Thank you for listening to Servants for Christ. In all that we do, in all that we say, we want to give glory and honor to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Thank you for tuning us in as we get into the wonderful Word of God. For the next few minutes, let's take the beautiful Word of God and share it with each and every one of you as we have a sense of anticipation to take the Word of God and to listen to its truth for each and every one. I'm Darrell Bailey service for Christ take your Bibles to the book of Ephesians chapter 4 verse 32 Here as we teach on a message that the Lord is laid on our heart embracing forgiveness and healing It's based on a book that I read forgiving what you can't forget you know as you take your Bibles over to the book of Ephesians and Ephesians chapter 4 verse 32. The Word of God says, And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. Amen. You know what? This scripture highlights two aspects of forgiveness that are rooted in God's character and His action. Number one, God's forgiveness is the model for all of us, and it begins by emphasizing God's forgiveness toward us. It reminds us that forgiveness is not merely a human act, but reflects God's nature. God forgives us completely and unconditionally through Christ's sacrifice, despite our sins and our shortcomings. And so, I said there's two aspects about God's character and action that are rooted in the Scripture. of Ephesians chapter 4 verse 32. The first one was God's forgiveness as a model for us, but the second one is our response in forgiveness, because this verse instructs all of us born-again believers to extend the same grace and forgiveness to others. And by being kind and tender-hearted, we emulate God's love and is mercy in our relationship. You see, forgiveness releases us from bitterness and it allows for reconciliation and it fosters unity and peace within the body of Christ. And so, I'm glad that before we do anything else Let's have a word of prayer and ask the Lord to touch our life, especially as we get into the wonderful Word of God, that the Lord can give us one of the greatest blessings if we'll just let Him as we deal with forgiveness and how that it can be a great blessing if we use it in the right way, amen. And so, amen. Let's open up with prayer. Heavenly Father, there's no one that forgives us more than you do. You're the greatest. You're the wonderful person that has forgiven us of all our sins. And you have put them in the sea of forgetfulness for no one else to ever find. And so, I pray God that through, Lord, this message, that we will imagine how that it is when everything that we've ever thought about and how that we've ever been overcome with frustrations and problems, I pray God that we would embrace the forgiveness and the healing that you have for us. Lord, may you transform our life. Excuse me. And Lord, may it be a foundational truth to practice forgiveness and may it challenge us to reflect God's forgiveness in our own relationships and experience a spiritual healing and freedom from the burdens of unforgiveness. All of this, may you reach out and touch someone that's suffering someone that's going through a very difficult time in their marriage, in their families, on their job, in their finances, in their health issue and crisis, and those that are lost and are sin sick in this world, I pray for their salvation. Lord, I want to remember my pastor, Keith Dempsey, and our first lady, his wife, Amy, that is recovering from surgery. and we lift them up in the mighty name of Jesus and ask you to intervene and give complete healing and Lord, bring their health back to Sister Amy in Jesus' mighty name. Amen. You know, every one of us, we all deserve to stop suffering because of what other people have done to us. Have you ever felt stuck in a cycle of unresolved pain, playing offenses over and over in your mind? And you know, you can't go on living like this, but you don't know what to do next. Well, if you've ever wrestled through your journey of life, There are some surprising ways that we can discover how to let go of all of the bound up resentment and overcome the resistance to forgiving people who aren't willing to make things right. And so I'm glad that we ought to have some kind of therapeutic insight As we look into the rich Bible teaching of the book of Ephesians, we learn how to move on with the other person that refuses to change and never says they're sorry. We learn how to walk through a step-by-step process to free ourselves from the hurt of the past and feel less offended. We discover what the Bible really says about forgiveness and the peace that comes from living it out right now. We can identify what's still in trust and vulnerability from our relationships so that we can believe that there is some still good things to come ahead. And we can disempower the triggers of hijacking our emotions by embracing some of the most powerful things. That we can have spiritual insights about forgiveness. healing from painful memories and create a life of beauty despite the hardships that we go through today. So how do we embrace forgiveness and healing? Imagine carrying the weight of unforgiveness, a burden that affects every area of your life. You know what? Every one of us, we're looking to be released from this burden to find healing and embrace God's transformative grace. But when we look at the principles that can resonate in our lives as Christians, one of the first things that I see The book of Ephesians that reminds me is the power of forgiveness Because we read and be ye kind one to another tender-hearted forgiven one another even as God for Christ's sake have forgiven you Through the power of forgiveness. I see an understanding of God's forgiveness God's