THE LIFE CHANGING POWER OF FORGIVENESS

Forgiveness is not just a one-time act, but a way of life meant to bring us into every blessing in the Messiah. “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:44-45).

According to the Messiah Jesus, forgiveness isn’t a matter of picking or choosing whom we would forgive. We can’t say, “You’ve hurt me too much, so I’m not forgiving you.”

Notice what the Messiah Jesus said on the stake: Luke 23:34: Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." He said this in love for the ones who had crucified him and were casting lots at his feet for his robe.

The Messiah Jesus tells us, “For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?” (Matthew 5:46).

It doesn’t matter who our grudge might be against. If we hold onto it, it will lead to a bitterness that poisons every aspect of our lives. Unforgiveness brings on spiritual famine, weakness, and a loss of faith, afflicting not just us but everyone in our circle of fellowship.

Ephesians 4:31-32: Get rid of all bitterness and rage and anger and angry shouting and defaming speech, along with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, just as God has forgiven you in the Messiah.

Hebrews 12:15: Watch over others, so that no one is falling away from the grace of God; so that no root of bitterness sprouts up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled....

Over the past fifty years, I have seen terrible devastation in the lives of those who withheld forgiveness. Yet, I also have seen the glorious power of a forgiving spirit.

Forgiveness transforms lives, causing the windows of heaven to open. It fills our cup of spiritual blessing to the brim with abundant peace, joy, and rest in the Lord God Yehovah. Jesus’ teaching on this subject is very specific, and if you want to move in this wonderful realm of blessing, then heed and embrace his words.

“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:14-15).

Make no mistake: God isn’t making a bargain with us here. He is not saying, “Because you’ve forgiven others, I will forgive you.” We can never earn God’s forgiveness. Only the shed blood of the Messiah Jesus merits forgiveness of sin.

Rather, the Messiah Jesus is saying: “Full confession of sin requires that you forgive others. If you hold on to an attitude of unforgiveness, then you haven’t confessed all your sins. True active repentance means confessing and forsaking every grudge, crucifying every trace of bitterness toward others, in the process of dying to self. Anything less isn’t a repentance God will accept.”

This goes hand in hand with Jesus' Beatitude: “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy” (Matthew 5:7). His point: Forgive others, so you can move into the blessings and joy of sonship with the Messiah Jesus. God can then pour out tokens of his love. And when you forgive, you’re revealing the Father’s nature to the world and bringing glory to His holy name, Yehovah.

Written by David Wilkerson and edited by Bruce Lyon

ACCESS TO THE THRONE OF YEHOVAH

"That they all may be one, as you, Father, are in me, and I in you; that they also may be one in us, that the world may believe that you sent me. And the glory which you gave me I have given them, that they may be one just as we are one: I in them, and you in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that you have sent me, and have loved them as you have loved me” (John 17:21-23).

Jesus says, in essence, “The glory that you gave me, Father, I have given to them.” The Messiah is making an incredible statement here. He is saying that we’ve been given the same glory that the Father gave to him. What an amazing thought. Yet, what is this glory that was given to the Messiah Jesus and how do our lives reveal that glory? It is not some aura or emotion; it is unimpeded access to the heavenly Father!

Jesus made it easy for us to access the Father, opening the door for us by the stake: “For through him, we both have access by one Spirit to the Father” (Ephesians 2:18). The word “access” means the right to enter. It signifies free passage, as well as ease of approach: “In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him - Jesus” (Ephesians 3:12).

Do you see what Paul is saying here? By faith, we’ve come into a place of unimpeded access to God. We’re not like Esther in the Old Testament. She had to wait for a sign from the king before she could approach the throne. Only after he held out his scepter was Esther approved to come forward.

By contrast, you and I are already in the throne room. And we have the right and privilege of speaking to Yehovah our God at any time. Indeed, we’re invited to make any request of Him: “Let us, therefore, come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).

