Forgive from Your Heart

Is that our culture is very unforgiving of we talk about public shaming, particularly if the person is well known seem to enjoy exposing the faults and foibles and failures of people faults and failures apparently have to be called. I've been there to be called out publicly.

Even if someone apologizes, even if he asked for forgiveness even if they delete that tweeter that most people still want to go talking about it, particularly if we don't like the person, particularly if their politics or their opinions are different from ours.

Rarely is there forgiveness of you notice that with the teaching of Jesus on forgiveness Christians followers of Jesus should be specialists and forgiving others. The psalmist asked this question a few all Lord, should mark iniquities all Lord who could send which one of us could stand before a holy God.

The answer is given, but with you that is forgiveness that you may be feared. Those of us were following Jesus should have an acknowledgment that all of us mess up the Bible calls that Satan and that none of us by ourselves could send a photo holy God.

And so Christians, we rejoice in redemption. We rejoice in forgiveness.

We rejoice as we saw last week in the restoration of the brother or sister who is fallen, we rejoice in the grace of God and forgiveness.

Then is one of the most beautiful words of the Christian gospel.

Just think of it I do a failures are inadequacies our sins are shame, are all gone, obliterated, washed out, eradicated, remembered no more through the sacrifice of the only perfect one, the Lamb of God comes to take away our sin subject this morning. Then is forgiveness.

You will recall that our Savior taught us to pray this way and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. All of a sudden against God. Every single one of us here. Every single one of you listening by lifestream need God's forgiveness. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

But I ask you today, are you a forgiving person. Is there someone in your life that you have not forgiven is an unlimited forgiveness. How often are we to forgive someone, that person offends us over and over again is an unlimited number of times we forgive that person to help us understand this important subject forgiveness. Jesus tells a story we call it a parable as scheduled in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 18 were going consecutively through this gospel and today we come to the last verses of Matthew chapter 18, where Jesus tells a story without last week of restoration. We thought earlier in the opening verses of Matthew chapter 18 the importance of becoming like a child receiving the kingdom of God and now invest 21 Peter came up and said to him, Lord, how often will my brother sin against me and I forgive him. Saw last week. Jesus is talking about are the brother who offends another one and perhaps this prompts Peter to say all right. Well, how often about God to forgive this fellow as many as seven times as a lot of times to forgive someone is sometimes verse 22 Jesus said to him I do not say to you seven times, but 77 times or 7×7 is a story to illustrate the point that for the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle kinds with his servants when he began to settle. One was brought to him who owed him 10,000 talents. And since he could not pay his master ordered him to be sold with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made so the seven fell on his knees, imploring him, have patience with me and I will pay you everything died of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt.

When that same servant went out to find one of his fellow servants, who owed him 100 denarii. I and seizing him.

He began to choke him, saying, pay what you owe. So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with them, have patience with me and I will pay you. He refused and went and put them in prison until he should pay the debt when his fellow servants over the taken place.

They were greatly distressed and he went and reported to the master all that had taken place in his master summoned him and said to him, you wicked servant, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me and should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant as I had mercy on you than anger has master delivered him to the jailers until he should pay all his debt. Verse 35 so also my heavenly father will do to every one of you if you do not forgive your brother from your heart on the amazing story story of forgiveness which impacts all of us. First of all, think of the cost. This assignment has an immense that I we read that the servant all of the master 10,000 talents, and was in that economy was the most valuable of all kinds. This was a shoot some 10,000 talents is been calculated that it was as much as 275,000 years of labor for the average worker.

The point of the sorting is a part of the remember point of the story is this that this debt is so big it is so immense, it is impossible for the sovereign to repay.

And so when he asked as he does in verse 26. Have patience with me and I will pay you everything that the master knows that I good give them several lifetimes and there is no way that he could pay this so the man of mercy and of kindness and of compassion. What does he do verse 27 he released him and forgave him the debt. The debt is immediately canceled fully and finally discharge the 10,000 talents no longer have to be paid.

The settlement is not totally free of his debt.

That's awesome. Forgiveness is the king. The master gives up his right to collect the debt and determines the debt intuitive your nonfree God is think of it.

Imagine if you are wearing that are in debt say on the thousand dollars under creditor calls you and says the debt is totally forgiven. Someone has stepped in and has paid your debt. It's totally wiped out your immense that which what a Jew and French to do. Not only is it forgiven its forgiven at no cost to you. That's forgiveness. Forgiveness is the canceling of the loan. It is they are raising of a debt. It's the cleansing of the record that's the expungement on expunging of the record, it is the leading goal of the wrong. It is the release of the offender man's that is totally.

