I Choose To Forgive - Part 4 Series

MATTHEW 6:14-15 “I CHOOSE TO FORGIVE – PART 4”

A) We are the followers of Christ, and our Lord has commanded us to stay busy

in this matter of forgiveness.

* Look at a quick review of Jesus’ teaching on the subject – Jesus on Forgiveness .......

* Mark 11:25 ....... Luke 6:37 ....... Matt. 6:12 .......

B) Are you ready for that? – Those are some pretty tough, important statements.

* Let me do this one last time ... Think about the ways that you’ve failed God.

* Have you thought of them? ... Now I want to ask you a question – But I want to tell

you what the word fail means before you answer the question.

C) In Luke 22, Jesus and His disciples were celebrating Passover.

* Jesus knew that He was going to be tortured and then crucified on a cross and die.

* He goes through the Passover with them comparing the bread and cup to His body

and blood – And then He talks about His betrayal. (Please get that)

D) When you read about this event, please notice the selfishness of the disciples.

* Look at what they were discussing – Luke 22:24 “And there was also a strife .......”

* Then Jesus explains to them who would be the greatest, and then He tells them of

their place in the future kingdom.

* Then look what happens next ... Luke 22:31-34 .......

E) Here’s what that word “fail” means ... The Greek word is “ekleipo” (ek-li’-po),

and it means, “to omit,”

* Webster: “to fall short, to disappoint the expectations or trust of.”

* Now the question – How many of us will admit that we have failed God?

* Now pray this, “God, I want You to forgive me the way that I forgive other people.”

F) Where would you be if the Lord chose to forgive you as you forgive others?

* Somehow God is keeping track of the way that we forgive and the degree to which

we forgive, and He is measuring His forgiveness back to us in the same portion.

* Go back to our text – Matthew 6 .......

G) Note the word “but” (de) in v.15 ... It means, “on the contrary, unless.”

* Church, this is not something that Jesus is suggesting – He commands it.

* Because I’m forgiven, I choose to forgive ... And remember, forgiveness is a decision

to release a person from the obligation that resulted when they injured you.

I CHOOSE FORGIVENESS BECAUSE FORGIVENESS HAS NO LIMITS

A) Peter was trying to put a limit to forgiveness – Turn over to Matthew 18.

* Peter (You got to love him) put a limit to forgive to 7 times (v.21)

* And he thought he would blow the Lord’s mind if he offered forgiveness to the person

that sinned against him over and over to 7 times – But Jesus said in v.22 .......

B) Maybe we limit forgiveness like Peter did on how many times we’ll forgive.

* But you cannot put a limit on forgiveness, not according to the Bible.

* In fact, Jesus wanted to make sure they got this that He goes into this amazing parable

here starting in Matthew 18:23 .......

* A parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning – Let me illustrate .......

C) 10,000 talents – Here’s how much that is – 1 talent was 20 years wages.

* Let’s say that an experienced laborer makes 50K a year – So 20 years of income

@ 50K a year is how much money? – 1 Million dollars.

* If 1 talent is 1 million dollars, 10,000 talents is 10 billion dollars. (How much?)

D) What Jesus is saying is that this is an unpayable amount – You could never

earn that much or get that much ... It’s a number that you could never get to.

* So you could see that it would be insane that the guy comes in – He owes 10,000

talents, and since he could not pay – Look at v.25 .......

E) Not that he’d ever make payment, but he’d pay what he could.

* He would be a slave for the rest of his life – v.26 .......

* Which was an outrageous assertion because there was no possibility whatsoever

that he could do that – v.27 .......

F) Do you understand that that’s you? – Do you get it?

* Who’s the King in this parable? ... God is ... We’re the one with the debt that cannot

be paid – Please understand that about yourself.

* You understand that before a holy God, you owe a debt that could never be paid.

G) It is only by the grace of God that keeps you from falling into hell this moment.