Chapter Eight
Forgiveness
Primary Message: Forgiveness is an act of giving to another an opportunity of mercy. "Give to him that asks thee, and from him that would borrow of thee, turn not away." Mathew 5:42
Worldview: An eye for an eye, repay another what they have given unto you.
Evangelistic Emphasis: The Code of Hammurabi has been abolished through Jesus Christ.
Forgive others that you may be forgiven. “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless those that curse you, do good to them that hate you and persecute you." Mathew 5:44
For-give-ness, sometimes we have to break apart a word to get to the meaning. Jesus is the greatest giver of all time. He has given to the max; he gave the ultimate, because he gave his life. Forgiveness is giving. It is giving a free gift to someone that may not deserve it, and unforgiveness is the act of not giving. Jesus teaches only to give. Our actions in giving show our heart to the world. We have a hardened heart when we cannot forgive, and because of this we cannot, and will not receive forgiveness when we ask. Are you a giver?
This chapter takes a look into what it means to be a giver and a for-giver.
Mathew 6:9-15
9. “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11. Give us this day our daily bread.
12. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever: Amen.
14. For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly father will also forgive you:
15. But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."
This seems to be pretty clear, our hearts may not always respond to this clearly though. When someone has wronged us we often struggle trying to forgive them because we seek vindication, retribution, revenge, and restoration. All of these are fleshly and carnal desires that can destroy us. These can eat at us from the inside and tear at our soul. It will be the most difficult time to be at rest and enjoy God'sd peace when we cannot forgive. God demands that we come before his throne without hatred, bitterness, or strife. He just will not have it in his presence, and will not allow us to come into his presence with unforgiveness in our heart.
Read Mathew 18:21-35 and see what can happen if from our hearts we cannot forgive every brother their trespasses.
Mathew 18:21-35
21. “Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Till seven times?
22. Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, until seven times: but, until seventy times seven.
23. Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.
24. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousands talents.
25. But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.
26. The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
27. Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.
28. But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellow servants, which owed him a hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest.
29. And his fellow servant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me and I will pay thee all.
30. And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.
31. So when his fellow servants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done.
32. Then his lord after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desirest me:
33. Shouldest not thou also have compassion on thy fellow servant, even as I had pity on thee?
34. And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.
35. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.”
After reading these verses what questions do you have?
Answer the following questions:
How many times should we forgive?
How did the wicked servant get caught?
What happened to him when he got caught?
Jesus is our Lord, just as this servant had a Lord we have Jesus as our Lord, he is our heavenly Father that has forgiven us our
sins. How shall we face Him each day in light of the forgiveness that he has given to us? The answer is: We shall always be ready to forgive others remembering that Jesus forgave us even when we did not deserve to be forgiven. When we do this we will remain in perfect peace with God and our fellow Christians and ourselves.
God forgives as written in the following discussion that David was having with God: "You have been favorable to your land, you have brought back the captivity of Jacob. You have forgiven the iniquity of all your people; you have covered all their sin" Psalm 85:1,2
The Bible teaches that love covers a multitude of sins. True love never desires to rejoice in the sins of others. Some people love to gossip about what he or she has done, they like to bring attention and focus to the wicked deeds of others, while their deeds are minimized. Jesus teaches us to love one another and this love must seek to cover sin, to hide it and to reach out a helping hand to those that are overtaken by their sin. When we restore another who is down we are doing what God has done for us. He has given us His favor by forgiving us our sins and covering them so that others cannot see them. This is true love.
“Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness;
considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.” Galatians 6:1
This is the all telling focal point: Are we as Christian as we believe? This scripture will put that to the test. Many attend church, live a pious life, smile and raise their hands in joy showing to others their holiest, but when it comes to restoring another in the spirit of meekness they walk away or they join the stone throwers union! Praise Jesus that He throws no stones
at us, in fact He cautions us about afflicting those that are in sin or have sinned. Let’s praise Him for His goodness and His wisdom.
Praise Jesus for His love that has covered our sins and lifted us up from the dirt and filth of this world so that we may also love someone as He has loved us. Here is Paul’s word of caution to us regarding afflicting others that have fallen.
2Corinthians 2:5-11
5. “But if any have caused grief, he hath not grieved me, but in part: that I may not overcharge you all.
6. Sufficient to such a man is this punishment, which was inflicted of many.
7. So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow.
8. Wherefore I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him.
9. For to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye be obedient in all things.
10. To whom ye forgive anything, I forgive also: for if I forgave anything, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ.
