TABLE OF CONTENTS
1.   Pornography--The Real Struggle...
2.  Waging Spiritual Warfare on Carnal Lusts
4.  Dealing with Temptation in Life
5.  Invest in a Blessed, Growing Marriage
6.   Forgiving & Forgiveness


                      PORNOGRAPHY--The Real Struggle Right Here...Right Now
                                                                                                                                                                                                                     by Pastor Gene Brooks


It was an ordinary weekday morning when Caroline first noticed how much pornography was taking over her life. With 15 minutes before she was to leave for a job interview, she opened up her laptop to print off an extra copy of her resume and there onscreen was a grab she’d saved from a pornsite. “I remember the feeling of being sucked in, really wanting that two-minute fix, that numbness I got when I used porn,” says Caroline.

“I was stressed out, and I risked being late for my interview, but I pressed play anyway and fast-forwarded it to the bit I wanted. It took two minutes.” But the relief was to be short-lived. “Afterwards I just hated myself for giving in and getting off on images that treated women like pieces of meat. But I kept going back.”

Caroline, a 21-year-old English graduate, just finished seeing a therapist to help get her porn habit under control. Caroline started watching porn out of curiosity in her mid-teens, and she and her friends used it as a graphic form of sex education. She saw nothing wrong with it, particularly as she was raised in a generation of girls for whom it was seen as hip and liberated to enjoy watching sex.

According to President of Morality in Media, Patrick Trueman, the average age in which children first view pornographic material is now 11 years old.[1]Then, as she entered a depressed job market after university, it became a form of escape, a default she turned to whenever she felt anxious or bored. “I’d be stuck at home in front of my laptop on my own all day. I’d wake up with all these ideas for the day – and end up surfing for porn, trying to distract myself, eating and then going back for more porn. No one would ever have known. But I didn’t get much done. It was like a constant battle between my sexual urges and my self-control. I’d think to myself: ‘It’s not doing any harm.’ But then I started to loathe myself for giving in and wasting so much time on it.” Caroline is not alone.

We usually think of men being in bondage to pornography, but these days women are the fastest growing group of new addicts. Women are watching – and enjoying – porn more and more, and some are finding it hard to stop. At Quit Porn Addiction, the UK’s main porn counseling service, almost one in three clients are women struggling with their own porn use. Two years ago, there were none. While more than six out of 10 women say they view web porn, one study in 2006 by the Internet Filter Review found that 17% of women describe themselves as “addicted”.[2] And that is just the women.

We all know that men have had an issue with images since the time of Job. We must be careful with statistics, but a 2003 survey from Internet Filter Review reported that 47 percent of Christians admit pornography is a major problem in their homes. Chuck Colson has called Internet pornography “Spiritual Crack Cocaine,” because of how quickly people can become addicted to it and because of how destructive it is to the human soul. Today’s is not a pleasant subject, especially in mixed company, but if I am going to be a responsible pastor, I cannot help but warn you and your family about pornography and try to give you some help to deal with it.

In our current legal and social environment, we cannot depend upon the government for restraint. We must face the reality that pornography will affect virtually every family in some way. Dr. Jason Carroll and his colleagues published a widely cited paper in the Journal of Adolescent Research that brings to light the scope of this problem. According to this paper, which reviewed data from five universities, 87 percent of college males and 31 percent of females view pornography. This data crosses all religious, educational, and social barriers.

Contextual Notes: Thessalonica was the capital city of Macedonia, within sight of Mount Olympus, the legendary home of the Greek pantheon. With a population of over 200,000 in the first century, it was a (tax)-free city, a reward for helping Augustus gain the emperor=s mantle. Thus, Thessalonica was the largest commercial center in southeast Europe, a coastal city on the Egnation Way, the main road from Rome to the East. Because of the city's importance in business, there was a large Jewish population there. Many Gentiles, frustrated with paganism, had begun attending synagogue, attracted to the simpler monotheism of Judaism.

Most of the Thessalonian Christians were Gentiles who had come out of idolatry (1 Thessalonians 1:9; 2:14-16). Their religious background included practices that involved gross immorality that involved the sex trafficking of women, and underage girls and boys for use by paying male customers.

Of the many truths Paul was preaching was the Return of Christ. The Thessalonians had many questions, perhaps because of the hasty departure of Paul. The entirety of both epistles to the Thessalonians is about the Parousia, the Second Coming of Christ. Outline of 1 Thessalonians

1.The Model Church (1 Thessalonians 1) (See 1 Thess. 1:7; 2 Cor. 8:1-5)
2.The Model Discipler, Paul (1 Thessalonians 2)
3.The Model Brother, Timothy (1 Thessalonians 3)
4.The Model Work, Pleasing God (1 Thessalonians 4:1-12)
5.The Lord's Return (1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11)
6.The Best Encouragement (1 Thessalonians 5:12-28)

In chapter 4, Paul begins the last section of his letter (“Finally,” 4:1) by reminding the believers to live to please God (4:1-2), to separate from immorality (4:3-8), love each other more than they do now (4:9-10) and do honest work (4:11-12). Why? Because Christ is coming back and will not forget any of those who have already died (4:13-17), for reunion awaits in the presence of Christ (4:18).

Key Truth: Paul wrote 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8 to warn believers that sexual immorality entices a believer to give up self-control, to take advantage of others and be impure, taking one’s honor, bringing punishment, and insulting our Lord.

Key Application: Today I want to show you what God’s Word says about the trap of pornography.

