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What does First B Jackson teach about forgiveness?

Drawn from the messages where it was actually addressed: the words said from the front, the passages taught, and where to hear the whole thing.

At First B Jackson, the teaching on forgiveness keeps returning to a simple but demanding truth: forgiveness is not a feeling you work up, it is an act of obedience that follows from what God has already done in Christ. Pastor Ray has addressed this most directly in his series on Romans 12 and his longer walk through the twelve steps. In both contexts, the point is the same. Because God has been patient with people who did not deserve it, the person who has been forgiven a great debt has no standing to nurse a grudge against someone who owes them far less.

Pastor Ray's teaching on Romans 12 made this concrete with a story from his own life. He carried hatred toward a boy named Dennis who had bloodied his nose in ninth grade, presenting the whole incident to the principal as a misunderstanding while quietly holding onto a desire for revenge. Years later, God woke him up in the middle of the night and made clear he needed to go find Dennis and confess what he had been carrying. That personal account landed inside a passage where Paul commands the church to associate with people of low position, leave room for God's wrath, and refuse to be overcome by evil. The connection was plain: forgiveness is not about the other person deserving it. It is about releasing what belongs to God and not letting sin define the relationship any longer.

The twelve-steps series pressed the same territory from a different angle. Steps eight and nine ask a person to make a list of everyone they have harmed and then to go and make direct amends wherever possible. Pastor Ray noted that a friend who helps people get sober offered a useful shortcut for that list: start with everyone you have ever loved and everyone who has ever loved you, because the closer the relationship, the greater the damage sin can do. Matthew 5:21-26 anchored that teaching, where Jesus tells his listeners to leave their offering at the altar, go first and be reconciled to the brother who has something against them, and then come back. The point Pastor Ray pressed was that Jesus does not let religious activity stand in for relational repair. The altar can wait. The broken relationship cannot.

Taught from Romans 12:9-21 · Matthew 5:21-26 · 1 John 1:9 · James 5:16 · 1 John 4:9-10

The passage taught · Isaiah 61:1-2

1 The Lord Yahweh’s Spirit is on me; because Yahweh has anointed me to preach good news to the humble. He has sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to those who are bound;

2 to proclaim the year of Yahweh’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn;

World English Bible

The messages that teach on it

  1. December 15, 2024 From the Cradle to the Cross in Five Days Luke traces five moments where Jesus says "today", from the manger to the cross, showing that Jesus is still actively saving, seeking, and rescuing people right now.
  2. September 22, 2024 First Be Reconciled to Your Brother Step 9 of the 12 Steps calls us to make direct amends. A pastor and peacemaker Ken Sandy share why reconciling broken relationships can't wait.
  3. May 26, 2024 The Love Without Hypocrisy Pastor Ray preaches from Romans 12 on sincere, unhypocritical love, exploring what it means to hate evil, cling to good, and forgive rather than seek revenge.
  4. May 26, 2024 Love Must Be Sincere Romans 12 calls believers to sincere, unhypocritical love. Pastor Ray walks through what that really demands, from honoring others to blessing enemies.
  5. April 21, 2024 God Is Light and in Him There Is No Darkness at All Pastor Ray walks through 1 John 1:5, 2:2, showing how honest agreement with God about our sin is the path to forgiveness, fellowship, and walking in genuine victory.