11. Lets Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.”
So have you heard Christians say that they are Christian and turn with hatred or unforgiveness to another? Are they not testifying that they aren’t as Christian as they say? Here we see that Paul is writing to those that they may not overcharge an
offender. It is a characteristic that many of us struggle with, the overcharging of an offender! Are we not called to love even our enemies? Yes, so we must not take things to far by failing to relent on our retribution against those that have caused us grief. When we fail to draw a line and follow that measure given to us, failing to offer forgiveness then our actions prove that we are in sin ourselves! The sin of not loving and not forgiving! We must say it is enough! They have suffered enough and now it is time to take them back in through the love of Christ.
After reading these verses what questions do you have?
Answer the following questions:
Should you forgive after punishment is complete?
Should we forgive like Jesus does?
Romans 12:17-21
17. “Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.
18. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
19. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
20. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his
head.
21. Be not overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good.”
Wow! This may be hard, but remember God will never give us more than we can handle and he will never ask us to do something that we can’t do with his help. If we are to be honest in all things we must ask ourselves, have we let this go, have we truly forgiven them, and have we trusted God enough to give it to him? God will vindicate, he promises to be with us through it all and he has stated that Vengeance belongs to him so why continue to bring injury to your heart by holding onto bitterness and hatred all the while claiming to be a Christian that walks in love. When a person lives with this in their heart they are not fooling anyone but themselves. When we are not truly honest about our feelings of unforgiveness we can say all that we want to try to convince ourselves that we forgive, but the truth is our actions before God prove us to be a liar.
After reading these verses what questions do you have?
Answer the following questions:
Recompense to no man evil for evil, how shall we live with others?
What does it mean to overcome evil with good?
1Peter 3:8,9
8. “Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous.
9. Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.”
Are you ready for a blessing? Paul reminds us that we are to inherit a great blessing when we follow what Jesus has taught us. The days of the Code of Hammurabi are gone, they have been abolished and no longer are we to live by the rule of an eye for an eye or a tooth for a tooth, but rather we live by forgiving others as we have been forgiven.
For this cause it is written in Mathew 5:38-42
“Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, that ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.”
After reading these verses what questions do you have?
Answer the following questions:
Not rendering evil for evil, what are we to do?
Jesus gave forgiveness and restoration. Let’s take a look at what Jesus did in the message below:
THE MAN THAT GAVE
Livingstone on Commitment:
When Dr. David Livingstone was working in Africa, a group of friends wrote him: "We would like to send other men to you.
Have you found a good road into your area yet?" According to a member of his family, Dr. Livingstone sent this message in reply: "If you have men who will only come if they know there is a good road, I don't want them. I want men who will come if there is no road at all."
Today’s message is about Commitment. Friends we see that it takes a special breed of folks to make a difference in our world.
Our world has been hardened. Our road is not been made easy. I know that many people decide to tell others about Christ whenever or wherever it is easy and decline to take this task when it seems to be hard.
I was reading this morning a portion of meditation from Charles Spurgeon’s archives. Charles Spurgeon wrote about how we must sharpen our tools and ready them for battle, noting that we can learn from our enemy’s warfare and he challenged us to “go about like good Samaritans, seeking whom we may bless today.” Friends to take this road may not be easy; in fact this road may be one that you have to build first before you can get to them. This is what Dr. Livingston was saying. Before we can reach someone we might have to build the road!
What examples do we have of this? Let us turn to
Luke chapter 10:30-37.
“And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among thieves, which stripped
him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed leaving him half dead.”
Here we see a man that was walking a road, a road that was already laid, and a road that made it easy for another to serve God. Here ministry to another was easy. Let’s see what happens. “By chance their came down a certain Priest that way: and when he saw the man, passed by on the other side.”
Friends, the road was already laid. The Priest had every opportunity to minister to a hurting soul. He didn’t have to open a door, and then walk through. He didn’t have to pray first to see if it was God’s will. He also did not have to obtain a seminary degree first to become a minister! We will see in a moment what he had to do.
What he did do was pass on by the other side. It was easy for him to go around this soul and to ignore him.
Next we see another, a Levite. “And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.” He did the same thing only worse; he actually took the time to look at the situation and decided to pass by. Again he didn’t have to lay the road, he didn’t have to pray to see if it was God’s will, and he didn’t have to get a Seminary degree before he could have the opportunity to minister. The road was laid, the door was open, and the opportunity was there, just as it is now!
Finally a third person comes down this road and he isn’t a Priest or a Levite, he is not a person of greatness, and he decides that he doesn’t need a degree, or even to pray if it was God’s will first. Instead he takes action.
