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| Audio Links | Date | Occasion | Topic | Speaker |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Play | Download |
Nov 27 2005 | AM Worship Sermon | Freedom in Forgiveness (Matthew 6:12; 18:21-39) | Paul Stith |
| Play | Download |
Nov 27 2005 | Bible Study | Set Apart to God: The Hour of Temptation | Stan Reeves |
Sermon Outline
Freedom in Forgiveness
Matthew 6:12; 18:21-39; Ephesians 4:32; Colossians 3:13b
1. The biblical command.
2. A biblical definition.
2A. Not a feeling, a decision of the will.
2B. It is an active process.
2C. It calls sin, sin, and moves on.
We don’t wait to feel forgiving, we don’t just try to forget, and we don’t make excuses for sin. We release the person from ‘payment’ (Matthew 6:12) and we do so unconditionally (Eph. 4:32). [See also Isaiah 43:25; Colossians 2:13, 14; Psalm 103:12]
This is what biblical forgiveness looks like:
- I won’t dwell on this.
- I won’t bring it up or use it against you.
- I won’t talk to others about this.
- I won’t allow this to hinder our personal relationship.
3. The timing of forgiveness.
See Luke 6:27-36; Matt. 18:15-20
3A. Forgive non-Christians
3B. Be ready to forgive Christians
4. Overcoming reluctance to forgive.
4A. Understand the emphasis Jesus places on forgiveness. Matt 18:21-22
4B. Beware of pride and sinful expectations.
4C. Consider God’s forgiveness to you. (Matt 18:23ff; James 2:10-11)
4D. Remember these injuries come to you through God.
4E. Love your neighbor as yourself.
4F. Remember, you need forgiveness from others as much as they need it from you.
4G. Set before your eyes the example of Christ. Philippians 2:5-7; 1 Peter 2:19-25; 4:1
“Think not to live and reign with Christ if you will not follow him and suffer with him. It is foolish to expect to live in heaven with the saints while you are living on earth like the devil.”
~ Richard Baxter
Bible Study Outline
The Hour of Temptation
I. Don't expose yourself to temptation
* "lead us not into temptation" -- we are to pray not to be led into temptation. Therefore, we also have the responsibility to exercise prudence in avoiding temptation. "Keep watching and praying, that you may not enter into temptation." Matt. 26:41
* the common outcome of temptation is sin -- "But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolisk and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction." I Tim. 6:9
* consider Christ's temptations and his promise -- he was tempted; he is able to help you (Heb 4:16)
* if you must expose yourself, prepare adequately!
II. Kill the first risings of temptation.
Toying with temptation allows it to grow by refocusing your thoughts and entangling your affections. The more familiar it becomes, the less shocked you are about the sin itself.
* we dare not refuse God's grace to escape temptation now and presume on his grace to deliver us later.
* consider Christ's death -- that he died for such sins as these; that he died to deliver us from the presence of such sins.
* consider that even a "little" sin is an affront to a holy God.
* consider that small sins are not satisfied until they break out in their ultimate manifestation -- covetousness will not be happy until it leads to stealing; lust will not be satisfied until it leads to adultery.
* consider that Satan and sin's ultimate goal in each sin is to dishonor God and ruin souls -- Rom. 8:14
III. Yielding is easier the next time
* consider that each sin tends to harden, while each act of resisting temptation tends to soften -- Heb. 3:14
* each act reinforces or breaks a habit -- habits are made (or broken) by individual acts of decision