This is key to forgiveness | Pastor Steven Furtick

so as I think about forgiveness today I wonder where you've been wounded Jesus it was in his hands when they saw the hands they realized this is not an impersonator this is not an imposter they had to see something they had to see something that let them know what he went through and you keep trying to prove God's presence by your successes but when it came time for Jesus Christ the Son of God to prove his presence he said look where the nails were see my hands see where they drove the spikes between the bones so they would not break so that it would support the weight of my body long enough for me to suffocate see see see it killed me but I didn't stay dead it broke me but I am now whole I was dead now I'm alive see my scars my scars tell a story I'm not ashamed to show my scars Christianity is not cosmetic surgery so you can hide what you've been through to try to get people to think you're perfect Christianity Jesus Christ didn't come to conceal the pain he came to reveal his glory and he showed it in his scars but there was one God is always looking for the one who wasn't there and the Bible tells us that even though the 11 minus Judas got to see him there was one who wasn't there named Thomas can I talk about Thomas for one minute let me teach you about Thomas oh man Thomas he gets a bad rap they call him in the church they call him doubting Thomas have you ever heard this before doubting Thomas because church people will label you by one moment in your journey doubting Thomas adultery Annie I'll stop right there something's going through my head that'll have to be edited out for YouTube because life will label you by what you did and the Bible gives us a little only John tells us this because John had this sensitivity to him when you read his Gospel he tells you things other people don't mention he said now Thomas also known as Didymus I mean if we've just got a label Thomas a doubter can we at least call him doubting Didymus because the alliteration works much better doubting Didymus the Bible says that doubting Diddy one of the twelve was not with someone say he wasn't there so now Jesus and Thomas got something in common when they went to look for Jesus dead body he wasn't there when Jesus showed up alive and resurrected Thomas wasn't there and Thomas wasn't there the Bible doesn't say why he wasn't there I've always heard it preached like he wasn't there because he didn't have enough faith to be there but the boys inside had the doors locked they weren't any better so if we're gonna give out nicknames let's talk about Simon Peter inside with the doors locked how about scaredy-cat Simon Peter scaredy Simon how about locked door Levi lock them up Levi and doubting Diddy and we all have doubts that's what I'm trying to say we all have scars we all have dysfunction you might have long sleeves but if I could roll up your sleeves you've been through something you struggle with something your wife may not know it but God does I gotta hurry I gotta hurry I'm getting really indulgent I got to get you out of here cuz the next crowds coming in somebody say nails nails nails nails so the other disciple told him we have seen the Lord but Thomas said this is why they call him doubting Thomas I call him honest Thomas I don't call him doubting Thomas I call him honest Thomas truthful Thomas cuz Thomas is like I'm not buying it I'm not buying off what you said I need to see for myself I got to see Jesus for myself this has to be real to me so hey unless I see the nail marks in his hands unless I see where he suffered I will not believe in his glory and unless I put my finger where the nails were and put my hand into his side I won't believe watch Jesus now I want to point out one thing in verse 26 look at it seven days later seven a week later seven seven miles seven days God will leave you in a space where you don't understand to create faith in your heart so Thomas says I need to see the scars Jesus could have showed up on the spot he waited seven days Jesus could have walked up to Cleo and said see my scars it's me but sometimes he wants to let you walk and wonder and walk and wonder not because he doesn't love you but because if your faith needs an explanation it cannot sustain the trials of life so we wait seven days y'all help me preach this he waits seven days have you ever had to wait seven days have you ever had to wait through a custody battle have you ever had to wait to see if this is ever gonna feel better have you ever had to wait through pain wait through depression wait through anxiety attacks wait through bad reports wait through a newscast have you ever had to wait awaiting a waiting period and then when Jesus shows up a week later seven everybody say seven seven days seven miles seven days seven miles it's the number of completion and then Jesus shows up maybe just at that point where Thomas is tired of waiting and the disciples were in the house again and Thomas this time was there and Jesus walks in look at the next part though the doors were locked they still locked the doors still scared but they stayed still scared but they stayed I still got some addictions but I'm in church today God can work with that I'm still on the road I don't get it but I'm still and this time Thomas was there he's not gonna miss it this time and Jesus came in stood among them and said peace watch what comes next yo Tommy hey Diddy hey honest Thomas I heard you wanted to see my scars now this is important put your finger here where where the nails were isn't that what you needed to see Thomas where the nails were now notice something he didn't say where the nails are yo Tommy I'm back from the grave and I need you to see something look Thomas no more nails look Thomas they're not here put your finger where the sin was put your finger with the shame was put your finger where they tried to crucify the creator of the world no more somebody shout no more nails no more nails in other words what held me doesn't hold me anymore I came to declare today is the day of freedom I wish you would push your neighbour till they almost fall over and say no more nails no more nails now I've heard so many sermons about forgiveness because we've all been wounded raise your hand if life hasn't wounded you yet I want to see where the liars are in the church because I want to have a special prayer for all the liars who would have the audacity to lie in the presence of God and act like you haven't been wounded we've all been wounded Rock Hill Gaston County it doesn't matter Toronto Canada you can't you can't walk the road without being wounded you can't go to church without being wounded he didn't speak to me that's why I left he didn't speak to me I was in a church one time and the preacher got on this thing about wounds and it was so weird y'all cuz he was like he was preaching about