A couple of weeks ago, Pastor Troy Nesbitt (the lead pastor of Cornerstone Church of Ames & Ankeny) gave one of the most heartfelt, passionate and stirring sermons I’ve ever heard on forgiveness. I was so moved I immediately shared it with my parents and some of my co-workers.
Pastor Troy had 6 major points about forgiveness that he shared with our congregation which include:
- Forgiveness is rooted in a proper relationship with God.
- Forgiveness covers every and all sins.
- Forgiveness is a lifestyle – not an event.
- Forgiveness does not forget or minimize your sins or hurt.
- Forgiveness frees us to forgive others.
- Forgiveness opens our hearts to extend love and grace to others.
Some other notable quotes included:
- No one will sin against you as much as you’ve sinned against God.
- God does not forget our sins, He just doesn’t bring it up (since we are reconciled through Jesus Christ).
- Bitterness is the pill you take to kill someone else but it ultimately kills you.
In addition, he shared this great quote by Bob Deffinbaugh:
“We know that the righteous God hates all sin with a perfect and irreconcilable hatred; but it is his prerogative to bring good out of evil, and no sin can be committed without his knowledge, or in opposition to his holy counsels. Sinners are as really the ministers of his providence as saints, and he glorifies himself by the wickedness which he hates and punishes, as well as by that holiness which he loves and rewards.”
All of those quotes and sermon points are amazing but if you listen to the sermon below, I think you will be blown away at the stories shared about God moving in the lives of the people closest to Pastor Troy – namely, his wife and parents. Please listen to this sermon below. You definitely won’t regret it.
God’s Plans for Good | Genesis 50 from Cornerstone Church on Vimeo.
