Bill Johnson - Forgiveness Brings Liberty
In that Turkey, I keep forgetting what I ask every meeting: what do they call it? Chip defend? Tryptophan? Wow, tryptophan! All right, how many of you are still under that influence? That’s what I thought. I have a few little signs here that I liked. Either you like bacon, or you’re wrong. That’s not a good way to start this meeting, is it? What do we learn from cows, hippos, and elephants? It’s impossible to lose weight by eating green grass, salads, and walking. That works. This was in, apparently, a church bulletin: there will be a talk entitled «From Cannibalism to Christianity,» followed by finger foods. Not a well-placed announcement, I agree. People need to learn the difference between want and need. I want a nice body; I need banana pudding. One last one: you’re all aware of the romaine lettuce scare right now? Donuts are healthier than romaine lettuce! I’ve been waiting my whole life for this moment. That’s funny! That is funny! All right, Hebrews chapter 12. Why don’t you open your Bibles, please, to the book of Hebrews, chapter 12?
So, the five scariest people I’ve met in my life—the most terrifying people I’ve ever encountered—were all bitter. I think the most terrifying vice or iniquity is the vice of unforgiveness. Bitterness— I don’t know anything that destroys and ruins a life quicker. In some circles, it is commonly accepted as almost a virtue; some people call it discernment. Bitterness is always justifiable to the bitter. There’s always reasoning behind resentment and bitterness, unforgiveness. My favorite virtue is thankfulness. Thankfulness has goodness; it almost insulates a person from things that would normally contaminate or cause a person to stumble or hurt, or whatever it might be. It doesn’t mean it keeps us from pain; it just keeps us in a place where we’re healthy.
Thankfulness is so bizarre that you can eat—put it in an early New Testament context, being invited by a neighbor, and then offered their food to demons—a meal that could possibly hurt you. If you’re invited to that meal, it’s actually possible for that meal to be sanctified by the word of God in prayer. In that context, the prayer was the prayer of thankfulness. Thanksgiving actually decontaminates that which was set against you. This whole issue of thankfulness in a person’s life, if I could go to the opposite extreme—my favorite virtue would be thankfulness; the scariest vice or iniquity is bitterness. I’ve worked with people for a lot of years in pastoral ministry, counseling, that sort of thing. I’m so glad I don’t counsel anymore; thank you, Jesus! Oh, there’s a song in my heart going on right now. We don’t have time for it, but no, it’s there. It is there.
But I used to counsel, and I don’t anymore. I don’t know if I mentioned that, but I don’t counsel anymore. I’m going to forget what I’m talking about because I’m so thankful. I’m just so thankful! I’m insulated from everything else right now because I’m so thankful. You hear the question, «Can a Christian have a demon?» I love John Wimber’s answer: he says, «I don’t know why you’d want one. They make horrible pets.» That seemed to be the most reasonable answer to me. But the scripture actually warns believers not to give place to the devil. The point is that a Christian can give a place of influence to the enemy, and Paul, in Ephesians 4, warned against giving a place of influence.
I’ve watched in the groups of people that I’ve worked with for the last forty-some years; the three areas that open people up to the demonic the most, from my opinion, my perspective, are drug abuse (specifically hallucinogenics), sexual immorality (especially perversion), and the third one is bitterness. The three scariest—of the five scariest—people I’ve ever met in my life all had one thing in common: they were bitter beyond reason. All bitterness is beyond reason, but these people were possessed by the spirit of bitterness. Two of them—one I worked with here in Redding—tried to get him free, but he just refused. Then one in Weaverville—they both are in prison for murder. They both killed people after they rejected trying to get free from the issue of bitterness because bitterness is actually the spirit of murder in diapers; it’s just undeveloped murder. Whether it actually becomes a violent act or not is not the point; it’s what happens in the heart of the person who is embittered and unforgiving.
