How Often Should We Forgive?, Part 2

Today from Chuck Swindoll to refuse and implement about is not one said that would be marked against you is able to bring us this before his presence with exceeding great joy. As we passed from earth to heaven supercritical to refuse to forgive another we like the idea. We are on the receiving and it such a relief when someone cares enough to say they're sorry but when we're the one extending an apology much different dynamic.

It takes humility and the willingness to relinquish our desire to be right. So then what's the model resolving conflict today on Insight for living Chuck Swindoll's teaching from the quintessential Bible passage on forgiveness is found in Matthew's gospel chapter 18 Chuck titled today's message how often should we forgive if Abe for the next moment when you think about someone you've not yet forgiven. Though the question is a general one.

It means something very personal to each one of us mired the ritual that I think of. Should there be someone in my life is different from the one you're thinking of. Should there be someone you've not yet forgiven or there may be several. As we pray let's all ask the Lord to open our hearts so that were not defensive were willing to hear what Jesus teaches and what it means to us personally well with me. Would you please.

It's hard to imagine how far east is from West, but there it is, and it's that far you have removed our transgressions from us.

Thanks to the cross. Thanks to your grace. This inputrepresents that magnificent bread of your forgiveness father and were we to live to be 200 we would never ever be able to thank you enough grateful. How truly grateful we are that you have forgiven us all our sins.

And you keep on doing that day after day week after week throughout our lifetime. I pray that you would soften the soil of our soul today so that is the seed of your word is planted, it will take root and bear fruit. Speak to us as though we were all alone with you in this room and you were talking with us just above a whisper. Maybe hear what you're saying.

And may we accept it and were necessary. May we come to terms with it enable us to break the habit of just sitting and listening and leaving and forgetting may a truly land deep within our souls so that we do not forget what we have heard help the worst to take shape so that the need is met in an almost tailor-made manner so that we realize that you truly are speaking directly to us saying one thing the one person something altogether different to someone else.

We are here at all stages and ages of life we all calm broken sinful hopefully contrite and teachable. So as you speak.

I pray that you will find no resistance. May we not be afraid of where this truth will lead us.

Thank you for providing for our needs so wonderfully well meet the needs of us as a church. Use these gifts as we give them here and abroad. Among those we know and with those we've never met in places we've been places we not only have never been but could hardly pronounce, give your word free course as a result of the needs that are met through these gifts encourage those missionaries those spokesmen and women those who serve you. Those were students learning, growing, watch over them in these tender days of their growing up years and prepare them for a life of leadership in their own realm of influence. Thank you for the privilege of giving we do it with generous hearts and we ask this prayer filled with faith in the name of Jesus. Everyone said to study the book of Matthew with Chuck Swindoll. Be sure to download his searching the Scriptures. Studies by going to Insight world.org/studies another message from Chuck titled with a question.

How often should we forgive. When Peter asks a question in the middle of an otherwise rather simple chapter of Scripture. I think the answer, Jesus gave him, caught him completely off guard. I love it the way Scripture were I would like to build my case here addresses the issue and leaves it for us to apply it because the way Jesus handles things. There's always that penetrating application that doesn't let you squirm your way out. You find yourself cornered and you feel belongs index finger punching at your sternum, asking what would you do about this, but first the story Peter comes to Jesus and asks about the club chapter 18 verse 21 of Matthew Lord, how often should I forgive someone, it's a fair question. At what point do I start looking foolish. How many times does a person hardly before I begin to be a human doormat. How much is too much at what point does additional heard reach its limit and brings number to the surface.

It may sound like he just tossed it out there pick it out of thin air and all knowledge, not in your life seven times. He asks, I think Peter expected to be commended.

Here's one essay that in those days, the rabbis taught three times you forgiven individual three times.

From then on, no forgiveness but seven times peters double the number one for good measure. I think he expected a smile and in fact what he got was surprising answer, Jesus says, in effect, would you believe 70×7. Now when I tease this. I always had to remember their engineers present who will multiply and save 490 like 491 I can unload the truck on right wrong. Just the picture number of times 70×7×7×700×7000 every time you time always. That's the point. Jesus the master teacher never simply gave a quick answer and walked away. He often buttressed the answer with the story love stories you to. We love them because they pique our curiosity where is this going.

Furthermore, they leave us in our imagination to push away the limits wouldn't go beyond the realm of reality is we take the story wherever so it fits everyone of us.

Your name is in here and mine is in here were were were all over the story and the best part is when you go to the application it it it penetrates like a hot poker going through, but her right into the heart story begins with a comparison the kingdom of heaven can be compared. Stop your kingdom of heaven you think of a place wrong.

Think of a lifestyle when you want to live in the kingdom life. When you want to model the life of Jesus. Our word is when you want to be Christ like. Which would be kingdom of heaven being lived in an earthly setting so that can be compared to this. So peters and drove all over mine. I suggest you learn from the story I tell you when I say, in turn, that we all learn as Peter learns, and please observe in this story is true in most stories there is.

There are three main characters. There is a king who is calling into account those who owing money. There is a servant who owes him an infinite amount of money which represents vertical forgiveness. Don't miss that is God who has forgiven us all our sins past, present, future East or West all our sins forgiven all of them implement forgiveness.

That's the first servant is what heals rates and then there's a second servant, who was a friend of the servant was just been forgiven.

He owes a few dollars in the servant who has been forgiven long forgiven. That's horizontal forgiveness is what we are.

That's where it applies to us directly. So let's look kingdom of heaven can be compared to a king who decides to bring his accounts up-to-date with servants, who owed money who had borrowed money from them in the process. One of his debtors was brought in new owed him millions of dollars.