Pray and Read: 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8

Sermon Points:
1.Pornography entices you to give up self-control, thus stealing your honor (1 Thess. 4:3-5)
2.Pornography entices you to take advantage of others, thus ordering your punishment (1 Thess. 4:6)
3.Pornography entices you to be impure, thus insulting your Savior (1 Thess. 4:7-8)

Exposition: Note well,

1.PORNOGRAPHY ENTICES YOU TO GIVE UP SELF-CONTROL, THUS STEALING YOUR HONOR
(1 THESS. 4:3-5)  

a.The Greek porneias here encompasses all sex sins which holiness demands the Christian reject. Resisting the temptation enables us to develop self-control. God is holy and those who belong to Him should be holy.

b.There is some modest language here that makes the text perhaps a little cloudy but clear on its general meaning. Lit. “to have/possess/gain control of his vessel/instrument/body” (1 Thess. 4:4 ; 1 Peter 1:15; 1 Cor. 7:34; Heb. 12:14). Vessel could be his own body or, as in rabbinical literature, his wife, living with her in honor and holiness.

c.1 Thess. 4:5 – Christian behavior is contrasted with the heathens’ (Jer. 10:25; Psalm 79:6; Rom. 1:18-25), marked with passionate lust (1 Thess 2:17) implying active and violent.

d.APPLICATION: The one who masters his body through the power of the Holy Spirit has real freedom. The person who is driven by his glands acts like an animal rather than a human being, and loses touch with his real self by indulging in sexual sin.

2.  PORNOGRAPHY ENTICES YOU TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OTHERS, THUS ORDERING YOUR PUNISHMENT   (1 THES. 4:6)

a.Believers should not take advantage of others or abuse them for one’s own satisfaction (1 Cor. 6:15, 19).

b.Pornography has become the sex education venue for the majority of the next generation, an internet candy store, and it teaches that sex is physically and emotionally harmless, with no negative consequences. Men and women are mere visual drugs to be used and discarded, and sex is solely for personal pleasure. The truth, of course, it that those who actually perform sexually to make the pornography are consumed and discarded by pornographers; they are "throwaway people," as Dr. C. Everett Koop called them.

c.  APPLICATION: How do you think pornographers get their subjects? Normal women and men do not start off in life wanting to be filmed for porn on the internet or videos or magazines. Many of those have been sexually trafficked and are being forced under threat of murder to do the things they do. My wife and I worked with UN CIVPOL sexually trafficking girls from North Africa in Liberia, and they had to act happy or they would disappear. All sexual looseness including pornography represents an act of injustice to someone other than the two parties concerned. Even adultery is an obvious violation of the rights of another person (not involved), but the same principle applies to pre-marital promiscuity, for the impure person cannot bring to the marriage a virginity which is due your spouse. Pornography, even though often by yourself, is a violation of the person you are watching, who is often trafficked and forced to look like she likes what she is doing.

3. PORNOGRAPHY ENTICES YOU TO BE IMPURE, THUS INSULTING YOUR SAVIOR   (1 THES. 4:7-8)

a.Three reasons are given here to encourage purity. First, God’s judgment (1 Thes. 4:6), now and in the last Day (2 Cor. 5:10). Second, God has a moral purpose in effectually calling a person (1 Thes. 4:7). Third, impurity contemptuously ignores the indwelling of the Holy Spirit whom God gives (continuously) to the believer, who died for and redeemed him (1 Thes. 4:8).

b.APPLICATION: Let me warn you about curiosity. Pornography will not teach you anything. It is fantasy. Let me warn that using pornography almost always leads to action in some form or another. Neurologists now tell us that pornography destroys relationships, scar your mind. Donald L. Hilton, Jr., in an article entitled, “Slave Master: How Pornography Drugs & Changes Your Brain,” Salvo 13 (Summer 2010), “Biologically the brain is affected by pornography and other sexual addictions… On the outside is the cerebral cortex, a layer of nerve cells that carry conscious, volitional thought. In the front, over the eyes, are the frontal lobes. These areas are important in judgment, and, if the brain were a car, the frontal lobes would be the brakes. These lobes have important connections to the pleasure pathways, so pleasure can be controlled. In the center of the brain is the nucleus accumbens. This almond-sized area is a key pleasure reward center, and when activated by dopamine and other neurotransmitters, it causes us to value and desire pleasure rewards. Dopamine is essential for humans to desire and value appropriate pleasure in life. It helps incentivize us to eat, procreate, or to win a game. Overuse of the dopamine reward system causes addiction. Compulsive use decreases the amount of dopamine in the pleasure areas available for use, and the dopamine-producing cells and receptors and the frontal lobe of the brain atrophy, or shrink, resetting of "pleasure thermostat" to a "new normal."

c.In this addictive state, the person must act out in addiction to boost the dopamine levels just to feel normal. As desensitization continues, stronger and stronger stimuli are required to boost the dopamine. In the case of narcotic addiction, the addicted person must increase the amount of the drug to get the same high. In pornography addiction, progressively more shocking images are required to stimulate the person. As the frontal lobe shrinks, there is a decline in the brain’s judgment and causes the person to become impaired in his ability to process the consequences of acting out in addiction. Addiction scientists and neurosurgeons have noted a similarity in the behavior of addicted persons to the behavior of patients with frontal brain damage. These patients thoughtlessly engage in activities with little regard to the consequences. They are compulsive, becoming fixated on certain objects or behaviors, and have to have them, no matter what. They have sudden and unpredictable mood swings, and exhibit impaired judgment.

