Finding Freedom in Forgiveness

Introduction

Good morning Church! I’d like to begin by saying thank you to all are joining us today and I pray that each of you are doing well! As I’m sure the majority of you know, the governor has lifted some of the stay at home orders this week. With that being said, me and the deacons met this last Wednesday night here at the Church and discussed a strategy for potentially opening the Church back up for in person worship.

At this time, we are hoping to be able to gather again sometime around the middle of May and are tentatively looking at May 17th which would be one month from now but please note that this date is very fluid.

If things begin to open back up and the number of cases do not spike, there is a possibility if the governor gives the go ahead, that we may be able to come back a week sooner but on the other hand, if things begin opening up and the number of cases begin to spike again, we’ll have to reevaluate and more than likely have to push that date out a little.

Listen, we, just like you are ready for this to all be over and ready to be able to gather together again and worship together in God’s house but we must be cautious and smart about what actions we take.

We are currently in the process of formulating a plan for when we do get the go ahead to gather again. There will more than likely be special seating arrangements to ensure we are following the social distancing guidelines and normal activities such as our offerings will be taken up in a designated spot to ensure that the plates aren’t passing from one person to another.

We’ve ordered some masks that we’re hoping will arrive towards the end of May, or first of June as well as a touch-less hand sanitizing station that will be located at the main entrance for people to use as they enter and exit the building.

These are just a few of the precautions that we will be putting in place when we do receive the go ahead to come together again in order to ensure that we are doing our part in curbing the effects of Covid-19.

And now that we’ve got that all out of the way I’d ask you to take your copy of God’s word and turn back with me to the Book of Mark Chapter 11.

Today, we’re going to be picking up right were we left off last week in Verse 25. Mark Chapter 11 Verse 25.

Now, for those who may be joining in for the first time, over the last few weeks we have been looking specifically at the last week of Jesus life and some of the events that have taken place there.

We began with the Triumphal entry, then we looked at the cursing of the fig tree and the cleansing of the temple and then last week, we looked at a message entitled A Lesson in Unfailing Faith and talked about what faith is and how we are to apply it to our lives and if you didn’t get a chance to tune in last week, I’d encourage you to go back and check that out.

This week though, I want us to look at the next two verses here, Verses 25-26 and then we’re going to flip over to Matthew Chapter 18 and look at Verses 21-35 at a message I’ve entitled…Finding Freedom in Forgiveness!

Read Mark 11:25-26, Matthew 18:21-35.

Now, there are three main points I want us to look at this morning in our text. I want us to look at how harboring unforgiveness, resentment, malice, bitterness and animosity in our hearts towards others does 3 things to us. It Hinders Us, it Hurts Us & it Harms Us. And then, Lord willing, we’re going to close this message out by looking at how Forgiveness Frees Us from all these nasty things!

You see, many of us this morning are like the fellow who was told by his physician, “Yes indeed, you do have rabies.” Upon hearing this, the man immediately pulled out a pad and pencil and began to start writing. Thinking this fellow was making out his will, the doctor said, “Listen friend, there’s a cure for rabies; this doesn’t mean you’re going to die.” The man looks up with a smirk on his face and says, “yeah I know, I’m just makin’ a list of people I’m gonna go bite!”

Then, there’s probably some of you out there joining in who are like the successful Irish who had been converted. He happened to be in a new town setting up his revival tent when a couple of tough thugs noticed what he was doing. Knowing nothing of his background, they made a few insulting remarks to him. The Irishman merely turned and looked at them and then continued on with putting his tent up.

Pressing his luck, one of the bullies tapped the preacher on the shoulder and when he turned around he took a swing and struck a glancing blow on one side of the ex-boxer’s face. He shook it off and said nothing as he stuck out his jaw. The fellow took another glancing blow on the other side. At this point the preacher swiftly took off his coat, rolled up his sleeves, and announced, “The Lord gave me no further instructions” and commenced to putting a whooping on that fellow!

