A man, I'm so glad you're here all of our campuses and we're in a series. I love this called plot twist. And if you don't know this, I love movies anybody else love movies, you love movies I do too. And yeah, we watch them all the time and I love the movies where I don't know how it's going to end. Like I like to plot, you know, because I don't know who the bad guy is.

I mean, I think it's a bad guy. I think it's good now Alicia and she's in here, so I had to be careful, but she loves she loves Hallmark and and Hallmark Christmas starts tonight. You know, you can start watching them all the way through and many of you like that and but I always know the plot like like it doesn't take it. I mean, let me say the different way every time there's like this there's a girl back home and and she has a business that's failing a guy comes from New York and he's supposed to buy this big corporate entity. And there's Mr.

Toe they fall in love. She has got a Labrador Retriever gold one and at the end he's decides he's going to stay and help her with the business. They're gonna get married and it snows And that's to me that that's not fun. Like sometimes just upset Alicia. I'll go in and watch with her and go.

Hey, this is what they're gonna do this what they're gonna do this what's gonna happen over here? And then it's going to snow and she goes good you understand and but that's the way that works. But Jesus when he taught He had a Twist on the plot. That would tattoo your mind. I mean when he talked, I mean like he would share this story and you think you've got it figured out then he would introduce somebody was he doing here then you get to the end and it'd be like a river Revelation to you and he go and he would say go and do likewise.

And and I love that because that is the difference in a relationship. That is growing. And religion that's going to be stale now. I want to be careful here because I like every church that there is that preaches the gospels a lot of different ways to do that, but the danger and religion is where you get more and more and more information. That you don't apply.

And and Jesus when he talked it's funny because Jesus never taught verse by verse, you know, like like I know that, you know exposure preaching I like exportatory preaching and you do verse by verse and pick up different words, you know stuff but we do suppository preaching where we kind of make sure you know that it's there and he gets inside your heart and you understand that there is something for you to do with what Jesus is taught. And the real danger in going to church and going to Sunday school and going to Wednesday night and dropping your kids off is that you can get more and more information that is layered out here. And you think you're doing great when Jesus says no go and do likewise with what's in your heart. Go and do likewise with things that are inside of you that you really don't want anybody to know about. Now a few weeks ago.

I had the opportunity to go to this conference and it was amazing conference and it was around a lot of people that were encouraging fill my reservoir up, you know, it's kind of like when I'm here and I'm not preaching and listening are taking notes because all of our teachers are amazing. And I get filled up, you know, sometimes I need to be filled up and so I was outside waiting on the Uber driver to show up and and I was sitting there kind of he's a beautiful day and and a gun. I'm not trying to be funny with this. So let me be careful here. Okay?

But the guy came around the corner and the guy probably weighed 600 pounds. And and you could see on his face. The the shame and and the hurt And the sense of failure and the sense of embarrassment and just the the hurt that was in his life that was weighing him down and I thought that's unfair. It's unfair that you can see a guy and you can see what he's struggling with. When when most of us now.

I got some issues. I'm working on getting me a Myrtle a man girdle in my spanks for men. But but I'm saying you you cannot that was funny for me because don't you to get the your eyes on me in terms of I struggle too, but for a lot of people you look great. I mean you've done all the right things. I mean you're working.

Now, you're eating kale. You're drinking cambucha. I mean you're doing all the right things you got, you know, I don't know marathon and wrong with that. Here's the reality when you walk in. I mean you look like a dime.

I mean you looking good in the hood and you're like I got this going on everybody say whoa. I wish I were like did you see their Instagram post when in reality inside of you? You've got the weight of a 600 pound person that is weighing you down. And I'm just at a time in my life in Ministry where where I want to deal with how good you look on the outside. I'm proud for you.

Genetically, you know, you got some stuff going on for you got a frame that God gave you and I'm so happy for you, but I would to know what is going on inside of you because when Jesus taught He always taught with regard to the condition of people's hearts. He never measured people by what they look like on the outside. The Bible says he always looks on the condition of the heart. And so let me ask you because the subject I want to deal with that. I have a lot of time.

