FORGIVENESS

Forgiveness
Matthew 6:9-13
08/05/2005
Forgiveness                                                      Unforgiveness
Matt 6:14                                                                                          Matt 6:15
Mark 11:25                                                                                       Mark 11:26

Unforgiveness leads to resentment, resentment leads to hatred, and hatred to murder.  (Mat 5:21-24  Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:  (22)  But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.  (23)  Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee;  (24)  Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.)
Forgiveness Needs Momentum
Corrie ten Boom likenened forgiveness to letting go of a bell rope. If you have ever seen a country church with a bell in the steeple, you will remember that to get the bell ringing you have to tug awhile. Once it has begun to ring, you merely maintain the momentum. As long as you keep pulling, the bell keeps ringing. Miss ten Boom said forgiveness is letting go of the rope. It is just that simple. But when you do so, the bell keeps ringing. Momentum is still at work. However, if you keep your hands off the rope, the bell will begin to slow and eventually stop.
It is like that with forgiveness. When you decided to forgive, the old feelings of unforgiveness may continue to assert themselves. After all, they have lots of momentum. But if you affirm your decision to forgive, that unforgiving spirit will begin to slow and will eventually be still. Forgiveness is not something you feel, it is something you do. It is letting go of the rope of retribution.

In I John 1:9 the bible says that if we confess our sins that he is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. In this verse you see the word forgive, but not only does he forgive but he forgets as well. Psalm 32:1 says “our sin was covered”; it was covered by the blood of Jesus when he shed it for our sins.  Meaning that after we claim the blood of Christ, God cannot see our past sin.
God will remove our sins from his presents and place them far from him.
Micah 7:19 “thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.”  Psalm 103:12 “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.”
Let’s look at Peter who was one of the original twelve disciples. He denied Jesus Christ three times to avoid persecution (John 18:17, 25-27) and God still used him to preach the gospel and to build the church.
Another great Christian, the Apostle Paul, he consented to the murder of Stephen (Acts 8:1). He himself also persecuted the Christians of the founding churches (Acts 8:3, 9:1-9). The Lord still forgave him and used him to further the gospel by reaching millions by the life he led and the letters he wrote. Paul wrote 13 out of the 27 books of the New Testament. 

When to forgive?

I hear everyone say that they aren’t going to forgive someone until that person comes and apologizes for what they have done to them. Well that is wrong; we need to forgive no matter what. 
      The Forgiveness Flower
  One day when Stan Mooneyham was walking along a trail in East Africa with some friends, he became aware of a delightful odor that filled the air. He looked up in the trees and around at the bushes in an effort to discover where it was coming from. Then his friends told him to look down at the small blue flower growing along the path. Each time they crushed the tiny blossoms under their feet, more of its sweet perfume was released into the air. Then his friends said, "We call it the forgiveness flower."
This forgiveness flower does not wait until we ask forgiveness for crushing it. It does not release its fragrance in measured doses or hold us to a reciprocal arrangement. It does not ask for an apology; it merely lives up to its name and forgives-freely, fully, richly. What a touching example of outrageous forgiveness!


How much to forgive?

Mat 18:21-22 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?  (22)  Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. What Jesus is saying is that there is no end to how much you forgive someone.


The Buried Hatchet
Garth Brooks has a song which says "We buried the hatchet, but left the handle sticking out." One great obstacle of stumbling is non-forgiveness. The hatchet might seem to be buried, but people continue to grab hold of the handle when they want to use it against another. Jesus said if a brother repents, forgive him-that is; bury the hatchet and its handle. How many times, you might ask? As often as the brother repents, we are to forgive.
Don't grab hold of buried hatchet handles, for they become stumbling blocks to forgiveness.


Let me ask you how much did Christ forgive you? 
Did he wait for you to say “I’m Sorry”?
Has he stopped forgiving you?




Christ died on the cross so that through him we might all receive forgiveness of our sins. That forgiveness is already there.  All we have to do to receive this forgiveness is to have a personal saving relationship with Christ.