Freedom in Forgiveness, Breaking Our Chains

Does anyone know the significance of “490” in the Bible? It is the representation of forgiveness and wholeness. But lets dive a little deeper into this.

Matthew 18:21–22 ESV

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 time seven.

Over the course of our lives there have and will be times that we have to forgive others, but I know for myself the there have been plenty of times that I have be a hypocrite to God’s commend of forgiving others and have held back forgiveness or only partially forgave someone. This affects our relationship with God.

We can sense Peter’s frustration with his brother and that I could only imagine Peter’s tone when asking Jesus “Lord, how many times do I have to forgive this knuckle head?” And Jesus being the loving parent tells Peter that he needs to forgive his brother endlessly without conditions.

Peter's question to Jesus and Jesus’s response illustrates the boundless nature of forgiveness expected from a follower of Christ. Jesus tells Peter to adopt a heart of unlimited forgiveness, symbolic of God's own infinite mercy. This passage underscores that forgiveness is not transactional among each other but a continuous process that reflects divine grace and frees us from the chains of resentment.

Throughout Scripture, Christ embodies the ultimate act of forgiveness through his sacrifice on the cross, demonstrating God’s love and the path to reconciliation. He teaches about forgiveness in his parables and during his ministry, emphasizing the need for believers to reflect this aspect of his character.

Forgiveness! What is it? A profound act that not only liberates the one who forgives but also paves the way for healing and restoration in relationships.

But forgiveness isn't just a suggestion; it's a commandment from God that reflects His character.

And True forgiveness means letting go of the desire for revenge or holding grudges. And It is a theme that echoes throughout Scripture, illustrating God's call for His people to extend grace and mercy. Bring Alex up.

I want to tell you guys a funny Argument Alex and I had a few days ago about Coffee Cups.

Cup story.

Before the fight began we both did things that needed forgiveness. I didn’t listen to Alex when he asked me to not take the cups home at this time, and he tossed the box on the ground when we needed to make room for the bicycle.

When it came time to talk it out fully we were fighting and both of us were upset, but God reminded me that being right is not the way to show his love and compassion, but to take responsibility for fact that my actions hurt my husband. I apologized for what I did, and he apologized for what he did and we both forgave without conditions.

But a key point that God so graciously smacked me with that good old 2x4 is that when we as believers are fighting or unforgiving to each other, where is our attention? To God? Or to being at odds with the person in front of us?

Most of the time It’s to that person right in front of us, trying to make a point or win the argument. But as we have learned over the last few weeks about Prayer and Fasting. We are placing the armor of God on as we do these things, but if we are fighting and unforgiving our backs are not pressed against one another protecting our brothers and sisters. But facing each other with our backs exposed to the enemy who will start to try and creep into the middle of it. This not only turns our backs from our fellow Christ followers, but we have now turned our back on God, because we are choosing our own selfish needs and not showing God’s loving kindness and mercy to forgive. Now we are human and fights will happen but it’s how we handle ourselves in the thick of it that gives way to God being present.

Brewing on something someone did leads to resentment

I don’t like confrontation so I let things steep like a tea bag in hot water until I become bitter like an over steeped tea

Not addressing things when they upset you leads to resentment

Letting things go and harboring that in your mind: Well he said this last time, so I’m not even going to bother asking again because clearly I was important enough

Having a fight with the only goal of making sure you were right leads to resentment

Starting a fight just to have a fight: Taking small insignificant things and blowing them out of portion just to prove a point or to make known that something needs to be addressed by someone other then myself

God tells us not to hold onto to our burdens, but to lay them at his feet and to forgive and be free.

1. Forgive to be Free

Matthew 6:14–15 ESV

For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

God calls us to forgive others as He forgives us not only as an act of obedience, but as a pathway to freedom from bitterness.

Ephesians 4:31–32 ESV

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

By choosing to forgive, we reject resentment, open ourselves to healing, and align with His will. Jesus has set the ultimate example of forgiveness and in following His footsteps, we embrace spiritual liberation and relational restoration

holding onto our past resentments and anger can weigh us down, almost like black tar seeping into our souls or a heavy weight pushing us down.

Object reference: 3 Kettle Bells or something heavy to carry around and a Bible.

Story of Past relationships that have wronged me: Pick up the heavy object

Story of a past Family hurt that I hold as a grudge: Pick up heavy object

Story of being wronged by a church: Pick up the heavy object

Each weight that we pick up adds to our body and contrary to body building and the idea that lifting weights will make you stronger, it makes us weaker Spiritually and leaves no room for growth in the Lord. Try to pick up the bible.

As we hold onto these things and we come to God in prayer “God please forgive me of my sins and transgressions for I am imperfect and need your grace and mercy”. But How can we as Christ follows demand God to forgive us if we are not willing to forgive others as he has instructed us too?

God calls out to us.

Forgive as you have been forgiven (set weight down)

Boundless nature of forgiveness (another weight down)

Forgiveness even when you are wronged (the last weight)

God provides us with a great example in the Parable in

Matthew 18:23–27 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.

The king forgave an enormous debt, signifying God's immense compassion. But the servant fails to understand God’s compassion and as we see in

Matthew 18:28–35 ESV

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 forgiven servant failed to pass on the same grace, choosing instead to demand repayment of a small debt. This warns of the consequences of withholding forgiveness and illustrates the hardness of heart that binds us to bitterness, and unforgiveness traps us in a cycle of bitterness, while true freedom comes from reflecting the forgiveness we have received in Christ.

Paul encourages the Ephesians in Colossians 3:12 to put away bitterness and pursue kindness and forgiveness just as God, in Christ, forgave them. This forgiveness reflects Christ’s sacrifice, enabling us to extend the same grace to others. But let’s dig a little deeper into what Paul is saying.

2. Love Leads to Letting Go

Colossians 3:12–14 ESV

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 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. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

Paul instructs the Ephesians to be clothed in compassion, kindness, humility, and above all, love. This love binds us together in unity and promotes forgiveness. Forgiving others is portrayed not just as an obligation but as a manifestation of the love we experience in Christ. Lets look at forgiveness as a path to embodying the love and life of Jesus, leading to peace and reconciliation in our relationships and within ourselves. But how can we press on past the pain?

3. Press On Past Pain

Philippians 3:12–14 ESV

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Paul’s words urge believers to move beyond their past and press on towards the future. emphasizing that forgetting what is behind us and straining toward what lies ahead should be our goal in our daily lives.

This focus on the future in Christ helps us as believers to release the past. as it says in

Isaiah 43:18–19 ESV

“Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

God Himself calls us to forget former things and not dwell on the past, pointing to His promise of doing something new. This reflects the theme of redemption and hope found in Christ, demonstrating that God is always preparing a better future for us beyond our past experiences.

focus on pressing toward the prize in Christ is a powerful example of finding identity and purpose in Jesus rather than former successes or failures.

3. Transformative Power of Christ

2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

By forgiving and moving past our pride and hurt we becoming a new creation in Christ. We encapsulate the essence of change and renewal, and verse underlines the major transformation that Christ brings to one's life, making it possible to move beyond any past identity or burden. And you think about someone in your life—perhaps a neighbor, family member, fellow Christ follower or acquaintance—who has wronged you in the past and still affects your daily life, consider taking action. Write a letter of forgiveness, but instead of sending it, share it with God in prayer. This symbolizes releasing your burden and sets you free from the cycle of resentment. Letting go will not only bless you with peace but may also change how you interact with others moving forward.