But when the points of parable is an obvious one is in the that in God's eyes we are in debt because of her sin. I would debt is an immense pile sin after sin after sin after sin. It piles up between us and God and it is so big you have sinned so often that it is impossible for you guys are totally impossible for you to repay that debt. Bible says our sins are like scarlet, we cannot wash them away our sins are like chains we cannot free ourselves, our sins are like a disease that we cannot heal ourselves.

But we don't have the drug, to heal the disease by the size of the wages of sin is death, and we cannot give yourselves you like her sin you understand is an insurmountable debt we talk about forgiveness was not cheap and it an understanding that God in his grace through the sacrifice of his son offers you total forgiveness that is an act of sunning grace is that was accomplished we can't stand before a holy God know God and his love sends his son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and through his death on the cross, God's son fully pays the price for our forgiveness. Paul puts it this way. Colossians 2 verses 13 and 14, having forgiven us all our trespasses by the does this by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross of sin is presented as a debt. Some of you are as old as I am in good remember the days when you would go to the store and that there was a bill and on the counter.

There was a piece of wood and the spy coming out of it and when the bill is paid. It was put on the spike member that multicolor should the was a time when there were no computers. Can you believe that and that was the way that the debts was forgiven. It's over. God takes that huge shoes debt of your sin when you depersonalize it.

Bumping of others of your sin of my sin. And Paul says he cancels it.

How does he cancel it is nailed to the cross of our blessed Redeemer fully freely and finally forgiven through the sacrifice of our Savior Jesus Christ. That's why we call him Savior the debt of our sin is canceled it because our great God, the giving of his son, but it comes to us freely.

No cause was on them saying Jesus paid it all, all to him I owe that God's forgiveness of our sin is beyond human calculation writing in Ephesians 1. Paul says it is, according to the riches of his grace because you understand this when your sins are forgiven or gone they're gone forever. Our society they want to remind us thickly on social media. Neither want to remind us of someone's failures. The public shame them.

That's not the way God does it. When God forgives you the dead is completely canceled. It's gone and is gone forever. The Bible says he remembers her sins no more. There washed away that eradicated the are eliminated. They are discharged as the codices gone gone gone gone. Yes my sins are gone on for this is the awesome forgiveness of the immense debt of our sin. Only through trusting in Christ because secondly, the comparison read the comparison with the difference, one that I should stay is totally forgiven. On the other hand, tiny debts, the creditor refuses to forgive the first man the debtor had been forgiven 10,000 talents like $1 billion.

Someone owes him 100 denarii is a tiny debt is like, say, five books you bring forgiven $1 million and you you will not forgive that person.

Five books of this verse 28, when the same separate window defining one of his fellow servants, who owed him 100 denarii. I and seizing him think of the wickedness of this man. He began to choke him, saying they want you all you refused to allow them time to pay it, put them in prison until he should pay the debt.

The master describes this man invest 32 is as and his lack of mercy and his lack of forgiveness are contrasted with the magnificent Marseille and by interval forgiveness of the master. This man's attitude is actions are dreadful. So there master design gray and hands. This mind this ungrateful man who had been forgiven.

The assurance that but refuses to forgive a small debt.

He hands him over to the jailers with the points it's an obvious point point of the respondents forget the refusal to forgive is very serious. Understand that your refusal to forgive that person, whoever he or she is. It's very, very serious and Jesus in the skillful story is contrasting one man's magnificent forgiveness with another man's lack of forgiveness of a tiny tiny debt to the word of God helps us to forgive because the motivation of our forgiveness and the pattern for our forgiveness is God for giving us. Ephesians 4 of our study to be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ has forgiven you. That's it. Be kind. Be forgiving, be tenderhearted, God has forgiven you. Therefore you forgive that person. Colossians 3 verse 13 the privilege of officiating management in the week and refer to this verse as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must brother sister is God forgiven you. Yes, as God has forgiven you, so you also must must forgive. So we pray, forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors. That is, forgiving others is a gracious overflow of God for giving us see that offense that wrong that that person committed against you is trivial compared with the immense debt of your sin against God.

What do we do. We tend to minimize her own sins excuse them rationalize them and we exaggerates the sins of others. Today going to be breaking bread in a few minutes I want you to reflect on God's awesome forgiveness of you know want you to forgive as the Lord has forgiven you, because the comparison, the choice yes the choices to be made. Every single one of us. I guarantee has been wronged by someone. Some of you have been hurt and wrong.

