Forgive as the Lord forgave you

Forgiveness  •  Sermon  •  Submitted
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Christians know they must be forgiving people. We have no problems committing to memory and reciting passages like Matthew 6:14, "For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." Most of us have no problem asking God for forgiveness either. However, I believe Christians have a misunderstanding of forgiveness or do not know the true meaning. When was the last time you used or heard someone say a phrase like, "You are not sorry unless you stop doing it" or "I have to forgive myself, first." I believe we all have said something to that affect in our lifetimes. Therefore, my purpose today is to highlight what God says about forgiveness and how we should forgive.

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I. Forgive as the Lord forgave you (Col 3:13)

a. Nature of God (Ex 34:6-7; Ps 79:9; Jer 31:31-34; 1 Jn 1:9)

Exodus 34:6–7 LEB
And Yahweh passed over before him, and he proclaimed, “Yahweh, Yahweh, God, who is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding with loyal love and faithfulness, keeping loyal love to the thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and he does not leave utterly unpunished, punishing the guilt of fathers on sons and on sons of sons on third and fourth generations.”
Psalm 79:9 LEB
Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name; and deliver us and forgive our sins for the sake of your name.
Jeremiah 31:31–34 LEB
Look, the days are coming,” declares Yahweh, “and I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their ancestors on the day of my grasping them by their hand, bringing them out from the land of Egypt, my covenant that they themselves broke, though I myself was a master over them,” declares Yahweh. “But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares Yahweh: “I will put my law in their inward parts and on their hearts I will write it, and I will be to them God, and they themselves will be to me people. And they will no longer teach each one his neighbor, or each one his brother, saying, ‘Know Yahweh,’ for all of them will know me, from their smallest and up to their greatest,” declares Yahweh, “for I will forgive their iniquity and their sin I will no longer remember.”
1 John 1:9 LEB
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, so that he will forgive us our sins and will cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

b. Nature of Jesus Christ (Mk 2:5; Jn 1:29; Acts 5:31; Ro 3:25; Heb 9:28)

Mark 2:5 LEB
And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Child, your sins are forgiven.”
John 1:29 LEB
On the next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
Acts 5:31 LEB
This one God has exalted to his right hand as Leader and Savior to grant repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.
Romans 3:25 LEB
whom God made publicly available as the mercy seat through faith in his blood, for a demonstration of his righteousness, because of the passing over of previously committed sins,
Hebrews 9:28 LEB
thus also Christ, having been offered once in order to bear the sins of many, will appear for the second time without reference to sin to those who eagerly await him for salvation.

II. Bear with each other and forgive one another if there is a charge

a. to bear means to be patient or slow in anger. We bear with one another by being patient like God

b. We too forgive as God forgives if there is a charge. . .unmerciful servant (Matt 18:21-35)

Matthew 18:21–35 LEB
Then Peter came up to him and said, “Lord, how many times will my brother sin against me and I will forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven! “For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man—a king—who wanted to settle accounts with his slaves. And when he began to settle them, someone was brought to him who owed ten thousand talents. And because he did not have enough to repay it, the master ordered him to be sold, and his wife and his children and everything that he had, and to be repaid. Then the slave threw himself to the ground and began to do obeisance to him, saying, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay back everything to you!’ So the master of that slave, because he had compassion, released him and forgave him the loan. But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii, and taking hold of him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay back everything that you owe!’ Then his fellow slave threw himself to the ground and began to implore him, saying, ‘Be patient with me and I will repay you!’ But he did not want to, but rather he went and threw him into prison until he would repay what was owed. So when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were extremely distressed, and went and reported to their master everything that had happened. Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘Wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you implored me! Should you not also have shown mercy to your fellow slave as I also showed mercy to you?’ And because he was angry, his master handed him over to the merciless jailers until he would repay everything that was owed. So also my heavenly Father will do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from your hearts!”

i. charge- Seven times seven (Gen 4:24 Lamech limitless revenge); 1 Co 13:5 (attitude of love... one keeps no record of wrongs).

ii. Apology- appeal to withhold wrath or consequences

III. Forgiveness through preaching (Jn 20:23)

a. Jesus is not giving disciples personal authority to forgive sin; it is done through preaching the word

b. there is a binding and loosing in preaching of the gospel because the keys of the kingdom is proclaiming the good news (Matt 16:13-20)

Matthew 16:13–20 LEB
Now when Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he began asking his disciples, saying, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!” And Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it! I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you release on earth will be released in heaven.” Then he commanded the disciples that they should tell no one that he was the Christ.

“binding and loosing” is a Rabbinical teaching related to scribes as a teacher. Binding was to forbid and loosing was to permit. Keys refers to the proclamation of the gospel in verse 16. Hershel Hobbs wrote, “Heaven and God has a decree that men shall be saved by hearing and believing the gospel. If we bind it on earth by failing to proclaim it, heaven has no other way by which men shall be saved. But if we loose it on earth, men will hear, and those who believe it shall be saved” (H Hobbs, An Exposition of the Four Gospels: Matthew, p. 222).

IV. Conclusion

So how do we forgive? We forgive as the Lord forgave us. Through bearing or being patient with one another and forgiving each other, if there is a grievance or charge. Learn to apologize, which not only acknowledges you wronged someone, its an appeal to withhold wrath or consequences of the wrong based on their character (child of God). Present an opportunity to the world to be forgiven through the preaching of the word. Romans 10:14-17. Most importantly, forgiveness reconciles ones relationship with God, as well as, restores relationships with one another. 

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