The Power of God’s Forgiveness

Scriptures are from the Living Bible:

Isaiah 43:12 Whenever you have thrown away your idols, I have shown you my power. With one word I have saved you. You have seen me do it; you are my witnesses that this is true. From eternity to eternity I am God. No on can oppose what I do.

Matthew 6:14 Your heavenly Father will forgive you if you forgive those who sin against you; but if you refuse to forgive them, he will not forgive you.

Matthew 18:21-22 Then Peter came to him and asked, “Sir how often should I forgive a brother who sins against me? Seven times?

“No”, Jesus replied, “seventy times seven!

Mark 11:25 But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in haven will forgive you your sins too.”

Luke 6:37 Never criticize or condemn–or it will all come back on you. GO easy on others; then they will do the same for you.

Forgiveness is a daily issue in our lives. This is a practical principle we all deal with as we encounter life…To forgive and by the grace of God we are also forgiven.

I would bet every person who reads and watches this post, could look at Luke 6:37 and say…WHOA…Never criticize. I woke up today and started my day by criticizing and condemning someone connected to my life. I could sit here and justify it in my own heart and say..”Gesh this person is worthy of my condemnation. They injured someone close to me and man they are such a screw up.

I am a bit angry with this person and I find myself lately talking about this person in a very condemning way…This is a brutally tough issue.

We live in a world that is constantly condemning others. Right now all of us in the States see the disaster in the Gulf and everyone has an opinion of either BP

or the Governments lack of response. It is really tough because livelihoods are greatly affected by this disaster in the Gulf. There is plenty to criticize. Yet as a Christian and a follower of Jesus we are NEVER to criticize or Condemn…

Yikes…

But I don’t have to say Yikes…

I have to bring it to prayer and ask God to forgive me and try my best to NOT criticize and condemn…

don’t think ANYONE of us are free from this struggle that we face. It has become part of society in such a big way. Just flip on the TV and watch the news for 5 minutes and count how many times someone is criticizing or condemning someone…It is an easy trap to jump into and seems to be completely accepted and normal in today’s world.

In the bible, it states that the Gates to heaven are narrow…Many will not enter the Gates…

But is there a limit to God’s Forgiveness?

Let’s look at what Charles Stanley has to say about this…IN Charles Stanly’s Life Principles Bible he says:

“Do you ever ask yourself:

Have I committed the Unpardonable sin?

Can I ever be free of the weight of this guilt?

Will God Forgive EVERY sin?

He goes on to say: I have good news for you! Your loving father will forgive ALL your sins. You can be released today from your sins if you will do what God says.

The apostle Paul dealt with an instance of gross sexual immorality in the Corinthian church ; a man sleeping with his stepmother. Against that backdrop,

Paul wrote, “Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortion will inherit the Kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God (1

Cor. 6:9-11)

Charles Stanley Goes on to say…”This passage holds three great messages for us.

First it tells us that sin is sin. God doesn’t differentiate between one type of sin and another. Most of us wouldn’t consider slanders in the same sin boat as thieves, but sin is sin.

Secondly, it tells us that sin is a lifestyle, a state of being. Paul declared that sin had been the identify of the Corinthians. Sin had been their all-Consuming character. Paul called them former thieves-people who had stolen as a way of life. He didn’t say, “Some of you had one too man drinks on occasion.” He said some in the Corinthian church were drunkards. Sin isn’t something you are from birth.

Third, it tells us that all types of sin can be forgiven. Paul declared, “And such were some of you.” And then Paul reminded them that they were no longer who they had been, but they had been washed, sanctified and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of God. The Corinthians–as sorry a group of sinners as ever came together as a church–found a new life and a new identity in Christ Jesus.

Charles continues…Nothing is beyond God’s forgiveness. NO sin is too great or too awful for God to forgive. No person is so deep in sin, so ingrained in a wicked lifestyle, so steep in evil, that he or she cannot be saved.

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This is wonderful news for all to read. God’s forgiveness knows no bounds…IF..you are willing to turn from your ways and begin developing this new identity in Christ. If you are willing to pick up your bible and develop a relationship with God and see how he, not you, wants to guide your life.

It is true that many will never find their way to the pearly gates of heaven, many will NOT change their ways and will reject Christ.

BUT NOT YOU…Search the scriptures and see the ways that God has instructed us to live. And then do your best to move in that direction.

And we can see from one of the scriptures today that this is no easy feat. IT says to Never Criticize or Condemn…I have work to do in this area, that is for sure. And I am sure most of you reading this may struggle with this particular issue as well. This world is filled with criticism and condemnation. But in Christ there is NO condemnation.

Make sure you listen to Charles Stanley’s Message this week on Reaping and Sowing. It goes really well with this