we may have boldness in the Day of Judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear: because fear has torment.
He that fears is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us.
IF A MAN SAY, I LOVE GOD, AND HATES HIS BROTHER, HE IS A LIAR: FOR HE THAT LOVES NOT HIS BROTHER WHOM HE HAS SEEN, HOW CAN HE LOVE GOD WHOM HE HAS NOT SEEN?
And this commandment have we from him, That he who loves God love his brother also.
Brothers and sisters, I don’t know about you, but I want to love like JESUS loves, I want to live like JESUS lives, I want to forgive like JESUS forgives, I want to be the JESUS people need to see right here on earth, and I want grace and mercy to follow me all the days of my life, because I sowed much grace and mercy in the lives of other people!
“I don’t want to be like you or anyone else, I only want to be like JESUS!”
Give me all of JESUS or don’t give me nothing at all!~
(Luke 7:47) JESUS SAYS, Wherefore I say unto you, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.
(Proverbs 24:16-18) For a just man falls seven times, and rises up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief. Rejoice not when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles: Lest the LORD see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him.
Brothers and sisters, know this, when you do things to get back at a person for what’s been done to you, then you are in fact in unforgiveness!
When you can gossip, slander, spread rumors, and try to tear down the lives of another person for what’s been done to you, then you are operating in unforgiveness!
If you can manipulate yourself to believe you can judge, condemn, slander, gossip, and tear down the lives of other people, because of what’s been done to you, and you deceive yourself into believing you’re doing GOD’S will, then your are greatly deceived, and you are walking in the sin of unforgiveness!~
For look at JESUS, and consider the great example JESUS was and is to all people, and even after they falsely accused him, beat him, betrayed him, denied him, crucified him, and killed him, even hanging on the cross he said, “FATHER FORGIVE THEM, FOR THEY NOT WHAT THEY DO!”