Building Godly Character: Forgiveness

Today’s text is Matthew 18:21 -35, in the passage Jesus teaches us about one of the key building blocks to our faith. FORGIVENESS! If you are child of God, your sins have been forgiven. So you must forgive the trespasses of those who have sinned against you. In a world in which people are taught all the time to be self centered glorifying self esteem and mocking forgiveness, it is people’s personal right to be offended and to go after the offender. We call it being a Karen. Pardon me all you Karen’s my favorite Aunt is named Karen and our gracious loving piano player is named Karen. I don’t know why they call her a Karen but those who mock Karen’s and judge them are just as bad as the Karen herself.

We are all sinners.

Romans 3:10 As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one;

Even the apostle Paul was a man needing forgiveness.

1 Timothy 1:15 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.

The story of the prodigal son teaches us what extreme forgiveness looks like. His son was selfish, uncaring, self centered, egocentric sinner. But when he hit rock bottom he craved and desired forgiveness.

Forgiveness starts with a repentant heart.

Luke 15:18–19 I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.” 

I want you to notice something don’t focus on the son he is important. Focus on the Father.

The patient Father was eagerly waiting to forgive.

Luke 15:20–21 And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. And the son said to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.”

The Father’s forgiveness was complete.

Luke 15:22–24 But the father said to his servants, “Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” And they began to be merry.

Do you see how complete the forgiveness of the Father was. I have at the communion table suggested that in the scriptures there is a connection to eating and fellowship with forgiveness. This is hard but it is important Christ died. Gave his life on the cross represented by the bread of communion for forgiveness. That is how complete the forgiveness of Christ is. This is hard. I would suggest that someone who has been abused who desires to forgive their repetitive abuser keep putting themselves in a position of abuse. But how deep is your forgiveness. I believe that you should forgive! You want to know the thing that brings tears to my eyes. When someone! stands in court and proclaims there forgiveness to someone that has killed a loved one. They want to forgive as Christ has.

I wish all of our salvation went like this… (this is not original with me)

Consider the cost of sin.

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Understand the reality of the lake of fire.

Revelation 20:10 The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Truly come to grips with the glory of heaven.

Revelation 21:2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

Contemplate the forgiveness Christ gave you on the cross.

Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Consider the words of great is Thy faithfulness. Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth Thy own dear presence to cheer and to guide Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow blessings all mine with ten thousand beside!

When God forgives your sin, He completely passes over them.

Exodus 34:6–7 And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.”

You are blessed because your sin is forgiven.

Psalm 32:1–2 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit.

Not only does He pass over your sins, He covers them.

Psalm 85:2–3 You have forgiven the iniquity of Your people; You have covered all their sin. Selah You have taken away all Your wrath; You have turned from the fierceness of Your anger.

Your sins are covered in by the blood of Jesus Christ shed on calvary. You know I’m going there Jesus paid it all all to Him I owe.

The debt we owe could never be repaired without forgiveness purchased on Calvary.

Psalm 130:3–4 If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You, That You may be feared.

Forgiveness is about to forgiver and the forgiven.

Isaiah 43:25 I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins.

Jesus forgave your sins for His sake. We forgive tresspasses for our sake. I like to use that word tresspass when we talk about what happened to us. I know I don’t have to but I like to reserve the word sin for what we have done to God. Because what they have done to us does not compare what we have done to Christ. You don’t understand Pastor what they have done to me. Nothing could compare to that, I KNOW I don’t and I will never try. But do you want to know who does. CHRIST DOES. Every SIN. Every murder, every martyr, every rape, every theft, every betrayal, every evil parent, and rebellious child, every abuse. Jesus felt the full measure of that on the cross. Do you get that. I do not believe in universal salvation, but I believe in Jesus feeling the full measure of sin on the cross.

Jesus died to extend forgiveness for all sins.

1 John 2:2 And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.

It is my belief that you have a choice. You can come back to the father like the prodigal son and embrace the forgiveness extended to you on the cross of Jesus Christ or you can die in your sins and feel the entire weight of the punishment that you deserve.

Forgiveness is very important.

Jeremiah 33:8 I will cleanse them from all their iniquity by which they have sinned against Me, and I will pardon all their iniquities by which they have sinned and by which they have transgressed against Me.

3 times there it tells us in this passage the important of forgiveness.

If Christ has forgiven us, we should in turn forgive others.

Ephesians 4:32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

Christ was so gracious to us it is important that we extend that same measure of grace to others. It is commanded of the believer. If we are building Godly Character Forgiveness is Essential.

Magnanimous Forgiveness!

Colossians 3:13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.

Magnanimous - A forgiving spirit especially toward a rival or less powerful person.

I will see just how good you pay attention. I preached an entire message years ago on the Magnanimous action that was the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. The word hasn’t left my mind you may have forgotten it, but maybe if I keep using the word I can get it to stick.

The most Christlike thing that we can do is to forgive those who don’t deserve it.

Matthew 6:12–15 And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

That is a sobering passage and must be taken very seriously. Take that to heart internalize it. True believers building Godly character deal with forgiveness. I don’t believe that this means that you can lose your salvation. Christ died once for our sins. But if you are unwilling to forgive it will bring bitterness envy strife anger malice and you will miss the blessings that God want to give you.

Christ said you must forgive!

Jesus paid our exuberant sin debt in full.

Matthew 18:23–27 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.

This comes right after Jesus jubilee teaching on forgiveness. You know the 70 times seven.

No human can pay for his sins.

Ezra 9:6 And I said: “O my God, I am too ashamed and humiliated to lift up my face to You, my God; for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has grown up to the heavens.

Other people will wrong you.

Matthew 18:28–31 But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; 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.

The wicked slave does not forgive as he has been forgiven.

Matthew 18:32–34 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.

God cares about our heart of forgiveness.

Matthew 18:35 So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.

Restore your worship. A call to forgive.

Matthew 5:23–24 Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

I am going to bring forgiveness up at communion because it’s an altar issue. You aren’t worshipping God well if you aren’t forgiving. Forgiveness is hard but it is essential to your Christian faith.