Why Forgiveness Changes Everything (Reflections on Matthew
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- Опубликовано: 11 сен 2024
- In a recent chapel message at Biola University, Sean shares one of the biggest lessons he's learned since college. He discusses Matthew 18:21-35 and why forgiveness is one of our greatest apologetics today.
READ: A Rebel's Manifesto, by Sean McDowell (amzn.to/3cViP6C)
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I heard ya, Dr. Sean.... I'm sure you weren't really talking directly to me, lol. I feel like I did forgive them, but I don't know how that plays out. I just don't have the urge to be around my friend anymore despite forgiving her. I know why she did it. I might have done the same in her position. I do realize how much I'm forgiven, and it's not that I don't forgive them; I actually pity them. I'll keep praying about it. I pray for them daily. I know God has purpose for allowing it all. It's to get the rest of me out of me. I see MANY blessings in the hurt as well. Ugh! Dying to self is painful. Bring it on, Lord. Let's squash the rest of the reviler out of me. (Galatians 5 and 1 Corinthians 6)
Keep on keepin on the lord is pleased
I have never commented on a RUclips video. I am old enough to have heard your dad preach at Texas YEC as a youth and he is one of my favorites. I still remember much of what he said nearly 40 years later. As for you, you are one of the best interviewers I have ever watched but after watching this, I think you may be a better preacher than interviewer. Thank you. I really needed this.
Thx for the kind words I appreciate it a lot!
Great message thanks Sean. Forgiveness can be a process and I’ve been going through it for 2 years. Remembering what Gods forgiven me of helps.
Amen!
Thank you so much for this video and your words about the stark realization of God's grace! That is EXACTLY how I came to Christ after years of going forward, confessing sin over and over without true repentance, harboring hatred and resentment and never really getting the point of how much I had been forgiven because of Jesus' sacrifice.
Thank you Dr.Sean McDowell, your ministry has truly impacted me. I just recently went through something with one of my best friends who hurt me and it triggered so much trauma of things I went through when I was a little boy. He was the last person I expected it from. My heart was shattered but I know God is near to the broken-hearted.This has truly been a painful process and I also realize I haven’t been a perfect friend either. It’s hard to want to be around him now and I feel like I have forgiven him but I’m learning I have to forgive with my heart and not my feelings and it can be a constant process! This truly is life changing for me…. difficult but eye opening! May God continue blessing you🤍🙏🏽
Thumbs up from an older brother in Melbourne Australia. Your Dad's book (ETDaV) helped me immensely in my faith - especially the chapter on Jesus's resurrection. At low points in my walk, this understanding helped me to persevere.
My great grandpa was teacher in Julian early 40s. Such a sweet town !
Wow!
Wow this is one my favorite videos you’ve ever posted. Great teaching of such a powerful passage of scripture!
That’s awesome, Jaben. Appreciate the feedback!
Thank you Sean for posting this very encouraging video. One of the points that were really interesting was the story of the ex-youth pastor from the perspective of how he came to faith. It encourages me to really not forget about true gospel and to not change it to be more acceptable for wider audience.
You’re welcome, Marek. I’m glad it was encouraging.
Wow, great sermon. I love Dr Sean McDowell in the long form interview, and he gets great and brilliant guests. I hadn't heard him preach yet. Great stuff, he has a gift here too. Talented guy.
This is my favorite video from you Sean.
Hello Sean. Firstly I wanted to say thanks for all you do. It's great to have access to all these conversations and more for free. My name is Pixel/James and I became a Christian because of the evidence and because of the experience I've had with God. He picked me up, useless, alone, broken, abandoned, bitter, resentful, and crafted me into the man I am just these 10 months later. I'm completely unrecognizable in every aspect of my existence. He has called me to be an incredible Apologist and is crafting me to be that more and more everyday.
This talk was really well done and had some really clever moments where things made sense with cancel culture and such. However I am kind of lost. You mentioned that you wrote that letter and poured your heart out. I'm gonna be dumb and do that here online.