wounds his thing was trying to get everybody to go back and remember all the ways they've been wounded throughout their whole life he had me thinking of stuff in the third grade just the craziest stuff like that was gonna bring healing look at this Jesus didn't show Thomas his wounds he showed him his scars there is a difference between being wounded and being scarred so when I prayed about this first word of forgiveness the Lord told me to talk to you about the nails whatever has wounded you whatever you hide whatever happened see when Jesus shows Thomas his scars I'm glad he kept his scars I'm glad he kept that part I'm glad he didn't stay dead but I'm also glad that he came out scarred because that gives me hope and that's how I try to preach I don't want to preach wounded because if I preach wounded I'm gonna inflict my pain on you and I don't want to be a wounded parent I don't want to be a wounded spouse I don't want to walk around God spoke to me a couple months ago and he said if I've really healed you like you claim I have why are you still so touchy Thomas said I want to see where the wounds were and when I teach preachers Jonathan can tell you I tell them don't you get up and tell the church all the ways that you woke up at 5:30 a.m. and you know if I put you in my pulpit show the church some of your scars you can show them the stones that God has rolled away that's fine that's a part of it he is a God of miracles he is a God who makes dreams come true and we've all got some stones that he's rolled away but we've all got some scars too so show them your scars show them where you didn't get up at 5:30 in fact show them where you pretended like you didn't hear the baby crying at 5:30 and Ana got up tell them that story tell them how you almost quit tell them how you wanted to throw up the first week you went out to preach after the news media ran a story about you for four days straight saying things about you tell them that tell them how you were in the bathroom and you came out smiling show them where the wounds were and it'll give them hope what wounded me doesn't have to hold me forever come on it's time to be free its been long enough its been 7 days forgiveness doesn't mean it didn't happen the scars shows it happened Jesus didn't show up and say what cross cross I don't remember cross I heard a preacher say one time this guy's an idiot he should have his credentials revoked he said if you've really let's get a preacher voice going if you've really forgiven someone in your heart you will not even remember the offense there is a word that comes to my mind to describe what he said but I'm gonna just say it's inaccurate it's not denial when I say forgiveness cuz I got to be careful because I'm a pastor right I'm not just passing through preaching one week leaving I'm not trying to just get something I'm trying to go on a journey with you and to let you know that when you let go of whatever wounded you so that you can be free and go into the future God has for you it doesn't mean that you pretend it never happened this is not denial the nails were there my dad walked out on me not not my dad I'm saying that you could say my mom had an impossible standard that I could never live up to and I believe that part of my eating disorder today has to do with that I'm not saying it didn't happen but I can't let it hold me I cannot blame her forever not if I'm a Christian not if I am a Christian not if I worship the one who was wounded for my transgression see I need to let you know something because the hardest person you'll ever forgive is not your ex it's not your mom it's not your dad it's not your neighbor who came over your fence on your property line the hardest person you will ever have to forgive is yourself see the truth be told it is myself inflicted nails that I have the hardest time letting go of but I want the devil to know when he comes to hammer at me with accusation I don't know where you go when that starts to happen how worthless you are have you noticed the devil loves to hammer you and he's got a big hammer but let me tell you a little secret he ain't got no more nails somebody shout no more nails the next time the devil hammers you with accusations shout back in his face you ain't got no nails all my nails are in that cross all my shame is on that cross somebody shout no more nails there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus because through Christ Jesus the law of the spirit of life has set me free from the law of sin and death the devil might have a hammer but he doesn't have any nails reach out and touch the place where the nails were where they were it doesn't mean it didn't happen it happened I fell short it happened I ruined the relationship it happened they abused me and wasted I don't even want to tell my own spouse it happened I deal with the traumatic memory see it's not that it didn't happen and it's not that it doesn't hurt that's not what forgiveness is forgiveness doesn't mean it doesn't hurt I mean the nails might be gone but the memory is still there and it's really easy to forgive sometimes when the person that you're forgiving is gone but when you still have to work out shared custody when you still have to live with the memory when you still can't be touched without recalling the shame of when you were touched the wrong way and now you're trying to learn how to love the right way when you're trying to learn how to trust it doesn't mean it won't hurt away with the preaching that will teach you that the pain will go away when you forgive the offense it's not that the pain goes away I'm helping somebody I'm setting somebody free you keep waiting for the feeling of forgiveness to come it's not a feeling it takes faith I said it takes faith I said it takes faith I said it takes faith it takes faith to believe that the same place where the nails were is the same place where the healing is they saw it in his scars Jesus needed those nails if they hadn't nailed him to that cross if they hadn't if they hadn't puncture if the blood didn't flow from that place the power wouldn't be released I'm saying not that God's gonna take the scar away but that he is going to release the greatest strength in your life from the place where the nails were come on shout no more nails hey thank you for watching make sure you subscribe to this channel so you don't miss a single video or live stream and share this video with a friend and don't forget you can join me live every Sunday thanks again for watching

Channel: Official Steven Furtick

Views: 839,070

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Keywords: pastor steven furtick, steven furtick, furtick steven, stephen furtick, elevation church steven furtick, steven furtick been hurt, been hurt, steven furtick sermons, healing, forgiveness

Id: sHoapBtEobM

Length: 18min 49sec (1129 seconds)

Published: Tue Feb 26 2019