Forgiving Problematic People (2 Cor. 2:5-17)
It’s hard to forgive, but if we don’t, it is a loss to us. The world teaches us not to forgive; the world teaches that you should fight back, but the word tells you to forgive. The real issue is that we cannot forgive. Being able to forgive is a mystery, it is grace. Are you able to forgive those who scarred you? Whenever you think of the people who give you a hard time, you hate them, don’t you? You’re not able to forgive them. Sometimes we’re not able to forgive our parents.
Korea is unable to forgive Japan because Japan tormented Korea. I’ve been to the Native American reservations and they’re not able to forgive the Caucasians for all the damage they did to the Native Americans. But if you have strength and grace to forgive others, that person will not have problems with other people. But if you’re not able to enjoy this strength as you go to church, you have no choice but to difficulties because of other people.
1. Given Things
1) Christ / Salvation
This means Jesus Christ died on the cross for me, He has saved me. If you can’t explain salvation, you can’t save.
Sin – Curse
Satan
Separation
We only escape from this through only Christ. You can’t prove this even if you study science. Because this is invisible, no matter how much mankind tries to solve this problem, they cannot. This is something humans cannot solve. God Himself must come into the earth as the form of a human and solve these curses. We had been separated from the blessings of God but we are restored in God’s blessings. This is not something you get by going to church but by having faith in Christ are you saved. This is what God has given to us and you need to tell your friends about this.
Why are your friends suffering because of their family and parents? Give them the answer so they can escape from these problems. But they go to church without knowing these problems so they’re always deceived by Satan. Give the answer to their problems.
2) Love / Forgiveness
How do these words hit your heart? You need to know what kind of sinner you were. But if you go to church and you don’t know what love and forgiveness really mean, you don’t know who you were or what you’re like. David, the greatest Israelite King, confessed, “I was a sinner in my mother’s womb.” He was the most powerful king of Israel, but God gave David the grace to realize, “I was a sinner even as my mother conceived me,” but it’s possible this may not hit your heart. It’s only possible if God gives you this grace.
How does this hit me? I could never, ever do this. I realized it’s never, ever me. Not my thoughts, nothing I can do. Because with the things separated from God in Gen. 3, nothing will work. I realized that no matter how many good things I have, nothing in itself will be it, so I have no choice but to deny myself. By my nature, my own nature comes out, meaning I’m not even aware of it, but from the conscious part of my brain, I acknowledge that I cannot be me.
My daughter exemplifies this. I can accept everything else, but when it comes to my daughter, my own things keep coming out. If I don’t let my own things come out, she keeps going down a different path, so my things come out and I stop her. I still don’t know the answer. If this is correctly God’s way, God will bless it, but it cannot be me. If a pastor is able to confess that it cannot be him, he has received God’s grace. Because it cannot be me, it has to be God, so I have no choice but to pray. From that point on, when you pray, everything works out, not the way I want, but according to God’s will.
That is why I can do all things within Him Who strengthens me. It’s very amazing, if something is truly God’s will, then keep praying for that. Set the goal you need to go to within God’s will, then God will continue to work through the Holy Spirit. For example, this is the time for EM, and if I keep praying for this time, God gives me the answers for this time. I experience this every time, but if I stand here without prayer, I won’t even know what to say. However, if I keep praying for EM, to relay the things He desires, He continues to give me His word and relays it under me.
This worship time is what God desires, and if I keep praying for this worship time, He is with me, giving me His Word. For you guys, if your studies are aligned with world evangelization, keep praying and you’re bound to receive answers. But instead of doing this, you keep trying to do things by yourself. I was like that in the past. It’s because you still don’t know who you are. The easiest thing for us is to live our walk of faith. Because I know I can’t do it, I must pray.
This month, we’re going to Navajo and Sedona. We don’t know anything, we just know our direction is to save lives there. That’s all we need. if we keep praying for that, God does the work. If your job is aligned with God and you know your job is to save lives, keep praying for it. Something is bound to arise, because God will reveal things and give you the word for the people to do God’s will.
