The Power of Forgiveness I KidzQuest Pastor Nolan Carpenter
by Nolan Carpenter
First Apostolic Church of Maryville (Maryville, TN)
Kind: sermon
Scripture: Luke 17:1-5, Joshua 6:1, Proverbs 18:19, Galatians 6:7, 1 Samuel 18:9, 1 Samuel 18:11, 1 Samuel 19:9, Psalm 57:7-11, 1 Samuel 24:4-5, 1 Samuel 1:12-14

Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/nolan-carpenter--the-power-of-forgiveness-i-kidzquest
Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page.
Free to copy and share with attribution.

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it is so good to be in the house of the Lord this evening and again I want to I want to tell us tonight how privileged we are it's a Wednesday night bible study and the power of the Lord is in this place it's it feels like Revival in this place it feels like the day of Pentecost in this place matter of fact every time we meet we celebrate Pentecost because we are people filled with the spirit of God and I thank the Lord for it tonight we are so privileged to be in the presence of God this evening I want to give honor to you great people tonight thank you for allowing me to stand before the greatest group in all the world First Apostolic church I love you very dearly I do want to say we have some special guests in the house brother ASA and sister Cameron some of their friends and family have gathered here tonight are worshiping with us and we want to give their family big honor tonight thank you for joining us this evening we know that you just made the trip just for this Wednesday night bible study and we thank you for that and then you'll be able to celebrate brother ASA and sister Cameron's uh big day coming up very shortly give them give them honor I will tell you this I um not that I've always made fun of Pastor because that's a terrible way to open up a sermon okay but when Pastor would would be preaching on something so emphatically and and you could just tell at the end of his message he just didn't get all of us out of his system or he would say he didn't get it all out of his crawl that would be his exact words I've always kind of say yeah you know you had a lot to say and you want to say a little bit more of it but I find myself in that difficult place tonight and a few weeks ago I preached on the power of forgiveness and how God can set someone through free through the power of forgiveness and God kind of smote me because tonight I stand here and it's not all out of my crawl yet and so I want to I want to continue that tonight in a part two The Power of forgiveness Luke 17 1 simply opens it up for us this evening he says then said he and to the disciples it is impossible that offenses will come but woe unto him through whom they come it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck and he is cast into the sea then that he should offend one of these little ones take heed to yourself If thy brother trespass against thee rebuke him and if he repent here's the difficult part forgive him here is some more difficulty that Jesus throws on us and if he trespasses against thee seven times in a day seven times turn to you again saying I Repent Thou shalt forgive him the disciples to this point have seen Jesus do a bunch of wonderful things they've seen so many miracles at the hand of this this God man named Jesus and then Jesus opens up and begins to speak the word of God on a simple bible study on forgiveness says hey if a brother wrongs you seven times in a day you shout it's not an option you shall forgive them and disciples respond back to Jesus in verse number five and say increase our faith it's one of the hardest things to do is to look someone in the eyes that has wronged you and has caused hurt in your life to make the decision through God that you will forgive them I want to preach about the power the power of forgiveness part part two you be so kind before you set your Bibles down before you're seated if you would lift your hands and let's ask God to prepare our heart tonight it's not just a subject that you know just is so easy accepted easily accepted and followed but let's ask God to prepare our hearts tonight God I love you Lord I feel your presence in this place this evening God I'm so thankful that there's victory in this house with maybe a the shout of a song and a Beat of a drum God when we worship your name but God there's still Victory through the power of forgiveness God I believe even though it's a Wednesday night bible study Lord and I hope to teach on this subject of forgiveness God but I just believe someone tonight can be set free Lord God I believe and I feel your presence moving in this house right now God I believe someone can leave free oh God God better than maybe better than a a physical healing but God may be a spiritual God it may be an emotional healing tonight Lord I pray just as you would move on those people in Scripture it says you would have compassion Lord I pray through the words that I would preach to these great people Lord I would have compassion on their hurt and compassion on the offenses in someone's life but Lord I believe tonight someone can leave free in the name of Jesus if you believe that would you lift your hands and let's thank God for what he's going to do in this place Lord we love you God we praise you we fill you in this house today God we know through the power of forgiveness someone can leave free tonight in the name of Jesus and now we clap our hands to you Lord we thank you because we feel you in this place in Jesus name we pray you may you may be seated there's a story that I heard about a college dorm and I don't even know where the location of this dorm room was and it was just a simple day a normal day in the fall semester of a college and this dorm room was filled with a bunch of guys it was a guy it was a dorm room that held college guys and of course that could be somewhat of a a stinky place it could be and um their water supply is is something of importance all right it's how the the the the college there would smell nice all right it would be uh through that water that was so important to the uh hopefully the hygiene of the uh the college students there that stayed in this dorm and they woke up on this morning and to their surprise as they hopefully went to the bathroom sink to turn on the water and begin to brush their teeth that no water was coming from that faucet they would go and one would try to turn on the shower and to their surprise no water would flow from that shower head what a terrible day on that college campus all right what was to come and so they would alert they would alert the people they would need to alert hey the water is not where it was the whole dorm room the whole the whole dorm there with their water supply was was not working and so they would call the people that could take care of the issues and they begin to work close to the the the back of the dorm and maybe there's something wrong with these pipes and maybe maybe something's just got turned off and everything looks fine everything seems like it should be producing water there's no reason for this the water not to be working so they grabbed the big equipment they they grabbed all the They Drove all the big heavy equipment over there to dig underground to see what the problem was and as they started close to the dorm room and there was no problem there even though the water wasn't flowing there should be no reason that the water wouldn't be flowing and so they kind of followed those pipes and far off not close to the dorm room but far off they opened up and they saw the problem they saw the problem the water was stopping right here and they broke open this this pipe and looked inside they saw a big fat frog and his crawled his way in as a little tadpole just began to eat on some things in there just began when it when it was a tadpole it wasn't an issue because it was just something so small something you know it was probably there was I don't know there was probably a few tadpoles in there but as the tadpole would grow and eat on things begin to grow it wasn't an issue when it was a small small little tadpole but the more it had things to eat on the more it would eat on algae maybe the terrible dorm room water you know just reminded of the college dorms at Mars Hill that we had to get beds out because it wasn't it wasn't able to house our kids and this nastiness and that tadpole would eat on little algae and little algae and over time produce this big fat frog that would would close off the water supply to this dorm not here to sell you a bill of goods on how to keep your water pipes clean this evening but your spiritual water pipes I'm here to preach about this evening you know it when a fence comes in our life maybe it's something small it's not really a big deal we could maybe sometimes Overlook it or sometimes we can get over it or sometimes we can just forget about it but when that little something in our life begins to feed on things when I was little something in our life begins to grow it begins to feed on this situation and in that situation it begins to grow some size and before you know it this big fat frog of a fence in someone's life can cause water not to reach our souls this this word a fence here used in the opening of our scripture is a very powerful word that Jesus speaks this word offense comes from the Greek word scandalin which is where we get scandalous or Scandal this word means a stumbling block something that would cause someone to fall this next definition I I feel like a lot of us has been have been there something contrary to expectation that brings disappointment I think we've all been there we've all had some expectation of maybe a person a loved one we feel like we expect them to act in a certain way and when that they break that expectation disappointment comes and the possibility of offense would come into our life another word for offense or another definition would be a trigger or a trap the trigger to a trap this word offense is like a a word picture it's an easy trap to walk into a matter of fact it feels like the right place to be it's a place of hurt it's the literal bait found inside of this trap this bait of offense once you eat of this bait this trap would enclose you in and you would be imprisoned in something Jesus refers to as offense when living in this place of offense it this newfound prisoner we begin to put up walls of protection and it just makes sense to us human beings to have protection because because we want to keep the hurt we just experienced we want to keep that hurt as far away from us as we can possibly get it so we begin to put up walls and we begin to think to ourselves you know this time uh this hurt won't happen because I'm protected by these walls I begin to protect myself uh myself from future hurts and future wounds we we filter out all the people who who might find that opportunity to wrong us we literally become like the walls of Jericho Joshua 6 and 1 says that none went out and none came in the walls of your protection the walls of my protection when offense comes literally becomes our prison nothing comes out and nothing goes in we can't give anything and we can't we can't receive anything as well because we've set up our own prison we literally die inside of our protection because nothing is coming in and nothing is Flowing out eventually our protection from hurt our protection from other people's hurt that they can cause becomes our prison now Proverbs 18 and 9 says a brother offended is harder to be one than a strong City and their contentions are like the bars of a castle Jesus is very clear that literally it is impossible to live your life and not have the chance to find yourself in this place of offense it's impossible not to find yourself attempting to build these walls that will be will lead to a prison to live in the question is not will you encounter this trap but the question is how you will respond in this trap because the the for you coming to this trap that's inevitable but how we respond as people of God that's what I've come to preach about tonight we will respond by building the walls and protection if we don't that will become a prison if we respond in the wrong way but give me a man and give me a woman that you find yourself in a place of forgiveness and I'll show you someone who lives in Freedom I'll show you who lives some someone who lives with joy I'll show you someone who lives with the joy of the Lord in their life sure I know you were done wrong I know you were done wrong and you had that opportunity to climb into the Trap of offense but give me a man that forgives and I'll show you a happy man give me a man That Forgives someone I'll show you a man full of the spirit give me a woman that breaks down the walls of protection that breaks down that prison of chance and I'll show you a happy woman in Jesus name the first thing with forgiveness is you can't give something that you do not possess that's the first thing with forgiveness you can't properly forgive someone and forgiveness has not been applied to you this scripture when we this is like the go-to scripture when it comes to taking up an offering if Pastor Taps you on the shoulder and says hey Nolan tonight I need you to take up a good offering all right take some time and and really tell the people you know the importance of giving we all know what scripture is popped into our head give and it shall be given unto you maybe some preacher voice comes out in you brother Nathaniel Skinner on the organs over there you know hobnobbing over there and give and it shall be given unto you pressed down shaken together and running over shall men given to you into your bosom doesn't that sound great you give and it's given unto you for with the same measure that you need that's how terrible my preaching voice is God bless me with the voice of my dad all right the same measure that you meet with all shall be measured unto you again would you notice that that verse right there it is a continual sentence from the previous verse to qualify this scripture about giving and it shall be given unto you you've got to go to verse 37. it says judge not and ye shalt not be judged condemn not and ye shall not be condemned forgive and you shall be forgiven then we go to the next verse give and it shall be given unto you good measure pressed down shaken together and running over shall men give unto your bosom for the same measure that you meet with all it shall be measured to you again what's this talking about giving what is this giving talking about it's talking about judgment and it's talking about forgiveness if you give judgment then you're going to reap judgment and that judgment's going to be pressed down shaken together and running over shall you be judged if you give forgiveness though and I'm so thankful this throws Us in there if you give forgiveness you will reap forgiveness and that forgiveness will be shaken I will be pressed down shaken together and running over shall men give forgiveness back to you so for however we give forgiveness the scripture is clear that we're going to receive that same forgiveness and it's going to be pressed down shaken together in a running over you're going to be such a forgiving man and I know I mean I might be preaching a bunch of them perfect husbands tonight two and a half years I have figured out I am far from a perfect husband but you know what as a husband here tonight I want to give so much forgiveness to my wife I want to give so she don't she don't even need forgiveness but I want when that opportunity comes I want to give her that forgiveness because when I have one of those bad days and she tells me to go pick up my pants over there that's been laying there for two and a half weeks all right all right she's told me 17 times brother Tommy go pick up your dirty drawers over there and put them in the laundry for I whoop you all right you know those days you know those days where everything's not going well and I need some forgiveness I just want to plant some forgiveness on my wife that one day she realizes hey I'm I'm married to a forgiving man I'm married to a man that can forgive I don't know if I'm preaching a bunch of perfect husbands I but I'm just going to tell on myself tonight but I want to give so much forgiveness to my wife that she turns to me and says I know it's been two and a half weeks but I'm gonna forgive you you're gonna pick those up but I'm going to forgive you all right that's what type of husband I want to be tonight I want to be a man That Forgives because the same measure that you forgive you'll receive forgiveness and it will be pressed down shaken together and running over it's the principle here in Galatians 6 and 7 for whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap I want to be a forgiven person I want to have forgiveness just flowing from me because I know I know that forgiveness will come back to me one of these days I'm going to need forgiveness when studying for this message is part two this evening we can literally pick out really any character in The Bible and begin to preach about how they had the opportunity to be offended but if they did not fall if they did didn't fall into the Trap and God would use them Jesus said literally anyone faces everybody faces this trap but it's how you respond to this it's not when you encounter or will you encounter but it's all about how you respond when the opportunity comes for you to build up walls of protection from hurt how will you respond when someone does you wrong and this is what Jesus is talking about that everybody would encounter this trap but it's how you respond to this trap is what makes the difference David is one of my favorite people in the Bible to to studying to preach about because David is a young man chosen by God he's used of God and he's tapped on to be anointed as the next king we we know this story and he defeats Goliath and and they are singing praises of David in the streets and and it's just amazing I can't imagine how he kept humility to to hear people and to watch people jump up and down throughout the streets and they are just singing his praises and singing his name that Saul has killed his thousands but David has killed his tens of thousands all while David's only killed one giant all right I could just see how how David is just how he was humble we don't know but I don't know if I could stay humble in that case but we know that with anointing and Victory came with a little bit of Jealousy on the part of King Saul first Samuel 18 and 9 records that saul-eyed David from that day and forward the next day it literally says on tomorrow David was in the presence of Saul and he was playing before the king just like other times but this time it was different there was Jack a javelin in the hand of Saul and hatred in the heart of Saul first Samuel 18 11 and Saul cast a javelin for he said I will Smite David even to the wall with it and David avoided out of his presence twice this would start to be somewhat of a a common occurrence because in Chapter 19 Verse 9 the evil spirit from the Lord was upon Saul and as he sat in his house with his Javelin his hand David played with his hands and Saul sought to Smite David even to the wall with the javelin but He Slipped Away out of Saul's presence and he's promote the javelin into the wall and David fled and escaped that night David let's ask you a question buddy how does it feel to be chosen by God how does it feel to to be anointed by God days ago you were literally hearing the Praises in the streets of your name but now you're running for your life not only are you running for for your life but you're running from the most powerful person in the Kingdom King Saul how does it feel to have someone that maybe as a child you grew up respecting this King saw everybody wanted to be like the king they would play the game and whoever whoever would be crowned as King in that little Elementary game that was that was the man that was the man you you wanted all your life to be like this King Saul and now he turns around he's got a javelin in his hand he's trying to kill you young man how does it feel now how does it feel now to be anointed every child's in Israel's dream just is you want to grow up and be just like the king but now you're being threatened by the man that you wanted to be like for the next few chapters David is scheming plans to escape dangerous situations and and now has to hide in fields trying to run when when no one's looking trying to run through the night just to try to escape this man named Saul how does it feel now to be chosen by God how does it feel now to be anointed do you feel like you're anointed king David on the run from the most important person in all Israel David the anointed one David the chosen one finds himself in a cave the Bible calls this Cave the Cave of adulam and a doula means Refuge although this is a physical cave that David is in he was also if I could in a spiritual cave as well events that happen in David's life that were Beyond his control put him inside this cave and David wrote this when he had the opportunity to be offended in a King Saul David wrote this Psalm in a cave while hiding for his life Psalms 57 and 7 my heart is fixed oh God my heart is fixed I will sing and give praise oh wake up my glory awakes Sultry and harp I myself will awake early I will praise thee O Lord among the people I will sing unto thee among the Nations for thy mercy is great and to the heavens and thy truth unto the clouds be thou exalted know God above the heavens let thy glory be above all the Earth in the midst of hiding for his life he made up his mind he made up his heart that his heart was fixed he said in the middle of running from the most important person in all Israel in the middle of running for it does not make sense why I have to run for my life but in the midst of my running I have made up my mind that I'm going to be faithful to God I've made up in my mind when I have the opportunity to be offended that I'm going to sing his Praises that I'm going to come to church every time the doors are open I'm going to continue to worship God I'm going to continue to magnify God I'm going to continue to glorify God because God did not call me to get Vengeance God called me to remain faithful that's the biggest difference God did not call you the Vengeance but God called you to remain faithful in this time of offense it would be so easy for David to to just do what's attack what's attacking him it would be so easy for David to to feel like he could kill Saul because Saul was trying to kill him like I said God did not call David the Vengeance God called David to remain faithful in the opportunity to be offended it's not Vengeance that you need it's faithfulness that we need it's faithfulness to the house of God this house of God will get you through that season I know you've been hurt I know that you have the opportunity to I don't want to be around people because people have hurt me and you begin to to build up these walls and eventually you realize that you have imprisoned yourself in walls of protection but God has recalled us to remain faithful during this season can I encourage someone in this season tonight in this season of life you were forced into this season by the hurt of someone else it's not your job for vengeance but it's your job to remain faithful and that's how God gets us through this season that's how God gets us through this season it continues in in first Samuel 24 and 4 and the men of David said unto him behold the day of which the Lord said unto thee behold I will deliver thine enemy into thine hand that thou mayest do to him as it shall seem good unto thee what these men were saying to David today is your day God has delivered salt right into your hands and this is the day that you can get revenge David this is the day that you can really just make everything go away if you would prove your dominance right now this is the perfect opportunity you see that cave over there David we've spotted out for you David that Saul and his men that they're in that cave and it's the it's the time to attack these men said to David this is your time to get revenge no more being chaste no more being light on no more being wronged you can do it once you can act on your revenge and all your problems will go away the Bible says that David arose cut off the skirt of Saul's robe privately and it came to pass afterwards that David's heart smote him because he had cut off Sauls skirt the point of this scripture here is that God began to to convict the heart of David why did God put David through this season where the most influential man in all of Israel was chasing God's anointed the most powerful man in all the kingdom was was throwing javelins at at David as David would try to minister to Saul why would God put David through that and what I can come with come up with is a simple the reason that God shows David was because he was the complete opposite of Saul he was the complete opposite of Saul Saul was a man of Revenge but God but David was a man of faithfulness God that God David was a a man that would give God his problems instead of trying to to act upon our problems it was a complete opposite of Saul and matter of fact the reason that God would choose David and the reason that David would go through this this trial this this season of Saul you realize if David would act upon his Vengeance if David would act upon what hurting him and respond the way Saul would respond it would make him no different from Saul the reason that God would put David through Saul in to get the Saul out of David to get that hatred out of David to get those hurts out of David the reason that God may be putting us through some things is to get those things out of us to get that hurt out of us to get that hatred that backbiting out of us the reason we can maybe encourage ourselves tonight that the reason we're going through this this season of offense is God is trying to get something out of me I don't know why you're putting me through this God I don't know why I'm being lied on I don't know why I'm being hurt that someone I've looked up to but whatever you're doing you are getting something out of me to make me a better person if I can respond in the right way if I can remain faithful to your house if I can remain faithful to your will then you are drawing things out of me things that you don't want in there because you have a calling for me but I have to go through something to get those things out the reason that David had to go through Saul was to quite literally get the Saul out of David we can go on and on with people in scripture and it's amazing how many people dealt with the opportunity to be offended we could look at a lady by the name of Hannah Hannah is a Barren she Longs for a child she is just every time you looked at Hannah she was almost sobbing and crying and she made a decision that she wasn't going to eat it was about the time that they would head to the house of the Lord that one time a year where um elk and I and and Hannah and the other wife that has a bunch of children that has so many sons and so many daughters and then Hannah's on the other side and they're walking to the house of God and she looks at her husband elkanized as he begins to give offerings to that other wife and the sons and the daughters and then the Bible does record that elk and I was a he was a fair husband and he gave Hannah a worthy portion to to present to God and this one time a year that they would go to the house of the Lord and elk and I sees Hannah just seeing her not eating they were eating in a city called Shiloh and she decided there not to eat and she's crying and now Christ says am I not as good as ten sons and am I not enough and just in Hannah's heart she longed to have a child that was her own in Hannah's heart was just a it was just a pure thought she just wanted some fruitfulness to come from her it's in scripture when you weren't able to produce children it was almost like you were there was something wrong with you and and it wasn't that God had just the scripture says that God has just shut up the womb of Hannah and so they show up to the house of God and the Bible says that Eli and his two sons hoffney and Phineas were there and and she began to pray and she began to talk about fervently pray I'm talking about really just a A desperate sort of prayer she begins to pray and she begins to say God if you would give me a son Lord I'll I'll give that son to you all the days of his life he's going to serve you and and all the days matter of fact uh he's gonna he's gonna he's gonna make a Nazarite vow and he's going to live for you and and all these things and and as as the prayer of of her's bills and the faith of hers bills and and next thing you know you look at this woman and and her mouth is mouth is moving but there's just nothing coming out and then Eli comes up and you talk about having the opportunity to be offended has anybody in this house you've had pure motives and then somebody just what are you doing drunk in the house of the Lord yeah imagine there knowing and and there's even little details in this scripture that and and commentators believe that there was drunk people allowed in the house of the Lord and that's why Eli thought that this woman was drunk and you knew there was sins going on with the sons of Elion and I'm sure Hannah being a smart woman could have turned around and named some sins of the sons of hoffney and Phineas and and all those things but she doesn't respond that way she has such an opportunity to be offended the Bible says in first Samuel 1 and 12 and it came to pass after she continued praying before the Lord that Eli marked her mouth now Hannah she spake in her heart only her lips moved but her voice was not heard therefore Eli thought she had been drunken and Eli said unto her her how long wilt thou be drunken put away thy wine straighten up woman what do you do in the house of God being a drunkard if anybody has the right to be offended it would be Hannah but Hannah's need was greater than her offense Hannah's need her desperate need that she wanted a child she wanted to have some fruitfulness I I'm sure she you know I I'm trying to do my best but somebody just questioned my motives I'm literally bearing pain on my face but my need is so much greater than my offense and that's the place I think we have to get to our need for God has to be so much greater than the opportunity to be offended because Hannah if you're a main faithful God's going to give you some fruitfulness if you would have fell into the Trap of offense I don't believe God would have given her a son but through the faithfulness of a woman who had the opportunity to be offended God gave her a Samuel God gave her some fruitfulness I wonder tonight if our needs can be greater than our offense what God would do would God give us some fruitfulness tonight would God give you some things that you long for would God give you because if we can pass the test of offense God will give us fruitfulness that's the principle here if we can pass the test of offense then God will give us fruitfulness and I know I I know she she told the man of God or need and the man of God said the man of God who was not right the man of God that she could have corrected the man of God but there was a Samuel coming there was a Samuel coming that would bring the word of God back to that place there was a Samuel coming that would bring the fire of God back to that place sure Hannah could have took things into her own hands sure she could have went out and and spread what had happened to her but her need was so much greater than the opportunity to be offended not not getting offended produces fruitfulness and someone's life it was not her job to take care of the