WEBVTT - The Trap of Unforgiveness – Part 3 0:00:00.440 --> 0:00:04.200 Today on Bold steps, Mark Jobe concludes his powerful message 0:00:04.200 --> 0:00:07.760 about breaking free from the prison of unforgiveness. 0:00:08.720 --> 0:00:11.719 When I forgive someone, I'm not saying you deserve to 0:00:11.720 --> 0:00:15.200 be forgiven. I'm not saying you've earned your forgiveness. I'm 0:00:15.200 --> 0:00:19.079 simply saying I refuse to live with unforgiveness in my 0:00:19.079 --> 0:00:23.239 heart because it's poison to my soul. I'm forgiving you 0:00:23.239 --> 0:00:27.000 because I need to walk in cleansing of my soul 0:00:27.040 --> 0:00:28.000 before God. 0:00:40.680 --> 0:00:44.280 Welcome to Bold Steps with Mark Jobe. Mark is president 0:00:44.280 --> 0:00:47.040 of Moody Bible Institute and the senior pastor of New 0:00:47.040 --> 0:00:51.080 Life Community Church in Chicago. I'm Wayne Shepherd. We're continuing 0:00:51.080 --> 0:00:54.480 our series called Untangled Relationships, and today we reach the 0:00:54.480 --> 0:00:58.240 conclusion of Mark's three part message on the trap of unforgiveness. 0:00:58.560 --> 0:01:02.240 In the first two segments, Mark explained how unforgiveness works 0:01:02.240 --> 0:01:04.640 like a prison that we built for others, but end 0:01:04.680 --> 0:01:08.400 up living in ourselves. He showed us how unresolved anger 0:01:08.400 --> 0:01:11.160 creates footholds for the enemy in our lives, and why 0:01:11.200 --> 0:01:14.840 genuine forgiveness is the only path to freedom. If you 0:01:14.840 --> 0:01:17.279 missed either of those messages, I encourage you to visit 0:01:17.280 --> 0:01:20.720 Bold Steps org to catch up when you can. Now 0:01:20.760 --> 0:01:23.160 let's join Mark Jobe for the powerful conclusion of his 0:01:23.160 --> 0:01:26.480 message titled The Trap of Unforgiveness. 0:01:28.280 --> 0:01:31.360 In the city of Chicago, we hear about these crazy 0:01:32.440 --> 0:01:38.480 acts of violence. And one more time we'll hear on I-55, 0:01:38.520 --> 0:01:41.479 someone honked at someone. Someone gave him a dirty look. 0:01:41.480 --> 0:01:43.800 And before we know it, someone shot and killed on 0:01:43.800 --> 0:01:48.520 the expressway. And we say, wow, traffic is terrible in Chicago. 0:01:48.520 --> 0:01:51.880 Can I tell you it has nothing to do with traffic? 0:01:53.120 --> 0:01:57.360 This is not about the honk. This is not about 0:01:57.360 --> 0:02:01.250 the driving. This is about the guy that at five 0:02:01.290 --> 0:02:05.490 years old was physically abused, beaten up and abandoned by 0:02:05.490 --> 0:02:09.209 a stepfather, and they haven't processed it. And they're full 0:02:09.210 --> 0:02:12.169 of anger and they're full of issues in their life 0:02:12.169 --> 0:02:16.330 that they haven't dealt with. And when you when you 0:02:16.370 --> 0:02:21.250 tip it, it spills out. If I had an opaque 0:02:21.250 --> 0:02:24.290 glass here, you wouldn't be able to tell what's inside 0:02:24.290 --> 0:02:27.610 of it. But if someone bumps me, whatever's inside is 0:02:27.610 --> 0:02:33.730 going to spill out. If I'm full of anger, rage, brawling, unforgiveness, 0:02:33.889 --> 0:02:36.810 then it takes a honk on the expressway and it 0:02:36.810 --> 0:02:40.410 spills out. And everything that's directed towards that stepfather that 0:02:40.410 --> 0:02:44.010 abused me now becomes the rage against the person that 0:02:44.010 --> 0:02:46.250 just honked at me. And people say, I don't know 0:02:46.250 --> 0:02:49.250 why I'm like this. I love my girlfriend or I 0:02:49.250 --> 0:02:51.690 love my wife and but I explode and I just 0:02:51.690 --> 0:02:53.690 call her things. I don't know what's wrong. I know 0:02:53.690 --> 0:02:56.690 what's wrong. What's wrong is you haven't dealt with your issues. 0:02:56.930 --> 0:02:59.250 What's wrong is you haven't gone to those hard places. 