FORGIVING Vs. UNFORGIVING
Mark 11:22-26; Matt. 18:21-35; Luke 17:3-4; 1 Pet.3:8-12
Pastor Greg Mc Donald
The topic of today’s message is “Forgiving vs. Unforgiving”. In the Church’s today to many people are taking this topic to lightly. The reason that is, is because I don’t believe they realize the effects of either of these words.
The effects of forgiving, are peace, restoration, harmony, and etc. As people forgive, they are released into great freedom; freedom to fulfill their destiny for God’s kingdom. A person who forgives, is one that is living out the fruit of the spirit the best they can in their life. (Read Gal.5:22-23) Everyone of these are evident in a forgiving person.
Biblical meaning Forgiveness “To forgive someone is to free fully, i.e. (literally) relieve, release, dismiss (reflexively, depart), or (figuratively) let die, pardon or (specially) divorce:(let) depart, let go, loose, put (send) away, release, set at liberty.” Strong’s Concordance
I’m sure that many would say, that forgiving someone is not easy. For some it probably is the most difficult thing in the universe.
1. Forgiveness means - that the forgiving person as the innocent one resolves his own wrath over the sin of the guilty one and lets the guilty one go free.
2. Forgiveness means - that one genuinely loves, and this love can move beyond the issue to the person, and that one cares more about the person than about what he or she has done.
3. Forgiveness liberates, it frees the person for the privileges of living a guiltless life from ones past.
The effects of unforgiving, are broken relationships, broken homes, division in the Body of Christ, bitterness, anger, resentment, rage, and so on. (Read Gal. 5:19-20) Everyone of these are found in an unforgiving person.
ILLUSTRATION: Use a married couple to illustrate the effects of unforgiveness. Take the husband and tape his hands to a kick ball. Write the word unforgiveness on the ball. With him at this state have him try to do some simple tasks. Like picking up something or write an apology letter to his wife that he has not forgiven. Then have the wife come and try to show affection to him. This is impossible until one of two things take place. He forgives her, or she intercedes on his behalf in love for God to brake the chains that bind him. Have wife pray for husband, as she does start unwrapping the husbands hands and have him return affection to his wife.
Another Area It Effects Is Prayer.
Mark 11:24-26 "Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they shall be granted you. 25 "And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your transgressions. 26["But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions."] NAS
As we look at this passage we can see a couple of areas that will effect the power of our prayers. First is doubt. Doubt is a hindrance to answered prayer and unlimited power. So, to receive what you ask in prayer, you must what? “Believe that you have received them”.
The second area that will effect the power of our prayers is the failure to forgive someone who has sinned against you. To go to prayer holding anything against anyone is to invite unanswered prayer and limited power, if any at all.
Could this be one of the reasons why we aren’t seeing to many miracles take place, or not seeing many come to the saving knowledge of Jesus. Because of unforgiveness in the Church.
Read Matt 18:21-35
In this parable a king is settling accounts with his servants when he found one owing 10 thousand talents. The amount is so great that there is no conceivable way in which he could pay. This amount he owes is at least equivalent to twelve million dollars in our currency.
It was 50 million denarii, and one denarii was a normal daily wage. The tax on Galilee and Perea together was only two hundred talents, and this man owed ten thousand! Jesus is illustrating here that our debt to God as totally beyond our payment.
The king decided to collect what he could, and ordered the man and his family to be sold (see Josh. 7;
2 Kings 4:1). But the man fell on his face and entreated the king for patience, promising to pay everything. With this attitude toward the impossible, the king had compassion on him and forgave his debt.
Forgiveness was because of his attitude, not his ability. Here we see the example of the guilty being liberated, and the innocent person, the King, paid the debt, because he had went and crossed ten thousand talents off of his accounts! This is Jesus’ illustration of forgiveness.
But human nature is prone to resent rather than to release, to be demanding rather than to forgive. And Jesus goes and adds a new development to the story.
The forgiven man, who should have lived accountably in gratitude for his freedom, went out and met a man who owed him 500,000 times less than he owed the king, was demanding payment. He ruffed the man up demanding his money. And even though the man who owed him money begged for patience, he forgot the grace shown to him earlier, and had the man thrown in jail until he could pay the debt.
