The focus off his message was on Matthew 18:21-35. It's a pretty amazing story and I hope reading it impacts others as well. Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go. “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded. “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’ “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened. “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.” (Matthew 18:21-35 NIV).
Peter wants to know how many times he should forgive someone. This is what the Lord says: “For three sins of Israel, even for four, I will not relent. They sell the innocent for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals. (Amos 2:6 NIV). In the new King James Version Jesus says you should forgive them seventy times seven times. That is a crazy amount! That's what Jesus is trying to get across. He tells a parable to talk about forgiveness. One man owes a master 60 million days of work. The master has pity on the debtor. He tells him he will be patient and wait for the money. He forgives him and waits. Then that man goes and expects someone else to give him the money that is owed. He begs for mercy from this man and the man throws him in jail. He doesn't forgive him. Wait what?? Didn't someone else just forgive him for the exact same thing? Yes! Every time we sin and ask God for forgiveness He forgives us. So then we should forgive others sin! God doesn't forgive us so that we can hold grudges against others He doesn't to love us and allow us to love others! Our sin is so much worse to God than it is to others, so it is that much harder for Him to forgive us.
There isn't an exact limit of times to forgive someone. Do less math and more love. God doesn't say okay you can sin 12 times and the 13th time you will go to hell. No! Just love people! It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. (1 Corinthians 13:5 NIV). The forgiveness we should give others should flow from the cross and us knowing who forgave us. And how much He did for us and from that we feel love and feel forgiven and desire to love and forgive others. Jesus died for people He didn't even know personally or that liked Him. We didn't deserve that forgiveness and they might not either but we got the forgiveness and so should they. If they ask for it.
When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. (Colossians 2:13, 14 NIV).
It's truly not about how we feel or what they did to us it's about what He did for us and how He feels about us!
1. You are never more like God than when you forgive.
Letting people off the hook makes you more like God. He didn't have to forgive but He did. We should be striving to be more like Jesus every day who forgive all that sinned against Him. Doing what God does draws us closer to Him.
A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense. (Proverbs 19:11 NIV).
For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6 NIV).
Forgiving others lets Gods glory shine!
2. Don't hold out for a perfect apology.
Others don't know how to apologize perfectly or have the right words to say so we have to accept that they at least came to you and are pleading.
A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; (Isaiah 42:3 NIV).
3. Don't keep them dangling, if you are going to forgive them forgive them!
Don't say things like don't worry about it or it's not a big deal, or you didn't need to apologize. Just because you feel awkward doesn't mean you need to sweep it under the rug. It has to he addressed. When you just throw what they said out the window it makes it seem like their feelings don't matter. They felt that it mattered so you need to address it. They felt like they should come to you so make them feel like you appreciate it and care. Say I accept your apology. It doesn't have to terminate the consequences for them it just means you forgive them. You can forgive them and not continue with the relationship. There are always consequences. People have to go to jail.
4. You don't have to accept apologies if they aren't given.
Nobody can forgive someone against their will. They didn't ask for it you don't have to give it. The bible says if we confess out sins God will forgive us, it doesn't say He forgives no matter what.
5. When you let go of grudges it releases grace.
You can still love them and pray for the repentance and desire to be forgiven. You can pray for them to turn to God. It's easy to love someone who is nice to you it's harder to love someone who hurts you. God can take away the pain!!
6. If you are stingy with forgiveness it hurts you in the end.
The man who didn't forgive was tortured in the end. He wouldn't have been if he had forgiven but he didn't.
Forgive us our debts as we forgive others.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9 NIV).
There is newness in life and our life isn't over. God will cover us and cleanse us. He will protect us and guard our hearts.
Remember the 3 R's
Responsibility
Regret
Remedy
How do you move forward now? That is up to God to lead:). Takes a lot of patience and guidance. You may feel lost and like nothing is happening but God is working!
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