Wounds That Heal – The Lost Are Found isn’t a simple look at going after the lost. We’re inside the Christian church this week. These folks don’t know that they are lost. The first step that we see is that the found are left! If this person won’t repent, we can’t just ignore sin. Sin separates us from God.
That’s Mean
Isn’t it mean to exclude someone from the family of believers? Why would a church tell a member that they are no longer welcome? The highest act of love in a church is excommunication. It’s easy to ignore sin. It’s hard to confront it and call a soul to repentance.
You Are Lost
The first direction I go is to see that all of us are lost. You don’t need to be a scatterbrained preacher to lose things. Do you want to be left alone by God? You’re lost. Are you handling life well these days without God? You’re lost. Are you sinning today, and planning to repent tomorrow? That’s dangerous – and you’re lost. Finally does God owe you – it could be anything, real or imagined wrong that you are bitter about – you’re lost. Sometimes we can be lost sitting in church as waves of bitterness wash over us – our righteous indignation flaring up like a fire cracker.
How to Forgive
One thing that I’ve found really helpful is to say that forgiveness and trust are two very different things. Consider what forgiveness is and what it is not. Forgiveness is not saying that what this person did is good. Forgiveness doesn’t mean that you want it to happen again. Forgiveness can absolutely mean that there is a change in your relationship with this person. Forgiveness means that you release the guilt, the emotional and spiritual debt that they owe. God forgives instantly and quickly. We don’t. We pray that God would lead us to release that debt and forgive.
Want to hear more? Watch this week’s message taken from 2 Corinthians 2, Wounds That Heal – The Lost Are Found.
Book(s): 2 Corinthians
Series: Wounds That Heal
Tag(s): Unrepentance
Speaker(s): Fred Guldberg