21) Forgive Us - As We Forgive Others
TEXT: Matthew 6:12
In the immediate context here...
We find Jesus teaching the disciples “How to Pray”.
This particular account in the Scriptures
Is what is more commonly referred to today as “The Lord’s Prayer”.
And although there is much to learn from Christ’s example of Prayer,
It’s really the idea of Forgiveness as found in verse number 12
That will be our ongoing focus today.
Here Jesus simply says:
12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
Straight away, I want you to notice that there are two distinct aspects
To the forgiveness Jesus is talking about here.
Firstly, there is God’s forgiveness of us,
And we covered the truth of this last week.
And Secondly, there is Our forgiveness of others.
And it’s this latter aspect regarding the forgiveness of others
That we’re going to be focusing on this morning.
This is something that Jesus Himself addressed in His Prayer.
INTRODUCTION & RECAP
What’s interesting though, is that Jesus links the whole idea of forgiveness in vs 12,
Back to the existence of a personal “Debt”.
There is the debt we owe God, and there is reference to the debt others owe us.
Now a Debt is simply “Something you owe to another”.
Most of us only think of our debts in terms of dollars and cents.
But in truth we actually owe a lot more than that – don’t we.
In the Greek this word Debt does indeed speak of “something that is owed”
However, more specifically, it carries with it the idea of
Of a debt incurred for an “offence” or “sin” committed.
The term emphasises a serious transgression which in turn requires reparation.
Here Jesus prays to the Lord and says - Forgive us of our debts
And in doing so, He makes it quite clear
That we not only owe something to God,
But that we are totally indebted to the Lord because
Of our sins and trespasses against Him.
You see, our sins have incurred a Dept.
In fact, the Bible declares that:
…All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, - Romans 3:23
And that …the wages of sin is death; - Romans 6:23.
We have all transgressed God’s Holy Law,
And there is a price to be paid for that sin,
There is a debt that is owed.
Of course, we all know that by God’s redemptive plan
Jesus stood in our stead, and paid the debt for our sins in full
By shedding His blood and laying down His life on the cross.
And what’s more, we know that from the point of our salvation
The eternal consequence and penalty of our sins was wiped away forever.
Amen to that!
We are no longer chained to our sins…
Or to the colossal debt we owe God for our transgressions
Because Jesus has forgiven us of that dept once and for all.
That is the grace of God’s Eternal Forgiveness in our lives,
And this is something we all received freely at the point of Salvation.
No more condemnation for our sins…
But the loosing of an eternal dept through Christ Jesus.
Now interestingly, in the immediate context here,
Jesus was not talking about salvation…
Or of the need for them to receive God’s eternal forgiveness.
As Christ’s disciples – they had already done that.
In fact, back in Matthew Chapter 5 we are reassured of this reality when we are told:
1 And seeing the multitudes, He [Jesus] went up into a mountain: and when He was set,
His disciples came unto Him:
2 And He opened His mouth, and taught them, saying, (Mat 5:1-2).
ETERNAL FORGIVENESS - Once Saved Always Saved!
Jesus was not teaching His disciples – who were already saved,
That they somehow needed to seek God’s eternal forgiveness again.
Remember Once Saved – Always Saved!!!
Jesus said John 10: 28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and my Father are one. (John 10:28-30)
The Bible declares that once we receive the promise of salvation in Christ Jesus, Nothing will ever take that away from us.
We are given double assurance right here…
Through God the Father - and God the Son,
That Once we are Saved - we will always be Saved – because God’s promise to us.
Ephesians 4:30 even talks about the…
Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
You see God is a Triune being…One God – who is revealed to us in three parts,
And the Scriptures teach us that every facet of God…
Every ounce of His being – is dedicated to our salvation.
God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit…
All testify to the fact that, once we are saved - we are always saved.
Paul talks about the wonderful assurance this provides us in Titus 1:2 saying:
In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;
God’s plan for our Salvation…
Always required a price for man’s sin being paid…
And the dept we have incurred for our transgressions being cleared.
And this was only every possible through the Perfect Sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
Only His blood could stand as an atonement for our transgressions before God,
And only through the innocent blood He shed…
Could the eternal consequence of our sins be paid
And the dept we owe – eternally forgiven.
DAILY FORGIVENESS – Once Saved Still A Sinner!
Of course, in the context here – Jesus is not teaching about the need for salvation.
He was showing His Disciples – who were already saved - how to pray.
So when Jesus prayed – Forgive us of our debts…
It was not to teach the disciples of their need for saved,
Or because they didn’t understand their need for God’s eternal forgiveness.
