Forgiveness

On December of 2012. 20 year old Adam Lanza shot and killed his mother with a rifle that she had purchased. He would then load up the other guns from his home into his mother’s car. He then drove to Sandy Hook Elementry school were he would faitally shot 20 children and 6 adults and would later take his own life.

Scarlett Lewis’s son, Jessie was killed in the Sandy hook school shootings. At first, she said, it felt like the shooter was attached to Her by some umbilical cord that sapped all her strenght and energy. she was angry at the shooter and at the mother for unwittingly arming him. But she made a choice to forgive.

Listen to what she said, “Forgiveness felt like i was given a big pair of scissors to cut the tie and regain my personal power. It started with a choice and then became a process!”

She urged mourners at Jessie’s funeral to change their angry thoughts into loving ones, that there by they might change the world.

If we are all honest I’d say we all struggle with forgiveness. We struggle with forgive people that have hurt us.

when we don’t forgive we become a prisoner to the past.

In our culter we don’t want to forgive. We live life like a bumper sticker I saw that says I don’t get mad I get even. We wait for our turn to get revenge. We don’t seek forgiveness in our relationships.

Jesus has just finished speaking about if your brother sins against you and

Peter asked Jesus’s Matthew 18:21-22 “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?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.”

Looking deeper at Peter’s question and the Jewish background they beleived that 3 times was enough to show a forgiving spirit.

Peter thought he was already being very spiritual seven times of forgiving a brother is already more times than their culture. Rabbis taught that 3 times of forgiveness was enough

God’s standard of forgiveness is far above the world’s standard. God’s standard of forgiveness is even far above the religious.

What Jesus is saying is that Peter, should go on forgiving because of the reality of his own forgiveness is demonstrated in the way in which God forgives others.

We are obligated, because of the father’s infinite mercy toward us, to treat with unconditional mercy our fellow belivers who sin against us.

Fogivness should be at the core of every believer because it’s the heart of God

what is forgiveness?

Forgiveness is the release, on the part of the creditor or offended party, of any expectation that a debt will be repaid or that an offender will receive punishment for an offense. When describing the removal of an inappropriate offense in this way, the removal does not condone the behavior or suggest approval for the offense.

Jesus tells a parable of the unforgiving servent

Matthew 18:23–27 ESV

“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. 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. So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt.

Have you accepted God’s forgiveness?

The master is settleing accounts and the servent owe a debt he can’t pay.

He owes a debt he can’t pay.

He owes ten thousand talents. A silver talent weighed about 75 pounds. which is valued at 6000 denari. A danari is a days wage for a common labor.

If you took the minimum wage in 2001 which was $5.15 a hour. that would be $41.20 a day. a talent would be worth $247,200.

The debt this guy owed is like a factory worker promising to pay of the national debt in america

the servent in denial still thinks with a little time he could pay the debt. but he could’t pay the debt in 200 life times

I want to ask you what’s the debt you owe that you can’t pay? if the master came calling what would you have to pay?

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

It’s only through the cross we find forgiveness for the debt we can’t pay.

Romans 5:8 “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

we have a God that despite our condition loved us enough to forgive of the debt we couldn’t.

When we truly accept the forgiveness of our sins and see the debt that was paid and what it cost for you and me to be free. it should transform our lives

It should change my attitude towards others. The bible say that those that are forgiven much love much.

Forgiveness lies at the heart of our faith in God and our love for one another.

what happens when we don’t see the debt that was paid for us to be free.

Matthew 18:28-30 “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.”

Have you forgiven others who have hurt you?

have you every been around people that are just bitter? they look like they been sucking on lemons all week before they come to church.

Your almost afraid to ask them how their doing. They’ve been hurt so bad and never delt with forgiving the people that have hurt them.

Why do I need to for give others?

1. Forgivness is directly tied to our relation ship with christ.

That same Forgiveness that was given to me at salvation should be modeled in my relationships with my brothers and sisters

Matthew 6:15 “but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

2. It inprisons you in your past.

Withholding forgiveness keeps you stuck in a moment and time. Playing the hurt and the pain they caused you over and over. do you have people in your life every time you see them it’s the same story?

Withholding forgiveness will hinder future relationships. Because we carry the unforgiveness and hurt into each relationship we have.

3. unforgiveness will produce bitterness and create offence.

Unforgiveness is like drinking poision waiting on the other person to die

withholding forgiveness will cause a root of bitterness. that will cause you to bleed the hurt and pain on everyone around you which will lead to more hurt and pain and anger in your life.

Matthew 5:23-24 “So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”

tell my story of my dad.

when we model forgiveness we model the Cross.

John 13:35 “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.””

Matthew 18:31 “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.”

We have been intrusted with forgiveness and truth. It should grieve us when we see bitterness and grudges between fellow believers.

Matthew 18:32-34 “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.”

We need to pay God’s forgiveness forward. Because God wants to transform our lives through forgiveness and the lives of others.

Forgiveness is something that takes place in the heart. It’s something that happens on the inside that manifests it’s self in our relationships with others.

It’s the transformation on the inside that God is truly looking for in our lives.

God’s expectation is for us to show the same forgiveness that he has shown us.

Matthew 18:35 “So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.””

We can’t hide unforgiveness from our heavenly Father. We might be able to do lip service with everyone else but if it dosen’t come from the heart it’s in vain.

God’s ready to give you the sissors to cut the ties of unforgiveness in your life. It starts with understanding the forgiveness we’ve been given.