The scariest part of the whole issue, the subject of unforgiveness to me—we’re going to read about in a few minutes when we get to Hebrews 12—is this statement that unforgiveness defiles. So if you could picture this: this is the person that I’m bitter towards. What happens is that the unforgiveness and bitterness in me defiles me; it defiles everyone under my influence, and it does nothing to the person I’m bitter at. It’s the craziest thing! It’s like drinking poison and hoping somebody else will die. You know, bitterness actually destroys the vessel that it’s in, and we are redemptive people. I don’t think there would be a bitter person on the planet if we saw how undeserving of forgiveness we were from God, and He forgave us. I don’t think it’s possible to see how undeserving I am and He forgave me; how much more must I forgive? Even in life’s worst situations, forgiveness doesn’t mean to trust again; trust has to be earned, forgiveness doesn’t.
Jesus taught several things about forgiveness, and the Apostle Paul taught several things that I think would be worthy of note. One is that we receive forgiveness according to the forgiveness we give. The prayer that we love so much, «on earth as it is in heaven,» concludes with this statement: we are forgiven according to the forgiveness that we give to others. I saw this very sobering video of a gentleman who was raised from the dead, and he was absolutely terrified from the experience because of where he was going. This story about this man, who had been raised from the dead, revealed that he was so paranoid of conflict— and I don’t mean that in a wrong way; I just want to describe the situation. He was in his home, and when an argument would start between two family members, he literally would get up and run and hide in the bathroom. He would hide because he saw the effect of bitterness on eternity, and it terrified him so much that he would run and hide.
Yet bitterness is something that people broker in all the time. In fact, it’s become empowered, accentuated, emphasized in the political climate we live in right now. I do believe—you know we say that God is not Republican, or Democrat, or Libertarian, or Independent, or Socialist, whatever you want to fill in the blanks; I get that He’s not. The question isn’t, «Whose side is God on?» The question is, «Are we on His side?» Because He does have things that He despises and loves. Mike Bickle made the best statement for me that helped me understand so much. He said, «God’s anger is always aimed at whatever interferes with love.» Our scripture says we’re to be angry and sin not. This whole notion of the Christian coming to a place where there is no emotion—that’s Buddhism, that’s not Christianity. That’s Spock on Star Trek. I don’t want to be like Spock on Star Trek, who is, well, you know, all the same. Sorry, now you have to forgive me; you have to forgive me now!
Believe me, I’ve made much worse mistakes than movies! I tend to forget; I sit on United Airlines, I turn a movie on, and if I last five minutes, it’s almost a miracle! Just—oh, stupid movie, change it! Oh, dumb movie! Oh, this is going nowhere! Change it! Never mind! All right, so Spock on Star Trek; got it! He said be angry; and the scripture says, «Be angry and sin not.» The emotion of anger is natural! If you’re not angry at certain situations that rise up in your life, or in society, and culture, something’s broken! It just can’t lead to sin; it can’t lead to resentment; it can’t lead to bitterness; it can’t lead to self-promotion, vindication, or retaliation. Being angry is a sign you’re alive! If you see a child abused and you don’t get angry, then you’re dead; there’s something really wrong! Because that is supposed to provoke anger, but also it’s to put us into a place where we become redemptive solutions.
Listen, if I am bitter, my volume increases while my influence decreases. Bitter people lose trust quickly because everybody in society and culture is looking for people to trust. We vote for this politician; we choose this measure; we move into this neighborhood; we put our children in this school. It’s always an issue trying to find where we can sink our teeth into a place of trust, and bitter people are not trustworthy. So he says, «Be angry and sin not,» but then he follows it with this statement in Ephesians 4: «Don’t let the sun go down on your anger.» So here’s the deal: we start the day with what Jesus taught us to pray: «Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Your name; Your kingdom come; Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.» At the beginning of my day, I have determined to live redemptively, and I am prepared to forgive before I am sinned against. It’s a commitment—I am going to live the life of a forgiving person. It doesn’t mean that abuse is okay; it doesn’t mean lying, stealing—none of that stuff is okay! It just means I am not going to become controlled by the sins of another person.
I’m not going to let the spirit of bitterness dictate my thoughts and my feelings. I will rise above these circumstances because I’m going to be a contributor to society. What happens when I’m filled with bitterness? I’m holding onto the past, and if I hold on to the past, I cannot hang on to the present and bring redemptive solutions. It’s one of the things the enemy uses to keep us away from being a creative, positive influence in culture and society: to keep us married to yesterday. If I am bound by the effects of yesterday, then I have really lost my ability to have a positive effect on the world around me. So we have this commandment to not let the sun go down on our anger.
