Can you quietly think of a time when you had to forgive someone…?
Can you think of a time when someone had to forgive you….?
Peter, a disciple, asked Jesus, how many times do I forgive my brother or sister when they offend me? Should I forgive 7 times?
Jesus said, 70 X 7 = 490…. That is a lot of times!
What Jesus is saying is that it is not just 490 times, but countless times..! We are to firgive every single time….!!
Then Jesus told a story to show us why we need to forgive….
“Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. 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.
“At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ The servant’s master took pity on him, cancelled the debt and let him go.
“But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.
“His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’
“But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.
“Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
“This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
Why is it so important to forgive…? Because GOD forgives us of our huge debts…
So, if another person does you wrong, you must forgive them.
Jesus said…. Matthew 6:14-15 (NIV)
“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.”
That’s serious!! If I don’t forgive the person who has wronged me, God will not forgive me..!!
We might say, well, its not my fault that the person did me wrong. Why is it up to me to forgive? That’s not fair….!
NO this is too hard for me..!! I cant do it….
Many people have been in this situation. The hurt is so bad, and person was so hateful and cruel, it seems impossible to forgive.
Well, it is impossible for you to forgive, until you yourself have known the amazing love of God and the joy he gives when you know he has forgiven you. If you have really known that in your life, you will not want anything to take that away, or to stop you being close to God.
Why I don’t want to forgive….
- We don’t want to forgive because often we don’t appreciate how bad our sins are to God.
- I don’t want to forgive because the other person deserves bad punishment and hell.
- I don’t want to forgive, because it is quite nice sometimes to criticize the other person’s sins and it is not as bad as my sin. We harbour illwill towards the other person, and sort of gloat about it…
Why I need to forgive….
- God will not forgive me unless I forgive the person who hurt me.
- If the person is really bad and has done something really seriously bad, I must for give them too.
WHY? Why does God say I have to do this.? Because God knows, when you for give that person, really and truly, you will know Gods deepest blessings in your inner person. You will move close to His heart, and He will show you wonderful thing about himself that you would never know, if you just keep the unforgiving spirit.
If I don’t forgive, then I am harbouring the worst sin. If I think about what Jesus did for me, and I don’t deserve it, then how can I hold things against other people? Jesus suffered in agony on the cross for me. He did it out of love for me and was not willing that I should perish. This should be my attitude to others.
This sin of un-forgiveness is what spoils our whole world, and I need to give it up and repent from it.
Lettsom Inn 