d.A study published in 2007 of persons exhibiting severe sexual addiction produced almost identical results to the cocaine, methamphetamine, and obesity studies. (Encouragingly, two studies also show a return to more normal frontal lobe volumes with time in recovery.) This damage, as well as frontal lobe damage, can be shown with brain scans, such as functional MRI, PET, and SPECT scans. Dr. Norman Doidge, a neurologist at Columbia, in his book The Brain That Changes Itself, describes how pornography causes re-wiring of the neural circuits. He notes that in a study of men viewing internet pornography, the men looked “uncannily" like rats pushing the lever to receive cocaine in the experimental Skinner boxes. Like the addicted rats, the men were desperately seeking the next fix, clicking the mouse just as the rats pushed the lever.

e.Oxytocin and vasopressin are other important hormones in the brain with regard to physically performing sexually. Studies show that oxytocin is also important in increasing trust in humans, in emotional bonding between sexual mates, and in parental bonding. We are wired to bond to the object of our sexuality. A frequent side effect is that it also dramatically reduces their capacity to love (e.g., it results in a marked dissociation of sex from friendship, affection, caring, and other normal healthy emotions and traits which help marital relationships). Their sexual side becomes in a sense dehumanized. Many of them develop an "alien ego state" (or dark side), whose core is antisocial lust devoid of most values.

f.Pornographers promise healthy pleasure, but what they often deliver is addiction, and an eventual decrease in pleasure. “Porn impotence," where the man experiences sexuality preferentially with porn instead of a woman, is a real and growing phenomenon. As fisherman know, it is important to keep the drag loose just after hooking the fish, when it still has a lot of fight. As the fish tires, though, we tighten the drag and increase the resistance. In this way the fish is reeled into the boat and netted. Similarly, pornography is a triple hook, consisting of affects on the brain’s frontal lobe, dopamine downgrading, and oxytocin/vasopressin bonding. Each of these hooks is powerful, and they are synergistic. Pornography sets its hooks very quickly and deeply, and as the addiction progresses, it progressively tightens the dopamine drag until there is no more play in the line. The person is drawn ever closer to the boat, and the waiting net.

g.Pornography is the fabric used to weave a tapestry of sexual permissiveness that undermines the very foundation of society. Biologically, it destroys the ability of a population to sustain itself. The author Tom Wolfe said, "The bigger pornography gets, the lower the birthrate becomes." In the 1950s every country now in the European Union had a fertility rate above the 2.1 needed to sustain a population. Now none of them do, and several are at or near the 1.3 rate called the "lowest low fertility," from which it is virtually impossible to recover. It was in the late 1960s and early 1970s that this decline began, which corresponds precisely with the dawning of the sexual revolution. There is a direct correlation between the growing cultural dominance of the sexual revolution and the diminishing birthrate, and while causation may not be proven, it is strongly supported by the effect of pornography.[3]

1. Spiritual components: The real reason porn is so destructive and so easily brings a person into captivity is that it uses multiple strategies to enslave a person, and each are defiling in their application. It is hard to know how to fight something when you do not know what you are fighting or what their strategy is. What you need to know is that once you start trafficking in porn, you are dealing directly with demonic forces and personalities.
   
2. First and most obvious, it uses immorality, which the Bible says is defiling and which is a generational sin. And 1 Cor. 6:19 tells us that sexual sin is not just a sin done to another person, it is a sin done to one’s own self. Several places in the first eight chapters of Proverbs make it clear that immorality has a strategy to kill, to destroy.
   
3. Second, it is an addiction, which is also generational in nature and defiling to oneself as well. Addictions are hard to break because most people do not realize an important strategy that they use to bring down a person. Addictions such as, say, nicotine, are able to stay around because there is the bondage to the nicotine, but back of it is a general bondage of addiction. That bondage to addiction is also generational, so you see addiction move through a family, but the addictions don’t all have to be the same. It might be alcohol with one person, work with another, gambling with another, eating with another, exercise with another, pornography with another. If you do not break and remove the bondage to addiction in your prayer time, another addiction will develop, either the same one or another.
   
4. Third, it uses guilt. We are talking profound guilt that keeps you from telling anyone, guilt that makes you keep the sin a secret. Guilt that communicates threats if you tell anyone. Guilt that cripples your ability to spend time with the Lord so that He can cleanse you. Guilt that turns you away from prayer and reading of Scripture in the presence of Jesus where your freedom lies. The enemy knows the Scripture, too, and twists its authority, that a cord of three strands, immorality, addictions, and guilt, is not easily broken (Eccles. 4:12).
   
5. How do you know if you are in spiritual bondage to porn? The issue boils down to control. Can you control yourself in this area? If you ran across something disgusting once on a google search, then that’s one thing, but if you go looking for it, using the yellow pages or the search engines, then you probably have an issue. If you find yourself like the woman in the introduction, needing to get a quick 2 minute fix before heading out, then you have a problem. If you have a favorite porn site, if you go looking for it regularly online, if you visit the video stores on 301, if have been using your phone for sexting, if you have a PO box you use to receive magazines or videos, if you have images or videos saved on your computer or your phone in a secret place, if you have the deluxe channel lineup so that you can watch certain channels late at night, if you are plagued with images about porn while doing regular things like brushing your teeth, balancing your checkbook, changing the oil, listening to this sermon, then you have a problem. If you want to break free from these defiling things, listen carefully.
   
   
6. Here is the way to overcome enslavement to porn. I say all the following assuming that you have already trusted Christ as your Lord and Savior and belong to him. If you don’t, then you must commit your life to Christ and his eternal safety before any of this other is durable.
   