Here’s another one: John the Baptist made this statement: «Bring forth fruit worthy of your repentance.» Bring forth fruit of your repentance. There has to be evidence when we claim spiritual realities; it has to be measurable in the natural. Jesus said, «If you say you love God, who you can’t see, and you hate your brother who you can see, you’re a liar.» Because claiming an unseen reality has to be measurable in the natural. It has to be realized in the natural; it has to have an effect. For example, if I am bitter at somebody and I forgive them, my behavior towards them has to change.
Now, as I said earlier, it doesn’t mean if there’s an abusive situation, or if they’ve stolen, or they’ve done whatever it doesn’t mean that trust is rebuilt; it just means, as far as it depends on me, I am living in peace and I’m not being controlled or manipulated by the circumstance of being hurt, abused, or whatever the situation might be. So we have this issue of not letting the sun go down on our anger. I start my day as a redemptive person. Today I’ve determined that no matter what happens, I’m going to live as a forgiver. I’m going to release people; I refuse to be bound by bitterness through the actions of other people.
Number one. But then, I’m going to make sure that at the end of the day I don’t let the sun go down on my anger. I may experience frustration, anger, because this happened, that happened, this was wrong, that was wrong, but I’m not going to let it control me! So at the end of the day, I’ve got to make sure that I go to sleep with peace. If I don’t, then that thorn of unforgiveness gets under the skin; it fouls and festers, and it gets woven into my personality. It gets woven into my consciousness, into my thinking; it becomes part of the fabric of who I am. The longer I leave it there, the more it begins to define me. Jesus wants us to have every day with a fresh start, where we become true contributors to society, and we can’t do that under the influence of bitterness.
I remember years ago, I was counseling somebody, and have I mentioned to you that I don’t counsel anymore? Oh, let’s just sing a song right now; gratefulness to the Lord. There is a song in my heart! I want you to know that right now I’m experiencing great joy! Anyway, I was sitting with this couple in counseling a long time ago, and she was mad because he had done something ten years earlier. That’s a lot of suns going down on anger! So, they’re friends, so we’re talking, and I found out she’d been carrying this for ten years! I said, «All right.» So I looked at him, I said, «Did you ever repent for what you did?» He said, «Yeah.» And I said, «Well, where’s the evidence?» Now that wasn’t an accusation; it sounds kind of harsh, but we were just in conversation because the scripture says, «Bring forth fruit of your repentance.»
If you don’t have—if your internal decision doesn’t affect your behavior, you have no evidence that you’ve forgiven, right? If it doesn’t affect behavior, then it’s just a philosophy. He didn’t call us to a philosophy of forgiveness; He called us into a lifestyle of forgiveness. It has to be proven through action. So I said, «Do you have any evidence?» He said no. I said, «All right, well, let’s meet again next week and just bring me some evidence.» So we went by, they came in, and I sat down. I looked at her. I said, «Is there any evidence?» She goes, «Nope.» I looked at him. I said, «Do you have any evidence?» He says, «Yeah.» Then he began to make this list, and her eyes opened up, and she realized that she had become the problem. He caused it, but because of her bitterness, she extended it. Does that make sense?
Let me rephrase this: Her bitterness blinded her to the reality of his repentance. See, bitterness distorts your view, perspective; it distorts and poisons how we view not just the situation or the person who hurt us, but life in general. Life in general becomes interpreted through my history of pain. So now I’m actually—even if I’m not in unforgiveness—if I’ve held onto these things, these issues of past pain, if I’ve held onto them, even if I’m not a bitter person, they still shape how I view present situations. In order for us to be instant in season and out, for us to be redemptively functional in any and every situation, it means yesterday cannot have lasting influence on my life except for what Jesus has done.
