Forgiving Forward (Tony Sutherland)

Forgiveness isn’t an event. It’s a way of life.

Eph. 4:32 (MSG) Make a clean break with all cutting, backbiting, profane take. Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you.

Forgiveness is the way of Grace

Eph. 4:32 (NASB) Be kind to one another, tender-hearted forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

Ro. 15:7 (NIV) Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.

Forgiveness kills the root of bitterness'

Heb. 12:15 (NLT) “Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you.”

Forgiveness releases the Holy Spirit

Forgiveness makes the first move.Luke 23:24 (NIV) Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

Forgiveness detoxifies your mind

Phil. 4:8 (NIV) Finally, brothers and sisters (husbands and wives) whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - of anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things.

Forgiveness releases God’s provision

Marl 11:23-25 (ESV) Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, “Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass., it will be done for him. Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, forgive if you have anything against anyone.

Luke 11:3-4 (ESV) Give us each day our daily bread and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.

Job 42:10 (ESV) And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends. And the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.

Phil. 3:13 (NIV) Husbands and wives…”O do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead.