God's Guidance To Forgiveness

WELCOME ALL BACK TO FB LIVE.

OPENING PRAYER

Last week I challenged you all to evaluate and think about your relationship with Jesus. Show of hands, anyone rededicate their lives to Jesus this past week? If you did, please send me a “thumbs up.”

HAVE YOU EVER OBSERVED SOMEONE THAT “HOLDS A GRUDGE OR VOWS TO GET EVEN?” SOMEONE HAS DONE THEM WRONG, OR AT LEAST THEY FEEL LIKE IT AND THEY ARE JUST NOT GOING TO LET IT GO.........PAYBACK, YEAH, I’LL SHOW THEM.........

OUR FOCUS TODAY IS ON “FORGIVENESS OR UNFORGIVENESS. LAST WEEK, DID WE FIND OURSELVES BLAMING SOMEONE FOR THIS VIRUS, HOW IT IS BEING HANDLED? FOR THE LACK OF PPE, (IF THERE IS) FOR THE DIRECTION OF THE COUNTRY, BLA-BLA-BLA. DON’T WE LOVE TO BLAME PEOPLE?

LOOK AT THE ONES ARE AT THE FRONT OF THIS BATTLE. THEY ARE THE ONES WHO REALLY DO NOT HAVE THE TIME TO BE PLACING BLAME. MOST ARE FOCUSED OF “FIXING” THE ISSUE, MAKING IT BETTER, LOVING OTHERS IN THE TRENCHES.

WHAT ABOUT OUR PERSONAL LIVES. ANYONE OUT THERE HAVE SOMETHING OR SOMEONE THAT YOU NEED TO BE FORGIVING FOR ANYTHING?

IN MY LIFE, PROBABLY IN THE TOP 1 OR 2 ISSUES, UNFORGIVENESS CAN CAUSE THE MOST HURT, LINGERING PAIN, BROKEN HEARTS, BROKEN RELATIONSHIPS, BROKEN LIVES. LET’S SEE WHAT SCRIPTURE TELLS ABOUT BOTH FORGIVENESS AND UNFORGIVENESS.

Today’s Scripture comes from the book of..........

Today’s pattern to Forgiveness.

Un-Forgiveness is a “society” Problem—vv. 15–17. Here is God’s plan to make things right between Christians. Misunderstanding can destroys God’s work........

15 “If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back. 16 But if you are unsuccessful, take one or two others with you and go back again, so that everything you say may be confirmed by two or three witnesses. 17 If the person still refuses to listen, take your case to the church. Then if he or she won’t accept the church’s decision, treat that person as a pagan or a corrupt tax collector.”

15 “If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back. 16 But if you are unsuccessful, take one or two others with you and go back again, so that everything you say may be confirmed by two or three witnesses. 17 If the person still refuses to listen, take your case to the church. Then if he or she won’t accept the church’s decision, treat that person as a pagan or a corrupt tax collector.

Wanting to Forgive brings God’s Power to our lives. Prayer power keeps Satan from hindering and interfering in God’s work.

Positive, selfless, Loving Prayer feels good doesn't it? We read in . 19 “I also tell you this: If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. If only two people agree and join together in prayer great power is generated”... Now we know what kind of prayer God is expecting don’t we? Loving, caring, giving, leading, changing......you get it.......

19 “I also tell you this: If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. If only two people agree and join together in prayer great power is generated.

God is with us when we are praying—v. 20 tells us: “20 For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.”

Prayerful, forgiving Pardon through Jesus Christ. Forgive at all times as a sign of true Christianity. “21 Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?” 22 “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!” WHAT???????? 490 times?????Don’t think so…Do you think this has been on Peter’s mind?

E. Pardon—vv. . Forgive at all times as a sign of true Christianity.

21 Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?” 22 “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!

The worldly practice of unforgiving.

A Forgiveness Parable (story) Jesus used many parables to teach his disciples, He gives a simple parable to explain a truth. “Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him.”

Sooo there was a huge Problem. Verse 24 tells us that A man owed ten thousand talents. According to the Living Bible, this was ten million dollars. “In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars.”

Unforgiving Punishment, selfish, prideful, arrogance, greed. Any of these sound familiar? Verse 25 says: “He couldn’t pay, so his master ordered that he be sold—along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned—to pay the debt.”

25 He couldn’t pay, so his master ordered that he be sold—along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned—to pay the debt.

The man in debt began to plead, “But the man fell down before his master and begged him, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.’

26 “But the man fell down before his master and begged him, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.’

True Pardon and Forgiveness through Jesus Christ in action. “Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt.”

WHAT? $10 MILLION DOLLARS. SOME OF CANNOT FORGIVE IF WE GET A “DIRTY” LOOK FROM A FAMILY MEMBER.........

The problem of fake forgiveness. It’s gonna come back and bite you! It’s just like the Grace we receive from God, we are great at receiving this precious Grace, but what’s so sad is that we are terrible at giving it. Sound familiar?????

The old familiar “ungrateful” Person. “But when the man left the king, (the man who had just had a 10 million dollar debt forgiven) he went to a fellow servant (a co-worker) who owed him a few thousand dollars. He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment.”

Again, someone else who is Pleading for forgiveness. The man who owed the money asked for forgiveness. “His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it,’ he pleaded.”

29 “His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it,’ he pleaded.

This heart of forgiveness (last week, hard heart) is about to cause this person a huge Problem. Although he had been forgiven such a huge debt by the king he had no patience toward the man who owed him money...... An unforgiving heart really has a “snowball” affect doesn't it. It hurts more people than we imagine. How many times does “forgiveness” last years, even decades within families?

“ But his creditor wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full.”......... When God forgives us, He wants us/expects us to forgive others. Yet how often we are critical toward other people. Even when God has forgiven them, we still remember their past. God forgives and forgets. We should do likewise. We are being tested during this time of the virus. Pointing fingers, telling lies, posting on FB things that we have not confirmed at truth.

30 But his creditor wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full.

When God forgives us, He wants us to forgive others. Yet how often we are critical toward other people. Even when God has forgiven them, we still remember their past. God forgives and forgets. We should do likewise.

The principles of Forgiveness in our lives. If you choose “not forgive” someone, it will come back around to haunt you.

31 “When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened. 32 Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. 33 Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’

31 “When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened. 32 Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. 33 Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’

Anger, hurt, animosity, revenge.......because of unforgiveness. Sound familiar in your world? The king who forgave the first debtor became very angry with the servant who refused to forgive others, (his co-worker).

“Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt.”..........Do we ever feel that way? Do we ever want to get even? Of course we do..

34 Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt.

Christ will treat the unforgiving person in the same way as the king treated the unforgiving man. “The angry king sent the man to the torture chamber until he had paid every last penny due”

“That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.”

AMEN

35 “That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.”