Some of us are like this fellow aren’t we? We can be done wrong a time or two but then it’s time to get even! But listen, there’s a great moral to the lesson that Jesus is trying to teach His disciples here and I’m going to give you an illustration of what I mean.

There was a lady out walking her dog one day, and the dog just kept trying to get away from the leash. But every time the dog would pull away, the lady would yank it, pulling the dog back, thus keeping it from getting free.

The leash held the dog hostage, kept it bound, and unable to break away. He couldn't break the chain. Many of us today find ourselves held hostage by a leash. The links on the chain are many. There is the link of anger, the link of bitterness, the link of resentment, and the link of revenge. But no matter how many links are in the chain, they all boil down to one thing, unforgiveness!

So many of us today are held down and held back by our unwillingness to forgive others! Maybe it’s a parent that has done you wrong; maybe it’s a friend; maybe it’s a child, or a spouse, or a co-worker, or a boss, or who knows it may be someone in your church who you feel has done you wrong!

Whoever it is and whatever it was that person did to you has hurt you but by holding on to that hurt, that pain, that resentment, that malice, that bitterness and harboring it in your heart, the only person you’re hurting is yourself!

And that’s what I want to dive in on here today starting with how by holding on to these things it Hinders Us.

Hinders Us

Now, as I was thinking about this and studying over it, there were three ways that came to me on how harboring resentment in our heart hinders us. First off, it Hinders Our Communication w/ God.

Hinders Our Communication w/ God

In Mark 11: 25-26 here, notice what Jesus says. He says, “when you’re praying, if you’re angry with someone, forgive him so that your Father in heaven will also forgive your sins. If you don’t forgive other people, then your Father in heaven won’t forgive your sins!”

Now, Jesus begins by saying, “when you pray” that is when you’re talking with God, right? He says if you’ve got something against someone, something that you’re holding onto, you need to forgive that person or your heavenly Father won’t forgive you!

If you’re not willing to let go and forgive, then whatever that thing that you’re harboring in your heart is, it’s going hinder your communication with God!

J Vernon McGee — An unforgiving spirit will short-circuit the power of prayer, and that's important to understand, If you and I are going to have power in our lives, there must be forgiveness.

You can say, “Lord please forgive me of my sins” all you want but if you’re not willing to forgive, then He’s not willing to forgive, thus rendering your prayer useless!

If you’ll remember, when Jesus was teaching the disciples how to pray in...

Matthew 6:9-15 (KJV) — 9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

Then He follows it up in verses 14-15 with the same thing Mark says here.

14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

By not letting go and giving this thing that you’re holding on to to God you are allowing it to hinder your communication with God! And not only will it hinder your communication with God, it will Hinder Your Communion w/ God!

Hinders Our Communion w/ God

Let’s use some common sense here for second. We know that God is Holy and righteous and cannot tolerate sin, right? And because of this, the Bible says in...

Isaiah 59:1-2 (KJV) — 1 Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: 2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

So, if our sin separates us from God and we know from the passages we’ve just read that if we don’t forgive, then God won’t forgive, then by not forgiving others, ultimately that thing you are harboring in your heart is separating you from God and thus destroying your communion with Him!

Do you see that? Now, let me take that a step further…what a sad thought to know that this thing your are holding onto, that someone else has done to you, is causing you to be out communion with “your God!”

Are you seeing the bigger picture here? By not forgiving, you are not only allowing what was done to you to hurt you, but now that same thing you’re holding onto is hurting your relationship with God! So, in the end by not forgiving this person, your only allowing them to hurt you even more!!!

Someone out there this morning has been harboring some things for a long time now and God is saying to you this morning, “let it go and give it to me because I’m tired you allowing it to drive a wedge between us!”

Let go and let God this morning friend because the only one getting the short end of the stick here is you!