No – Instead what Jesus was revealing here,
Was that although the eternal consequence and dept of their sins had been forgiven,
In the flesh, they still remained sinners.
When we get saved – we receive God’s spirit into our hearts,
And the spirit’s presence seals and keeps us unto the day of our promised salvation,
But – even though we are saved…
In the flesh we will continue to transgress and sin against God.
And so begins the ongoing struggle every Child of God has…
And it’s a battle between the Flesh and the Spirit.
The Spirit wants to lead us according to God’s best and His will for our lives,
But the flesh wants to lead us into fulfilling our own selfish needs and desires.
Paul sums this struggle up well in Galatians 5:17 saying:
For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
Even after we get saved – we continue to wrestle with our sinful nature.
When we get saved – the spirit of God wants to lead us one way,
But our sinful flesh continues to want to lead us another.
And as we discovered last week… Our sins when left unchecked,
Can actually have a dire impact on our daily walk and relationship with the Lord.
So we need to continue to repent – not secure our salvation,
But to ensure we enjoy a close personal relationship with the Lord here on earth.
You see, our sins stand as a wedge between us and the Lord,
Isaiah 59:2 says this: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear.
You see, our sins create a wall and barrier that stands in the way
And impedes our ability to have an intimate and close personal relationship with God
Consequently, we need to keep dealing with those sins…
By repenting and seeking God’s Daily Forgiveness in our lives.
1 John 1:9 says:
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
You see, even after we get saved – and receive God’s Eternal Forgiveness,
The truth is we all continue to struggle with our sinful nature,
And our sins when left unchecked…
Will affect our walk and personal relationship with God
And it’s because of this– that Jesus emphasizes to the disciples
That when they pray - They should be actively seeking
The Lord’s daily forgiveness for their continued transgressions.
Forgiving Others
However moving beyond all of this,
Remember – Jesus outlines two aspects to forgiveness here,
He says: Forgive us our debts [He says first]…as we forgive our debtors.
“Forgive all the sins we have committed against you Lord…
In the same way, and in the same manner,
We are forgiving those that have sinned against us.”
You see, there is not only a certain level of expectation in this prayer,
But there is a clear link and association here.
We know that God is ready and willing to forgive us.
However now, there is also a strong indication
That God also expects us to be willing and ready to forgive others.
And the truth is - the more God has forgiven us…
The more we should be ready to forgive others.
And the more we forgive others…
The more of God’s forgiveness we will in turn experience in our own lives.
Let’s see this principle taught another way in the Scriptures.
Turn with me to Matthew Chapter 18.
Here Jesus is again teaching about how we ought to be willing to forgive others
Let’s pick up our reading in verse 21:
21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
Here Peter just gets straight to the point – and he asks the question...
We all have at some point thought in our hearts.
“Do I really have to forgive this person?”...and...
“How often should I forgive them?”
And Peter even goes so far as to ask for a number - doesn’t he.
“Am I supposed to forgive people that have wronged me seven times over?”
I mean that sounds like an unreasonable amount – doesn’t it?
In fact, if we forgive people a couple of times,
And they then turn around and do the same thing again
Then we think we have done all we need to do…
Because clearly they don’t warrant our forgiveness anymore.
Yet look how Jesus responds in verse 22:
22 Jesus saith unto him I say not unto thee, [forgive] Until seven times:
but, Until seventy times seven.
Now Peter was looking for a number to keep track of
And so Jesus simply gave Him a number that he couldn’t track.
And by application the principle Jesus is teaching here
Is that we just don’t forgive people once or twice…
Or even seven times – but that we keep on forgiving those who sin against us.
THE PARABLE UNFORGIVING SERVANT
Now this is a difficult principle to understand on its own.
I mean Why should I forgive those that have clearly wronged me…
Over and over again? It doesn’t make sense right?
Well thankfully Jesus really hits the point home with a spiritual parable
That we must all hear and come to understand. Look at Verse 23:
23 Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened…
(This is what the spiritual kingdom of God looks like…
This is how it functions, and this is how it works - Jesus says,)
23 …it’s like a certain king, which would take account of His servants.
24 And when He had begun to reckon [that is to calculate the peoples debts],
…one was brought unto Him, which owed Him ten thousand talents.
Now a Talent was actually a common mode of measurement
Used throughout ancient middle Eastern countries.
And it was actually a measure of weight used specifically to measure out money.
You see, the monetary system used back then, wasn’t like it is today.
You didn’t get paper notes of all sizes and numerical amounts,
You had gold and silver coins, (and because the currency system was not exact), Those coins could vary in size and weight.
Therefore, whenever large or sizable monetary transactions where done,
The coins would be weighed to give a more exact amount…
And the measure used was “a Talent”.
