INTRODUCTION
• A man lay on his deathbed, harassed by fear because he had harbored hatred against another. He sent for the individual with whom he had had disagreement years before; he then made overtures of peace. The two of them shook hands in friendship. But as the visitor left the room, the sick man roused himself and said, "Remember, if I get over this, the old quarrel stands."
• Did you heard about the elderly, single woman who pre-planned her funeral. The director was intrigued by the fact she chose 6 female pallbearers. Are you sure you want all women to carry your casket to the grave? He asked, "I’m positive, she responded, if those bozo men wouldn’t take me out when I was alive, I’m sure not going to let them take me out when I’m dead."
• Sounds kind of bitter.
• How many people’s lives have you seen destroyed because they were not willing to be a forgiving person? Some folks have experienced some terrible things at the hands of another person. Many times those terrible things come from the very people who are supposed to love and protect us.
• Sometimes we are not willing to forgive a person over some of the smallest offenses.
• How does a person who has been abused by another person ever forgive them? I was listening to a friend of two of the Washington D.C. area sniper victims on television the other night. How does a person who has lost friends and family members at the hand of another ever forgive them?
• Forgiveness is the most basic Christian quality. Without forgiveness, we wouldn’t have Christianity as we know it. Without forgiveness, we would all be doomed to hell, condemned sinners without hope of any kind. Knowing this, a proper understanding of forgiveness will transform our relationship with God, with others and with ourselves.
• What does the word “forgive” mean? The meaning of the word "forgiveness" is: to dismiss, to release, to leave or abandon. We hear of a judge that has "dismissed" the charges against a defendant. That person is then forgiven of any wrong doing. We hear of a person that is released from an obligation, such as a loan or debt. That person is then forgiven. The word forgiveness also has the meaning to restore someone back to their original condition. The person who has been forgiven of a sin then restored to the condition of not having sinned: the sin has been dismissed and he has been released from any penalty. The case against him has been abandoned or dismissed.
• Forgiving people can be one of the toughest things that Christ commands us to do, but it is something that we are commanded to do.
• In the passage today I hope to give you some practical steps that will help make it easier for you to be a forgiving person. It is easy to carry a grudge against a person, but if we belong to Christ, then we will learn to be a forgiving person.
• If you are struggling with being able to forgive people, you really need to listen today. God’s word can help you overcome this issue.
SERMON
A forgiving person will:
I. SET NO LIMITS ON FORGIVING (21-22)
• Peter starts off this discussion by asking Jesus a question. Jesus has just spoken to the group about disciplining a brother who has gone astray. Now after listening to this, Peter wants to know something about forgiveness.
• Peter is wonderful to have around because he is not afraid to ask the questions that others are too afraid to ask.
• READ VERSES 21-22
• To understand just how generous Peter is being on this issue we need to know that the Jewish people felt that God only wanted them to forgive a person 3 times. They got this thought from the book of Amos. In the first chapter, God was pronouncing judgments against the neighboring nations of Israel. He said He would revoke His punishment against them for three transgressions, but not four. The religious teachers wrongly interpreted this to mean they only had to forgive a person three times.
• Now here is Peter, willing to go what he thinks is the extra mile and says “how about seven times”!
• Jesus responds to Peter by saying not just seven times but up to seventy times or seventy times seven.
• Jesus was not giving Peter a number to track, but a principle to follow.
• We are not supposed to set limits on how many times we are to forgive a person.
• We are supposed to forgive like Jesus has forgiven us! EPHESIANS 4:32 says, “Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.”
• How many times has Jesus forgiven you? At what number did Jesus say He would no longer forgive you?
• Jesus says if a person repents, we are to forgive them.
• Forgiving does not mean that if a person abuses us, we are to go back for more. It means if they repent, we are to release our right to retaliation.
• We cannot have it in our minds when our children are born; we are only going to forgive them 28 times, then, “THAT’S IT BUDDY!”
• The Law counts, grace does not count.
• COLOSSIANS 3:12-13 So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.
• Luke 17:3-4 says, “Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. "And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, ’I repent,’ forgive him."
• In the Old Testament we have the example of Joseph forgiving his brothers. They hated him, they were going to kill him and they finally sold him into slavery. They allowed his father to think he has been killed. After Joseph rose to prominence in the Egyptian leadership, he could have had his brothers put to death. They were afraid he was going to do that when Joseph’s father died in Genesis 50:15-21.
• Look at what Joseph says to his brothers to calm their fear of him.
• “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.
• Set no limits on forgiving people.
A forgiving person will:
II. STUDY THE DEBTS THEY OWE (23-24)
• Let us look at verses 23-24.
• Jesus is going to share a parable to illustrate what He is telling Peter. In the parable we have a King and a person who owes him a great deal of money.
• The king starts to call in the people who owed money to settle up.
• This one particular person owed the king a tremendous amount of money. People will spend a lot of time trying to figure out how much 10,000 talents translates to.