the sins of hoffney and Phineas if we could surmise there it wasn't her job to take care of Eli the man of God that would question her motives the man of God that was wrong because her need was greater than her offense the power of not being offended produces fruitfulness in someone's life because when you when you when you come into this trap of of a fence it's literally I brought these weights up here it's literally like you pick up when you've been wrong it's literally like you pick up these weights it's like you pick up these weights and everywhere you go you just carry this weight and a matter of fact well there's the strongest guy I know of Stephen Sullivan all right I'm gonna need your help all right probably the biggest guy here strongest guy here probably the guy that can lift the most weights I'm gonna need his help tonight because I'm going to show you a little illustration here right I know but Steve where they leave what just happened all right uh we were the musician scum no he's coming he's come the strongest guy I know that should be able to handle these weights these weights pretty yeah suppose Steven in the house all right these weights pretty well then the guy that I'm going to have him tell us some of the things that he could live I want to show us a little illustration here okay I know you've probably but Stephen never lifted five pound weights in your life all right you're used to the big weights all right I've worked out with you when you called me weak you know I've worked out with you when you said I could lift more okay so this is my moment God forgive me for Revenge all right I'm preaching you that's terrible to say that I want God to move all right so what I want you to do is I want you to hold these weights out just like this okay just just like this you knew that okay all right so this is what happens this is what happens when we you know a little lever right there yeah no bicep curls here we don't want to pump don't rip that nice shacket you got on there and and uh it's called a shacket ain't it it's you okay jacket jacket shirt jacket all right some of you get it later all right so the this is literally what happens when you when you're hurt all right it's just two five pound weights okay how much can you bench in your Heyday all right 385 okay I can't even imagine oh I can't even dead lift that what about your deadlift what's your deadlift don't be humble okay here we go six six hundred okay six hundred all right I'm just getting shoulder press a lot yeah I think one time you made the statement I could shoulder press you I think that was your exact words okay more than that okay all right all right more than that but it's just five pound weights right how you feel you feel good you feel good shaking a little bit it's not that heavy no it's not it's just five five pounds in each hand it shouldn't be it shouldn't be heavy at all you doing good Stephen you're so strong man I'm telling you you could really you could deadlift 600 what 600 okay 600 give or take there you could literally pick up 600 pounds and just rep it out you can you could bench press you're doing good there okay you can bench press I'm talking about I'm talking about we don't have enough plates that's why I don't work here in the gym work out here in the gym there's not enough plates for this man all right there's not enough plates doing good you're doing good just keep holding there there's a principle here if you just you keep holding those okay just start like this you can you're doing good you're doing good you're beginning to sweat a little bit okay you begin to sweat this is awesome I'm gonna go back and watch this on the webcast but this is great it's just those are not heavy okay five pounds I mean compared to your 600 pound deadlift and and uh how about this which one which one do you have surgery on okay I'll take some relief off how about that okay that's good okay keep on holding that out like that okay there's a principle here you feel like you could carry that for a lot longer it's not I mean you're you're a strong guy you lift 600 pounds like it's nothing okay we're getting the score of a little bit better never seen this before all right there's a principle here and we'll get to the principal and that clock is like 8 40. and we're gonna get to this principle here okay the clock strikes 8 40. there's a principle here it's not about how long you've carried it's not about how heavy it is okay but it's how long you've carried it all right brother Stephen and I'll take this off your hands there all right thank you brother Stephen he has the ability to carry so much weight just to rep it out all right 600 pounds I've seen it like it's nothing he's to the point where almost blood's come out of his nose I don't know how you could glorify God in that but he gets it up to the top and deadlifting 600 pounds but you give a man five pound dumbbell he begins to shake begins to squirm a little bit I kind of enjoyed seeing that there's a principle there's a principle here that it's not about how heavy it is but it's how long you've carried it you may have picked up a little bit of fence years and years ago and you just become numb to the fact that every time I come in the house I'm just carrying my five pound weights you come to the house and you're just carrying something that doesn't weigh so much but the more you carry it the heavier it gets I believe with the power of God being in this place that God wants to take some burdens off you tonight God wants to deliver you of some weight that you've carried around it's not about how heavy it is but how long have you been carrying that offense oh my God I feel the Holy Ghost in This House how long have you been carrying that hurt the house of God how long have you been carrying that small bit of weight every time you try to lift your hands that weight just seems to tear you down every time you try to find the faith to worship God that wages seems to to keep you down and I've come to be the voice of the Lord to someone tonight that God wants to release you of some burdens this evening that God wants to take some weight off your life God wants to take some weight that's carrying you down in the house of the Lord good night if you believe that would you rejoice I feel the Lord in this place if you believe that God can take someone's weight away from them tonight