Forgive as You Have Been Forgiven
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Intro: Stephen’s last words
Intro: Stephen’s last words
The first martyr of the New Testament Church was Stephen. Listen to his last words as he died at the before those who persecuted him unto death. As stones were hurled at him, Luke tells us that.
60 And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
Would these words come out of your mouth if you were being killed as Stephen was?
Or to move from the hypothetical situation to reality;
Do these words come out of your mouth when you are cut off in traffic?
Do these words come out of your mouth when you are falsely accused?
Do these words come out of your mouth when you are betrayed by those who you love?
The radical words of Stephen reflect a heart that is inclined to forgive even the worst offenses. And a heart that forgives is what our text calls us to this morning.
Paul has been writing on the Christian life. And there are two main actions that we are called to do. These actions paint the picture of a person who is in need of a change of clothes.
Col 3.5-11 call us to put off our old clothes that no longer fit us… the clothes of sexual immorality, impurity, anger, wrath, malice and the like…
Our text picks us in the middle of the sentence that Tait preached on last week.
Tait preached last week about the new clothes that are fitted for God’s people.
12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,
Our text picks up right in the middled of this sentence.
13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
V 13 shows us the overflowing effect of having put on the new clothes from v12. When we put on compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, we will bear with one another and forgive one another. There’s nothing subjective about these Christ-like virtues. And moreover there is nothing subjective about the way we are called to forgive.
There is a small word in v 13 that is easy to overlook. But the small words are often the most important ones.
Colossians 3:13 (ESV)
13 …if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
If we are to rightly forgive one another, we must reflect the perfect model of forgiveness. So let’s first remember how Christ forgave us.
I. Remember how Christ forgave you
I. Remember how Christ forgave you
First, we should remember that God’s forgiveness is a result of God’s very nature.
Recall God’s revelation of himself right after Israel broke God’s law and worshiped the golden calf.
This revelation is found in Exod 34… but before it, let me point out where it fits in the book of Exodus
Just two chapters prior to God’s revelation of himself to Moses, Israel was found worshiping an idol — this graven image of a calf that was made of gold
4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
Israel had broken this command in Exod 32 — so they deserved to nothing but God’s wrath
5 The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. 6 The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 7 keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”
God is not just able to forgive — but he willing to forgive
14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
And more than being willing to forgive — it is God’s very to forgive those who repent!
9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
Why does God want to forgive sinners?
25 “I, I am he
who blots out your transgressions for my own sake,
and I will not remember your sins.
This is why John says
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
God forgives us — because he is faithful and just — that’s who he is.
With God’s justice in mind, let’s remember…
Remember the cost of Christ’s forgiveness
Again, let’s recall Exod 34:5-7
6 The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 7 keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”
God will by no means clear the guilty — so does that mean he won’t clear our sins?
No! He just said he does forgive iniquity transgressions and sin
This means he will not turn a blind eye towards the guilty
Sin always has a cost
17 “If anyone sins, doing any of the things that by the Lord’s commandments ought not to be done, though he did not know it, then realizes his guilt, he shall bear his iniquity.
22 Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.
Sin must be dealt with by blood
Either the blood of the sinner
Or the blood of a substitute in the sinners place
29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,
Our sin has a price — and for those who believe in Jesus — the price has been paid for in full through Christ’s death on the cross.
So then, who are those to whom he forgives?
Remember who God’s people are
The people of faith are often unfaithful
King David — Recall his adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband Uriah
While being far from walking in the way of the Lord
David repented
1 Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin!
13 David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die.
The Apostle Peter — also denied Jesus. Not once, or twice… but three times!
Yet Jesus restored Peter in the threefold restoration found in Jn 21.
God saves even his people when they are unfaithful
God forgives even the worst of sinners so long as they are repentant of their sins
Lk 18 tells of the self-righteous Pharisee and the repentant tax collector. And who was it who was right with God?
It wasn’t the self-righteous pharisee… rather, it was the repentant tax collector who recieved mercy.
Jn 8 again pits about the self-righteous scribes and Pharisees up against the woman who was caught in adultery… do you remember Jesus’ words to those self-righteous men?
