David Wilkerson was the Founding Pastor of Times Square Church in New York City. He was called to New York in 1958 to minister to gang members and drug addicts, as told in the best-selling book, The Cross and the Switchblade.
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zero zero one nine the power of
forgiveness the power of forgiveness
would you go to Matthew the fifth
chapter please I’m going to read verses
43 through 44 the fifth chapter of
Matthew verses 43 for 48 beginning at
verse 43 you have heard that it has been
said thou shalt love thy neighbor and
hate the enemy but I sent you love your
enemies bless them that curse you do
good to them to hate you pray for them
which despitefully use you and persecute
you that you may be the children of your
father which is in heaven for he makes
the Sun to shine to rise on the evil and
on the good he sends rain on the just
and on the unjust for we love them which
love you if you love them that love you
what reward have you your not even the
publicans or the sinners do the same and
if you salute your brethren only what do
you more than they do not even the
publicans do so be therefore perfect
even as your father which is in heaven
it says which is perfect Heavenly Father
I pray that this message will transform
lives and that there be repentance for
those who are holding a grudge against
someone those who are living in the
spirit of unforgiveness
and let us see and understand the power
of forgiveness how it transforms our
lives and how it opens the windows of
heaven Lord I prayed that many many will
make things right and hearing the Word
of God today so bless and anoint us and
let the Holy Spirit flow through us
anoint what you have given to us in
Christ’s name I pray amen
forgiveness is not an act it’s a way of
life
you can’t pick and choose whom you’re
going to forgive you can’t say well I’ll
forgive you but you hurt me too much and
I’m not getting to you we are to forgive
all of those within our circle all of
those who come across our path over the
past 50 years of ministry I’ve seen the
devastation of unforgiveness how it
creates bitterness and how bitterness
becomes poison how it poisons not only
the individual every member of the
family everyone within the circle of
friendship everyone who knows this
poison I’ve seen it crippled people
literally physically crippled people I
saw man drop dead literally dropped dead
in in an egg in a fit a flash of
bitterness and unforgiveness it just
overwhelmed him that somebody had
reproached him somebody had done in harm
and he clenched his fist and he bent
over the desk and died I’ve seen the
devastation of this kind of thing the
spirit of unforgiveness but I’ve also
seen and I have experienced the power of
forgiveness how it opens the windows of
heaven opens every closed door I’ve seen
how it takes a full cup to a full
measure pressed down shaken and running
over I’ve seen it transform lives Harry
I talked to a woman this past week and
she was rejoicing and her testimony was
that for all her life for many many
years since she was a young lady she had
bitterness against her father who had
mistreated
for years abuse and she could not she’s
in mid AIDS now and she said buzzer I
have lived for years with this
bitterness and unforgiveness from My
Father though he’s dead and I couldn’t
and he said she said it affected
everything in my life there was no joy
there was an emptiness everything I
tried nothing worked my prayers didn’t
seem to be answered and she said I live
with this bitterness and it was mounting
but she said recently I’ve been in the
word and I’ve been convicted by the word
and what Jesus said and the commandments
of the Lord about forgiveness and she
said I gave that bitterness and that
unforgiving spirit over to the Lord and
she said I can’t tell you the joy that’s
been released in my life I have a joy I
can’t get to my father he’s gone but I
thank God because I have seen the power
of the joy of forgiveness and that came
this past week while I was praying about
this message to bring this morning now
let me get right to the point Jesus gets
very specific about this matter
forgiveness first of all and most
important there is no merit to
forgiveness well you say there has to be
mad because jesus said if I forgive
others he’ll forgive me if I don’t
forgive others he cannot forgive me let
me assure you there’s only one thing
that brings forgiveness there’s only one
power forgiveness and the only one thing
that can bring pardon to force it for
sin and that’s the blood of Jesus Christ
there is no other way this is not a
bargain God is making this is not it’s
saying to you that if you will forgive
others you balance the books and I’m
obligated to forgive you it goes much
deeper than that you have got to
understand you do not merit grace you do
not merit anything you have the windows
of heaven open to you it brings the
favor of God it changes your life and
everything around you
it removes the poison from your system
when you give it to God but it does not
guarantee you forgiveness it doesn’t
merit you don’t earn the forgiveness of
God because you forgive others full
confession of sin is the only way for
forgiveness and I’d be what Jesus is
trying to show us is the absolute
seriousness of this matter of forgiving
and what are you saying if you claim to
have confessed your sins and given your
life to Christ that you’ve held to a
spirit of unforgiveness you’re really
not my child you have not really
repented you have not come by the faith
of repentance you have not come that way
because you came to me holding on to
that unforgiving spirit so he said I
can’t forgive you because you have never
truly asked for full forgiveness I can’t
do what you refuse to cooperate with the
word about he said if you are my child
the essence of sonship that which
represents being a true son of God is
forgiving everything in your past life
asking Christ to forgive you and you in
turn asking are forgiving those that
have trespassed against you I read a
story this past week rather amusing John
Wesley was traveling from London to
America he was going to land in the
state called Georgia for crucifer
meetings and they were halfway across
the Atlantic and governor Oglethorpe it
was captaining the ship who was wealthy
man it was his ship and it come from
London and John Wesley who was the
founder of the West of the Methodist
movement heard a racket from the
captains quarter and he went up past and
the door opened and Oglethorpe was
screaming at his valet his servant and
John Wesley walked into the room and
bogel Thorpe was red and angry in had
his valet in Chains locked in Chains and
Oglethorpe turned to John Wesley and he
said I can’t forgive this man nobody has
hurt me more than this man I will never
forgive him and John Wilson said what
did he do he said well you know I like
good Cyprus wine and when we left I
loaded up with a couple dozens of the
best Cyprus wine and I just discovered
my valet drank it all and he said I will
never forgive him John Wesley said then
sir you better not sin again in your
lifetime you better not sin if I will
not forgive others you’ll not forgive me
the captain got the message and reused
his valet reluctantly so you say you
can’t forgive somebody well then don’t
sin anymore
do unto others as you would that others
do unto you
and Jesus said forgive because that is
the nature of my children you love and
you forgive Jesus said that you might be
the children of your father which is in
heaven
you forgive because that’s the nature of
sonship that’s what it is it’s a
forgiving spirit when you come to me you
come to Christ Christ as a forgiving His
mercy he is forgiveness and when you
have Christ in your life and if Christ
is to flow through you it is he is in us
a spirit a river of living water
springing up by the power of the Holy
Spirit enabling us to forgive secondly
we’re commanded to forgive our enemies I
want you go to Luke the sixth chapter
folks this is probably one of the
simplest messages all over preach but I
believe it’s important that one should
go to Luke 6
if you can see this in red-letter
hopefully to make an impact on your
spirit Luke 6 chapter verses 35 through
38 but love you your enemies is that in
your Bible would you say there’s me love
your enemies
doesn’t say your sweetheart
it doesn’t say anything I says and do
good and lend hoping for nothing again
and your reward shall be great and ye
shall be the children the highest he’s
kind unto the unthankful and to the evil
be therefore merciful as your father
also is merciful judge not you shall not
be judged
condemn not you shall not be condemned
forgiving you should be forgiven give it
to be given unto you good measure
pressed down shaken together and running
over so men give into your bosom for
over the same amazing you meet with all
it shall be measured back again unto you
the enemy as Jesus describes it and
hears his own definition of who the
enemy is those who despitefully use us
who reproach our good name who curse you
who persecute you that’s his own
definition now we have enemies in the
world we have enemies in the church and
we have enemies who are in the grave and
folks it’s important that we have this
this concept this knowledge this
knowledge that the Lord was not going to
take any excuses whatsoever when he
stands when we stand before him on the
Judgment Day I’m thinking of the hurt
caused by divorce those who were once
friends those who wants one and United
and how divorce I’ve seen it over all my
years of ministry probably and people
said divorces
worse than death worse than suffering
the loss of a loved one and the
bitterness and the rage even among
Christians the Christian divorce rate
equals that in the secular world
and the bitterness and the divorce in
many many years of counseling and
talking to those who’ve been hurt and
wounded this is what you hear you don’t
know what he did you don’t know what she
did you don’t know how he or she is
trying to destroy me I can never forgive
never what at sealing word to hear if
you only knew and then when you
understand the circumstance you hear the
story from both sides then you realize
it’s the same old story told again and
again by hundreds of thousands around
the world your story is not unique Bible
said it’s common to all men the things
that you and I go through a common to
all men but there are people there are
Christians who don’t understand have
gone through divorce so they don’t
understand why the window seemed close
to heaven and they don’t understand the
confusion they’re still in they can’t
understand that what appears a lack of
peace in their heart they don’t have
this good Masia of the blessing of God
filled press down shaking and running
over men are not giving into the bosom
as the word promises from the word of
Jesus himself but there’s that spirit of
unforgiveness I will not let go I cannot
let go I cannot forgive and if you know
and I hear that so many times you just
don’t know and that will not stand
before God on the judgment according to
God’s Word there are two aspects to
forgiveness to the Apostle
says in classes 313 forbearing one
another and forgiving one another if any
man have a quarrel against anybody even
as Christ has forgiven you so also do
you for bearing and forgiving or two
different issues for bearing is simply
this a ceasing from all acts and
thoughts of revenge
it is the absolute mortification of
every thought of revenge like gotta get
you and every time something unfortunate
something bad happens to that one that
you hold something against and something
happens a tragedy something at haha I
knew it that’s what they get oh what a
tragedy that is for the individual who
has that kind of spirit that this get
even concept that is so prevalent in the
world today Paul the Apostle says
forbearing
in other words don’t take matters in
your own hands don’t try in fact the
word for bearing itself means to put up
with and leave it alone put up with it
proverbs 29 22 22 24 29 say not I will
do also to him as he has done to me I
will render to that man according to his
work I’m going to deal with this myself
when you go into I think it’s the first
for Samuel you read the story of David
heading off in a rage with 200 soldiers
to the house of Nabal naval was a wicked
man rich man hit over 3,000 sheep and it
was sheep shearing time and David’s men
had stood week after week guarding those
sheep of course they were sentries
looking out for the enemy protecting
gave it in his camp but they never once
stole one of those sheep and David was
with his his army and with his families
and those that were following David
hidden in caves and in on the mountains
David’s people were hungry and so he
sent a few of his men to Naples camp
while they’re sharing these 3,000 sheep
and said David to enable David is asking
if you could be kind enough to spare
some sheep Nabal says who’s David he’s
just another servant he’s a slave that
ran from his master and these men go
back to David and tell him the story of
David rages I have never been so
reproached so help me I’ll get even a
David arms is men and 200 men are
heading over the hills toward nabel’s
camp in the shearing place of searing
Abigail nabel’s wife finds out about and
you know the story is very common we all
know the story Abigail gets her donkey
in some servants and loads it down with
food and intercepts David and David says
to Abigail
before morning your husband and every
man that works of them is dead and
Abigail in essence says God sent me
David to tell you not to take matters in
your own hand that God fights your
battle leave it alone
you’re going to regret you are wrapped
in the bundle of life with the Lord you
are walking in oneness with Christ
you’re in the will of God God has great
things you’re going to be king of Israel
and if you do this
you may avenge and you may feel good
about it mrs. Ness is what she’s saying
but this is going to stick with you the
rest of your life and you’re going to
regret it because you didn’t trust God
to deal with your enemies you decided to
do it yourself and you rallied these
people and you told them the story
they’re all behind you and it’s easy to
build a case for whatever your problem
may be whatever your grudge against
somebody can be you can talk all you
want to and build a case and build
people around you and they take you
aside but the moment you take it in your
hand
moment you say I’m going to avenge this
I regret the day that somebody wrote
something about me and I I got so angry
and I dictated a letter and quite a
while ago dictated it up I mean I was
going to pin him down and and sometimes
when I meant I’m pretty good at words
stinging words I’m a writer
and of course my secretary Barbara knows
that she puts it away because she knows
I’m going to call the next day and say
please don’t send that letter but I’ve
known that rage and Abigail says no
David you’re bundled up the bundle of
the Lord
don’t try to even David then is melted
and he said Lord you have pleaded the
cause of my reproach you’ve kept me from
revenge’ myself and you know the story
Nabal died a few weeks later he suddenly
removed and if you follow the story to
the end
David marries Abigail God took care of
his enemies you remember the story when
David is
in a cave and suddenly everybody’s
saying shush because here comes Saul
who’s been chasing David and he’s meant
with him and he lays right in the mouth
of the cave and David’s hiding in the
back of the cave with his men
and David’s captain turns to me said
this is God he brought your enemy right
to your feet now let’s sneak up there
and salt and his men are fast asleep
they’re at a dead sleep and his captain
said this is the Lord’s I’m let me put a
sword through him let me kill him on the
spot David said no he said the Lord
fights my battles the Lord will avenge
me and he just snipped off border of His
garment and took it and he woke him up
he stood in a distance and called for
Saul and his men and they were rudely
awakened and when this man Saul heard
what happened David said I could have
killed you and he said I snipped and
David even later was sorry that he
snipped off that piece of a garment but
what did it do to Saul what did it do to
his enemy it melted his heart and here
you see this man saw full of bitterness
full of hatred trying to kill David
falls down and begins to weep and said
you’re more righteous man than I am and
that’s why God wants that’s the power
forgiveness it puts our enemies to shame
because they can’t understand that kind
of response they don’t understand the
love of Jesus Christ and it puts your
enemies to shame now if their demonic if
they’re full of Satan if they’re given
over to the enemy they’ll rage at you
but if there’s anything of morality left
or there’s anything of decency in a
human being it’s called by the scripture
heaping coals of fire on their head
that’s coals of divine love that you and
I are not a capable of in the flesh Oh
hallelujah
then we must forgive from the heart
forbearing one another and forgiving one
another and forgiving involves two other
aspects there are two other aspects to
forgiving from the heart first of all
there’s forbearing and then there is
forgiveness and forgiveness entails two
aspects love your enemies and pray for
them now here are the four conditions of
releasing the power the divine power of
forgiveness for bearing that’s making
sure that there is no more revenge in
your heart forgiving loving and praying
for those individuals but I say unto you
love your enemies bless them that curse
you do good to them that hate you I’m
reading Matthew 44 and pray for them
which despitefully use you one great old
preacher many many years ago said if you
can pray for your enemy you can do all
the rest you can love you can forbear
you can forgive if you pray I have
discovered that secret many many years
ago and I’ve tried to make it a practice
in my life and I’ve seen how it has
released so much of the blessing of God
in my life and my family my children my
grandchildren and everywhere I’ve turned
I’ve seen God do the miraculous well
there’s been a lot of suffering a lot of
pain just like every Christian goes
through but I’ve seen what it’s like
when I begin to pray for those who have
chosen to be enemies and begin to pray
for them pray blessing upon them and say
Lord what do you want me to do and many
times God has had me give them offerings
write them letters and say I am sorry
forgive me I’ve been on the telephone
call and make it right I’ve seen the
breakdown and weep I’ve seen the
our and the release and then after
talking on the telephone or writing a
letter and getting a response said I
can’t believe that you would take the
time to do this and I’m sorry also and
to put your head down on the desk and
just soak in the peace of God soak in
the sense that the Holy Spirit is at
work in my life so that the time can
come that you can’t name an enemy and
you even pray Lord if there’s somebody I
don’t know
remind me show me and I’ll make it right
that’s what God intends love your
enemies the word there in Greek is not
affection it’s it’s moral understanding
and what this means is that III don’t
have affection it’s not a matter of
human affection but a moral love that
removes hatred from the heart removes
the spirit of revenge and seeks ways to
be christ-like and speaks no evil
against the individual if you say you’re
forgiven you can never again speak evil
of that individual you don’t rehash it
you don’t talk it up among your friends
you drop it you leave it in the hands of
the Lord it’s a moral decision a young
man just enrolled I got this hymn from
the school systems here this morning
young man
life Sunday morning back state she told
me about this young man who’s enrolled
in our school and to role in the school
you have to send a testimony about your
got saved and so forth and I had the
school fax me a copy of his testimony
and I was reading it yesterday what a
testimony it was when he was four year
all his his divorce mother who had got
custody of this boy and his brother she
one day packed their little suitcases
and put them out the door shut the door
said never come back and the bitterness
he was they were sitting on the curb
confused and hurt because mother said I
don’t love you I don’t want to see you
anymore don’t come back and evidently
she called the husband and he came and
picked them up he was four years old for
nine years he lived in bitterness hatred
toward his mother she said I’ll never
forgive her my mother didn’t want me
cast me aside when he was 13 years old
he went to a church camp and got saved
truly saved started studying the Word of
God began to read about forgiveness and
he said the Lord told him that if he
would start praying for his mother he’d
learned to love her again
and God would change her he began to
pray for his mother and as he prayed for
his mother a spirit of forgiveness came
in his heart he began to love his mother
six months later she was saved and he’s
coming to school
he said he’s called to being a youth
evangelist the power of forgiveness pray
for those who have despitefully used it
reproached your name pray for them we
must learn to forgive finally and this
is the hardest part we’ve got to learn
to forgive ourselves
King David remember it’s in to adultery
outright murder covered it up it was
full he was deceptive and the Lord
forgave him they repented Nathan the
Prophet came to him said your pardon
David the Lord has forgiven your sin but
that wasn’t enough for David because you
see you can be justified you can be
forgiven you can be in the favor of God
and still not have the joy of the Lord
because you can have your sins blotted
out of his book but not out of your
conscience the conscience still comes at
you remind you of your past sin and so
David cries out to the Lord make me to
hear joy and gladness that the bones
which you’ve broken may rejoice and
restore unto me the joy of my salvation
David said I lost my joy and let me tell
you that is the consequence and that’s
the penalty of holding on to any grudge
any spirit of unforgiveness total lack
of massive loss of joy it brings
spiritual famine weariness to the flesh
and spirit and mind but David said now
restore to me the joy that I had and God
answered that prayer in the joy Lord was
restored to David years ago I read the
biography of Hudson Taylor Hudson Taylor
was one of the greatest missionaries
ever to walk this planet he founded
China Inland Mission this is many many
years ago he planted churches all around
inner China this no man was considered
more godly this man he was a praying man
he was a wonderful man of God faithful
to the Lord but he lacked the joy of the
Lord he battled he said he kept a
correspondence with his sister in London
and he would correspond and he said I
hate myself
I am plagued with thoughts that are not
pleasing to the Lord and then I fight so
many battles in my mind and spirit and
he labored that way for many years in
China
I’m missing churches known as a godly
man and he was a godly man in 1918 69 a
revolutionary change came to Hudson
Taylor he came to recognize that there’s
only one way out of this despair that
was in his heart and his lack of joy in
this battle that was raging in his heart
he said I began to see that everything I
needed was in Christ all the all the
resources I needed all the joy and the
peace that I needed everything was in
Christ but how to get it into my vessel
is the problem he said I know he had
then he’s promised what I need to be
fulfilled and walk in joy and I don’t
know how to get it into my vessel he
came to it dawned on him that faith is
the only way that every covenant God
ever made with man required faith and
that was the only thing that brought the
blessings of the Covenant into the heart
into the individual is all by faith and
he’d been striving all these years just
striving and sweating trying to please
God and he said I realized that his
faith so I tried to have faith and I
kept pumping it up and trying to work it
up and I I couldn’t get the faith where
is the faith if faith is going to open
up all the resources of Christ and those
resources become mine and God knows that
I need them then how do I get that faith
and one day the Lord said you get it
simply by resting in my word and he just
laid back and he said Lord even you have
to give me the major eye of faith that I
need and I have to trust you even for
the faith it’s trust you said well
that’s faith no it’s a resignation it
says God’s Word is true and I’m going to
rest on the word it’s not faith in faith
but rest in what God said and he began
to quote these promises just abide in me
Christ said and you will bear fruit
just to buy quit your struggling quit
your fighting with me he said I will
never leave you I’ll never forsake you
jesus said if you believe not he remains
faithful he said I’ve been trying to
imitate Christ and you can’t imitate
Christ it’s impossible there was a
famous classic written on that but it’s
impossible to imitate Christ you have to
simply rest in the faithfulness of God’s
Word you have to come in to the
knowledge of your sonship in Christ and
what the Cross has accomplished
you can’t imitate Christ you come to
rest on his promises and this is what
happened to this dear man he said I
began to realize that I’m dead and
buried with Christ and he sees me dead
and buried at the cross where Christ
died for me he said I’ve learned that
when I sin to repent instantly and that
I am forgiven instantly I’m immediately
forgiven God has put no distance between
repentance and forgiveness there’s no
timeline
he said when I’m truly repentant I
receive what God says I repented and I
rest in his the victory of the blood of
Jesus Christ and I have to now see
myself as God sees me Jesus says that
God says in his word that I am crucified
with Christ his cross was my crucifixion
I come now to the victory that he went
on that cross and now I rest and saying
Jesus it’s pardon you said my sins are
not only forgiven they’re casting to see
their forgotten now I have to say it so
I have to reckon it so in my own life I
am clean I am forgiven and Hudson Taylor
end into rest and he wrote to his sister
laughter and said I have the greatest
joy I’ve ever experienced and I all
these years if I had only known that I
could rest in the Word of God and I
didn’t have to struggle now if he said I
am capable of sinning as much as I’ve
ever been capable but now I’ve entered
in to this relationship that I’m a son
that when I need strength he’s made
covenant to give me the strength when
I’m going through a battle he’s given me
a covenant that the Holy Spirit in me
will wage war against that sin he’s
given me a covenant when I confess he’s
faithful and just to forgive me and
cleanse me from all my sins hallelujah
how do you wake up in the morning I’m
talking about forgiveness how do you
wake up in the morning is this the day
the Lord really made why is it that so
many Christians wake up now and say oh
god get me through another day please
that’s the day the Lord has made that’s
the day we rejoice and be glad in it
what is it that condemns us it’s not the
sins of 10 years ago five years ago even
a year ago we know we’ve confessed then
there’s been time and we’ve enjoyed the
blessing of the Lord since that time but
what about yesterday what about what you
did yesterday that has brought
condemnation and guilt in your heart
when you did it was there a banging you
that that hang of the Holy Spirit
whispering this is wrong did you get the
sense of sin did you have the sense of
doing something contrary to the Word of
God and if you had that sense did you
repent did you say Lord forgive me and
then did you call on the Holy Spirit as
the Holy Spirit you’ll promise to wage
war against my flesh I got in the flesh
I am sorry forgive me did you accept
your repentance did you forgive yourself
we offer grace to the entire world and
then Sparsit out to ourselves
afraid to forgive what God has promised
is absolutely forgiving I’ve got to move
on I’ve got I’ve got a lot more here but
I want just my Bible says today is a day
of salvation I could give you five or
six verses right now that says that
salvation is is a daily thing today is a
day of salvation
whatever you did last night whatever you
did yesterday if it’s under the blood of
Jesus Christ don’t let the devil condemn
you or rob you of the peace and the best
thing that is yours by the Word of God
can I tell you a little story
Gwen and I have a home in New Jersey and
there’s a yard and nice trees and I
thank God for trees thank God for
flowers but I never saw them much I know
I was always on a sermon or something
and I’ll walk through a garden that’s
nice but you know last year I don’t know
it’s my age or what I’m loving trees and
flowers I’m watering them and one of my
social Joy’s in the service here this
morning and he helps me water and I’m
planting flowers and I told one I don’t
believe this she said did you ever in
your lifetime think I would be doing
this he said no and we were planting
some things and I noticed over in the
container there was a little broken tree
the stub was quite thick and it was
cracked as broken and the bark was
chipped and it had been laying there I
don’t know where it came from
I don’t know someone’s digging up
thought it was dead and just laid it in
this container and had a ball of dirt
around it and I looked at it and there
were two or three little limbs in about
three leaves on it I said there’s still
some life in that thing I tell you Joe
said I want to I want to plant this
enjoy Doug Doug the whole
and we’ve got some real fine dirt
organic dirt filled that hole with that
this dirt and put water it and then
planted that thing this has been a
couple weeks and I I go out every day to
that tree in fact when we plant I laid
hands on it this is true I laid hands on
that tree and I said Jesus I want this
tree to grow
I want no bugs I want no disease on it
and this is going to be my tree of
remembrance I want to remember how you
can take a nothing and put it in good
soil
I put Miracle Grow on it every day
that’s right I hold it every day can you
manage that tree could talk and it was
sitting there you know what to say that
tree were to say this laying in that
tail unforgotten everybody given up for
dead I can never forgive that man that
dug me up and cast me aside never will I
forgive but you know what that tree
would say after I planted it and watered
it and put good soil and prayed over it
I even kicked bugs off the done like
this bugs off the leaves
you know what that tree would have said
look at me now
a new beginning
in this past week I was meeting it by
that tree I even killed a bug that was
coming toward the tree and the Lord
spoke to my heart the Holy Spirit said
David don’t you understand look at the
love and concern look how happy you are
because you’ve seen three new sprigs
come up can you understand the joy the
Lord gets when he sees us grow when he
takes a nobody and nothing and puts him
in new soil and the Word of God begins
to fertilize that little broken stub
folks I want to I’m gonna make that the
most famous tree in America and that’s
what I do when I get up in the morning I
say this is the first day of the
beginning of my life this is the first
day of the rest of my life
I didn’t coin that phrase it’s a cliche
but it’s true you get up in the morning
I’m forgiven this is the beginning of a
new day what happened last week
yesterday doesn’t matter now it’s under
the blood this is a new day I start all