if you believe something that you've carried to the house of God that you can be delivered tonight could we lift our hands and thank God for what he's going to do I believe him and I feel the Lord moving in this place Hallelujah I know it was lightweight when you first picked it up I know it was just a little bit of just a little bit of hurt it wasn't much but you picked up that weight 20 years ago and now you've just become numb to keep carrying that weight I believe God wants to take that weight off you tonight I feel the Lord in this place God wants to deliver you of that thing you're carrying and he wants to do it tonight here is the power of forgiveness here is the power of forgiveness to to to look at this word forgive to escape the entrapment of offense it's a little word called forgiveness it's easy to say but hard to do but there has to be a point where we where we release something we've been carrying it's a perfect place it's in the altar to release something you've been carrying matter of fact this word this word used here for forgiveness this Greek word used for forgiveness is appalled you owe this word for this portion this word used here for forgiveness is the word means to be set free just follow along with me for just a second this word Apollo means to let go to this mess a petitioner whom Liberty to the part is given by a decisive answer this is the word for forgiveness to let free to release it means to acquit one accused of a crime and set him at Liberty this word for forgiveness apoll you owe it's used for forgiveness is a very powerful word matter of fact every time the scripture uses this word appalled you oh someone's life would be changed Paul and Barnabas would be set forth by the Believers of Antioch and this word Apollo is used when the Believers at Antioch set forth it sent forth Paul in Barnabas this word set free or or given to the promises of God literally this is what this word means that's the word they used when pilate would release the guilty prisoner by the name of Barabbas this word Apollo the same word for forgive forgiveness would be used when they set free Barabbas when they literally broke the chains off of Barabbas and they set him free it was the same word for forgiveness when the woman was crippled for 18 long years and Jesus would look to her and say woman you are loosed built the word there for loose is so Paul you owe the same word for forgiveness you might be wondering brother Nolan have you lost your mind how is this all connected apology means to be released forgiveness means that you literally you dropped what you've been carrying for so long when you step into biblical forgiveness literally you are releasing the weight but if you don't forgive you're like Barnabas being in prison and bound if you do not forgive you don't find that moment of healing we're 18 long years A woman has been crippled that woman has had an issue but one man named Jesus would say woman you are set free and that woman that same word for forgiveness was used and healing would would come over her Paul and and Barnabas would be sent forth but it will literally this word means to all is forgotten and now it's time to walk in the promises of God so forgiveness tonight is connected to Healing forgiveness tonight is connected to a chain-breaking power when they said the word forgiveness over a Barabbas when they said the word forgiveness over Barabbas they took the the shackles off his wrist they took the shackles off his feet and Barabbas was set free because it was one man named Jesus that would would take the chains of Barabbas and crucify them to the Cross it's by the stripes upon Jesus's back that he was able to look at a woman that was crippled for 18 long years and say woman you are loose it literally is a moment that we forgive we make up our mind that we're going to forgive that person that hurt us and there is a release there is a moment that all the weights you've been carrying for so long can be left in the house of the Lord today I don't know about you but I feel like God can do something tonight I if you've walked into this place where they wait that you've been carrying if you would find biblical forgiveness then God can heal you God can set you free God can break the shackles upon your feet and that Shackles on your wrist and you'll find Freedom to lift your hands and to lift your voice you'll find Freedom to begin to praise God you just feel like there's no weight on you anymore because God has released you from it you'd be so kind to stand with me if you close your head you close your eyes and bow your head this evening for the power of the Lord in this place tonight if somebody would come on the piano and I just play something softly I want to open up these altars for someone who just wants to drop the weight you've been carrying you've carried it for so long it started as a small offense it started as a small hurt it started as a moment you just picked up a little tiny bit of a fence it didn't weigh much it wasn't much of anything you didn't even think about it but 20 long years you've been carrying that to the house of God 20 long years you've tried to lift your hands and you just don't feel the joy like you used to 20 yard long years you've been carrying that weight and I want to be the voice of the Lord tonight that says tonight you can lay that weight down if you've come to the Altar and say God I need to forgive that person God I need to forgive that person that wronged me I need to lay these weights down come on I I think someone could receive a healing tonight spiritually speaking woman you can be loose tonight of something that has crippled you for 18 long years and it's just through the power of forgiveness I feel the Lord in this place I feel the Lord in this house I want to open these altars for someone that you would come down you would make that hard step out of your Pew this evening and you're going to make your way to an altar and you're going to say God you're going to help have to help me forgive that person God you're going to have to help me forgive that person who wronged me Lord God I give forgiveness to that person because I want to be released to this burden I feel the Lord in this place if that's you tonight if you've been carrying weight in your life and you realize tonight it started so small but now it's cut off your Lifeline it started