Back to the story: I said, «Do you have any evidence?» He says, «Yes,» and he began to make a list. She realized that he was correct; he did have evidence for his forgiveness. The point is: when you forgive somebody, embracing a philosophy of being a forgiver is not going to fix a problem. But when there are measurable actions, maybe it’s that you take a day to fast and pray for that person; maybe you make a phone call. I remember making specific phone calls to individuals that had really hurt me, and I would call them to bless them, or to honor them, or in some way serve them. And it hurt so much inside, but the only thing that hurt was the part that was supposed to be dead, so it wasn’t that big of a deal.
Now, don’t protect what should be dead! Submit it to obedience to actions of obedience. So here’s the deal: if I’m forgiving this individual, then I need some behavior changes. Maybe the person who abused me—you know, let’s say I was abused twenty years ago, and they’re dead. Well, I can’t do anything to them or for them, but you know what I could do? I could pray for the blessing of God on their descendants; in some way, put it into action. Maybe fall to my knees and just pray, «God, I don’t deserve—maybe that person lives on the other side of the planet, but I come before the Lord and I say, 'God, I know that I did not deserve Your forgiveness, and You forgave me. I ask that You would give that same mercy to this individual that hurt me.'»
What I have brought into my life as a regular discipline in recent months and years is that Benny and I like to take communion often, and I’ve already taken you through this—at least many of you in part—but we like to take communion often, most every day. In fact, I had it this morning. Eric and I both come early, early morning, five, five-ish, five to five thirty, to come and just pray to get ready for the day. I’d like to bring communion with me so that I can pray. What I do is I pray over every member of my family. I make confession of the Lord: «By His stripes we are healed,» and I pray for those who need miracles. I pray, I hold the blood out before the Lord; I make the proclamation as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. I remember each, mention each family member, I pray for them uniquely, individually, but then I move into the area where I pray for those whose ministries they actually have taken a position to oppose me or to publicly write a book, or maybe they have conferences to undermine me—maybe they tear apart or critique or criticize a book I’ve written, or whatever it might be; fill in the blanks.
They’ve taken a public position to oppose me. I’ve had them meet me at the airport when I land here. I’ve had just weird situations: protest banners out in front of conferences that I do. It’s because they love me so much, and they just don’t know it yet! Chris—one of them, Chris—was mad because my name was on the protest board and his name wasn’t there. He was a little upset over that! But anyway, there are five people on my list: three who are recognized around the world who have taken this position to oppose me. You never criticize a servant to that servant’s master; there’s no right. Never does a believer have the right to accuse another believer before God. We don’t have that right!
So what I do is I bring their name before the Lord, and I pray. I ask God, «This morning, I prayed, God, I pray that they would lack nothing—that everything they need in life, whether it’s finances, whether it’s favor, whether it’s open doors, because they do preach the gospel—open doors for the gift that You’ve given them. I pray for the blessing of the Lord on them.» But the thing that I love praying the most for them is, «Father, I ask that You give them the joy of having children, who have children, who would serve You wholeheartedly—that they would have the privilege of children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, who would serve You with all of their heart. Give them that joy and that pleasure.»
What you’ve got to do is you have to have evidence that an internal decision has been made and is carrying out. Sometimes it’s prayer, sometimes it’s a gift, sometimes it’s a phone call, but it’s something that we do just to make sure, as the scripture says, «so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men!» Do everything you can possibly do on your end to stay undefiled by the spirit of bitterness. Amen? We haven’t got to Hebrews 12 yet, have we? Just trust me, it’s good!
Let me make one more comment, and then we’ll read this. Because of the politically heightened conflict that exists in our country right now, we need people to hold the righteous values without becoming bitter. One of the hardest things in the world to do is to minister to a group of people without picking up their offenses. In fact, let me make two more comments. It’s challenging! Listen carefully! It’s very difficult to give yourself to minister to a group of people without picking up their offenses. For example, it’s very difficult to minister to the poor without being offended at the rich. It’s very difficult to minister to the rich and not be offended at those who don’t work. It’s very difficult to minister to children and not be offended at adults who don’t prioritize the life of a child. It’s tough to minister to adults and not be offended by a younger generation that shows them no respect. It’s difficult to minister to one race without being offended at another race. The list goes on and on and on! Sometimes people’s ministries are defined by what they’re offended at instead of the actual ministry of the gospel.