So we see how unforgiveness hinders our Communication w/ God and our Communion w/ God but as I was thinking about this another thought came to mind. It also Hinders Our Connection w/ Others!

Hinders Our Connection w/ Others

Think about it…how many times has someone done you wrong and because of that, you’re skiddish about trusting anyone else? When you aren’t willing to forgive and move on, then the weight of that wrongdoing lingers on your heart and causes you not to trust as deeply as could or would’ve before.

It causes a strain on your relationships with others! You see, what most people don’t realize is that Christ dying on the cross did two things…by trusting in Him, it makes us right with God and also it “should” set our minds and hearts in motion to get right with mankind as well!

Take a look at this cross for a second. This part sets us in order with God and when we’re living by the example Jesus left, this part sets us in line with mankind!

What are you trying to say preacher? Well look at what Peter asked Christ right here in Matthew 18:21. He said...

Matthew 18:21-22 (KJV) — 21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? 22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.

Peters theory had a limit of 7 times but Jesus said nay, but until seventy times seven! Now, Jesus wasn’t saying to only forgive a person 490 times but what He was saying to Peter here was this…never stop forgiving!

Oh, dear friend there are some very important hidden truths here that I hope you understand this morning!!

The Bible says in...

Ephesians 4:25-27, 30-32 (KJV) — 26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: 27 Neither give place to the devil. 30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: 32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

As God for Christ’s sake has forgiven us!!! Do you see that? Can you imagine if God were to put limits on how many times we could sin before being cast into outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth!

Dear friend we’d all be headed for hell! But for Christ’s sake He has forgiven us!

Romans 5:6-8 (KJV) 6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. 8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

As they hung him on that rugged cross, in shame, in spite and despair. He looked down up us all and asked that God would forgive us for we didn’t know what we were doing!

My sin, your sin and the sins of the whole world was the reason that the one and only Son of God gave himself to be crucified and yet as he hung there on that cross, despised by the whole world, the last petition He made to His Father was for our forgiveness!

We shouldn’t just forgive someone 7 times or 70 times or 490 times, we ought to forgive every time someone sins against us because God for Christ’s sake has forgiven us!

Unforgiveness Hinders Our Communication w/ God, Our Communion w/ God and Our Connection w/ Others. And not only does it Hinder Us but it Hurts Us.

Hurts Us

How does it hurt us you ask? First off it Hurts Our Attitudes. Look at the fellow in this parable for instance.

Hurts Our Attitudes

Here he is, he’s just been pardoned of all his debt that he owed the king. Now this is first picture is us and God. The Bible says for the wages of sin is death and since we have all sinned, the amount we owe for that sin is death. But we, like this servant here come before the throne room of God, begging for mercy and then because of the blood that was shed on Calvary, the King has compassion on us and sets us free from our burden of sin.

Then, this second picture here, where the servant who was just forgiven, goes out and holds the one who had sinned against him and owed him a debt accountable, that’s a picture of us when we’re not willing to forgive someone of their debt.

Now listen, holding a grudge or malice in our hearts instead of forgiving, causes us to be like this wicked servant here. He had a bad attitude because he wasn’t willing to afford this person the same forgiveness that he’d just been shown!

How many of us this morning, we walk around day in and day out with bad attitudes because we’re holding on to something that is causing us pain and grief! Maybe your like this wicked servant this morning, holding onto something and because of this thing, this wrong that has been committed against you, you have a bad attitude and it hurts not only you but those around you!

And not only does it Hurt Our Attitudes but it Hurts Our Actions!

Hurts Our Actions

Notice the reaction of this wicked servant when the fellowservant asks for forgiveness! The Bible says he grabbed this fellowservant up by the throat and said, “pay me what you owe!” And when the fellowservant couldn’t pay it, he took and had him thrown in prison!

Now is this how this wicked servant should have reacted? The answer is no! He should have administered the same grace and mercy that he’d just received to this fellowservant of his, right?