   

i.      First of all, you need to confess your sin to the Lord, your spouse, and/or someone you trust like an accountability partner. James 5:16 tells us to confess our sins to each another and pray for one another in order to receive healing. 1 John 1:9 tells us that if we will confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

ii.      Second, you need to renounce your sin, turning away from it, and committing to leave it. Jesus called on people to repent for the kingdom of heaven is near (Mark 1:15). You must make a commitment to leave porn behind. Then there are other practical steps to take after you do the third thing. The third thing is what some might call a little strange, but if you don’t do it, you will find that you only cleaned the house but did not throw out your vandals, and if you don’t throw your vandals out, they will tear your house up again, perhaps worse the next time.

iii.     The third thing you must do is, on the basis of your confession and repentance, you must command them to leave, not ask, but command them. If you are in Christ, then you have spiritual authority over the devil. Perhaps asking someone to pray with you would be good. I will be happy to pray with you. If you don’t want to come to me, I can connect you to another counselor in another town. Command pornography to leave you. Command lust to leave you. Command addictions to leave you. If you have confessed, repented, and renounced and then command them, “By the authority of Jesus Christ who bought me, I command you to leave me now, and I forbid you to return,” they must leave. At this point you have improved your situation by giving yourself back the control to make a decision about temptation on your own without the influence of enslaving beings.

1. Now you can dismiss what I’ve said as some kind of hocus pocus if you want. Fine with me. I have done heavy duty prayer ministry with people as needed for 15 years. You go study the Scripture on the subject of deliverance ministry and pray with people and see what conclusions you come to. Then I won’t have to stand here and argue my point.
   
   
2. Now it is time to be practical. Put the computer in a public place. Cancel your PO box and TV and mailing subscriptions. Throw out, destroy, delete all the videos and images you have hidden in a closet, a drawer, or a file. Give your spouse or your parents complete access to your computer, your smartphone, and reading and viewing material. Install software like Covenant Eyes or BSecure online to let them or an accountable friend get an email each month with every website you have visited that month so they can trace your steps online.
   
   
3. Be grace-filled because of devastating guilt. There is freedom from your debilitating guilt. Romans 8:1 says that “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” The blood of Jesus washes away all the guilt. Spend some time in the Scripture. Pray Psalm 51. Let the grace of Christ wash you clean from the guilt.
   
   
4. Power of the Gospel will wash and make you whiter than snow. It is only the power of the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross that can overcome this bondage.
   
   

Invitation: While we must continue to fight the good fight legally and societally, we are way beyond avoidance as our only defense. Pornography wants you, it wants your husband or wife, it wants your son and daughter, your grandchildren, and your in-laws. It doesn’t share well, and it doesn’t leave easily. It is a cruel master, and seeks more slaves. Won't you run to Christ now? [1] http://www.pornharms.com/
[2] http://www.sexuallyconfidentwife.com/blog/2011/07/why-more-and-more-women-are-using-pornography/
[3] This article is a must-read. Donald L. Hilton, Jr., in Salvo 13 (Summer 2010), http://www.salvomag.com/new/articles/salvo13/13hilton.php

ABOUT THIS WONDERFUL BROTHER WHO CONTRIBUTED THIS ANTI-PORN TEACHING....Gene Brooks    from:  Rocky Mount, NC   Husband, father of 5, pastor at Union Missionary Baptist Church (SBC), Rocky Mount, NC.
Graduate of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (2009), Fuller Theological Seminary (1998),
and Presbyterian College (1992).
                                                   
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                                Waging Spiritual Warfare on Carnal Lusts
                                          CHARISMA Magazine   Thursday, 03 November 2011 07:29 AM EDT Jennifer LeClaire 137Share

You know all too well that you are in a spiritual war against principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world and spiritual wickedness in high places. But have you ever considered that you are also in a spiritual war against your own carnal lusts?

When Paul said we don’t wrestle against flesh and blood (Eph. 6:12), he did not mean that we don’t wrestle against fleshly temptations. Indeed, we know that carnal lusts war against our soul (1 Peter 2:11). We have to engage in this battle in order to walk out the victory we already have in Christ. We have to declare war on carnal lusts or we may wind up buffeting the air in the name of Jesus while the enemy has his wicked way in our lives.

Before you dismiss this article because you aren’t living in immorality, consider that carnal lusts include more than sexual sin. Vine’s Dictionary defines lust as a “strong desire” of any kind. Although the Bible uses lust in a positive context three times, the Word of God most often describes it as a root of sin. Lust is associated with pride, greed and other strong desires that lead us out of God’s will.

“Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death” (James 1:13-15, NASB).

We must wage war on carnal lusts because these strong desires ultimately bring forth death in our lives. Paul understood this all too well. Paul not only wrestled the beast at Ephesus (1 Cor. 15:32), he also wrestled his own carnal desires. He shared his heart in the book of Romans. He knew the right thing to do, but the power of sin kept sabotaging his best intentions. He had a will to do what is right, but an inability to follow through. He would decide not to do bad, then do bad anyway. Sound familiar? Listen in to Paul’s confession:

“Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time. It happens so regularly that it’s predictable. The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. I truly delight in God's commands, but it's pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge. I've tried everything and nothing helps. I'm at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn't that the real question?” (Romans 7:20-24, MSG).

That is the real question. But thanks be to God who always causes us to triumph in Christ (2 Cor. 2:14). Jesus Christ acted to set things right in a life of contradictions where Paul wanted to serve God with all his heart and mind, but was pulled by his carnal nature to do something totally different. Christ is our secret weapon in the war against carnal lusts, too. Paul won the war against his soul—and he showed us how to win, too. Consider his advice:

“The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts” (Romans 13:12-14, NKJV).

Listen to the words of Paul. He tells us to do several things in rapid-fire succession, one building upon another. We first must cast off the works of darkness before we can put on the armor of light. Only then can we walk properly. Apart from Christ, we can do nothing. That’s why Paul exhorts us to put on the Lord Jesus Christ.

