The Forgiveness We Forgot About | Forgiveness Is For Everyone | Judah Smith

Hey, welcome back to weekly service here at church home. I am really grateful that you're taking time out of your life to spend with us here. You are jumping in on a collection of messages about forgiveness titled these five messages the forgiveness we forgot. And what I mean by that is oftent times these outrageous realities, these transcendent truths gifted to us and given to us through the person and life, death and resurrection of Jesus.

Um well, they get diluted. We get distracted. We drift and we forget. And now forgiveness becomes a triggering concept that basically is to try to resolve conflict between business partners or siblings or spouses or friends or strangers. Forgiveness becomes this thing like I don't want to forgive and we forget its essence.

We forget what it really is and how Jesus has gifted us forgiveness in ways that are hard hard to even believe and accept. It's so good and so wonderful and so extraordinary. Last week we talked about how forgiveness is free. The next few minutes I want to talk to you about how forgiveness is for everyone.

Yeah, forgiveness is for everyone. Even the one you're right now thinking about when I said everyone because you thought not that one. When I say everyone and you think not that one, that's exactly the one God has forgiven. We're going to talk about this. Last week, we talked about its nature.

It is free. It cannot be earned. It cannot be warranted. It cannot be achieved. Uh it's not a transaction. It is free. The scripture we read, which we're about to read again in Romans chapter 3, makes it clear as we wade into these verses. Listen closely because it will inform us who this is who this forgiveness is for.

It says, "Listen, everybody has sinned and we're in need of the character of God or the glory of God. Yet through his powerful declaration of a quiddle, God freely God freely gives away his righteousness or right standing with him. His gift of love and favor now cascades over us all.

There it is over us all because of Jesus the anointed one. He's liberated us from the guilt, punishment, and power of sin. Jesus God-given destiny. His entire God-given destiny was to be the sacrifice to take away our sins. He's now our mercy seat because of the death on the cross.

We come to him for mercy. For God has made a provision for us to be forgiven by faith in the sacred blood of Jesus. This is the perfect demonstration of God's justice because until now he was patient holding back his justice or his out of his tolerance for us.

So he covered over the sins of those who live prior to Jesus sacrifice. When the season of tolerance came to an end, there was only one possible way for God to give away his righteousness and still be true to both his justice and his mercy. And that was to offer up himself or his own son.

So now, because we stand on the faithfulness of Jesus, God declares us righteous in his eyes. Where then is there room for boasting? Did our works bring us God's acceptance? Not at all. It was not our works of keeping the law, but our faith in his finished work that makes us right with God.

I want to draw your attention again to I believe the second verse we read that says, "His love and favor now cascades over us all." His love and favor now cascades over us all. So, this is where we're going to start. We're going to use our imaginations together.

His love and favor now cascades over us all. So, here's what I want you to do, and this is not easy to do, but I'm going to ask you to do it. I want you to take the person in your life that in your mind is the most deplorable.

Deplorable is a it's an intense word. Deplorable is the person that maybe you despise the most. The person that you think is the most unethical, manipulative, maniacal. That person. Okay, by now I've said enough adjectives for you to probably have that person in mind. Now, with that person in mind, I'm going to say this verse again.

His favor and love now cascades over us all. I want you to see that person right now in your mind's eye. I'm doing it. And I'm never going to tell you who it is, but I'm doing it right now. And I want you to visualize the love and favor of God cascading over that person.

That's wild. Maybe you didn't do it. You don't have to. It's free. It's up to you. But did you do it? Love and favor cascading over that person. That's how it works. That's how it works. Love and favor now cascading over us all. It's wild. Now, I want to prepare you in a few weeks.

We are going to talk about forgiveness for your enemy. How forgiveness is for your enemy. But for now, we will absorb the reality that forgiveness is for everyone. Now, there's five categories of people I want you to consider. And here's the exercise we are about to do. Forgiveness is for everyone is a unique message in a unique sermon because it's we're going to do a little bit more um kind of exercises together.

I'm going to give you a list of five kinds of people in your world. Five kinds of people. It'll be an aliteration to help you remember. But somewhere in these five kinds of people in your life, I want you to accept that they too are forgiven. Why? Why do I want you to do this?

Well, will it help them? Perhaps. But my point is helping you when you just accept not just last week that forgiveness is free and you accept that it's free for me. I accept that I can't earn it, achieve it, deserve it. There's not a transaction. But but now part of what sets you free is letting go of people who either haven't forgiven you, who you think don't deserve your forgiveness, but letting them be forgiven.

That helps you. That helps you. Things like bitterness, envy, jealousy, strife, agitation. These things fundamentally, scientifically, biologically are counterproductive for your being, counterproductive for your brain and your body. Nobody ever, nobody ever, not once ever in history has it ever been recorded that a human being later in life, in their older years, in their more twilight years of their life, ever said, "I'd like to thank bitterness, jealousy, envy for improving my life.

