WEBVTT
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This program is made
possible by the giving
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of the God called partners
of Renner Ministries.
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Hello, friend. My name's Denise Renner
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and I welcome you to my program.
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We've been talking about Ephesians 5:
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1, that says,
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Therefore be imitators of God
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as dear children.
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And we talked about
imitating God, putting on
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that victor, throwing off
that victim mentality.
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We talked about being
a giver, imitating God.
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God is a giver.
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And today we're gonna talk about forgiving
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like God forgives: imitating God
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as a forgiver.
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Isn't that amazing?
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And you're gonna see today
what an amazing forgiver
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that he is, a complete
forgiver that he is.
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He's not holding on
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and got a ledger up there about
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how bad you've done, the blood of Jesus,
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if you're born again, has cleansed you of
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that slate.
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That is the glorious
forgiveness of our God.
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And I wanna offer to you my 5-part video series
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that we are preaching right now, that you could have
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and a study guide, because
you could take this yourself
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and get this teaching in you deeper.
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Or you could watch it,
share it with somebody,
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or even give it to somebody
because it's gonna help 'em.
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It's gonna help 'em.
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I tell you, when we start acting like God,
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we start being better people.
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We start sleeping better
at night. It is wonderful.
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So I want you to have that.
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And if you need prayer,
please let us know. Hmm.
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How we can pray for you.
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Well, I want you to stay with me
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'cause I'm coming right back
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and we're gonna dive into the word of God
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and we're going to to see
what an amazing, complete,
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awesome, wonderful forgiver
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that our God is.
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And he calls us to act like him.
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So stay with me and I'm coming right back.
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It's time for big miracles
and changes in your life.
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Join Denise Renner
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and dive into the study of God's
word, which has great power
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to strengthen faith, inspire,
change, heal physically
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and spiritually, and most importantly,
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help you learn about the power
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of Christ Jesus living in you.
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It's time with Denise Renner.
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So we're talking about imitating God as dear children.
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And today we're gonna talk about God as a forgiver.
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You might say, well, I don't
know if he forgives all
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of my sins because mine are pretty bad.
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Well, I wanna tell you that's
not an unusual thing to think.
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It's a unrenewed mind way to think.
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But I have thought that
before many years ago,
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and I've had to renew my mind to the truth
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of what kind
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of amazing lover, forgiver,
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that our God is.
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God is a forgiving God.
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He's not a bitter God, and
he wants us to imitate him.
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And so today, I wanna start
with my own testimony.
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Many, many years ago, I really wasn't
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that imitating God as forgiving.
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I was bitter
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and bitterness was, it was
causing disease in my body.
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My hands were painfully cold all the time.
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My feet all the time painfully cold.
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I was having real mental struggles.
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I was having panic, even panic
attacks. Can you imagine?
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I remember when I'd have a
panic attack, I had three.
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And I thought, what is this?
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And I'm a leader.
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What is, this isn't
supposed to happen to me,
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but I didn't know the
dangers of bitterness
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or the dangers of unforgiveness.
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And it was wrecking havoc,
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havoc in my soul and in my mind.
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And so I was seeking the Lord.
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I knew that he was my only answer.
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I wasn't gonna go, I'm
not telling you not to go
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to a doctor, but I wasn't
gonna go to a doctor
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because I had already
seen God as my healer,
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my miracle worker, many years before this.
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And so I knew that if
he could heal me then,
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then he could heal me now.
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And so I was seeking him diligently for
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the answer.
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And I was in a service. I had
just ministered with Rick.
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I had just sung, and I'm still
struggling, still struggling
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and still ministry.
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And this man came up to me, a prophet,
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and he said, he said, you have,
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you are a very sensitive person.
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And he said, and you have
broken places on the inside
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of you, and in 24 hours
you're gonna wake up in a
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different world.
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Well, friend, I'd been
seeking God every day
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for hours a day trying to
get my heart right with God,
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because I knew that if
I drew near ear to him,
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he would draw near to me.
