Unforgiveness Hurts First Those Who Don’t Forgive Others

This Sunday’s Sermon: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “The Resurrection: Part 4 -- Hearing God’s Voice”, at our Website: www.AWordFromTheLord.org/listen/.

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: Because of who I am in Jesus Christ, I will not be driven by Anger. Rather, I will abide in the Lord’s Forgiveness. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5).

Website Link to the Video – “Two Perspectives on Life and Death, at One’s Death: Steve Jobs, Billionaire/Creator of Apple vs. Jesus, The Christ/Creator of the Universe”: https://www.lightsource.com/ministry/a-word-from-the-lord/.

Scripture Reference (ESV): Ephesians 4:31-32; Mathew 6:14-15; Psalms 130:3-4; Psalms 105a:1-25.