Jesus Set the “Forgiveness Standard”; Are You Conforming?

MESSAGE SUMMARY: If God has forgiven me, why do I have to confess my sins? Confession is for us. For us to forgive, as the Christ forgives us, means that we release others from the offense that we believe they have committed. Jesus set the “forgiveness standard” for us as Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:31-32: “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.". However, our forgiveness is not conditioned on the offender coming and asking us for their forgiveness – if we are like Jesus, we have already forgiven the offender. If we don’t forgive like Jesus, the offense festers and turns into resentment; and these unhealthy feelings are happening in us and not in the perceived offender because we have not forgiven our perceived offender as instructed be Jesus – “forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you”.

 

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, because of I am filled with the Holy Spirit, I will not be controlled by my Anger. Rather, I will walk in the Spirit’s fruit of Forgiveness. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22f).

 

THIS SUNDAY’S SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “Surprise – Jesus is Not Dead; Jesus Is Alive to All Who Accept Him in Faith", at our Website: www.AWFTL.org/listen/.

 

WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S EASTER VIDEO – “Easter -- I Am the Resurrection – (Holy Cross Anglican Cathedral; Loganville, GA)”:  www.AWFTL.org/watch.

 

A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.

 

DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

 

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Ephesians 4:31-32; Mathew 6:14-15; Psalms 130:3-4; Psalms 91:1-16.

 

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE SEARCH: www.AWFTL.org/bible-search/