WEBVTT 1 00:00:03.040 --> 00:00:06.519 Hello, and thanks for joining us here on Pastor Rick's 2 00:00:06.599 --> 00:00:10.080 Daily Hope. Well today we continue in our series called 3 00:00:10.160 --> 00:00:14.160 God's Prescription for a Healthy Life. In it, Pastor Rick 4 00:00:14.199 --> 00:00:17.719 will show you how to improve your health physically, spiritually, 5 00:00:18.079 --> 00:00:23.239 relationally and emotionally by applying the five essentials needed for. 6 00:00:23.239 --> 00:00:24.800 A more vibrant life. 7 00:00:25.079 --> 00:00:27.000 If you want to have what it takes to live 8 00:00:27.039 --> 00:00:29.960 out your calling in life, stay with us for this 9 00:00:30.120 --> 00:00:34.119 amazing series. Now, in just a few moments, we're going 10 00:00:34.159 --> 00:00:37.520 to tell you about the Daniel Plan DVD study Kit, 11 00:00:37.840 --> 00:00:41.560 a sixth session video based study by Rick Warren, doctor 12 00:00:41.640 --> 00:00:45.359 Daniel Aman, and doctor Mark Hyman. This out of the 13 00:00:45.479 --> 00:00:48.840 box approach to a healthy lifestyle is based on five 14 00:00:48.960 --> 00:00:55.240 essentials faith, food, fitness, focus and friends. You can find 15 00:00:55.280 --> 00:00:58.439 out more right now by going to Pastorick dot com 16 00:00:58.479 --> 00:01:01.439 while you listen to today's Manage, or you can just 17 00:01:01.560 --> 00:01:05.400 text the word daily to eight hundred six hundred five 18 00:01:05.480 --> 00:01:09.680 thousand and four. That's Pastorick dot com, or the word 19 00:01:09.760 --> 00:01:13.840 daily to eight hundred six hundred five thousand and four. 20 00:01:14.640 --> 00:01:17.400 Right now, here's Pastor Rick with part two of a 21 00:01:17.439 --> 00:01:20.879 message called the Amazing Power of Forgiveness. 22 00:01:21.959 --> 00:01:25.480 And we know that today a surgeon can cut back 23 00:01:25.519 --> 00:01:28.159 your scalp and stimulate part of your brain, and you 24 00:01:28.239 --> 00:01:31.200 will have memories that you knew, never knew you even had. 25 00:01:31.920 --> 00:01:33.680 They are there and they will come back and they'll 26 00:01:33.719 --> 00:01:38.040 be vivid because it's all stored in this marvelous machine 27 00:01:38.480 --> 00:01:41.040 that God has given us called the brain. It's all there, 28 00:01:41.959 --> 00:01:44.760 so you really can't forget it. But God says, I 29 00:01:44.799 --> 00:01:46.719 didn't say you had to forget it. What I said 30 00:01:46.879 --> 00:01:50.599 is forgive it, and then look and see how I 31 00:01:50.680 --> 00:01:56.079 can bring good out of it. Number five, forgiveness isn't conditional. 32 00:01:56.120 --> 00:01:59.719 It isn't minimizing the seriousness. It isn't resuming a relationship 33 00:01:59.799 --> 00:02:02.640 with change. It isn't forgetting what happened. And number five, 34 00:02:02.920 --> 00:02:07.040 it isn't my right when I wasn't the one hurt. 35 00:02:08.319 --> 00:02:11.439 Forgiveness isn't my right. It's not my right to forgive 36 00:02:11.479 --> 00:02:13.879 you if I wasn't the one hurt by you. The 37 00:02:13.960 --> 00:02:17.159 point here is the Bible says only the victim has 38 00:02:17.199 --> 00:02:21.159 the right to forgive. You can't forgive people who didn't 39 00:02:21.240 --> 00:02:24.479 hurt you. Now again, I want to belabor this point 40 00:02:24.719 --> 00:02:27.039 because most people in our society don't get it. Today 41 00:02:27.039 --> 00:02:30.879 we've got leaders walking around offering blanket forgiveness and asking 42 00:02:30.960 --> 00:02:34.000 blanket forgiveness when they don't know the person, they don't 43 00:02:34.000 --> 00:02:36.439 even know what happened. They're just it's just words. It 44 00:02:36.479 --> 00:02:40.560 means nothing because they didn't they weren't involved in the 45 00:02:40.439 --> 00:02:45.520 in the in the hurt. A few years ago in Paducah, Kentucky, 46 00:02:45.639 --> 00:02:48.360 a fourteen year old boy walked into a high school 47 00:02:48.400 --> 00:02:51.479 and pulled out a gun and shot free high school girls, 48 00:02:51.960 --> 00:02:57.319 and they died the next morning. The bodies