But practically speaking, how do we walk this out?
    By having a righteous consciousness rather than a sin consciousness.
      By walking in the principles of the Spirit.
         By renewing our mind with the Word of God.
            By fleeing the scene of sinful temptations.
               ... by surrendering to God.

We need a righteousness consciousness. Here’s our Sword:     “Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God” (Romans 6:11-13). You are dead to sin. Keep reminding yourself of that. You are alive to God in Christ. Christ lives in you. Meditate on that. The Holy Spirit dwells in you. You are endued with power to overcome all the power of the enemy. Act as if you believe it.

We need to walk by the principles of the Spirit. Here’s our Sword:    “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh” (Gal. 5:16). How do you know when you are walking by the principles of the Spirit? Examine the fruit. The works of the flesh are: adultery; fornication; uncleanness; lewdness; idolatry; sorcery; hatred; contentions; jealousy; outbursts of wrath; selfish ambitions; dissensions; heresies; envy; murder; drunkenness; revelries and the like (Gal. 5:19-21). By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23).

We need to continually renew our mind. Here’s our Sword:    “But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph. 4:20-24). Confess that you are renewed in the spirit of your mind and put on the new man every day, just like you put on your whole armor of God. Put another way, meditate on who you are in Christ.

We need to flee the scene of sinful temptations. Here’s our Sword:    “Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (2 Timothy 2:22). It’s not enough to flee the scene of the lust. We must also pursue something else, namely righteousness, faith, love and peace. Get your mind off the temptation and onto your Father’s business.

Ultimately, we need to surrender to God. Here’s our Sword:    “Submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). When you submit to God—when you submit to the principles of the Word and the Spirit—you are resisting the devil. Lust is not irresistible. When lust comes knocking on the door of your mind, don’t ignore it. Confront it with the weapons of your warfare, which are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds—including lust.

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                                                                                        Dealing with Temptation
          
         (Charles Stanley) Common sense dictates that a pilot trainee flying for the first time in a squall needs to be quite cautious. But a wise seasoned pilot knows that he must be just as watchful in his hundredth storm as in the first. Despite thousands of flight hours and years of experience, he can still be brought down by bad weather unless he is proactive.
         Temptation is a lot like an unexpected storm that sweeps in and damages those who are caught unaware. Like a good pilot, a believer must be alert to the approach of temptation and prepared to ride it out. In this life, none of us reach a level of maturity at which sinful enticements lose all their power. Understanding our own weaknesses is an important part of being watchful and prepared. In which areas are you most vulnerable? What we commonly think of as “huge sins,” like adultery and murder, are not what land most people in hot water. It’s usually a multitude of “little sins” that lead to big trouble.  Temptation is an invitation to carry any God-given desire beyond its God-given limits.  Take one step over the line, and soon there is inducement to take another. And then another.
          Unless you correct the course quickly, you could find yourself estranged from the Father and overwhelmed by guilt and shame. The issue of temptation cannot be ignored. Know where you are vulnerable, so you can prepare a defense. Learn when and how you’re most likely to be lured, and take extra precautions in those situations. And always look for the escape route that God has promised to those who are tempted
(1 Cor. 10:13).

FOJ Note: Our Lord taught us to pray, “lead us not into temptation.” Why? Because He knew that as flesh and blood beings, we were easily beguiled, and also that being natural, we possess an abundance of arrogance in our own abilities.

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              Will You Invest Yourself in Building an Energized, Joyful Marriage?

If both marriage partners truly applied the principles, which are outlined throughout the Bible, there wouldn't be all of the divorcing going on. Homes would be the places of peace rather than fighting grounds, and there wouldn't be children who cry themselves to sleep at night because their mommy and daddy fight so much and are abandoning their marital vows.
Most importantly of all --God would be well pleased.

What we've discovered is that the principles for loving each other in marriage are the same principles for living, as presented in the Bible. The problem is, these principles are often not lived out, as they should be, both within the home and outside of it.

The Bible tells us, "Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word and does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in the mirror and after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it --he will be blessed in what he does. (James 1:23-25)

How we pray you will be blessed in your marriage. But blessing comes by living in obedience to God's word consistently --living God's way, rather than man's.

Like Noah, we're to live, as we should, even if everyone else around us lives otherwise. In Noah's day, everyone else lived contrary to God's ways, but everyone else was wrong. even if no one else approves or understands, we still need to follow God's pattern for living --without changing His instructions. This isn't easy, by any stretch of the imagination. But lets face it, there's nothing easy about living as a child of God. It never has been easy and it never will be.

Jesus said, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels." (Luke 9:23-26)

It's one thing to SAY we believe in God and we believe in His Word --the Bible. But it's another to be authentic and LIVE what we say we believe. If we aren't living God's truth both within our home and marriages, as well as outside of it, we're no better than "white washed stones" --we look good on the outside for others to see, but there's rottenness within.

To be a follower of Christ means we aren't to be distracted from LIVING Christ, no matter where we are --no matter what. As Elisabeth Elliot says, "God has ordained that we participate." We're to participate in living out that which God expects, and not manipulate it to OUR way of thinking.

When we look at what we're told in Luke 9:23, the question can be asked, "What type of 'denying' is involved in marriage? Essentially, it involves emptying ourselves of anything that stands in the way of living our lives, as God would have us live.  
It is:

-- "Speaking the truth in love" (Ephesians 4:15) --motivated by loving our spouse's ultimate good beyond even our own comfort. This involves speaking truth in a way that is respectful, and GOD honoring... "as unto the Lord."

-- Being "slow to speak, and slow to become angry, for man's anger
does not bring about the righteous life that God desires" (James 1:19).

