4 And forgive us our sins,
For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.”
There is power in forgiveness.
Matthew 18:21-35
ESV
The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant
21 Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.
23 “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants.24 When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. 25 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. 26 So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27 And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. 28 But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ 29 So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ 30 He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. 31 When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. 32 Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ 34 And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. 35 So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”
Matthew 6:14-15
ESV
14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Forgiveness is so powerful because it is where we represent Christ. Forgiveness isn’t easy, it’s not easy choosing to let go of hurt, pain and choosing to move on.
God tells us to forgive others because He forgives us. I know many of you can tell me how I don’t understand the depths someone hurt you, but I also want to tell you that you don’t know the depths in which you’ve sinned. We all have fallen short of the glory of God.
God forgives us and is ready to receive us.
When we don’t forgive others, it’s almost as if we don’t recognise the power of God’s forgiveness towards us. Though people pained us and though people hurt us, we should walk in love and forgiveness because we have pained God and hurt Him. He still loved us even when we didn’t even seek His forgiveness.
We sin daily, we make mistakes daily and fail daily but yet God invites us to repent and to receive His forgiveness. Though people will disappoint us daily, mislead, and hurt us we don’t allow unforgiveness to cling to us because unforgiveness corrupts your heart.
It blocks you from hearing God’s voice clearly. It’s like a wall and barrier between you and God. When we live in unforgiveness, it stops God from fully using us amd listening to our prayers. God always wants us to be forgive (Matthew 5:23-24).
If you’re living in unforgiveness, you’re unintentionally placing a barrier between you and God. Until you open the cage in your heart where hurt and anger are locked up and allow love to enter those chained-up emotions are pushing you further from Christ.
I love that Jesus made it a prayer. Jesus said “for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us”
We also forgive.
Today I want you to ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart where any unforgiveness, bitterness and anger us locked up. Ask Him to help you release these emotions to forgive others. We live lives of repentance but also know that those who hurt us were most likely ignorant and were in brokenness. Just like God recognised our humanity, our brokenness and sinfulness, we should recognise the humanity, brokenness and sinfulness of others.
The same way you know you’re messy without God, recognise everyone is messy without God, not all to the same degree but we all have a sinful nature and are weak.
Luke 6:27-31
ESV
Love Your Enemies
27 “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29 To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. 30 Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. 31 And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.
Praying for people who are nice to you is easy but praying for those who misused you, persecute you, or hurt you isn’t as easy. We need to keep something in mind. When Jesus was dying on the cross, He asked God the Father to forgive those who crucified Him. Jesus asked the Father to forgive them but He gave a reason why.
“Father forgive them for their sin for they do not know what they do”
They don’t know what they were doing. Have you stopped to think that those who have hurt you, gossiped, attacked and harmed you don’t know what they are doing? Truly, they don’t recognise how broken, sinful and in need of a Saviour they are like you and me. If it was a saved person doing this, they harmed you from a place of brokenness. They are disrespectful of their broken sinful nature not a place of perfection.
Jesus could’ve gotten angry or not even prayed for them at all, but Jesus told us to pray for our enemies. How can Jesus tell us to do something He doesn’t practice? No, but Jesus did exactly that, those who rose against Jesus like enemies, instead of proclaiming wrath and judgement, He prayed for them
When you struggle to forgive someone:
1) Pray for them.
This isn’t easy but Jesus showed us the perfect example He prayed for those very people who hurt Him. Jesus didn’t hold unto any bitterness or anger but from His love, He recognised their ignorance, brokenness and prayed for them.
When someone hurts you, as difficult as it is, pray for them. Pray God changes their hearts. Pray that those people who persecuted you will become preachers of the gospel tomorrow. Pray for those who gossip about you, to be those who repent and receive Christ tomorrow. Pray for those people who say they are Christain but hurt you that God will convict them. Pray that God will use them because Jesus had that same heart posture.
Jesus, though we sinned against Him was still very willing to use us. God doesn’t remember all our sins and tells us we are too sinful to be evangelising or to be used, no but God let’s go of who we once were to focus on who we are becoming.
If you still hold onto anger, I want you to pour out your heart before God and ask Him to remove that bitterness. Ask Him to give you a heart that lets go easily. That doesn’t hold unto anger and heart but is filled with love. Where there is love, you’ll even have that desire for them to change. When you’re filled with love, you won’t be wishing evil but deep repentance upon their lives. You’ll have joy in seeing them saved and will have a ready heart to help them when needed.
When the world reacts in anger towards those against them, let us react in love.
Let us remember that in Christ we have forgiveness. You’re never too far gone, and you can always return to the feet of the Father and ask Him to forgive you. Avoid living in guilt and remembering everything bad you’ve done as if the blood of Jesus cannot purify you.
Knowing Christ forgives us helps us value and love Him as a Saviour
Luke 7:36-50
ESV
A Sinful Woman Forgiven
36 One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table. 37 And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, 38 and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. 39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.” 40 And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.”
41 “A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” 43 Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.” 44 Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. 46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. 47 Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” 48 And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” 49 Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” 50 And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
She loved much because she recognised how sinful, broken and in need of Jesus she was. She loved Jesus so much because she realised how much she needed forgiveness and how desperate she needed saving.
When we realise how broken and sinful we are without Jesus, it pushes us to pursue and value Him in our lives just like with this woman.
And so it should be in our hearts. This woman loved Jesus because she recognised how broken she was but Jesus calls us to be like Him, Jesus forgave her because she recognise Him and searched for forgiveness.
Jesus recognises our brokenness that’s why He died for us without us even asking Him. I want us to ask God to have hearts like Jesus. That we recognise how heavy our sins were, yet Jesus allowed us to receive Him and to live in us, so when others sin against us, we don’t see what they did wrong but with that same light to be more like Christ, we see their humanity that even when they don’t ask for forgiveness and haven’t repented, we can still forgive them.
Forgiving others isn’t doing them a favour but honouring God, we forgive because we forgave ourselves when we were in similar standing with God, we forgive because we want others to see Jesus in us. We want them to see the one who forgave when no one asked for forgiveness. The One who prayed for His enemies when they mocked Him. The One who came to die for everyone so they may not perish even though they never asked for Him to die for their sins. The One who created us for communion and relationship, yet we rebelled and disobeyed. The One that despite our sin, He pursued us.
Jesus wants us to be like Him, willing to let go so that others can see Him in us. When we live in unforgiveness we don’t reflect Jesus but reflect the world. We don’t reflect heaven but rather darkness. When er font forgives and let’s go, we are walking in the Holy Spirit and radiating Christ but when we choose to forgive and let go, that’s when people see a light.
They see a light; they see someone they desperately need.
And it burns their hearts, convicts their hearts and brings them to repentance because our decision to forgive revealed to them a man named Jesus who is ready to just like us, forgive them for their many sins.
-etty