hadn't even 49 00:02:57.719 --> 00:03:00.280 gotten cold yet. In the next morning, teenagers in that 50 00:03:00.319 --> 00:03:02.319 high school had put up a big sign that said 51 00:03:02.639 --> 00:03:06.759 we forgive you, Mike, and they had this banner out 52 00:03:06.800 --> 00:03:08.280 in front of the school. Now, you know, I know 53 00:03:08.360 --> 00:03:11.479 they meant well, and I know they thought they were 54 00:03:11.520 --> 00:03:14.800 doing the spiritual thing or the loving thing. But the 55 00:03:14.879 --> 00:03:18.520 fact is it wasn't their right to forgive because they 56 00:03:18.520 --> 00:03:22.120 aren't the ones who had lost a daughter or a sister, 57 00:03:23.000 --> 00:03:26.599 or a granddaughter or a niece. And I mean, those 58 00:03:26.599 --> 00:03:29.560 girls weren't even buried in the ground yet, and they're 59 00:03:29.560 --> 00:03:31.680 saying it's okay, Mike, we forgive you, as if it 60 00:03:31.719 --> 00:03:34.199 was no big deal. He had just murdered three people, 61 00:03:35.159 --> 00:03:37.960 And how do you think the mother and the father 62 00:03:38.039 --> 00:03:40.960 of those girls felt. Wait a minute, it's not your 63 00:03:41.039 --> 00:03:42.800 right to forgive. I haven't forgiven yet. 64 00:03:42.879 --> 00:03:43.319 They haven't. 65 00:03:43.319 --> 00:03:46.400 Maybe I'll get there, but there are stages of grief, 66 00:03:46.759 --> 00:03:49.520 and I've got to go through that grief stages after stage, 67 00:03:49.520 --> 00:03:53.639 which includes anger. It's a legitimate part of grief, and 68 00:03:53.719 --> 00:03:56.439 then I may eventually get to the forgiveness over there. 69 00:03:56.879 --> 00:03:58.919 But you don't have a right to just blanket forgive 70 00:03:58.960 --> 00:04:04.479 them because they didn't hurt you. Only the main victims 71 00:04:04.680 --> 00:04:08.919 have the right to forgive. Right after nine to eleven, 72 00:04:08.960 --> 00:04:12.680 I remember a national leader stood up and said we 73 00:04:12.719 --> 00:04:16.040 all must forgive Osama bin Laden for nine to eleven. 74 00:04:16.279 --> 00:04:17.199 And he said, I. 75 00:04:17.399 --> 00:04:21.720 Have forgiven him, and everybody else must too. Well, there's 76 00:04:21.759 --> 00:04:24.079 only one problem with that. It wasn't his right to forgive. 77 00:04:24.839 --> 00:04:26.560 He didn't have a wife or husband who died in 78 00:04:26.759 --> 00:04:30.480 Gwin towers. He didn't have a daughter or a grandfather 79 00:04:30.759 --> 00:04:35.199 or a nephew or a fiance, and he was short 80 00:04:35.279 --> 00:04:39.800 circuiting the process by offering forgiveness when he didn't have 81 00:04:39.879 --> 00:04:43.319 the right to do it. If I came over to 82 00:04:43.360 --> 00:04:46.519 your house today and you were standing there in shock 83 00:04:46.600 --> 00:04:49.800 because everybody in your family had just been murdered. And 84 00:04:49.839 --> 00:04:51.600 I walked up to the murder and he said, and 85 00:04:51.639 --> 00:04:55.560 I said, it's okay, I forgive you. You'd be going, hey, 86 00:04:55.600 --> 00:04:59.879 wait a minute, Rick, that's not your place to do that. 87 00:05:00.079 --> 00:05:01.319 It's my place to do that. 88 00:05:02.319 --> 00:05:04.759 So don't go around offer and forgiveness to people that 89 00:05:04.800 --> 00:05:07.839 you didn't hurt or didn't hurt you. It's only the 90 00:05:07.879 --> 00:05:10.439 responsibility of the person hurt the most. 91 00:05:10.480 --> 00:05:12.319 Does that make sense? All right? 92 00:05:13.399 --> 00:05:15.959 You see, if anybody could proclaim forgiveness, we'd have no 93 00:05:16.040 --> 00:05:18.079 need for jails. I just got well, I forgive you, 94 00:05:18.120 --> 00:05:19.480 and you can say, well, I forgive you, and I 95 00:05:19.519 --> 00:05:23.240 forgive you. And by the way, forgiveness never eliminates the 96 00:05:23.279 --> 00:05:24.360 consequence of the sin. 97 00:05:25.319 --> 00:05:27.480 It just it offers forgiveness. 