FORGIVENESS

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FORGIVENESS

A New Heart

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

1 JOHN 1:9

Ever had a stain on your shirt that you couldn’t wash out? Imagine a stain remover that would not only remove the stain, but would make the shirt just like new again.

That’s what happens when we repent and receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior. He not only cleans the stain of sin from our hearts; he gives us a new heart. It all starts with confession.

“IF WE CONFESS OUR SINS . . .”

Q: What does confession mean?

A: To acknowledge personal guilt and admit specific sin

“Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the LORD’—and you forgave the guilt of my sin.”

PSALM 32:5

Q: What happens if we fail to confess our sin?

A: Continued conviction, guilt, condemnation, and bondage

“He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.”

PROVERBS 28:13

“When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer.”

PSALM 32:3, 4

Q: Who should we confess our sin to in order to receive forgiveness?

A: God

“Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge.”

PSALM 51:4

Q: When should we confess our sin to another person?

A: When we need prayer for healing and victory in that area of our lives

“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”

JAMES 5:16

THE RESULTS OF CONFESSION

Q: What does God do when we confess our sin?

A: Forgives and purifies us from all unrighteousness

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

1 JOHN 1:9

Q: Is it possible to have a clean conscience? How?

A: Yes, by the Blood of Jesus

“How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!”

HEBREWS 9:14

Q: How does God deal with our sin?

A: Removes it as far as east from west

“As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”

PSALM 103:12

THE IMPORTANCE OF FORGIVING OTHERS

Q: How often should we forgive people who sin

against us?

A: As many times as they ask for forgiveness

“If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, ‘I repent,’ forgive him.”

LUKE 17:4

“Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, ‘Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.’”

MATTHEW 18:21, 22

Q: What happens if we refuse to forgive?

A: We will be tormented and defiled by a root of bitterness.

“In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. ‘This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.’”

MATTHEW 18:34, 35

(SEE ALSO VERSES 21–33.)

“See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.”

HEBREWS 12:15

Personal Application

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal all unconfessed sin.

Are there sins that you’ve confessed and forsaken but still feel guilty and condemned about?

Are there sins that you’ve confessed, but don’t seem to have the power to overcome? Perhaps you need to confess them to a more mature Christian and receive healing prayer.

Is there anyone you need to forgive?

SALVATION

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” 2 CORINTHIANS 5:17 A new creation. A fresh start. For all of us who have ever wished we could start over, this is good news. However, before we can really appreciate this good news, we need to understand exactly why we need to start over. Why do we need to become a “new creation”? Why do we need salvation? SEPARATION There is an immeasurable gap separating God and man. Have you ever felt like God was a million miles away? Ever felt like your prayers didn’t get past the ceiling? Have you ever felt distant from God? We all have. Feeling far from God is very common. Many who sense this vast separation suppose that if they meditate harder, learn more about their religion, or just step into a religious sanctuary, they would be closer to God. But since our separation from God is not physical or intellectual, neither meditation nor knowledge can bring us any closer to God. What causes the separation between God and man? “Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.” ISAIAH 59:1, 2 SIN The cause of this eternal separation between God and man is sin. The separation between God and man is a moral separation. God is holy; man is not. God is good; man is not. God is just; man is not. All men have sinned; therefore, all are eternally separated from God. All will suffer the consequences of sin, which is eternal death. “. . . for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God . . .” ROMANS 3:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” ROMANS 6:23 SACRIFICE The justice of God demands a sacrifice for man’s sin. Since God is holy, righteous, and just, he could not allow sin to go unpunished. Since he is loving and compassionate, he did not want all of mankind to be eternally separated from him. The divine solution to this problem was for Jesus, God’s only Son, to become the sacrifice for sin. “God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished . . .” ROMANS 3:25 “But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” HEBREWS 9:26–28 SUBSTITUTION Jesus paid the penalty for our sin. What happened on the cross? Jesus took our place and our punishment. He exchanged his righteousness for our sin. He took our curse and gave us his blessing. Because of his sinless life, he was the only one qualified to pay the penalty for man’s sin and to bridge the gap between God and man. Therefore, our salvation is based on what Jesus did for us on the cross. It has nothing to do with what we do for him. Jesus alone can and did pay the penalty for sin. “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 CORINTHIANS 5:21 “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” 2 CORINTHIANS 8:9 SALVATION We are saved by God’s grace when we turn from sin and put our trust in Christ alone for salvation. We have all sinned against a holy and righteous God. The penalty for sin is eternal separation from God in hell. God is just and must punish sin. He is also loving and does not want us to go to hell forever. Therefore, he sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to pay the penalty for sin by dying on the cross in our place. Because of his sinless life, death could not hold him. He was raised from the dead on the third day. We receive salvation when we stop trusting in ourselves and put our trust in what Christ did for us. “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe 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.” ROMANS 10:9, 10 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” EPHESIANS 2:8, 9 PERSONAL APPLICATION Have you stopped trusting in yourself and started trusting in Christ alone for salvation? Have you turned away from all known sin? Have you confessed Jesus as the Lord of your life? Are you willing to follow and obey him for the rest of your life? Prayer for Salvation Heavenly Father . . . I acknowledge that the separation between us . . . is because of my sin . . . I confess that I have sinned . . . and have fallen far short of your glory . . . I thank you that you sent your Son, Jesus . . . to pay the penalty for my sin . . . I believe that he died on the cross for me . . . I believe that you raised him from the dead . . . I am sorry for my sins . . . and I ask you to forgive and cleanse me . . . I want to turn away from everything the Bible calls sin . . . and receive you as my Lord and Savior . . . help me to love, serve, and obey you . . . for the rest of my life . . . in Jesus’ name . . . Amen! A New Life If you have sincerely prayed that prayer, the Bible promises that the old has gone and the new has come! The next five lessons will introduce you to some of the new things that have come.

LORDSHIP

“Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” ACTS 2:36 Lordship is one of the central messages of the Bible. Jesus is referred to as “Lord” 100 times in the book of Acts and 622 times in the whole New Testament, while being referred to as “Savior” only twice in Acts and twenty-four times in the New Testament. The biblical emphasis is overwhelmingly on the concept of Lordship. Lord means master, the one who calls the shots, the one who makes the decisions. LORDSHIP & SALVATION The starting point of salvation is the acknowledgment of the Lordship of Christ. Confessing Jesus is Lord implies a submission to his Lordship in every area of life. If Jesus is not Lord of all, he is not Lord at all. We do not have the option of receiving him as Savior and not as Lord. Salvation is an all-or-nothing proposal. “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” ROMANS 10:9 LORDSHIP DEMANDS OBEDIENCE Anyone who claims Christ as their Lord is expected to do what he says. Intellectual faith and empty confession is not enough. If we say Christ is our Lord, our lifestyle should back up our claim. “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” LUKE 6:46 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” MATTHEW 7:21 LORDSHIP BEGINS IN THE HEART Submitting to Christ as Lord is not about following a set of religious rules and traditions. Rather, Lordship is a matter of the heart. Lordship begins as an internal submission of the heart. If it is genuine, it will eventually manifest itself in outward obedience. “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord.” 1 PETER 3:15 LORDSHIP IS A CONTINUOUS WALK We begin our Christian life by acknowledging that Jesus is Lord. We must continue to walk under his Lordship for the rest of our lives. Lordship is not having a one-time experience with God but developing a lifetime walk with God. The more we know him, the more we submit to him. “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him.” COLOSSIANS 2:6 Personal Application Are there areas in your life that you have not yet submitted to the Lordship of Jesus Christ? Are your relationships under his Lordship? Are your finances under his Lordship? Is your time submitted to his Lordship?

REPENTANCE

“Yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance . . . Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.” 2 CORINTHIANS 7:9, 10 Driving a car in the wrong direction on a one-way street is dangerous (not to mention foolish!). Some drive the wrong way on a one-way street out of ignorance. Others do it out of rebellion. There is a spiritual parallel. Whether out of ignorance or rebellion, we are all on a dangerous one-way street that will ultimately lead to eternal separation from God. Until we turn around (repent) and begin following Christ, every step we take is a step in the wrong direction—a step away from God. The parable of the prodigal son is a beautiful picture of true repentance. The wayward son came to his senses, turned his back on his folly, and returned to his father. He made a 180-degree turnaround. He walked away from his former life of sin and rebellion. From that point on, he lived differently. Of course, his father received him back. (See Luke 15:11–24.) GODLY SORROW Real repentance begins when we are truly sorry for our sins. This “godly sorrow” makes no excuses. It takes full responsibility. It never places blame on people, society, or circumstances. Godly sorrow acknowledges that our sin is primarily against God. This type of sorrow leads to life-changing repentance. “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge.” PSALM 51:4 “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.” 2 CORINTHIANS 7:10 WORLDLY SORROW Godly sorrow produces true repentance and a changed life. On the other hand, “worldly sorrow” only produces excuses. Godly sorrow is having a broken heart when we realize we have offended a holy God. Worldly sorrow is being sorry we got caught, or being sorry we have to suffer the consequences of sin. The ultimate difference between godly sorrow and worldly sorrow is the fruit. Worldly sorrow never produces the fruit of a changed life; it only produces spiritual death. “I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds.” ACTS 26:20 “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.” MATTHEW 3:8 NO REGRET Repentance is turning away from sin and turning to God. It means we stop trusting in our own good deeds and religious activity and start trusting in Christ alone. We were going in the wrong direction; now, we are going in the right direction. We were running from God; now we are walking with him. Repentance is the starting point of a new life. Repentance takes us off the treadmill of a self-centered life and puts us on the fast track of God’s glorious purpose for our lives. Turning to God means no looking back and no regrets. “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.” ACTS 3:19 “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret . . .” 2 CORINTHIANS 7:10 Personal Application Is your life going in a new direction? Are there sinful areas in your life that are still a struggle? Are there areas of intense temptation or consistent weakness that you need prayer for? Are there sins that you have turned away from, yet you still feel condemned about?