I have Aspergers and I struggle to understand things many people seem to understand naturally. I've also been clearly shown over and over by god that there are "walls" around my heart. Because of my past and other things I have put my guard up and I've done it for so long I cannot voluntarily put it down. I don't feel things like i should and it's hard for things to go from head to heart. He is working to fix this slowly and gently. But because of these I've never really understood he cross besides from a strictly intellectual perspective. I also don't understand forgiveness either. I've tried over and over and over to understand and I can't. Maybe it's because everyone abandoned me growing up and I was never forgiven or because I have Aspergers but I cannot understand. For some reason people describe it like finding the right button labelled "forgive" but I can't find this button in my heart or mind anywhere. People say it's not an emotion but an action from the heart but then I get confused because if it's from the heart shouldn't I feel something? If it's not a true desire or feeling then isn't ingenuine? How is it possible that I can show grace and understand grace but not forgive? I don't understand almost any of it. How do I forgive parent who were supposed to lift me up and instead abandoned me and abused me? Or the endless trail of rejection or any others from my past?
I've tried to read books, listen to sermons and lectures, pray, talk to friends, and no matter what I do I can't understand how to forgive. What should I do? Is there any possibility that you could make a more in depth video on something like this? Is there a different resource you'd recommend? Different explanation? All I can do is pray but that doesn't seem to help yet.
Sorry if this is too much or a bother. Thanks for reading Mr Friendo. Keep up the amazing work. God is using you.
Thanks for sharing and I’m sorry this has been such a challenge for you. My heart breaks at what you’ve been through. The fact that you want to forgive tells me your heart is in the right place. Not sure I have an easy fix for you, but I’d certainly encourage you to talk through with a pastor so he can really speak the truth of God’s forgiveness to you. Have you connected with others who have been through similar situations? I hope this doesn’t sound too simplistic but just wanted to help if I can.
Thanks for sharing and I’m sorry this has been such a challenge for you. My heart breaks at what you’ve been through. The fact that you want to forgive tells me your heart is in the right place. Not sure I have an easy fix for you, but I’d certainly encourage you to talk through with a pastor so he can really speak the truth of God’s forgiveness to you. Have you connected with others who have been through similar situations? I hope this doesn’t sound too simplistic but just wanted to help if I can.
I'll be praying for you too Pixel
@@SeanMcDowell so I've been to many churches and haven't been able to fit into any of them. It's actually where a good chunk of the unforgiveness lies. The only Christian place where I felt wanted, welcomed and I really felt God moving was at a camp called River's Edge. Thanks for replying though. Just the fact that you did at all means alot.
@@Nikki-MMG thanks much Friendo
This is such a good message! ❤
Thank you for this critical message.
Dr McDowell, I am new to your channel and I love your content. I am glad the RUclips algorithm brought me here.
Thanks Paul. Me too!
A most excellent message Sean. we all need to be reminded of the need for forgiveness and to forgive others. a hard thing to do sometimes. thanks so much. I love Julian and Mom's Apple Pie. Ramona too.
You bet. Yes, Julian is a special place. Ramona, though, I’m not sure 😉
this was great. i understand now that forgetting and forgiving are 2 things, and when my wife say things that hurt me i just forget. but for that moment. and later when she does a familiar thing i just say its okay but think it wil not change and still hurts. i try to forget but i dont forgive. i understand now that i dont forgive her. and i need to do it and say it to her. im happy that i took a moment to watch this and God just hit me with this tought because i was getting stuck again. i know that God makes us en loves us. but i also feel an absense in my life. and i know that jesus died for my sins but when i thougt that i was forgiving everyone i just could not forgive my whife because i didnt notice that i didnt forgave her. but i do know. so
so thank you for wat you do. for what you say.
This was a great message Sean!
Another beautiful talk. Thanks!
Of course!
Thank you so very much 😊🙏!
You’re welcome!
Sean, this was just amazing and thank you so much.
That’s was great Sean, just what I needed this morn
Awesome!
Such a great message Sean. Its funny cause we get a few unkind comments over on our channel from time to time. Usually we're like whatever and just ignore or delete the real bad ones, anyway I had decided to respond to a cruel one last night. I felt alright about until I just watched this 😆 Thanks for helping others stay on the path my friend.
