Forgive and Abide – John 10:10 – Part Two

Sermon Notes –

• John 10:10 – The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came so that they would have life, and have it abundantly.
  • Living abundantly – living with joy and peace
  • What keeps us from living abundantly – the enemy gains access to us
• The Abundant Life – We don’t learn to forgive and abide.
• Not choosing to abide short circuits our connection to the Holy Spirit’s power.
  • Paul calls this “walking in the spirit”
  • Galatians 5:1 (NASB)
  • We have a choice to live free or have slavery.
  • The only way to conquer addiction is to abide in Jesus.
• Walking in the Spirit – A conscience and deliberate sense of dependence on the Holy Spirit rather than myself whereby I rely on Him to free me from the flesh and to enable me to obey God’s holy commands with the result that the fruit of the spirit is produced in my life.
  • Galatians 5:16-21
  • Selfishness connect all of those things mentioned in Galatians 5:19-21
• The Flesh – The indwelling spiritual principle or force for which I rely on in myself for my identity, security, and resource, apart from God, that is evil, sinful, and anti-God which produces the fruit of death marked by feelings of frustration, guilt, and self-hatred.
  • We fight because we want things our way.
  • We are all narcissists when we live in the flesh.
  • Galatians 5:22-23 –
    • The fruit reveals our identity of the vine.
    • These flow out naturally when you walk by the Spirit.
• Fruit – An active expression of Christ’s character that nourishes people around us.
  • Fill someone else’s respect tank
  • Romans 7:14-24
    • There is a war going on
  • Romans 7:25
    • Who will set me free? Not me!
  • Romans 8:1-11
    • If you are in the flesh, you don’t know Jesus
    • Answer: Holy Spirit
• Walking by the Spirit is what Jesus called abiding.
• Abiding in Christ is being constantly connected and desperately dependent on Jesus.
  • If abiding, I will reflect His character well
  • Apart from Christ, you can do nothing.
  • John 15:1-4
    • We can try but can’t do it with Jesus
    • God wants to use us
  • Die, Deny, Depend

• Here is how we let someone, who may have hurt us deeply, off the hook. I pray you find health, freedom, and forgiveness.

7 Protocols of Forgiveness:

1. 1. Thank God for forgiving you.
      He has forgiven you for so much (Romans 5:8).
   2. Repent of your sin of unforgiveness.
      You are responsible for your bitterness.
   3. Ask God, “Who do I need to forgive, and for what?” (Matthew 6:14-15)
   4. Forgive each offense from your heart.
      Here’s how you do it:
      • “Lord, I choose to forgive _____, from my heart, for ______.”
      • “Lord, is there anything else I need to forgive ______ for?”
      • “Before God, I declare ________ is no longer in my debt.”
   5. Seal it with a blessing.
      Pray a blessing over those who have wronged you and keep doing it until you mean it! (Luke 6:27-36)
   6. Commit to “not remembering” the offense.
      Let me explain (Isaiah 43:25).
      • Say, “I specifically remember forgiving that.”
      • Praise God for the freedom forgiveness brought you.
      • Bless the person you forgave—again.
      • Pray for reconciliation.
   7. Make pre-forgiveness a lifestyle.

Dr. Bruce Hebel and his wife Toni lead Forgiving Forward Ministries in Fayetteville, GA. They’ve also created the Forgiving Forward Video Series. They have helped thousands of people through forgiveness coaching.

One powerful quote from the book is, “Freedom from the torture of bitterness only comes through forgiveness. Forgivers let people off the hook rather than desiring to make them pay. This freedom is found at the core of the Gospel message. If you cut the Gospel anywhere, it bleeds forgiveness.”

Forgiving Forward: Unleashing the Forgiveness Revolution.