“But a certain Samaritan as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he the man he had compassion on him, and went to him and bound his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of
him.” Beloved this was an easy task because the door was open and the road was laid already. The opportunity presented itself for ministry. How many opportunities do we have to minister to others? Do we need a degree? Do we need permission from God first as to if it is his will? Do we need for God to make a road for us? And what about the road we are on? I tell you friends the opportunity is here, right here and right now. Will we, do we pass on by the other side?
Dr. Livingston wanted people that wouldn’t wait for a good road, that wouldn’t wait for the easy opportunity, but rather the
ones that were willing to take the hard road, to make a way, to see the opportunity that is around them to minister, and to make opportunities where none are found!
Today is a tough marketplace, not every opportunity will be
easily had. Charles Spurgeon said:
“We are engaged in a great war with the Philistines of Evil.
Every weapon within our reach must be used. Preaching,
Teaching, Praying, Giving, all must be brought into action and
talents which have been thought to be to mean for service, must
now be employed!”
1Samuel 13:20 reads: “But all the Israelites went down to the Philistines, to sharpen every man his share, and his coulter, and his ax, and his mattock.”
Listen friends we are in a war for souls today, our families and friends are perishing while we walk by the other side seeking
this feel good church experience. Ministry opportunities are all around us.
Have all our hearts grown hard? Are all our tools become dull? Is it too mean to tell the truth?
The Bible tells us in Luke 6:38; “Give and it shall be given unto you; good measure pressed down and shaken together and
running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that you give, it shall be given unto you again.” If there is no road, make the road and it shall be made for you. If the road is there take, the road and it shall be taken for you! If an opportunity presents itself to minister to another and you pass by the other side what then should be done to you in your time of need? If there is no opportunities in front of you then seek them, make them, take them and you will be blessed!
Let us take a look at the greatest teacher of all Jesus! What did he do?
Did Jesus need man to give him a road or an open door? No he didn’t, nor do we.
The opportunity is all around you wherever you’re at. People are in need of good Samaritans. The bible tells us;
“The harvest is ripe but the laborers are few. Pray ye therefore
to the Lord of the harvest that he send laborers to help bring in
the crop.”
Here is what God did. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth on him would receive eternal life.” John 3:16
Listen friends God made the road, he didn’t wait for a good road to be made, and he didn’t wait for a more perfect time. The
time is right now!
Mathew 25:34-40 “Then shall the king say unto them on his right hand, Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was hungry, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying Lord, when did we see thee hungry and fed thee, or thirsty and gave thee drink? When we saw thee a stranger and took thee in? Or naked and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick or in prison and came unto thee? And the king shall answer unto them, Verily I say unto thee, Inasmuch as you have done these things unto one of the least of my brethren ye have done it unto me.”
My friends all around us are opportunities to minister unto hurting, needful friends and sinners. And whatever we do to them we are doing it unto God. Jesus gave his life; he knew that to love others was always God’s will as he gave us these instructions in John 13:34. “A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”
See Jesus gave his life for us; this is how he loved us. He didn’t pass by on the other side. He took action by giving. The Good
Samaritan gives us a great example and Jesus gives us the greatest example ever! Are you moved with compassion today to come to the aid of a hurting world? Friends you don’t need a piece of paper licensing you to act! You don’t need to wait to find out if it’s God’s will, he has made it very clear already, and you don’t need to wait for the good road or open door to give you the right of passage. Friends all you need to do are look around, Look around you and see the need and refuse to pass by the other side!!!
Friends God is calling us to be that man who gave, to be the Good Samaritan, to do as Jesus did. Love. Love. Love!!! Love one another!!!
Today there might be one that is hurting, one that is in need of a friend, one that needs a touch from Jesus, or even one that would love to be used of God to help. If there is any that would like to know Jesus better, would like to get closer to him, that has never asked Jesus to come into their life, then come forward and pray with us. Come to the Altar today and watch how Jesus takes you into his arms and comes into your heart with love. He loves you beyond what you could ever imagine. Come to Jesus!
Father we know that we are sinners, but today we want to receive you in our life. We confess with our mouth and believe in our heart that you died on the cross for our sins and was raised by the power of God from the grave, that only you can change our lives and make it better. Thank you Jesus for coming into my life. Now open my heart and my eyes to help those around me to have better lives. Help me to make a difference and be that Good Samaritan, In Jesus name we pray. Amen! Give a little love today!
Memory Verses:
