The Importance of Forgiveness

Jesus has began His public ministry and has successfully experienced temptation from the Devil. He has called his disciples and is not teaching in what we know as the Sermon on the Mount.

I believe this petition is of great importance because of all the petitions made in the this model, Jesus took time to elaborate on this one.

Chapters 5-7 represent the first of Jesus five discourses recorded in Matthew's Gospel account. Verses 1-21 of this sixth chapter consist of statements of Jesus describing the behavior expected of those who would be his disciples. In verses 1-8 Jesus warns his disciples not to be hypocritical in their giving and in their prayers. In verses 16-17 He warns them of being hypocritical in their fasting. In verses 19-24 He warns them of laying up earthly treasures. In verses 25-34 he commands them not to be anxious concerning life's necessities. In verses 9-13, have Jesus modeling prayer for His disciples. We see six petitions, three to God and three personal.

In this model Jesus teaches his disciples to seek God’s forgiveness. I believe this petition is of great importance because of all the petitions made in the this model, Jesus took time to elaborate on this one.

Let’s take a look at two these two parts of forgiveness.

Paternal Forgiveness

Restoration of fellowship with God the Father after the believer has broken fellowship by continued unconfessed sin. This has to do with the believers fellowship with God.

There are two conditions associated with this kind of forgiveness.

Confessing your sins (ESV) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Forgive- to remove the guilt resulting from wrongdoing, to pardon.

Debt- moral debt incurred as the result of sin.

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Forgiving Others- this according to the text proceeds the Father forgiving your sins.

This falls in the manner in which we are asking to be forgiven. In the same manner that you forgive others.

Personal Forgiveness

Restoration of fellowship with another person.

This is so important that Jesus conditions our forgiveness and restoration with our Heavenly Father on our willingness to forgive other people.

There are two aspect of this personal forgiveness I want to consider.

Vertical Aspect- Sometimes you put that person in God’s hand. You can do this anywhere at anytime.

Horizontal Aspect- Sometimes you have to confront your offender in hopes of winning them over.

You have to be willing to forgive people if they repent of their wrong.

If is a conditional clause. It can come with positive or negative results.

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.

If is a conditional clause. It can come with positive or negative results.

If is a conditional clause. It can come with positive or negative results.

God will forgive you, If

God will not forgive you, If

Have you been forgiven?

Have you forgiven those who trespassed against you?

Forgiven- to stop blaming or taking an offense into account.

Trespass- a sin understood especially as the action of going beyond or overstepping some boundary or limit.

Unforgiving people have not been forgiven themselves; those who are forgiven are so broken by it that they cannot but forgive others. Tony Sargent

In some peoples mind, there is nothing they can do to make right a wrong they’ve done to you. Only you can determine whether or not the relationship can or will be restored. Likewise you created a debt with God that you can’t pay on your own, so He decided to make a way to reconcile your relationship to Him, through Jesus Christ.

When you make it right with others, God will make it right with you.

If you do not make it right with others, God will not make it right with you.

If you can't stand a little disappointment sometimes (sometimes). If you can't stand being talked about sometimes (sometimes). If you think it should always be up and never down, I came to remind you...

No cross, no crown.

If you can't stand being lied about sometimes (sometimes). If you can't stand a little heartache sometimes (sometimes). If you think you think you should always smile and never frown, I came to remind you...

Must Jesus bear the cross alone, and all the world go free? (There's a cross for everyone And I know that there's a cross for me).

If you can't stand being misused sometimes (sometimes). If you can't stand when friends let you down sometimes (sometimes). If you think you should always be up and never down.