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And but I was still having
all those same symptoms.
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Well, this prophet spoke to me; on that day
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I was able to say
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with my mouth forgiveness to that person.
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And I released them
from what they had done,
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and I asked them to forgive me.
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Well, I went to bed that night
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and it was just like the
prophet said, I went to bed.
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I woke up the next morning
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and I was in a different world.
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It was like Jesus put
his invisible hand down
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into my soul.
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And he just took out all
those tentacles of bitterness
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and unforgiveness and criticism and confusion and fear.
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And he just took it right out of my heart.
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And when I woke up the next morning, I was completely free.
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My hands were totally normal,
my feet were totally normal,
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and my mind was totally normal.
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I didn't know that unforgiveness
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and bitterness was such an
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enemy and a torment.
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And maybe I'm talking
to somebody right now,
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and maybe you're struggling
with this unforgiveness
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or bitterness and maybe
you don't even know you're
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in unforgiveness.
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I didn't know that I was.
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I just thought if this person
would just change my life
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would be okay.
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I didn't know what I
was opening the door to.
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So I wanna show you today
what kind of forgiver
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that God is and how we can imitate him.
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So in Matthew 18:21,
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it starts the parable
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of Jesus teaching about forgiveness.
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And the story is that there
was a master and he came.
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He came and he brought
all of his servants to him
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and to see what they owed him.
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And this one servant owed him
more than a million dollars.
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And the master said to the
servant, he said, I'll,
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I'll read it to you.
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He said, he said he, he said,
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I am going to sell your wife
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and your children
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and all that you have until
you pay me what you owe me.
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And the servant - it's verse 26 -
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therefore fell down
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before him saying, Master, have patience with me
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and I will pay you all.
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Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion,
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released him and forgave him the debt.
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Now debt is our Lord.
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We owed him a tremendous debt.
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There was no way that
we could do enough good,
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say enough prayers that we
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to make ourselves acceptable to God.
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It was going to take him paying our debt.
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We owed him a debt, a debt of sin.
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But he came, Jesus came
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and he paid that debt for us.
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And that's what we see in Matthew 18,
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that Jesus, through his death,
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he forgave us.
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That's what kind of forgiver that we have.
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Now, did you notice that that servant,
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he didn't do anything.
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All he did was ask
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and the master forgave him.
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That's really what's happens
at salvation is when we
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realize that we are a
sinner and we need a savior
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and we can't pay the debt of sin
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and we're gonna go to hell if
something is not taken care
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of about our sin.
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And and we come to him
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and we say, you are Lord. You,
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I believe that you are Lord, I believe
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that God raised you from the dead
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and I confess you right now as my Lord.
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Forgive me of my sins.
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And you know what he does?
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He just comes and he just
washes us of all our sin.
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That is the kind of
forgiver that our God is.
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And that's what he did for this servant.
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So I wanna show you a couple of examples
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of more about this great
forgiveness that's been shown
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to us and that we can give to others
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because the forgiver
lives on the inside of us.
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Now in Genesis 45,
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where it's where we learn about Joseph.
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And Joseph was the son of
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Jacob, a great man.
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And he had all these other sons.
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And Jacob loved Joseph.
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He so very much, and,
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and he made him a coat of many colors
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and all his brothers got jealous of him.
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And they took Joseph out
and they put him in a pit
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and they put, they put blood on his coat
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of many colors and they
showed it to his father
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and said that an animal had killed him
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and they sold him to the Egyptians.
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That's what they did to Joseph.
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Years go by, Joseph, he continues
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to serve God.
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He was really elevated in
this house as a servant.
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And then the woman in the
house, she lied about Joseph
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and the, the man of the house
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he threw Joseph into prison.
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Now, Joseph's in prison, I don't know
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how many years he was there.
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And in that prison he suffered.
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The Bible says he had
stocks on his hands and he,
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but he never denied God.