I'm trying to stay within the time frame, but but let me ask you how do you do? With the weight of unforgiveness in your life. Now let that settle in and you know, I think about like like who am I really upset with who who's hurt me who who have I not forgiving and like how many of you are like me like when somebody hurts me when somebody disses on me when somebody messes with me, like, you know, I try to give them benefit without delicious. I don't give anybody benefit that but I do and like I'll go at least, you know a couple of times like in the first time, you know, you know you you hurt me shame on you, right? Second time you hurt me shame on.

Me, you know like hey, I'll let you do it right three strikes what you're You're out you're out of here you go flip the switch. How many times does somebody have to hurt your feelings or do you wrong and you go? Hey, I've had enough of that. I'm done with you. I'm gonna kind of hold that back here because I know what you're like now.

I'm not saying you have boundaries. I'm just saying you store that down inside of you and sometimes it's things from your childhood man. Like it's stuff from your parents or stuff from from somebody you thought you could trust or or it's a spouse or an ex spouse and and you go like I there you're just terrible. They're Liars. They're they're always doing that.

They're always hurting people and you kind of push it down because you know, you shouldn't feel that way, but it's still there. It's like toxic waste. Well, Jesus going to say that when you do that it really imprisoned you. And I was telling somebody backstage, you know, like I hate it when when I had to preach sermons on things that I'm struggled with so bad. Because I don't know about you.

But like if you if you really like this me or my family, if you dis my family, I got to kill you. Then I pray for God. I have mercy, you know that maybe you'll make it in and he'll give you General Grace and all that. But so see I got issues. And and because I like justice, you know for everybody else.

I don't Mercy for me, but by like, you know, if you do something like I got I got to figure out like my whole life. I've been built this way like like on the streets man, like like it's eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth. And and Jesus is so saying man. That's why you so messed up. You got 600 pounds worth of unforgiveness in your heart.

And that's why I'm not using you more. So Peter asked a question, he's always got his foot in his mouth and he says the Lord. How many times should I forgive someone who sins against me seven times? And he thought he was being so magnanimous like seven times. You know that the rabbi said three times.

They three times then you cut them off. Then you give them over to the devil blah blah and Jesus says, no not seven times Seventy Times Seven. A day in Peter's going not what? Matthew 18 verse 22 Seventy Times Seven seventy seven therefore the Kingdom of Heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts. He tells a story and it's got a plot.

It's got a Twist and he began to settle accounts and he began to settle accounts with a man who owed him 10,000 bags of gold. He was brought to him since he was not able to pay the master order that he and his wife and his children and all that. He had be Soul so that the debt could be paid. Here's the thing about unforgiveness. He didn't just affect you.

It affects your spouse and your kids. It's toxic. But when the servant went out he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred coins because the guy asked him fell in his days. Would you forgive me be patient with me he had pity on him. He canceled it let him go and then he went out and found a service that only owed him a hundred silver corns, and he grabbed him by the throat started choking him.

Even before we started talking. He says pay me back what you owe me. His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged and be patient with me and I'll pay it back and he refused. Instead he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt and when the other servants saw what had happened they were outraged they went and told the king everything that had happened and then the king called him in and said you Wicked serve it I cancel all of your debt. And because you begged me to shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just because I mean I had mercy on you.

In an anger, his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured until he should pay back. All he owed and that is how it will be with my heavenly father and how he will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart and Peter was going what I didn't see that going down that way. I mean, here's the thing about unforgiveness. It will go down in your heart you go how I've dealt with that and oh, it's not a big deal. And yeah, my parents did this and yeah that happened to me in the past.

But I've put it down here. I've dug a big hole I've got there's nothing there. I don't even think about it anymore. Yes you do. Alicia and I when we argue she's in this room God she's so uncomfortable and when we argue I have a set of skills and and I hate it about me because I had a photographic memory of everything.