I believe that God cares about the issues that are at stake in any of our nations represented in this room. He doesn’t have opinions; He’s right! Was it Joshua that saw the Lord and said, «Whose side are you on?» And the angel of the Lord says, «Whose side are you on?» That’s the real question! Having said that, I don’t think, on many issues, the enemy cares what your opinion is, as long as you leave the character of Christ to defend it. In many areas of our life, I don’t think the devil cares one bit about what your convictions are regarding an issue, as long as you leave the character of Christ to defend it.
Hebrews 12! You all right? Now we almost have to end, and I’m finally getting to the Bible! Oops! All right, verse twelve. Hebrews 12: «Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down and the feeble knees. Make straight paths for your feet so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather healed. Pursue peace with all people and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.» I have that phrase underlined, «without which no one will see the Lord.»
Looking carefully, lest anyone fall short of the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by this many become defiled! Lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. You know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears. Don’t skip the sobering passages of scripture! Don’t skip them! Don’t just read the verses that make you feel like the king of the earth! Read the things that cut deeply because we need them. The fear of God is a huge part of our walk with Christ, and this is part of us!
So, verse 15: «Looking carefully lest anyone falls short of the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by this many become defiled.» This phrase concerning bitterness and many being defiled has been a phrase that has been racing through my mind for several weeks, and I’ve been looking forward to today. Happy Thanksgiving, by the way! Looking forward to today; I am thankful! But I’ll be more thankful when—if you’re not bitter!
You know, it’s been racing through my mind in recent weeks because I can see me; I could feel it and see the defiling effect of bitterness of a person on another person. Where the Lord is taking us is deeper into places of service, of love, of care, of influence, but we can’t survive it if we don’t know how to resist picking up the offenses of the people we love and care for. By many, by it, become defiled.
I was just talking with some friends of mine two weeks ago; we were able to spend some time together, and they had some sort of a birthday gathering or a holiday gathering—I forget what it was now. Something in the food didn’t taste right. Everyone went ahead and ate it, even though it didn’t taste right, and then it hit everyone! Everyone got food poisoning—everyone but two people! Everyone got food poisoning that ate this stuff, and many were defiled! If you eat the meal of criticism and accusation, you’re being food poisoned!
Here’s my—if I could pray one thing for today—it would be either that we’d be ridiculously thankful, or we would become allergic to bitterness! You’d break out in hives or something! You start twitching; I don’t care what it is, but in some way you begin to manifest when you get around bitterness because it is that defiling! And to see the effect of bitterness on the human soul—to see the effect on a family—I realize there are horrific stories represented in this room, that what you’ve gone through is beyond words. I’ve spent enough time one-on-one with people to know the things that some people do to other people is just crazy; it’s just stupid!
But there is no liberty for you outside of forgiving! There just isn’t! There just isn’t! We become defiled by our own entertaining thoughts of accusation. Paul made this great statement in Philippians 4—I’m sorry; I should be giving you references, and if I had my act together, I’d have verses on the screens with the references, and you would be all the smarter because of it. Philippians 4:8, he says: «Whatever is lovely, whatever’s of good report—think on these things!»
If I’m struggling—does anybody else ever have accusations about somebody else come to your mind, like a thousand a minute? Maybe not a thousand; maybe just a hundred a minute! The accusations that come! If I don’t—if I don’t proactively counter that, not by rebuking, but by replacing! He can only plant a thought where there is no thought! I have people that have really affected my life in not a positive way, and yet I know that they have a relationship with the Lord. What I’ve had to do is come to the place where I actually fear Christ in them, so that I maintain awe and respect for them.
Jesus has redeemed them; He has changed their lives; He has forgiven them! They’re not perfect, but neither am I! We rob each other the wrong way; something happens! Those thoughts bombard the mind! If I can’t get victory that way by praying aggressively for them—not against them—then I just turn my attention to my wife, because she’s everything on Philippians 4:8. She’s lovely; she’s of good report; she’s all the things listed! So I just think about her, and I’m delivered right there! It just comes right out, and I’m okay then!
