Slides: Forgiving Others

Unless you forgive

"'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?' In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

"This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.” (Matthew 18:32-35)

A package deal

• Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. (Matthew 5:7)
• Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors...
• For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. (Matthew 6:12-15)

Judged as you judge others

• "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Matthew 7:1-2)
• Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment! (James 2:12-13)

Evidence of grace and rebirth

Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors means:Because of Christ's blood, do not hold against us, poor sinners that we are, any of the sins we do or the evil that constantly clings to us. Forgive us just as we are fully determined, as evidence of your grace in us, to forgive our neighbors.(Heidelberg Catechism A. 126)

A package deal

You cannot choose grace as God's policy toward you but grudges as your policy toward others. You have just two choices:

• Live under a policy where all debts are canceled. Pray: "Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors.”
• Live under a policy where no debts are canceled and nothing is forgiven. Every debt is carefully recorded. No offense is ever pardoned. That is hell.

Slides of Jonah: Jonah prayed for God to have mercy on him and save him from the fish's belly. But when God showed mercy to Nineveh, Jonah was so angry he wanted to die.

Forgiven and forgivin'

• Dump all garbage at Golgotha:
• Guilt toward God
• Grudges against others
• God's grace is flowing to you and flowing through you.
• Your reborn self loves and forgives.
• You are in God's kingdom, and God's kingdom is in you.
• You are in Christ, and Christ is in you.

How often must I forgive?

• Seventy seven times: "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”
• Seven times a day: "If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, 'I repent,' forgive him.” (Luke 17:3-4)

Twisting forgiveness

• Doormat: I am too weak and afraid to insist that you should repent and change.
• Manipulator: My job is to keep hurting you; your job is to keep forgiving me.
• Exaggerator: Everything that irritates me is a major sin for me to forgive.
• Superstar: Others are always wrong and need to admit it. I am always right and am superb at forgiving if you beg me.

Benefits of forgiving

• Experiencing mercy: Assurance of God's forgiveness grows as you forgive others.
• Repairing relationships: Forgiveness keeps Satan out, the Spirit happy, and loved ones close to each other.
• Overcoming enemies: Forgiving those who hate or harm you keeps their cruelty from controlling you and leaves room for God's wrath.

Forgive before communion

Forgive before you pray

Forgive before you give

Forgive before you sleep