Forgiveness is Required!
In Matthew 13:10 Jesus tells the disciples that He speaks in parables because we have been given the gift to know the secrets of heaven. But I will tell you that it’s up to us to search it out. I have been searching continuously through the last several months and the more I seek Him the more revelation He pours out!
The other day I was driving to a meeting, praying for God to give me a fresh revelation of what it means to carry the culture of heaven in me. I began to get this picture of the priests in the Old Testament carrying the Ark of the Covenant. The word tells us in Deuteronomy that God appointed the tribe of Levi to carry the Ark of the Covenant, they were the ones to stand before the Lord (carrying the Ark) to minister to Him and bless others in His name. Then in chapter 10 verse 9 it says, “Therefore Levi has no portion or inheritance with his brothers. The LORD is his inheritance.” WOW! Because they carried the presence of God everywhere they went, they no longer received an inheritance that man can give but GOD was their inheritance.
As this picture of these priests carrying the ark built in my mind I all of a sudden got this revelation… WE, WE are the ark that now carries the presence of God! He is IN US the moment we believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins and was raised from the dead to a life everlasting. WE CARRY HIM EVERYWHERE WE GO!!! HE IS OUR INHERITANCE!!
This was so, so, so revolutionary for me! I have been studying the Kingdom of God for weeks and the more I study the more He reveals to me and the more I feel my heart beating in sync with His! That is my ultimate desire, to literally be one with the pulse of God, my King! Why? Because when we are one with His pulse, then His desires become our desires, His will becomes our will and His purpose becomes our purpose! God doesn’t only want this world praying a prayer of salvation… God wants this world discipled and that means He wants them transformed, repurposed and restored in Him so they can go out and do the same! He wants this world to be just like heaven!
Remember the prayer… Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth AS IT IS IN HEAVEN!! This study is literally stripping me of all my old mindsets and bringing me to a deeper revelation and relationship with the King of Kings Who is my Father!
One of the characteristics of heaven that I want to go over today is this… The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. … long story short…. The others weren’t very happy with this servants’ actions so they went and told the master. The master was VERY angry and rebuked him! He said “I had mercy on you because you pleaded with me. And you didn’t show your fellow servant the same mercy? Then he was thrown in jail also! And he ends with this… “So my Father also will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother FROM THE HEART!”
WOW!!! This is one that absolutely shifted my heart! Why? Because, being the hard-headed person I am, I can hold on to unforgiveness just as strongly as those not walking with God! In fact, as I studied this God began to reveal to me those who I had “said” I forgave but I had not forgiven from my heart! There is such a difference!
John 20:23 says, “You have the power to forgive the sins of others, whom you forgive is forgiven but whomever you withhold forgiveness it is withheld.” Before this verse Jesus had appeared and BREATHED on His disciples and gave them the Holy Spirit and their mandate!
The following study is from my John 20 teaching, which you can find on my YouTube (Sabrina Klassen)…
Vs. 23: If you forgive (lay aside, omit, let go) the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”
The word sin in this context is the word “offence, trespass, fault”
As I was reading this last week I felt like it spoke to me in a way it never has before, maybe because God was telling me to forgive some people! 😉
Several times in the word God tells us to forgive others.
Hebrews 3:13 “Exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin (offence, trespasses, or faults).
Matt. 18:21-22 “Peter came to Him and said Lord, how often shall my brother bring sin (offence, trespass, faults) against me, and I forgive him? Til seven times?”
Matt. 6:15 – if we don’t forgive others then God will not forgive our transgressions (offences, trespasses, faults).
Why am I bringing this up?
Jesus is depending on the church to get His message out to all the earth and much of the church is walking in offence with each other daily! Offended at what people do or don’t wear to church, offended at others because they don’t agree with my doctrinal beliefs, offended because they didn’t smile at you last week, offended because the service lasts too long or not long enough, maybe offended because we stand too long during worship, OH what about the pastor talked about MONEY!! The list could go on and on… But we can not continue in this manner if we are going to be carriers of His Kingdom culture!
John 20:22 says “HE BREATHED ON THEM and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’ and then gave them to mandate to forgive!!”
It is only through the power of the Holy Spirit that WE can personally walk in the forgiveness of Jesus Christ! We can’t forgive IN ourselves, but we CAN through Him! This is another expression of the Holy Spirit and relationship with our Father! Our relationship IN him and the power of Him IN us makes us able to forgive and live a lifestyle of that which in turn gives hope to others and shows the goodness of God showing they too can walk a life of forgiveness and love! “When one sees forgiveness granted for another, they in themselves have hope for their forgiveness” – Kristi Highwalker
If we are going to find the pulse of our Father and align our heartbeats, we HAVE TO FORGIVE ALL PEOPLE from the heart!! We do not have an option! I am learning this as I study it, we do not have an option if we truly want to walk in unity with our Father! The bible tells us that numerous times to forgive and it gives us the why!
So our hearts aren’t hardened: Hebrews 3:13 “Exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin (offence, trespasses, or faults).
There is no max number of times to forgive… just do it! Matt. 18:21-22 “Peter came to Him and said Lord, how often shall my brother bring sin (offence, trespass, faults) against me, and I forgive him? Til seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.” This is daily - in others words.. ALWAYS forgive!
So that we will be forgiven also: Matt. 6:15 – if we don’t forgive others then God will not forgive our transgressions (offences, trespasses, faults).
Galatians 5:22-23 tells us that the fruit of the Spirit (which is connected to the Kingdom) is love, joy, peace, patience (longsuffering – slowness in avenging wrongs), kindness (moral in character, integrity), goodness (upright of the heart and life), faithfulness, gentleness (humility) and self-control…
People, these are the characteristics of our Father! You can’t walk in ANY of these and partner with unforgiveness and bitterness! If He can forgive us for all that we’ve done, who are we to hold unforgiveness towards anyone else??
I believe with all my heart God is calling out a remnant of people who desire to be one with Him. They are willing to let Him strip them down bear in order to be purified and restored! In order to be transformed into who He originally created them to be! KINGDOM MINDED WARRIORS WHO WILL CARRY HIS CHARACTER INTO THIS WORLD BRINGING TRANSFORMATION TO EVERY CHANNEL OF CULTURE UNTIL…. IT IS ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN!
I choose to be part of that remnant! Do you?
I highly encourage you today to ask God to reveal ANY unforgiveness in your life and as Holy Spirit shows you the people write them down. Then ask Holy Spirit to direct you in how to forgive them. Forgiveness is a choice, we have to choose it and continue to choose it each time we get upset at that person. Sometimes we have to remind ourselves continuously throughout the day… UNTIL our heart begins to believe it then we will be free! Ask Holy Spirit to tell you if you need to go face to face with those you’ve held unforgiveness towards or maybe it is simply just a prayer that you need to say. You will feel the freedom bubbling up inside you! I promise!
Father, I thank You that You are a God of forgiveness! Thank You for being so patient with ME and forgiving me! I ask that you transform our hearts to be just like Yours! Hearts that are soft, pliable and so full of love for Your people that we refuse to let anyone slip through the cracks anymore! Father I ask that you give each of us fresh revelation of what it means to be kingdom minded and a Kings KID!! Help us to daily cultivate Your culture and character in us so that we can in turn bring your culture and character into this world! I truly believe that you created us to be a bridge of greater understanding, that through us, we are able to pull heaven down into the darkness (lack of knowledge) in this world! That we are able to reach others, not be preaching in their faces but through our witness by living out YOUR KINGDOM!
In Jesus name! Amen!
#forgiveness #kingdomofheavenislike #kingdomculture
July 24, 2018