98 00:05:27.879 --> 00:05:32.199 In other words, a prisoner can be repentant and be forgiven, 99 00:05:32.879 --> 00:05:35.199 but he's still got a service time and pay his 100 00:05:35.279 --> 00:05:39.560 debt to society. And a drug addict can be forgiven 101 00:05:39.759 --> 00:05:42.839 for their addiction, but they're still going to carry the 102 00:05:42.920 --> 00:05:46.279 scars of addiction the rest of their life. And if 103 00:05:47.319 --> 00:05:51.279 a drug addict mother you on crack, has a baby, 104 00:05:51.439 --> 00:05:53.759 yes she can be forgiven, but that baby may have 105 00:05:53.800 --> 00:05:55.639 problems the rest of its life, and it wasn't the 106 00:05:55.680 --> 00:06:00.000 baby's fault. There are always consequences to sin. It always 107 00:06:00.240 --> 00:06:03.959 hurts somebody. I mean, you know, you can go out 108 00:06:04.000 --> 00:06:05.839 and be promiscuous and go to bed with anybody you 109 00:06:05.839 --> 00:06:08.120 want to go to bed with, and yes, God will 110 00:06:08.160 --> 00:06:11.639 forgive you, but you might get still get an SDD 111 00:06:12.040 --> 00:06:14.560 or AIDS, or you still may break up a home, 112 00:06:15.319 --> 00:06:19.480 ruin a reputation, or hurt little kids. It always hurts 113 00:06:19.519 --> 00:06:22.319 people whenever I blow it. Whenever I sin, I not 114 00:06:22.360 --> 00:06:24.879 only hurt my life, I hurt other people's lives too. 115 00:06:25.680 --> 00:06:28.040 And forgiveness doesn't get rid of the consequences. I mean, 116 00:06:28.040 --> 00:06:30.519 I've talked to so many people who say, you know, Rick, 117 00:06:31.759 --> 00:06:33.959 I know that what I'm about to do is wrong, 118 00:06:34.519 --> 00:06:35.839 but I'm going to go ahead and do it anyway 119 00:06:35.879 --> 00:06:39.279 because i know God will forgive me. And I want 120 00:06:39.319 --> 00:06:43.079 to say to do you think God is stupid? Yes, 121 00:06:43.240 --> 00:06:44.920 of course you can go out and do something, and 122 00:06:45.000 --> 00:06:48.439 yes you can be forgiven if you genuinely repent of 123 00:06:48.480 --> 00:06:53.079 it and say I'm sorry I was wrong, but you're 124 00:06:53.120 --> 00:06:56.079 still going to have consequences. Why do you think these 125 00:06:56.160 --> 00:06:58.519 rules are in the Bible there for your benefit. God 126 00:06:58.560 --> 00:07:01.040 doesn't want you to have a broken heart or anybody 127 00:07:01.040 --> 00:07:03.800 else for that matter. God doesn't want you to live 128 00:07:03.879 --> 00:07:06.800 with guilt and shame. God doesn't want little kids growing 129 00:07:06.920 --> 00:07:10.360 up with all kinds of insecurities and all kinds of things. 130 00:07:10.920 --> 00:07:13.079 And just because I get forgiveness doesn't mean I'm still 131 00:07:13.120 --> 00:07:14.759 not going to hurt an awful lot of people by 132 00:07:14.759 --> 00:07:18.519 my dumb decision. So what am I saying? There is 133 00:07:18.600 --> 00:07:21.240 always a cost to disobeying God when he tells to 134 00:07:21.279 --> 00:07:24.279 do some it's for our own happiness. There's always a cost, 135 00:07:24.439 --> 00:07:27.480 and there's always a cost to forgiveness. Now this one's 136 00:07:27.519 --> 00:07:30.480 the hard one. How do I forgive? And why must 137 00:07:30.519 --> 00:07:33.600 I forgive those who hurt me? Well, the Bible says, 138 00:07:33.800 --> 00:07:36.240 there are three reasons that I have to let go 139 00:07:36.360 --> 00:07:36.959 of my past. 140 00:07:37.000 --> 00:07:39.120 I have to let go of the people who've hurt me, And. 141 00:07:39.079 --> 00:07:41.240 They have nothing to do with the fact on whether 142 00:07:41.279 --> 00:07:43.920 that person deserves it or not. They don't and you 143 00:07:43.959 --> 00:07:46.079 don't either, in the forgiveness you've been given. But there 144 00:07:46.079 --> 00:07:48.279 are three reasons, and here they are. Number One, I 145 00:07:48.319 --> 00:07:50.480 am to forgive those who've hurt me because Number one, 146 00:07:50.560 --> 00:07:56.040 God has forgiven me. Jesus Christ has forgiven me. That's 147 00:07:56.079 --> 00:07:58.800 what he came to Earth to do, and that's good news. 148 00:07:58.800 --> 00:08:01.959 The Bible says this. Looking there on your outline, Remember 149 00:08:02.519 --> 00:08:06.399 the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 150 00:08:07.000 --> 00:08:08.480 Now, let me make this really clear. 