Very, very badly, perhaps by a parent.

Perhaps you were abused by your father, but I feel betrayed by your husband or your wife wronged by her teacher and employer culture). A business partner, a church leader in your pain and your heart are very, very deep. As you sit here today sense of betrayal may be devastating. You're overwhelmed with perhaps outraged by the heart and the injury and we don't want to minimize that that is true because as you tremendous pain and sadness, anger and resentment that Dennis Proctor happened a long time ago but that wrong committed against you deep within you and you live with it. The arts read this parable Jesus is saying are you going to make a choice you have to choose to forgive that individual you say they don't deserve it.

John, you knew how badly I was treated you would be careful as to what you're saying. Well, it was the word of God. I know your initial instinct is to seek revenge when you to listen to Jesus when you to let that wrong. Go, I want you to discharge the debt. I want you to release that person. I saw I want you to start keeping a record of that wrong and constantly talking about it there is to be true forgiveness. There is a total letting go of the wrong letting go of any thought of retaliation of reprisal or revenge.

You see, forgiveness is a choice you say what I have forgiven them but that they keep coming back and doing the same thing over and over again. Is there any limit to forgiveness. Jesus said to them, I do not say to you seven times, but 70×7. Know and understand that many cases reconciliation with a person may not be possible particularly for person is unrepentant understand.

I'm not talking here from Marley about reconciliation.

I'm talking first floor forgiveness. There can be no true reconciliation unless first that is forgiveness just a what do I do if you don't listen to me. I find it interesting that Jesus ends the parable in verse 35 by saying this. Also, my heavenly father will do to every one of you if you do not forgive your brother from your heart, not just lip service from your heart. Then Jesus teaches that, with a lover and Emily's Matthew five, love your enemies, that means I'm to seek the good of that person who is my enemy. Even the person who hates me even a person who wants something bad to happen to me, that is to be a conscious choice to forgive that person even though you don't particularly feel like forgiving them, or someone someone you need to ask for forgiveness make the choice to do it today. God will bless you with freedom with peace with joy you choose to receive God's forgiveness, love it.

God's forgiveness. How wonderful it was that your sins are totally gone that incredible I think a wonderful is tingling as we come to communion. We we can walk out of here and think totally forgiven all of my sins are gone tremendous through the grace of God. So you receive God's forgiveness and sing to you and to myself.

We must practice forgive, to receive it and to give it forgiving even as God in Christ has forgiven you, because the comparison, the choice for the consequences is what happened to the man who refused to forgive this mold that was handed over to the jailers. This man should have been rejoicing. Having a tremendous party rejoicing that his huge incalculable dad, which he never ever ever could repay that it had been graciously forgiven instead of enjoying that forgiveness finds himself imprisoned. Think of the agony. Can we say yes the very torture the imprisonment of unforgiveness that is going to you choose not to forgive the person that impacts your prayer life. It impact your communion with your heavenly father. It poisons your relationships unforgiveness produces a very torture of the mind. In fact, in unforgiveness.

We are drinking a little and poison. Think of the tears direct relationships with divided families with divided churches.

The sleepless nights, the ulcers, the self-destructive behavior.

The inner conflict. The psychosomatic disease is the heartache the shattered relationships when people refuse to forgive you know what I'm talking about bunch of evidence that in your own family.

Perhaps in the business partner, perhaps in the church you were in. Perhaps in the ruptured relationship of a close friendship. This sysop doesn't say what portrait of the mind.

When we do not obey the teaching of Jesus and refuse to forgive that man would be forgiven so much he he comes to this man with his tiny dad any take some by then they filled with his own self-righteousness and forgetting the wonderful forgiveness that was given to him never acted like that possibly you're so censorious with others. You're so quick to tell everyone about their faults new is it was choke the life out of the men grabbed him by the neck, as it were she to refuse to forgive is destructive, very very destructive. During World War II Corrie 10 boom and if you know her, was confined in the concentration camp at Bladensburg for our part in sheltering Jews from the Nazi oppressors. Her father died in another camp and then they do dehumanizing conditions of ravens approaching. Not only was humiliated and degraded, but you watch the life of her sister Betsy ever way that God and his grace was real in the middle of the suffering of the terrible camp and after the war, God gave her the grace to go to Germany and preach about God's forgiveness just figuring one day and after she spoke, a man came forward.

She immediately recognized as she said that one of the worst experiences in the camp had been the delousing showers when the women were ogled and content by leaving guards.