You bet. Sorry you get those comments. I do too and aim to respond with grace when I can!
WOW this is just amazing
Hey, I have a question, recently my fav RUclips church life church and I was listening to them until I saw that Craig often misrepresents scripture and does stuff that often profits himself hurts
So should I keep listening to this person? It’s the same thing with Rick warren but what Rick warren said actually made my conscience weird like saying the wrong thing and it stuck out like a sore thumb so I was deeply disturbed.
I know the Bible talk about false teacher but everyone calls everyone false teacher except maybe you which is why I can listen to you with a clear conscience and also Charles Stanley
I need to forgive more.
Me too. We’re all in progress.
@@SeanMcDowell What I hope I understand is do I mean it when I forgive.
I think I do but a sinful man is blind to the ways of God.
I pray that HE sees that.
If we accept Jesus as our savior in our hearts and do our best to forgive others, but inevitably still carry some bitterness and resentment at times towards those who have wronged us, are we still covered by God's grace?
As a human we're going to have that resentment. It more about trusting God to aide us with that bitterness and resentment. Usually these feeling are still lingering because of that sense of betrayal. So it could be more of a need for him to heal that wound. As long as you are actively surrendering those feelings to him he will help you. Be honest with him and let God know this is affecting you. Cause above all God is a father and is there for you
Agreed with Jumper. Dr Sean even said in the video that it can be a daily surrender. It's been an eye opening journey for me. I was hurt by my bff of 30 years and my g-babies' mom canceled me. I have to daily choose to get over myself. God can change our hearts when we keep giving it to Him. I feel it welling up and drop to my knees. I'm not ok with a bitter root. Just keep refusing to let our feelings take over.
Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him,
No repentence = no forgiveness.
Ordinance's and law's are used for unforgivness. The difference between a sin that is a crime and a sin that is not a crime comes from God's grace. Judge Jennie yesterday was saying that people sleeping in public can do 6 year's in prison for sleeping in public. SLEEPING IS A MEDICAL NECESSITY, they need to read what the Lord says about taking someone's bed. They start making accusations unfounded,murder.
*The Enuma Elish would later be the inspiration for the Hebrew scribes who created the text now known as the biblical Book of Genesis.* Prior to the 19th century CE, the Bible was considered the oldest book in the world and its narratives were thought to be completely original. In the mid-19th century CE, however, European museums, as well as academic and religious institutions, sponsored excavations in Mesopotamia to find physical evidence for historical corroboration of the stories in the Bible. ***These excavations found quite the opposite, however, in that, once cuneiform was translated, it was understood that a number of biblical narratives were Mesopotamian in origin.***
*Famous stories such as the Fall of Man and the Great Flood were originally conceived and written down in Sumer,* translated and modified later in Babylon, and reworked by the Assyrians ***before they were used by the Hebrew scribes for the versions which appear in the Bible.***
***In revising the Mesopotamian creation story for their own ends, the Hebrew scribes tightened the narrative and the focus but retained the concept of the all-powerful deity who brings order from chaos.*** Marduk, in the Enuma Elish, establishes the recognizable order of the world - *just as God does in the Genesis tale* - and human beings are expected to recognize this great gift and honor the deity through service.
Google *"Enuma Elish - The Babylonian Epic of Creation - Full Text - World History Encyclopedia"*
Also discussed by Professor Christine Hayes at Yale University in her 1st lecture of the series on the Hebrew Bible from 8:50 to 14:30 minutes, lecture 3 from 28:30 to 41:35 minutes, lecture 4 from 0:00 up to 21:30 minutes and 24:00 up to 35:30 minutes and lecture 7 from 24:20 to 25:10 minutes.
From a Biblical scholar:
"Many stories in the ancient world have their origins in other stories and were borrowed and modified from other or earlier peoples. *For instance, many of the stories now preserved in the Bible are* ***modified*** *versions of stories that existed in the cultures and traditions of Israel’s* ***older*** *contemporaries.* Stories about the creation of the universe, a cataclysmic universal flood, digging wells as land markers, the naming of important cultic sites, gods giving laws to their people, and even stories about gods decreeing the possession of land to their people were all part of the cultural and literary matrix of the ancient Near East. *Biblical scribes freely* ***adopted and modified*** *these stories as a means to express their own identity, origins, and customs."*
*"Stories from the Bible"* by Dr Steven DiMattei, from his website *"Biblical Contradictions"*
------------------------------------------------------------------
In addition, look up the below articles.
