Forgiveness is a Journey, not a One Time Event.
Sir 27:30—28:7; Rom 14:7-9; Mt 18:21-35
Fr Nelson Lobo OFM cap
Story of The Fall of Troy-A Trojan horse sits just outside the gate of your heart. Its name is anger, resentment, and bitterness. It is a monument to every attack you have endured from your fellowman. It is a gift left by the people who have wronged you. It is a monument to the pain, sorrow and devastation they have caused you. But to accept the gift is to invite ruin into your life. It is only a lure. The celebration is short-lived. Once inside the walls of your heart, it releases its agents of destruction. Its plot quietly unfolds from the inside out. It is the Trojan horse of destruction. You must never bring it inside.
How People Protect Their Wounds
- Standing Back – anger, bitterness, hate, fear.
- Striking Back – anger and revenge
- Sharing It – same story of hurt and anger retold.
- Stuffing It – Denial, negativity caused by suppressed anger.
The Necessity of Forgiveness
- Because We Have Been Forgiven by God
- Because We Have Been Commanded by God Col 3:12-13
The Danger of Un-Forgiveness.
- We ourselves will not be forgiven.
- Carrying An Unnecessary Burden
- Giving the Devil a Foothold
- A Hindered Relationship
Conclusion–I believe that the sin that may keep more people out of Heaven than any other is the sin of unforgiveness. I believe that there are many Christians who for some reason refuse to let go of grudges. Throughout the course of our life we can expect to be wronged from time to time by others. We may even feel strongly that what another did was wrong. We though cannot hold onto that anger and bitterness, but we must forgive. Whenever we sin and mess up and then come to God in sincere repentance, we expect God to forgive us. It is often different for us though when we are wronged. We often have a hard time letting go and forgiving. The easy thing to do is to stay angry, it takes much more effort and much more trouble to forgive and let go of something. But as Christians we are not requested but commanded to forgive.
“A wounded heart that doesn’t receive healing is an open door for evil spirits”. (Eph 4:26-27, I Pet 5:8, Gen 4:4-7, Mat 18:21-35)