When Jesus the Messiah ministered on earth, he didn’t have to slip away to pray in order to obtain the Father’s mind. He said, “I can do nothing on my own. I do only what the Father tells me and shows me” (see John 5:19). Today we have been given the very same degree of access to the Father that the Messiah Jesus had. You may say, “Wait a minute. I have the same access to the Father that Jesus did?”

Make no mistake. Like Jesus, we are to pray often and fervently, seeking God, waiting on Him. We don’t have to slip away to beseech Yehovah for strength or direction, because we have His very own Spirit living within us. And the Spirit of Yehovah reveals to us His mind and will, guiding us every step of the way towards His soon-coming Kingdom.  

IS THERE AN EVERBURNING HELL-FIRE?

If the penalty for our sins is eternity in Hell, how did Jesus' death pay our penalty if He did not spend eternity in Hell?

There is no place in scripture that says anything about sinners being cast into a ever burning hell and being tormented for the coming ages upon ages. Absolutely nothing of a sort. That belief has come to us from pagan origin and not from God's revelation to us. We are told that at the White Throne Judgment all those who were not a part of the first resurrection will be resurrected and those whose names are not found written in the book of life will be cast into the lake of fire and destroyed and the memory of them will be forgotten. (Revelation 20:15: And if any are not found written in the book of life, they will be cast into the lake of fire.

Think about the following for a moment. How could any believer who has been resurrected at the first resurrection and have become glorified immortal men/woman have any peace knowing that their relatives are suffering everlasting torment in an ever burning hell? To believe such a thing is to blaspheme the name and character of our God and our Father.

As God's character is determined by love, would He not do as the scripture says and destroy all those whose names are not found written in the book of life. Does scripture not say our God is a consuming fire, and that it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

However believers have no such fear of their God and their Father because they know they have been delivered from the wrath of God which unbelievers; those whose names are not written in the book of life have not so been delivered.

God will destroy all those whose names are not written in the book of life and do so as an act of love, knowing that such people would be totally miserable if they lived in the ages to come with their anti-God attitude.

RESSURECTION LIFE, THE POWER OF YEHOVAH IN YOU

Paul expressed concern for the church of Jesus the Messiah when he prayed, “May God reveal to you, not just the past greatness of the Messiah but his present greatness.” Here is his specific prayer:

Paul, an emissary of Jesus the Messiah by the desire of God, to the set-apart ones who are in Ephesia, and are true to the Messiah Jesus: Favour to you and peace from God our Father and our master Jesus the Messiah.

Blessed be the God and Father of our master Jesus the Messiah, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in the Messiah - His anointed one, even as He - God chose us in him - Jesus before the foundation of the world, that we should be set-apart and blameless before Him - God, in love, having previously ordained us to adoption as sons through Jesus the Messiah to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His desire, to the praise of the esteem of His favour with which He - God favoured us in the beloved, in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of trespasses, according to the riches of His - God's favour, which He - God has lavished on us in all wisdom and insight, having made known to us the secret of His desire, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in him - Jesus, to administer at the completion of time, to gather together in one, all in the Messiah, both which are in the heavens and which are on earth, in him, in whom also we did obtain an inheritance, being previously ordained according to the purpose of Him - God working all matters according to the counsel of His desire, for us to be the praise of His esteem those having first trusted in the Messiah, in whom you also, having heard the word of the truth, the Good News of your deliverance, in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Set-apart Spirit of promise, which is the pledge of our inheritance, until the redemption of the purchased possession -us, to the praise of His - God's esteem. (Ephesians 1:1-14)

We have a great reverence for Jesus who walked on this earth, as Yeohvah's agent, who filled him with the fulness of His nature enabling him to turn water into wine, feed the multitudes, and heal the sick. Believing in him, we believe that because Jesus became a sin-offering sacrifice, we can be forgiven our sins and relieved our guilt. We believe that our God can provide us with peace and joy and give us eternal life in the Messiah Jesus. Too few of us know our God of the natural world we live in. We often don’t recognize Him and submit to Him as Lord over our everyday affairs, as God of our home, our children, and marriage, our job and bills. Many don't realize that Yehovah Elohim - God is as close to them as their breath.