*"Debunking the Devil - Michael A. Sherlock (Author)"*
*"10 Ways The Bible Was Influenced By Other Religions - Listverse"*
*"Top Ten Reasons Noah’s Flood is Mythology - The Sensuous Curmudgeon"*
*"The Adam and Eve myth - News24"*
*"Are The Ten Commandments Based On The Forty-Two Principles Of Maat That Appeared 2,000 Years Earlier? - Ancient Pages"*
*"Before Adam and Eve - Psychology Today"*
*"Gilgamesh vs. Noah - Wordpress"*
*"No, Humans Are Probably Not All Descended From A Single Couple Who Lived 200,000 Years Ago"*
*"Adam & Eve: Theologians Try to Reconcile Science and Fail - The New Republic"*
*"Adam and Eve: the ultimate standoff between science and faith (and a contest!) - Why Evolution Is True"*
*"Bogus accommodationism: The return of Adam and Eve as real people, as proposed by a wonky quasi-scientific theory - Why Evolution Is True"*
*"How many scientists question evolution? - **sciencemeetsreligion.org**"*
*"What is the evidence for evolution? - Common-questions - BioLogos"*
(A Christian organisation)
*"Why scientists dismiss 'intelligent design' - Science"*
*"Old Testament Tales Were Stolen From Other Cultures - Griffin"*
*"Parallelism between “The Hymn to Aten” and Psalm 104 - Project Augustine"*
*"How do we know that the biblical writers were* ***not*** *writing history? -- by Dr Steven DiMattei"*
*"Contradictions in the Bible | Identified verse by verse and explained using the most up-to-date scholarly information about the Bible, its texts, and the men who wrote them -- by Dr. Steven DiMattei"*
*Let's briefly run through the 'ten plagues':*
First the rivers are turned to blood, all the fish die and the waters stink. No one has any water to drink. This lasted for seven days and would have resulted in mass deaths due to dehydration. Amongst the first to die would have been the children. *The author doesn't think to explain how the Hebrews were saved from this. No record of it was made anywhere in any Egyptian records.* Exodus 7:17-25.
This is followed by a plague of frogs which had somehow survived the rivers of blood that had killed all the fish. A mere inconvenience, nothing more, and a big stink when they all died, *but no record anywhere.* Exodus 8:2-13.
Next we have the plague of lice about which very little is said *and of course no record was made.* To a people who would have been accustomed to lice this would probably have been nothing remarkable. Exodus 8:16-18.
Then the flies. Apart from the land being 'corrupted', whatever that means, there don't appear to have been any ill effects from this and they disappear as quickly as they came a few days later. *Nothing worth recording there, obviously.* Exodus 8:21-31.
Now the author seems to begin to lose the plot and describes a 'grievous murrain' *which kills all the Egyptians' cattle, horses, camels and sheep.* ***They all died - hold that thought.*** *No Egyptian historian or keeper of official records deems it worthy of mention.* Exodus 9:3-6.
Next come the boils which afflict everyone and everything, including all the livestock ***even though they had been killed by the 'grievous murrain' a few days earlier,*** *apparently, and yet no-one thought to write anything down anywhere.* Of course, anyone who understood anything about microorganisms and the aeteology of boils would have described this as an infestation with Staphylococcus - the signs of faecal contamination - but the author was obviously unaware of these. Maybe he was just in too much of a muddle by now to care. Exodus 9:8-11.
Now it's hailstones so bad that every plant, every tree, every servant (for servant read slave) ***and even the livestock (that our story-teller has forgotten already that he killed off in the fifth plague before given them boils in the sixth) were harmed.*** It looks like our story-teller has learned from his earlier silly mistake with killing all the livestock too soon then having to resurrect them later. He mentions that some plants survive. Do I smell stinking fish again? *The greatest hail storm in all Egyptian history, apparently, but not worthy of being recorded.* Exodus 9:18-25.
