Message Series UNCHAINED - Part 3 - MERCY – Sunday - 04-17-16
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Transcript of Message Series UNCHAINED - Part 3 - MERCY – Sunday - 04-17-16
Brothers and sisters, I know that
I still have a long way to go. But there is one thing I do: I
forget what is in the past and try as hard as I can to reach
the goal before me. (Philippians 3:13 – Easy To Read
Version)
You will experience the truth, and the truth will free you . . . and if the Son sets you free,
you are free through and through.
(John 8:32, 36 – The Message)
Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up
to trouble you . . .(Hebrews 12:15 – New Living
Translation)
Banish bitterness, rage and anger, shouting and slander,
and any and all malicious thoughts—
these are poison. (Ephesians 4:21 – The Voice)
By all means don’t brag about being wise and good if you are
bitter . . .that is the worst sort of lie. (James 3:14 – Living Bible)
Do not seek revenge or hold a grudge against anyone. Instead, love your neighbor
as you love yourself. (Leviticus 19:18 – The Voice)
Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ
forgave you. (Ephesians 4:32 – The
Message)
Try to understand other people. Forgive each other. If you have something against someone, forgive him. That is the way
the Lord forgave you. (Colossians 3:13 – New Life
Version)
But if anyone has caused harm . . . I encourage you to
offer him the grace of forgiveness . . . So instead of continuing to ostracize him, I urge you to demonstrate
your love for him once again. (2 Corinthians 2:5-8 – The
Voice)
The kingdom of God is like a king who decided to square accounts with his servants. One servant was brought
before him who had run up a debt of a hundred thousand dollars. He couldn’t pay up,
so the king ordered the man, along with his wife, children,
and goods, to be auctioned off at the slave market. “The poor
wretch threw himself at the king’s feet and begged, ‘Give
me a chance and I’ll pay it all back.’
Touched by his plea, the king let him off, erasing the debt. “The servant was no sooner
out of the room when he came upon one of his fellow servants who owed him ten dollars. He seized him by the throat and
demanded,
‘Pay up. Now!’ “The poor wretch threw himself down and begged, ‘Give me a chance and
I’ll pay it all back.’ But he wouldn’t do it. He had him
arrested and put in jail until the debt was paid. When the other
servants saw this going on,
they were outraged and brought
a detailed report to the king. “The king summoned the man and said, ‘You evil servant! I
forgave your entire debt when you begged me for mercy.
Shouldn’t you be compelled to be merciful to your fellow
servant who asked for mercy?’ The king was furious and put
the screws to the man until he paid back his entire debt.
And that’s exactly what my Father
is going to do to each one of you who doesn’t forgive
unconditionally anyone who asks for mercy. (Matthew 18:23-34 – The Message)
Don’t ever say, “I’ll pay them back for what they did to me!”
Wait for the LORD. He will make things right. (Proverbs 20:22 – Easy To Read
Version)
Peter came up to the Lord and asked, “How many times should I forgive someone who does something wrong to me?
Is seven times enough?”
Jesus answered: Not just seven times, but seventy-seven
times! (Matthew 18:21-22 – Contemporary English Version)
Wherever sin grew and spread, God’s grace was there in fuller,
greater measure. No matter how much sin crept in, there
was always more grace.
(Romans 5:20 – The Voice)
Forgiven people forgive people. That is the starting
point for genuine forgiveness. If you don’t feel forgiven, you won’t want to
forgive anybody else.
If you’re hard on yourself, you’re going to be hard on others. But the more grace you receive from God, the
more gracious you’re going to be
to others.
The more forgiven you feel by God, the more forgiving
you’ll be toward others. How can you tell when you’ve
really forgiven somebody?
When you can look at that person’s hurt and not just your own and pray for God to bless him or her. You ask,
“How could I ever do that for the person
who’s hurt me?”
You can’t unless you allow the love of God to penetrate
your life. Only the love of God can help you do something like that.