| Why forgiveness is a big deal! |
 |
Why Forgiveness is a big deal!
Matt.18:21-35
Introduction: One of the hardest things to do for people and even for followers of Christ is something called forgiveness. This is no a natural thing; what is natural, is the feeling of getting even, pay back. That is the normal response when someone has done something bad to us, we just want to get even. C.S Lewis was right when he said “We all agree that forgiveness is a beautiful idea until we have to practice it” It’s hard, but it’s doable, in fact Christ is calling his followers, his church to practice it; it’s part of being a disciple of Christ because the kingdom of God is about forgiveness.
Jesus just got done instructing his disciples about what to do when a believer sinned against another. Peter asked a question that perhaps many of us have asked before and would like to know the answer. How many times should I forgive a person (brother/sister: believer) who sins against me? Up to seven times? Peter even exceeded the number of times of what was taught and required in Rabbinic literature: In Rabbinic literature the number was 3; you would forgive someone up to three offenses and that was it, not four, no five, just three.
Read Matt.18:21-35
Jesus’ answer to Peter shows that forgiveness has no limit; then Jesus went on to illustrate the connection between forgiveness and his kingdom.
The parable is about a king (God) who wanted to settle accounts with his servants (us)
The 10,000 talents is a hyperbole (exaggeration) to illustrate the outrageous debt this servant had. It is as though we were talking about millions of dollars in debt. There is no way he could have paid such enormous debt.
-A hundred denarii (equivalent to a few hundred dollars), it cannot even be compared to the first debt. This is pocket change compared to the gigantic debt.
There are many principles we can learn from this parable regarding forgiveness.
I. Forgiveness has no limit in God’s kingdom: it doesn’t matter how big the offense or sin, there is always forgiveness in the kingdom of God. This king here represents God as our king and how we have been forgiven so much that we could not even repay. God has shown mercy to us, not just once or twice, but every time we have needed it. It doesn’t matter how big or nasty our sins are there is always forgiveness for those who are willing to humble themselves and seek it.
II. Unwillingness to forgive others shows our little understanding of God’s grace and forgiveness towards us.
-The servant who was forgiven got what he asked for, he was given mercy and forgiveness but he wasn’t able to extend it to others. He didn’t even appreciate his own forgiveness. We should be motivated to forgive others because we ourselves have been forgiven by God. The understanding of what was forgiven hasn’t even penetrated the heart of this servant. He is called wicked by the king and then given what he truly deserved in the first place. This servant didn’t not even think about what the king just did for him. He was focused on himself.
“the key to forgiveness is to stop focusing on what others have done to us and focus on what Jesus has done for us” (Commentary on Matthew by Michael Wilkins)
III. Your unforgiving attitude affects your fellowship with God. (v.35) This is a tough verse. “That is how your heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from the heart.” Your relationship between you and your brothers and sisters affects your relationship with God. This verse takes us back to the Lord’s Prayer or model prayer where Jesus also tells us why we are to forgive others. Mat.6:14-15
“Forgive us, as we forgive those who sin against us….”
V14-15 If you forgive, your heavenly Father will forgive you; but if you don’t forgive, then your heavenly Father will not forgive you. Every time we approach God in prayer we should ask him to forgive our sins, our faults, but here we read that God will not listen to our prayer if we haven’t forgiven those who sin against us.
God doesn’t want to talk to you when you haven’t forgiven your brother or sister. Praying is useless when you have an unforgiving heart. God is not listening to you; your worship becomes lip service when you refuse to forgive others. Another tough verse is I John 4:20-21. Your love for God is shown in your love for your brother/sister. This is how serious God is toward our forgiving each other.
Remember there is no limit to forgiveness; we are to forgive because we have been forgiven; and when we choose not to forgive, it shows that we haven’t truly appreciated God’s forgiveness towards us. It is evident that we haven’t truly grasped God’s mercy and grace in our own lives. When you choose not to forgive, then you may as well not even bother to pray or worship God because he will not listen to you until you have forgiven your brother. That’s how serious he is about forgiveness in his kingdom. That is why forgiveness is then a big deal.
|
|