forgiveness sets the ultimate example for all of us. Just as he forgives us, we're called to extend forgiveness to others, freeing ourselves from bitterness and resentment. And so, not only do we see that through understanding God's forgiveness through the power of forgiveness, but we see releasing the past. Paul said in Philippians 3, 13 and 14, I count not myself to have apprehended, but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. And so, forgiveness involves letting go of past hurts and embracing the future God has planned for us. It's about choosing to move forward in faith, leaving behind the pain that once held all of us captive. And so, I'm glad that not only do we see through the power of forgiveness, understanding God's forgiveness, and releasing the past from the book of Philippians chapter 3, but we see also Healing and wholeness because Isaiah 53 5 says but he was wounded for our transgressions He was bruised for our iniquities and the chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes We are healed you see Forgiveness isn't just about others It's also about our own healing and as we forgive we allow God's healing to restore a spiritually emotionally and mentally Remember the story of Joseph in the book of Genesis? It illustrates forgiveness leading to reconciliation and restoration, and it shows how God turns our pain into purpose. And so, when we look at how to embrace forgiveness and healing, we see the power of forgiveness. Amen. But secondly, we see making peace with painful memories. Because, first of all, if we face pain with faith, Psalms 34, 18 says, the Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart, and save such as be of a contract spirit. And so, God is close to the broken heart, it is what he says. By confronting painful memories with faith, we allow God's comfort and healing to work in us. C.S. Lewis, the great divorce, a protagonist grapples with letting go of past hurts and embraces God's love that symbolizes our journey toward healing. And so, I'm glad as I preach on our topical subject, amen, of being able to embrace forgiveness and healing. We see from the very get-go the power of forgiveness and we see making peace with painful memories, amen, that helps us. And so through that, amen, we're able to face pain with faith, but also we can find redemption in Christ. Paul said in Romans 8, 28, and we know it, all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose. God can redeem every, even the most painful experiences for his glory. And through forgiveness and trust in God's plan, we can find finally beauty in brokenness. You know what? The transformation of Saul to Paul in the Bible demonstrates God's power to redeem and use our past for His purpose. And so, through making peace with painful memories, we can face pain with faith. We can also find redemption in Christ. But thirdly, we can embrace God's grace. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 12, 9, and he said unto me, my grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect. In weakness, Most gladly, therefore, will I rather glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me. And so God's grace sustains us through every trial and empowers us to forgive and move forward. And it's through his grace that we find the strength to heal and even to thrive. And so I'm glad that we look and we realize that through embracing forgiveness and healing, we're able to look back and realize the power of forgiveness, amen, and to be able to make peace with painful memories. Also, in closing, we realize that one of the great things that we can always do is that as we make that peace with our painful memories that we go through each and every day of our life, amen, and how God deals with those things, I'm glad that we can remember that forgiveness releases us from the grip of bitterness. Healing begins when we confront pain with faith. and God's grace empowers us to embrace a life of beauty and of purpose, amen. Now, how has unforgiveness hindered your relationship with God and with others? I think that unforgiveness blocks our ability to experience God's fullness and it distorts our relationship. You know what? I wonder what painful memories do you need to surrender to God today, huh? What painful memories do you need to surrender to God today? You know what? If you'll surrender those painful memories and allow God to heal and redeem them for His glory. you will embrace the forgiveness and healing. How can you extend God's forgiveness and grace to others this coming week in your life? I think by forgiving others as Christ forgave us, we reflect his love and we bring about reconciliation. And so, Each and every one of us are able to find everything through the power of forgiveness, understanding God's forgiveness and releasing the past and being able to heal and have wholeness, praise God. And then we make peace with those painful memories and we face the pain with faith. And through that, we find redemption in Christ. And then we can finally embrace God's grace once and for all, amen. And so I hope and pray that you got something out of embracing the forgiveness and the healing in your life, in your marriage, in your home, in your families, as you take in this teaching of embracing forgiveness and healing in your life. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for the truth revealed through this teaching. And as we leave, Lord, we pray that your Holy Spirit would work in our hearts and enable us to forgive as we have been forgiven and to find healing in your presence. Give us the courage to face our pain with faith and embrace your grace that leads us to a life of beauty and a life of purpose. In the mighty name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, amen.