-- Not letting "any unwholesome talk come from your mouth, but only according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen" (Ephesians 4:29). We need to remember that not only is our spouse hearing what we say and how we say it, but so is God and others. Is what you're saying and how you're saying it benefiting those who hear your words?

-- Getting "rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every other form of malice" (Ephesians 4:31) --that's what denying yourself involves.

-- Being "kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you" (Ephesians 4:32)
is also what God expects of us.

-- Being "imitators of God, therefore as dearly loved children" and "living a life of love just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God" (Ephesians 5:1-2)  is something else God expects of His children.

-- To "submit to one another out of reverence for Christ" --a command for both the wife AND the husband as outlined in the Bible in Ephesians 5:21-23,  is important in a Christian marriage.

As you live out these principles in your marriage, not only will you, your spouse and your household be blessed,
but others will be given the opportunity to better see the heart of Christ reflected in your lives together.

To view, and possibly discuss other love-reflecting, God principles, as laid out in the Bible, we put together a long list of scriptures, which we link to, in this Marriage Message, posted on our web site at www.marriagemissions.com.

Our thanks to Steve and Cindy Wright of www.marriagemissions.com
We consider them our partners in serving men, marriages and families. May God bless them and their mission!

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FORGIVING AND FORGIVENESS
P. G. Mathew, M.A., M.Div., Th.M.
Matthew 18:21-35

Of all the world’s religions, only Christianity offers complete forgiveness. Only the Bible-consisting of the Old and New Testaments-reveals to us an infinite, personal God who has a plan by which he completely forgives the sins of everyone who repents and believes in Jesus Christ. And this God not only forgives sins, but he forgives them forever.

What is this wonderful, biblical forgiveness? There are several words used for forgiveness in the Bible: three Hebrew words in the Old Testament and four Greek words in the New Testament. The first Hebrew word is kafar, from which we get the meaning “to cover,” as in, “to cover or blot out our sins.” The second word is nasa, which means “to bear, to take away.” The third word is salach, which is used only with reference to God forgiving the sins of people. It means “to pardon,” as in, “our God [who will] freely pardon.” (Isaiah 55:7)

In the New Testament, first you find the Greek word apoluein, which means “to release.” There also is the wonderful word charizomai, which comes from the word charis, or “grace.” Charizomai means “to grace you,” to freely give you heaven when you deserve hell. What a truly beautiful word! The third word is aphesis, from the Greek word aphiemi, “to send away.” Finally, there is paresis, which means “to disregard”-this word is used in the context that God will not see our offenses, but rather will disregard them.

HUMILITY:  THE CONTEXT OF FORGIVENESS     Forgiveness is a key biblical concept in relation to our salvation. It is also key in its practical application in the Christian’s life. Jesus taught on this subject in Matthew 18:21-35, in the midst of a chapter dealing with the importance of humility. In Matthew 18:1, the question was asked: “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And Jesus answered in verse 4 that “whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” In other words, the greatest has the most humility. This is echoed in Mark 10:43-44: “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.” In Matthew 18:6-14, Jesus continued by teaching the importance of being vigilant in our conduct. Our behavior should not cause any child of God to sin, for each is precious to God.

In verses 15-17, we are given instructions for restoring a brother who has sinned. What should the offended party do? “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.” In other words, if a brother sins against another brother, he needs to be reproved. Confront him until he is brought to his senses, that he may repent and be restored to the church. Why? Christ the Lord of the church requires his church to be characterized by unity and purity. If the offending party repents, he is to be restored; but if he remains unrepentant even in spite of the ministry of the whole church, he is to be excommunicated-that is, put out of the church and regarded as an unbeliever. God will deal with him, and the church will be cleansed of the evil of disunity.

What if you are the offending party? In Matthew 5:23-24, Christ taught that “if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.” If you come to worship and remember that you wronged your brother, the counsel given is not to begin worship, but to go and be reconciled to your brother. God gives the remembrance of the offense so that you can reconcile immediately before you worship. Our God is holy. His eyes are too pure to behold sin; in fact, he is angry at the sinner every day. Therefore, if you remember that you have sinned against someone, go immediately and be reconciled to that person. You must do this before you can offer worship that is acceptable to this holy God.

“HOW MANY TIMES SHALL I FORGIVE?”    After listening to Jesus’ teaching on reconciliation, unity, restoration and forgiveness, Peter asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” (Matt. 18:21) Peter thought seven times would be very generous. It was the rabbinic teaching that a man must forgive three times. One rabbi said that if a man committed an offense once, twice or even three times, you must forgive him, but by the fourth time you did not have to forgive him. Peter understood this idea, and being very generous, he doubled it and added one more time for good measure. So he asked Jesus what he thought: “Up to seven times?” I am sure he expected to be commended for his gracious attitude.

Jesus’ answer surprised Peter. Peter’s problem was that he was still thinking in terms of justice and legality. Jesus’ reply was not based on law and justice, but based on the gospel of grace. “Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times,’” (Matt. 18:22) meaning without limit!

Jesus’ answer contrasts with that of Lamech in Genesis 4:24. A descendant of Cain, Lamech boasted about his ability to avenge himself on his enemies. He says, “If Cain is avenged seven times, then Lamech seventy-seven times.” Lamech, as an unbeliever, was boasting that he would practice unlimited revenge. But in the gospel this is reversed. If a sinner is saved by Christ and transformed by the gospel, he now must forgive his brothers without limit. So Jesus told Peter that even seven times was not generous enough. He needed to forgive his brother as God in Christ forgave him: limitlessly.