I'd like to thank bitterness for making me better. I'd like to thank bitterness for saving my marriage. I'd like to thank bitterness for helping me love my grandkids. I'd like to thank bitterness for helping me build a robust business. No one's ever said that. Bitterness only hurts, only agitates and frustrates your life.

So through this part two of forgiveness is for everyone, we're going to combat that through the reality of who Jesus is. Five people that forgiveness is for in your life. Number one, people you're familiar with. Number two, people you're fond of. Number three, people you're frustrated by. Number four, people you fear.

And number five, people you forgot. Five kinds of people. Forgiveness is for everyone. But here's five categories for you to let God right now in real time. This is fun. This is fun. I'm not just talking preaching. I'm asking you and I to do another exercise. We started with love and favor cascading over that one person.

Okay, that was probably a bit of a stretch. That was probably pretty wild. Now, I want you to think through familiar. Now, when I say people you're familiar with, I mean family and friends. Family and friends. Now, they could also be frustrating. You could be afraid of them.

You could forget them. But, but ultimately, five categories. People you're familiar with. By the way, let's start right there. Often times, the people you don't want forgiveness to be for is people who you are familiar with. Often times, people you're familiar with, you take for granted. people you're familiar with, people you think fondly of, people you're frustrated by, people you're afraid of, and people you forgot.

Forgiveness is for everyone. Forgiveness is for everyone. Now, what category stands out to you? What category stands out to you? Now, the second category fondly probably doesn't jump out and you go, "Oh, no. I I have an issue with people I think fondly of. No, typically you hold them in high regard.

So that kind of leaves us, if we're honest, with four categories: familiar, frustrated, fearful, or forgot. Where in there are there people that you need to accept that forgiveness is for them? Now, ironically, listen closely. When you accept forgiveness is for them, it's actually for you. Meaning it benefits you.

When you believe forgiveness is for them, you are the one that benefits. You are the one who gains so much in your soul. Now, I'm reminded of the scripture that says, "Freely you have received, now freely give." I think that's Matthew chapter 10, but I could be wrong.

Yes, it is. Matthew chapter 10. Freely you have received the power of the kingdom. So, freely release it to others. What is the power of the kingdom? Matthew 10:8. What's the power of the kingdom? Righteousness with God, forgiveness with God, which gives you right relationship, peace, and joy.

You have freely received the power of the kingdom. Now release it to others. What's the power of the kingdom? Forgiveness, which produces peace and joy. So release that now to others. You've received the power of the kingdom, right relationship with God through forgiveness, which produces peace and joy.

Jesus invites us, a wild invitation, and yet it's there to freely release it. So, what we're doing in the next few moments we have left is I'm inviting you right now to freely release forgiveness, peace, and joy. Perhaps to someone you're familiar with, perhaps to someone you're frustrated by, perhaps to someone you're afraid of, or maybe to someone you actually forgot.

And now you have remembered that you forgot them. This is an extraordinary exercise. It really is. I promise you it can help you. I was talking to someone recently over a painful relationship breakdown that we were enduring together and the person said to me, "Forgiveness is a choice and I haven't chosen it yet."

And I thought, "Very good point. And in fact, very true. In fact, it's beyond me that God who has forgiven us, who has every right to not forgive us, has forgiven us and given himself to be the once and for all sacrifice to exhaust the justice of God.

So that all the heir, wrong, and sin that was committed could be exhausted in the body of Jesus. So that we are only left with the favor and love and acceptance of God forever is extraordinary. Now yes, forgiveness is a choice, but it's a choice I love to make because of the choice that Jesus made for me.

So I would say to that person, forgiveness is a choice. I haven't made that decision yet. I would simply tell you that Matthew 10 says when you have been given something so freely just use the same freedom to freely release it to others. And here's the dirty little secret we don't talk about.

By freely releasing others, whether familiar, whether forgotten, whether frustrated, whoever these people are in your life, by releasing forgiveness to them freely, like wanting them to be forgiven, wanting them to be loved, wanting them to be favored sets you free. betters your life, betters your experience. Wishing someone harm is well, it's sensationalized in our culture.

It's sensationalized. In fact, we have whole kind of approaches and attitudes and and personas around um showing our haters how good we are, how wrong they are, and how I hope they feel the weight of overlooking us or dismissing us or disregarding us. And I'mma show them. I'mma show them.

And so we have whole kind of alter egos built in our culture around this idea of the people who doubted us, overlooked us, dismissed us, hurt us, manipulated us. And friend, I got to stop right there and say I'm not in any way making light of someone who has hurt you, someone who has used you, someone who has abused you.

I don't believe in any way, shape, or form that should have been done and in any way you deserve that. And it's wrong. And the Bible calls it sin. You were sinned against. It's wrong. And yet here we find ourselves week two, month of June. How far does this forgiveness go?