When Jesus was called upon to heal his friend Lazarus, he faced limited faith. “When Mary came where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying to Him, ‘Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died’” (John 11:32). The passage goes on to show that Mary and her sister Martha had faith only to the point of death. “Some that has gathered at the tomb said: ‘Could not this man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?’” (John 11:37).

It is any wonder there is so much commotion in the lives of so many believers. Why is there so much grieving and mourning? It is because we don’t believe our God through His uniquely begotten son Jesus can resurrect what has died. We don’t believe our God has a lifegiving plan for us. We think many times that things are too far gone for God to intervene. Beloved, Yehovah Elohim - God has never been more willing to show His resurrection and healing power to you than He is right now. Do we only love, serve, and worship Yehovah Elohim - God only to the point of giving up when things get tough. Why don’t we trust Him when all hope is gone?

Notice: Habbakuk 3:17- 19:

Though the fig tree does not blossom, And there is no fruit on the vine, The yield of the olive has failed, And the fields brought forth no food, The flock has been cut off from the fold, And there is no herd in the stalls, Yet I will exult in Yehovah I will rejoice in the Elohim - God of my deliverance. Yehovah the master is my strength. And He makes my feet like those of deer, And makes me walk on my high places.

That is the kind of covenant faith we have. We can ask our God and Father to give us more faith to love, believe and trust in Him when everything around is failing!

Scripture says we have been provided the very same energizing, resurrection life that is in the Messiah Jesus: “If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised the Messiah from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit that dwells in you” (Romans 8:11).

Yehovah's Spirit dwells in you to enable you to bring forth the present greatness of the Messiah Jesus as he lives his life through you! Believe in him!

KEPT BY THE LOVE OF YEHOVAH ELOHIM - GOD

Satan cannot shake or test the faith of any child of God without Yehovah’s permission. Simply put, Yehovah Elohim - God has a purpose and plan behind every trial that Satan brings to our lives. Jesus gave a warning to the apostle Peter: “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat” (Luke 22:31).

The scriptures make it clear that Satan’s main objective is to destroy the faith of those who serve Yehovah Elohim - God and the Messiah Jesus.

Most Christians remember Peter’s boast about his own faith: “Lord, I am ready to go with you, both to prison and to death” (Luke 22:33). What Peter says here comes across as spiritual boldness, but in truth, it represents a fleshly audacity that the scriptures warn against: “Let him who thinks he stands to take heed lest he falls” (1 Corinthians 10:12). None of us can stand without the enabling Spirit of the living God - Yehovah indwelling us! Without the Spirit of Yehovah enabling us to walk according to His will we are helpless to do anything according to His will. 

When Peter was questioned about his faith in the garden, rather than boldly declaring his allegiance to Jesus, he denied that he knew him. And then, in panic, he ran from the scene of his denial.

However, this once fearless disciple, now broken and anguishing over his failure to acknowledge the lord Jesus, was never for a moment on his own. Jesus had proclaimed earlier, “I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail” (Luke 22:32).

This is one of the most encouraging verses in all of Scripture. Jesus was telling Peter here that no matter what he faced, no matter what he would go through; even including his denial of the Messiah Jesus; his faith would not fail!

Just as he has done throughout history, Satan demands Yehovah’s permission to sift us today as His did with Job. He wants to attack our homes, our marriages, our children, our health, our jobs and careers, our very belief in Yehovah and His uniquely begotten God Jesus. But be assured, Yehovah has not forsaken you; and He never will. Indeed, right now He is saying to you through His Son Jesus: “I will never leave you. Lo, I am with you, even to the end of the age.”