Christlike Forgiveness
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Review ALL IN series. Purpose for the series: how where we are as The Shed is where they were then…
Review Last Week: Heaven’s Courtroom…
Contextualize before reading verses:
54 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the quick, and they began gnashing their teeth at him.
55 But being full of the Holy Spirit, he gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God;
56 and he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
57 But they cried out with a loud voice, and covered their ears and rushed at him with one impulse.
58 When they had driven him out of the city, they began stoning him; and the witnesses laid aside their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul.
59 They went on stoning Stephen as he called on the Lord and said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!”
60 Then falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” Having said this, he fell asleep.
Explain role of stoning as a part of Jewish traditional law.
In other words… What we are witnessing is the trial and execution of Stephen with the conviction hanging on the same evidence that was used to convict Christ.
Stephen as a type/parallel of Christ… Stephen emulated Christ even in death, as we should embody Him in life…
Last week we talked about Stephen’s vision of Jesus standing beside the throne…
This week, we are talking about the second similarity between Stephen and Jesus:
Stephen echos the words of Christ in his death when he says: Acts 7:60
60 Then falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” Having said this, he fell asleep.
The same way Jesus said from the cross: Luke 23:34
Luke 23:34 (NASB95)
34 But Jesus was saying, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.”
Topic: Christlike Forgiveness
Biblical Forgiveness:
to forgive — verb. to stop blaming or taking an offense into account.
to be forgiven (state) — verb. to be or become pardoned or exempt from legal or personal consequences for an offense.
forgiveness (absolution) — noun. a formal release from an obligation or debt; especially understood of the debt of sin.
forgiveness (offense) - noun. an act in which a mistake or offense is no longer considered or held against another.
One hebrew word for forgive means to literally “Cover Over” an offence (the blood)
I would suggest there are three major elements to forgiveness in Christian thought:
Receiving forgiveness (from God)
Receiving forgiveness (from God)
Forgiveness from God is a gift, not something we can earn or achieve through works. Repentance is the act of opening our hearts to receive that gift.
We don’t earn God’s forgiveness…
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Us forgiving others is a reflection of God… (just as marriage is an example of God’s covenant with His people)
So if the way we approach forgiveness is to make someone earn it, does that not imply to them that they also have to earn it from God?
We struggle with this concept because it leaves no room for ego or pride… You didn’t earn God’s forgiveness!
When you said yes to Jesus, it wasn’t a work to earn your way in.
You didn’t pay the price for your forgiveness, HE DID.
Our practice of forgiveness is a reflection of God’s forgiveness to the world.
The idea that someone must “come to us” for forgiveness limits the reach of God in the example, because God came to us before we could come to him…
While we were yet sinners…
21 Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”
22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.
2. Self forgiveness
2. Self forgiveness
Sometimes, the hardest person to forgive is yourself.
8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.
9 He will not always strive with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever.
10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him.
12 As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
13 Just as a father has compassion on his children,
So the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.
If you’ve accepted his forgiveness, said yes to Jesus, vowed to live for Him… This is His opinion of you, so why are you so hard on yourself?
If God can forgive you, why can’t you forgive you?
You don’t have to pay again the price Christ has already paid for your sin…
And forgiving yourself is not minimizing what happened, nor minimizing sin…
Forgiving yourself is embracing God’s mercy and grace for your life and moving on!
self-condemnation denies the completeness of Jesus’ work on the cross.
62 But Jesus said to him, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Don’t keep looking back! Look forward, see your future!
13 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,
14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
3. Granting forgiveness
3. Granting forgiveness
Call Worship Team
The last point I want to make about Christlike forgiveness is that we should grant forgiveness…
60 Then falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” Having said this, he fell asleep.
Our practice of forgiveness is a reflection of God’s forgiveness to the world.
12 ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
14 “For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
15 “But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.
The way you forgive tells the world about your God.
The apostle Paul wrote…
32 Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.
Forgive as Christ forgave you…
Difficulties of Forgiveness:
• Lack of Immediate Results:
• Share how forgiveness may seem fruitless in the short term (e.g., Stephen’s death and the church’s persecution) but can have eternal impact.
• Relate this to modern situations where forgiveness doesn’t guarantee change in the offender.
Forgive as Christ forgave you.. Not using the world’s counterfeits of forgiveness…
Counterfeit Forgiveness
Counterfeit Forgiveness
Transactional Forgiveness
Transactional Forgiveness
(you do this, then I’ll forgive you… Prove you deserve it… prove you’re really sorry)
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
“Forgive but never forget”
“Forgive but never forget”
5 (Love) does not take into account a wrong suffered,
This phrase often implies holding onto grudges or using the past as leverage.
Forgive as Christ forgave you…
“Forgiveness is for you, not them”
“Forgiveness is for you, not them”
While forgiveness does bring freedom and healing, it’s not solely self-focused. True forgiveness reflects God’s character and points others to His mercy.
This modern self-help idea can reduce forgiveness to a therapeutic tool rather than an act of obedience to God.
“Forgiveness means letting them off the hook.”
“Forgiveness means letting them off the hook.”
• This statement misunderstands forgiveness. Biblical forgiveness entrusts justice to God rather than enabling continued harm. It doesn’t excuse sin but releases the personal burden of retribution.
19 Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.
“As we reflect on Stephen’s prayer in Acts 7:60, we’re reminded of God’s invitation to receive His forgiveness, embrace it for ourselves, and extend it to others.
Forgiveness is a gift of grace, not something we earn. When we repent, it’s like opening our hands to receive what God has already prepared for us through Jesus’ sacrifice.
Altar Call
Maybe today, you’re holding back from receiving that gift. Perhaps it’s guilt or shame, or maybe you’ve been trying to earn God’s forgiveness instead of trusting that it’s freely given. Or maybe you’ve received God’s forgiveness but struggle to forgive yourself, or you feel unable to forgive someone who has deeply wronged you.”
