Forgiveness Sermon
Thembalami 27 Forgiveness15.1.2014 & 8.10.2014Scripture reading this morning comes from Matthew 18:23-3523 "Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him.24 In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of Rands.( Greek 10,000 talents [375 tons or 340 metric tons of silver)25 He couldn't pay, so his master ordered that he be sold-along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned-to pay the debt.26 "But the man fell down before his master and begged him, 'Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.'27 Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt.28 "But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand Rand. ( Greek100 denarii. A denarius was equivalent to a labourer's full day's wage.) He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment.29 "His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. 'Be patient with me, and I will pay it,' he pleaded.30 But his creditor wouldn't wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full.31 "When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened.32 Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, 'You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me.33 Shouldn't you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?'34 Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt.35 "That's what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart."Everyone has been wronged, offended, and sinned against at some point. How are Christians to respond when such offenses occur? According to the Bible, we are to forgive. As he did many times, Jesus responded with a parable to teach a spiritual truth. Having already taught them the proper path of reconciliation (Matthew 18:15-18), Jesus used a story to drive the truth home. The rabbis taught that people should forgive those who offend them-but only three times. Peter, trying to be especially generous, asked Jesus if seven (the “perfect” number) was enough times to forgive someone. But Jesus answered, “Seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:22), meaning that we shouldn’t even keep track of how many times we forgive someone.This passage hits us where we live. If we’re honest, we think repeat offenders aren’t deserving of forgiveness, because they haven’t “earned” it. The fact that they keep on hurting us proves it, right? Yet have we “earned” God’s forgiveness? No! Because God has forgiven all our sins, we should not withhold forgiveness from others. Realizing how completely Jesus has forgiven us can produce a free and generous attitude of forgiveness toward others. We should always forgive those who are truly repentant, no matter how many times they ask. When we don’t forgive others, we are setting ourselves outside and above Christ’s law of love.Ephesians 4:3232 Instead, be kind to each other, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.Colossians 3:1313 Make allowance for each other's faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.The key in both Scriptures is that we are to forgive others as God has forgiven us. Why do we forgive? Because we have been forgiven! Those who are not Christians, however, have not been forgiven by God and have neither the power nor the desire to forgive others. Forgiveness would be simple if we only had to grant it to those who come asking for it in sorrow and repentance. The Bible tells us that we are to forgive, without condition, those who sin against us. In the Lord’s Prayerwe ask God to forgive us our ins. Matthew 6:1212 and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us.Jesus said inMatthew 6:14-1514 "If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you.15 But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.Matthew 6:14-15 is best understood when we think about it this way;people who refuse to forgive others have not truly experienced God's forgiveness themselves.Whenever we disobey one of God’s commands, we sin against Him. Whenever we wrong another person, we not only sin against that person, but also against God. When we consider the extent to which God forgives all our transgressions, we realize that we do not have the right to withhold this grace from others. We have sinned against God infinitely more than any person can sin against us. If God forgives us of so much, how can we refuse to forgive others of so little? Our opening text is a powerful illustration of this truth. God promises that when we come to Him asking for forgiveness, He freely grants it1 John 1:99 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.The forgiveness we extend should know no limits, God’s forgiveness is limitless.Luke 17:3-43 So watch yourselves!"If another believer sins, rebuke that person; then if there is repentance, forgive.4 Even if that person wrongs you seven times a day and each time turns again and asks forgiveness, you must forgive."“What does the Bible say about bitterness?”Bitterness stems from an intense resentful dislike or aggression towards others. The word "bitter" means sharp, like an arrow; or bitter to the taste, disagreeable; venomous. Bitterness is that state of mind which will fully holds on to angry feelings, able to break out in anger at any moment.Ephesians 4:31-32teaches us31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behaviour.32 Instead, be kind to each other, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.A person who is bitter is often resentful, cold, and unpleasant to be around. The believer must always be on guard against the grave peril of bitterness.
Does Scripture tell us to forgive and forget?”Forgiveness is a decision of the will. Since God commands us to forgive, we must make a conscious choice to forgive. It frees the one that forgives from the past. The offender may not desire forgiveness and may not change. The offender should seek reconciliation, but if not, the one who was wronged should still make known his decision to forgive.Matthew 5:4444 But I say, love your enemies! (Some manuscripts add Bless those who curse you.Do good to those who hate you. Luke 6:27-28.)Pray for those who persecute you!It is not possible to truly forget sins that have been committed against us. We cannot selectively “delete” events from our memory. The Bible states that God does not “remember” our wickednessHebrews 8:1212 And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins."God is all-knowing. God knows that we have sinned, and having forgiven us, He treats us as if the sin never occurred. If we belong to Him through faith in Jesus Christ, God does not hold our sins against us. In that sense we must “forgive and forget.” If we forgive someone, we must act as if that sin had never occurred. We remember the sin, but we live as if we do not remember it.