0:02:59.250 --> 0:03:02.609 What's wrong is you haven't processed your hurt, you haven't forgiven, 0:03:02.610 --> 0:03:04.890 you haven't gone to those places that are causing you 0:03:04.889 --> 0:03:08.090 to be an angry person. And until you deal with it, 0:03:08.570 --> 0:03:13.250 you may deal with the emotions. And you say, well, pastor, 0:03:13.250 --> 0:03:14.490 I know what I'm going to do. I'm just going 0:03:14.530 --> 0:03:20.930 to count to ten. When I'm angry. That's good. Ten, nine, eight. Seven, six. 0:03:22.210 --> 0:03:23.770 I'm just going to go for a jog. Some of 0:03:23.770 --> 0:03:26.530 you are really good shape because you're angry so often 0:03:26.530 --> 0:03:28.530 you're going for a jog, or I'm going to just 0:03:28.530 --> 0:03:33.210 breathe deeply. And you know what? I'm happy you're doing 0:03:33.210 --> 0:03:35.970 that because I don't want people around you to get hurt. 0:03:35.970 --> 0:03:42.089 But that will not deal with the core issue. The 0:03:42.090 --> 0:03:46.050 pressure cooker will still have pressure unless the flame is 0:03:46.050 --> 0:03:50.570 turned off, unless you deal with the root of your hurt, 0:03:50.850 --> 0:03:54.250 unless you deal with that unforgiveness, unless you deal with 0:03:54.250 --> 0:03:57.810 the pain, unless you confront it and process it before 0:03:57.810 --> 0:04:01.460 God and deal with it, it will continue to surface, 0:04:01.500 --> 0:04:04.660 it will continue to boil up. So there are some 0:04:04.660 --> 0:04:08.380 people that are believers in this auditorium today. And you 0:04:08.420 --> 0:04:10.300 come to me, I know because you talk to me 0:04:10.300 --> 0:04:14.100 about it and you say, pastor, I don't know what happened. 0:04:14.140 --> 0:04:16.380 I was doing so good for three months, and then 0:04:16.380 --> 0:04:19.740 I fell, and then I did so good for five months, 0:04:19.740 --> 0:04:22.060 and then I fell again. And then I was doing 0:04:22.060 --> 0:04:24.659 really good for another four months. And then I fell again. 0:04:24.660 --> 0:04:28.780 Let me tell you what's happening. What's happening to a 0:04:28.820 --> 0:04:32.900 lot of people is that you do well until you 0:04:32.900 --> 0:04:38.500 get angry. And when you get angry, then suddenly all 0:04:38.540 --> 0:04:41.860 the old stuff, you you go immediately back to whatever 0:04:41.860 --> 0:04:46.100 made you feel good in your old life. That's what 0:04:46.380 --> 0:04:49.820 it tells us earlier in this chapter, in Ephesians chapter four, 0:04:49.820 --> 0:04:52.580 verse 26 through 27, it says, be angry and do 0:04:52.580 --> 0:04:55.300 not sin. Listen. Do not let the sun go down 0:04:55.300 --> 0:05:00.500 while you are angry. Do not give the devil a foothold. 0:05:02.740 --> 0:05:06.820 When you become angry, you give the devil an opportunity 0:05:06.820 --> 0:05:10.780 and a foothold. You're doing really well fighting pornography. But 0:05:10.779 --> 0:05:13.260 when you got angry, you wanted something to make you 0:05:13.260 --> 0:05:16.180 feel better. And so you. You opened up that old 0:05:16.180 --> 0:05:19.140 pornography page that you go to, and you fell. You 0:05:19.140 --> 0:05:22.020 called up that old girlfriend and fell sexually. You went 0:05:22.020 --> 0:05:27.020 out and over drank. You lit up one more time 0:05:27.020 --> 0:05:31.140 that cannabis just to calm your nerves down. And you 0:05:31.180 --> 0:05:37.979 were doing so well. You know why? Anger. And so 0:05:38.180 --> 0:05:42.140 what the Apostle Paul is telling us is he's telling 0:05:42.140 --> 0:05:43.860 us that we have to deal with our anger. We 0:05:43.860 --> 0:05:46.940 have to get rid of this bitterness and rage and 0:05:46.940 --> 0:05:52.700 brawling and slander. It tells us in Matthew chapter six 0:05:52.740 --> 0:05:56.979 verse 14, Jesus was teaching his disciples to pray. And 0:05:56.980 --> 0:06:00.140 at the end of the prayer he says, if you 0:06:00.310 --> 0:06:04.429 forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly father will 0:06:04.430 --> 0:06:08.670 forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your 0:06:08.670 --> 0:06:12.670 heavenly father will not forgive you your sins. And what 0:06:12.670 --> 0:06:15.670 does this mean? It simply means that when you have 0:06:15.710 --> 0:06:19.630 unforgiveness in your heart, you're living in sin and God 0:06:19.950 --> 0:06:23.830 cannot release you from what you're continuing to do. You 0:06:23.830 --> 0:06:26.029 have to choose to get rid of it so God 0:06:26.029 --> 0:06:31.510 can release you from it. So the Apostle Paul is 0:06:32.190 --> 0:06:35.510 talking to these believers about walking in victory, and he's 0:06:35.510 --> 0:06:40.150 describing to them how they can overcome. And he ends 0:06:40.150 --> 0:06:45.310 up this passage with this last exhortation. Which leads me 0:06:45.310 --> 0:06:51.710 to my third point. Unforgiveness can only be overcome with 0:06:51.710 --> 0:06:57.950 genuine forgiveness. So the Apostle Paul says in verse 32, 0:06:58.589 --> 0:07:05.190 be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other 0:07:05.670 --> 0:07:12.190 just as in Christ, God forgave you. So the Apostle 0:07:12.190 --> 0:07:15.830 Paul really gets to the root of the solution when 0:07:15.830 --> 0:07:22.070 he says, hey, you can't grieve the spirit by having 0:07:22.110 --> 0:07:26.510 unforgiveness that leads to the fruit of unforgiveness. Until you 0:07:26.510 --> 0:07:29.310 get to the point of saying, I gotta release, I 0:07:29.350 --> 0:07:36.470 gotta forgive, I gotta let go. It's interesting that he says, 0:07:36.470 --> 0:07:41.429 forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you. 0:07:41.990 --> 0:07:43.910 In other words, that we have to forgive each other 0:07:43.910 --> 0:07:47.710 like God forgives us. Now, there's a lot of misunderstanding 0:07:47.710 --> 0:07:51.150 around forgiveness, what it means and what it doesn't mean. 0:07:51.870 --> 0:07:53.950 Look up at me. I think this is really important. 0:07:55.790 --> 0:08:00.640 Forgiveness does not mean excusing what was done to you, 0:08:01.200 --> 0:08:05.520 minimizing that? What was done to you? Blame shifting someone 0:08:05.520 --> 0:08:10.120 else about it? It. Forgiveness does not mean it's okay 0:08:10.120 --> 0:08:14.440 that it happened to you. That's not forgiveness. So I 0:08:14.480 --> 0:08:17.120 never want you to misunderstand what forgiveness is or what 0:08:17.120 --> 0:08:21.160 it's not. Sometimes people act like, well, I can't forgive 0:08:21.160 --> 0:08:23.840 the person because in their mind, they think forgiveness is 0:08:23.840 --> 0:08:26.720 just saying it's okay. And they say it wasn't okay. 0:08:27.160 --> 0:08:31.800 There was a lot of hurt and pain there. Forgiveness is, 0:08:32.679 --> 0:08:36.400 according to the Bible, a biblical definition of forgiveness. It's 0:08:36.400 --> 0:08:41.800 to clear the record of the wrongdoing and sin. In 0:08:41.800 --> 0:08:47.160 other words, when I forgive someone, I'm simply saying, I'm 0:08:47.200 --> 0:08:50.160 not saying you deserve to be forgiven. I'm not saying 0:08:50.160 --> 0:08:54.120 you've earned your forgiveness. I'm simply saying I refuse to 0:08:54.120 --> 0:08:58.199 live with unforgiveness in my heart because it's poison to 0:08:58.200 --> 0:09:02.160 my soul, whether you deserve it or don't deserve it. 0:09:02.160 --> 0:09:06.439 I'm forgiving you because I need to walk in cleansing 0:09:06.480 --> 0:09:10.559 of my soul before God. Do you remember when they 0:09:10.559 --> 0:09:15.240 were crucifying Jesus on the cross and the soldiers were. 0:09:15.840 --> 0:09:20.160 They were, uh, playing a game to see who got 0:09:20.200 --> 0:09:24.080 his tunic? Jesus is in the cross, and he says, 0:09:24.080 --> 0:09:28.280 forgive them, for they know not what they do. They 0:09:28.320 --> 0:09:33.840 weren't repentant. They weren't asking for forgiveness. They weren't saying, oh, Lord, 0:09:33.840 --> 0:09:37.920 we're doing such a wrong thing. Jesus was forgiving. Forgive them, 0:09:37.920 --> 0:09:41.480 for they know not what they do. Now there's a 0:09:41.480 --> 0:09:45.199 difference between God's forgiveness and our forgiveness. You need the 0:09:45.200 --> 0:09:50.319 forgiveness of God by embracing his gift through repentance, turning 0:09:50.320 --> 0:09:55.400 around and accepting his gift. The forgiveness of God relieves 0:09:55.400 --> 0:09:58.840 you from your past. You need you. And I need 0:09:58.840 --> 0:10:03.130 to forgive. Not because it excuses or takes away the 0:10:03.130 --> 0:10:06.010 sin of the other person, but because you and I 0:10:06.010 --> 0:10:11.010 need to be cleansed from the stain and grip of unforgiveness. 0:10:11.010 --> 0:10:16.290 Does that make sense? So what does it mean to forgive? 0:10:16.330 --> 0:10:18.810 God's way? Well, I think first of all, it means 0:10:18.809 --> 0:10:21.530 that you need to receive God's forgiveness in your life. 0:10:23.090 --> 0:10:27.650 It's hard to forgive if you haven't received forgiveness. Some 0:10:27.650 --> 0:10:34.010 of us have been forgiven, but we haven't fully, fully 0:10:34.010 --> 0:10:38.849 allowed that forgiveness to penetrate our hearts. 0:10:45.610 --> 0:10:47.850 You're listening to Bold Steps with Mark job, and we'll 0:10:47.850 --> 0:10:50.410 return to our message shortly. Mark, do you know what 0:10:50.410 --> 0:10:53.089 I've been reflecting on lately? The incredible privilege we have 0:10:53.130 --> 0:10:56.210 as believers living in this particular moment in history. I 0:10:56.210 --> 0:10:59.010 love to study history, but never before have we had 0:10:59.010 --> 0:11:03.410 such powerful tools for sharing the gospel globally. Instantly reaching 0:11:03.410 --> 0:11:06.410 people in remote villages. That happens through bold steps, doesn't it? 0:11:06.450 --> 0:11:09.730 Or in close countries, in crowded cities alike. But we 0:11:09.730 --> 0:11:13.610 have this unprecedented opportunity and it comes with a tremendous responsibility, 0:11:13.650 --> 0:11:14.290 doesn't it? 0:11:14.530 --> 0:11:19.330 You know, I heard recently that moody radio programming is 0:11:19.970 --> 0:11:25.170 heard in 190 countries is what someone said. Wow. And, um, 0:11:25.290 --> 0:11:28.330 technology has allowed us to do that. And I'm amazed 0:11:28.330 --> 0:11:32.570 when suddenly we get a email from Eastern Europe of 0:11:32.570 --> 0:11:35.610 someone saying, hey, I haven't found a church yet, but 0:11:35.610 --> 0:11:40.370 I listen to bold steps. Recently, someone told me that 0:11:40.850 --> 0:11:44.490 a doctor in Mexico had joined their church and they 0:11:44.490 --> 0:11:48.810 got saved through bold steps. And I'm like, wow, this 0:11:48.809 --> 0:11:52.610 is amazing how seeds are just being shot throughout all 0:11:52.610 --> 0:11:56.610 the world. We know specifically that there are people in 0:11:56.610 --> 0:12:01.740 closed countries right now that listen in secret because it's 0:12:01.740 --> 0:12:05.380 dangerous for them to be caught listening to Christian radio. 0:12:05.980 --> 0:12:09.140 This is an amazing time to get the gospel out there. 0:12:09.460 --> 0:12:13.460 There are close to 9 billion people in the world, 0:12:13.660 --> 0:12:16.900 and there are millions and millions of people that have 0:12:16.900 --> 0:12:22.540 very little gospel presence in their world. They are saturated 0:12:22.540 --> 0:12:26.500 with false religion, with heresies, with a lot of different 0:12:26.540 --> 0:12:30.460 ideology that does not allow Jesus Christ to come to 0:12:30.500 --> 0:12:36.260 the forefront. And so radio, podcasting, our technology is people 0:12:36.260 --> 0:12:38.740 can live stream. This is one of the ways that 0:12:38.740 --> 0:12:43.060 we get past the guards at the borders and we 0:12:43.100 --> 0:12:46.100 through the airwaves. God has given us a beautiful gift 0:12:46.100 --> 0:12:50.500 to go past the guards, into the houses, into the homes, 0:12:50.500 --> 0:12:53.980 and right to into the bedrooms and kitchens where people 0:12:53.980 --> 0:12:56.780 live so that they are hearing the good message of 0:12:56.780 --> 0:13:01.699 Jesus like never before. And we are passionate about this. 0:13:02.179 --> 0:13:04.740 We know that there's a lot of other believers that 0:13:04.740 --> 0:13:08.500 are passionate as well. And we're saying, join us, please. 0:13:08.660 --> 0:13:11.980 This is a powerful moment for us to proclaim the 0:13:12.020 --> 0:13:15.380 gospel of Jesus Christ, especially as the world is being 0:13:15.380 --> 0:13:17.100 shaken in so many ways. 0:13:17.140 --> 0:13:19.540 I believe there are some listening right now who are 0:13:19.540 --> 0:13:21.460 not just hearers of the word, but want to be 0:13:21.460 --> 0:13:24.660 active participants in spreading that word. So today could be 0:13:24.660 --> 0:13:26.540 your day to step into that calling by giving to 0:13:26.620 --> 0:13:29.420 bold steps. Just go to Bold Steps org to make 0:13:29.420 --> 0:13:36.459 a gift or call 800 D.L. Moody. That's (800) 356-6639. Remember, 0:13:36.460 --> 0:13:38.620 your gift of any amount helps share God's Word with 0:13:38.620 --> 0:13:41.620 those who need it most. Really, around the world, when 0:13:41.620 --> 0:13:43.660 you give any amount, we'll send you a special gift 0:13:43.660 --> 0:13:45.740 as our thanks and we'll take time to tell you 0:13:45.740 --> 0:13:47.580 about that just a little bit later here in the 0:13:47.580 --> 0:13:49.980 program today. But let's get back to the message now. 0:13:50.020 --> 0:13:51.179 Here again is Mark. 0:13:57.860 --> 0:14:00.270 Some of us have been forgiven, but we still act 0:14:00.270 --> 0:14:04.150 like we are under guilt and condemnation. Can I just 0:14:04.150 --> 0:14:06.190 tell you what it means to be forgiven by God? 0:14:07.190 --> 0:14:10.750 Psalms chapter 32 and verse one and two says, blessed 0:14:10.910 --> 0:14:15.550 is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. 0:14:15.710 --> 0:14:18.550 Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not 0:14:18.550 --> 0:14:21.870 count against him, in whose spirit is no deceit. Can 0:14:21.870 --> 0:14:25.550 I tell you, when Jesus Christ has forgiven you, you? 0:14:25.790 --> 0:14:28.470 It doesn't matter how long you've been there, what you've done, 0:14:28.470 --> 0:14:31.870 how grievous it's been, how deep and dark it's been, 0:14:31.870 --> 0:14:35.590 how nasty and dirty it has been. Your past is 0:14:35.590 --> 0:14:43.830 absolutely 100% expunged legally, spiritually before God. Your past is 0:14:43.830 --> 0:14:47.910 wiped clean not because you deserve it, but because Jesus 0:14:47.910 --> 0:14:53.270 paid the price. That means that whatever you've done is 0:14:53.310 --> 0:14:56.310 washed before God. Now, there may be consequences for what 0:14:56.310 --> 0:15:02.440 you've done. God can forgive a murder, but you may 0:15:02.440 --> 0:15:04.520 still go to jail and have to serve a sentence 0:15:04.520 --> 0:15:11.080 here on earth. But God forgives. So you walk before 0:15:11.080 --> 0:15:16.200 God and it's covered. It's blotted. And so some of 0:15:16.200 --> 0:15:18.480 you have been cleansed, but you still walk as though 0:15:18.480 --> 0:15:24.720 your past condemns you. The Bible tells us that God listen. What? 0:15:24.760 --> 0:15:28.359 What else? It says in Isaiah chapter 38 verse 17. 0:15:29.040 --> 0:15:33.320 In your love you keep me from the pit of destruction. 0:15:33.320 --> 0:15:36.200 You have put all my sins behind your back so 0:15:36.200 --> 0:15:39.880 God does not look back at our sins. It tells 0:15:39.880 --> 0:15:42.920 us in Isaiah chapter 43 verse 25, I love this. 0:15:43.720 --> 0:15:47.960 God is speaking. He says, I, even I am, who 0:15:47.960 --> 0:15:53.320 blots your transgressions for my own sake, and remembers your 0:15:53.320 --> 0:16:02.440 sins no more. Listen, I love the fact that God 0:16:02.480 --> 0:16:07.720 chooses not to remember our sins anymore. God doesn't have amnesia. 0:16:07.720 --> 0:16:11.440 He's omniscient. He knows all things, but he chooses not 0:16:11.440 --> 0:16:21.600 to remember our sins. Unlike your spouse. Or boyfriend or girlfriend, 0:16:21.600 --> 0:16:26.160 sometimes you get in an argument and we have our 0:16:26.160 --> 0:16:33.960 mental filing cabinet. Oh, yeah. Remember what you said five 0:16:34.000 --> 0:16:35.680 years ago when you were mad at me and you 0:16:35.680 --> 0:16:38.520 said this? I can't believe you did that. Babe, I 0:16:38.520 --> 0:16:42.560 never I barely remembered that. Oh, yeah. Here's another one. 0:16:42.560 --> 0:16:44.960 I remember when you just left. You forgot my birthday. 0:16:44.960 --> 0:16:46.800 I can't believe you. I babe, you know, I had 0:16:46.800 --> 0:16:48.800 a lot going on. No, no, you forgot my birthday. Oh, 0:16:48.800 --> 0:16:51.840 you want to say that? And you have a whole 0:16:51.840 --> 0:16:56.840 filing cabinet that you pull out during argument times. Let 0:16:56.840 --> 0:17:01.920 me tell you, God, He has an even more in-depth 0:17:01.920 --> 0:17:05.720 filing cabinet, but he's closed it. He locks it and 0:17:05.720 --> 0:17:11.800 he chooses not to remember it anymore. It's wiped. It's clean. 0:17:11.960 --> 0:17:19.960 It's done. And I want you to remember that because, man, 0:17:19.960 --> 0:17:22.520 I run into some some guys here that I, I mean, 0:17:22.520 --> 0:17:26.240 I met him before. They were believers before their BC days. 0:17:26.640 --> 0:17:29.560 And so when they introduced me, they, you know, I 0:17:29.560 --> 0:17:32.440 know them with their street name. And then after a while, 0:17:32.440 --> 0:17:35.679 what I've discovered is they, they change their name because 0:17:35.680 --> 0:17:38.359 they don't want to be associated with the street name anymore. 0:17:38.560 --> 0:17:40.439 And so I still remember I still call them by 0:17:40.440 --> 0:17:42.920 their street name when I pastor. It's not that anymore. 0:17:42.920 --> 0:17:44.920 Now I'm. And they gave me their new name, their 0:17:44.920 --> 0:17:47.760 new identity. And I think that's so cool because it's 0:17:47.800 --> 0:17:52.080 they're they're saying that's who I was, but but that's 0:17:52.080 --> 0:17:55.520 not who I am anymore. I have a new identity. 0:17:55.520 --> 0:17:57.760 I have a new calling. I have a new sense 0:17:57.760 --> 0:18:01.090 of who I am. That's the old. Here's the new. 0:18:01.970 --> 0:18:11.010 And so I believe that some of us have been cleansed, washed, forgiven, 0:18:12.090 --> 0:18:16.730 but we still act as though we're under condemnation. We 0:18:16.730 --> 0:18:19.690 still act as though we're guilty. We still act as 0:18:19.690 --> 0:18:23.210 though our sin is still condemning us. And I want 0:18:23.250 --> 0:18:26.330 to say, take on your new identity. You're a son 0:18:26.330 --> 0:18:28.649 or daughter of the Most High God, and when you 0:18:28.690 --> 0:18:31.930 come before God, you're not who you were. When God 0:18:31.930 --> 0:18:34.489 looks at you, he sees you through Jesus Christ, and 0:18:34.490 --> 0:18:38.890 you have the righteousness of Jesus imputed upon you. And 0:18:38.890 --> 0:18:43.090 so when God sees you, he sees son. He sees daughter. 0:18:43.090 --> 0:18:50.209 He doesn't see alcoholic, divorced, liar, cheater, failure. That's not 0:18:50.250 --> 0:18:54.570 who God sees. God sees clean son, daughter of the 0:18:54.570 --> 0:19:01.460 Most High God. That is your identity in God. So 0:19:01.460 --> 0:19:05.020 how do we release people? So if you know that 0:19:05.020 --> 0:19:10.220 today there's unforgiveness in your heart, if you sense that 0:19:10.220 --> 0:19:13.140 as I've been speaking, there's a name or 2 or 0:19:13.140 --> 0:19:18.620 3 that pop up. If you've diagnosed yourself and realized, 0:19:18.780 --> 0:19:23.820 I don't have joy because I'm grieving the spirit, and 0:19:23.820 --> 0:19:27.740 I'm tired of having my head trapped between the bars 0:19:27.740 --> 0:19:36.260 of unforgiveness. Then here's your action. Step number one you 0:19:36.260 --> 0:19:43.859 need to confess and repent. Confess means that I agree 0:19:43.859 --> 0:19:47.820 with God about the fact that there is unforgiveness in 0:19:47.820 --> 0:19:55.420 my heart. I have to tell God God I have unforgiveness, bitterness, resentment. 0:19:56.460 --> 0:20:01.899 It's there. It's in the crevice of my heart. It's 0:20:01.900 --> 0:20:05.460 poison in my soul. And I have to acknowledge and 0:20:05.460 --> 0:20:11.700 admit before you, God, that it's there. Secondly, it's not 0:20:11.700 --> 0:20:15.820 enough to confess it. You have to repent of it. 0:20:15.859 --> 0:20:19.820 Repentance means that I'm willing to deal with it, that 0:20:19.820 --> 0:20:22.580 I don't want it there anymore. I'm willing to go 0:20:22.580 --> 0:20:24.780 to the hard places and say, God, take it out 0:20:24.820 --> 0:20:27.139 of my heart because I don't want to. I'm turning 0:20:27.140 --> 0:20:29.580 away from it. This is not what I want within 0:20:29.580 --> 0:20:35.900 my soul. It means that you recognize the unforgiveness. You 0:20:35.900 --> 0:20:40.140 stop excusing it. You agree with God that that's not 0:20:40.180 --> 0:20:44.980 what you want. And then secondly, and lastly, you need 0:20:44.980 --> 0:20:50.899 to choose the action of forgiving and releasing the person 0:20:51.100 --> 0:20:55.100 that is hurt or offended you. You say, well, pastor, 0:20:55.100 --> 0:20:56.820 I want to. I just don't feel it. You don't 0:20:56.820 --> 0:21:03.980 have to feel anything. Obedience isn't driven by feeling. Obedience 0:21:03.980 --> 0:21:10.860 is driven by obedience. The feelings come afterwards. And so 0:21:11.460 --> 0:21:14.580 some of you are confusing a feeling of forgiveness with 0:21:14.580 --> 0:21:19.660 the act of forgiveness. I need to take the action 0:21:19.660 --> 0:21:25.100 of saying, God, I have held this person in debtors prison. 0:21:26.140 --> 0:21:28.260 They have hurt me. And so I felt like you 0:21:28.260 --> 0:21:32.700 owed me this. I'm angry, resentful, bitter against what you've 0:21:32.700 --> 0:21:38.860 done because it it hurt me so bad. Forgiveness is 0:21:38.859 --> 0:21:42.420 saying it did hurt me. It was bad. I've had 0:21:42.420 --> 0:21:46.020 to overcome it. It's taken a long time. But I 0:21:46.060 --> 0:21:50.980 no longer hold you in debtors prison. I open up 0:21:50.980 --> 0:21:54.220 the door, debtor's prison and I release you from it. 0:21:54.220 --> 0:21:56.900 I release you from the payment that I felt like 0:21:56.900 --> 0:22:00.030 you owed me. And I'll say you owe me nothing, 0:22:00.030 --> 0:22:03.030 I release you. Not because you deserve it, but because 0:22:03.070 --> 0:22:06.510 God has forgiven me. I want nothing in my soul 0:22:06.670 --> 0:22:10.270 that contaminates my heart. And so I set you free. 0:22:10.430 --> 0:22:14.470 You now owe me nothing, and I. I demand no 0:22:14.630 --> 0:22:19.149 emotional payment or suffering on my part from you. I've 0:22:19.150 --> 0:22:23.950 released you and there is a declaration. There is a verbal. 0:22:24.310 --> 0:22:28.389 I release this person from what they've done. You. You 0:22:28.430 --> 0:22:31.390 say it before God. You say, God, help me to 0:22:31.430 --> 0:22:34.709 walk in that forgiveness. Because oftentimes if you still have 0:22:34.710 --> 0:22:38.030 a relationship with that person, every time they say something 0:22:38.030 --> 0:22:40.150 or something else comes up, it feels like you have 0:22:40.150 --> 0:22:42.910 to release them again and again and again. Some of you, 0:22:42.910 --> 0:22:44.830 these people are dead and gone, and you may need 0:22:44.830 --> 0:22:47.429 to release them even though they're dead and gone. But 0:22:47.430 --> 0:22:50.870 there is a necessity if you're going to move forward 0:22:50.869 --> 0:22:56.710 in the joy of God, that you forgive those that 0:22:56.710 --> 0:22:57.550 have hurt you. 0:23:03.550 --> 0:23:06.630 You're listening to Bold Steps with our Bible teacher, Mark Jobe. 0:23:06.869 --> 0:23:09.710 Today's message on the trap of unforgiveness can be found 0:23:09.710 --> 0:23:12.950 in shared any time by going to our website, Bold Steps. 0:23:14.310 --> 0:23:16.710 Now Mark, next time we'll hear a message titled The 0:23:16.710 --> 0:23:19.550 Power of the blessing as we head into Father's Day weekend. 0:23:19.590 --> 0:23:23.230 Yeah, Father's Day weekend is right around the corner, and 0:23:23.350 --> 0:23:26.630 I have a little tradition at our church. We've been 0:23:26.630 --> 0:23:29.750 doing it for probably the last five years or so. 0:23:30.230 --> 0:23:33.350 We actually I preach with my son Josiah. Some of 0:23:33.350 --> 0:23:36.830 our listeners know that my son is graduate from Moody 0:23:36.830 --> 0:23:39.390 Bible Institute, by the way, and him and I preach 0:23:39.390 --> 0:23:43.430 together on this topic of Father's Day. That's great. And 0:23:43.470 --> 0:23:48.149 it's great to have a multi-generational perspective. And when I 0:23:48.150 --> 0:23:51.909 first started to do this, he was not a father, 0:23:51.910 --> 0:23:53.710 but now he has three boys. 0:23:53.750 --> 0:23:56.389 Oh, he's so much wiser now. Oh, yeah. Three under. 0:23:56.390 --> 0:24:01.000 Three. So now it's not just theory. Now it's reality. 0:24:01.119 --> 0:24:04.440 Well, the message is called The Power of the blessing. And, uh, 0:24:04.480 --> 0:24:07.560 team taught by Mark and Josiah Jobe. So that'll be 0:24:07.560 --> 0:24:10.080 fun to hear on bold steps. Uh, Mark, while you're here, 0:24:10.080 --> 0:24:12.080 something else I'd like to share with our listeners is 0:24:12.080 --> 0:24:14.560 how this month, only when they give to bold steps, 0:24:14.560 --> 0:24:16.200 we'll be happy to send a copy of our bold 0:24:16.200 --> 0:24:18.240 step gift. Lies, boys. Believe. 0:24:18.280 --> 0:24:21.360 Yes. So if you're raising boys right now, especially between 0:24:21.359 --> 0:24:25.000 the ages of 8 to 12, you have the great 0:24:25.040 --> 0:24:28.960 responsibility and privilege to speak into their life and identity. 0:24:29.320 --> 0:24:32.200 A lot of boys these days are being pumped with 0:24:32.200 --> 0:24:36.680 a lot of lies, and so lies. Boys believe. I 0:24:36.680 --> 0:24:39.720 think if you're a parent raising boys right now, this 0:24:39.720 --> 0:24:40.879 would be a great book. 0:24:40.920 --> 0:24:41.800 Or a grandparent. 0:24:41.840 --> 0:24:43.680 Yes, or a grandparent as well. 0:24:43.680 --> 0:24:47.399 And unlike traditional books that may not hold a boy's attention, Lies, 0:24:47.440 --> 0:24:50.800 Boys believe, is specifically designed with young men in mind, 0:24:51.040 --> 0:24:54.399 filled with engaging illustrations. And there are some fun puzzles, 0:24:54.400 --> 0:24:58.400 interactive challenges, and graphic elements that appeal to boys visual 0:24:58.400 --> 0:25:02.080 learning style. This book makes discovering truth and adventure rather 0:25:02.080 --> 0:25:05.320 than a chore. This thoughtfully crafted, bold step gift will 0:25:05.320 --> 0:25:09.840 keep boys engaged while imparting life changing biblical wisdom. And today, 0:25:09.840 --> 0:25:12.000 we'd love to send you a copy when you give 0:25:12.000 --> 0:25:14.800 a gift to support this ministry. Just go to Bold 0:25:14.800 --> 0:25:23.919 Steps org or call us at 800. That's (800) 356-6639. You 0:25:23.920 --> 0:25:25.959 can also send your gift in the mail and request 0:25:25.960 --> 0:25:29.440 the book. Write to us at bold steps. 820 North 0:25:29.440 --> 0:25:35.520 LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois 606 ten. I'm Wayne Shepherd, inviting 0:25:35.520 --> 0:25:37.400 you to join us again tomorrow for the beginning of 0:25:37.400 --> 0:25:40.920 Mark's lesson called The Power of the blessing. Don't miss 0:25:40.920 --> 0:25:44.520 this special Father's Day message coming up Thursday on Bold 0:25:44.520 --> 0:25:48.719 Steps with Mark John. Bold steps is a production of 0:25:48.760 --> 0:25:52.000 Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.