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He never refused God. Well,
different things happen.
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You can go and read it.
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And Joseph got outta that prison
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and he became the second person in command
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under Pharaoh.
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Amazing stories should go
read it. It's in Genesis.
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And, but Joseph's family
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was in a bad situation
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because there was a famine in the land.
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So Joseph got contact
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with his brothers,
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and these are the brothers
who lied about him, who, who,
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who rejected him, who
threw him in the pit.
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I mean, they, they were horrible to him.
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And what happened with Joseph,
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I already described was horrible.
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And it was for at least
13 years that he suffered.
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But now he's second in
command under Pharaoh,
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and now he wants to take care
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of his brothers and his father.
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It's amazing. So here we
are, his brothers come
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to the palace where Joseph is.
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Then Joseph could not restrain him himself
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before those who stood by him.
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And he cried out make, so
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no one stood with him while
Joseph made himself known
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to his brothers.
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Oh, Joseph could have said, yes,
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I I'm never gonna feed you.
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Look what you did to me.
But listen to what he says.
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And he wept aloud and the
Egyptians of the house
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and the a pharaoh heard it.
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Then Joseph said to his brothers: oh, this is so amazing
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friends; I am Joseph.
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Does my father still live?
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He didn't even know about his father,
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but his brothers could not answer him
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for they were dismayed in his presence.
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And Joseph said to his brothers, please come near to me.
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So they came near.
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Then he said, I am Joseph,
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your brother, whom you sold into Egypt.
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Friends, I'm telling you, this forgiveness is
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so amazing
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because he could have thrown them into the dungeon
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or had them killed;
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but instead of that, he fed them.
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He got his father
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and he took care of them
all until they died.
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And they got the best land there in Egypt.
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Now that is forgiveness.
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I'll tell you another
amazing story of a person
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who forgave: Joyce Meyer.
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Maybe you know who I'm talking about. Her father,
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and she says this herself, he raped her
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from very early in age for 15 years,
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over 250 times.
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Can you even imagine?
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And, and she began to be
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so convicted in her soul about taking care
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of her father in his old age.
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She began to take care of her father
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and take care of her
mother, who never tried
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to protect her.
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Finally, years passed, Joyce
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and David took care of
her mother and her father.
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And one day the phone rang
and it was her father.
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And he said.....Joyce, I want you
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and Dave to come and see me.
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And her father apologized to Dave for all
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that he had done to Joyce.
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And then he asked Joyce to baptize him.
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You see, it was horrible
what happened to Joyce
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for all those years.
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We cannot even comprehend it.
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But her father now is
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in heaven with Jesus
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because of forgiveness.
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The forgiver....lives.
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If you're born again, he lives in you.
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He lives in Joyce Meyer,
he lives in Dave Meyer,
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and they forgave her father
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and that forgiveness gave him entrance
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to receive
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salvation and be in heaven
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to this day. That's the power
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of forgiveness.
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And God calls us to imitate him.
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I'm thinking of another example.
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I have a friend here in Russia
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and she, her son,
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he overdosed of drugs
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and she found him in her house
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on New Year's Eve dead because
of an overdose of drugs.
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Well, you would think that my friend,
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she would just be bitter and,
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and she would just wanna
get even with that person
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who got her son on drugs.
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Well, do you know what she did?
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She went to the prison where that girl was
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who had gotten her son on drugs.
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She absolutely forgave
her and led her to Jesus.
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That's the power of forgiveness.
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Now, you might be saying,
listening to me right now
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and saying, Denise, you just don't know
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what's happened to me.
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No, I don't know what's happened to you. I really don't.
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But I know that you and I,
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and you have been extended mercy.
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I know that you and I did not deserve it.
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If we just give people what
they deserve, we're not going
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to give him mercy.
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If God just gave us what we deserved, we would receive hell.
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God didn't give us what we deserved.