151 00:08:09.000 --> 00:08:11.879 The reason why some of you have such a hard 152 00:08:11.879 --> 00:08:13.600 time letting go you go, man. 153 00:08:13.399 --> 00:08:15.519 I just can't let go of that. It hurt too much. 154 00:08:15.920 --> 00:08:18.279 I can't let The reason why you have a hard 155 00:08:18.279 --> 00:08:22.759 time forgiving is because you don't feel forgiven. 156 00:08:26.560 --> 00:08:29.720 You're listening to Pastor Rick's Daily Hope Rip will be 157 00:08:29.759 --> 00:08:32.600 back in just a moment with the rest of today's lesson. 158 00:08:33.080 --> 00:08:35.799 If you've missed any part of today's teaching, you can 159 00:08:35.840 --> 00:08:41.720 listen online anytime at pastorick dot com. That's pastorick dot com. 160 00:08:41.840 --> 00:08:44.519 The truth is most of us don't pay much attention 161 00:08:44.559 --> 00:08:47.679 to our health until something goes wrong. We put on 162 00:08:47.759 --> 00:08:51.240 a couple of pounds every year and think no big deal, right, 163 00:08:51.720 --> 00:08:55.200 But a few pounds over five or ten years really 164 00:08:55.240 --> 00:08:58.200 adds up, and it can even lead to major illnesses 165 00:08:58.559 --> 00:09:02.240 like diabetes and heart dease. That's why Pastor Rick work 166 00:09:02.320 --> 00:09:06.080 together with medical and fitness experts to create the Daniel 167 00:09:06.120 --> 00:09:09.840 Plan Study. The sixth Session DVD and workbook studykit from 168 00:09:09.919 --> 00:09:13.600 Rick Warren, doctor Daniel Amen and doctor Mark Hyman is 169 00:09:13.639 --> 00:09:16.279 an out of the box approach to a healthy lifestyle 170 00:09:16.480 --> 00:09:22.120 based on five essentials faith, food, fitness, focus and friends. 171 00:09:22.559 --> 00:09:25.799 The Daniel Plan Study gives individuals in small groups the 172 00:09:25.960 --> 00:09:30.200 encouragement and accountability needed to succeed. If you've been watching 173 00:09:30.200 --> 00:09:32.559 the scale go up lately, or your health is in 174 00:09:32.639 --> 00:09:36.320 trouble because of your weight, it's not too late. Join 175 00:09:36.440 --> 00:09:39.480 the thousands of people who've lost weight, improve their health 176 00:09:39.759 --> 00:09:43.960 and improved their relationships through the Daniel Plan. We'll send 177 00:09:44.000 --> 00:09:46.799 you a copy of the Daniel Plan DVD's study kit 178 00:09:46.960 --> 00:09:49.279 to say thanks when you give a gift to Daily 179 00:09:49.320 --> 00:09:52.480 Hope to help share the Hope of Jesus with people 180 00:09:52.639 --> 00:09:55.720 around the world. Just go to Pastor Rick dot com 181 00:09:55.759 --> 00:09:58.399 to get your copy, or you can call eight hundred 182 00:09:58.519 --> 00:10:02.519 six hundred five zero z four. That's Pastorick dot com. 183 00:10:02.639 --> 00:10:05.639 Or call eight hundred six hundred at five zero zero 184 00:10:05.679 --> 00:10:08.519 four and thank you so much for your support. 185 00:10:08.879 --> 00:10:12.159 Hi, it's Pastor Rick with some big news. My Daily 186 00:10:12.240 --> 00:10:15.840 devotional is now available in French. If you know somebody 187 00:10:15.840 --> 00:10:18.519 who would enjoy reading the Devotionals in French. Would you 188 00:10:18.519 --> 00:10:21.480 please email me and I'll send you a link to 189 00:10:21.600 --> 00:10:25.360 sign up. My email is Rick at pastorick dot com. 190 00:10:25.399 --> 00:10:33.120 That's Rick at pastorick dot com. 191 00:10:33.240 --> 00:10:34.720 Once again, here's Rick. 192 00:10:35.320 --> 00:10:37.440 You're never going to be very forgiving to other people 193 00:10:37.519 --> 00:10:40.480 if you don't feel forgiven yourself, if you don't feel 194 00:10:40.559 --> 00:10:43.519 totally forgiven by God, you know what, you're not feeling 195 00:10:43.600 --> 00:10:46.600 like doling it out to anybody else. And the reason 196 00:10:46.639 --> 00:10:49.039 why is you want to keep the scales balanced in 197 00:10:49.120 --> 00:10:52.159 your mind. You know that you've done certain