“What did Jesus mean when He said that we should forgive others seventy times seven?”Matthew 18:21-2221 Then Peter came to him and asked, "Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?"22 "No, not seven times," Jesus replied, "but seventy times seven!To fully understand what Jesus was saying, we must look at the context of the whole chapter, Jesus was speaking not only about forgiving one another, but about Christian character, both in and out of the church. The instruction to forgive your brother seventy times seven follows Jesus discussion on discipline in the church Mat. 18:15-20, in which He lays down the rules for restoring a sinning brother.The Jewish rabbis at the time taught that forgiving someone more than three times was unnecessary, you can read in Amos 1:3-13 where God forgave Israel's enemies 3 times,then punished them.
Peter, wishing to appear especially forgiving and generous, by offering forgiveness more than double that of the Old Testament example, maybe he expected extra approval from the Lord. When Jesus responded that forgiveness should be offered 490 times, far beyond that which Peter was proposing, it must have stunned the disciples who were listening. Although they had been with Jesus for some time, they were still thinking in the limited terms of the law, rather than in the unlimited terms of grace.Jesus was not limiting forgiveness to, a number that is for all practical purposes, beyond counting such as even 490 times .Christians with forgiving hearts should not only limit the number of times they forgive; they should continue to forgive with as much grace the thousandth time as they do the first time. Christians are only capable of this type of forgiving spirit because the Spirit of God lives within us, and it is He who provides the ability to offer forgiveness over and over, just as God forgives us over and over.
Oswald Chambers wrote:"We talk glibly about forgiving when we have never been injured; when we are injured, we know that it is not possible apart from God's Grace for one human being to forgive another"
Jesus' parable of the unforgiving servant Matthew 18:23-35 follows directly after His "seventy times seven" speech, driving home the point that if we as God's children have been forgiven the enormous debt of sin against a holy God, how much more should we be eager to forgive those who sin against us, and we are just as sinful as they? Paul tells us inEphesians 4:3232 Instead, be kind to each other, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.Clearly, forgiveness is not to be meted out in a limited fashion, but is to be abundant, overflowing, and available to all, just as the measureless grace of God is poured out upon us.“What about forgiving yourself?”Never does the Bible talk about the idea of "forgiving yourself." We are told to forgive others when they trespass against us and seek forgiveness. Some times though we realize that we have been forgiven a sin, we choose to wallow in it and act as though we are not freed from it. The same applies to guilt feelings, we can accept the fact that we are forgiven in Christ, or we can believe the devil's lie that we are still guilty and should therefore feel guilty.We now that when God forgives us, He "remembers our sins no more”.This does not mean that the all-knowing God forgets because He forgives us. Rather, He chooses not to bring up our sin to Himself .When our former sins come to mind, we can choose to dwell upon them,by feeling guilty, or we can choose to fill our minds with thoughts of the awesome God who forgave us and thank and praise Him for itPhilippians 4:88 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honourable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.All that I must remember of my sins when I think about it is the extent of God's forgiveness and that makes it easier for me to forgive others as we read in our opening scripture Matt. 18:23-35Then there are times when Satan reminds us to not forget some of our former sins especially if it was pleasant at the time and he gets us to relive it in our minds, choosing to continue thinking about it This, too, is a sin and must be confessed and forsaken. A man who lusts in his heart after a woman is guilty of the sin of adulteryMatthew 5:2828 But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.God will allow our sin to come to mind ,Satan may have an evil purpose in mind, If this is happening in a Christian's life, the pattern of sin/guilt/sin/guilt can be destructive and never-ending. God on the other hand allows this thought for a good purpose, He wants us to accept His forgiveness whatever the sin and rejoice in His grace. So, the next time those former sins come to mind, "change the channel" it might help to make a list of verses that encourage you to praise God and by forgiving yourself it should remind you of the great Saviour who forgave us, undeservingly……and it should make it easier to forgive others their sin.“What about unforgiveness?”Refusing to truly forgive a person demonstrates resentment, bitterness, and anger, none of which are the behaviour of a true Christian.The Bible has quite a bit to say about unforgiveness. Again our opening scripture of Jesus' parable of the unmerciful servant deals with unforgiveness as well v 35"This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart"Other passages tell us that we will be forgiven as we forgive Matthew 6:14; Matthew 7:2,Luke 6:3714 "If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you.Do not be confused here; God's forgiveness is not based on our works only. We should truly mean it sincerely otherwise it doesn't count for much It must come from the heart not just the mouth.James 2:14,17,18,24,2614 What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don't show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? ├ö├ç┬¬├ö├ç┬¬├ö├ç┬¬17 You see , faith by itself isn't enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.18 Now someone may argue, "Some people have faith; others have good deeds." But I say, "How can you show me your faith if you don't have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds."24 So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone├ö├ç┬¬├ö├ç┬¬├ö├ç┬¬26 Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works..When we truly grasp the greatness of God's gift to us, we will pass the gift along.
