To Live Out Forgiveness

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¹⁴ If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. ¹⁵ But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins. (Matthew 6:14-15)

Forgiveness is releasing someone of the me for the wrong the committed against me.

God wants us to forgive others for our own .

Forgiveness is not an ; forgiveness is a .

Forgiveness can’t change the , but it can change my .

1. I have decided to for those who hurt you.

³⁸ “You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ ³⁹ But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also. … ⁴³ “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. ⁴⁴ But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! ⁴⁵ In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. ⁴⁶ If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. ⁴⁷ If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. (Matthew 5:38-39, 43-47)

2. I have decided to , just as I have been forgiven.

¹³ Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. (Colossians 3:13)

¹⁵ If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back. (Matthew 18:15)

3. I have decided to live in .

¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. … ¹⁷ Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. ¹⁸ Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. ¹⁹ Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. … ²¹ Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good. (Romans 12:14, 17-19, 21)

Additional Notes

What’s Happening at Crossroads

NEW HERE?

We’re so glad you’ve chosen to come to Crossroads today! We want to thank you for visiting and would love to get to know you. Stop by and say hello at one of our Welcome Centers, our First Step area, or check out ecrossroads.info for more. We can’t wait to meet you!

EASTER AT CROSSROADS

Jesus didn’t come to make us a better version, He came to make us a brand-new creation. Learn more. ​We’ll be celebrating being made “brand new” this Easter with five different gathering times between both of our campuses on April 20th:
• South Campus: 8:30, 10:00, and 11:30 a.m.
• Downtown Campus: 10:00 and 11:30 a.m.

There are Easter serving opportunities available at both campuses. We encourage you to serve one gathering and attend one gathering. You can sign up.

INVITE SOMEONE

Each of us have people in our lives who don’t know the grace, love, and hope that can be found in Jesus. Before we get to Easter Sunday you have an incredible opportunity to bring joy to Jesus by simply inviting someone you know who needs the hope of Jesus to come with you for one of our Easter gatherings. In our Next Step areas, you can grab a name tag and put that person’s name on a chair representing your commitment to actually invite them.

GOOD FRIDAY EXPERIENCE

On April 18th, we will be having a Good Friday Experience from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at our South campus. This “Journey to the Cross” will help you reflect on Jesus’ death and the significance of that event in our lives today. This experience is self guided and you can arrive anytime. Families are welcome.

CRASH COURSE

We are launching a new version of Crash Course to help you discover your place at Crossroads. At this two-hour setting, lunch is provided and childcare available if prearranged. Our upcoming South date is April 13th. Our next Downtown date is May 18th. Find out more.

Do you have questions about giving?Learn more at ecrossroads.org/give.