IT REALLY DOES MATTER WHAT YOU BELIEVE ABOUT
FORGIVING OTHERS

Reference: Matthew 18:21,22 - 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.

INTRO: In recent years it has become apparent to me that a great many people only give lip service to the forgiveness of others. There are doubtless those times in my own life when I have failed to truly, ...genuinely, and ...lovingly forgive one who has sinned against me, or against the Lord. You see ...what so often happens is that we say that we have forgiven another ... but, then, our behavior toward that person seems to be punitive. A common expression is “I can forgive them, but I won’t soon forget”. Yes, I recognize very well there is a responsibility to manifest genuine repentance by the necessary changes in the life of the person who has sinned. But there is also a burden which scripture places on me to forgive. Folks, it really does matter what you believe about forgiving others!

If I say I have forgiven someone for some action they have taken, and yet I bring up that action in my talking with other people, stressing how it hurt me, have I truly forgiven the person?

I CHRISTIANS DO & WILL SIN - Christians can and do sin.
A. On this topic the writer John makes it very clear to us in 1 John 1:7-10 7. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. 8. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. Then in chapter 2 at verse 1 1. My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
a. Folks, these words are written to Christian people.
b. These words are not written to Christians who have abandoned the Lord and gone back into the world. They are written to Christian people who are, according to verse 7, walking in the light. It is these people whom John says can sin and do.
B. Christian people may sin in what we would call “public ways”.
a. For example, in 1 Corinthians 5:1 there is an example of a man who has sinned in such a public way as to bring reproach upon the body of Christ. - It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife. Identified here is the sin of fornication. The nature of that fornication is also identified.
b. This behavior on the part of a Christian brother is bringing reproach upon Jesus Christ and His body. How does it do that? As we mentioned this morning, people may not read the Bible but they will read our lives and they will view our Christianity by our actions.
C. Christians may also sin in “personal ways”
a. I’m turning in my bible to 18th chapter of the book of Matthew were I would like to read verse 15. (Matthew 18:15) - 15. Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
b. Here is a situation where a brother’s sin is against his brother and in this case a brother in Christ. Such trespasses, such sin as this does have the potential to affect relationships in a very negative way.
II SO, WHAT ARE WE TO DO? – With these realizations before us, what are we to do?
A. This brings us to the question that the apostle Peter asked the lord in - Matthew 18:21,22 - 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.
a. The question that Peter asks is in the context of what Jesus has been teaching about a brother’s offence against a brother. See verse 15.
b. Peter comes to Jesus with the same kind of question you or I might well have asked out of our “humanness”. Paraphrasing, Lord, I understand we need to forgive our brothers who offend us, but how many times must I forgive that brother?
c. Are we shocked at all by the kind of answer the Lord gave? I am sure the apostle Peter thought he was being generous in his suggestion that perhaps we should forgive our brother seven times. Our illustration might be several times, but to that the Lord responds, Oh no, that is not what I am teaching. You forgive him until seventy times seven. In other words - you just keep on forgiving him!
B. Then to be very clear about what He is teaching, Jesus gives to Peter, and to us, one of the great kingdom lessons in the verses which follow.
a. In the first part of these verses a problem is identified. I’m going to read in Matthew 18:23-27 - 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 thousand talents. I suspect that ten thousand talents represents a lot of money. In checking I found that about a hundred years ago it represented around 17 million dollars if it was silver and much more then that if it was gold. How much more would that be today!? Can you imagine the debt this man had to his master? 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. Now listen. Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. – The debt this man was forgiven of was a debt he could have not possibly repaid. It was an incredibly large debt.
b. Then the Lord shifts the attention from the forgiving master to the behavior of the forgiven servant. Read with me now at Matthew 18:28-30 - 28. But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: 100 years ago this would probably have been about a hundred dollars. So comparatively speaking the debt that he owed his master was insurmountable, but the debt that was owed to him was penny ante stuff. Is that expression still used? A very small debt. and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. 29. And his fellowservant 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. – There is the behavior of the forgiven man toward one whom he should also have forgiven.
c. Well, now the scene changes. The other servants of the master, realizing what the unforgiving servant has done, bring the situation to the master’s attention. Matthew 18:31-34 - 31. So when his fellowservants 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 desiredst me: 33. Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, 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. – Do we see the point, folks? Jesus Christ is teaching us that he who is forgiven must also be forgiving! That for which we have been forgiven is so much! By comparison, what we must forgive others is so little.
d. What is the “bottom line” ? Matthew 18:35 - 35. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses. – Folks, if we do not learn to forgive other people, ...from ...our ...hearts, how can we think we have the right to expect God’s mercy in the judgment!?
e. Think carefully about what we read this morning in Matthew 6:14-15 – “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
C. What about that situation of that brother we mentioned over in 1 Corinthians chapter 5 at verse 1? That public, open sin?
a. If you read the narrative there you will discover that a disciplinary action involving the church was taken.
b. Turn in your bibles now to 2 Corinthians 2:6-11 - 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 any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ; 11. Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.- The person of whom the apostle writes in verse 6 is apparently the same person of whom he has written in 1 Corinthians 5:1. The writer identifies that this punishment was inflicted of many. There was an action of discipline involving the church.
c. Apparently now, this man of whom we read in 1 Corinthians has repented of his sin - but the language here suggests that members of the congregation were not forgiving him!
d. The apostle Paul says I forgave him and I forgave him in the name of Jesus Christ. You must also forgive him and you must confirm your love to him. You see in verse 11 the apostle Paul identifies a very serious problem here. If we are not forgiving of others, we fall into the clutches of Satan! 2 Corinthians 2:11 - 11. Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.
e. No one would doubt the grossness of the sin of this man. Such a sin was not even named among the gentiles. No one would doubt that it brought reproach upon the name of Christ. Yet, this man, this brother, has repented of his sins and seeks restoration to the church and within the body of Christ, but then he runs head on into a reality. That reality is that far too many Christians are not willing to forgive. ...Not willing to forgive much less to reassure that person of their love for him. You know when a person realizes they have sinned and brought reproach on Christ, if they then repent, change their ways and seek forgiveness, they are in a very vulnerable position. The penitent brother needs the confirmation of our love - if we do not forgive and confirm our love, we may well cause this brother to be lost to the Lord!
D. Is all of this easy for us to do?
a. I am very much afraid that it is not - we tend to hold on to such things as this.
b. Why is it that we want to hang on to our resentments, our hurts, and our indignations I do not know ... but such is so typical of human beings ... and such is far too characteristic of Christian people. – We just can not seem to get past the hurts to our pride and our ego.
c. Folks, to forgive a penitent brother and to reassure that brother of our forgiveness and our on-going love for him is the way of Jesus Christ.
d. I want to mention another verse here. Mark 16:7 - 7. But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you. – Do you see the amazing - the loving thing that is done here? The apostle Peter who had so vehemently claimed “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee”, you can count on me, I’ll stand with you through whatever comes, had then denied the Lord three times as he warmed himself by the fire of sinners. I can only imagine the shame and the guilt Peter felt when the Lord looked up at him and Peter realized what he had done. I can understand why he went out and wept. And I can understand how he must have felt: how can I ever, ever be able to face my Lord Jesus Christ again after what I’ve said and done. Here in Mark 16, let me read again starting in verse 6 where the young man in white is speaking – 6 "Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.' " I have to admit that I have read this verse many times over the years and I have wondered why he identified Peter especially? You tell his disciples AND Peter. This is the way of Jesus Christ, to forgive a penitent sinner and to assure that penitent sinner of his acceptance. Oh, how much Peter must have needed that reassurance.
e. I would suggest that many times we need to take a page from the book of Jesus. We say that we have forgiven another, but ought we not to take the initiative to reassure that person of our forgiveness? If we do not learn to be forgiving, to let go of our hurts, and to reassure the offender, we rob ourselves of the peace and the joy that is intended for us in Jesus Christ. Furthermore I suggest that if we do not forgive and reassure the forgiven we may even be responsible for the loss of that person to our Lord.
E. Our brothers and sisters in Christ, our family members, and our friends are important to us.
a. Yet, sadly there are those of us who are willing to let relationships suffer ... even to die.
b. I know that all of our human relationships ebb and flow, and probably some of them have in them offences ... but must we let them die?
c. Folks, if we will learn to forgive and to confirm our love to the forgiven, our lives will be so much more pleasant and peaceful! and we will not place our eternal future in jeopardy.
F. In Ephesians 4:31,32 we find our lesson in a brief sketch - 31. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: 32. And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

