FOURTH "DIMENSION" FORGIVENESS
June 17, 2007
3 of 3
Mike Matijevich
mmatevich@aol.com

Intro:
Talking about forgiveness… story of the bench.
* Today forgiveness more about your FUTURE than your past.
* For our future to FLOURISH we have to make PEACE with our past.
* Week #1 learned - Unleashing forgiveness is UNNATURAL! (leash on the bench)
- Mess on me I want to hold the grudge- get you back. (Make them pay!)
- Someone messed you up - a coach, teacher, parent, friend, business partner… on your BENCH.
* Week #2 learned- Unleashing forgiveness is unbelievable.
A. God wants us to- for the benefits, emotional, relational, physically, spiritually.
B. Love binds people together & unforgiveness binds people together.
Note: Show me a person hooked up to unforgiveness; harboring their hurt & enjoys their hurt, animosity toward that person- maybe the ONLY connection between them, and they control my life.

*** Today unleashing forgiveness in UNENDING!!!
- I am told by God that I should live in a STATE of FORGIVENESS. (Can't do it naturally)
But I can do it if I can live in a dimension that is beyond ours. (4th dimension SUPERNATURAL)

* What happens when I don't forgive people?
* When I harbor unforgiveness? I give the leash to them- & they control my life!
1. I blow my fellowship with God… [see the principle]
Mt 6:15; Eph 4:29-32 "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. 4:31 Let all bitterness (poison), and wrath (passion/attitude), and anger (reaching forth with excitement), and clamour (outcry), and evil speaking (vilification, "blaspheme"), be put away from you, with all malice (a disposition to injury others): 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."
* These 5 things are directed toward others…
NT example 2Co 2:7-11; 2:11 Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices."

2. I become a selfish person - when I harbor unforgiveness (totally guts the generosity that God wants)

3. Harboring unforgiveness (people sitting on my bench) will level love I should have for other people!
Col 3:13,14
Note: Instead of saying, "Why did they do this to me." We should be saying, "Why am I doing this to myself?"

Note: When I harbor a hurt- & I am leashed to this bench, I like to share my hurts with others…
- I like to play the VICTIM. "Can you believe what they did to me?"
- All the energy we use when we replay the "hurt" done unto me.
* What we are doing when we don't forgive - we are putting the leash in the Devils hand.
Eph. 4:26-27
* Be angry (at the things God is mad at)
* Don't let the sun go down on your wrath because you will forget the source of your anger.
Then you'll want to change mates, partners, location to solve you source of anger.
* Illustration: I'm in a car wreck, my leg hurt me on the side of the road, ambulance comes and I tell them to just take me to another place & it will be alright.
4:27 Neither give place to the devil."
* Who gives place to the devil? WE DO! When we harbor a hurt, unforgivenenss.
* Here is the leash just come in and control my life.
*** The thing that keeps most Christians from EXPERIENCING the freedom God desires is this thing called UNFORGIVENESS.
* If I was Satan I would try to infiltrate their lives & mess them up.
We give him a FOOTHOLD & then it becomes a STRONGHOLD (base of enemy operations)… from there he can put us in s CHOKE HOLD.
*** Unforgiveness is unforgiving!
Life is too short for that. We will miss the best God has for us.

* What do I need do Mike? You need to live in the 4th dimension the land of forgiveness…
* There are four things we need to do TODAY…
1. Differ to God- this forgiveness thing is from you so since I have been greatly forgiven I will forgive _______. John 20:22-23 "??????
2. Decide to take the initiative. (God gives us the grace to do it but we have the choice to do it.)
Rom 12:18 "If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men."
3. Disengage from your emotions. (I just don't feel like forgiving, do you?)
Gal 5:23 "fruit of the spirit" one of the 9 is temperance (self-control) "feelings" are NOT the answer.
Isa 43:25 "I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins." (Not just forgetting, but choosing to forgive)
4. Deliver your enemies to God - Lk 6:27-28 :love your enemies… pray for those that despitefully use you…"

*** Three groups of people to do this
(1) Those closest
(2) Those in authority
(3) Peers

Ask you one more question… who is on your bench that you need to forgive?
- DO it so you will be freed to walk "in newness of life."