Forgiveness

Intro

in 2005, a movie was released called “At the end of the spear” which tells the story of 5 missionary men who attempted to befriend and evangelize the Waodoni people of Eastern Ecuador in the 1950’s by landing their airplane on a nearby river bank and exchanging gifts with the Waodoni people while attempting to learn their language and culture.

Speared to death by the people they wanted to help. And while they had firearms and most likely could have defended themselves, they apparently refused to take their lives even in self defence.

And there that day on the beach was a Waodoni man named Mincayee who ultimately drove the final spear that killed Nate Saint.

But that’s just the beginning of the story.

Steve Saint and Mincayee

The world looks at a story like that and it’s almost incomprehensible.

How can such forgiveness exist? In fact, one USA Today reporter told Steve that she could maybe forgive Mincayee for what he had done, but to love him and to take him in as part of your family is morbid.”

When the world hears about stories like this, they

To which Steve Saint replies that the relationship that he has with Mincaye and the Waodoni people doesn’t make sense unless you add God to the equation.

One of the topics that was highly requested through the preaching questionaire was forgiveness.

The Text

Context:

Chapter 18 - Relationships and the horrible nature of sin.

1-5 - Humility is required to enter the kingdom of Heaven

7-9 - Seriousness of Sin

10 - 14 - How Sin separates us from God

15 - 20 - How to handle sin within the kingdom between ourselves.

And so no doubt the apostles are listening to what Jesus is saying here in chapter 18 with what Jesus had taught them back in the coming to the front of their minds.

Matthew 6:9–15 ESV

9 Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread, 12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. 14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Matthew 6:9-

So Peter might be thinking, “Alright, so we have to forgive others their trespasses against us, but Jesus has just told us about the terrible nature of sin, how it’s actually better to lose parts of your body than to be cast into the fire of Hell, so surely there must be some statute of limitations on that forgiveness thing he said earlier, or perhaps a limit to what we need to do?

Application

Forgiveness comes with a cost