When we are unforgiving; we act just as the servant in the parable.Unforgiveness also robs us of the full life God intends for us. Unforgiveness festers into bitterness. Hebrews 12:14-1514 Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord.15 Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.Unforgiveness can be an opening for Satan to derail us.In 2 Corinthians 2:10-11Paul urges the people in Corinth to forgive a certain man 10 When you forgive this man, I forgive him, too (this is Paul speaking). And when I forgive whatever needs to be forgiven, I do so with Christ's authority for your benefit,11 so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes.
Satan will win a victory if we either neglect the words from Scripture, or we listenand do what it says, but remain harsh and unforgiving when we have a change of heart.Remember that those who have sinned against us ..whom we may not want to forgive  are held accountable by God Romans 12:1919 Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, "I will take revenge; I will pay them back," says the Lord.When we forgive we don't downplay a wrongdoing, when we choose to forgive, we release a person from his indebtedness to us. We give up the right to seek personal revenge; we choose not to hold his wrongdoing against him. We do not have to allow that person back into our trust or even fully release that person from the consequences of his sin. We know that God's forgiveness relieved us from eternal death; but it does not always release us from the consequences of sin.It might be a broken relationship or the penalty provided by the justice system.
We will have to bear the consequencesForgiveness does not mean we act as if no wrong has been done; it does mean and we should recognize that grace has been given to us and that we have no right to hold someone else's wrongdoing over his head.Forgiveness is often difficult;
To be unforgiving is to disobey God and by doing so we downgrade the greatness of His gift of Grace.
” IfGod does not forgive us until we confess and repent, can we withhold forgiveness from those who sin against us until they confess andrepent?”The Bible speaks of two kinds of forgivenessHuman forgiveness, thatis people extending forgiveness towards othersDivine forgiveness, God forgiving us. Is there a difference? Yes there is.God's forgiveness is conditional upon repentance, Our forgiveness is neither conditional, nor on seeing fruits of repentance. God withholds forgiveness towards people who are not repentant and He is able to do this because of His very nature: He is sinless. He is perfect. He is holy. He simply will not tolerate sin. Paul warns us against transgressing God's law inRomans 2:55 But because you are stubborn and refuse to turn from your sin, you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself. For a day of anger is coming, when God's righteous judgment will be revealed.God can judge a person's intentions because He knows what's in a person's heart, whereas we don't. In truth, forgiveness is an act of will, and failure to acknowledge this will only encourage us to justify our own disobedience. Forgiving someone for the same offense several times in one year would be a major test of sanctification Remember, it was Jesus who cried out from the cross, Luke 23:34"Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing"Stephen asked that those who were stoning him be forgiven in Acts 7:6060 He fell to his knees, shouting, "Lord, don't charge them with this sin!" And with that, he died.In both cases, forgiveness was unconditional. Those around the cross were not asking for forgiveness, and neither were those stoning Stephen. Someone who sins against us seven times in one day is not demonstrating fruits of repentance at all. By emulating Jesus and Stephen, when we extendforgiveness it releases us and allows us to receive forgiveness. To wait until we are asked may mean we never get an opportunity to forgive and it would also prevent us from being forgiven. God never expect from us to do the impossible. If it were beyond our ability to forgive from the heart, Jesus would never have directed us to do it.Not holding grudges allows a state of mind that is ready and willing to forgive, there can be no excuse for withholding a forgiving spirit towards others
Matthew 5:23├ö├ç├┤2423 "So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you,24 leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.Let's look at the question again“If God does not forgive until you confess and repent, can we withhold forgiveness from those who sin against us until they confess and repent?”Human forgiveness and God's forgiveness are different. The Lord's Prayer teaches that we are to ask for God's forgiveness regularly, just as regularly as we forgive others who sinned against us, but human nature struggles with this. Paul says in Romans 7:21, 2 I have discovered this principle of life-that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong.We must know that of our own strength, we are powerless to do the right thing. But as Christians who possess the Holy Spirit, Philipians 4:13we can do all things through Christ who strengthens usForgiveness isn’t always easy, but it doesn’t have to be manufactured. When you find it especially impossible to forgive, go to God. Ask him to help you freely forgive from the heart-his heartThe key message today is that we are to forgive others as Godhas forgiven us.It must come from the heart not just the mouth.As Christians we receive Mercy and Grace from a loving GodMercy mean, "not getting what youdeserve"I deserve to die because of my sins. but I am not getting what I deserve.
Grace mean, "getting what you don't deserve" it is theunearned and undeserved gift of God, such as forgiveness and salvation to sinners.
Mercy ———"Not getting what you deserve"
Grace ———-"Getting what you don't deserve"Let us prayLord help us to, be kind to each other, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, just as You Lord through Christ have forgiven us.When the time comes and we have to forgive someone help us to make allowance for each other's faults, and forgive anyone who offends us remembering Lord , that You forgave us first, so we must forgive others.We pray this in Jesus' Name Amen