She's ever done that I'd like I've kept a little note of in my he must do that. You keep a little note in your head like yeah, thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you guys going. Yes, you sure do and yeah, I mean like yeah, so I have like this little thing in my head like when she gets a sterical I get historical. And I got this little box. It says, you know, you know break glass and cast in case of emergency and I break that glass number you remember what you do you remember what you said? Oh you remember what you thought?

Oh you remember what you did you? And all of a sudden all that unforgiveness is poured out on her. Here this thing I say, I'm sorry. She says she's sorry then we go all the way back and then and then a year later, you know, well, we'll get right back in the same point. I'll break the glass.

I'll bring it all those things that I said. I forgave her for that. I was sorry for that. I never really got rid of It's hurt my marriage. Hurt my kids hurt my friends It's hurt my Ministry.

Because it's hard for me to forgive people. And the story simply this this guy owed 4.3 billion dollars. The master had pity on him he canceled the whole day. You don't have to pay me back. He released him.

That God goes out and he grabs a guy that owes him money and he begins to choke him because he owes him a thousand dollars. And Jesus is saying don't you know how much I forgiven you? I have filled your life with grace and mercy. How can you not forgive don't you know that when you don't forgive it hurts you it hurts your spouse. It hurts your kids.

It hurts your friends. It hurts your business. And so I want to tell you that the lessons I've learned. In learning how to continually forgive people who sin against me and who hurt me and things in my past and things in my present now, I want you to kind of have this because you're gonna need this in your life in the first thing is simply this you've got to admit you've been hurt it's hard to do man. I mean he wants to think about that when when you've been heard and somebody is wronged you.

I mean you you've told them and you told yourself. Oh, I forgot about that. Oh, I put that over here. Oh, that's nothing. That's gone.

Don't worry about it. No, you had you you remember it all the time. It drives you. You admit it. You have hurt me.

See, you can't receive Grace until you know, you need Grace. Until you are humble. And you say I need help. This has hurt me this person hurt me. I can't get over it.

It is terrible it is dark. And that's why I love when I'm trying to preach to say hey, don't show me how beautiful you are on the outside man. What are you struggling with on the inside? At least now we're able to go to Alaska a few months ago, man. It was amazing.

So thankful, you know for that trip and there's some icebergs. Have you ever seen an iceberg? You sent an iceberg. Anybody seen him I supposed this is what looks like now that here's the beautiful thing about an iceberg. You see how beautifully he's gonna talk about me.

You're looking at thinking. Oh, that's beautiful. But man, it is massive underneath the water. You know what most people do with their life. I said all of us, you know, what we do in our we take that part of it.

So beautiful and religion is like getting more and more snow and kind of packing it maybe drawing it. I've smiley face in it and go we're so beautiful. We're so wonderful, you know tell me pack more snow on here so that we'll be pretty when we leave church and then you forget that underneath there's all kind of things. There's hurt and there's shame put the next slide in but I do the point thing that means the next slide. Okay, guilt and anxiety and jealousy and embarrassment.

That's the stuff under the water. That's the stuff in your life that we can't see. Jesus said it's like the Pharisees when you look at the top up there and and they had a lot of anger toward Jesus, but he said you're you're like a house that has been painted why that red brick you painted it why you got it all updated. But inside you're full of dead men's bones. There is anger and there is Rage and there is shame and there is humiliation.

And religion will not help you with that. Religion is white knuckling saying well, I'm just going to do better. Well, I'm just gonna look better. Well, I'm just I'm gonna forgive them. I'm gonna move on you can't do that without the supernatural work of God in your heart.

Listen religion will keep you from spiritual formation. Deep information without practicality will lead to a shallow life. Listen, I want you. I just want to say to whoever whoever comes to her teaching. We don't want you to gain more information and know what the red heifer is in the Book of Revelation.

