Love Like Jesus #1 “Forgives”
If we are truly honest there are some things in our lives that make us just a little upset…and other things that send us through the roof with anger. The emotions are rising up in us as we think about them right now. Many of us can say those emotions and anger come from abuse, neglect, betrayal. I mean how could we ever forgive someone who did that us? When we don’t forgive it’s like driving down the interstate with our emergency brake on…yeah we may get to where we need to be but it’s going to take a lot longer & involve a lot of frustration! When we love like Jesus, we are compelled to forgive because we were first forgiven.
Facts about Forgiveness:
- FORGIVEN People FORGIVE People Matthew 18:21-22 ; Colossians 3:13
- SEVEN is the number of Completion in the Bible! So Jesus not only told Peter to forgive completely…He said to forgive continually
- Forgiveness is not a one time decision…it’s a choice made daily
- Forgiveness can not be earned but only received! Only you can forgive…that thing/person isn’t going to ask you for forgiveness, you have to make the choice to forgive them
- FORGIVENESS is the KEY TO FREEDOM Matthew 18:23-27 ; Matthew 6:14-15
- We seek fairness we want revenge to those who hurt us! We’ve played out many scenarios in our heads where those who have done us harm get payback…but the Fair is where we ride rides—not so with our God! If our God was fair none of us would have a chance at a relationship with Him, because none of us in fairness deserve it.
- The debt mentioned in this passage is equal to 200,000 years of labor (a denari, or bag of gold, is worth 20 years a day laborers salary). HUGE Debt that was amassed!
- In this part of the story, if we have a relationship with Jesus, we are the servant who gets a debt he could never fully repay cancelled. If we don’t have a relationship with Jesus we are the servant trying in our power to pay off a debt we never could without the help of the Master.
- When we forgive others we set ourselves and them free. Imagine what life is like not having to prove anything, but getting to live in all that Jesus made you to be—that’s FREEDOM!
- FORGIVENESS always bears FRUIT Matthew 18:28-35 ; Luke 23:34
- The story takes a strange turn…when the one who has been forgiven refuses to forgive others he is put in a prison with a penalty he could never repay on his own. His freedom is gone. Unforgiveness = Unfruitfulness
- Jesus knows what it’s like to be Betrayed (The Last Supper), Abandoned (The Garden of Gethsemane), Denied (Peter at His trial) and still had to look on as the hands He made slapped Him, Mocked Him, Spit on Him and hung Him on a Cross to die a Sinner’s Death! Yet through all of that Jesus still says “Father Forgive Them”. He then still loved us enough to not stay dead but leave an empty tomb so that we can have life.
- I know what you are going through still hurts, and the pain is unbearable…give it to Jesus and let Him work through it in you. The First step is accepting Jesus’ forgiveness for you, forgiving those that have hurt you and keeping your eyes on Jesus
Take Away:
Have you ever received unexpected forgiveness? What was that like?
Is there anyone you still need to forgive? How will you take action instead of waiting for your feelings to change?
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Tyler West 