Now one Talent was said to be equivalent to 35 kg…so that’s a heavy weight.
And this particular servant owed 10,000 talents!!!
Which was a dept equivalent to 350,000 kg of gold or silver coins.
So this was a massive dept, and one of such magnitude,
That this man was never ever going to be able to repay it.
Verse 25
25 But forasmuch as he had not to pay, His lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.
There was going to be a reckoning for the debt that was owed.
Now in ancient times – this is the way the legal system worked.
There was no such thing as declaring bankruptcy.
If you had a dept that could not be repaid – then your life
And the lives of your family…
And all of that you owned was forfeit.
The person owed the dept - had the legal right to take you into his possession
And to do with you what He pleased as reparation for payment.
So this brethren was a big dept – and it meant big trouble for this servant.
Verse 26
26 The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped Him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
27 Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed Him, and forgave Him the debt.
Make sure you get an understanding of just what is happening…
Because the man begged for more time to try and make things right,
But the King extended him a level of Mercy…
That in the eyes of the law - he clearly didn’t deserve.
The king forgave him of his debt completely!
THE PARABLES MEANING
Now let’s put this parable into the right context…
Because remember Jesus said – “This is what God’s Kingdom is like.”
And in that respect, its easy for us to recognize that the King
Is actually Jesus Christ Himself.
Makes sense, because we know Him to be…
The King of King’s and Lord of Lord’s, (1Tim 6:15)
And in like manner, it’s every bit as easy to recognize
That we are actually this problematic servant
Who have an extraordinary debt of such magnitude,
That we ourselves will never ever be able to repay it.
Furthermore, through this parable we see the wonderful compassion…
And unfathomable love God has extended towards us
By forgiving each and everyone of us of our sins.
The Parable Continues
Now this would have been a wonderful place for the parable to end…
But unfortunately it continues.
This forgiven servant doesn’t actually learn from this experience,
And actually goes straight back out and sins – offending the King once more.
Remember, we are not here to talk about God’s forgiveness of us,
But about our willingness to follow Christ’s example to forgive others. Verse 28:
28 But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence:
Now one penny was said to be the equivalent to a full day’s wage.
So this guy had a reasonable debt…
Which was going to take him just over 3 months to work off.
But it was nothing compared to the debt this man had just been forgiven of.
So how does he react? Well we are told that:
…he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest.
29 And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
These last words sound more than a little familiar right?
Now all things being considered –you would think that this would have been the point
This man remembered how He Himself had been forgiven when in the same position
And would expect him to have extended some form of mercy. Verse 30…
30 And he would not [no forgiveness here]: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.
31 So when his fellowservants [these are other servants of the king] saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done.
32 Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant [there is a clear injustice here that the King has to deal with], I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:
33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? Clearly - That would have been the right thing to do.
34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors [that means prison keepers], till he should pay all that was due unto Him.
And now Jesus really hammers the point to His teachings home – saying Verse 35
35 So likewise shall my Heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.
Now it’s easy to recognise that in this parable
So much of the time we take on the role of this wicked servant,
Because even though God has forgiven us of a massive dept...
Relating to all the sins we have committed against Him,
We still can’t somehow bring ourselves to forgive others when they sin against us.
And what’s more than this – is we know that God is a Holy and Just God,
And that one day we will all stand before His throne to give an account of our lives.
Now how’s it going to look when God measures up
The abundant forgiveness He has bestowed upon us….
With our unwillingness to forgive others – even of the smallest of things?
What will His judgement be of our lives on that day?
If we - having been forgiven of the greatest of depts,
Cannot even extend a small level of comparison towards others...
Are we not this Wicked Servant?
WHY WE DON’T FORGIVE
Just as Christ has forgiven us - we ought to be ready and willing to forgive others!
Jesus does not place any terms or conditions around this.
He just says that we need to be forgiving others.
We all know this to be right in our hearts...So why don’t we then?
Why do we struggle so much with the act of forgiving others?
God forgives us again and again…and we have no problems with that,
But when it comes to forgiving someone else...
Well things get kind of tough.
Why is that? Why do we struggle so much to forgive others?
Well there are two main reasons – I think.
One is we often harbour hurt feelings...
And the other is we have all kinds of misconceptions,
About why we should be forgiving others.
So lets talk about this briefly before we close.
a) Hurt Feelings
Firstly, our “Hurt Feelings” get in the way.
We all know how this works right…
They hurt us – so we are going to hurt them back.
They wronged us – therefore were going to wrong them.
It’s an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth…
And so we feel like we don’t have to forgive them – because they wronged us.