Look at Joseph, he didn’t know anything about Egypt but God gave this one person His Word. The reason Joseph went to Egypt was for Egypt evangelism and that was aligned with God’s direction, then if you begin to pray for that, God will work and guide you. King Pharaoh dreamt a dream and no one could interpret it. If anyone could do it, that’s not God’s work. There will be an incident where nobody else can interpret, and God showed this to Joseph who was praying. Joseph just relayed that to the Pharaoh and he was immediately elevated to the Prime Minister. Success should naturally follow us.
Look at David, he was just a shepherd but God said, “In the future you will be king.” Daniel was a captive of war to another nation but he became the proconsul. If he had stayed in Israel, he would not have been the proconsul. Others saw this as a problem but he became a proconsul for four kings. “I will not bow down to idols; I will only worship the Jehovah God.” God gives you wisdom. You have the right to receive the same answer. No reason to make it complicated, if my studies are used to save people’s lives, if you pray about it, God will give you the answer. My job, my work is used for world evangelization to save people’s lives, then God will change the circumstances to make things happen.
All of that faith comes from knowing that it cannot be me. If you think you can do something, you don’t need to pray. Then, in reality, the Word of God is irrelevant to me. He won’t give me His Word, and even if He does, I ignore it because I think I can do it. If you really want to do something, you’ll realize there’s nothing you can do, so you need God’s love and forgiveness.
3) Identity / Authority
Religion is when I try to use efforts to gain my identity or power; we have the identity of being a child of God, and the authority as well. Elites cannot understand because they succeeded with their own strength, so the hardest thing to understand is getting something for free. Something within them rejects that notion, but this isn’t anything we’ve done. Simply by believing in what Jesus Christ has done, I become a child of God who will never fail. He is my Father, we’re connected, so the power and authority of God is revealed to me, His child.
The strength of God being with me. Even if you’re hard-pressed on all sides, God gives you the wisdom to guide you out. Even if you’re thrown into a place like Egypt that you know nothing about, God gives you the strength to overcome. Only this person can do Egypt evangelism because its not a problem; God is with them and God gives His answers to His children.
If your situation pushes you around, pray for the situation. Even that situation will be broken down or God will give you a way out. Let’s say you’re surrounded by weird people, and people attach themselves to you to succeed. No reason to do that; pray for those people. If you pray for those people, God will change the situation or make you rise above to succeed. Why? We have the identity and if we pray, power is bound to follow.
2. Forgive – Reason
I used to just think, “I have to forgive,” but a few months ago, during the North America Youth Evangelism school, the pastor said something that hit my heart, and it’s from the Bible. Even after I became a pastor, I didn’t know about the Bible verse that says, “If you don’t forgive, Satan will use it.” I confirmed it’s there, why do we forgive? It says in the scripture. Can I not forgive someone? Why do I have to forgive them?
Nowadays, people say, “It’s my freedom, it’s my choice; why do I have to forgive them?” If you bully or outcast your friend, it is going to be to your loss. If your friend makes a mistake, all your other friends group together and attack them, don’t they? If you stand on that side, you will also be destroyed. How must you stand? It says in today’s scripture.
2 Cor. 5:10-11
Why do we forgive? For our sake, and let’s say someone did something bad to me. Satan will end up using it to hurt me in the end. If one of your friends did something bad to you, don’t say, “I’m not your friend anymore,” but instead, I hope you will forgive them for your own sake. If you don’t, Satan will use that to attack you. This person who did something bad to me will go all over the town, attacking me. For your sake, forgive the other person, why? The Lord has forgiven you. Understand the other person’s state, they had no choice but to do that.