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He gave us mercy
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and he lives on the inside of us
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to be an imitator of him
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and forgive others.
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Ephesians 5:1,
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Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.
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Now, Romans 5:5 says
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that the Holy Ghost, when you got born again,
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because you might be saying, I can't forgive.
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Well, let me tell you the truth.
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The Holy Ghost lives on the inside of you
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and it says
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that he was shed abroad in your heart
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and he put on your heart the love
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of God.
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00:19:40.170 --> 00:19:43.350
Well, how? How big is
the that love of God?
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It's I'll tell you
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00:19:44.640 --> 00:19:49.020
how big it is in John 17:26,
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let me read that to you
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because this is the love of
God that he put in your heart.
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Jesus is in the Garden of Gethsemane and he's praying,
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and this is the last thing
He prayed to the Father;
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And I declare to them your name
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and will declare it that the love
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with which you loved me may be in them
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and I in them.
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Did you see that - the love - let me read it again -
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which you loved me, that love,
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that God loved Jesus with may be in them
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and I in them.
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The very love that God love Jesus
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with is the love that's in your heart
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by the Holy Ghost.
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00:20:40.650 --> 00:20:45.570
So you and I, we don't have
an excuse to say, well,
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I can't forgive because don't
know what happened to me.
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00:20:49.090 --> 00:20:51.250
No, you've got all the equipment.
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You got the very love
of God in your heart.
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In Acts 7, we have an amazing story.
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It was a man named Steven, the
first martyr of the church.
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All that he did was preach the gospel.
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The Jews got so angry at
him that they threw him out
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of the city, put him down in
a hole and begin to stone him.
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That's how they stoned them in those days.
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Steven's dying.
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00:21:21.220 --> 00:21:26.220
The Bible says in his last
breath, the last breath,
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he cried out with a loud voice
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and he said, father, forgive them.
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Don't hold this against their charge.
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He released them. Did they deserve it?
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00:21:42.070 --> 00:21:45.460
No, but he gave mercy and he forgave them.
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What about Jesus on the cross in Luke 23:
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34, when Jesus, the bloods pouring off
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of his body from every part of his body,
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00:21:57.280 --> 00:21:58.900
if we would've looked at him,
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00:21:58.900 --> 00:22:00.640
we wouldn't have recognized him.
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00:22:00.640 --> 00:22:03.790
He looked like a massive piece of flesh
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00:22:03.790 --> 00:22:08.790
that was bleeding everywhere
and from that place
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00:22:09.460 --> 00:22:13.120
and those people mocking
him all around him, he said,
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00:22:13.120 --> 00:22:15.970
father, forgive them.
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00:22:15.970 --> 00:22:17.980
They don't know what they're doing.
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00:22:19.150 --> 00:22:23.140
So this is the opinion of God
in heaven about forgiveness,
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00:22:23.140 --> 00:22:28.000
either to release that person,
don't hold it against them,
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00:22:28.000 --> 00:22:31.060
or they didn't know what they were doing.
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00:22:31.060 --> 00:22:35.800
God forgive them, friend.
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00:22:37.300 --> 00:22:40.150
The forgiver lives on the inside of us.
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00:22:40.150 --> 00:22:43.180
The love of God is on the inside of us
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00:22:43.180 --> 00:22:45.790
so we can act like God.
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00:22:45.790 --> 00:22:48.400
We can be imitators of God
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00:22:48.400 --> 00:22:51.250
and we can forgive.
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00:22:52.990 --> 00:22:55.210
I'm telling you the truth.
403
00:22:55.210 --> 00:22:57.850
You can set somebody free today
404
00:22:57.850 --> 00:23:02.320
and you can set yourself
free just like me.
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00:23:02.320 --> 00:23:06.430
I had all that bitterness
on the inside of me,
406
00:23:06.430 --> 00:23:08.740
but when I set that person free
407
00:23:08.740 --> 00:23:10.180
and I forgave,
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00:23:11.230 --> 00:23:14.050
I was completely free.
