(Yes God is Real) Asking for Forgiveness

Thank you grandkids for joining me again and all of those that will take five minutes just to listen to why God is real. And you know I had destroyed my relationships. I had destroyed my marriage through sin and yet God forgave me and he saved me. He made me a new person and after you're a new person you have to take the steps that God prescribes in the Bible to restore the things that Satan destroyed, that Satan broke and which we helped to break through our own sin. And so this is a story about asking for forgiveness where we have hurt others. And in the Bible in Matthew chapter 5 verses 23 and 24 it says, Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother and then come and offer your gift. So I had to ask people for forgiveness. The people I hurt most were my former wife. She had gotten married again. I called her to ask her for forgiveness and then met with her with a pastor and I listened to eight hours of pain but God forgave me. She said she forgave me but I have to leave it with her. You know some wives cannot forgive when you hurt them so much but it is up to them. And so I asked for forgiveness and I realized that I was the chief architect. I was the person that had done wrong. And then I also had hurt two daughters deeply. By the way those two daughters prayed for me for 18 years. They would not give up. They asked God, save this dad of ours, do something with him. And God answered their prayers. Now I called up my older daughter and I said to her, honey, can I meet with you? I just want to ask you for forgiveness for the things that I had done in your life. And she said, okay, dad. And her husband came as well. We sat on a long six foot couch and as I asked her for forgiveness, I said, honey, I was so hard on you. I always demanded my own way. Will you forgive me? She said, yes, dad. I said, honey, I left you. It was not your fault. Will you forgive me? And she said, yes, dad, I forgive you. And she came a little bit closer. And I said to her, honey, you could not have saved that marriage because it was sin in me that did it. But will you forgive me? I know you tried so hard. And she said, yes, dad, I forgive you. And then I said to her, you know, honey, at the age of 10, I couldn't hug you anymore because I was miss you sexually at the age of 10. And later on, I found out it blocked me from touching you because I was afraid that I would do to you what was done to me. Will you forgive me, honey? And she cried and she came into my arms. My second daughter, when I called her up for forgiveness, she said, dad, you're forgiven already. And she jumped into my arms and hugged me. And so I'm so grateful to God. And, you know, both daughters wrote me a letter many years later. And I want to read just a short excerpt from these letters. And my one of my daughters wrote, I know that we have had some rough times and I've struggled over the years. As I felt for part of my life, I really didn't have a dad. When I got divorced myself and I needed you, I just felt you weren't there. I'm only saying this to share truly how I have felt over the years. I think there has been a void in my life as I was missing that relationship, that male role model. And I look to others, I look to friends to find it. And later on, I went into a relationship looking for it, but instead I lost it. And so all I want to say to you, dad, is I testify you are a changed man. You have become compassionate, caring, forgiving. And I'm so thankful to have you fully in my life and to have you in my son's life. Lots of my friends said now how sweet you relate to Michael, my son. And Michael loves his grandpa. And I hope that our relationship will continue to grow over the years as I want a strong man in my son's life. And for Michael to grow up courageous and caring as a man while he grows up. And the other daughter wrote me also. And she said, dad, our gift to you is to remember some of our special times. We have enclosed some pictures to remember those times together. These were special moments and special memories better than gifts. We also remember all that God has done in your life, dad, and mine too. Just this morning, I had a dream. In my dream, I was visiting some sort of gathering in a scummy part of town with druggies and people that were really messed up. It was interesting because some guy got up and sort of mockingly said, well, God has done great things in my life. Look at me. Guess what? He said it jestingly because he has not experienced Christ like you did. The Holy Spirit came on me in that dream and in that meeting. And I got up and started testifying to God's greatness in my life and in yours. You were sitting in the crowd in a different place. You were going to be speaking to everyone. I started to call you daddy and talking about what God has done in your life, how he has changed you, how you are a new creation, how that doesn't mean you're perfect yet. Sometimes you still mess up, but you are now new in Christ. And I was so proud. Beloved, yes, God is real. Yes, he can make your life new. Yes, through belief in his son, Jesus Christ, you can have peace with God and start a new life. Thank you for watching. The Lord be with you.