Week 3 – Jeff Maness – August 19th, 2018
Forgiveness doesn’t remove the wrong that’s been done, it removes my right to hold on to it, or hold it against them. In Scripture, we are commanded to “forgive as Christ forgave us.” In this message, we answer the question, “How can I live in that kind of forgiveness?”
Love Is Louder: Forgiveness
Ephesians 4:32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.
1 Corinthians 13:5b It (love) does not demand its own way (not self-seeking). It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.
One possessed with this love does not think of the evil that is done against them; rather, they forgive, as God has forgiven them. Having once forgiven it, they don’t keep bringing it up, do not meditate on revenge, or wish evil against the one who has done evil to them. — Gill Commentary
Nadine Collier lost her 70 yr old grandma, thru her trs: “I forgive you. I will never be able to hold her again, but I forgive you. If God can forgive you, I forgive you.”
Bethane Middleton-Brown lost sister. “We have no room for hating, so we have to forgive. I pray God on your soul.”
Wanda Simmons, lost grandfather: “Although my grandfather and the other victims died at the hands of hate, this is proof, everyone’s plea for your soul is proof, that they lived in love and their legacies will live in love.” 2
“That’s genuinely who these people are. It’s in their DNA. And for those of us who do not have that same faith, it’s hard to imagine — but it’s ingrained in them.”
2 Corinthians 5:19 19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation.
Big Idea: Forgiveness doesn’t remove the wrong that was done, it removes my right to hold on to it, or hold it against them.
Big Question: How can I live in that kind of forgiveness?
Main Scripture: Matthew 18:21-35
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Matthew 18:21 21 Then Peter came to him (Jesus) and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?”
Matthew 18:22 22 “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!”
1. It needs to be a condition
Psalm 86:5 5 O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for all who ask for your help.
Matthew 18:23-24 23 “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 dollars.
Matthew 18:25-27 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.
2. It takes a heart of compassion
Tenderhearted = eusplagchnos
Pity = splagchnizomai
Matthew 5:43-45a, 46-48 43 “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. 44 But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! 45 In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. 46 If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. 47 If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. 48 But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.
Matthew 18:28-35 28 “But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars (100 days wages). 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.”
Matthew 6:15 15 But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.
3. It requires a Christ like commitment
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