The Power of Forgiveness

Transcript

Rob McFarlane: 0:58

Today, we're looking at the power of forgiveness. We'll be looking at Matthew chapter 18, verse 21 to verse 35. We see in these verses, Jesus answers a question from one of his disciples, Peter, and then he teaches a parable about the power of forgiveness and the consequences of withholding forgiveness. We learn from this parable that God is the King and we are his servants, and we will see four truths from this passage of Scripture. So, number one, we must live ready to forgive. Matthew chapter 18, verse 21 and 22 says, Then Peter came up and said to him, Lord, how often will my brother sin against me and I forgive him? As many as seven times? And Jesus said to him, I do not say to you seven times, but seventy seven times. Some versions say seventy times seven. Now, first of all, let's just say this. Forgiveness doesn't justify the sin committed against you, but it does break its power over your life. The Pharisees taught that we should forgive three times. Now Peter thought he was being generous when he doubled it and added one. But Jesus surprised him with his answer 77 times or 490 times, 70 times seven. Now Jesus wasn't saying we should get up to 78 or 491 and then and then we are free to walk in unforgiveness or withhold forgiveness. I believe Jesus was teaching us that we should live ready to forgive. We should live with an understanding that forgiveness is the way to stay free. And today I'm giving you an invitation to be free. Remember, as I said a few moments ago, forgiveness doesn't justify what happened to you, it doesn't make it right. But forgiveness is a key to breaking its power over your life today so that you can live free. If we want to have healthy relationships, if we want to have a strong marriage, we need to learn to forgive. If we want to have a uh friendships that will stand the test of time, we need to have lots of forgiveness. We need to live ready to forgive. People will let you down, circumstances will let you down. You will be hurt in life, but unless we are prepared to forgive, we will not live free. The same applies in a local church. If we do not practice forgiveness, we will never find a church where we will be happy and content. And I really honestly believe that if we live ready to forgive, we will live a free, a productive, a happy and joyful life. So first of all, we've seen today that we should live ready to forgive. Number two, we have been forgiven of a debt that we could never pay. Now Jesus then taught this parable. Let's read verse 23 to verse 27 together. Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him 10,000 talents. And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold with his wife and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, have patience with me, and I will pay you everything. And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. So we've seen from these verses that the king or the master wanted to settle accounts with his servants, and one day each one of us will have to give an account for our lives. And this servant came before the master with a huge debt, 10,000 talents. One version of the Bible, the New Living Translation, puts it this way: He owed ten million dollars. Can you imagine owing ten million dollars? That was a debt he couldn't pay. And as a result, he fell on his knees. He took responsibility and he said, Please forgive me, release me from this debt. And the king had pity on him. And thank God, our God has had pity on us. For God so loved the world that he sent his one and only Son, Jesus Christ, to pay the price for our sin so that we can receive forgiveness and become the righteousness of God in Christ. He was forgiven of his debt. Now in Psalm 32, verse 5, the psalmist says, I acknowledge my sin to you. I did not cover my iniquity. I said, I will confess my transgressions to the Lord, and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. What a wonderful thing to know that our sins have been forgiven. If we take responsibility for them before God. In 1 John chapter 1, verse 9, the New Testament teaches us if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Thank God for His forgiveness, that He has forgiven us of our sin. We owed a debt that we couldn't pay. Christ paid a debt that he didn't owe. Wonderful. Number three, we should extend forgiveness towards others. In Matthew chapter 18, verse 28 to 31, we read, But when that same servant, the servant who had been forgiven of this huge debt, went out, he found one of his fellow servants. Now notice he went and he looked for his fellow servant, who owed him a hundred deneri, and seizing him he began to choke him, saying, Pay what you owe. So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him. He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. Wow. We see something incredible here. We see this man who's just been forgiven of a huge debt goes and he finds a fellow servant who owes him a hundred denarii, which they say is around two thousand dollars. A sum, a significant sum of money. Yet he had been forgiven of so much, and he would not forgive that debt. He withheld forgiveness, he refused it, and as a result, that man was put in debtor's prison and had to pay off the debt. And this upset his fellow servants to the point that they came back and told the master. Now, Greg Laurie, a pastor and evangelist in California, said this of these verses. The point Jesus is making is that we as sinners have been forgiven much. Therefore, we ought to always forgive those who have hurt us, no matter how badly we have been hurt. They owe us very little compared to what we owe God. Now, Ephesians chapter 4, verse 32 tells us be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. The way we forgive others should not be how somebody else forgives, or whether that person responds to our forgiveness, but it should simply be we follow Christ's example. He's forgiven us of so much, and we too should extend that same forgiveness to others. Colossians 3 verse 13 says, Bearing with one another, and if anyone has a complaint against another, forgiving each other as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. How much have you been forgiven of? I know that I've been forgiven of so much, that God has forgiven me of so much, and I need to extend forgiveness to others because I'm a recipient of His forgiveness. Now I honestly believe that it's very difficult for us to extend that forgiveness and grace to others if we haven't received it from God ourselves. We need to ask God to forgive us, and then we should extend forgiveness to others. You know, the one sin that keeps people from an eternal home in heaven is not a sin that people commit, but a sin that people omit. There's two different different kinds of sin. There's the sin of commission when we do things, and then the sin of omission when we don't do something. Like James says, if you know to do good and don't do it, you sin. And the sin of omission is when people do not accept Jesus Christ as Lord of their life. Jesus has extended his forgiveness to us by his death on the cross. He said, Father, forgive them because they don't know what they're doing, and we can receive salvation, forgiveness, and a right relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ. Let's not reject that wonderful gift, but let's accept him as our Lord and our Savior. Let's follow him. So far, we've seen we should live ready to forgive. We've also seen that we've been forgiven of a debt that we could never pay. And we've also seen that we should extend forgiveness to others. Finally, point number four. Now in Matthew chapter 18, verse 32 to verse 35, Jesus continues, then his master summoned him and said to him, You wicked servant, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant as I had mercy on you. And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers until he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly father will do to every one of you if you do not forgive your brother from your heart. Wow. These are strong words. And I can't apologize for them because they are the words of Jesus. He's teaching us here that if we don't extend forgiveness to others, we will end up facing consequences. But in the same way, if we extend forgiveness to others, we will walk into freedom. Now when we pray daily, we should receive forgiveness from God and we should extend that forgiveness to others. Listen to these two verses out of the Lord's Prayer. Matthew chapter 6, verse 11 and 12. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive our debts daily. Bread, forgive our debts daily, as we have forgiven our debtors daily. I want to encourage us to live ready to forgive. Every day, come before God, ask him to meet your needs, ask him to forgive your transgressions, your iniquities, your sins, but also extend forgiveness to others in order to stay free. Jesus continues in Matthew chapter 6, verse 14 and 15. For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Again, strong words by Jesus, but words that show us the consequence of withholding forgiveness. I'd like to end with two quotes. The first is Cori Tenboom, who said this forgiveness is the key that unlocks the door of resentment and the handcuffs of hatred. It is a power that breaks the chains of bitterness and the shackles of selfishness. Do you want to be free? Well, I encourage you to forgive. You're not saying what happened to you was right, justified, or doesn't have its own consequences. But what we are saying is that we want to live free. Lewis Smead said this to forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you. I believe today we need to consider two steps. Number one, we need to receive forgiveness from God. Is there an area in your life where you simply need to come before God and take responsibility for your sin? To ask Him for forgiveness. Like we saw earlier in 1 John chapter 1 and verse 9, the Bible says, if we confess our sins, he's faithful and just and will forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. The second step we need to consider today is to extend forgiveness to others. Is there someone that you need to forgive? Now, this doesn't mean that people who have committed a sin or broken the law or crossed a boundary or a barrier should not be held to account. But whatever happens, whether they need to be held to account so that this behavior doesn't keep repeating itself or someone else is not put in harm's way, whatever happens, for you to be free, you need to forgive. Set the prisoner free and realize the prisoner might be you or me as we as we forgive others. So let's pray. And as we do, let's ask the Holy Spirit to show us what he wants us to do as a result of what we've heard in today's sermon. Let's pray. Father God, thank you that you offer us forgiveness through Jesus Christ. We ask you to be our Lord, our Savior, and our friend. For those of us who follow you, we confess our sin to you today and we ask you, Lord, for your forgiveness. Thank you that you want to forgive us. You've made it available, and we accept your forgiveness now. Thank you, Lord, that you are kind and compassionate to us. And as your followers, we want to follow your example and we want to extend forgiveness to others. You've forgiven us of so much. And we ask you, Lord, to give us the grace and the strength to forgive. We know that forgiveness is not a feeling, it's a choice. And as we make the choice to forgive, the feelings will follow. So right now, forgive us and help us to forgive others. In the name of Jesus. Amen.