Thursday, April 21, 2010

Why Should I Forgive, Part 29 of 34

GUEST: Tim Jackson

TEXT: "Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, 'I repent,' you shall forgive him" (Luke 17 :3-4).

"Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, 'Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.' Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt" (Matthew 18:23-27).

IDEA: We have been forgiven an enormous debt that we could never pay.

PURPOSE: For listeners to appreciate how much we owe to God.

How important is it that we be "forgiving" people?

Is it an option or a necessity for a Christian?

I. Gary Inrig points out three factors we must understand if we are to come to grips with forgiveness.

Forgiveness deals with real sin, with the inexcusable, the unforgettable, the unacceptable.

"Forgiveness means pardoning the unpardonable or it is not forgiveness at all," said G. K. Chesterton.

Forgiveness means erasing the act, letting go of the wrong. That is the precise meaning of "forgive" in Matthew 18:21. There is a letting go of the desire to get revenge, a release of the entire situation to the Lord.

Forgiveness isn't the same as reconciliation.

Reconciliation is the rebuilding of a trusting relationship. That may take time.

Forgiveness is the prerequisite to reconciliation. Forgiveness is always within my power through God's enabling Spirit. Reconciliation is not.

Forgiveness is granted, not earned. We choose to forgive. I must not wait until I no longer feel the hurt or "forget about it." It is a deliberate act of the will. [How often can we be expected to do that?]

II. Jesus said we are to do this an unlimited number of times (Matthew 18:21-22). But how do we do that?

Jesus told a story to answer that question. Listen to the story:

"Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, 'Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.' Then the master of that servant was moved I with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. But that servant went out  and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denari; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, 'Pay me what you owe!' So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.' And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done. Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?' And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses" (Matthew 18:23-35).