Radical forgiveness

Over the last couple weeks we’ve been talking about what it looks like to be in community as a follower of Christ

You cannot have community without forgiveness

Radical forgiveness

Who here has been hurt by someone

If you disowned someone every time they hurt you or did you wrong, there would be no community

A Christian community is marked by Radical Forgiveness

To understand forgiveness, I want everyone to turn to Matthew 18 starting verse 21

And get ready because not only are we going to be in the bible today, but we are going to to some math

Forgiveness knows no end

Matthew 18:21-22.

Matthew 18:21–22 ESV

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.

Do you think this means we must forgive only 77 times?

If you are counting I have serious doubts you are truly forgiving

Jesus is saying do not stop forgiving

True forgiveness knows no end

The reality is we are going to b hurt, over and over

we will be dissapointed by everyone

We are given this IMPOSSIBLE task, of forgiving without any end

How?

Jesus, rather than leaving us there tells a parable

We are forgiven

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.

Parables resemble something:

Servant=US

Master=God

Debt=Our Sins

A talent= 6,000 days wages

6,000x10,000

60,000,000 days wages

164,383.5 Years

No weekends, no holidays

How much is minimum wage in Idaho?

$7.25x8=$58

$58x60,000,000

$3,480,000,000

The master forgave ALL of that

SO lets continue with the parable

Forgiveness cost something

Matthew 18:28 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.’

Lets see what the servant does

A new character is brought in, a fellow servant

Fellow Servant=Neighbor

1 denarii= 1 days wage

$58x100

$5,800

Does that cost something?

Yes

This is money that was supposed to be his, so if he lets this fellow servant off the hook he loses $5,800

Forgiveness costs something that is why it is hard

Lets see what the fellow servant says and how the first servant responds

Forgiveness comes from God

Matthew 18:29–35 ESV

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 servant who has been forgiven $3,480,000,000 shakes down his friend for $5,800

He has just been forgiven 600,000x the amount his friend owes

Yet he cannot let his friend off the hook

Does that man truly understand what he has been forgiven?

We forgive because Jesus forgave us first

Colossians 3:12–13 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.

If we do not forgive, we do not understand what Christ has done for us

If you cannot forgive, it is possible that you don’t understand forgiveness because maybe you’ve never been forgiven

Takeaways:

1. There is no such thing as too much forgiveness

True forgiveness does not say

2. Remember we mess up too

In the same way we hurt our neighbors, we are going to be hurt back too

3. Forgiveness must first come from God

The reason we forgive is because we are first forgive by Jesus, who not only forgave us but paid our debt on the cross

4. Radical Forgiveness Points Others to Christ

Our forgiveness is a testament to the forgiveness of God