out so small but now you can't feel that water from Heaven it started out so small that thing of a fence and maybe you've put protection in your life so you wouldn't get hurt again but tonight let's knock down all that protection and let's give biblical forgiveness because healing comes when we forgive healing comes when we release that hurts healing comes when we literally dropped out of weight I feel the Lord in this house is there someone tonight you've been carrying something for years and years and you've made your way down to the Altar and you say God I need you God I've got to release this weight tonight God I've got to release what's been dragging me down my family we've lost all joy because there was a small bit of a fence that we picked up years ago oh God your motives were pure Hannah but don't get offended because fruitful is coming back to your life fruitfulness is coming back to you if you don't get offended come on David I know the most influential person is is hurting you and trying to kill you but God did not call you the Vengeance but God called you to faithfulness in his house come on if you come around this altar this altar is a place of forgiveness the altar is a place that symbolizes forgiveness you'd come lift your hands and say God God I need help Lord God I need help for giving that mate God I need help for giving that that relative Lord God I need help God forgiving that person that has caused this trap to come Lord but God I want to release my offenses God I want to release my offenses God I want to release that hurts but I've carried that way that's at church the only thing that could stop this church is the power of offense the only thing the power in this church is the power of unity and the devil it would be his good pleasure to come run our Unity with a little bit of offense that person over there I don't sit over there because that person said that about me I don't sit in that section because I don't like to go out that door I might run into that person that is not of God I've come to pray tonight and I'll tell you it's all in forgiveness matter of fact we're going to feel healing tonight if we begin to forgive God I forgive those who wronged me God I forgive those who who set up this trap of offense for me to walk you lord it's something that every person on the sound of my voice May face but God it's how we respond God I release those burdens I released that offense God I release I literally dropped the weights tonight God my life is not all right because I've been carrying all this weight this small simple way to have been carrying it for so long God I can't feel you anymore Lord God I can't pray and I just can't seem to to fill you oh God but tonight I want to be the voice of Hope if you would drop those weights if you would drop that burden if you would Break Down The Walls that you set up of your protection God wants to fulfill your life tonight God wants to give you peace God wants to give you healing come on you're going to lift your hands you're gonna feel God again you're going to feel the Holy Ghost again because it's through the power of forgiveness hallelujah hallelujah come on it's the power of forgiveness it's the power of forgiveness there is Jesus to Break Every Chain Break Every Chain Break Every Chain and Break Every Chain Break Every Chain there's an army there's an army change I hear the chase come on church all across this room tonight could we lift our hands or let's thank God for what we feel come on whatever you've walked into here tonight with whenever you walked into the sanctuary tonight with you can drop those burdens come on you can drop and wait in your life come on you've been dropped that thing that has weighed you down come on I know it was small when you picked it up but tonight you can leave free in the name of Jesus for the power of forgiveness oh God maybe right now link orange with someone next to you right now come on begin to pray and and maybe speak like symbolically about okay if I'm wrong the brother God if I've wronged a sister tonight in this church the greatest threat to this church is offense the devil can attack our Unity if the devil can get us focused on what we're called to do if God the devil can set up a trap of a fence for someone to walk in tonight he can disrupt Unity oh God oh God let us be a forgiving people let us be a forgiving people God let us have forgiveness because I want forgiveness to be returned back to me pressed down shaken together and running over I want that forgiveness to be returned to me oh Jesus I feel you in this place oh yes come on that's the sound of healing come on that's the sound of healing tonight that's the sound of marriages being maybe being put back together that's the sound of of someone forgiving someone who lives in a grave and that person the grave have tormented you for years but tonight you can leave free in the name of Jesus through forgiveness I feel the Holy Ghost in This House come on good people one more time I'm gonna ask you to lift your hands and let's thank God for what we feel thank God for what we feel in this place it's healing power and forgiveness come on you can be released the night for the power of forgiveness you can be healed tonight through the power of forgiveness the very thing that you see wrong with yourself can be healed tonight to the power of forgiveness come all anxiety all depression that is caused by hurt can be solved for forgiveness tonight oh thank you Jesus come on now let's clap our hands to the Lord for what we feel in this place oh thank you Lord oh hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah Hallelujah you guys are the greatest group of people in all the world it's just such a privilege not a privilege of mine to stand before you to preach the word of God and what what what is awesome about sermons sermons like this on forgiveness and and unity we're going to go back tonight and we've we're in it a little bit early seven minutes till nine we're going to end this with a old-fashioned Brothers hugging brothers and sisters hugging sisters does that sound good with you it's a good old-fashioned handshaking and neck hugging don't get those two confused don't get those two things mixed up alleged a spirit of unity be broke tonight thank you so much for coming to the house of the Lord may God bless you we'll see you Sunday morning