“She lies as much as she eats! She will do anything to gain her own benefit! I have to pray for her.” The Bible doesn’t say to pay back our enemies but to love our enemies, then the word of God, “Love your enemies,” will be fulfilled. Let’s say I pray for this person, “God, forgive this person, bless this person so they’re no longer like this.” But it turns out that I’m actually the one who’s blessed by doing that. But the really stupid people will say, “I’m going to bully that person and cast them out of our group so nobody talks to them,” but remnants, I hope you will remember, if you treat someone bad at your school, you’ll be the one hurt by that.
When you stand on the side of forgiving that person, you stand on the side of blessing. God doesn’t use smart people; God uses the ones blessed by God, He uses people who have no choice but to be blessed. The one who is blessed is able to forgive other people. Does that mean He doesn’t use smart people? Your intelligence doesn’t matter, it doesn’t move God this way or that. But if someone has a vessel that is able to forgive and bless anybody and everybody, that’s a blessed person. That is the work of blessing God has given to us; these are the absolutely necessary words for us. I hope you will really listen to these words and if you’re not able to do this, ask God to do this so you can be in-line with these words.
1) Satan
You’re the only one who can forgive that person. Through you, God will change the entire stream of that environment. If you receive this, everything will follow you. This is extremely important. This is the hardest thing for you to do, but it’s the most important. When I had a job, human relationships was hardest. I have AB blood and a very sensitive, sharp personality. I’m not stupid but I’m not a genius, either, but other people have a similar personality to me, so we have difficulties in our human relationships. When I see injustice, I can’t handle it; I have to say something about it, and if I say something, they avoid me. I wonder, “Why are they avoiding me? I just told them what is true,” but the Bible says, “You must say the words only when you are in a state where you’re ready to forgive.”
Then, Satan cannot hurt you as Satan cannot work there. The way Satan works in this channel is if I curse them and say bad things, if this person is bullying me, but I say I’m okay, then that person will keep going. But if I say I will get revenge, then Satan knows that and will fight back. There was a Korean movie where he set everyone and everything on fire except one nice person.
Schools don’t teach this, so it’s hard. It’s hard because of human relationships. I heard this the first time in church, but it’s still not part of it. I hope you will forgive people and bless them, that is the way for you to be victorious. If you say, “Why is the world like this?” You’re already wrong. You need to bless the world. Then, the world will change because of you. This is very important.
You really need to underline this in your notes. This doesn’t come out on an Ivy League test; the Ivy Leagues know nothing about this.
2) In Christ – Triumph
In Christ – Fragrance
Everywhere
If you don’t forgive, Christ will hurt you through that person. Everywhere. This is not just the place you go for missions, but spread the word of Christ.
3) Two Fragrances
Satan rushes towards the scent of death; he hates the smell of life and runs away. What kind of fragrance will you spread as a person? This is an elite who goes even beyond elites. This is the success that transcends success. But if you’re not able to do this, your social life will be hard. If you become a politician, everybody is spreading the scent of death, that’s why the land is becoming destroyed. You must spread the aroma of life.
You know fragrance, right? Spread the fragrance that I have the answer, don’t just keep your mouth closed, and if everybody is trying to kill somebody, spread the aroma of saving, “I think they’re fine, I will bless that person,” and when you go to your job, everyone will say bad things about the owner or manager, but don’t say words that kill. I hope you will be used on the side of saving others, “I will bless the manager through the God I believe.”
You stand on one of two sides, same with the church. “That person is like this,” that kills them. Then, you believe in Jesus Christ but you’ve never learned how to live a life within the Christ. When you go to church, you should have the scent that saves; what happens if you have the scent that kills? If you’re able to do this, you’ll make so much money. From my experience, this is the hardest thing. It’s become a lot easier now. In the past, I couldn’t handle it if somebody did better than me, because I was my own standard. But now I’ve gone beyond that. Transcends is not real success, there’s something even better than that.