In Luke 17:3-4, Jesus likewise taught, “If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, ‘I repent,’ forgive him.” Again, the disciples were surprised and said, “Increase our faith!” (Luke 17:5). This is proper. Only when we grow in grace and the knowledge of Christ, and increase in faith, will we also increase in forgiveness and mercy. Then we will understand that we live every moment of our lives, not on the basis of justice, but on the basis of mercy received from heaven. Justice would have sent us to hell. How soon Christians forget and begin to act on the basis of law and justice! We need greater faith, greater love for God and greater appreciation of God’s grace, in order that we may rise to this level of practicing unlimited forgiveness to our brothers and sisters.

THE PARABLE OF THE UNFORGIVING SERVANT    To drive home his teaching about unlimited forgiveness, Jesus told a parable to his disciples. (Matt. 18:23-35) There was a king, representing the King of heaven, to whom people owed great debts. A man who owed 10,000 talents was brought before him. The words used to describe this debt demonstrated its enormity. Ten thousand was the highest number in daily use, and the talent was the highest unit of money. Although it is not specified, we can also assume that the talents were made of gold. In his book, The Parables of Jesus (Moody Press, 1983, p. 183), Dr. James M.Boice figured the debt in today’s values: if there were ten thousand talents, each talent weighing seventy-five pounds, and if each pound was 12 ounces and each ounce of gold would be worth about $400, then this man’s debt would be about $3.6 billion. The idea is this: that this man’s debt was infinite, and he was absolutely incapable of paying it. In the same way, the debt we owe God is of infinite proportion.

This man could not pay up, and the great king commanded that the servant, his wife, his children, and all he owned be sold to cover the debt. The man fell down before the king. “‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’” (Matt. 18:26) Of course, he could not do that. It was impossible, and the king knew it. We are told, though, that the king was moved with compassion to release the man and forgive him all his debt. The man was free! He owed absolutely nothing. Through the king’s great mercy alone, he was forgiven his infinite debt.

But in Matthew 18:28 we see the forgiven man looking for a fellow servant who owed him 100 denarii, which would today equal about $4,000 (Boice, Parables of Jesus, p. 183). Compared to his own infinite debt, this was nothing! But when he found the man, he grabbed him, choked him and demanded his money. This other man also fell down and begged for patience. But the forgiven servant was not moved by any kind of compassion. His heart had not been changed in any way by his master’s merciful actions. Even though the debt was comparatively nothing, he showed no mercy and threw the man into prison until the debt could be paid.

The great king was told about this wretched man’s cruel behavior. “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’” Then the master dealt with the unforgiving man according to law instead of mercy. “In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.” That represents eternal hell. Then Jesus made this stunning declaration: “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.” (Matt. 18:32-35) In effect, Jesus answered Peter’s question: “You have received unlimited mercy from God through me; therefore, you must demonstrate unlimited mercy.”

So we see that there are two bases for dealing with sin: one is mercy and the other is justice. Both are reflected in Exodus 34:6-7: “And [the Lord] passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, ‘The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.’” That’s mercy! But it continues: “‘Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.’” That’s justice.

LESSONS FROM THE PARABLE    What can we learn from this parable?

1. All are God’s debtors.    The Bible clearly teaches that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Rom. 3:23) And again it says, “There is no one righteous, not even one.” (Rom. 3:10) In Psalm 40:12, we read, “For troubles without number surround me; my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see. They are more than the hairs of my head, and my heart fails within me.” This is a good description of our situation. We are born sinners. We practice sin every day and commit an unmeasurable amount of sin during the course of our lifetime. All are debtors to the infinite, personal, almighty, all-holy God. Even one sin by a creature against the infinite God is infinite, and worthy of infinite punishment in hell.
   
   
2. There is a day of judgment.    “Man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.” (Heb. 9:27) St. Paul spoke about this in Acts 17:31, “For [God] has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed.” This man is Jesus Christ. In Ecclesiastes 12:14 we read: “God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.” In Deuteronomy 32:35 God says, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them.” Jonathan Edwards, the great Puritan theologian, preached his famous sermon, “Sinners in the Hand of an Angry God,” from this passage. And in Revelation 20:12, we find the Judge opening the books, and dealing with every person who will not bow down before God now and beg for mercy. They will see him then as Judge, dealing with everything on the basis of justice.
   
   
3. There is a great King,   who is Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ humbled himself, became man, and died the death of a criminal. In so doing, he received upon himself the totality of the wrath that was against all who trust in him. God exalted this Jesus and made him Lord and Christ. To him was given a name “that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Phil. 2:9,10). Jesus Christ is the King.
   
   
4. No one can pay back this infinite debt.    It is impossible! As it says in Psalm 49:7-8, “No man can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for him-the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough.” God says in Jeremiah 2:22, “Although you wash yourself with soda and use an abundance of soap, the stain of your guilt is still before me.” Romans 3:20 states, “No one will be declared righteous in [God’s] sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.” These scriptures demonstrate that our sin against God is an infinite debt that we cannot possibly pay back.
   
   
5. There is only one way of settling this debt now.    In his mercy, God sent his Son to redeem us from our infinite debt. We see this way of mercy in Matthew 20:28: “Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Romans 3:24 speaks of “the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” We were ransomed, we were redeemed by Jesus Christ. He offered himself as a sacrifice of propitiation which turned away the wrath of God from us. “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Cor. 5:21) In Isaiah 53, we read how the Lord put all of our sin upon his suffering servant, allowing him to be crushed. His blood atoned for our sin. “Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness,” but at the same time, “it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.”(Heb. 9:22, 10:4) It is only the blood of Jesus Christ that is able to cover and blot out our sins forever and ever.
   