It's the turn of the locusts and it's suddenly obvious why some plants had to survive. *How could the locusts turn Egypt into a barren desert if the hail storm had done it earlier?* Good thinking there. Shame about the earlier boob! *Mysteriously, no Egyptian scribe appears to notice any of this or the inevitable famine and mass starvation which would have ensued.* Exodus 10:4-15.
And for the penultimate trick, it's going to be dark for three days. *No one makes a record of this, obviously.* Exodus 10:21-23.
The last 'plague' is not so much a plague as a ritual genocide. *Here our tale takes a nasty turn and the true character of the Hebrew god is revealed in all its glory - a petty, vindictive, homicidal psychopath who has not yet acquired the omniscience he will be granted later. He kills every firstborn Egyptian in a single night,* ***including the firstborn of all the cattle that died in the fifth plague.*** *For some reason he needs the Hebrews to leave a secret sign so he doesn't kill them too. Weirdly, he can't tell his own chosen people from ordinary Egyptians and doesn't even know where they live.* And he had been leading up to this, apparently, because after every plague he 'hardens the heart' of Pharaoh so that he wouldn't let the Hebrews go. He had actually been planning this genocide all along just to impress people with his powers. *And still no-one thought even this mass killing in a single night worth making a note of in any Egyptian records.* Exodus 12:1-30.
And then, of course, Pharaoh could muster up 600 horses to pull the chariots ***from amongst all the dead livestock from the 5th plague*** (Exodus 14:7).
Google *"Rosa Rubicondior: Origins Of The Exodus Myth"*
------------------------------------------------------------------
In addition, look up the below articles.
*"Debunking Christianity: PATTERNS OF POOR RESEARCH- A Critique of Patterns of Evidence:Exodus"*
*"For you were (not) slaves in Egypt: The ancient memories behind the Exodus myth - Archaeology - **Haaretz.com**"*
*"Why the Exodus Story Has Value Despite Being Complete Myth - Psychology Today Australia"*
*"Is the Exodus a Myth? - Worlds Beyond"*
*"Historicity of Exodus and Moses - The Creatively Maladjusted"*
*"Biblical Contradiction #81. When did the Exodus allegedly happen: during the reign of Rameses II (1279-1213 BC) OR in 1447 BC?"*
*"Ten Reasons Why the Bible’s Story of the Exodus is Not True - by Tim Zeak - ExCommunications - Medium"*
*"Why Moses Did Not Write the Torah - Thomas Shoemaker"*
*"Sargon the Great and Moses - The Word of Me… Wordpress"*
*"Contradictions in the Bible | Identified verse by verse and explained using the most up-to-date scholarly information about the Bible, its texts, and the men who wrote them -- by Dr. Steven DiMattei"*
*"How do we know that the biblical writers were* ***not*** *writing history? -- by Dr Steven DiMattei"*
@Genesis 12:3 = Matthew 25:31-46
Father Abraham
Jesus the Christ
goats sheep
Matthew 6:20-21. (20. But lay up for
yourselves treasures in Heaven...(21.
For where your treasure is, there will
your heart be also. God bless you!!!
I will ask all Christians, specifically for those that believe in hell, to please, as a thought experiment to try to believe in something that you don't? For example take vampires, fairy's, big foot, santa, anything you honestly don't believe in...and then consider if asked to believe in that thing to keep yourself from eternal torture could your really do it? It is literally impossible to believe in something that your brain will not allow you to believe in. One could always say they believe...do you believe true belief isn't required? 75% of humanity burning in torture for eternity is the one of the most evil beliefs anyone could ever have.
If forgiveness changes everything, why didn't your God just forgive Adam and Eve, rather than holding a grudge against them. Your God is asking you to do, what he didn't do.
Well just because I forgive someone doesn't mean that I let you back into the position in my life that you once had.