What if you let go of trying to achieve justice on your own in your short lifetime and you gave it to God and that person that hurt you, you let go and let the love and favor of God be upon them. I wonder if that would affect your sleep cycle.

Chelsea, my wife talks about sleep cycles because she's constantly wearing the ring or whatever that tells her sleep score. And so I'm constantly being updated on um uh what grade she's getting when she sleeps. You want to talk about sleep score? Wonder if you'd sleep better. I wonder if you would be better. your disposition, your thought life.

It's that person you're familiar with or that person you're frustrated with or that person you're afraid of or that person you forgot. You let go and you trust God with them and you let them be forgiven. Not just that you forgive them, but you let them be forgiven.

I know, easier said than done. For sure. For sure. And so I've been asked at 46 years old, married for 25 years, by the way, I don't mean to brag, but you don't stay married 25 years without practicing some forgiveness. And I have had to forgive Chelsea more times than I could possibly count.

Okay, I'm kidding. Kind of. But most importantly, she has been so gracious and forgiving to me. But my motivation in all of this is what we just read in Matthew 10. I've I've been forgiven so freely. So, I'm going to live my life freely. I'm going to forgive freely.

I'm going to let people go. I'm not going to hold them in some imaginary arbitrary prison in my soul and in my mind because the truth is the only person you're holding captive is you. Is you. I want to thank therapists and physicians and doctors who are watching this.

You help us so much. You do. Shout out to my therapists. I have a couple who have helped me over the years. But I got to be honest with you, what Jesus can do in the depths of your soul even goes past psychology, science, and even what the pros can do.

He can heal you from the inside out. He can. Forgiveness, it's for everyone. It's for everyone. Even the people you hate, you know, I use the word fear, people we fear. Racism is just extreme fear. That's all. That's all. So even people we hate, God forgives. I think forgiveness can heal the world.

Not average ordinary forgiveness, not fabricated forgiveness, not fraudulent forgiveness, not fake forgiveness, but the forgiveness that Jesus finished on the cross. That forgiveness can heal centurylong wars between countries, people groups, and continents. I believe this forgiveness goes much further than we even thought possible. I'm thinking about you.

We've done a lot. I know this might sound strange, but if you feel kind of tired at the end of this message, there's a reason. Your soul is absorbing a lot right now. And perhaps you haven't thought about that person in a long time and they fall in that forgotten category because you worked hard to forget.

We can forgive and then perhaps we can forget again and keep moving. But I'm praying for you and I'm thinking about you. I'm going to say a prayer right now and I'm going to do it with my eyes open. Maybe you're watching the screen and maybe even eye contact will help you feel this even more.

But I'm praying for you, God. I'm asking for my friend right now watching this 
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 content. You know what they're going through. I don't, but you do. And as I record this, I am myself going through so many things. But there are people watching, God, and you know all the things they're going through.

And so I'm asking that you would meet individuals by the thousands, tens of thousands, and hundreds of thousands all over the world. And you would meet them in this moment, in this area of their life. God, we we might have uncovered some really painful past, some really painful pain.

So, um I'm asking that you would be a healer and you would be a miracle worker right in this moment. And maybe people are feeling raw and a little vulnerable right now. I'm asking that you would assure them that your love will protect them and keep them. They're forgiven and you are true and you are sure and we love you and we thank you for that.

Amen. Um, if you got to the end of this message, thank you. That is uh no trit light or little thing and I appreciate it a lot. I'm really excited to continue to share the month of June on forgiveness with you. So, um I hope to see you next week.

Can I remind you pastor chat people are waiting to chat with you. Pastors waiting to chat with you to help you any way we can right here on the app. See you next week. 
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 It's been a minute. Where do I begin? I've let the distance creep it way back in.

I've offered love so 
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 inconistently. Your heart is steady. You won't change. You're still 
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 worthy. You're still crowned in majesty. You're still 
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 perfect. You still bring me to my knees. You're still holy. You're still good beyond belief. King of glory. You're still everything. Oh, everything to 
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 me. Oh, help me Jesus.

Stir your fire in. Renew my faith. When doubt is crippling, I'm open ready. Heart is on my sleeve. I need your presence more than anything. You're still worthy. You're still crowned in mesty. You're still perfect. You still bring me to my knees. You're still holy. You're still good beyond belief.

King of glory. You're still everything. Oh, everything is me. 
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 And all that I need is you. All that I need is you. All of your heart. All that you are. And all that I need is you. you, Lord. All that I need is 
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 you. All of your heart, all that you are, all that I need is you, Lord.

All that I need is you. Oh my heart. All that you are. Oh. 
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 Oh. 
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((applause))
 Woah. 
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 Woah. Woah. 
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 Woah. Woah. Oh. Oh. You're still 
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 worthy. You're still crowned in 
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 mesty. You're still perfect. You still bring me to my knees. You're still holy. You're still good beyond me. King of glory.

You're still everything. Oh everything to me. 
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