   If a person repents and believes in Jesus Christ, his sins shall be forgiven in totality, forever. Only the religion of the Bible tells us of a God who will forgive us all our sins and clothe us with his righteousness. No other religion has this message. Oh, the beauty of forgiveness based on repentance and faith in Christ! As it declares in Psalm 103:12, “as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” Isn’t that wonderful? Isaiah 43:25 says, “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.” He blots them out! And in Psalm 130:4, the psalmist says: “But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared.” Micah declares, “Who is a God like you, who pardons sins and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.” (Micah 7:18-19)
   
   
6. We need to be merciful.     No one who has truly received forgiveness from God will act toward others based on justice. We will fear God and live on the basis of mercy. This is taught in the Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” (Matt. 5:7) If you are a Christian, you have received infinite mercy from God. You did not want him to deal with you on the basis of justice, but you pleaded for mercy, and he showed mercy. So also you must live, not on the basis of justice, but in mercy toward those who may sin against you.
   
   

The forgiven must forgive.    Our forgiving others is the proof that we have been truly forgiven. We read about this in Luke 7:36-50. Jesus Christ was invited to dinner by a Pharisee named Simon, but he was not properly welcomed when he arrived. He was not given any water to wash his feet, nor the customary welcoming kiss, nor the anointing oil usually given to an honored guest. But while he was there, a woman who had lived a wicked life came to the house. She had received mercy and forgiveness, and when she came to Jesus, she washed his feet with her tears of joy, dried them with her hair, kissed them again and again, and poured expensive perfume upon Jesus. So Jesus asked Simon: “Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?” And very reluctantly the correct answer came: “The one who had the bigger debt canceled.”

We have been forgiven an infinite debt! If we understand how great that debt was, we will overflow with love and gratitude for this merciful Lord, and we will overflow with mercy towards others. How dare we not live in forgiveness and in mercy! If you are a true Christian, you will adore God for showing you mercy. You will love God and you will love his people. An unforgiving person in the church of Jesus Christ proves that he or she is false in his or her claim to be a Christian. Such a person will be dealt with on the basis of God’s justice on the day of judgment. That person will be sent to hell, because the wrath of God is revealed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. (Rom. 1:18)

PRACTICING FORGIVENESS          How can we put this teaching about forgiveness into practice?
First, you must experience it yourself.    If you have never received God’s forgiveness, I agree with the apostle in saying, “Now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:2). This is the gospel. Repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, who died for all who trust in him. He will instantly pardon your infinite debt. Sin is the violation of the law of this great King, and it must be punished. Either Jesus Christ will deal with it, or you must bear it yourself. But our Lord Jesus Christ forgives your sin if you repent. He invites you to come and receive his mercy freely.

Second, practice forgiveness.     If you are a Christian, always practice a spirit of forgiveness toward all; this will happen if you value Christ’s death on your behalf. As Paul told Timothy, “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners- of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.” (1 Tim. 1:12-16) A truly forgiven person is always thinking about the cross of Jesus Christ, upon which God displayed his infinite love. We cannot understand the length or the width or the height or the depth of it. This love is absolutely incomprehensible!

What about those who have sinned against you?  Forgive them when they say they repent, whether or not you feel they repented-you are under the order of the Lord of the church to forgive others. Let God deal with the person if he is not truly repenting.

What if you have sinned against someone?  Go immediately to that person, repent and ask forgiveness in Christ’s name; it will be granted. You may be old or young or a teenager; you may be highly educated or not educated at all; you may be poor or rich. Whatever our situation, we all stand on the basis of God’s grace and mercy, and need forgiveness.

Where should we practice forgiveness?   Practice forgiveness daily in the home. Husbands and wives must practice it. Parents and children must practice it. As families practice this, there will not be any divorce nor will children be destroyed. Forgiveness in the home will result in healthy families.

Practice forgiveness at the work place.   Do not become bitter toward your employer and fellow workers. Do not keep score of the offenses of those around you.

Practice forgiveness in the church of Jesus Christ.   In Ephesians 4:3, Paul says, “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” If you are the offended party, go to that person who offended you and take care of the issue. If you offended someone else, go to that person and ask forgiveness. The church must maintain its unity and purity.

What about your enemies?   You should practice forgiveness toward them, as well. Jesus said, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matt. 5:44) You will be amazed to see how your heart will be changed when you pray for your enemies and do good to them.

Finally, practice unlimited forgiveness.   Take to heart these two verses: “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Eph. 4:32) and “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” (Col. 3:13). When we practice these things, then the church of Jesus Christ will experience unity and purity, and our happiness shall be inexpressible.

THE JOY OF FORGIVENESS   As you read this, do you sense bitterness in your heart towards others? I caution you, such bitterness will affect your health and welfare. When our heart is rotten, our whole body suffers. When you forgive, you will experience the truth of this wonderful promise found in Isaiah 58:8: “Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.” Let me assure you, if you forgive from your heart, this will be your experience. And if you are a sinner who has never trusted in Christ, when you repent and receive the Lord’s forgiveness, this will be your experience.

We discovered in Matthew 5:23-24 that we must forgive before we pray. If we will not forgive, our prayer will not be heard. Understand that God refuses to answer us on the basis of mercy when we refuse to deal with others on the basis of mercy. But when we forgive, what God promises in Isaiah 58:9 will be true for us. “Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.” Isn’t that wonderful? God will answer your prayer. Then, as God declares in Isaiah 58:14, “you will find your joy in the Lord, and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.” There is tremendous joy in the Lord for those who live by these words of forgiveness, who remember what unlimited mercy has been poured out on us through Jesus Christ and who show the same mercy toward others. This joy is as abundant, as rich and as unlimited as the Lord’s abundant forgiveness of us. It is my prayer that you would experience this forgiveness, practice this forgiveness and, in so doing, receive this joy.


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