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00:23:15.370 --> 00:23:17.080
I want that for you today
410
00:23:17.080 --> 00:23:20.920
if that's you. Jesus said, this is a command,
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00:23:20.920 --> 00:23:25.090
it's not a suggestion that
we are to be imitators of God
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as dear children.
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00:23:26.980 --> 00:23:29.680
It's time to forgive.
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00:23:29.680 --> 00:23:32.770
Stay with me and I'm gonna be right back
415
00:23:32.770 --> 00:23:34.540
and we're gonna pray together.
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00:23:34.540 --> 00:23:37.240
Imitating your heavenly
Father is the greatest
417
00:23:37.240 --> 00:23:39.040
compliment you can give him.
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00:23:39.040 --> 00:23:42.910
According to Ephesians 5:1, as a child of God,
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00:23:42.910 --> 00:23:45.860
you are called to imitate him each and every day.
420
00:23:45.860 --> 00:23:49.820
By following his example, you
can overcome obstacles, learn
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00:23:49.820 --> 00:23:53.510
how to treat others and carry
his light to those around you.
422
00:23:53.510 --> 00:23:56.690
In her new series, How to Be Imitators of God,
423
00:23:56.690 --> 00:23:59.900
Denise Renner teaches 5 important ways you can follow in
424
00:23:59.900 --> 00:24:01.430
your Father's footsteps.
425
00:24:01.430 --> 00:24:05.480
You can imitate God by having a victor mindset: giving
426
00:24:05.480 --> 00:24:08.450
to those around you: forgiving others:
427
00:24:08.450 --> 00:24:12.410
carrying his sweet fragrance:
choosing not to worry.
428
00:24:12.410 --> 00:24:15.410
This insightful five-part
series is available in digital
429
00:24:15.410 --> 00:24:18.710
and physical formats starting at just $11.
430
00:24:18.710 --> 00:24:20.870
In addition to this teaching series,
431
00:24:20.870 --> 00:24:23.840
we are also offering you the
book, Jesus is Your Healer
432
00:24:23.840 --> 00:24:25.160
by Denise Renner.
433
00:24:25.160 --> 00:24:27.740
In this life-changing
book, Denise explains
434
00:24:27.740 --> 00:24:30.110
that God sent his son
to bear the punishment
435
00:24:30.110 --> 00:24:33.530
for every sickness and disease
so that you could live strong
436
00:24:33.530 --> 00:24:36.410
and disease free all
the days of your life.
437
00:24:36.410 --> 00:24:40.340
The simple yet profound truths
found in Jesus Is Your Healer,
438
00:24:40.340 --> 00:24:42.080
will equip you to believe for
439
00:24:42.080 --> 00:24:44.210
and walk in the divine health
440
00:24:44.210 --> 00:24:46.490
that is already yours in Christ.
441
00:24:46.490 --> 00:24:49.910
You can purchase, Jesus Is Your Healer for $20.
442
00:24:49.910 --> 00:24:51.890
Don't miss this special offer.
443
00:24:51.890 --> 00:24:55.370
Order the bundle of the series: How to Be Imitators of God
444
00:24:55.370 --> 00:24:59.120
and the Book, Jesus Is Your Healer, by Denise Renner today.
445
00:24:59.120 --> 00:25:00.890
Call the number on your screen now
446
00:25:00.890 --> 00:25:02.900
or go to renner.org to order.
447
00:25:02.900 --> 00:25:04.580
Call or go online now.
448
00:25:07.610 --> 00:25:10.730
Friend, I can just see somebody,
449
00:25:10.730 --> 00:25:13.280
and you are so touched by this word.
450
00:25:14.180 --> 00:25:18.710
The word of God has cleansing
power. The word of God
451
00:25:18.710 --> 00:25:22.220
it challenges us and it puts us on our feet.
452
00:25:22.220 --> 00:25:25.250
And that's what God wants
to do for you today.