How many of us this morning, we’ve been shown this same grace and mercy from the King but yet, like this wicked servant, we’re unwilling to forgive the debt owed us or sin that has been committed against us from someone else?

Our reaction, if we could get our hands on the person who’s done us wrong, would be just like this wicked servant! We’d harm them to try and regain some satisfaction from the wrong that has been committed against us!

But that’s not what we’re supposed to do! Jesus said in...

Matthew 5:38-48 (KJV) — 38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: 39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. 41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. 42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. 43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? 47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? 48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Now, this is not our first reaction and it’s definitely not the easiest reaction but it’s the right reaction! This is why everything that Jesus taught flew in the face of everything the world taught. This is why people couldn’t stand Him. This is why they didn’t understand Him! This very thing is why they crucified our Lord and Savior, they buffeted Him and yet He spake not a word in return!

He could have called twelve legions of angels to save him when they come to take Him in that Garden of Gethsemane and not a hair of His head would’ve ever been touched but He didn’t!

He went through everything He did to give us an example of how we are to live! Of how we are to treat others. Of how we are to restore broken relationships instead of retaliate against our enemies! The Bible says in...

Colossians 3:12-13 (KJV) — 12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

And then it tells us in...

Romans 12:17-21 (KJV) — 17 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. 18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. 19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. 20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. 21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

This wicked servant was overcome with evil and because of his unwillingness to forgive, his actions suffered because of it and ultimately, it was the cause of not only his hurt but his harm which is the last thing I want to look at this morning.

The act of unforgiveness Hinders Us, it Hurts Us and it Harms Us.

Harms Us

Look at the final result of this wicked servants actions here. The Bible says that the other fellowservants, after seeing what the wicked servant had done, went and told their master and he called this wicked servant back in and said shouldn’t you have showed this fellowservant of yours the same compassion that I showed you?

And because he didn’t, the Bible says the Master delivered this wicked servant unto the tormentors till he should pay all that he owed.

Then Jesus finishes by saying...

Matthew 18:35 (KJV) — So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.

As I was thinking upon this I want to share the thought that was laid upon my heart…I personally don’t take this like a Christian who could lose their salvation and be cast into hell but rather here’s the thought I had…the Bible says the Master delivered him unto the tormentors…what if for those who are born again this morning but are holding a grudge, animosity, or resentment in their hearts against someone…what if the tormentors are a representation of hard times or bad times or unfortunate things that may come our way?

Is there someone who has sinned against you and you know you need to forgive them but you haven’t? And things in your life just seem to be out of sorts. Doesn’t matter what you do nothings ever seems to go your way?

Have you ever thought that maybe that’s simply God’s way of trying to get your attention and say, “hey you, if you’d just forgive that person and turn it over to me I can do a lot more with it than you can!”

Listen, holding onto grudges, bitterness and anger against someone this morning does three things: It Hinders, It Hurts & It Harms but if you’ll turn these things over to God, it can do right the opposite which is how I want to land this plane!

The title I gave this message was Finding Freedom in Forgiveness and there’s no doubt in my mind that there are some folks tuning in today who feel burdened, weighted down and maybe even angry because there is someone who has sinned against you and you are still holding onto it instead of letting it go!

Why don’t you free yourself from that burden today? Why don’t you get on your knees during the invitation here in a minute and Find Freedom in Forgiveness!

You can leave here today liberated from someone else’s wrongdoing against you. You can free up that hindered Communication w/ God, which in turn will restore your Communion w/ Him and your ability to Connect w/ Others! You can find healing for your hurt, peace for your pain and an aid for your anger! And ultimately you can halt yourself from the harm that harboring unforgiveness brings!

Stop allowing someone else’s wrongdoings to continue causing you pain and agony! Turn it over to God and allow Him to repay! Come and restore the joy of your salvation today by turning your cares over to Him because He cares for you!

Find Freedom in Forgiveness today!