The pastors essential responsibility is to stand amidst our confused, restless world and to repeatedly speak one word, God. —Eugene Peterson
“There are few duties so strongly commanded in the N.T. Scriptures as this duty and few whose neglect so clearly shuts a person out of the life of the kingdom of God.” —J.C. Ryle
“Christ says we must forgive. I admit at times I find that command impossible to obey. At which point I’m left with two options. Ignore it or submit myself to it, and seek the Spirit’s miraculous power to overcome my bitterness and anger.” —Victor Kuligin
Matthew 18:21–22 (NIV): Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”
Matthew 18:22 (NIV): Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.
“According to Jesus, if we want to be his disciples, then we must not place any limits on the number of times we are willing to forgive those who injure, assault, persecute and betray us. This includes smaller offenses. It also includes greater offenses. The ones that feel like the ripping of our flesh and the crushing of our spirits. Forgiving others as God in Christ has forgiven you is gutsy and gut wrenching, it’s courageous and terrifying, it’s redemptive and messy, it’s breath taking and exhausting, it’s heavenly and hellish in what it is going to require of us. The practice of forgiveness is no easy endeavor.” —Scott Sauls
What Forgiveness Is Not:
1) Forgiveness is not forgetting
2) Forgiveness is not reconciliation
“Once you have been able to forgive, the final step is to either renew or release the relationship you have had with the one who harmed you.” —Desmond Tutu
3) Forgiveness is not access
4) Cancelation of relational debt
What Forgiveness Is:
1) A refusal to rest in the false comfort of bitterness
2) A desire for the flourishing of the one who sinned against us
“As we extend the forgiveness that Christ has secured for us, we open our hearts to the possibility, even to the hope that the offending party would someday soften and someday experience sorrow for the hurt that they have caused. Our forgiveness includes the exchanging of our ongoing daydreams of our enemies demise for new daydreams, ones in which he is humbled into repentance.” —Scott Sauls
Matthew 18:23–27 (NIV): Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. 25 Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
26 “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ 27 The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
Matthew 18:28-35 (NIV): “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.
29 “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’
30 “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt.
31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.
32 “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ 34 In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
35 “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
Ephesians 4:32 (NIV): Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Luke 17:3b–5 (NIV): “If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. 4 Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.”
5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”