Start your day everyday by saying, “I am forgiven!” Therefore, I forgive you! This truth needs to be reverberating around the world! Go into all the world and preach! Most things Jesus said we agree with. However, it is difficult to live out everyday! Forgive? Seven times? Seventy seven times? We are always forgiven! So why keep score every time you are offended? There are some misconceptions about forgiveness. Some pretend nothing has happened? It is called living on the Egyptian River of denial! Part of the healing process is talking about hurts and pains especially in marriage. Why bring up the past? Maybe so we can talk about it so it does not happen again! Not to shame us but remind us of our failures and need to forgive! Dynamite is compressed tightly together so you get a big bang with very little of it! If we compress our hurts inside of us one day we will explode! The explosion could destroy your marriage! The pain of not talking about it is far worse than everyone knowing about it! It is medicinal to talk about it. Years ago I had a Pastor who was very good from the pulpit but very different away from the pulpit! He was abusive to us and we thought about getting out of the ministry! We left the church and moved to Texas. Forgiving him was difficult and we were counseled to write a letter to him in detail and ask God to Bless his life and ministry! I did write the letter several times and tore the letter up and threw in the trash several times! As I wrote the letter several times the pain within me began to be released! After we forgive do we need to trust again? Violation of trust is a big deal! It is painful! It has harmed us and we want to retaliate! Forgiveness and trust is different. We wish the best for the offender but to trust again? Can trust be earned back? It is very difficult! To earn trust back we must do the right things for the right reasons for a very long time! Here is a visual example. Trust is earned one drop at a time but can be spilled out in one bucket. Don’t kick the bucket over! It takes a long time to fill again! We forgive and do not want bitterness towards someone. They do not owe us! The debt has been cancelled! We tore up the judgments! We do not expect an apology! We have torn up the bill of sale
! Acts 7:59-60 Stephen was stoned! Since Colorado has legalized pot some young new members of our church got the wrong idea when I said stoned? I got nods and approval from them then realized the problem! I explained the stoned is a rock! Forgive us our debts and forgive our debtors. Father forgive them was one of those seven sayings Jesus said on the Cross. Stephen said forgive and receive my spirit! How could he say this? Stephen knew he was forgiven! Do not hold sin against others! They do not owe you anything! This is the beautiful explanation of the Remarkable Christian Faith! This sets Christianity apart from every other religion! No Jihad here! We express forgiveness! Christianity has broken through the dark clouds of war! If you forgive much much is forgiven! People who hold judgments forget they are forgiven! We can never forgive more than God does! They do not owe me anything but not an excuse for bad behavior! When we forgive then they do not own us! 1 Peter 2:23-24 Retaliation? They said something about us that was not true? When their ownership of you gets released you get free space in your brain! You now have more capacity! Fill up the spare room with the mind of Christ! Our response shows us whether we have forgiven or not? Deism is one of the oldest religions around. Deism says God exists but is not active in the earth. A big God is not interested in what is going on. So since God is inactive I must act and do His job for Him! God understands who I am and do not have to defend myself! No one owns me or owes me! Leave space for God! Let God set things right! Do you trust God to leave it to Him? If you wrestle with schemes in your mind to defend yourself then they own you! How do I know our dog belongs to us? When you call him by name he responds! If you are owned by someone then they push your buttons to get a response! If God has forgiven you then who can accuse you? Jesus did not retaliate! It is so hard to wait to be seated in a nice restaurant! They hand you this buzzer and you wait and watch people sip tea and enter into senseless conversations while you are starving! They came in the same door some enjoying the good food and others suffering waiting to be served! The same door that allows God’s forgiveness into our heart is the same door that allows un-forgiveness out! Do not be a hostage to un-forgiveness! The tables are filled with people you may not like! Accept the invitation from Jesus at His table as you share God’s mercy with others who are forgiven just like you! Spend the rest of your life serving others! Pastor Brady Boyd, New Life Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Tag: forgive
The Doctrine of Estrangement! 1 Peter 2:9
We are a peculiar people! Peculiar meaning we have reached a point or place in time where we have found purpose in God together! Notice not a peculiar person but people. People meaning a mass of humanity of all nations joined together in one purpose. We belong to a nation of people. We are a chosen people by God through Christ to minister and serve others. His church is a proclaiming community! We are organized to take care of others. As citizens of Heaven we seek the peace of the city we live in. Start a good work where you are. Bloom where you are planted. Seek to help the most vulnerable of our culture. Paul sought to free a slave. We are not to Lord over others in our family and community but demonstrate love in our marriage and family! Wives are to submit to their husband and the husband is to protect his wife. There is strength in kindness! If you have to be told you are a leader you are not! The way you are is the way you tell your story to the world. You proclaim what you are. Sin has and is causing estrangement in our world. The cultural wars of divorce, untraditional marriage, drugs, crime and corruption at all levels lead the way to estrangement in our nation! In the Book of Genesis we see creation of the world and man. Everything started out right but sin caused Adam and Eve to blame God and each other. Sin has caused us to run and hide from God and each other. It became finger pointing! She made me do it! The Devil made me do it! In Genesis chapter 11 we see the Tower of Babel where men wanted to make a name for themselves! Sound familiar? The unity here resulted in man wanting to build his own kingdom! Man has unified against God throughout history! God divided the languages and confused the people. This lead to tribalism, separation, violence and a fragmented society. So what was God’s solution? To send His Son Christ into the world! In Ephesians chapter 2 we see God putting to death separation and estrangement. He instituted the resurrected life! In Acts chapter 2 at Pentecost 120 people speaking different languages but understanding each other. One language became many and then many languages became one! Many people became a peculiar people. The Holy Spirit is joining together many people for one purpose! God reverses estrangement! Why are we a peculiar people? The church is a community within where the Holy Spirit reverses all previous estrangements! We are a eschatological community! God’s first intent consummates in the church! In Revelation chapter 5 and chapter 7 every nation and people group comes back together again! At the end of the day we win together! In Revelation chapter 21 we see no more death and a new Heaven and earth living in peace and joy. Heaven and earth become one just as we say in our Lord’s prayer! Two become one. If we know the end then we can make the right choices and do the right thing now! Start today. We are called to live and die for one another! If we as His church do the right thing today then Jesus will have little to do when He returns! The word, “Apocalypse” is used 18 times in the New Testament. To most of the world it means the end of the world. The word in the Greek translates; disclosure, revelation, enlightenment and manifestation. Romans 8:19— creation itself is groaning for redemption of the earth through storms, earthquakes and other events. The world is waiting for the Apocalyptical church and our Christ to return! We are a chosen people and a royal priesthood! As we take communion this morning do you feel estranged from God and others? Jesus paid the price on the Cross to bring us together. Jesus poured out His blood for you! In estrangement Cain slew Abel and his blood cried out from the ground for redemption! Murder is the last act of estrangement but Jesus laid down His life as a sacrifice on the Cross for you! The marriage supper of the Lamb is waiting for you and me as described in Revelation. The differences we have is removed by God in unity with Him! It is joyful in Heaven and not sorrowful! God is inviting you back to Heaven this morning! We cannot hold bitterness. We cannot drink the poison and expect others to die! We have through Christ the power to forgive! Come to His altar now and experience the ending of separation between you and God and man! Source: Pastor Daniel Grothe, New Life Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado. Message given on Sunday June 8, 2014.
Love Always!
People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway. If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway. What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway. If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway. The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway. Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway. In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway. Source; Mother Teresa, Calcutta, India.
Can God Forgive Every Sin? Mark 3:28-29
God can do about everything except sin! God can forgive every sin except one! God can forgive murder, adultery, genocide, stealing and some blasphemies. But God cannot forgive blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Blasphemy means the evil speaking of God Himself! It is slandering and reviling God. It is insulting and reproaching God. When I hear people use the G.D. word I flee from them as quick as possible! I use the God Bless word! Most people do not understand the meaning of blasphemy and the Holy Spirit. If the Holy Spirit is not dwelling in them they have no witness! An important Person of the Trinity he goes back all the way to the First Chapter of Genesis and was active in creation. The Holy Spirit pre-existed creation along with Christ and the Father. Remember Jesus told his disciples just before his ascension to wait for the Holy Spirit! The Holy Spirit came upon Mary and birthed Jesus the Son of God into the earth as man and God! The Jewish scribes teachers of the Law accused Jesus success in casting out demons was due to Jesus being Beelzebub the chief of the devils! So the scribes were attributing the work of God to the work of Satan! I may not agree with every ministry and of every interpretation of scripture but I will never attribute any ministries work to the work of Satan! As my Pastor Brady Boyd says,”I am not here to win an argument but to show people the love of God!” Just be aware of the one sin that God will not forgive! Thankyou. James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
What Happened To Jesus’ Prosecutors? Easter 2014
1. Judas Iscariot- Hung himself 2. Pontius Pilot- Married the daughter of Emperor Tiberius. He was ordered back to Rome after harshly supporting a Samaritan uprising after the death of Tiberius which occurred on March 16, in 37 A.D. He was replaced by Marcelus who the new Roman Emperor installed. The new Roman Emperor Caligula (37-41 A.D.), exiled Pilot to Gaul and Pilot committed suicide in Vienne. 3. Herod the Great- Murdered the infants of Bethlehem trying to get Jesus. He murdered one of his wives and several family members. Afraid no one would mourn his funeral he ordered distinguished people of the culture to be executed on the day of his death so people would mourn! Josephus the noted Jewish historian said Herod suffered an excruciating death! He suffered from Founier’s Gangrene (Rotting of his testicles), severe itching, intestinal pain, shortness of breath, convulsions, raging fever, tumors of the feet, inflamed abdomen and severe kidney disease. 4. Herod Agrippa- The grandson of Herod the Great. He was eaten by worms in 44 A.D. 5. Tiberius Caesar- Murdered in Capri in 37 A.D. Killed at the hands of the Prefect of the Praetorian Guard Nevis Sutorius Macor with the help of his successor Emperor Caligula. 6. Saint Claudia Procks of Judea- Pilot’s wife became a revered Saint of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Remember she warned Pilot after a dream not to have anything to do with Jesus. Some say the dream was from Satan to spare Christ from the Cross and the redemption of man. 7. Joseph Caiaphas (High Priest)- Remember the High Priest was appointed by the Roman governor. Remember Caiaphas said it is expedient that one man should die for the people. A new governor Proconsul Vitellius deposed Caiaphas from his position as High Priest. 8. Annas (High Priest)- He was the son-in-law of Caiaphas. He was deposed by Procurator Gratus. Annas was assassinated in 66 A.D. Comments: What would Jesus do? Father forgive them for they know not what they do! The same applies to all of us today. Thank you. James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Church In The City (Lesson 3) 1 Corinthians 3: 6-11
Paul wrote this letter to Corinth from Ephesus. By comparison today’s culture in America looks like Disney World compared to Corinth and Ephesus! God raises up a group of people to follow Jesus in a wicked culture. Let His light shine through you in the midst of a dark world. World history boils down to God looking for a group of people to follow Jesus! Do not get missed! The only one to change the world for good is Jesus Christ. The power of God and His Holy Spirit works through people. We need to improve in our relationships with our marriage, parenting, jobs and all other social relationships. Paul reminds us we need to improve! There are two principles involved in the process of improvement. Paul sends a troubleshooter named Apollos to Corinth. Apollos was from Alexandria Egypt. He was a scholar just like Paul. Apollos had bright shiny new ideas! Whether Paul or Apollos God causes things to grow. Man plants and waters but God gives the increase! We are God’s building. Be careful how you build. We are all building. We are either growing or diminishing. Our foundation has to be Jesus Christ. Planting is difficult! God comes to us and puts his spotlight on us. He zeroes in on our issues! Sometimes we feel like we are being picked on! Seems like God is disrupting our plans. Our ground is unfallowed and hard so God plows up our soil of our heart and removes the hardness so something can grow. Planting is done one or two times a year. As we as a church work through our 21 day fast and prayer period God shines His light on us and shows us where the changes are needed. God wants to uproot our unfruitful work. He wants to make the soil of our heart fertile and productive. There is a season to plant then God waters and a harvest comes. Watering is a determined work. God showers us with His Grace. He encourages us and strengthens us with His Mercy! His Mercies are new everyday! God will finish the work He has started in you. His work redeems us. Man’s work is never done but God’s work as Jesus said on the Cross, ” It is Finished!” His light pushes back the darkness. We have seasons of difficulty but God is determined to water us. God gives us a good crop with increase! We need to know which season of life we are in. Ecclesiates Chapter 3 says there is a time for everything! Look for times to speak encouragement to your spouse and you children. Window’s of opportunity come and go. If you think you are going to fix your spouse you are a train wreck waiting to happen! Parenting seasons change as children grow up. There are many voices out there in the world. Love is lacking when you are always laying down the law! Cheer on your family and encourage them. The Bible over 5000 years ago in Deuteronomy Chapter 6 tells us the best time to speak to our children. The two times they are most apt to listen to you are when they wake up and when they prepare for bed. They used to say the Brady’s are good when they sleep. Let your children make all their mistakes at home! Water the work God is doing in their lives. Plant-water, Plant-water, instruct-encourage, instruct-encourage. Know your strengths! Speak the truth in love. Learn to balance. Life is lived between the extremes. Learn from one another. Know the soil of your heart. Be quick to forgive. You cannot give away what you do not have! You will reap what you sow. Forgive and receive forgiveness. Recognize the soil of your heart. People treat other people the way they think God treats them. How does God treat you? Is God mean? Unforgiving? Do you believe God has forgiven you? Forgive others as God has forgiven you. We are not naturally kind. We are self-protective and defensive. But God has changed this for us. Now He has given us forgiveness and love. Know the season, your soil, your strengths and how you are wired. You can impact the world if you allow God to change you. Paul left about 35-50 people in Corinth out of a city of over a million people. It is a long story how I got to New Life Church! Back in 2007 I was ministering in Dallas Texas. God spoke to me that He was moving me! I thought about some churches i would like to go too. Where Lord? When Lord? I had some desires but God had a different idea. God told me I am going to send you to a church that is already planted and you are going to water it. We got to New Life Church in 2007 and 100 days later we had a shooting at our church. Darkness will never overshadow those in Christ! The scripture that most strengthened me is 1 Corinthians Chapter 3. God brought our marriage together and our children and He will bring our Church family together. Since 2007 God has done a miraculous work here at New Life Church reaching to the ends of the earth! God gets the Glory! What God has started He will finish! Get your soil right and God will water you and make you grow! Source; Message given by Pastor Brady Boyd at New Life Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado. Message given Sunday January 19, 2014.
The Respectful Are Respected! 1 Timothy 5:1-4
Instructions from God for a good outcome in your life! Respect elders. Encourage elders. Treat the younger as your brothers and sisters. Care for widows. What happens inside our homes counts! Important! The Christian home is the alternative community that is opposite to the dark, broken dysfunctional world that we live in. Politicians just reflect our broken culture. Church should be different. Debt free and living for others! Live more responsible with more to give away! Problem is the world does not see us any different from them. Just reminds them of themselves and what they hate. We must reinvent a new way of living. When the Church lives most unlike the world it has it’s greatest impact of reaching the world for Christ. Honor those in front of us. The older are farther along and have met things we have not. Wisdom comes from God and through time! Remember the word time means “to honor.” Old is gold. American culture spends between 90-100 Billion dollars each year for anti-aging gimmicks. Hopeless and expensive ways to try to stay young. The Bible teaches that grey hair is a gift from God. The elderly have great opportunities to help the younger. Many of the young today do not know how to ask questions. Be responsible to help widows. Seek out widows in need. John 19:25-27. Take care of your mother. With all the suffering and pain of the Cross and near death Jesus thought about his mother. A disciple took her from the execution place to care for her in his home. Why did not James take care of her? Mary was also his mother. If you read Acts Chapter 12 you will see James was killed a short time later. Joseph her husband had already passed away. Mary was vulnerable and Jesus saw it. John was the older disciple. Take care of a widow not related to you. James 1:27. Pure religion is to take care of widows and orphans and to keep your heart pure. Be family for them. Do 3 things. Find a widow. Look for them. Find, love and serve them. If you do you will come back here one year later and be a changed person. Joy and peace will enter into you. Honor your parents. Repay your parents. Practice your religion. Look not at them as a burden. Ask them how you can help them. Problem is not all parents are honorable. You could have had dysfunctional and abusive parents. Romans 12:17-18. Repay evil for evil? No! Do not become who you hate! Live at peace with everyone. Forgive. Break the cycle of family violence. Honor parents who are not honorable. Ephesians 6:2. Honor your Father and Mother and life will go well with you. The peace of God will accompany obedience. As a parent myself I do not always get it right. Neither will you. You get one shot in life at parenting. Parents work hard and then kids are gone. When we forgive we give away what we get back. Parents do the best they can at the time. Would we do differently if we could do over again? Yes. God gives us His Grace! Source; Pastor Brady Boyd, New Life Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado. Message given on Sunday, October 13, 2013. Thankyou. James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
The Trinity of God’s Grid!
God’s grid includes God’s relationship to us. It also includes our relationship to God. Then the outflow of these first two parts is our relationship with each other! This is sometimes messy but important. The local church is the alternative relationship not found in the world. Our behavior is different which includes love and forgiveness. When you operate under God’s love relationships are maintained. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12. In the phrase,”a threefold cord is not quickly broken,” it is clear that Solomon is pointing out the advantages of companionship. Moreover, he presents this illustration to show how God’s mercy provides help to those who depend on Him. Solomon explains further by examples how this concept of companionship is beneficial. He shows that there are definite advantages of working together. He also reveals how terrible the circumstances would be if one had to face adversity alone. Two is better than one! Adam was given Eve! Learn to be a better friend. The alternative society has love and respect for each other. Two can defend each other. A three stranded cord is not easily broken. Notice how God set up His Kingdom with a Trinity! How we treat each other is a witness to Jesus. Do we really love each other? Satan is the great divider! He tries to isolate us all alone in broken relationships. Do we use each other for gain? His Church gives without expecting a return! We can even be isolated and alone in a Church. You can live in a city such as New York with millions of people around you but yet be lonely! Reasons for loneliness; 1. Hurt or betrayed by someone. 2. Too busy to invest in friendships. 3. Mental clock keeps ticking with deadlines to be met. 4. Not wired to be friendly. Bashful or introverted. 5. Do not know how to make a friend. Proverbs 11:– A Gossip ! Good friends keep a secret! However, remember the strength of sin is it’s secrecy! That is why we are to confess our sin and repent. Do not hide things that are illegal. Even in the church culture people are betrayed by using prayer requests as a way to gossip about others. A good friend covers the spots of his friend. Remember our sin is covered by His Blood! You are not a good friend if someone else has to lose in order for you to gain! A good friend will confront you about bad behavior. A friend will not enable another friend for bad behavior. Confront or otherwise both will lose. We are not here to win arguments but have loving relationships. Explain to your friend this is what you did and this is how I feel about it. Do not let sun go down on your wrath! If you are married and not friends you have a problem.In searching for a marriage partner look for a friend! Romance will not last! Good friends stay close to each other even through valley of shadow of death! I found out my real friends after the tragic shooting we had in our church a few years ago. Good friends forgive. Live in community. People are not always like Jesus in the church. Be quick to forgive. Luke 17:3-4. Repent and forgive! Confront or be confronted and forgive. Do not imagine and rehearse confrontational conversations with people who have offended you. Waste of time! Talk to God about problem. Source; Pastor Brady Boyd, New Life Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado. message given on Sunday, September 29, 2013.
Most Misinterpreted Scripture In the Bible! Matthew 7:1
A poll was taken among unbelievers and they were asked what word comes to their minds when they hear the word, “Evangelical Christian.” A overwhelming majority said the word that comes to their mind is; “Judgmental.” Most of them quote Matthew 7:1 to support their views. What is lacking here is for them to read the rest of chapter 7. It is always easier to be critical of others sin than our own sin. We treat others sin different from our own. There is a big difference between judging and evaluating someone. We get discernment from God’s Word! The Greek word used for judgment in verse one is the word,”Krima.” It means to judge, condemn and execute. Like Jesus was given at Calvary. We can say something is wrong without judging. We can take a moral stand without being a jerk. We need not be evaluator and chief. We do need to draw the line on impure thoughts and actions. Cool parents are bad parents! You are not your children’s best friends but you are in authority over them and responsible to God for them! We set boundaries in our family for their safety. Judgmental people are constant fault finders. They think your problems are because God is out to get you for your faults. They are always looking for the wrong and not what is right. They always remind others of their past mistakes. We all have flaws and need Christ. Following are a list of opposites judgment verses evaluate; Judge-emotional anger. Evaluate-restore them (kindness). Judge-Pride (better than you). Evaluate-I want to help (Grace). Judge-stay away (fear). Evaluate-restore them (Kingdom). Verse 2- Same way be judged. Give-away get back. Forgive-forgiven. Heal-healing. Pour out Grace abundantly! John 8:3-6. Woman caught in adultery. What did Jesus write on the ground? No one knows? Maybe the names of the ladies the Pharisee’s were seeing? They knew all about the law yet guilty. Older left first. Why? Maybe more to remember? Sometimes when we get older we forget how broken we were before we came to Christ. Don’t get over your salvation! Where are your accusers? Jesus asked her to leave her sin and stop it. Jesus gives us an invitation to take up our Cross and follow Him. We want to pray for two groups this morning. The worst kind of abuse is spiritual abuse. Spiritual leaders who abuse the flock. These people are hurt the deepest. We need grace not judgment. Forgive! We need ocean’s of Grace! New way of living. Judgmental people assume the worst in people. A product does not know it’s purpose. Only the designer or creator knows a products true purpose. Find your Creator and learn your true purpose in Christ! Source; Sermon notes taken from message by Pastor Brady Boyd, New Life Church, given in Colorado Springs, Colorado on August 11, 2013. Thankyou.James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Billy Graham’s Prayer For America!
Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know your Word says, Woe to those who call evil good; but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and have reversed our values. We have: Exploited the poor and called it the lottery, rewarded laziness and called it welfare, killed our unborn and called it choice, shot abortionists and called it justifiable, neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem, abused power and called it politics, coveted our neighbor’s possessions and called it ambition, polluted the air with profanity, pornography and called it freedom of expression and ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from sin and set us free. Please come back and rule our nation, be number one in our nation. Amen! Comment; If we want to be number one as a nation above all nations then as a people and nation we must make God number one through His Christ. Thankyou. James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com