7 And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. 9 But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. 10 Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”
Christ is the friend of sinners! And his forgiveness was most vividly displayed there on the cross
33 And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. 34 And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments.
Such were we
Enemies of God
Dead in our sins
Worthy of nothing, except death…
But despite all this our God forgave our sins and even continues to forgive us when we stumble and fall!
Finally, let’s remember the extent of Christ’s forgiveness
Once our sins are forgiven — what does Jesus do with our sins?
Does he keep a record of them?
Is it three strikes and your out of the family of God?
Will we be held acceptable on the last day for the sins for which we have repented?
This might be how we treat one another — and we might think Jesus is like us...
But what does the Bible say
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
Understand how this Psalm would have sounded to to the ears of the original audience…
Those who hadn’t reached the edge of either the east or the west — this was the greatest distance that could be expressed
The removal of our sin is beyond what could be imagined
18 Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity
and passing over transgression
for the remnant of his inheritance?
He does not retain his anger forever,
because he delights in steadfast love.
19 He will again have compassion on us;
he will tread our iniquities underfoot.
You will cast all our sins
into the depths of the sea.
Have you ever lost something in the ocean?
It’s as good as gone
Far better — what about in the middle of the ocean — where there is no land in sight
This is the way Christ has forgiven us
His is inclined to forgive
He payed the price to forgive
He forgives even the worst of sins and the worst of sinners
And he forgives us completely
Having remembered the forgiveness that we have in Christ, let’s consider our text again
13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
Paul calls us further than remembering Jesus’ forgiveness of us. But he calls us to forgive each other as Christ has forgiven us. So let us…
II. Imitate Christ’s forgiveness
II. Imitate Christ’s forgiveness
If we have have put on the Christ-like virtues from v 12 — then it is only fitting that the effect would be that we would look like Christ. V 10 tells us that the new self that we have put on is renewing us in knowledge after the image its creator. And perhaps one of the clearest ways Christ is shown in us is by the way we forgive one another.
There is no doubt our our need to forgive one another. There are all kinds of relationships that are broken by sin — where forgiveness is needed
Marriages
Siblings
Parents sin towards their kids
Kids sin towards their parents
Relationships at work
Relationships at school
Relationships here at church
Relationships with those who left the church
There isn’t a single person here who is unscathed by the sins. This also means that each of us get the opportunity to be salt and light in the way that we forgive those who have sinned against us.
Consider then, the way you are to forgive
13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
Consider yet again the way Christ has forgiven us… but this time know that this is how we are to forgive one another.
Recall, Christ’s disposition is to forgive sinners — so too, it should be our knee jerk reflex to forgive those who have sinned against us
Do you hold a grudge against someone? If so, then recount how Christ has forgiven you.
Remember, Christ is willing to forgive every offence even when it cost him his own life — so too, we ought to be willing to forgive even when when the cost of forgiveness is great
Has someone’s sin cost you dearly? If so, then recount how Christ has forgiven you.
Again, Christ forgave even the worst of sinners and the worst of sins — So too, we ought to forgive our enemies and the greatest offenses
Do you have an enemy who you refuse to talk to? If so, then recount how Christ has forgiven you.
Christ even longed to forgive sinners who had not to repented when he was ding on the cross — so too, we ought to have a heart of forgiveness towards those who haven’t sought reconciliation with us
Has the offender yet to admit their sins and ask for your forgiveness? IF so, then recount how Christ has forgiven you.
And just as Christ doesn’t keep a record of forgiven sins — so too, we ought not keep a record of wrongs when we are sinned against.
Do you keep a record of wrongs? If so, then recount how Christ has forgiven you.
Perhaps you think that what I am suggesting is unreasonable. And not only that, but maybe you think it’s impossible. Maybe you are thinking:
If only you knew husband is like at home
If only you how greatly my wife wounded me
If you were in my position, you wouldn’t be able to forgive them either
If you are asking this question — listen then to the exchange between Peter and Jesus
21 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?”