His behavior was so disgraceful that his fellow servants were shock at his injustice and reported it to the king. So the king was angry and called him in and placed the same judgement on him that he did on his debtor and placed him in prison until he could pay the debt. The point of the parable is that our heavenly Father will do the same with us if we do not forgive. We must forgive to be forgiven!!!
What Do I Do If Someone Keeps Sinning? But, Ask For Forgiveness From Me? What Do I Do?
Many times we here people say, or we say it ourselves, all I ever get done doing is forgiving so and so for this and for that. He or she is not worthy of forgiving any more. I’m tired of them asking me for forgiveness, because all their going to do is just keep messing up. I’m all out of forgiveness. Look at what the Word of God has to say about this.
Luke 17:3-4 "Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 4 "And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, ’I repent,’ forgive him." NAS
*An important key to remember as a Believer is “Forgiveness is the foundation for a Christ Centered Life”.
Story Of A Bitter Mother:
There is a story of a woman, who’s daughter had gone off and married a man much older than herself. This had caused her mother tremendous grief. Not just because of the age difference, but also because he was of a different denomination.
But, after some time, the mother had made up her mind to go visit her daughter and her new son - in - law. But, because of her own bitterness she wasn’t sure how to present herself at her daughters door. So being a woman of prayer she went to her local church, and said to the minister you must help me find God. I can’t seem to get through.
After some time of meeting with her, the minister suggested she go sit in the sanctuary in silence for a while. As she entered the sanctuary she looked at a stained glass window with the picture of Jesus on it and went and knelt down below it in silence.
As she was kneeling there she felt this overwhelming presence of God. It was just as if huge vacuum cleaner came down and sucked all the bitterness out of her, and she was at total peace.
Then through all of this the Lord brought to her a word of wisdom. In a thought, came these very clear words, “DO NOT LOOSE YOUR PEACE OVER SOMEONE ELSE’S SIN, BUT ONLY OVER YOUR OWN.”
The point of this story is that it was not just the daughters disrespect that robed her of her peace, but it was her own BITTERNESS that had robed her of her peace and joy.
This doesn’t mean not to greave because of a loved ones sin, but don’t loose your peace. Remember the joy of the Lord is your strength.
Read 1 Pet. 3:8-12
So many times in our human nature, our natural reaction is to retaliate against those who have hurt us, but, look at what Peter says to do, “Give a blessing instead” (v.9).
*Just consider how this forgiving life in Christ can become a powerful way for us to live a victorious life.
The text here in 1 Pet. 3:8-12, deals with our relationships with other people. And most people don’t realize it’s at this point that our Christianity RISES or FALLS.
Many ask the question how am I going to live out this life with people grind me the wrong way?
Here is a way I believe will help you get through that, and it is called “Compassionate Repentance”, compassion is to enter into that experience with them and feel what they are feeling.
To better sum up what this means, is to pray for the Lord to judge in your lives the very thing you see wrong in someone else. Ask Him to search real deep in your heart to expose that same sin that might be in you.
God will bless those who are willing to identify with someone and bless them, instead of judging and condemning (Read 1 Pet.3:8-9 Again And Gal. 6:1).
*Don’t be like the people who go around saying, “I’m not to judge them, so then to go on excepting sin and corruption, having no moral discrimination”.
***Instead be an Agent for the Lord in the process of FORGIVENESS!!!
One of the most powerful weapons the Church has been given is the Power of Forgiveness. Remember we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but it is a spiritual battle in which we have the mightiest weapon.
***Forgiveness will brake down any stronghold of the enemy!!!
God has given us the ability to beam out the best and that is extending forgiveness to others.
You will see others change through this and they won’t even know what hit them and this will open their heart for God to work in them and through them. All because of your obedience to forgive others.
Closing:
Think of someone who needs forgiveness and lets go boldly before the thrown of grace and intercede for them. Pray and ask God the Father to give you or someone close to that individual the opportunity to extend forgiveness to them, in hopes that they may open up and turn away from evil, and turn to God so that He may do the ultimate work in their life.
A simple quote to remember:
“Love and Forgiveness go hand and hand, you can’t Love without Forgiveness, and you can’t Forgive with out Love”.
