Good morning and welcome in. Today we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture from The book of Matthew but before we do that I wanted to ask you a question.
Have you ever asked God to forgive you? Have you ever gone to Him in your personal prayer time and explained to Him that you were sorry for something that you had done? Have you ever said…please forgive me Lord? If you have ever asked God to forgive you, yet you refuse to extend that same forgiveness and mercy to somebody else who requests it from you, God is not going to forgive you. I have taught for many years that this truly is an unforgivable sin if unrepented of. If you ask God for forgiveness but you won’t forgive and reconcile with others, then God will not forgive you at the judgment.
Remember that when God forgives us, He forgives us from His heart. The past sins that we have confessed are no longer remembered anymore by Him and completely forgotten. Through His grace we have peace with Him through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He does that so that we can be in a new reconciled relationship with Him once again. Have you felt God’s forgiveness wash over you?
When someone apologizes to you, do you treat them the same way that you would want to be treated by God? When they admit their faults do you forgive them the way Christ has forgiven you? Some days it seems like there are people who are more forgiving outside of the church than within. The church is supposed to be a huge ship filled with a cargo of Grace. It is supposed to be a lighthouse of Mercy that people can find when they need it. When we confess our faults, God is faithful to forgive us of our faults but sadly some have turned forgiveness into nothing more than grudge keeping and bitterness. Instead of forgiving others in a heartfelt manner and moving on, they refuse to shake off that persistent feeling of ill-will and resentment resulting from a past injury or insult.
Matt 18:23-35
23 Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.
24 And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.
25 But forasmuch as he had not 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.
27 Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.
28 But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest.
29 And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
30 And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.
31 So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done.
32 Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:
33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?
34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.
35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.
Like this parable, each of us owes a debt that we cannot possibly pay on our own. The debt that we owe is a sin debt. This is a parable about forgiving a brother of their trespasses. This is exactly what God does for us through Christ Jesus. This is the reason why he shed his blood at the cross. The Lord Jesus Christ was sent by God the Father as an atonement and propitiation for our sins. God is ready to forgive us. In the church we are attempting to keep ourselves free from sin but in case we do sin, grace is available for those who require it.
Heb 4:16
16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
When you do something boldly it means without hesitation or fear in the face of risk or danger; courageously. The apostle is teaching us today to come forth and get forgiven. God doesn’t want us to wait another moment but to come and get it right now. We are not supposed to be afraid or scared, knowing that God is waiting for us with open arms to embrace us and to wholeheartedly forgive us, so that we can return to Him and continue in a reconciled relationship with Himself.
1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Anyone who has ever prayed the Lord’s prayer has petitioned God to forgive them of sin. Remember that in that prayer it teaches,…. as we forgive others of their sins. Even in that prayer we acknowledge that we are to be forgiving with others. If you receive forgiveness from God you are to give forgiveness to others because that is the Christian faith.
Take notice that in the parable the first servant owed 10,000 talents while the second only owed 100 pence. Some people in the church have received a lot of forgiveness from God over the years, yet sadly there are those in the church who refuse to forgive others even though it is a minor infraction. The truth is, when they feel like someone else has committed the unforgivable sin against them, they are the ones who are committing it by not forgiving the offending party. God is not mocked. If you sow the bitter seeds of unforgiveness, God will not forgive you. That is a pretty scary thought and a place that I would never want to be in.
When a person becomes a Christian, they receive forgiveness for their sins and God expects and demands that you show that same mercy to an offender. When somebody is merciless it means without mercy or having, feeling, or showing no mercy; pitiless; cruel; implacable.
James 2:12-13
12 So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.
13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.
All of us have sinned and come short of the glory of God. We are a world filled with guilty sinners but if we come to God’s Son, we can get forgiven instead of receiving the judgment and penalty due to us because of our sinful condition. Instead of judging us by our sins, God judges us by the law of liberty. If you’ve ever asked God for forgiveness, if you have ever been to Holy communion and received the precious blood of Christ to wash your sins away, God demands that you forgive others in the same manner.
Matthew 5:7 – Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
God gives us a precious gift of His grace but you don’t want to throw that gift away because of a bitter, unforgiving heart towards others.
Matthew 6:15 – But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Luke 6:37 – Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:
If anyone should understand Mercy, it’s people who believe in Jesus.
Have you asked the King for mercy?
Let’s think about those things for today and Lord willing I’ll talk to you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye-bye everybody.❤️
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