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DT (The DTS student who led all these studies) prompted us to ask this question: "Is God Sufficient For ALL my Needs?" - Continue praying and convicting yourself until you get a sincere yes. "If God takes away everything, can we say my God is sufficient for me, rather than making God an add-on for us."
(This brings me back to my one of woman bible study lessons in CMDA. Often times we're rushing through life to find quick answers and not embracing every moment of life. We are really taking our lives for granted. Whatever God put in front of us, we say, now that I am here, where do you want me to go, but we should ask God, now that I am here, how can I best serve you.)
We, as human beings, desire forgiveness. When we wrong someone, we want them to forgive us quickly but yet when the opposite happens, we are slow to forgive. We want to linger on that sense of power, control, and authority over the other person.
Let us not confuse forgiveness with forgetting the transgression. (It was also said that we do not throw pearls to pigs, or give what is holy to dogs Mathew 7:6)
I. WHY DO WE NEED FORGIVENESS
Two Theories for the Original Sin:
- Representative of Adam
- Realistic theory - We're all in Adam
- For Believers: via Confessions to restore fellowship with God
- For Non-Believers: via Accept Christ for salvation
[Roman 5:12-19] Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned— (13) for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law. (14) Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come.
(15) But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man,d how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! (16) Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. (17) For if, by the trespass of the one man, deathf reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in lifeg through the one man, Jesus Christ.
(18) Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men,h so also the result of one act of righteousness was justificationi that brings lifej for all men. (19) For just as through the disobedience of the one mank the many were made sinners, so also through the obediencem of the one man the many will be made righteous.
II. TRINITY IN FORGIVENESS REQUIRED FOUR ELEMENTS
Roman 5:8 But God demonstrates his own Love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
1. Action:
"Demonstrates" = claim to action, presence tense. God demonstrate his act of forgiveness through the cross. He sent His son to die for us. Love is a verb = action.2. Love:
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
1 John 4:10 "This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins."
He LOVEs us while we were His enemy - this is the greatest thing. Shouldn't we extend our forgiveness in love for our enemy - the lesser thing that at least we could do for our God? Or to we give our brothers the silent treatment, lost of friendship?
3. Steady State:
"While we were yet sinners" - God forgive us while we are still sinners. His forgiveness is unconditional and is gracious. Compare to our conditional forgiveness, we tend to forgive on the condition of change, "you have to show me remorse until I can forgive you."
4. Sacrifice:
"Christ Died for us"
Matthew 27:46 "About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”—which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Jesus cried out to God from noon to 3pm over and over. At that moment He experienced a break from the Trinity, a break from God and the Holy Spririt.
God forgives you by sacrificing Jesus. What do you have that is more valuable that His Son, your savior, to give up so that you can forgive others, will it be your pride, ego, self-righteousness, authority?
Forgiveness is proportional to our experience of God's love. How great is your proportion of forgiveness?
Referencing Verses for when you're feeling condemnation by the enemy.
Remember that God has given you completeness of Forgiveness. And when God forgive all, we forgive all.
Psalms 103:11-12 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
Micah 7:18-19 Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.
Isaiah 43:25 I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.
Ways to receive forgiveness
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Acts 4:12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.
Romans 10:9-13 That if you confessl with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believen in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of alls and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
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