Forgiveness
Identity in Christ • Sermon • Submitted
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What do I want them to know? They are forgiven and are to forgive
Why? Forgiveness brings freedom
What do I want them to do? Forgive
Why? Forgiveness brings freedom and healing
ME/WE
Have you ever been offended, somebody said or did something that was very offensive to you?
Have you ever been? Cut off or torn down or hurt by someone?
All of us right? Everyone one of has been hurt, offended, cut down, slander by someone intentionally or not.
Some of us happen this morning driving to church someone offended you by cutting you off.
Some of us where offend by our spouse or significant other....they said something or did something that was offensive…
Others of us have family members or co-workers who you believer their middle name is offensive…it is not if they will offend you but when will they offend you.
THE REALITY is This side of heaven we live in a world because sin remains where people OFFEND PEOPEL INTENTIONALLY or UNINTENTIONALLY
Our best friends and significant others and spouse offend us many times not intentionally
The question for us is what do we do with the offense?
Now that we settled the matter that people will offend you, we cannot stop that, though we should try to as much as we can.
What do we do when we get offended? What is our response to be? Should we response as the world does?
Should we seek revenge? Let get up our dukes, our verbal swords, Eye for eye and tooth for tooth. oh you hurt me, offended me you just wait…I am going you back…it is on!...
2. Maybe should just cancel them out of our life, that’s popular today…I am offend you are a republicans, I am offended you are democrat, I am offend you wear masks, I am offended you don’t wear a mask, I am offend you like the Steelers…that one we can keep…
This mentality has crept into the church. I saw this from a pastor recently say if someone offends you on Facebook just defriend them cancel them out of your life.....is that the heart of Jesus? Is this what Jesus does, cancel everyone out who offends Him? Guess what would happen if he did that? we all would be cancelled.
3. We should just hold a grudge or bitterness, stonewall them, do not open up to them or speak harsh words to them when we see them…this is what I did to my good friend in high school who dated the girl I was trying to date....I not only canceled him but also held a grudge against them and spoke mean things against him.
Is this what God has for the people of God, the Saints, the royal priesthood?When someone offends you, seek revenge, hold a grudge, cancel them out (which are all a manifestation of unforgiveness....at the root of revenge, bitterness, cancel culture is unforgivenss)???
NO
Does the scriptures say that those who have been forgiven much need not to forgive much? Is that what scripture says???
No, what does the word of God say?
Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
(Put off the old self....one of the main themes in Ephesians is to put off the old identity and put on our new identity....put off the ways of the world, put off bitterness, wrath, ungoldy anger, slandor, and put on the ways of the kingdom of God)
What we are to do when someone offends us is not to, pick up the offense, seek revenge, not to cancel them, not to be bitter, not forgive them, but to forgive them as Christ has forgiven us.
Here’s the big questions?
1. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO FORGIVE? What does it mean to forgive as Christ has forgiven us?
2.. Why is it important?
3. How many times are we to forgive someone?
These are the questions that come up in a conversation the Apostle Peter has with Jesus.
Peter wants to know about forgiveness…Jesus teach me about forgiveness.
Peter opens up the conversation about forgiveness with a question.
Let’s read what Peter says to Jesus
Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?”
Peter wants to know how many times he should forgive someone...
Anybody wonder that question?
IS there a limit?
at that time the religious leaders said there was a limit...
anybody know the limit?
the ways of the “righteous” was to forgive someone 3 times, 3 strikes and you are out..s
so Peter wanting to show how “righteous” he is doubling what they do and adding 1....look at me Jesus
Jesus I am going the extra mile…gold star
What does Jesus say?
Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.
What Jesus is saying Peter is not to keep a list for 77 times (BEN THAT WAS NUMBER #39 YOU HAVE 38 LEFT, YOU HAVE USED HALF OF THEM) RATHER JESUS is communicating that the giving of forgiveness is to be unlimited...
