The Power Of Forgiveness

Empty Hands Mean A Full Heart

Do you have  pent up bitterness or anger toward a family member?  Do you bring up a hurt from the past every time you and your spouse have an argument.  Do you have a hatred for people because they are different than you?  If you answered yes to any one of these questions then this message is for you. People say they have the love of Jesus in them but lets see if you can pass the 90/10 test.  If you fail this test you will lose all your battles!  If you pass it heaven's door will open up to you.


The greatest power in the universe is the power of forgiveness.  There could not be salvation or healing without it.  No Holy Spirit power could be ours without it.  Jesus hung on the cross and said, Father forgive them.  Three world's were affected by these words; a dispensation of grace opened up because of one word, FORGIVE.  Healing and forgiveness are tied together. 


James 5:15 says, "forget no all his benefits from the one who heals."  Many people cannot get healed because of unforgiveness in their heart.  Bondages are broken in the presence of forgiveness.  The same power that was released at Calvary is released in us with forgiveness.  He will forgive anyone who calls upon His name and asks for forgiveness.  


Look at Psalm 86: 5.  The two angels on the mercy seat were guarding the ark at Jesus' tomb.  The ark angels were standing.  But the angels over that makeshift concrete slab, where Jesus lay and was the last and final sacrifice to be laid on the mercy seat, were seated.  This is so because the work for redemption had been finished through the act of forgiveness. 


Forgiveness changes everything, and it changed our eternal destiny.  It will do the same for you too.  We are to forgive others.  But, you say, you just don't know what they did to me.  I don't care.  Imagine having forgiveness in your heart and speaking it while someone is murdering you. And that you were blameless for any wrong doing.  


You see as Jesus hung on the cross forgiveness was essential in order for him to be raised up.  He had to forgive the ones who had killed him.  So, if someone has killed your spirit, forgiveness is still a must in order to be regenerated and lifted up into the spiritual life.


Jesus became sin.  If there had been no forgiveness there would be no salvation.  So as they were killing Him, he said, "Father, forgive them, for they no not what they are doing."  Jesus showed us the Father's mercy and grace.  Do you want blessings in your life?  Then you'll have to love your enemies.  Those that persecute you, that lie on you and that hurt you.  Don't you ever let your happiness be in somebody else's head.  Forgiveness is not for the benefit of the one you are forgiving but it is for the benefit of you maintaining a pure heart with mercy and grace before you can walk in the love Jesus wants us to demonstrate toward each other.


Look at Matthew 6:12, it says, "If you forgive not, the Father cannot forgive you."  You're locked out of the blessings.  It locks you out when you don't ask for forgiveness and when you refuse to forgive.  Unforgiveness will eat you up and spite don't even make sense.  A bull dog can whip a skunk, but what does it prove other than that you both stink in the heart.  They both have stopped blessings from flowing.  It causes health problems, ulcers, heart disease, cancer and high blood pressure.


The greatest part about forgiveness is that the devil fears it. He has no hold on your heart when you step out and forgive.  I loved the scene in Shindler's List, when he tells the prison camp guard, real power is when you are in the position to pardon and give it freely.  That truth saved a Jew's life that day.


There will be times when you'll have to give forgiveness when you don't want to.  When a bad person suffers and dies we say, oh they deserved it.  When we see a saint suffer and die, that's hard for us to accept.  But there are things God don't reveal to us in these matters because they are secret things God keeps to himself so we can love by faith even when we don't understand it.  Those things we don't understand God always works to our benefit.


The spirit of prophecy came from that kind of trust and unquestionable faith.  If you can imagine holding a bird in one hand and he can't get loose from your grip, and then imagine a bird in your other hand and you freely release him.  We do this same thing with our acts of forgiveness and unforgiveness.  So the state of your heart affects the spirit of others.  When we are able to free others it will come back to you if it's God's will.  


If you hold on to things Christ wants you to let go of it will eat your life up.  He puts the good and the bad together so He can bless you.  So what are the blessings God wants to give us.  They are in Duet. 28. God tells us that we will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country.  Blessed when you come and blessed when you go.  You see, God's eyes are running to and fro looking to see a perfect heart that is set upon him and reflecting Him in us.


Look at the people who have broke your heart today; a woman, a spouse, a child or someone in your church.    You've asked God, why?  God says you'll just have to trust me.  I've got a plan and I can fix it.  It may not be the way you would work it out.  Some things we have to leave with God.  But when he sets forth a spiritual principle for us to walk in, it may not always make sense to our natural mind, like the forgiveness principle or the tithe and giving principle but when we apply things change in our circumstance.


I wish I could tell you that you would never get hurt.  Hurt is reality, but bitterness is a reaction.  We have a chose in what reaction we are going to do.  Forgiveness is a foundational principle that Jesus demonstrated on the cross for us, so don't blame the devil for your bitter heart.  Bitterness is an internal characteristic and is shown in how you react to your circumstances.


Now, lets look at the 90/10 principle. This principle was explained by Steven Covey, a professor of religion.  He said, "10% of life is made up of what happens in your life.  The other 90% is how you decide to react.  We have no control over the 10% but you determine the other 90% by your reaction."


Your wife knocks over your coffee on your business papers.  How do you react?  Do you yell?  Do you criticize, accusing her of setting the coffee cup to close to the edge of the table?  Now  a series of things begin to take form.  You can't finish breakfast.  You rush to the car, you're late and so you speed.  You get a ticket and you get to work and you realize you forgot your briefcase.  When you arrive home you've got a wedge between your wife.  What caused it; your wife, the policeman, or the coffee?  The truth is none of the above caused it.  It was your reaction that set off multiple events.


Let's look at another scenario of the spilled coffee.  You say it's okay honey!  You pick up your brief case, kiss your wife goodbye, have a pleasant drive to work, and have a great meeting at work.  When you get home you have a happy wife.  Very few people know and apply this principle.


Everyone who comes into your bitterness will feed out of you and be bitter also.  Jesus forgave even before they asked his forgiveness at Calvary.  He canceled the debt and that takes Satan out of your situation.  Forgiveness is not a one time thing.  It's essential to your work with God, and it will be tested over and over again.  If you pass the test, you get the treasures of heaven.


You can order the cd on this teaching by requesting it at: djbraman@gmail.com or to see more sermons from Pastor Jerry Nelson at Westmoreland PHC in Wilson go to: westmorelandphc.org