Stop here we are in the story were you able to imagine. Imagine that no one could repay millions of dollars. The king is calling it into account what the money now impossible, realizing that he couldn't pay certainly did not want his wife and children offered as a part of the payment and the misery that would follow.

The man falls down and pleases case verse 26. Please be patient with me and I will pay it all. Now observe the master there is the king here is our God. When we come before him is broken people sinful to the core falling failing repeatedly in the wrong and we come to him, pleading that we be forgiven, and he notices that this man is contrite and broken. He's filled with pity for him and he releases him and forgives him the good that the man is totally forgiven free released on his way wonderful magnificent moment as he leaves the king's presence. He runs into a friend of his and we read of him. Beginning in verse 28 a fellow servant who owed him a few dollars of the throat pay me what you owe me like the IRS doesn't play me what you will.

There's no here just a few dollars. So the man falls down, amended, big, simple little more time asking for patience and if you will be patient with me I will play it, but his creditor wouldn't wait.

He had had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full. It's an imaginary story go with it. The problem with this scene is that is observed by friends who know the story of the forgiven servant, and when they watch this. It troubles them. Verse 31 there very upset so they returned to the king and they told him everything that happened in the king call the man that he had forgiven and he said to him, you evil servant's website. What what were you thinking what's the matter with you for gave you the tremendous debt because you pleaded with me and you.

Should you have mercy on your fellow servant just as I had mercy on you as a good place to pause for a couple of very helpful principles that I want you to forget first to refuse to forgive another is hypocritical before you rationalize around and start dealing with all the wrong that was done and as deep as the wrong ones, and I'm sure some of it was very injurious. You deeply broke you broke others.

You loved the ramifications of the wrongdoing you could go on prolonged I know I know I don't. But to refuse to forgive another is hypocritical. Why because you have forgiven, forgiven, and then implement amount. There is not one said that would be marked against you. He is able to bring us faultless before his presence with exceeding great joy. As we passed from earth to heaven. Not once.

Will he say stand in the corner until you have done that probation, I've almost taken care of the things that you did not know that none of that is so foolish is not worth going there supercritical to refuse to forgive another is another principal and is far more practical to refuse to forgive inflicts inner torment Seder to refuse to forgive another put you in your prison.

Look for the angry's the angry king sent a man to prison look to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt. How vivid is the word I checked the same word elsewhere in Matthew chapter 8 verse six. It's a reference to someone who is in quote terrible pain so it represents terrible pain is using second Peter two verse eight.

Referring to lot who was surrounded and oppressed by the conduct of unprincipled men reread the lots sold was and I quote tormented day after day. This is a torture that torments day after day torturers refers to tormentors one who refuses to forgive another harbors grudges, sustains bitter feelings which leads to agonizing unrest and sleeplessness and one bill.

The walls of his own self-made prison. Please observe something that is easily overlooked. The story ends at verse 34. Look at your Bible. There is 1/45 verse. That's not a part of that story that imaginative story. It begins with social my heavenly father do to you. Wait, that's reality. Verse 35 Jesus adds that's what my heavenly father wants what he will do turn you over to torturers. That's what I said earlier, you may have something explained to you today that you not realize before this day that explains what you can sleep well that explains why you can't seem to get past whatever this unforgiveness journey is that you're wrong. If you refuse to forgive another from your heart. It's because of the torturing one of my mentors name Ray Steadman now did find expositor describes this in these words and I quote this is a marvelously expressive phrase to describe what happens to us when we do not forgive another. It is an accurate description of knowing resentment and bitterness. The awful goal of hate are in the it is a terrible feeling we can't get away from it.

We feel strongly the separation from another.

And every time we think of them.

We feel within the acid of resentment.

I love those words we feel within the acid of resentment and hate eating away at our peace and calmness. This is the torturing that our Lord says will take place to which I respond when I read that while while you may remember Louis Mead's words not to forgive imprisons me in the past, and walks out all potential for change. I thus yield control to another by enemy and I do myself to suffer the consequences of the wrong I once heard an immigrant robot make an astonishing statement and Smedes before coming to America I had to forgive Adolf Hitler did not want to bring Hitler inside me to my new country. So how much longer would you choose to remain in prison. That's a question that's a question you can answer your the only one that is the key to the cell. No one else has the key. Could it be Matt help could be your mother or your father could be a mother-in-law and father-in-law, a family member who took unfair advantage of you. But here you still with live within that prison. The clock dictates that we draw our teaching time to a close.

Let me urge you to be listening when Chuck Swindoll resumes this study in Matthew 18, because he'll be sharing a deeply personal story about forgiveness. This is insight for living and were midway through a message Chuck titled with Peter's question of Jesus. How often should we forgive, to discover the resources available for today's topic, please visit us online@insightworld.org before we move on. I want to remind you that we've hand selected one of Chuck's Hallmark books to complement your study in Matthew in the grace awakening Chuck assures us that nothing will restore a broken relationship quite like grace, forgiveness, compassion and mercy. These are the lubricants in God's tool chest that allow the gears in our relationships to mesh together and over the years God has used the grace awakening to restore relationships, especially the relationship we cultivate with our heavenly father to purchase a copy of Chuck's book called the grace awakening go directly to insight.org/offer these daily programs are made possible. Of course, because loyal friends like you step forward with voluntary donations. Your gifts allow us to provide Chuck's teaching on your radio station the many other platforms such as our mobile app the website daily podcasts. It simple to participate call us listening in the US, 1-800-772-8888.

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How often should we forget, was copyrighted in 2017 and 2021 and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2021 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. all rights are reserved worldwide.

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