JESUS YOU MEAN THAT WE ARE TO FORGIVE OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER
- You PROBABLY could just see the disciples have a look of shock on their face....
IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD There is no such UNFORGIVENESS IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD…think about that
AS SAINTS, HOLY ONES, SET APART ONES, we are to freely give forgiveness out over and over…it is freely given though we are going to see in a minute it will cost us something.
Jesus doesn’t stop there
Then Jesus shows what it means to forgiveness in a parable…let me show you what forgiveness looks like
IT DOES NOT LOOK LIKE THE WAY OF THE WORLDS FORGIVENESS
HOW DOES THE WORLDS VERSION OF FORGIVENESS LOOK?
in that day and in our day so often forgiven is strings attached…all different strings
AS LONG AS YOU DO WHAT I WANT, OBEY ME, WORSHIP ME, I WILL FORGIVE YOU, BUT IF YOU DON’T UNFORGIVENESS COMES BACK
OR I’ll forgive you as long as you forgive me
OR I’ll forgive you as long as you pay the debt of offense against me you owe
GET OUT OF DEBTERS PRISON
Some people like to charge interest and like to be in control/power so the interest is always greater than the payment.
Is this how forgiveness looks in the kingdom of God? Strings attached, pay a debt? NO
forgiveness in the kingdom of God is given freely but it does cost the forgiver something
forgiveness in the kingdom of God is given freely but it does cost the forgiver something
Let’s see what Jesus says about forgiveness in a parable
“Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants.
When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.
20 years of wages…insurmountable debt....Jesus point is not the amount 20 year wages but an amount that is unpayable
What does will this KING do with this insurmountable debt? He first does what would be expected
And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made.
THE king says you are going to work until you can pay this off....your whole family is going to be affected by your debt
How does this servant respond to this sentencing? Does he say ok? No he response how you and I would respond
So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’
How does the king respond? Get up and act like a man, you are embarrassing yourself
NO
And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt.
Splanchnizomai
Splanchnizomai
the master was moved with great compassion....
Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament based on Semantic Domains 25.49 σπλαγχνίζομαι; σπλάγχνα, ων
to experience great affection and compassion for someone—‘to feel compassion for, to have great affection for, love, compassion.’
How does this king have splanchizomai? How can he have compassion when he has been offended so greatly???....he does so by humbling himself and put himself in the servants shoes...
he sees this debt is going to ruin the servant and his family.
He seeks humility over my needs over me over pride.
What is humility?
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.
Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,
is this often how we respond when someone offends us? We considered them more significant? We have splanchnizomia on them? Compassion of them???
No, we are thinking about me, what you did to me....
PRIDE SAYS WHAT ABOUT ME....PRIDE GETS IN THE WAY OF SPLANCHNIZOMAI
HUMILITY SAYS WHAT ABOUT YOU
THIS IS AN UPSIDE DOWN KINGDOM
WHERE DOES THIS SPLANCHNIZOMAI TAKE THE KING
Out of splanchnizomai the master does what does the KING DO? lessen the debt, 10% off, 50%
No, the king cancels the debt
WHOA!
You could probably see at this moment amongst the 12 disciples their mouths drop.....they are more than shocked
Nobody does that
That doesn’t happen
This is not how the way of the world operates, but it is the way of the kingdom of God
And when the king canceling the debt, who ends up paying the debt? THE KING… the debt is still there.
- Just like if you would come to me and borrow $5000 dollars and then come to me later and say I cannot pay it back and I forgive the debt, who does the forgiveness cost? ME
This is what forgiveness is
It cancels the debt and pays the debt ....we incure the debt which is one of the reason we don’t like to to forgive because it cost us something....is this not what Jesus did on the cross.
When someone cuts you off in line or steals something for you I am going to cancel the debt of what you stole from me time or treasures, and pay the debt tab…let you have the time or treasures
When someone offends you verbally I am going to cancel the debt and bless you instead of curse you.
