Sunday, December 1, 2019 pm
WHY DON’T I FEEL
FORGIVEN?
a.
Forgiveness is found in
at least two different categories.
There is the forgiveness of God (what we are concerned about in
this lesson), and the forgiveness of others (which is related, but
another subject).
b.
There are at least 3
different words in the Greek language for forgiveness. They help
us understand God’s forgiveness.
i.
ἄφεσις, (aphesis) – a
word meaning to remove one’s guilt from wrongdoing;
IT means to release or pardon.
Ephesians 1:7 – In Him we have redemption through His blood, the
forgiveness of sins…
This is also the word “remission” in Acts 2:38, Hebrews 9:22.
ii.
ἀφίημι (aphiēmi) – to
dismiss, or release from a legal or moral obligation.
Matthew 6:12, 14-15; Romans 4:7, “Blessed are those whose sins
are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.”
1 John 1:9 – if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive
us our sins…
Matthew 18:27 – the servant who owed 10,000 talents and was forgiven by
his master. Jesus
emphasized that is how God forgives us.
iii.
χαρίζομαι (charizomai) –
to remit or release, especially from an obligation or a debt.
Luke 7:41-42 – Jesus tells the parable of two debtor that the
master freely forgave both.
Ephesians 4:32 we are to forgive one another, even as Christ
forgave us.
Colossians 2:13, we were dead in trespasses, but are now alive, having
been forgiven our trespasses.
c.
Forgiveness is NOT a feeling; it is an act of God.
We can see in the above words,
that forgiveness of our sins is an act of God’s grace.
It happens based upon our compliance to His will.
That is why we read of such expressions as: “wash away your sins” (Acts
22:16), our sins are “blotted out” (Acts 3:19), and cleansing (1 John
1:7), etc.
The word “redemption” means to pay the price for or to buy back and
describes how through the blood of Jesus, we are forgiven (Ephesians
1:7, Romans 3:24, etc.).
d.
That is not to say that
feelings are not involved.
We ought to feel guilt because of our sins.
And when we have truly repented, we ought to feel that burden
lifted. If we understand
forgiveness, this will be there.
But feelings can be deceitful – you can THINK you are forgiven and not
be forgiven. Such often
happens with false doctrines such as “once saved, always saved”.
1 John 1:8-10 warns us against lying to ourselves by saying we have no
sin. While abused by some to
say we cannot help but sin, it does tell us we CAN lie to ourselves
about our standing before God.
e.
We must also understand,
when God forgives, He forgives and forgets.
The Old Testament helps us understand this - Psalm 103:12, we read, “As
far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our
transgressions from us.”
This is a psalm about mercy and forgiveness of God.
(vs. 3-4); Micah 7:19, as the prophet pleads with Israel and
Judah to repent or face the coming judgment.
He concludes by saying, He will again have compassion on us,
And will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins Into the
depths of the sea.
Hebrews 8:12, 10:17 – their sins and their lawless deeds I will
remember no more…
f.
AND we need to
understand that forgiveness can be conditional.
God has the right to place conditions on how we are forgiven and
how to STAY forgiven. Yes,
when He forgives, He forgets, BUT this is not a free ticket to continue
in sins. We are called upon
to remain faithful (Revelation 2:10).
The fact that Jesus and others emphasized that the way we will be
forgiven hinges on how we forgive others (cf. Matthew 6:14-15,
Colossians 3:13).
Again 1 John 1:7 notes that we must walk in the light as He is in the
light to be forgiven.
g.
Do I believe what He
says?
This brings me to our first point about feeling forgiven.
I must ask myself: Do I believe what God has said?
Do I have faith in Him and His word?
That is why we have briefly addressed God’s forgiveness.
Do I understand His forgiveness?
Hebrews 11:6 – without faith we cannot please Him.
James 1:5-6 – when we pray to God, we must “ask in faith, with no
doubting…”
We struggle with
faith and forgiveness in many ways. Maybe I feel like
I don’t deserve it? (Which you don’t – BUT, we are reminded that our
forgiveness is about God’s grace – Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 5:6-9, etc.
OR maybe, what I have done is mere lip service.
I have gone through the motions, but deep down I know something
is not right.
Consider Luke 18:10-12 – the pharisee who bragged about his behavior.
More on this in our next section.
a.
Often times, we do not
feel forgiven because deep down we KNOW there is something not right.
That is why as we consider this, we must notice our part in being
forgiven. These are things
WE CAN control.
b.
Have I obeyed Him?
We have emphasized the importance of obedience – Hebrews 5:8-9.
1 John 2:3-5 – speaks of how we truly know Him – when we keep His
commandments. IT’s about
obedience.
1 John 1:7-9 again reminds us that we MUST be walking in the light.
That implies obedience – doing what He tells us to do.
How many, while going through the motions (saying the prayer, asking
forgiveness, admitting that what one has done is wrong, etc.), really
have no intention of quitting the sinful behavior?
They know their actions are questionable at best, if not
outright wrong – but they don’t REALLY intend to quit.
NO wonder, one who does this doesn’t feel forgiven.
He has not genuinely repented – We need to understand what true
repentance is – a change of mind that leads to a real and genuine change
in actions. 2 Corinthians
7:11 describes true repentance.
c.
Have I honestly faced my sin?
As Jesus began the Sermon on the Mount, His very first (recorded) line
was, “Blessed are the poor in Spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven.” (Matthew 5:3).
This is where genuine forgiveness begins – acknowledging that you are a
sinner and how spiritually bankrupt that makes you.
Luke 18:13 – consider the tax collector praying to God.
Again 1 John 1:8-10 – Are you lying to yourself about your sins?
Are you making excuses? Are you blaming others?
Psalm 51:1-4 – David’s sin led to true repentance involving an honest
assessment of his sins.
Many fail to feel forgiven because they deep down they know they ought
to be doing better in facing their sins.
They know they ought to be doing things differently, but they
hide it. They make
excuses – they can’t help it; not right now; etc.
d.
Have I shown godly
sorrow?
While clearly related to honestly facing my sin, this is taking that to
the next step. One can
honestly admit sins but still not intend to repent.
One can be sorrowful, but NOT with a godly sorrow (e.g. sorry he
got caught, damage done to others, etc.).
2 Corinthians 7:10 tells us that godly sorrow leads to repentance.
What is the difference between sorrow and godly sorrow?
Godly sorrow doesn’t make excuses.
It realizes the damage done and is genuinely remorseful and
intent on making things right IN GOD’S EYES!
James 4:7-10 speaks of how we draw near to God.
It involves purity of heart, clean hands and lamentations and
mourning for our sins.
Proverbs 28:13, He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever
confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.
e.
Have I forgiven myself?
A final observation in dealing
with this, is whether or not we have forgiven ourselves.
This goes back to worth and a realization of what we really
deserve. As noted, we don’t
deserve forgiveness, but it has still been made available to us – IF we
submit to His will.
If we don’t forgive ourselves, obviously we are not going to feel
forgiven. Therefore I urge
you to think about what we have addressed in this lesson.
You HAVE to forgive yourself or you will be consumed.
Just make sure your forgiveness of yourself corresponds with your
understanding of God’s forgiveness of you.
In
conclusion, consider 1 John 3:19-22,
And by this we know that
we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. For if our
heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.
Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward
God. And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His
commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.
If you have done what you
ought to do, you need to accept that you are forgiven.
But don’t lie to yourself.
Genuinely repent and accept God’s forgiveness.
In this lesson we have noted some things that are crucial to
being forgiven. Are you?
If not, how can we help you?