Unforgiveness Can Hold Back One’s Deliverance – The Revd Raphael Olusola Oladimeji

The Revd Raphael Olusola Oladimeji is the Chaplain of St. Matthias’ Anglican High School, Akure. Revd Oladimeji made this known during the Ondo Provincial meeting which was held at St. David’s Anglican Cathedral, Ijomu, Akure. He took the sermon at the gathering of all the wives of Bishops in the Ondo Ecclesiastical Province.

Below is the full message:

Text: Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. (Col. 3:13 KJV)

Who is a Christian?

According to the Oxford Dictionary, A Christian is someone that seeks to live his or her life according to the principles and values taught by Jesus Christ.

A Christian is someone that does things like Christ, he is a follower of Christ and an imitator of Christ. Act 11:26

What is forgiveness?

It means to forgive and to forgive is to pardon or waive any negative feeling or desire for punishment.

Paul in the text above, suggests a positive trait believers/ Christians ought to express towards each others. Believers are family and should treat one another with kindness and grace which include forgiveness as well as tolerance instead of demanding perfection in others.

Unforgiveness comes with HAB – Hatred, Anger, Bitterness, and these three, if found in man can lead to surge of adrenaline and powerful chemical been released to attack our bodies.

Unforgiveness can hold back one’s deliverance, keep one sick both physically and emotionally, lead to pre-mature death, make one loose heaven, make one forfeit one’s forgiveness from God, and of course, it can deny one access to God, thereby blocking one’s prayers from answering.

When we talk about Christian Forgiveness, there will surely be worldly or human forgiveness.

Worldly forgiveness comes with conditions, Vis: provided he will not do it again, he must come and beg me, he most apologise etc

While Christian Forgiveness is without condition just like Jesus when He was on the tree did not give any condition to forgive those that hung Him on the tree together with those mocking Him.

FACTS TO KNOW ABOUT CHRISTIAN FORGIVENESS

Christian Forgiveness is:

1. Not overlooking someone’s wrong. Joseph did not overlook the sin of his brothers when he later saw the in Egypt Gen 45:2-12
2. Not waiting for apologies. Just like Jesus in Luke 23:34
3. Not reconciliation, but forgiveness can lead to reconciliation.
4. Not an option but a command. Matt. 6:14-15
5. Does not change what the offender has done, but changes the decision of the forgiver.
6. Not forgive and forget, but it heals gradually
7. A reoccurring event Matt. 18:21-22, which will qualify us to be called Christians.
8. Not Trust. Forgiveness is free, while trust is not free. People earn trust.
9. A gift of God to mankind which He expects us to reciprocate to others around us.

HOW TO FORGIVE

1. We need Christ. If we have Christ, His Spirit will indwell in us and we will be able to tolerate all men and forgive
2. We must admit our faults and failures – we are not perfect so don’t expect perfection from people.
3. Forgiveness is non-negotiable to all Christians because it is the very essence of our faith.
4. Determination. It is not an easy thing to forgive, but we must be determined.
5. God needs us to forgive.
6. Forgiveness benefits the forgiver. To forgive is to set the prisoner free and that prisoner is the forgiver. Remember HAB
7. Make provision for forgiveness before you are offended just like God Jesus to die for the sins we have not even committed even before we were born. Luke 15:11-32- the prodigal son

CONCLUSION

‘’Two friends were walking though the desert, at some point during the journey they had and argument and one friend slapped the other one in the face.

The one that was slapped was vert hurt, but without saying anything, he wrote in the sand ‘Today my best friend slapped me in the face’

They kept on walking until they found an Oasis where they decided to bath. The one who had been slapped got stuck in the mire and started drowning but his friend saved him, after he recovered from the near drowning, he wrote on a stone ‘Today my best friend saved my life’

The friend who had slapped and saved his friend asked him ‘after I hurt you, you wrote in the sand and now you write on the stone, why?’

The other friend replied, ’when someone hurts us, we should write down in the sand where the wind of forgiveness can erase it away, but when someone does something good to us, we must engrave it on a stone so that no wind can ever erase it’.’’

Forgiveness is the best form of love in any relationship.