Mentioned along the way

  1. August 16, 2026 Forgetting What Lies Behind, Pressing Forward A sermon from Philippians on finding true worth in Christ, letting go of religious pride, and pressing forward together in unity, joy, and faith.
  2. May 10, 2026 Easy to Understand, Hard to Do A Mother's Day sermon on Ephesians 4:25, 5:2, calling believers to speak truth, guard anger, work honestly, tame the tongue, and imitate God as His beloved children.
  3. May 10, 2026 Put Away Falsehood, Speak the Truth in Love Ephesians 4-5 examined: put away falsehood, anger, theft and corrupt speech, and walk in love as imitators of God, just as Christ gave himself for us.
  4. April 5, 2026 Eight Days That Changed the World The pastor walks through Holy Week day by day, from Palm Sunday to the empty tomb, showing how ancient prophecy and the resurrection still matter today.
  5. December 15, 2024 From the Cradle to the Cross in Five Days Pastor Tim traces Luke's five emphatic uses of "today" from the manger to the cross, showing that Jesus is still actively saving people right now.
  6. October 6, 2024 Move People on the Scale Ted Rabinold shares how 33 years of farming ministry in Tanzania illustrates the gospel's call to reconcile all things, physical and spiritual, through Christ.
  7. September 29, 2024 Good News for the Sinners in This Room A pastor walks through Step 10 of recovery: taking daily personal inventory, promptly admitting wrong, and trusting God to complete the work He began in us.
  8. September 18, 2024 Women's Bible Study - September 18th, 2024 - Let Go and Trust God Deborah walks through the Beatitudes from Matthew 5, showing how Jesus invites us into a life of blessing when we humbly bring our needs, grief, and weakness to Him.
  9. September 15, 2024 Love Must Have an Object The pastor walks through steps one through eight of a biblical framework for freedom from sin, focusing on willingness to make amends and pursuing peace with God and others.
  10. September 1, 2024 Anyone Who Looked, Lived A Wyoming pastor walks through steps six and seven of recovery, connecting Moses lifting up the bronze snake in Numbers 21 to Jesus and the new birth in John 3.
  11. August 18, 2024 Deflation at Depth A Wyoming pastor walks through Steps 4 and 5 of the 12 Steps, showing how honest confession to God, yourself, and another person leads to real freedom from guilt.
  12. April 21, 2024 God Is Light and in Him There Is No Darkness at All Pastor Ray walks through 1 John 1, showing how confessing sin, walking in the light, and trusting Christ's forgiveness lead to real fellowship and freedom.
  13. February 4, 2024 A Practical Prayer from Paul's Prison Cell Paul prays from prison that believers would know God's will and walk it out. A study of Colossians and Philemon on grace, good works, and reconciliation.
  14. February 4, 2024 Filled with the Knowledge of His Will Paul's prison prayer in Colossians asks that we walk worthy of God, bear fruit in every good work, and grow in the knowledge of His will.
  15. January 14, 2024 You Are Not All Alone Jeremy Diebler walks through the "one another" commands of Scripture, showing how loving each other well is the lab where Christian faith becomes real.
  16. January 14, 2024 Love Requires an Object A Wyoming pastor walks through the New Testament's "one another" commands, showing why Christian community is not hard to understand but is genuinely hard to live.
  17. January 7, 2024 His Mercy Is More Pastor Peter walks through 1 Peter 1, calling believers to hope fully, live holy, fear God, love deeply, renounce sin, and grow in God's Word.
  18. December 31, 2023 Godly Sorrow Produces Repentance Pastor Russ unpacks 2 Corinthians 7:8-13 to show why godly sorrow leads to repentance and restored relationships, while worldly sorrow leads only to death.
  19. December 31, 2023 Godly Sorrow Versus Worldly Sorrow A New Year's Eve sermon from 2 Corinthians on how godly sorrow leads to repentance and restored relationships, while worldly sorrow leads only to death.
  20. November 19, 2023 Relational Wisdom That Leads to Peace Carl preaches through Philippians 4:1-9, showing how joy, prayer, gratitude, and right thinking lead to God's peace even in the middle of conflict.
  21. October 25, 2023 Women's Bible Study - October 25th, 2023 - Review and New Topic: Forgiveness Deborah teaches First Baptist Jackson's women's Bible study on how unforgiveness blocks spiritual growth, drawing from Matthew 18 and Ephesians 4.
  22. October 15, 2023 Do Business With This Until I Come Back A Wyoming pastor walks through the brutal history behind Jesus's parable of the minas, asking what believers do with the grace they've been given.
  23. October 1, 2023 Use the Senses You Have and Call Out for the Rest Two people seek Jesus near Jericho: a blind beggar who cries out and a wealthy tax collector who climbs a tree. Both find what they were looking for.
  24. September 17, 2023 Suffer the Children to Come to Me Pastor Ray McDaniel reflects on Jesus welcoming children, what makes Jesus angry, and why receiving the kingdom of God with childlike faith is the only way in.
  25. September 10, 2023 Draw Near With Confidence A Moroccan taxi driver, a prayer hip-to-hip, and Hebrews 10: The preacher's message on humility, grace, and what it means to draw near to God together.
  26. August 6, 2023 Jesus Is Lord of All Missionary Norris shares how ordinary people in The Middle East, Nigeria, Uganda and India are following Jesus and how forgiveness transforms lives from the inside out.
  27. July 2, 2023 Faith in a Great God Pastor Ray walks through Luke 17:1-10, connecting four teachings on false teaching, forgiveness, faith, and service into a single picture of what it means to follow Jesus.
  28. July 2, 2023 Faith in a Great God Jesus teaches His disciples about false teaching, forgiveness, faith, and service in Luke 17. One sermon on what it really means to follow Him.