Forgiveness cancels the debt and pays the debt....and it does this for FREE
Two things before we move on
You are not always going to feel like doing splanchnizomia....you do not need to feel like forgiving someone to forgive them....this is not an out clause for us
haven’t we said before, “I’ll forgive when I feel like it.” What verse in the Bible is that…nowhere
The reality is you may never feel like forgiving them.
God calls us to forgive as He has forgiven us
2. There is a difference between forgiveness, trust, and reconciliation...
one of the other reasons we get messed up at with forgiveness is we or I have made forgiveness, trust, and reconcilation the same definition.
Forgiven is freely given though it cost the forgiver
Trust is earned (does the king now trust the servant with his money? NO)....if they are not trustworthy we do not trust them.
Reconciliation takes time (an hour, a day, a month)
We hope for reconcilation and it takes two parties to reconcilie so if one party is not for reconciliation it is not going to work.
We long, hope and dream for this,
Now back to the parable
How does the servant respond to the unbelievable forgiveness he has been given?
Praise God from whom all blessings flow
NO
But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’
So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’
He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt.
When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place.
Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me.
And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’
And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt.
So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”
$10 dollars
Pay what you owe!
Prisoin
How could he
Look at what this guy did, who had just been forgiven, they told the king what happened and the king brought the servant to him.
(what’s going on? I forgave you this imsurmountable debt and somone
Jesus just drops the harmer on the importance of forgiveness.
What Jesus is saying to us for those in the kingdom of God, those who are saints, those who belong to Jesus
The ways of those who are of the kingdom of God are the ones who forgive as there Father forgave this imsurmountable debt
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
God is saying to us how can we who have been forgiven an imsurmountable debt, we deserve HELL, we deserve judgement, then in return not forgive others when they owe us $10 compared to what the debt we owe God.
When we chose to not forgive we are not acting like saints, holy ones, set apart ones, but wicked servants of the kingdom of darkness.
This should not be.
Not only are acting like the kingdom of darkness and not of God we are reaping the rotten fruit of the kingdom of darkness that unforgiveness brings
Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.
For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
When we sow seeds of UNFORGIVENESS WE REAP DESTRUCTION....
The person receive the most destruction by our unforgiveness is ourselves not the person we have not forgiven.
Unforgiveness is the like drinking posion hoping the other person will suffer.
Some people do not even know you are mad at them or offended by them, they are going on with life, happy go luck, praise Jesus and you are stewing and bitter.
Visa versa
2 big rotten fruit that we get from unforgiveness
Unforgiveness gives us the rotten fruit of keeping us stuck in the past and not able to be fully present in the future.
It is having go back to the offense pick it up again and again about what someone did to you.
I get it, I was in a verabally abusive family, I picked up the offense over and over every time my family member said ___ or did ___....it was easy and felt good in the moment but created a heart of bitterness.
When you live in the past your destintd to repeat it....this is what hurt people hurt people, offended people who have not forgiven become offensive.
The way I was able to do this is by the work of the Lord and the church....it was a process and not always easy.....
I was reminded what my God did for me at the cross forgiven me
2. Fruit is that unforgiveness sows seeds that grow roots of bitterness.
Every bitter person I have met including myself is bitter because they sowed seeds of unforgiveness.
AN forgiving heart is a bitter heart
How you kill the root is the with forgiveness.
remember forgiveness is free though it cost the forgiver
Trust is earned
Reconciliation takes time
Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.
See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled;
and give no opportunity to the devil.
US
Who is God calling you to forgive? Dad, mom, brother, sister, friend
Would you forgive them?
Would you take the first step and making a phone call, a text, writing down, offering to the Lord, maybe they are no longer here, saying God I forgive my dad, my mom, Jack, Amanda, Monica
Other of you in this room the person you need to forgive is not someone else but you cannot forgive yourself because you make up rules that a real Christian wouldn’t do that, or I can’t do that, and you block of the free gift of forgivenss that Gives you that cost Him everthing.
Receive it.