We want you to look under the water and see what God is saying about your heart. You said why? Because if you don't deal with your past your past will show up in your future. And that was good. I'm just going to say it.

I hate to brag on myself. Hey to amen myself. Amen, but if you don't deal with things that are going on under the surface, there's springing up. They're springing out. They're everywhere.

You're seeing cracks in your marriage. You're saying cracks in your health. You're seeing cracks in your family. You've seen cracks in your business because you're not dealing with things that are under the water. The Titanic remember that I think 1912 you saw the movie Titanic Oh You know what the captain of the Titanic said even God couldn't sink this ship.

Bad bad ness because the things under the water of your life will wreck you. Because our souls are tender. It okay right now. Can I just pray for us real quick God I just pray right now before everybody's kind of thinking about when we gonna get done. We're going to be that right now you begin to like the who who has hurt me.

Who has hurt me and I can't let it go. God bring that to my mind so that I can get that weight off of my life. Supernaturally, show me what's going on under the surface? In Jesus name amen. You admit it and then you commit it to the Lord.

I mean, this is what I do and I did this last night because I had the same feeling come up that I've had before and and I went to the Lord and I kind of laid it down and say God, you know, I'm struggling with this, you know this person, you know this situation. It just keeps coming up. I want to commit it to you. I want to confess it to you so that I can be healed. See, here's the thing about forgiving somebody or or letting it go.

Sometimes you have to do it over and over and over again. It's not one time and then you're done. It's a battle. In John chapter 4 when Jesus came to the woman at the well, you can go back and read it. It's a Gospel of John and he's talking to her about water says would you give me something to drink and she says, you know, you're not supposed to ask me that and he goes, hey go call your husband and she says I don't have one.

He says you're right. You've had five and the one you're with is not your husband. Go call him to come here. What would he ask her to do that? He's trying to get her to deal with the reality of what's going on under the surface of her life.

She keeps going from man to man to man to man to try to fill up. What is broken and her life and it's never going to work. I deal with people all the time and and that they go from one relationship to another relationship to another business to another church to another whatever it is kind of trying to find some relief. You will never get relief in some thing. It's a person his name is Jesus.

For you admit I am hurting this hurt me. It hurt me badly and you committed to the Lord. And the third one's the hardest. Okay, then you have to absorb it. Somebody text me before the early service and too many y'all got my number.

I'm gonna change my number but but the question was that did they have to apologize first? That's a no come listen to the sermon bro. Whoever you are. No, you have to absorb it. You so that that's not fair.

That's right Affairs. What comes to Jackson once a year? It's not fair. That's forgiveness. I'm not saying you don't have banners.

I'm not saying you know, so you got to go ahead and come in adultery. I'm not saying you you can't keep using it. I'm not saying you don't get Space. I've got space with a lot of people in my life because they crack right? But but I have learned to forgive them.

Because I understand until I forgive them I will never have freedom and I have to absorb it. They're not going to come to me and tell me they're sorry. They're not gonna come to me. So we left your church because we think you're needed. They're not going to do that.

A few weeks ago at least you had a correct lady running behind her and and tore car up and and a little girl sweet little girl man. I hate it so bad for her and she said I'm so sorry. It was an accident. I thought I said I know but you know, I'm thinking you still got to pay girl. I thought Richard Schwartz One Call.

That that's okay do that. That's all I mean you thinking it? I said your neck current baby you back hurts. I showed up right after it happened, you know Morgan & Morgan for the little people with little people I want to just is. Because somebody got to pay.

And Jesus saying you learn how to pay. You learn how to absorb that. You ask God for Mercy to deal with that. Why because he's forgiven you of so much. You go back to the cross and you look at Jesus.

Listen, he died for all of your sins every sin you've ever committed. He took all those on the cross all the things that were done against you. He took on the cross for you. He absorbed the debt for you. You don't want Justice or you and I would go to hell.