CLOSE: The older I get the more convinced I am that the subject of forgiving others is one of the most critical of all subjects we might consider. You see, we can get all things right concerning the church, we can teach sound doctrine, we can give to the poor, and we can contribute to evangelistic efforts, but still be lost in eternity because we were not forgiving!
In 1 Peter 3:18 - 18For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: Verse 18 identifies with that passage in Matthew 18 and the master who forgave the great debt, the debt that probably the servant could never repay. In this passage that debt is identified. The payment of that debt was made for us by Jesus Christ -- the just for the unjust.

This morning we talked about forgiveness and love as Christ taught us. We need to remember the forgiveness that is offered to us by God through the blood of Jesus Christ. This forgiveness that makes it possible for us to be in a right relationship with God, from whom we are estranged through sin. Because that debt was paid at Calvary each of us can claim it for ourselves in faith and penitence, in the confessing of the name of Jesus Christ and being baptized for the remission of our sins. I owed a debt I could not pay and He paid that debt. I claimed the payment of that debt when I was buried with my Lord Jesus Christ in baptism according to Acts 2:38, Romans 6:3-5, and multiple other places in scripture. Perhaps there are those here today who need the forgiveness of God. If you have never been baptized into Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins then, precious friend, you are still dead in those sins. Perhaps there are those here, who because of an unforgiving spirit and heart, have brought reproach on the Lord and are in need themselves of forgiveness. What ever your need we invite you to come as we stand and as we sing.

Taken from sermon by
Cecil A Hutson
2 April 2006