  29. June 4, 2023 Pack Up Youth pastor Mike Demetrius unpacks what truly matters as graduation season arrives: salvation by grace through faith is the one essential every person needs, at every stage of life.
  30. March 19, 2023 Put Off, Put On Pastor Carl preaches from Colossians 3 on putting off anger, pride and immorality, and putting on compassion, humility and love as followers of Christ.
  31. February 12, 2023 Motivation Matters A Wyoming pastor walks through the Lord's Prayer in Matthew and Luke, exploring what it means to pray with honest motivation rather than habit or a desire to be seen.
  32. February 12, 2023 Hallowed Be Your Name A Wyoming pastor walks through the Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6, exploring why motivation matters in giving, praying, and forgiving, and what it means to live under God's rule.
  33. November 20, 2022 No Condemnation for Those in Christ Jesus A woman caught in adultery, a crowd with stones, and Jesus writing in the dirt. Pastor explores forgiveness, condemnation, and what it means to start over.
  34. July 18, 2022 Old Symbols, New Meaning Mark 14 traces Jesus through His final Passover meal, where old covenant symbols receive new meaning and His sacrifice becomes the foundation of a new promise for all who trust Him.
  35. July 3, 2022 Set Your Sights, Put Off, Put On Colossians 3 calls believers to set their sights on heaven, put off the old sinful nature, and put on Christ's love, mercy, and peace as their new identity.
  36. July 3, 2022 Set Your Sights, Put Off, Put On Carl walks First Baptist Jackson through Colossians 3:1-17, calling believers to set their sights on heaven, put off the old nature, and put on Christ's love.
  37. June 13, 2022 Have Faith in God Mark 11 shows Jesus teaching his disciples about prayer, faith, and forgiveness while religious leaders demand to know who gave Him authority.
  38. June 12, 2022 Humble Yourselves Under the Mighty Hand of God Peter commands humility, sobriety, and resistance against the devil. Pastor Carl walks through 1 Peter 5, showing what we do and what God promises in return.
  39. March 29, 2022 Quick to Listen, Slow to Speak, Slow to Anger James 1 taught at First Baptist Jackson: be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger, and put God's word into practice rather than just hearing it.
  40. March 6, 2022 Her Sins Which Are Many Have Been Forgiven A sinful woman washes Jesus' feet with her tears while a proud Pharisee looks on. The pastor explores what true contrition, forgiveness, and faith look like.
  41. March 6, 2022 Her Sins Which Are Many Have Been Forgiven A sinful woman anoints Jesus' feet at a Pharisee's table. Pastor explores pride, humility, and what it means to truly grasp how much we've been forgiven.
  42. February 16, 2020 A Kingdom That Cannot Be Shaken Hebrews 12:14-28 calls believers to pursue peace, guard against bitterness, and hold fast to an unshakable kingdom secured not by law but by Christ.
  43. February 2, 2020 Forgiven People Forgive People A Wyoming pastor walks through biblical forgiveness: what it costs, why we avoid it, and how God's grace makes it possible to finally let go.
  44. February 2, 2020 Forgiving People Forgive People A Wyoming pastor walks through forgiveness step by step, from taking honest account of sin to making the choice to let go, rooted in Hebrews 12:14-15.
  45. January 26, 2020 Strengthen the Weak, Pursue Peace Hebrews 12 sermon on pursuing peace, fighting bitterness, and accessing God's grace daily before, like Esau, the moment to act is irretrievably gone.
  46. January 26, 2020 Strengthen the Weak and Make Straight Paths Hebrews 12 sermon on strengthening the weak, pursuing peace, and guarding against bitterness before it spreads and defiles those around you.
  47. October 27, 2019 A More Excellent Ministry Hebrews 8 shows why Jesus, our High Priest seated at God's right hand, mediates a better covenant written on hearts, not stone. A sermon from First Baptist Jackson.
  48. July 21, 2019 How Shall We Escape If We Neglect So Great a Salvation Hebrews 2 warns against neglecting salvation confirmed through Christ, eyewitnesses, and the Spirit. How will we escape if we let it drift away?
  49. June 9, 2019 The Lord Is Not Slow in Keeping His Promise Peter warns that judgment is coming, but God is patient. The pastor walks through 2 Peter to show why repentance is urgent and what holy living looks like while we wait.
  50. May 12, 2019 Mother's Day - Traditional A Mother's Day sermon from Exodus 20 on honoring your mother, forgiving her failures, and how the "one another" commands of Scripture shape how we treat those closest to us.
  51. February 10, 2019 Forgiveness Is Not Optional Michael Demetrius teaches First Baptist Jackson on why forgiveness is not optional for believers, what it is, what it isn't, and how to actually do it.
  52. February 10, 2019 Forgiveness Is Your Path to Freedom A sermon on forgiveness from Matthew 6 and 18, exploring what forgiveness is, what it isn't, and why Jesus calls every believer to practice it freely.
  53. January 13, 2019 Retain, Guard, Be Strong, Entrust, Suffer Pastor Jonathan preaches through 2 Timothy, drawing on five commands Paul gave Timothy about holding fast to the gospel of grace and enduring hardship for Christ.
  54. December 23, 2018 From the Cradle to the Cross in Five Days A Wyoming pastor traces five days in Luke, from the manger to the cross, showing how Jesus stepped into time and space to seek and save the lost.
  55. July 9, 2017 Doing Follows Being Walking through Ephesians 1-3, the pastor shows how God's grace transforms dead sinners into one body, calling the church to be what it already is before doing anything.

Every moment it was said, word for word →

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