wrong things, 198 00:10:52.440 --> 00:10:55.840 consciously or unconsciously, and so one of the ways we 199 00:10:56.000 --> 00:11:00.679 balance the guilt is with resentment. And and somebody says, 200 00:11:00.679 --> 00:11:02.120 well you did this, well, we say, yeah, but you 201 00:11:02.159 --> 00:11:04.480 did that, well, you did this, Yeah, but you did 202 00:11:04.480 --> 00:11:06.879 that well, you did this, Yeah, but you did that, 203 00:11:07.120 --> 00:11:10.039 And we keep it the balance of the scales that 204 00:11:10.080 --> 00:11:11.919 way in our mind. Well, if all of a sudden 205 00:11:11.960 --> 00:11:14.159 you let them off the hook and you say, you know, 206 00:11:14.200 --> 00:11:16.279 I'm not going to hold it to you anymore, boom, 207 00:11:16.559 --> 00:11:17.960 all of a sudden, when he left it just a 208 00:11:17.960 --> 00:11:21.000 bunch of your own guilt, you see, you're never going 209 00:11:21.080 --> 00:11:22.919 to be able to let this one go. Until you 210 00:11:23.000 --> 00:11:27.399 let this one go first, you have to be forgiven first, 211 00:11:27.639 --> 00:11:30.480 feel forgiven first. You need if you're ever going to 212 00:11:30.480 --> 00:11:33.200 be a forgiving person where the power comes from, you 213 00:11:33.320 --> 00:11:37.159 need to first accept the forgiveness of God through Jesus Christ. 214 00:11:37.759 --> 00:11:40.440 The Bible said God came to earth in human form 215 00:11:40.480 --> 00:11:43.919 in Jesus in order to forgive the sins of every 216 00:11:43.960 --> 00:11:47.039 human being, everything that's ever been done wrong, so he 217 00:11:47.279 --> 00:11:50.200 would pay for it and we wouldn't. Well, that's good news. 218 00:11:50.240 --> 00:11:52.879 Look at the next verse. In fact, let's read this 219 00:11:52.879 --> 00:11:57.799 one aloud together. Colossians, Chapter two. God forgave all our sins. 220 00:11:58.279 --> 00:12:02.399 He canceled the record that contained the charges against us. 221 00:12:02.840 --> 00:12:05.960 He took it and destroyed it by nailing it to 222 00:12:06.120 --> 00:12:09.519 Christ's cross. And I like that phrase, he canceled the 223 00:12:09.639 --> 00:12:14.279 record contained in the charges against us. I my guess 224 00:12:14.399 --> 00:12:17.440 is most of you have a charge card, a credit card, 225 00:12:18.039 --> 00:12:20.440 and some of you you've probably racked up an awful 226 00:12:20.480 --> 00:12:23.440 lot of charges on that card. And some of you 227 00:12:23.440 --> 00:12:26.399 you got a big, big debt on your monthly record 228 00:12:26.559 --> 00:12:29.080 and you're just paying the minimum. You got the revolving 229 00:12:29.159 --> 00:12:32.399 account and you're just paying the minimum on that. How 230 00:12:32.399 --> 00:12:35.440 about if somebody comes to you tonight and says, you 231 00:12:35.480 --> 00:12:37.399 know what, let me see your Visa card, let me 232 00:12:37.440 --> 00:12:41.559 see your MasterCard, credit report, let me see your American 233 00:12:41.559 --> 00:12:43.799 Express And he looks and he sees all those charges, 234 00:12:43.799 --> 00:12:46.559 and he says, I'll tell you what. I will pay 235 00:12:46.559 --> 00:12:49.559 all these charges myself. Let's just rip this thing up. 236 00:12:50.519 --> 00:12:53.960 You go, okay, all right, I like that good deal. 237 00:12:54.559 --> 00:12:57.480 You're gonna pay for all my debts, all my charges, 238 00:12:57.600 --> 00:13:01.080 and we'll just start over. Yeah, just let you start over. 239 00:13:01.120 --> 00:13:04.960 It's like a fresh start financially, it's like being born over, 240 00:13:05.120 --> 00:13:07.399 being born again. It's like just getting a fresh new 241 00:13:07.480 --> 00:13:09.919 lease on life. We'll wipe the late clean and you'll 242 00:13:09.960 --> 00:13:11.120 have nothing against your name. 243 00:13:12.000 --> 00:13:14.039 Go right ahead, go right ahead. 244 00:13:14.840 --> 00:13:18.279 That is exactly what Jesus Christ did for you and 245 00:13:18.360 --> 00:13:20.720 for me when he came to earth, and when he. 246 00:13:20.720 --> 00:13:21.559 Died on the Cross. 247 00:13:21.759 --> 00:13:25.320 He paid the penalty for every sin that I have 248 00:13:25.440 --> 00:13:27.879 ever committed or you have ever committed. 249 00:13:27.960 --> 00:13:29.240 In fact, on the. 250 00:13:29.240 --> 00:13:31.679 Cross, he's already paid for the ones that I haven't 251 00:13:31.679 --> 00:13:34.639 thought up, but I'm going to do next week. Did 252 00:13:34.679 --> 00:13:37.600 you know that the sins you haven't even thought of yet? 253 00:13:37.600 --> 00:13:39.679 That you're going to do next month and next year. 254 00:13:39.960 --> 00:13:43.600 Jesus Christ has already paid for him. That's why Christmas 255 00:13:43.639 --> 00:13:46.480 and Easter are such a big deal, because he came 256 00:13:46.720 --> 00:13:50.120 to rip up the charges against us and to give 257 00:13:50.200 --> 00:13:54.799 us a free credit, clean slate, start over, born again, 258 00:13:55.120 --> 00:13:57.320 brand new new lease on life. 259 00:13:58.519 --> 00:13:59.559 Now, what does that mean? 260 00:14:00.840 --> 00:14:02.879 It means that when I finally feel that what I 261 00:14:03.000 --> 00:14:05.639 just explained to you, have you ever received that? Have 262 00:14:05.759 --> 00:14:08.519 you ever accepted God's gift of forgiveness? And do you 263 00:14:08.639 --> 00:14:12.720 feel fully forgiven by God? Because if you don't, you're 264 00:14:12.759 --> 00:14:14.440 gonna go out there. You're gonna hold it over other 265 00:14:14.480 --> 00:14:17.879 people's heads too, because inside you going I don't feel forgiven, 266 00:14:17.960 --> 00:14:20.279 So I don't want you feeling forgiven. But if all 267 00:14:20.320 --> 00:14:23.000 of a sudden you realize how much God has let 268 00:14:23.039 --> 00:14:26.200 you off the hook, believe me, you get a whole 269 00:14:26.240 --> 00:14:30.399 lot more giving. When you experience grace, something cool happens, 270 00:14:30.519 --> 00:14:35.000 You become gracious. When you really experience God's forgiveness, something 271 00:14:35.080 --> 00:14:39.279 really cool happens, you become forgiving. If you haven't ever 272 00:14:39.320 --> 00:14:41.799 accepted that forgiveness. Later on, I'm going to pray a 273 00:14:41.840 --> 00:14:43.840 prayer in this service, and I would encourage you to 274 00:14:43.879 --> 00:14:46.159 accept God's forgiveness so you can get on with the 275 00:14:46.200 --> 00:14:47.679 rest of your life. 276 00:14:47.840 --> 00:14:49.600 Number one, I must. 277 00:14:49.320 --> 00:14:51.840 Forgive because God has forgiven me. And the fact is 278 00:14:52.039 --> 00:14:54.919 I will never be asked to forgive anybody else more 279 00:14:55.440 --> 00:14:57.440 than God has already forgiven me, because He's forgiven me 280 00:14:57.480 --> 00:14:59.720 for every wrong thing I've done. Not just one thing, 281 00:14:59.840 --> 00:15:03.960 but every wrong thing. Number two, The second reason why 282 00:15:04.000 --> 00:15:05.919 I have to forgive the people who hurt me is 283 00:15:06.120 --> 00:15:11.519 because resentment controls me. It controls me. It doesn't work, 284 00:15:11.559 --> 00:15:15.720 It just makes you miserable. In fact, resentment and bitterness 285 00:15:15.759 --> 00:15:19.039 and carry to drug grudge just keeps you stuck in 286 00:15:19.080 --> 00:15:23.240 the past. And when you're stuck in the past, you 287 00:15:23.279 --> 00:15:25.799 are controlled by the past. I don't know if you've 288 00:15:25.799 --> 00:15:28.879 ever realized this or not, but every time you hate something, 289 00:15:29.120 --> 00:15:32.720 it controls you. Every Time you resent something and you 290 00:15:32.799 --> 00:15:35.879 become bitter and angry at it, it controls you. 291 00:15:35.919 --> 00:15:39.600 Have you ever said this? You make me so mad? 292 00:15:40.679 --> 00:15:43.480 Now think about this, you're saying, I admit that you're 293 00:15:43.480 --> 00:15:47.080 controlling me. Right now, you make me mad. I don't 294 00:15:47.080 --> 00:15:49.159 want to be mad, but I am so weak and 295 00:15:49.279 --> 00:15:53.120 inferior that I realize that you can control my emotions 296 00:15:53.759 --> 00:15:54.840 and you can control me. 297 00:15:55.080 --> 00:15:56.720 You make me mad. 298 00:15:56.919 --> 00:15:58.759 I am admitting that I am the weaker in the 299 00:15:58.799 --> 00:16:01.279 relationship and that i'm heel control to you. And even 300 00:16:01.320 --> 00:16:03.840 though I don't want to be mad, you are making 301 00:16:03.919 --> 00:16:09.399 me mad. It's an admission of emotional dependency. 302 00:16:09.799 --> 00:16:10.919 You make me mad. 303 00:16:10.960 --> 00:16:12.720 You don't have to be mad no matter what people 304 00:16:12.799 --> 00:16:14.480 do to you, You don't have to be mad about it. 305 00:16:15.399 --> 00:16:18.200 But when you allow people to make you mad, they 306 00:16:18.240 --> 00:16:21.240 are controlling you. Now, you certainly don't want people who 307 00:16:21.320 --> 00:16:24.919 hurt you to also control you. That's not very smart, 308 00:16:25.960 --> 00:16:29.200 and so you have to learn that this doesn't work. 309 00:16:29.960 --> 00:16:32.120 In the Bible, there was a guy named Job. There's 310 00:16:32.120 --> 00:16:34.200 a whole book written after him. It's called the Book 311 00:16:34.200 --> 00:16:36.679 of Job. Joe was the wealthiest man in the world 312 00:16:36.759 --> 00:16:39.639 during his day. He was kind of the Bill Gates 313 00:16:39.639 --> 00:16:42.840 of his day. And he had enormous wealth, and he 314 00:16:42.879 --> 00:16:45.679 had a very large family, and he was just very 315 00:16:45.759 --> 00:16:48.639 well respected. And one day, in a single twenty four 316 00:16:48.639 --> 00:16:52.919 hour period, he lost everything. First, he lost his home, 317 00:16:53.399 --> 00:16:55.879 all of his homes, He lost all of his crops, 318 00:16:56.000 --> 00:16:58.840 all of his flocks, all of his assets to a disaster, 319 00:16:59.120 --> 00:17:00.000 completely wiped out. 320 00:17:00.320 --> 00:17:02.559 He went from the top to the bottom in one day. 321 00:17:02.759 --> 00:17:06.160 Second, some terrorists came in and killed all of his family. 322 00:17:06.279 --> 00:17:08.680 All of his children, daughters, and sons were all killed 323 00:17:08.720 --> 00:17:12.279 on the same day. And Third, he got an incurable, 324 00:17:12.400 --> 00:17:14.039 painful disease. 325 00:17:13.880 --> 00:17:15.200 On his body all at once. 326 00:17:16.559 --> 00:17:29.039 The only thing he had left was a nagging, complaining wife. 327 00:17:29.400 --> 00:17:34.519 Why God? Why? Why God. 328 00:17:34.920 --> 00:17:37.680 In fact, his wife was such a support to him 329 00:17:37.720 --> 00:17:39.880 that one day she said, Hey, Joe, why don't you 330 00:17:39.920 --> 00:17:40.440 just curse. 331 00:17:40.319 --> 00:17:41.319 God and die? Oh? 332 00:17:41.359 --> 00:17:44.759 Thank you, honey, that's a great idea. You've always been 333 00:17:44.799 --> 00:17:47.880 such an emotional support to me. He said, why didn't 334 00:17:47.880 --> 00:17:48.880 you just curse God and die? 335 00:17:48.880 --> 00:17:50.599 You know what I mean? She was no support at all. 336 00:17:50.799 --> 00:17:55.000 Now, if anybody had a right to be a little resentful, 337 00:17:55.799 --> 00:17:58.920 a little bitter in life, it would be that guy Job. 338 00:17:59.440 --> 00:18:03.200 But he refuse to give in to resentment. He kept 339 00:18:03.240 --> 00:18:07.480 on trust in God and forgiving others and always why. 340 00:18:07.759 --> 00:18:10.400 In that book Job, it gives us the three reasons. 341 00:18:10.400 --> 00:18:12.880 The first one's at the bottom of your first side there, 342 00:18:13.400 --> 00:18:19.359 Job eighteen four. It says you are only hurting who yourself. 343 00:18:19.400 --> 00:18:22.880 You're only hurting yourself with your anger. Here's the first 344 00:18:22.920 --> 00:18:27.519 reason why you don't want to be unforgiving. Resentment is unhelpful, 345 00:18:27.799 --> 00:18:30.039 he said, you only hurt yourself. It always hurts you 346 00:18:30.039 --> 00:18:34.000 more than anybody else. It makes you miserable. It's self destructive. 