11.19.23 - Family Matters
Week 3: Forgiveness Matters
Series Recap:
Families that address family matters will have a family that matters.
“For it’s money they have and peace they lack.” —James Earl Jones in Field of Dreams
Today’s Main Idea:
A Bitter Root Bitters You
14 Pursue the goal of peace along with everyone—and holiness as well, because no one will see the Lord without it. 15 Make sure that no one misses out on God’s grace. Make sure that no root of bitterness grows up that might cause trouble and pollute many people. Hebrews 12:14-15
Biblical Forgiveness
Hebrew:
- סלח–slh - to be indulgent towards, forgive
- נשׂא- ns’ - to carry; to lift, lift up; to raise; to bring; to take/take
- כפר- kpr - to appease, make amends
Greek:
- ἀφίημι- aphiemi - to leave; forgive; send forth; discharge
- ἄφεσις- aphesis - a pardon; forgiveness
- χαρίζομαι- charizomai - to forgive; give freely
- ἀπολύω- apoluo - set free; release; let go
Biblical Forgiveness Means:
- To
- To lift up or
- To make
- To
- To give
- To
Parable of the Unforgiving Servant
21 Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, how many times should I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Should I forgive as many as seven times?”
22 Jesus said, “Not just seven times, but rather as many as seventy-seven times. 23 Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 When he began to settle accounts, they brought to him a servant who owed himten thousand bags of gold. 25 Because the servant didn’t have enough to pay it back, the master ordered that he should be sold, along with his wife and children and everything he had, and that the proceeds should be used as payment. 26 But the servant fell down, kneeled before him, and said, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I’ll pay you back.’ 27 The master had compassion on that servant, released him, and forgave the loan.
28 “When that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him one hundred coins.[c] He grabbed him around the throat and said, ‘Pay me back what you owe me.’
29 “Then his fellow servant fell down and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I’ll pay you back.’ 30 But he refused. Instead, he threw him into prison until he paid back his debt.
31 “When his fellow servants saw what happened, they were deeply offended. They came and told their master all that happened. 32 His master called the first servant and said, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you appealed to me. 33 Shouldn’t you also have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ 34 His master was furious and handed him over to the guard responsible for punishing prisoners, until he had paid the whole debt.
35 “My heavenly Father will also do the same to you if you don’t forgive your brother or sister from your heart.” Matthew 18:21-35 (CEB)
Forgiveness Matters
To really let go we can’t keep punishing others who are the sources of dysfunction.
Forgiveness is not the same as
How to forgive “seventy times seven”?
Adapted from Dr Luskin’s Nine Steps to Forgiveness and Scripture
- 1) Release
37 “Don’t judge, and you won’t be judged. Don’t condemn, and you won’t be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Luke 6:37 (CEB)
- 2) Find the healthy
- 3) Manage
- 4) Be
13 Be tolerant with each other and, if someone has a complaint against anyone, forgive each other. As the Lord forgave you, so also forgive each other. Colossians 3:13 (CEB)
- 5) Look
Kung-Fu Panda Advice
“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That’s why they call it the present.” –Master Oogway
Application Questions
- 1) Who or what in your life is most in need of forgiving?
- 2) Which of the “Learning to Forgive” steps challenges you most and why?