A Forgiveness-Filled Life

8/14/2019 A Forgiveness-Filled Life

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A Forgiveness-filled Life

in Christ


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A Christian Life Is

A Forgiveness-filled Life


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Forgiveness

What is forgiveness?TheRevell Bible Dictionary lists 3 definitions:

1) to pardon or absolve of wrongdoing

2) to cancel a debt

3) to give up resentment

Question: Which of these definitions most closely

resembles the forgiveness we receive from God?

Question: Which most closely resembles theforgiveness Christians are expected to show others?


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Images of Forgiveness

The Hebrew and Greek words for forgivenessconvey a variety of images.

To Cover or Atone: Yet He was merciful; He

forgave their iniquities and did not destroy them.

Time after time He restrained His anger and did not

stir up His full wrath. (Psalm 78:38)


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To Cover or Atone

To Carry or Take Away: But now, please forgive

their sinbut if not, then blot me out of the book

you have written. (Exodus 32:32)


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To Cover or Atone

To Carry or Take Away

To Pardon: No longer will a man teach his

neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, Know the

LORD, because they will all know Me, from the

least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD.For I will forgive their wickedness and will

remember their sins no more. (Jeremiah 31:34)


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To Cover or Atone


To Pardon

To Be Gracious: Be kind and compassionate to one

another,forgivingeach other, just as in Christ God

forgave you. (Ephesians 4:32)


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Images of ForgivenessThe Hebrew and Greek words for forgiveness

convey a variety of images.

To Cover or Atone


To Pardon

To Be Gracious

To Dismiss or Send Away: Forgive us our debts, as we

also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not intotemptation, but deliver us from the evil one. 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)


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To Cover or Atone


To Pardon

To Be Gracious

To Dismiss or Send Away

Remission, Release, or Freedom: Peter replied, Repentand be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ

for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift

of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:38)


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Repentance and Forgiveness

How are these two concepts interrelated?

A popular belief is that we cannot forgive

someone who doesnt first ask for

forgiveness.

What do you believe?


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When?

For someone who is already in Christ, when

does God forgive?

a) When the person repents?

b)When the person asks for it?

c) Immediately?

d)Not until the Day of Judgment?


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Contingent Forgiveness?

Is there anything we have to do (other than accept

Christ) to receive forgiveness? (More specifically:

Is Gods forgiveness contingent on ourforgiving

others?)Matthew 6:15 But if you do not forgive men

their sins, your Father will not forgive your

sins.


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Contingent Forgiveness?

Is there anything we have to do (other than accept

Christ) to receive forgiveness? (More specifically:

Is Gods forgiveness contingent on our forgiving

others?)Matthew 6:15

Luke 6:37-38 Do not judge, and you will not bejudged. Do not condemn, and you will not be

condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give,

and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed

down, shaken together and running over, will be poured

into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be

measured to you.


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Consider Matthew 6:14-15 again.

"For if you forgive men their trespasses, yourheavenly Father will also forgive you: But if

you forgive not men their trespasses, neither

will your Father forgive your trespasses.You see, to forgive someone in a way that

honors our Savior is to not only forgive but to

not bring up.Stop and consider salvation. When we accept

Jesus and what the Lord has done for us, He

gives us a clean slate.


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Thats what we are supposed to do when it

comes to forgiving others. We are to forgive

as Christ has forgiven us and be done with it.

It amazes me how some can claim to be such

excellent servants of Christ but have

relationships that go unmended with hurt

feelings that have not been resolved.


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In order to be the servants of Christ we ought

to be, we have to be right in our relationships.

And that means forgiving and not bringing up

the past!

One of the areas in our Christian life that we

must learn is that of forgiving others. Much

of the problems in relationships can beresolved if we only practice the virtue of

forgiveness.


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Forgiveness is a powerful tool that God gave

His children to use when needed.

We should be humble enough to grant

unlimitedinterpersonal forgiveness.

After all, are oursins against God less vile

than those sins committed against us?

Remember, every time someone sins against

us it is also a sin against God!


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A Parable on Forgiveness

21. Then came Peter and said to Him,

Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against

me, and I forgive him? Until seven times?

22. Jesus said unto him, I say not unto

you, not until seven times; but, until seventy

times seven.

23. Therefore is the kingdom of Heaven

likened unto a certain king, who would make

a reckoning with his servants.


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24. And when he had begun to reckon, onewas brought unto him, that owed him ten

thousand talents.

25. But forasmuch as he had notwherewith to pay, his lord commanded him

to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all

that he had, and payment to be made. 26. The servant therefore fell down and

worshipped him, saying, Lord, have

patience with me, and I will pay thee all.


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27. And the lord of that servant, being

moved with compassion, released him, and

forgave him the debt.

28. But that servant went out, and found

one of his fellow-servants, who owed him a

hundred shillings: and he laid hold on him,

and took him by the throat, saying, Paywhat you owe!


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29. So his fellow-servant fell down and

besought him, saying, Have patience with

me, and I will pay you.

30. And he would not: but went and casthim into prison, till he should pay that which

was due.

