The Great Work of the Gospel-9
The Great Work of the Gospel by John Ensor
Chapter 9 The Great Work Shared: Pushing Past Our Grudges
Study and overview by Marc
This chapter is about forgiving others. We have seen and believe that God has forgiven us, now we are reminded that God requires us to forgive others.
"If you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your father forgive your trespasses."
Matthew 6:15
Ensor shares many examples of how people that he has ministered to have forgiven others that have all but destroyed their lives. Many of these stories show me how little my grudges in the past have been, and how weak my faith was as I sat with bitterness instead of forgiving and moving on in freedom and peace.
Forgiving others is not easy, but we must do it.
Ensor says that when believers are "cut , they bleed grace, and in the process, they receive a transfusion of grace!" and "we block the flow of mercy in our lives when we grip tightly to our grudges." "Holding on to grudges and contemplating revenge is an expression of no confidence in God acting righteously. leaving room for the wrath of God is trusting in God. It is the obedience that derives form faith (Romans 1:5). "God must supply the grace to forgive. But one way he does that is through our trust in the goodness of his commands."
Ensor helps us to see and trust in the sovereignty of God by sharing with us the story of Joseph and his brothers from Genesis. We see that his brothers meant evil against him, but God meant it for good.
The ability to forgive will be tremendously difficult for many, not just because of lack of faith, but the need for great faith. Their are evil and mean people in the world that have hurt, killed, rapped and the list goes on. They are to be forgiven. We are to trust God for the results. God tells us to forgive, He will provide the power and heart to do so, we must have faith.
"Pushing past grudges is the human experience of grace filling the soul to overflowing capacity. Such strength is found in beholding the outworking goodness of God."
