Sermon: “Reconciliation – Part 2: How Does This Forgiveness Really Work?”
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Sermon Notes
Scripture: 1 John 1:5-10
“Reconciliation – Part 2
How Does This Forgiveness Really Work?”
Scripture: 1 John 1:5-10
“Reconciliation – Part 2
How Does This Forgiveness Really Work?”
Three Reasons Why Forgiveness Is Not Given:
- One party is not willing to confess their sins to God or Man
- One party is not willing to give or accept forgiveness from God or Man.
- One or both parties are not willing to establish a new relationship between the parties.
Reconciliation and forgiveness means establishing a new relationship between parties!
Bible Study: “Walking in the Light”
- God is the light and there is no darkness in Him. (1 John 1:5)
- If we claim the fellowship with God and yet walk in darkness we are liars. (1 John 5:6)
- If we walk in the light we have fellowship with one another and we are purified from all sin and grudges. (1 John 5:7)
- If we claim to be without sin we deceive ourselves. (1 John 5:8)
- If we confess our sins God is just and faithful and forgives our sins. (1 John 5:9)
- If we claim to have no sin we make a liar out of God. (1 John 5:10)
- His Word is no longer within us. (1 John 5:10)
When forgiveness doesn’t work we have refused to start a new relationship.
- Forgiveness is always granted so all sinners may be brought back to alignment with God. (Galatians 6:1)
- We are all called to win our brothers back to Christ. (Matthew 18:15)
- Forgiveness or reconciliation is NEVER about your feelings but about obedience to God’s commands.
- Forgiveness and reconciliation marks the end of an old relationship and the beginning of a new one.
So what are we to do if the other party won’t forgive or reconcile?
- Ask ourselves, “Have we honestly done everything we could do?”
- Continue to pray for the other party.
- Continue to live our lives in alignment with God’s Word, Will and Way.
- Be ready for every opportunity and NEVER GIVE UP!
- Accept God’s peace.
God calls us to be His Light within the world for all to see! Keep that light shining; love each other enough to forgive and reconcile! Love each other enough to truly love each other. –Matthew 22:37-39– All true Christian relationships hang upon these two commandments; in obedience to them we become God’s true light in the darkness!