over again will you stand please
I’ll start posting pictures of my tree
My dear wife sis honey what has gotten
into you
well it’s just it’s a picture God has
given me to remember because you see we
have some of those trees here now Jesus
like a nest of vines into trees and
there’s some of you here you came this
morning you wounded something in the
past as wounded you hurt and there’s
been paying and suffering and how you
respond is most important this morning
please don’t walk out of this building
carrying carrying this load you said
brother Dave I would never take revenge
it goes beyond that though it’s at the
point now where the Lord said it’s time
it’s time for you to truly forbear and
forgive love and pray have you prayed
for those who’ve won did you could be
children beyond your job can be anywhere
I can’t isolate that I don’t know what
you’re going through but I know what
this is done in my heart the extreme joy
everything that’s opened up since the
Lord taught me to forgive now tell you
what the Lord wants that for you if if
the message is touched your heart if you
want to see this America if you want the
heavens open follow these that are
coming up in the balcony go to the
stairs neither side into the annex did
this walk in between the screens I’ll
pray for you and we’ll believe the Lord
now to release you and let you walk out
of this building a free man a free woman
if you’re not saved if you don’t know
Christ come follow these that are coming
and maybe that’s the reason you’re not
serving Christ maybe that’s the reason
you have back
slitter going cold toward the Lord
because there’s something now standing
hindering you and you want to remove
that stumbling block out of your life
you obey the Holy Spirit come as a
minister to you you came forward and it
can’t be your your main object here and
standing here before the Lord is not
just to get the heavens open to you and
the blessings the important thing is you
have to say this is what God said this
is what Christ said to do this is the
right thing to do this is what I do if
I’m going to call myself his servant
whose child this is what I have to do to
walk in sonship this this is required of
the Lord
it’s his word and the Lord though
there’s no merit to it there’s blessings
to it we want you to open your heart now
and let’s pray I’ll lead you in a simple
prayer but it has to come from your
heart it’s something that you’ve had to
make a decision on your way down here I
will forgive I will have you made that
commitment if it’s more than one let the
Holy Spirit dig deep and find every
person somehow get to that person but
you can’t get there until you get here
right here and settled in your heart
until you know you’ve completely
fulfilled the word of the Lord you’ve
obeyed what the Holy Spirit has brought
to your attention now pray this with me
from your heart Lord Jesus I can’t do
this on my own strength
I need the Holy Spirit I believe you and
I trust you to make it possible for me
to obey
forgive me Lord Jesus for carrying this
so long and by faith I lay it down
forgive me Jesus and cleanse me now help
me to truly forgive
remind me to pray for all of these you
have ended me now let me pray for you
father I’ve seen over many years of
preaching and ministering that you’re
more ready to give than we are to
receive that your heart is open to a cry
and we’re so weak we make promises we
say we’ll do things and we mean it the
best of our ability and then we fail but
Lord you have made provision you’ve
given us promises that if we ask in
faith you will do it you will give us a
strength and Holy Spirit we call upon
you right now to have people that have
come forward just to rest now and say
Holy Spirit I’m going to turn this over
to your hands show me how and don’t let
me forget this when I walk out the door
remind me at the door
remind me when I get in the car remind
me when I get home remind me and lord I
pray that everyone’s here now we’ll take
it home and go and pray over it pray
about what is being said by the Holy
Spirit and Lord you said you’ll give us
direction you tell us how Lord Jesus let
there be life changes we believe you and
we thank you Lord for those that have
come to renew their walk with you coming
to repent Lord hear that cry sometimes
it’s not even an audible crime it those
are groaning inside that groaning
towards you hear it
Holy Spirit and answer we pray in
Christ’s name will you thank the Lord
right now that he’s been faithful to you
to speak we thank you Holy Spirit
I would hope that if this is your home
church that you worship here I would
hope that you would go to somebody if
you know anyone in this body that you
have something you’ve been holding
against them I would trust that the Holy
Spirit spoken clear enough that you
would make make it a point to get to
them and say to their face I’ve held a
grudge I have something make sure that
if you’ve had something against somebody
go to them and say well it isn’t say
pray with me God give me the right
spirit what I’m asking you to release
the power of forgiveness and everyone
who hears the word this morning and as
it goes out on internet when it goes out
on the tapes Lord let there be much
restoring power released in Christ’s
name Amen
this is the conclusion of the methods