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| Rev. Canon George Sinclair |
by Rev. Canon George Sinclair
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Podcast of CFRA broadcast on Sunday,
September 23rd, 2018:
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(This
is a shortened version of a sermon I did at Church of the Messiah, Ottawa. It
was part of the series, Deeper: Meditating on God's Word.
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Broadcast Notes:
Forgive the Inexcusable?
“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved,
compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with
one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other;
as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” Colossians 3:12-13
“... as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also
must forgive.” Col. 3:13b
- Forgiveness is NOT:
believing their excuses, being gullible, forgetting what they did,
pretending you were not hurt, pretending it was not wrong, letting them
off the hook, making excuses for them, turning a blind eye to their
actions, approving of what they did, saying that what they did was not
really wrong, being deceived by them, succumbing to pressure from others
to cave, encouraging injustice, repressing what happened, living in
denial, surrendering to the perpetrator, being an enabler to them.
- Forgiving another
person does NOT mean: that things have to go back to “normal,” or that
the wrongdoer will not face consequences.
- True forgiveness always
involves forgiving the inexcusable wrong done to you.
- Harbouring bitterness
and resentment is like eating laxatives and hoping that the other person
gets the runs.
- True forgiveness always
involves forgiving the inexcusable wrong done to you.
- Earthly forgiveness is
a mystery, whereby “you” bear much of the cost of the wrong that was done
to you, but in a way that results in you becoming free.
- When you finally
forgive, you are left with a clear-eyed freedom from: bitterness and
resentment, fight or flight, and tower or cower.
- The Cross was God
bearing the cost to forgive you of your inexcusable wrongs.
- a) Forgiveness is not a
moment, it is a quest. b) Ask the Lord to show you who you need to
forgive. c) Ask the Lord to help you forgive. d) Seek to forgive until
you are free!
- God teach me, lead me,
and help me to forgive ____.
- Dear Lord, I thank You
that on the cross, you paid all of the cost, and forgave the inexcusable
wrong that I am responsible for. Please pour the Holy Spirit deep within
me, and engrave the Gospel on my heart, so that I will remain Yours
forever and can forgive the inexcusable wrongs done to me, living free
for Your glory. In Jesus Name, AMEN.
Rev. Canon George Sinclair
Church
of the Messiah
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To
listen to the above broadcast, click on the following link:
