BREAKING THE POWER OF SHAME THROUGH FORGIVENESS
Pastor Dennis Clanton
Woodland Church
Sunday, November 3, 2024
(Matthew 18:21, NLT) “Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?”
(Matthew 6:12, NKJV) “And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.”
FORGIVENESS FORGIVES A DEBT RATHER THAN DEMAND PAYMENT FOR THE DEBT
(Genesis 3:7, NLT) “At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.”
1. GOD FORGIVES ME
- God wants to forgive me
(Nehemiah 9:17, NLT) “You are a God of forgiveness, gracious and merciful, slow to become angry, and rich in unfailing love.”
(Micah 7:18, NLT) “You will not stay angry with your people forever, because you delight in showing unfailing love.”
- God freely forgives me
(Romans 3:23–24, NLT) “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.”
(Colossians 1:14, NJB) “In Him we enjoy our freedom, the forgiveness of sin.”
- God immediately forgives me
(Isaiah 55:7, GN) “Let the wicked leave their way of life and change their way of thinking. Let them turn to the Lord, our God; he is merciful and quick to forgive.”
- God completely forgives me
(Colossians 2:13–14, NLT) “You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross.”
(Micah 7:19, NIV) “You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.”
- BECAUSE GOD FORGIVES ME, I CAN FORGIVE OTHERS
T / F A person should not be forgiven until he or she asks for it
T / F You haven’t really forgiven until you’ve forgotten the offense
T / F Forgiving includes minimizing the offense and the pain it caused
T / F Forgiveness includes restoring trust and reuniting a relationship
T / F When I see someone hurt it’s my duty to forgive the offender
- Forgiveness is not conditional
(Ephesians 4:2, NLT) “Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.”
- Forgiveness is not forgetting
(2 Timothy 4:14–15, NLT) “Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm, but the Lord will judge him for what he has done. Be careful of him, for he fought against everything we said.”
- Forgiveness is not trusting the person again
(2 Timothy 4:15, CEV) “You had better watch out for him.”
- Forgiveness is releasing it to God
(Colossians 3:13, NLT) “Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.”
GROWTHWORK
- Reflect on when you feel forgiven.
- Does shame hold you back from feeling forgiven?
- Reflect on what it feels like to forgive.
- Does shame keep you from forgiving?
- It takes only a moment to break trust; it can take years to rebuild trust.