This man was one of the sick SS guards, a man who had been one of the cruelest towards them. Click particularly persistent know he stood right in front of her 2010 them said and he held his hand yeah Fräulein.

It's wonderful that Jesus forgives all of our sins, just as you say. Connie said she froze as all of the memories flooded back with my credit on. You mentioned in ravens regard was a God there but since that time I become a Christian. I know that God has forgiven me with. I like to hear it from you as well.

Fräulein, will you forgive me.

Cory said she stood there paralyzed. She could forgive Betsy had died there.

She had been humiliated there at the same time she was ashamed that she could speak about and preach about forgiveness but couldn't or wouldn't forgive Lord forgive me. I can't forgive. She cried inwardly. She said that she prayed she felt not only forgiven but set free glazing of hates melted within her. She said on their hand and froze as she recited her hand and spoken forgiveness.

She said she felt another burden of the past. Following a person is really been very bad cops are calling it work, who's betrayed you, spoken against her someone who stabbed in the back someone whose abuse someone who's hurt you, betrayed your props and your own family member.

Perhaps in a Calvary church is in the teaching of Jesus to their two challenges for us here today. At least this comes as Jesus said to every one of you. Verse 35. The first challenge is to those of us were following Jesus we are forgiven when the greatest joys of being a Christian is in the to be forgiven of an understanding of the depth of own selfishness and self absorption and rebellion against God, and to know that through the grace of God and is all through his grace that I am 100% forgiven and that there is no limit to God's forgiveness is forgiveness comes as Paul would say to the cheapest of sinners to the worst of people. The most nasty person here. The most depraved person here God's love and his grace comes down and then Don and Don was always more grace, the Lord Jesus than that is sin in you. God's grace comes to us. We revel in that we sing about setting up I did today. There is no limit to this, but here's the challenge of that a direct challenge, forgiving each other, as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And the more we receive God's forgiveness, the more our understanding of the forgiveness of God, the more we will forgive others is one of the reasons I think by the Lord's supper should be so central to the life of the church because it is as we take the bread and the cup that we are reminded of the wonderful sacrifice of our Savior, so that you and I can walk out of this totally clients totally clean 100% pure in the eyes of God.

The wonder of no you praise God for that I praise God, you forgive the person we sometimes write to your mind. Perhaps a group of people you forgive them from your heart is the second challenge. Some of you sitting here have not yet personally received God's forgiveness. You understand that you're here with your guilt with your shame and with your many many sins and fight the sins are set so high that your most current on the stand between you and only God and the stand between you and eternal life in heaven and you long to experience that forgiveness.

But perhaps you think God will never forgive you was in this man shoots that is exaggerated in the parable to demonstrate the point that there was no way he could possibly pay off is on that. No, you can't pay your dad if you tell me what a terrible sin another and argue with you I believe you because all of us are terrible sinners. The one that is this the God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. We receive Christ we look to him, see him on the cross, paying the price for your sins. And yes, you need to respond from your heart to receive Christ to thank you for this forgiveness under receive them into your heart, and he will cleanse you and you will be totally 100% plans bring you to the cross of Christ. See the God God's wonderful son on the cross to start discharging the debt of our sin.

Yes, that is awesome forgiveness for you all of your sin can be put away and put away forever, and God will remember them no more is our Lord Jesus Christ.

The price on the day totally gone. That's awesome, forgiveness, and this is why Jesus taught us, forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven her simple message convicting message coming to you and me. You know maturity in the Christian life is not just knowing about the facts of this book. We're committed, I'm committed to preach and teach this boat, but I'm committed to it because of its transforming power as we humbly understand it and obey it. You know what you did.

You are to do. Perhaps you need to make a call, but you need to email someone, you need to take someone, perhaps you need to have a conversation with someone you so this is very difficult. God will give you all of the help.

All of the strength, all of the wisdom you need as you humbly obey his word and do what Jesus told us that we are to forgive one another, even as God has forgiven us. Father, help us, we do pray thank you reminded of its history turn to the Lord's table of your great forgiveness for us. We think of the love that you had for us for the grace of God that brought you love right Doug to us in the person of Jesus and all of us here need your forgiveness father and all of us have been wrong to a greater or lesser extent by others in our lives. I pray that we who have been forgiven so much will forgive one another and so bring glory to you, so live lives of freedom lives of joy lives, not of bitterness, not of resentments, lives radiating the beauty and the forgiveness of our Savior, we ask it in his name