I’m going to go visit another church today, there’s an appointment ceremony, and all their church officers and elders and deacons are young, they’re in their 20s and 30s. I used to be jealous of that, I would get oppressed and jealous, “My church doesn’t have elders in their 30s,” but now I know, God is using their church differently. Our ministries and missions do well but I don’t feel anything because God does it. In the past, I used to brag about missions in Yakima and Navajo, but now, there’s no reason for that. God is the One guiding the church, God must receive glory.
Now, I realize what God is doing so there’s no reason to compare myself. When you compare yourself, you see someone doing something better than you can; when do you want to brag? When you can do something that someone else cannot. That is a disease we cannot control. It’s completely useless, it’s our imagination but we make ourselves feel good then bad. We’re being used by Satan.
Even today, there were 10 newcomers, and in the past, I would get hyped up by that. That disease goes away, “They’re here, that’s great, and if God has a plan, they’ll keep coming.” My expression becomes change, there’s no reason for me to smile or frown, but in the past, I used to smile, but when something bad happened, I would be broken down. That disease goes away. Now, I’m no longer fluctuating due to the environment or circumstance.
It may happen occasionally but I’m not swept up by it. It was very strange, my nature was such that I couldn’t handle someone doing better than me. If someone does better than me, I get jealous with weird, competitive greed that I have to do better than them. Once I started realizing God’s plan for me, God’s CVDIP for me, and God’s time schedule, I stopped. God will use me exactly as He called me, and that doesn’t change.
If it doesn’t happen right now, it’s in the process of coming, and the answer will come visibly in God’s time schedule. Look at today’s Word; when we’re in the midst of fear, we have the answer; we don’t see the answer so we are scared, moving up and down for no reason. All the most classy people in America can save the multiethnic with this. Today, I’ll be able to fully bless them in the appointment ceremony; in the past, I would partially bless them, but now I realize, I must fully bless them. Nothing to boast about. God is doing something in our church in His time schedule. If I bless others, He will bless me. But if you pay attention to your own life, you will take unnecessary things and turn red in the face.
Is it just me? What about you? You guys watch your facial expressions, but what are you really like? Isn’t this something you feel with your friends or at work? Nobody does anything but you go up and down by yourself. Even if you do that, God blesses you so you’re able to not hate, but bless. This is for my benefit and it also saves them. These are the remnants of the Bible.
The world doesn’t teach you this; the world teaches you, “If someone does something bad, kill them.” But the remnant says, “No, I will forgive, love, and bless them.” There’s not a lot of prayer topics. God will bless you. I go to my job to save people? God is bound to work. That’s what it means to do things for world evangelization to 237 nations.
3. Greatest Power
1) Satan
Forgiving others makes Satan kneel. Remnants, put this into practice while young. God will change the direction of the blessings of the region for that remnant.
2) Value (Others)
If someone does something, there’s a reason. But we don’t even know their reason, you just judge the other person with your reason. That person may be super-afflicted by spiritual problems, and they said these words to me. The real strength is considering, “that person has a reason why they’re saying this.” Being able to consider others is thinking, “If I do this, how will this affect the other person?” Practice this in the church.
I said this in today’s message. We think our knowledge and experience are everything, but let’s say for example, this person is in a weird situation. I don’t know about it, but I’m judging that person as if they grew up in the same environment. It’s completely different. But we say she’s weird because we assume she grew up to say the same things I did. Saving the other person is a strength. Thinking about the other person first and thinking from their perspective is power. This doesn’t come from studying; it comes from the power God gives you.
You should have no enemies other than Satan. If people don’t like you, it’s because people are being separated from you. If you want to run a business, people have to be attached to you. If you make enemies with others, they won’t come. If you want to be a leader, people have to be attached to you. It doesn’t matter even if you want to be a leader; if no one comes, you can’t lead anyone.
This is God’s Word so God will change you to be able to do this. I hope that as you go to church, you won’t be someone who makes enemies, but one who receives power to forgive and bless others.
Prayer
God, we thank You. We pray that you will give us the strength to forgive the offenders, and please give us the strength to bless and love everybody. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray, amen.