Tabor Baptist Church

Introduction

• The subject of forgiveness
  • Examples
• A potentially painful and sensitive subject
• Example
• A liberating and very joyful subject
• Knowing that God has had such mercy and love towards us
• God has forgiven all of our sins
• Forgiveness can be hard
• Matt 18:15ff
• Comes in a context
• What you should do if a brother (another believer) sins against you (v15)
• Something serious that has happened
• Not just forgive and forget
• You go to that person and tell them their fault
• Not to tell them off but to seek reconciliation
• You do not tell anyone else
• If they will not listen take one or two with you as witness of the conservation
• If the person is entrenched then the subject may need to be taken to the church
• The desire is the person would come to repentance
• If they will not listen to the church then you are to treat them as an unbeliever
• Peter asks a question about forgiveness
• He knows this is not about vindictiveness
• He asks how many times a person should be forgiven
• The Jewish law said only forgive 3 times
• Peter probably though forgiving 7 times was quite generous
• Jesus says forgive up to 490 times - i.e. unlimited, total, continual forgiveness
• There are still consequences for your actions
• Example
• It is all about our heart and how we are towards others
• Do we have the loving and compassionate spirit of Jesus?
• Think of Stephen
• The punchline: "from his heart" v35
• The parable of the King
• Explanation
• Servant 1: 10'000 talents = £750million
• The man would be sold into slavery
• The master totally forgives the debt
• The same servant is owed a debt
• Servant 2: 100 days wages = £7-10'000
• The other servant pleads for mercy and receives none
• The onlookers see and tell the king
• Servant 1 is punished for his debt and actions
• The King is God
• If we have understood grace we will forgive others
• Overview:
• Reasons why people do not forgive
• Reasons why we should forgive

Reasons why people do not forgive

1. It is too painful

• Example of Pastor
• Do you want to forgive?
• Can you explain the gospel?
• We must pray for grace and help to forgive
• Quote: "You must forgive him totally"
• Think of how difficult the crucifixion was
• Think of how God has forgiven you

2. I need time to think through the issue

• We must not use time as an excuse

3. We must not expect them to come to us

4. Should we only forgive if there is repentance?

• Consider Stephen

5. They do not want to forgive

• They do not deserve to be forgiven
• Does anyone deserve forgiveness?
• Because you do not understand grace
• Forgiveness us our debts and we forgive those who are indebted to us - the Lord's prayer

Reasons why we should forgive

• We should have a sense of justice
• It should not be treated lightly
• Wicked things are wicked things
• As a Christian - a sense of mercy should always override a sense of justice
• If God was only just - we would all go to hell
• God is a merciful God
• God is a forgiving God
• God will forgive those who ask for it
• Forgiveness from the heart
• God is not minimising sin (v34)
• God is a merciful God
• Matt 6:14-15
• Luke 6:27-28, 35-36
• A person who does not forgive brings up past details and uses them to accuse in the present
• Consider Joseph, Jacob & Esau
• There may not be reconciliation but you must try
• It brings God glory
• You draw closer to those who forgive
• Jesus is talking about the beauty of forgiveness and the ugliness of not forgiving
• Quote from CS Lewis
• The solution is at the Cross
• How can we not forgive if He has forgiven us