Monday, June 18, 2012

Do You Want to be Forgiven?


Matthew 18:21-35

New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)

21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?”

22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.

23 “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents[b] was brought to him. 25 Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

26 “The servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ 27 The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.

28 “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii.[c] He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.

29 “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’

30 “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.

32 “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ 34 In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

35 “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.”


“I forgive you,” those are very easy words to say but are they always heartfelt?  This is a question that each one of us needs to ponder as we will be judged according to our forgiveness of others.  There is another place where Jesus specifies that we need to forgive, Matthew 6: 12, 14-15.  We find it when Jesus was teaching His disciples how to pray.  When He said,  12 “Forgive us our debts  as we also have forgiven our debtors”.  Following that prayer He made another special emphasis on this specific portion of the verse when He said, 14 “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins”.  (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%206:%2012%20-%2015&version=NIV1984) Is forgiveness important?  It is if you want to be forgiven by the Father! 

Sometimes it is easier to forgive than other times.  Because we look at sin at different levels.  In our eyes a lie dims in comparison to murder.   In Isaiah 59: 2 – 3 we see murder and a lie are in the same category, one that separates us from God.  2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear. 3 For your hands are stained with blood, your fingers with guilt.  Your lips have spoken lies, and your tongue mutters wicked things.  When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, in Matthew 22: 37 – 40,   37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2018:%2021%20-%2035&version=NIV1984Prophets hang on these two commandments.”  (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2022:%20%2037%20%2040&version=NIV1984)  If you stop and think about every commandment, each of them applies to either our relationship with God or our brother. 



Some hurts, for humans are deeper than others.  It is much easier for us to forgive a lie than it is a murder.  It is much easier for us to forgive the debt of our brother if it is $100.00 but if it is $1,000.00 we are a little less likely to forgive it.  God doesn’t look at it that way.  Any sin we commit is a separation from God, as is stated in Isaiah 59. 



Now that we have established the seriousness of all sin, let’s look back at our verses for us today.  Our Father has forgiven our huge debt in which we should be more than grateful for.  Yet, if our brother speaks against us and we hold that against them, not forgiving them is not acceptable to God.  If we can’t forgive how can the Father forgive us?  We are not any more special to our Father than our brother is.  Forgiveness is essential.  We can say, “I forgive” but it is our heart that the forgiveness needs to come from, not our mouths.  It is so easy to tell our brother that they need to forgive but we need to first look at our own hearts and make sure we have forgiven.  Jesus gave us an example of forgiving from the heart, one that we ourselves need to take to heart when our brother has sinned against us.  It can be found in Luke 23:34  34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.  (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2023:34&version=NIV1984)   It is written how they beat Him, spat upon Him, mocked Him, and stole from Him but He forgave them even while He was in pain, hanging from a cross.  We are to use His example and forgive others. When we are in our deepest hurt over the actions of others we need to forgive and forgive from our hearts, not lip service.  We need to each one examine our hearts to see that we have forgiven or our brothers from our hearts.



As you seek Him and find Him, remember that just as He has forgiven you, so must you forgive your brother.



Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila




































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