A Lesson on Repentance & Forgiveness
Sometimes we pray and seemingly there is no answer to our prayer. Could it be that the answer is not the answer we wanted to hear? We may think that god just did not deliver to us on time—meaning, of course, according to our time.
We may not always understand Him, but He definitely knows what is best for each of His children. His plan has eternity connected with it, whereas most of the time our plan is for the temporal. (Read Isaiah 55:8-11.)
Even though it may seem like God is not on time, He definitely is on time. There is no
question about His knowledge and authority. He has all power and wisdom in heaven and earth! He definitely knows what He is doing, even though we may not understand.
Of course, the lack of a faith hinders our prayers being answered. We must believe
that “He is and he is the rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
There are two other hindrances to prayers. They are closely related to each other. One
is sin and your need for repentance of that sin, and the other is forgiveness, or rather
the lack of forgiving those who have wronged you in some way.
I. REPENTANCE
”If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” I John 1:9
We read of a great man in the Bible—”a man after God’s own heart,” David, the great King of Israel. But there was a time when David sinned. Certainly David’s sins were not “after God’s own heart.” But his sin was revealed to him, he repented.
The doctrine of Repentance is one that has remained constant throughout every age of God’s dealing with mankind. Sin is a separator. Repentance is an admission of sin.
One will not and cannot repent without first acknowledging the presence of sin.
Repentance is a feeling of remorse, but it is also a change of heart. It is leaving the old way and turning around walking back towards God.

The access to God’s saving grace and to His cleansing blood that atones for sin is only through the door of REPENTANCE.
Even after one is a saved initially, repentance is necessary in living a real spiritual life.
Paul said, “I crucify myself daily!” I have to take this woman to the altar of repentance often. No one else can repent for me. It is a personal responsibility if I want to remain in fellowship with my pure God.
Let’s look a minute at David’s sin:
1. David committed a sin he should never have committed. Every child of Israel knew the laws against adultery. From a child, the Ten Commandments were deeply engraved in David’s mind, but in his moment of passion, David transgressed the Word of God—brought shame to his position as King, and overrode his sensitivity to God’s Spirit.
2. David never intended to commit the crime of murder. But sin begets sin.
Adultery led to lies, treachery and finally, the murder of an innocent man.
Read David’s Prayer in Psalm 51. David wrote this passage to outline his own path back to God’s favor. David had faith that God would forgive him, no matter how great the sin.
Our sins did not make us sinners—we were born sinners, and therefore we sin. We cannot do anything ourselves about our sins, but confess them to a God who is ready and waiting to forgive. David recognized his inability to help himself when he said, “Create in me a clean heart.”
Sin is like dirt. It cannot just be covered over; it must be cleansed, washed in the blood of Jesus. The holy nature of god will accept nothing less than true repentance. David said, “For thou desireth not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delighteth not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou will not despise” (Psalm 51:16-17). God desired to bring about righteous judgment and to restore David to divine favor. David’s repentance was a genuine act of contrition.
God always welcomes the truly repentant sinner. He responds with His forgiveness.
God has great joy in forgiving the one who repents of his sins, and the Bible says that all of Heaven rejoices with Him when one finds his way back to the favor of God.
Do not let unrepentant sins remain in your heart for they truly can hinder you from
seeing your prayers answered.

15. FORGIVENESS
    “Be ye therefore merciful as your father also is merciful.
    Judge not, and ye shall not be judged; condemn not and ye shall not be condemned.
    Forgive and ye shall be forgiven!” Luke 6:36-37
    Our relationship with one another definitely affects our relationship with God. How can we say—”I love God” and yet hate our brother or sister. The Bible says one that does this is a liar for how can you love one you have not seen, if you cannot love one you have seen.
    Forgiving Self—Many times we find that one of the first people we may have to learn to forgive is our own self. How many of us are happy with everything we have ever done? How many of us may have shame over past failures? Just as Jesus forgives you, He wants you to forgive yourself.
    I want to tell you about Kenny, my brother, 49 years old at the time of this writing, and he is dying. He was raised in an Apostolic home—taught from an infant to put God and church first, but he decided to do things the way he wanted—instead of doing what God wanted. As a young adult, his life started going downhill—drinking, drugs, two bad marriages, lost custody of his two small boys. It took a miracle, but God brought him to his senses, much like the prodigal son in Luke 15.
    Kenny came back to the Lord, repented of His sins. God forgave him and in his heart he knows he has been completely forgiven, but he cannot truly forgive himself for his past failures. He has let these failures rob from him the joy of the Lord in victorious living.
    I have talked to him many times about God’s forgiving power. But it has been during this terrible illness that he is beginning to forgive himself and letting God work in him yet another miracle! He may never be healed, but he is learning to like himself for who he is and forgive his past.
    Do you possibly live with regret because you compare what is with what might have been? Have you failed to do something you desperately wished you had done?

No matter how much you wish you had done that thing you cannot go aback and change the past. But you can create self-respect by responding to your circumstances today.
Responding in a right manner will make you proud tomorrow.
Forgiveness frees you of the past so that you can make good choices today. Look at Jesus’ example;

He was nailed to the cross between two thieves, forgiving them, so that you and I can stop nailing ourselves to the cross between two other thieves— regret of yesterday and fear of tomorrow. Do not let these thieves take your victory and joy.
Now let us talk about forgiving others—those who have done wrong to you. Do you still hold grudges for what someone did against you years and years ago? This unforgiving spirit can hinder your prayers.
I heard it said that a pastor who had been wronged by someone, falsely accused. But years after the incident, he still said, “I will never, never forgive him for what he did to me.”
Peter came to the Lord one day in Matthew 18:21-35. He asked the Lord a question (v. 21). Jesus gave a parable in reply to Peter’s question which teaches us how we should forgive others.
It was almost as if Peter was keeping a record of the wrongs his brother may have done. How many times did he have to forgive? V. 22—”I do not say to you seven times, but up to seventy times seven” 490 times! That’s a lot of times to forgive. I believe Jesus was not actually setting limits. He was simply telling us that we must always be willing to forgive.
Read verses 23-27—In this parable, we are like the servant who owed a great debt and could not pay. Jesus, our Lord, forgave the debt. This was a great debt He forgave, so we also should be able to forgive others of their debts.

Verses 28-35—What do we see happening here?
A person who holds grudges and has an unforgiving heart brings judgment and punishment upon themselves. It is like a cancer that will destroy. Forgiveness is the only cure for that cancer!
Jesus spoke beautiful words of forgiveness from the cross—”Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” If then has forgiven us we can and must forgive others! We do have the power to do so!

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