Torment_unforgiveness

TIED TO THE TORMENTORS

Matthew 18: 21-35

21 Then Peter came to him and asked, “Sir, how often should I forgive a brother who sins against me? Seven times?”

22 “No!” Jesus replied, “seventy times seven!”

23 “The Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date. 24 In the process, one of his debtors

was brought in who owed him $10 million! 25 He couldn’t pay, so the king ordered him sold for the debt, also his wife and children and

everything he had.

26 “But the man fell down before the king, his face in the dust, and said, ‘Oh, sir, be patient with me and I will pay it all.’

27 “Then the king was filled with pity for him and released him and forgave his debt.

28 “But when the man left the king, he went to a man who owed him $2,000 and grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment.

29 “The man fell down before him and begged him to give him a little time. ‘Be patient and I will pay it,’ he pled.

30 “But his creditor wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and jailed until the debt would be paid in full.

31 “Then the man’s friends went to the king and told him what had happened. 32 And the king called before him the man he had forgiven and

said, ‘You evil-hearted wretch! Here I forgave you all that tremendous debt, just because you asked me to- 33 shouldn’t you have

mercy on others, just as I had mercy on you?34 Then the angry king sent the man to the torture chamber until he had paid every last

penny due. 35 So shall my heavenly Father do to you if you refuse to truly forgive your brothers.

1. There’s a haunting verse in Matthew 18 that we need to all take very seriously. It’s verse 34...and it reads...

“And his master became very angry. He turned him and bound him to the tormentors until he could pay all that was due to him.”

“I HOPE YOU DON’T MIND IF...”

A. The “tormentor” is the fruit of the Enemy’s work when you allow bitterness, resentment, or unforgiveness to remain in your heart.

B. In the spirit-realm, unforgiveness always ties you to the person you are not forgiving. (Hence, you are

“bound to the tormentor’s.”)

2. Reflecting on the Matthew 18 story, here’s the financial comparison of the two debts. In today’s monetary system, the one guy owed

10 million and the second man owed him only about 2000 .

A. The boss of the first man forgave his enormous debt. But then that guy refused to forgive the much smaller debt of the person who owed him money.

B. Forgotten grace causes “UNFORGIVING living .”

3. Unforgiveness “ties us to the tormentors” when we don’t realize that...

#1= Forgiveness is NOT “letting the other person off the hook .”

#2= Forgiveness is NOT a feeling or emotion... It’s a choice .

(Mt. 6:12, 14-15...”If you forgive...”)

#3= Forgiveness frees the Living GOD up to be a “Just Judge.” (Romans 12:19)

4. A few practical ways I personally “untie myself” from the tormentors...

#1: I choose .

#2: I journal .

#3: I take a prayer walk and do something symbolic of “release.”

#4: I “bring my thoughts into captivity.” (II Corinthians 10:5)

#5: I pray blessings on the person I’m struggling with because Mt. 5:44 tells me that this will bring freedom.