• Parables are not meant to have all the details pressed. Ten thousand was the largest numerical term in the Greek language it was also used figuratively to represent a vast, uncountable number.
• One thing that will help us to be a more forgiving person is understanding just how much we owe.
• READ LUKE 7:37-47
• When we lose sight of what God has forgiven us for, we tend to think higher of ourselves than we should.
• When we realize what God has done for us, it makes us people who are willing to be more forgiving.
• In just a few minutes, this servant will wish he knew what he owed.
A forgiving person will:
III. SEEK THE EXPERIENCE OF FORGIVENESS THEMSELVES (25-27)
• Here is this poor guy who is going to find himself in a seemingly hopeless situation.
• READ VERSES 25-27
• This servant is seeking some mercy from the king.
• At this point the Slave was not interested in trying to get his debt forgiven; he wanted more time so that he could figure out a way to take care of it himself.
• If we don’t know what it feels like to be forgiven, then we will not want to let others feel that forgiveness.
• This looks like a pathetic sight. Here is a man who is in a situation in which he has no way out. He is looking for anything to stall the inevitable.
• If you belong to Jesus, you know what it feels like to be forgiven. I know I was old enough and had done enough that when I came to Jesus, I knew I needed forgiveness. When I got it, it felt so good!
• When we seek the experience, we also want to let other people experience it also!
• Once again, if we do not feel like we have ever done anything that God needed to forgive, then our attitude towards others becomes callous.
• Why would you let another persons actions destroy you?
A forgiving person will:
IV. SHUN THE PRACTICE OF EXTRACTING DEBTS FROM OTHERS (28-30)
• Verse 27 would have been a great place to end this parable. The servant who could not pay back his master had his debt FORGIVEN!
• Let me ask you, how would you have felt coming away from the king? What if you had lost your job and been out of work for six months. The bank calls, you plead with them for more time and then they tell you, “The $100,000 that you owe on the house has been forgiven you. By the way, the $20,000 worth of car loans, the $10,000 worth of credit card debt and the bow flex payment have all been forgiven you!
• Well the story does not end here for the servant. READ VERSES 28-30.
• As soon as this guy leaves the king, he goes looking for a person who owes him an equivalent of 100 days worth of wages. Maybe this guy borrowed money for his bow flex and was not making the payments.
• The servant finds this guy so he can show him forgiveness also right? WRONG!
• This servant did what the law allowed him; he tossed the person who owed him money in jail.
• This goes a lot to the character of the servant. Many commentators speculate that the servant was embezzling from the king. He was looking to get what was owed to him.
• How many times do we hold on to that grudge because we want the person to pay!
• I see this in some family breakups. Each spouse has been hurt, so how do they handle it? You guessed it, through the children. It never ends and it damages the children.
• We should not go through life looking to get what we are owed all the time. There will come a day when you will not want what you are owed!
A forgiving person will:
V. SOW WHAT YOU HAVE RECEIVED (31-35)
• Look at verses 31-35
• Verse 33 is the key. Sow the seeds of forgiveness as you have reaped them from God.
• MAT 6:12 ’And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
• MARK11:25 "Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions.
• Look at verse 35. We supposed to forgive people from the heart!
• Genuine forgiveness runs deep. It is not a thin surface patch on a relationship, but an inner change of heart toward the offender. Too often we think we have extended forgiveness when we have only covered over our resentment.
• Rabbi David A. Nelson likes to tell the story of two brothers who went to their rabbi to settle a long-standing feud. The rabbi got the two to reconcile their differences and shake hands. As they were about to leave, he asked each one to make a wish for the other in honor of the Jewish New Year. The first brother turned to the other and said, "I wish you what you wish me." At that, the second brother threw up his hands and said, "See, Rabbi, he’s starting up again!"
CONCLUSION
• Jesus warns us of the consequences of not forgiving people in the last few verse of this parable.
• The bottom line, IF YOU WANT GOD TO FORGIVE YOU, YOU MUST FOR GIVE OTHER PEOPLE.
• It is sad and it is funny. Some folks will go all through life holding a grudge against someone because they think it hurts the other person when the sad truth it, it just hurts you!
• I realize people do bad things to people. What are you going to do about it? I realize people do stupid things to other people. What are you going to do about it? I realize people do insensitive things to other people. What are you going to do about it? I realize people do careless things to other people. What are you going to do about it?
• I have been on the giving end of all these things. I am so glad that God has forgiven me. Who am I not to forgive someone? I am bigger than God?
• What about you? If you want to be a forgiving person, set no limits on forgiveness, study your own indebtedness, seek the experience of forgiveness in your life through Jesus, shun the practice of extracting debts and sow what you have received from God and others!
• Do not let anger, revenge and grudges destroy your life and the lives of those around you! Give it to Jesus today! Give it to Jesus right now!
• As we offer the invitation, it you are holding a grudge, commit to Jesus right now that you are going to release it to Him and forgive the one who offended you!