Significance of the number 7 — it’s the number of completion
So we might understand Peter to ask — “Am I to forgive them even when they have completed their sin against me?”
To which Jesus replies
22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.
And to make the point, Jesus tells this parable
23 “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. 24 When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.
The ESV Study Bible puts this in modern numbers — 10,000 talents would amount to the tune of 6 billion dollars
The point being, there was no way this man would ever be able to pay off his debts… the parable continues
Such was the case for all of us because of our sin. We had an infinite debt against God because of our sins that we could never repay.
25 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. 26 So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27 And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt.
What a wonderful picture of what Christ has done for us!
Though our sin against God is so great
Our only hope is the mercy of the master…
And though our sin was great, Christ’s mercy is greater, and he forgives the debt of those who repent
But Jesus’ parable isn’t over
28 But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’
100 denarii — again, the ESV Study Bible proves helpful — 100 denarii would amount to around $12,000
Now $12,000 is a lot of money… it’s no small debt to forgive. But in comparison to $6 billion what is $12 thousand?
What the servant did to his fellow servant was unthinkable considering he had just been forgiven his infinite debt!
29 So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ 30 He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. 31 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.
Consider the absurdity of not forgiving the person who has sinned against you
Recall our text again
13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
Our forgiveness that we extend to one another is to be like that of Christ’s forgiveness towards us…
Paul is comparing the way we are to forgive to the way Christ forgave us… but really… how can we possibly compare the two?
There are a few differences that make them hard to even compare
First, the more obvious difference — the amount of sin that we are to forgive isn’t even worth comparing to our sin that Christ forgave.
And furthermore, our text calls us to forgive each other…
that means this kind of forgiveness is a two way street.
Wives need to forgive their husbands — and those husbands also must forgive their wives!
The same goes for every other relationship, even the relationships in the church.
But we don’t forgive Christ… Such a notion would be ridiculous, for Christ never sinned… but when he forgave us… it was a one way street.
To not forgive your the one who sinned against you makes sense in the kingdom of men.
In the economy of this world — men say
24 If Cain’s revenge is sevenfold,
then Lamech’s is seventy-sevenfold.”
But in God’s kingdom, an unforgiving heart is unthinkable!
In the economy of God’s kingdom, we are to say with Christ…
22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.
An unforgiving heart in God’s kingdom is unreasonable. And moreover, and unforgiving heart is dangerous.
Consider now, the danger of not forgiving
32 Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ 34 And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. 35 So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”
We are taught to pray like this
12 and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
Again, do you see that small word — as
While we are to forgive one another as Christ has forgiven us… we also pray that Christ would continue to forgive us of our sins as we continue to forgive those who have sinned against us.
Jesus adds a comment about this immediately following the Lord’s prayer
14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Clarify: forgiving your enemy is not a work that you do in order to earn forgiveness
Rather, when we forgive our enemy it is owing to the forgiveness that we have already recieved. And having been forgiven so great a debt, we cannot help but to forgive those who have sinned against us.
So, if you have an unforgiving heart, it is owing to one of two things
If you are a Christian, who is unforgiving, it is owing to the fact that you are not drawing from the power of his Spirit that works in his people… If you are an unforgiving believer, then repent and draw near to Christ again and receive his mercy anew. And as you do that, the effect will be this… you will be strengthened to forgive as you have been forgiven.
If you are an unforgiving person, perhaps it’s because you’ve never experienced the mercy of God that is inclined to forgive those who repent. If that’s you, the remedy is the same. Believe that Christ has died for your sins, and turn from your sins in repentance. Those who do so are sure to receive Christ.
Listen now to the open arms that the Father has for those who come to him. In the parable of the prodigal son, we see what happens when God’s children come to their senses and return to their heavenly Father
17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.” ’
This was the plan of the son… his mind was made up… but he had yet to put his plan to action. Listen to what happens when he goes home.
20 And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.
Before words even came out of the son’s mouth, the Father ran to his son! And when the son does make his plea… the father gives him more than he could have ever asked for.
21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. 23 And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.
This is the way our God forgives — he is inclined to forgive… so let us God to him.