453
00:25:25.250 --> 00:25:29.660
No matter what somebody
did to you, you can forgive
454
00:25:29.660 --> 00:25:34.660
because you have the lover
on the inside of you.
455
00:25:34.670 --> 00:25:36.470
You say, can I imitate?
456
00:25:36.470 --> 00:25:40.940
Can I be an imitator of God and forgive?
457
00:25:40.940 --> 00:25:42.680
Yes, you can
458
00:25:42.680 --> 00:25:46.880
because you are the love of
God on the inside of you.
459
00:25:46.880 --> 00:25:48.890
And right now, I wanna pray with you.
460
00:25:51.140 --> 00:25:55.670
Father, we thank you for the
presence of the Holy Spirit
461
00:25:55.670 --> 00:26:00.670
and the love of God that has
been shed abroad in our hearts
462
00:26:00.740 --> 00:26:05.660
by the Holy Ghost and by
our will right now, father
463
00:26:05.660 --> 00:26:08.420
and by our own lips.
464
00:26:08.420 --> 00:26:13.420
And just say that person's
name or persons I forgive
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00:26:13.640 --> 00:26:17.690
and say their name. Set them free by the power
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00:26:17.690 --> 00:26:19.220
of the Holy Ghost.
467
00:26:19.220 --> 00:26:22.610
Be that imitator of God.
468
00:26:22.610 --> 00:26:25.310
Lord, we thank you for the power of the Holy Spirit on the
469
00:26:25.310 --> 00:26:29.150
inside of us to be able to forgive
470
00:26:29.150 --> 00:26:31.730
and be an imitator of you,
471
00:26:31.730 --> 00:26:34.820
and we give you all the
praise in the precious
472
00:26:34.820 --> 00:26:36.260
name of Jesus.
473
00:26:36.260 --> 00:26:40.610
Amen. Well, join me on the next program.
474
00:26:41.870 --> 00:26:45.060
If you've never received
Jesus as your Savior
475
00:26:45.060 --> 00:26:50.060
and Lord, now is the time for
you to experience a new life
476
00:26:50.190 --> 00:26:52.440
Jesus has to give you.
477
00:26:52.440 --> 00:26:56.760
Pray this prayer with me right now; Lord,
478
00:26:56.760 --> 00:27:01.440
I repent of my sin and
receive you as my Savior
479
00:27:01.440 --> 00:27:04.770
and Lord. Wash away my sin
480
00:27:04.770 --> 00:27:07.380
and make me completely new.
481
00:27:07.380 --> 00:27:09.720
I thank you that my sin is removed
482
00:27:09.720 --> 00:27:14.720
and Satan no longer has any
right to lay claim on me.
483
00:27:14.820 --> 00:27:19.820
I faithfully promise that
I will serve you as my Lord
484
00:27:19.860 --> 00:27:22.500
for the rest of my life.
485
00:27:22.500 --> 00:27:23.500
Amen.
486
00:27:26.670 --> 00:27:29.430
If you just prayed the
prayer of salvation with us,
487
00:27:29.430 --> 00:27:31.380
would you please let us know by going
488
00:27:31.380 --> 00:27:34.350
to renner.org/salvation?
489
00:27:34.350 --> 00:27:36.060
We would love to connect with you.
490
00:27:41.430 --> 00:27:43.350
Perhaps I have to do another test.
491
00:27:44.520 --> 00:27:47.580
The only thing to do is to wait.
492
00:27:50.340 --> 00:27:53.925
I wish things have gone another
way. I want to be healthy.
493
00:27:56.985 --> 00:28:00.510
If there is no one to
support you, don't give up.
494
00:28:00.510 --> 00:28:03.660
Just contact us, choosing
your available way.
495
00:28:03.660 --> 00:28:05.130
We're waiting for your call.
496
00:28:05.130 --> 00:28:06.510
Willing to give you prayer support.