Sermon Central
-
Forgiveness Limits...?
Contributed by Ovidiu Radulescu on Jul 31, 2010 (message contributor)
FORGIVENESS LIMITS...?
I feel more comfortable when I can see the extent of my obligations. That brings light to the lesson of Peter in Matthew 18.
Peter was concerned about how many times he should forgive his neighbor. Peter knew what the rabbis had to say on the topic. They had read the hook of Amos.
They had concluded that the Lord forgives three times, and the fourth time He lets sinners have it. Well, rabbinic logic suggested that you cannot be more generous than God. Therefore, they concluded, three times should be the limit of human forgiveness.
Now Peter had recognized that Jesus was not a minimalist. So he doubled the rabbinic three forgivenesses and added one for good measure, coming to the conclusion that seven forgivenesses would be quite generous.
And that is a lot of forgiveness, if you start thinking about it. If I backed into your car seven times in the next seven days in the church parking lot, you would think that seven is probably about six times too many.
But Christ bowled poor Peter over. He said, "Peter, Peter, not seven but 490." Try that sometime. By the time you get to 490, you’ll not have a car. You will also have lost count.
Related Sermon Illustrations
-
Psa 91 – Engineer Unit (1943-45)their Chaplain ... PRO
Contributed by Michael Dugal on Jul 20, 2003
Psa 91 – engineer unit (1943-45)Their chaplain encouraged them to carry a copy of this Psalm with them as they went into battle. During two years and over 20 intense battles, the unit expereinced no deaths. During Operation ...read more
-
In The West During The Torrential Spring Rains, ...
Contributed by Tim Zingale on Oct 10, 2005
"In the west during the torrential spring rains, the rivers frequently rise and flood the lowlands. There was a little girl who lived In the valley of one of these mighty rivers and one weekend "he was going with her parents to visit friends. As she was packing, she placed her dearest possession in ...read more
-
2. Cal And Rose Samra Share This Story From Holy ... PRO
Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Jan 8, 2005
2. Cal and Rose Samra share this story from Holy Hilarity: From Rev. John L. Wallace. Christmas: It wasn’t long ago that a psychologists started telling us that the ‘holidays’ are not a source of joy for everyone. Like the drunk I encountered on the subway on Christmas Eve, they’ve been told the ...read more
-
How Much Do You Want Knowledge? PRO
Contributed by Donnie Martin on Aug 2, 2002
HOW MUCH DO YOU WANT KNOWLEDGE? There’s a story about a proud young man who came to Socrates asking for knowledge. He walked up to the muscular philosopher and said, “O great Socrates, I come to you for knowledge.” Socrates recognized a pompous numbskull when he saw one. He led the young man ...read more
-
Charles Swindoll Says That Competitive ...
Contributed by Richard Wafford on Nov 24, 2004
Charles Swindoll says that competitive excellence requires one hundred percent all of the time. If you doubt that, try maintaining excellence by setting your standards at 92 percent. Or even 95 percent. People figure they’re doing fine so long as they get somewhat near it. Excellence gets reduced ...read more
Related Sermons
-
Forgive Or Not To Forgive
Contributed by Anthony Zibolski on Feb 28, 2012
Forgiveness is the way the Lord releases us from guilt and sets us free to continue loving God and others.
-
Core Values - Compassion
Contributed by Paul Cull on Apr 18, 2007
Compassion is a core value in our church - why?
-
What To Do, After Easter
Contributed by Harold Laubach Jr on Apr 13, 2013
Sermon on Following up with our life, after Easter is over. Acts 2 gives us the road map on what to do and when to expect those signs and miracles from God.
-
Paradise Lost
Contributed by Kerry Haynes on Mar 5, 2017
Like our first parents, each of us have sinned and fallen short of God's glory. The story of the Fall tells us much about God's giving heart, Satan's destructive lies, and humanity's need for a Savior, of which God provided from the beginning.
-
A Real Man
Contributed by Rodney V Johnson on Jun 16, 2012
This messages focuses on why society's notion of a real man hinders fathers from developing strong relationships with their children.