347 00:18:34.920 --> 00:18:37.519 It doesn't hurt anybody else. I mean, let's just say here, 348 00:18:38.279 --> 00:18:41.480 after this service, I'm going out to leave from the service, 349 00:18:41.519 --> 00:18:44.880 and there's a little bit of traffic out there, and 350 00:18:45.160 --> 00:18:48.680 let's say somebody just cuts me off and I can't 351 00:18:48.680 --> 00:18:52.720 get out, and then I start stealing and spewing, and 352 00:18:52.960 --> 00:18:54.839 you know, you know, what's really what's happened in my life. 353 00:18:54.880 --> 00:18:56.519 I want to just go out there and bump him, 354 00:18:57.039 --> 00:18:57.240 you know. 355 00:18:58.000 --> 00:19:01.200 And yet you know, I'm all upset. He's totally oblivious 356 00:19:01.200 --> 00:19:03.759 to the fact that he cut me off. Okay, And 357 00:19:03.799 --> 00:19:05.559 I go home and I tell my wife, Kay, honey, 358 00:19:05.680 --> 00:19:07.519 you wouldn't believe what happened at church tonight. 359 00:19:07.680 --> 00:19:09.359 This guy just cut me off. 360 00:19:09.519 --> 00:19:12.799 Now he's over it at you know, claim Jumper have 361 00:19:12.839 --> 00:19:16.920 an apple pie. He's not worried about it. Who is 362 00:19:16.960 --> 00:19:20.680 the resentment hurting me? He's not worried about it at all. 363 00:19:20.759 --> 00:19:24.960 Resentment always hurts you more than the other person. Resentment 364 00:19:25.240 --> 00:19:29.680 cannot change your past, no matter how much you resent it. 365 00:19:29.680 --> 00:19:32.319 It isn't going to change the past at all, And 366 00:19:32.480 --> 00:19:36.119 resentment will never correct the problem. Holding onto the hurt 367 00:19:36.200 --> 00:19:38.359 will never correct the problem. And it's not even going 368 00:19:38.440 --> 00:19:40.799 to make you feel any better. In fact, it just 369 00:19:40.880 --> 00:19:44.680 makes you feel worse. The most miserable people in life 370 00:19:44.799 --> 00:19:50.240 are bitter people. They're bitter. They're unhelpful. It's unhelpful because 371 00:19:50.240 --> 00:19:50.920 it doesn't help you. 372 00:19:51.200 --> 00:19:51.359 Now. 373 00:19:51.400 --> 00:19:56.200 Listen, your past is past. It's in your past. It 374 00:19:56.279 --> 00:20:00.359 can't hurt you anymore. It's over that. Yeah, they hurt you, 375 00:20:00.400 --> 00:20:02.920 and it really did hurt but they can't continue to 376 00:20:03.000 --> 00:20:05.519 hurt you unless you choose to allow them come on 377 00:20:05.559 --> 00:20:08.039 in and hurt me some more. And how does that happen? 378 00:20:08.119 --> 00:20:10.200 When you hold on to the hurt, and when you 379 00:20:10.279 --> 00:20:12.599 rehearse it and rehearse it and rehearse it in your mind, 380 00:20:12.720 --> 00:20:15.759 you are allowing people from your past to continue to 381 00:20:15.839 --> 00:20:17.039 hurt you in the present. 382 00:20:17.200 --> 00:20:18.359 And that's dumb. 383 00:20:20.359 --> 00:20:23.400 Some of you are allowing people who hurt you five years, 384 00:20:23.440 --> 00:20:25.240 ten years, twenty thirty years ago. 385 00:20:25.440 --> 00:20:25.880 Shoot there. 386 00:20:25.920 --> 00:20:28.559 Some of them are even dead now and you've you, 387 00:20:28.720 --> 00:20:30.240 and yet there's continuing to hurt you. 388 00:20:30.279 --> 00:20:30.480 Now. 389 00:20:30.599 --> 00:20:34.160 That's stupid. Don't let it happen. They can't hurt you anymore. 390 00:20:34.279 --> 00:20:36.880 Your past is passed. You just gotta let it go. 391 00:20:37.759 --> 00:20:40.839 As long as you will not forgive, you're going to 392 00:20:40.960 --> 00:20:43.519 keep on hurting and hurting and hurting it. So you 393 00:20:43.519 --> 00:20:45.519 don't let them go for their sake. They don't deserve it. 394 00:20:45.599 --> 00:20:48.240 You let them go for your sake because it's unhelpful. 395 00:20:49.279 --> 00:20:52.839 You got to let it go. Those people long ago 396 00:20:53.039 --> 00:20:55.839 start thinking about something else, and you're the one who's 397 00:20:55.880 --> 00:20:57.480 all in an emotional mess over it. 398 00:20:58.680 --> 00:20:58.839 Now. 399 00:20:58.880 --> 00:21:01.119 On the back of your outline, there's another verse job 400 00:21:01.279 --> 00:21:04.480 five to two, and it says this, to worry yourself 401 00:21:04.519 --> 00:21:09.000