Sermon: “Reconciliation – Part 2: How Does This Forgiveness Really Work?”

[flowplayer id=”60″]
Sermon Notes
Scripture: 1 John 1:5-10
“Reconciliation – Part 2
How Does This Forgiveness Really Work?”

Three Reasons Why Forgiveness Is Not Given:
  1. One party is not willing to confess their sins to God or Man
  2. One party is not willing to give or accept forgiveness from God or Man.
  3. 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”

  1. God is the light and there is no darkness in Him. (1 John 1:5)
  2. If we claim the fellowship with God and yet walk in darkness we are liars. (1 John 5:6)
  3. 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)
  4. If we claim to be without sin we deceive ourselves. (1 John 5:8)
  5. If we confess our sins God is just and faithful and forgives our sins. (1 John 5:9)
  6. If we claim to have no sin we make a liar out of God. (1 John 5:10)
  7. His Word is no longer within us. (1 John 5:10)

When forgiveness doesn’t work we have refused to start a new relationship.

  1. Forgiveness is always granted so all sinners may be brought back to alignment with God. (Galatians 6:1)
  2. We are all called to win our brothers back to Christ. (Matthew 18:15)
  3. Forgiveness or reconciliation is NEVER about your feelings but about obedience to God’s commands.
  4. 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?

  1. Ask ourselves, “Have we honestly done everything we could do?”
  2. Continue to pray for the other party.
  3. Continue to live our lives in alignment with God’s Word, Will and Way.
  4. Be ready for every opportunity and NEVER GIVE UP!
  5. 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!