Whatever works for you! You can think about my wife too if you want that; go ahead! What I can’t afford to do is to spend time thinking something that has the potential of setting down roots in me and shaping who I am! Listen to me! Bitter thoughts are not okay! They’re not okay! Because it’s what precedes imprisonment to something that destroys us! I say this because I’m concerned with what I hear and see. I’ve taken time to reflect over what I grew up with, watching what happened with people that I tried to help counsel that went and killed somebody—just crazy, crazy stuff!
The two that scared me maybe the most were the two people in a church that I would go to serve, and they were just possessed by bitterness and resentment, and they could not reason! I don’t see that here, but I also know that you and I are made of the same stuff! If they can—if somebody else can do it wrong, then I can do it wrong! So, I want to make sure that I have the tools in place where I can walk in forgiveness, walk redemptively.
The answer is not creating a big defense; the answer is offense! A good offense is the best defense! Keep the ball out of the hand of the enemy! Just don’t give him a place! Don’t give him a place! He has no right to set up influence! Here’s the deal: I’m praying that everybody in this room would become allergic to resentment— that the discernment level in your heart and mind and my heart and mind would be so heightened that if we get near bitterness, we automatically come in redemptively knowing we cannot afford to be influenced by this that is sent from the powers of darkness.
Yep! My hope is not—I seldom think of survival; I think in terms of overcoming! You know? I don’t want to be the last one standing; I want to be a part of an army that actually made a difference! Obviously, I don’t want to see people fall to that spirit of bitterness, fall to that control, but more than that, I want to see a redemptive army be thrust into deeper and deeper places of influence—people who know how to forgive! You know, you read the quotes of some of our nation’s heroes through the years; you read—because I’m sorry, I’ve got them in my iPad; I didn’t think to bring them up—but quotes from Martin Luther King; some of his statements about forgiveness—very profound statements! The place of influence is really given to those who know how to forgive!
And I pray that for you; I pray that for me—that the Lord would continue to thrust us into places of influence because we know what it is to walk as a redemptive army of forgivers! Why don’t you stand with me? We’re going to pray together. You know, my dad—let’s do this! Let’s just assume no one in here is bitter at anyone! Amen? Amen! No one! But if you were, does anyone come to mind? Oh, that’s so funny! No, no, no one! No one!
My dad used to have this statement: he said, «When you wash another person’s feet, you find out why they walk the way they do!» Some people you may be offended at; you wouldn’t be if you figuratively wash their feet—find out, «Oh, that’s why they limp like they do!» Uh, that makes a lot of sense! So, Father, make us allergic! Let allergies spread through the room right now, Jesus! Do you know what I mean? Right!
I do pray, Lord, I pray for a great grace to live redemptively at a level that’s beyond anything we’ve known. You’ve lifted the veil, so to speak; You’ve let us have places of influence and to serve and to love well. I just ask, God, give us discernment! Give us a grace in every environment to be able to be an influence of forgiveness! In Jesus' name!
Now I’m going to ask everyone, please hold your place—Bill and the family, hold your place for me—because I want to give an invitation for people to know Jesus, and I don’t want to do that with people walking around because it’s too easy for others to be distracted. The greatest miracle that could happen here today is that somebody would say, «I want to know what it is to be a disciple of Jesus! I want to know what it is to be forgiven by God and to walk as a forgiver!» If there’s anybody in the room that just says, «Bill, I don’t want to leave the building until I know I’m at peace with God! I’ve been forgiven of sin!» then I want you just to put a hand up where you are; we’re just going to make an agreement with you. We had five people first service respond to this invitation to know Jesus! Is there anyone this morning in this service? Just put a hand up—I want to make sure that we give full quality time for you to come to know that forgiveness of Jesus!
For those who are watching by Bethel TV, we just announce you—the forgiveness, the grace of God is available to you as well, and I do pray that you and I would be able to spread the forgiveness of Jesus through all through our city this week. I just pray for that great grace! Amen? Amen! By the way, in another two weeks, is it David Hogan’s going to be here? That’s going to be wild and crazy! That’ll be a great friend! Brace yourself for that one! Who’s coming up now? Tom, you are? Why don’t you hold your places and let Tom here bring this to an end while I get to the back door. Come on! So good! Thank you, Jesus!