Forgive to Live
Parables • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 6 viewsGod's abundant graces is just waiting for us. There are only a couple of small conditions. Today we learn about the condition of forgiveness.
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Forgive to Live: How Forgiveness Can Save Your Life
Forgive to Live: How Forgiveness Can Save Your Life
Author Dr. Tibbits
Calls Anger the silent killer
Increased risk for:
depression,
stress,
broken relationships,
and heart disease.
And how to forgive.
Compelling case.
resentment and anger
is killing us.
Forgiveness is the answer.
How Many Times?
How Many Times?
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?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.
We look at Peter
hard-hearted...
Let’s be honest,
there has been
circumstance when thought
“not sure if I want to forgive this time...”
Repeat offenders...
We often feel...
Not sure if they
deserve forgiveness.
Jesus begins parable:
Matthew 18:23–35 (ESV)
“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 ten thousand 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.
--
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.’
--
So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ 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. 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.”
The King
The King
Parable starts with:
“Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants.
Clearly King
= God.
His Servants
His Servants
= us.
Ten Thousand Talents
Ten Thousand Talents
Continue story:
When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand 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.
As a unit of currency,
a talent was worth
about 6,000 denarii.
A denarius was
1 day's labour.
At this rate,
1 talent = 20 years labor.
10,000 Talents =
= 200,000 years of labor.
Impossible sum...
Today,
Average salary
is $15 per hour.
Daily = 120
31 k per year
10,000 talents =
6.2 billion
Low income
wage earner
3000 lifetimes
to raise that money!
When he said:
English Standard Version (Chapter 18)
‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’
How?
Impossible!!!
He didn’t understand
value of debt!!!
So we
great sinners
don’t comprehend
depth of God’s grace.
Forgiveness of Debt
Forgiveness of Debt
The master makes
debt disappear.
Seems miraculous.
Yet for Christ,
not so simple.
No magic wand.
sins disappear!
Law is broken.
demands death.
Someone must die!
Substitutionary Atonement
He paid it all!
One Hundred Denarii
One Hundred Denarii
How much is that????
1 Denarii =
= 1 days wages.
300 denarii =
= about 3 years wages.
This is no small amount!
a lot of money.
When we are hurt,
it appears big!
3 years salary!
$93,000
Yet,
compared with
200,000 years salary,
seem insignificant!
For mathematicians
67,000 times more!!!
If we see
grace of God
sins of others
suddenly get smaller!
Merciless Hearts
Merciless Hearts
There are two reasons
we have a hard time
forgiving others.
Reasons We Don’t Forgive
We don’t sense weight of our own sinfulness.
We can’t forgive ourselves.
Both are because
we don’t understand
grace of God.
#1 - Self-Righteousness
#1 - Self-Righteousness
In the first case,
We don’t see
how deplorable
our own character is.
We sit in judgment
upon others because
we believe we
are not as bad as them!
Isaiah 64:6 (ESV)
We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
If not for
the grace of Christ,
we would all be
hopelessly lost.
If we could see
sinfulness of sin
we would not think
more highly of ourselves
than “wicked” people.
#2 - Self-Hatred
#2 - Self-Hatred
2. Bigger Problem...
More Common.
Self-hatred.
Usually masked with
number #1:
pretending like other
are below us.
Secretly,
we feel controlled by
our own “sin that so easily besets us.”
Like the Proverbist,
we see ourselves in this verse”
Proverbs 5:22 (ESV)
The iniquities of the wicked ensnare him, and he is held fast in the cords of his sin.
We feel stuck.
We hate ourselves.
Shame overcomes us.
so much so...
we can’t talk to others about it.
We feel that we
would be
shamed by them
and shamed by God.
So we wallow in our
unresolved
shame
guilt
self-hatred.
We feel we don’t
deserve the forgiveness of God.
Eventually we begin
to see all others
through the same lense.
Hate for self is
directed towards others...
Now nobody gets grace:
not us
not others.
Yet, frequently,
masking all this under
garb of self-righteousness.
2 Steps for Forgiveness
2 Steps for Forgiveness
See sinfulness of my sins.
See grace of God in forgiving me!
#1 - See My Sinfulness
Like tax collector
see ourselves
for who we are:
wicked sinners...
But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’
#2 - See grace of God
Continue story...
And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt.
200,000 years of salary
6.2 billion dollars...
Completely forgiven...
Have patience with me...
Have patience with me...
Continue Story:
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.’ So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’
Exact same words....
‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’
We received
abundant forgiveness.
Infinitely more
than the wrongs
of others toward us.
It is our
spiritual obligation
pass on grace we received.
What does servant do?
He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt.
Same plea for time...
Servant does not forgive.
Doesn’t give what he recieved.
Jesus said:
Matthew 10:8 (NKJV)
… Freely you have received, freely give.
That does not mean,
we should be
a doormat,
Allowing others to
trample us.
Jesus also said:
Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him,
Jesus is clear:
call sin by its right name.
If we have been wronged.
talk to that person.
Try to resolve issue.
And forgive them.
In another place
Jesus says:
“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.
Most conflicts are not
resolved because we
do not follow first step.
We are afraid of conflict
so we don’t
take first step.
Or we don’t approach
conversation in
a winsome way.
The clear goal:::
not to prove
that they are wrong...
But to win a brother back!
Instant Karma
Instant Karma
Continue story:
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. 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?’
Master says...
I forgave you 6.2 Billion!!!
You couldn’t forgive $100,000?
Instant Karma Videos...
Road Rage
Cop appears.
End of parable:
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.”
With God
cause and effect relationship...
but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
The unforgiving man is lost!
Why?
It is our obligation
to give to others
What Christ gave us:
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
If we can’t/don’t
offer forgiveness and grace
it is because we never received
forgiveness and grace personally.
Romans 8:9 (ESV)
… Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
Many have misunderstood the parable.
Some have proclaimed:
forgiving others is
condition to receive forgiveness.
Some say:
we get forgiveness
as we give forgiveness.
This viewpoint is flawed.
It treats our forgiveness
as meritorious.
This means we are
earning forgiveness
by granting forgiveness...
NOT TRUE!!
In actuality,
those who have not
experienced the grace of Christ
in all of its fullness
cannot offer it to others.
Many are truly
incapable of forgiving others.
Because they don’t have
experiential knowledge of
grace of God.
Only those who
have basked in the
grace of Christ
can offer it
to other people.
Application
Application
If we want to
be able to forgive others.
We must understand
and experience personally
forgiveness of Christ!
Go ahead.
Explore God’s grace.
I promise you.
It will knock your socks off.
It is so
unfair
unreasonable
unfathomable
Once you do...
Once this grace
has infected your soul.
spread it to the world!