31. So when his fellow-servants saw whatwas done, they were exceeding sorry, and

came and told unto their lord all that was

done.


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32. Then his lord called him unto him,

and said to him, You wicked servant, I

forgave you all that debt, because you

besought me:

33. should you not also have had mercy

on your fellow-servant, even as I had mercy

on you?


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34. And his lord was wroth, and delivered

him to the tormentors, till he should pay all

that was due.

35. So shall also My heavenly Father do

unto you, if you forgive not every one his

brother from your hearts. (Matthew 18:21-

35)Why should we grant unlimitedinterpersonal

forgiveness?


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UnlimitedInterpersonal Forgiveness

Our sinfulness affected not only our

relationship with God but with men as well.

God forgave us so we can be restored in our

relationship with Him.

In addition, He wanted us to practice

forgiveness to one another.

The forgiveness we received and experienced

should be shared with those who wronged us.


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UnlimitedInterpersonal Forgiveness

As humans, we commit sins that harm

relationships.

A forgiving spirit is one of the means by

which reconciliation will happen.

Sin destroys relationships and forgiveness

restores them.


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An Illustration

One of the simple but great inventions of man

is the eraser.

It acknowledges the fact that no one is

perfect.

It also reminds us that there is hope and new

possibility for those who mess up their lives

and relationships with others.

Forgiveness enables us to experience

freedom, peace, and inner joy.


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An Illustration

Warren Wiersbe said that, The worlds worstprison is the prison of an unforgiving heart. If

we refuse to forgive others, then we are only

imprisoning ourselves and causing our owntorment. Some of the most miserable people I

have met in my ministry have been people

who would not forgive others. They livedonly to imagine ways to punish these people

who had wronged them. But they were really

only punishing themselves.


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An Illustration

An unforgiving spirit leads to other sins anger, a critical spirit, bitterness, and

indifference, not to mention the various

physical illnesses associated withunforgiveness.

We reveal the true condition of our hearts by

the way we treat others. The context of thisparagraph is forgiveness between brothers in

Christ but we know that the principles apply

to other relationships.


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An Unforgiving Heart Leads to Sin

Ephesians 4:30-32 says,

30. And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God,

in Whom you were sealed unto the day of

redemption.

31. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and

anger, and clamor, and railing, be put away

from you, with all malice:

32. and be kind one to another,

tenderhearted, forgiving each other, even as

God also in Christ forgave you.


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Whom Do You Need to Forgive?

Whom do you need to forgive today?

Perhaps you need to forgive your fellow

church member, your parents, your siblings,

your co-workers, your spouse, and your

relatives.

Release yourself from the prison of

unforgiving heart and from the curse of sin.

How do we forgive?


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Understanding Forgiveness

Understand the meaning of forgiveness to

cover, to erase, and to send away the sins of

the offender.

Therefore, when we forgive we are actually

giving the person a clean sheet of paper we

release the person from the penalty of sin.

Forgiveness is surrendering my right to hurt

you for hurting me.


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Understand that forgiveness is not toleration

but preservation we forgive because we

would like to recognize the persons

admission of guilt and the desire to change.

We forgive because we would like to

encourage the person to start a new but right

way of living and relating with us, therebyresulting to preservation of the relationship.


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Understand that forgiveness is not forgetting

but healing we forgive so that healing will

begin to happen.

Healing is a process that requires patience on

the part of the offender.

When it is completed, it may leave some

marks but the pains are gone.


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Pray, Talk, and Forgive if the person is

unrepentant, follow the example of our Lord

and pray, Father, forgive them for they do

not know what they are doing.

God forgave us far more than we will ever

forgive.

The master in our parable was disappointed

because of the attitude of the unforgiving

servant.


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He owed the master a thousand talents and hewas unable to pay but the master cancelled

the debts and let him go.

It was estimated that his debts were about 12million dollars without considering inflation

today.

Compared to what he owed the master, hisfellow servants debts are just a drop in a

bucket, and yet he was unwilling to cancel it

and put him into prison.


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In like manner, we should grant unlimitedinterpersonal forgiveness because God

forgave us far more that we will ever forgive.

God forgave all our individual sins.God provided forgiveness for our past,

present, and future sins against Him and our

fellow humans.He only requires us to forgive the actual sins

of our brother.


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Gods forgiveness is far greater than what we

need to forgive others.

And yet because of hypocrisy and judgmental

attitudes, we hesitate to forgive others.

This is not right.

How can we avoid this mistake?


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Realize that we are simply channels of Godsforgiveness forgiveness did not originate

from us but God.

Share what you have received and donthoard Gods forgiveness.

Remember to be a catalyst of peace and order

realize that as we forgive others we areactually expanding an environment of peace

and order in our society.


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Summary

We do not have the same capacity to forgivethat God does.He can and does forgive completely (making

forgive and forget redundant words).We cant forget in the sense that we cant

remove something from our memory. What wecan do is to not hold it against the other person.

Walking in the lightmeans immediate andtotal forgiveness.

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A Forgiveness-Filled Life