For instance for a friend who's maybe spilled a secret I trusted them with. I forgive my friend and I don't hold it against them. But said friend has shown me that's not something they could handle yet. As a result, our relationship was hurt. There are still consequences to the action they took. There has to be effort put into the relationship to rekindle what was lost. I'm called to forgive and not hold grudges against my friend. However, I don't have to rekindle that relationship, especially if it's working to harm me in the process.
When God sent Adam and Eve out of the garden it was a result, a consequence of their actions. If God had a grudge against them he wouldn't have continued to be with them. Like he said forgiveness doesn't excuse the wrong or the consequences of your actions. The hard part specifically about this is the position God is in. Cause yes, he forgives but he also has to be the one who dishes out the- 'alright. Here are the consequences of what you've done though. Cause actions have results'
God offered it to them as He does to everyone. We just have to be willing to accept it.
God made us for His purpose, not ours. He is God, not us. That's where humans miss the mark (aka sin). He didn't not forgive Adam and Eve, He made a way back to fellowship with Him through Jesus. That wasn't about lack of forgiveness; He made a way despite their rebellion. That's real love.
Oh, that You would rend the heavens! That You would come down! That the mountains might shake at Your presence- As fire burns brushwood, As fire causes water to boil- To make Your name known to Your adversaries, That the nations may tremble at Your presence! When You did awesome things for which we did not look, You came down, The mountains shook at Your presence. For since the beginning of the world Men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, Nor has the eye seen any God besides You, Who acts for the one who waits for Him. You meet him who rejoices and does righteousness, Who remembers You in Your ways. You are indeed angry, for we have sinned- In these ways we continue; And we need to be saved. But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away. And there is no one who calls on Your name, Who stirs himself up to take hold of You; For You have hidden Your face from us, And have consumed us because of our iniquities. But now, O Lord, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our potter; And all we are the work of Your hand.
Isaiah 64:1-8 NKJV
@@SeanMcDowell No he didn't. He banished them from Eden. That's not forgiveness.
@@jumpergodesss6882 Forgiveness means you don't punish. To punish means you held a record of being wronged. 1 Corinthians 13:5 "Love keeps *no* record of wrongs". Your God held a record against Adam and Eve.
You can be LGBT and Christian 👬
Welp, the RUclips algorithm won’t allow me to reply to you so I suppose your statement will sadly go unanswered.
Ummm
Really??
Pick a different religion-believing something really hard does not necessarily make it true.
@@maryloulongenbaugh7069 that's what your faith is for
A beautiful example of "forgiveness" in the NT:
Acts 5:1-10 GW
A man named Ananias and his wife Sapphira sold some property. They agreed to hold back some of the money ⌞they had pledged⌟ and turned only part of it over to the apostles. Peter asked, “Ananias, why did you let Satan fill you with the idea that you could deceive the Holy Spirit? You’ve held back some of the money you received for the land. While you had the land, it was your own. After it was sold, you could have done as you pleased with the money. So how could you do a thing like this? You didn’t lie to people but to God!” When Ananias heard Peter say this, he dropped dead. Everyone who heard about his death was terrified. Some young men got up, wrapped his body in a sheet, carried him outside, and buried him. About three hours later Ananias’ wife arrived. She didn’t know what had happened. So Peter asked her, “Tell me, did you sell the land for that price?” She answered, “Yes, that was the price.” Then Peter said to her, “How could you and your husband agree to test the Lord’s Spirit? Those who buried your husband are standing at the door, and they will carry you outside for burial.” Immediately, she dropped dead in front of Peter. When the young men came back, they found Sapphira dead. So they carried her outside and buried her next to her husband.
The Holy Spirit killed a husband and wife over some money... beautiful 🤔
This is not a teaching or example about forgiveness or money, its an example of God's hatred of hypocrisy. Granted a harsh one, but it's in the Scriptures for that purpose. Life and death is in the hand of God. He will judge righteously. if they did believe in Jesus, they went to eternal paradise. As Paul mentions elsewhere, for me to live is Christ and to die is gain.
@marcleysens7716 Yeah, it's a story of Christian propaganda trying to scare early Christians into not withholding moola from the Church 🤔 obviously a made-up story (at least the cause of death) and pathetic.