THE BIBLE VERSES THAT UNDERGIRD

THIS ENTIRE SERIES!

THE BIBLE VERSES THAT UNDERGIRD

THIS ENTIRE SERIES!

Brothers and sisters, I know that

I still have a long way to go. But there is one thing I do: I

forget what is in the past and try as hard as I can to reach

the goal before me. (Philippians 3:13 – Easy To Read

Version)

You will experience the truth, and the truth will free you . . . and if the Son sets you free,

you are free through and through.

(John 8:32, 36 – The Message)

BITTERNESS OR MERCY – WHICH WILL

YOU CHOOSE?

MERCY PRINCIPLE 1:

You cannot be ”right”with God and be

”wrong” with another person

MERCY PRINCIPLE 2:

You cannot experience the mercy, grace &

forgiveness of God if you refuse to refuse it

to others.

MERCY PRINCIPLE 3:

You cannot be truly set free as long as you

remain in the prison of bitterness, anger and

hatred

Bitterness is like drinking rat poison and waiting

for the rat to die. (John Otrberg)

BITTERNESS = PIKRIA (GREEK)

Anger or disappointment because of another person,

resentment

Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up

to trouble you . . .(Hebrews 12:15 – New Living

Translation)

Banish bitterness, rage and anger, shouting and slander,

and any and all malicious thoughts—

these are poison. (Ephesians 4:21 – The Voice)

By all means don’t brag about being wise and good if you are

bitter . . .that is the worst sort of lie. (James 3:14 – Living Bible)

PERSONAL COST:

Bitterness is a poison and it will always harm

you

RELATIONAL COST:

Bitterness is a cancer and it will spread to

everyone

SPIRITUAL COST:

Bitterness is a sin and it will lead you away

from God

Do not seek revenge or hold a grudge against anyone. Instead, love your neighbor

as you love yourself. (Leviticus 19:18 – The Voice)

You can become bitter or you can become better – it’s your

choice.

Showing mercy and granting forgiveness is the key.

FORGIVENESS = CHARIZOMAI (GREEK)

Freely show favor to, to grant pardon, extend kindness,

unconditional mercy

Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ

forgave you. (Ephesians 4:32 – The

Message)

Try to understand other people. Forgive each other. If you have something against someone, forgive him. That is the way

the Lord forgave you. (Colossians 3:13 – New Life

Version)

But if anyone has caused harm . . . I encourage you to

offer him the grace of forgiveness . . . So instead of continuing to ostracize him, I urge you to demonstrate

your love for him once again. (2 Corinthians 2:5-8 – The

Voice)

Forgiveness is remembering how much you’ve been

forgiven

The kingdom of God is like a king who decided to square accounts with his servants. One servant was brought

before him who had run up a debt of a hundred thousand dollars. He couldn’t pay up,

so the king ordered the man, along with his wife, children,

and goods, to be auctioned off at the slave market. “The poor

wretch threw himself at the king’s feet and begged, ‘Give

me a chance and I’ll pay it all back.’

Touched by his plea, the king let him off, erasing the debt. “The servant was no sooner

out of the room when he came upon one of his fellow servants who owed him ten dollars. He seized him by the throat and

demanded,

‘Pay up. Now!’ “The poor wretch threw himself down and begged, ‘Give me a chance and

I’ll pay it all back.’ But he wouldn’t do it. He had him

arrested and put in jail until the debt was paid. When the other

servants saw this going on,

they were outraged and brought

a detailed report to the king. “The king summoned the man and said, ‘You evil servant! I

forgave your entire debt when you begged me for mercy.

Shouldn’t you be compelled to be merciful to your fellow

servant who asked for mercy?’ The king was furious and put

the screws to the man until he paid back his entire debt.

And that’s exactly what my Father

is going to do to each one of you who doesn’t forgive

unconditionally anyone who asks for mercy. (Matthew 18:23-34 – The Message)

Forgiveness is relinquishing your right

to get even

Don’t ever say, “I’ll pay them back for what they did to me!”

Wait for the LORD. He will make things right. (Proverbs 20:22 – Easy To Read

Version)

Forgiveness is repeating the process

as long as necessary

Peter came up to the Lord and asked, “How many times should I forgive someone who does something wrong to me?

Is seven times enough?”

Jesus answered: Not just seven times, but seventy-seven

times! (Matthew 18:21-22 – Contemporary English Version)

Forgiveness is always greater than your pain

Wherever sin grew and spread, God’s grace was there in fuller,

greater measure. No matter how much sin crept in, there

was always more grace.

(Romans 5:20 – The Voice)

Forgiven people forgive people. That is the starting

point for genuine forgiveness. If you don’t feel forgiven, you won’t want to

forgive anybody else.

If you’re hard on yourself, you’re going to be hard on others. But the more grace you receive from God, the

more gracious you’re going to be

to others.

The more forgiven you feel by God, the more forgiving

you’ll be toward others. How can you tell when you’ve

really forgiven somebody?

When you can look at that person’s hurt and not just your own and pray for God to bless him or her. You ask,

“How could I ever do that for the person

who’s hurt me?”

You can’t unless you allow the love of God to penetrate

your life. Only the love of God can help you do something like that.

Let’s Pray