Proof

Good morning all!

Father, the earth belongs to You and all who dwell in it. May the all the earth declare how great and wonderful is Your work, from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof that Your name is to be praised. Lord, wherever You have us today and whatever we face may Your love be all the proof we need to live by faith, Amen.

2 Corinthians 2

8 Wherefore I beseech you that ye would confirm [your] love toward him.
So, I urge you to display your love for him with great passion.

9 For to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye be obedient in all things.
I wrote to you as I did to test you and see if you would fully embrace with my instructions.

10 To whom ye forgive any thing, I [forgive] also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave [it], for your sakes [forgave I it] in the person of Christ;
When you forgive this man, I forgive him, too. And when I forgive those that need to be forgiven, I do with authority and power given me by Christ.

11 Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.
So don’t give Satan a foot hold in us: we will not be taken as fools for we know his ways.

Bottom line

This is probably the simplest message of the gospel of Jesus Christ and yet for many it’s the most difficult to follow, why? Paul is speaking to the church this morning and he’s asking them for proof of a life of faith, and what proof is he looking for? LOVE!!! Of course, all the law and prophecy hang on this one act…our ability to LOVE others. Paul is defending a man that has offended the Corinthian church, scripture is silent on what exactly this individual did wrong. You know why it’s silent? Cuz it don’t matter. What does? How we RESPOND, either like Christ or Satan.

[2Co 2:7, 11 NLT] Now, however, it is time to forgive and comfort him. Otherwise, he may be overcome by discouragement. Paul instructs them not only to forgive him but to COMFORT him, so much for I can forgive but won’t forget. The only way you and I can comfort anyone that has offended us we must forget, this is known as true restoration.

[Mat 9:6 KJV] But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. We have the POWER to forgive; we must ARISE and not lay there like a lame duck. You know what makes us lame? When we let Satan take advantage of our emotions. He tells us we don’t have to forgive, he tells us we have the right to be offended, we have the right to hold a grudge. But remember when he whispers those words in your heart he’s got you, he has now taken advantage of your situation. And remember God has given Satan another name that you might want to consider?

[Jhn 8:44 NIV] You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Satan is the father of LIES so maybe we shouldn’t listen to those whispers that oppose the nature and character of Jesus Christ. I promise Jesus will never tell you NOT to forgive, NOT to love and NOT to comfort a person. In fact, doesn’t Jesus have another name too?

[Jhn 15:26 KJV] But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, [even] the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me. Hmm…the Comforter is also known as the spirit of TRUTH, what do you get when you combine comfort and truth? FORGIVENESS. We all get to choose the power we display in this life, it’s either Christ or Satan. When we don’t forgive others we let Satan have authority in our life, we have been deceived with empty lies that provide NO peace, NO life. Perhaps the most powerful words spoken by our Lord Jesus Christ were spoken on the Cross, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do”. Not only did Jesus forgive us but He defended us, He told His Father we were ignorant, we hadn’t yet fully comprehended the power of His love and His word. There is NO such thing as Christian (Christ like one) without forgiveness, this is the foundation of who we are…don’t sell out to Satan, he’s nothing but a liar.