Often it’s our feelings that get in the way of forgiving others,
And I think that’s pretty obvious to most – but this next ones not.
b) Misconceptions
Sometimes we don’t forgive as we should because we have “Misconceptions”.
We misconstrue what “forgiving others” is really all about.
We have all these misconceptions around why forgiveness is important.
And unfortunately, what happens is we hold to these misnomers,
And then try to apply our thoughts and feelings about forgiveness in the wrong way.
And if you think the principle forgiving others is hard now…
You just try to forgive someone in the wrong way – because it just doesn’t work.
One common misconception we have is that...
We need to forgive people who deserve it.
Those who are repentant or those who ask for our forgiveness...
Well those are the ones that deserve a second chance – so we need to forgive them.
Now that all sounds good in theory,
But is that the example Jesus gave us to follow – is it.
WHO DERSEVES TO BE FORGIVEN?
Does God only forgive the people – that deserve it?
And who exactly deserves to be forgiven anyway?
Let me tell you a profound truth...
God forgave me and I didn’t deserve it!
There is nothing I have done to earn or deserve God’s forgiveness in my life,
And yet He has extended His mercy and forgiveness to me freely!
What was the example Jesus left for us to follow?
Well when Jesus was being butchered and hung on a cross
He prayed: “Father forgive them – for they know not what they do”
He was ready to forgive all the wrongs He suffered...
And to let go of those hurts – not because they deserved it,
But because it was the right thing to do.
Those that beat, whipped and crucified Jesus never showed any remorse
Or asked for any of His forgiveness – and yet Jesus forgave them anyway.
Christ forgave others even when they didn’t deserve it!
In fact, isn’t it true that – Christ forgave us all in this way. Amen!
We must be careful not to hold onto any false misconceptions
About when our forgiveness should be offered and who it is warranted.
We don’t forgive people just because we feel like it or because they deserve it.
We forgive others – because it’s the example Jesus gave,
And we want to love and follow Him.
And in order for this to happen – understanding verse 35 is key. Jesus said:
35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.
WE ARE NO DOOR MAT
I think it important to clarify something here though.
I want to make something really clear right now.
God does not expect us to be door mats for other people.
God does not expect us to open ourselves up to continual hurts
And to the repeated offences of others.
Neither does He require us to just sit back
And accept the consequences of other people’s sins in our lives.
That’s not what forgiveness is.
That’s not at all what this teaching is about.
If you have a friend who steals, lies
And repeatedly abuses the love you show them,
Its ok to distance yourself from that person
And to put boundaries in place in your life…
So that that their sinful choices and actions do not continue to affect you.
Jesus simply wants us to forgive those who sin against us…
Not accept their sins, condone their sinful actions, or to somehow enable them
To keep doing the same things over and over again.
So lets just be clear about that first,
WHY FORGIVE THEN
You see, if we are ever going to really Follow Jesus
We need to learn to Forgive like Jesus.
If we are ever going to experience His Kingdom here on earth
We need to understand what His Kingdom is like.
And here’s how it works -The more we chose to forgive…
The more we are choosing to be forgiven.
And the more we learn to love others in this way,
The more we will come to understand God’s infinite love for us.
When we chose to forgive…
We are choosing to be free from the pain and hurts
Others have caused us.
When we forgive we let go of the past so that we can
Really begin to live with Jesus in the present.
It’s not really about those who have wronged us…
It’s about us coming to understand just how much we owe Christ.
It’s not so much about you helping them – as it is about letting God help you.
And true forgiveness is not even about being reconciled with others...
Because at the end of the day – it’s more about us being reconciled with God.
Listen to me now - We don’t forgive others for their sakes...
We forgive them for our sakes!
Do you understand the significance behind this principle?
CONCLUSION
In Matthew 6:12 Jesus taught His disciples how to Pray
And He simply said: Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
Jesus demonstrated that we are to Pray,
Not only by asking God to pardon the sins we commit against Him,
But to also ask for the strength of character needed
To forgive others for the wrongs they commit against us.
Now the link and implication here is clear.
God forgives us…and we in turn are to be forgiving others.
But that really begs the question of why?
And the real answer to that question is – its what’s best for us.
When we forgive others of the wrongs they cause...
Irrespective of whether they deserve it or not,
We are choosing to follow Christ’s example and to more forward with Him.
And the more we forgive others...
The more we place ourselves in a position where we can be forgiven by God.
The Bible declares - 21 Then came Peter to Him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven……
35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.
There is one final Scripture and spiritual principle about forgiveness
I wish leave with you all today.
It’s found in Ephesians 4:32 and it simply says:
And be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you – Amen!