We won't Mercy. And we wouldn't understand that. We need Mercy we can give Mercy. We can say hey I want I just want to take that I want to take that because I know I need forgiveness. I know I've done some things wrong and I want I want Mercy.

I want Grace. I I don't want Justice. In the Lord's Prayer forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors Thank you. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin. Oh.

So there's a connection there. You admit it? You committed to the Lord you absorb it. And then you begin to release it. Man, that is so hard to let it go because there's so much energy that comes from being angry at someone.

There's so much energy that comes and you put yourself up to be righteous and they're so unrighteous. Unforgiveness is like drinking poison and hoping it hurts someone else. That's hurt you. Listen until you release it you are trapped. Ed in a prison cell that is open.

So today I want to ask you who is hurt you. I mean, who do you need to forgive? I love this what Jesus said the Bible says in Hebrews chapter 12 verse 2 that Jesus for the joy said before you were the joy set before him in my opinion. He endured the cross. And he scorned the shame.

He said all the shame that people have done to you that have made you ashamed that have hurt you that have scarred you that have broken you down. He goes I scored he says I take all of that for you all that hurt and judgment. I take all that for you. Let that go and let me heal you. So let me ask you who's hurt you I mean, we've got a little time I built it in here to.

Give you a chance to think through that. Maybe it was your day. I maybe your dad's passed away. You never got to talk to him about him. Maybe it's your mom.

She left you when you were little and you're like, I don't understand that. Maybe it was your your uncle that did crazy things. Maybe it's God. So many people are so angry with God. You know, what if he's a just God.

Why didn't he let this happen? Maybe you need to talk to God about that. Maybe it's you. You know how many times I talk to people and you know, the person they can't forgive they can't forgive themselves. Why would I do that?

Why would I put myself in that position? I've just gone so far there is no hope for me. Jesus says look at the cross. I have forgiven you over and over and over again because I love you so much. Listen to me.

You may be in the middle of using crack cocaine. If you're a child of God, he still loves you and there's still hope for you. You may be going through a divorce right now and you're like I didn't ask for this or you might have caused it. If you're a child of God. He says there is hope for you.

Admit it. Commit it. Absorb it. And that's got to help you release it. We're gonna have just a moment.

I want you to buy your heads and close your eyes and I know this is different than Just going to church and they sing three songs and you walk out you go to brunch and unlimited mimosas bottomless and Mimosas. I know. But listen if there's some hurt in your life. There's some loss in your life. I mean somebody has abused.

They're privilege of a relationship with you. You start by admitting it you don't have to reconcile with them. You don't have to call them and them say no just you and God. Were you admitted to him and say God I am hurting I cannot figure this out. I am committing this to you because I can't do this in My Own Strength.

I did this last night. I'm telling you. I do this all the time where I'm like, he just comes over me in a way the enemy lets a wave come over me and I commit it to the Lord and I go God help me absorb this because there's no way I can make this right? You got to make this right take this from me take this from me. Sometimes I have to do that several times during the day or man.

I get him bittered. I get angry. I take it out on my wife. I take that on my children. I take it out on our staff.

I mean, I have said and done things to people that had nothing to do with them. It had everything to do with the weight. I was caring inside of me. Unforgiveness the desire avenge but you bring that to the Lord. We got a few moments and the band's going to play and nobody's going to talk for a few minutes and when they start playing if you if you just want to like begin the process.

Sometimes it helps to come to the Altar and You know just say hey, I'm serious about this Lord. I need help. Maybe it's to come to the cross and and you you might want to put something there. Just kneel by the cross and just remember Jesus hung there man. He was he was he was naked and broken and bruised.

He was humiliated. The Bible says in Isaiah. He was like a wound. And just say Jesus, I need you to absorb this. I can't do it Release Me From It Jesus Release Me From it.

And if you want to take the Lord's Supper take the elements and say I need strength. I need hope. I need power. I need to remember the body broken for me and the blood shed for me. But whatever you want to do this morning.

Begin the healing process father Speak to our hearts. Gives freedom