FORGIVENESS

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FORGIVENESS

• INTRODUCTION
• There are three kindred spirits of the human
  heart giving, thanksgiving and forgiving!
• 1. Usually where you find one of these in a
  per-son, you will also find the others also .
• 2. We want to study the last of these today.
• 3. Forgiveness is important in the home, the
  community, the nation and the church.

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Forgiveness Is Necessary

• It is commanded by God, Mark 1125,26 And
  whenever you stand praying, if you have anything
  against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in
  heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But
  if you do not forgive, neither will you Father in
  heaven forgive your trespasses.
• 1. Forgiveness is rooted in the love of God, 1
  John 49 In this the love of God was
  manifested toward us, that God has sent His only
  begotten son into the world, that we might live
  through Him.

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2. Our own forgiveness by God depends on our
being willing to forgive others.

• Jesus has given us an example for forgiveness,
  Luke 2334 Then Jesus said, Father forgive
  them for they do not know what they do.
• Col. 313,14 Bearing with one another, and
  forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint
  against another even as Christ forgave you, so
  you also must do.
• Eph. 432 And be kind to one another,
  tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as
  God in Christ forgave you.

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What Is Forgiveness?

• There are two Greek words which are rendered
  forgive in the English language
• 1. One means to send forth, to send away, to
  remit or forgive.
• 2. The other means to bestow a favor
  uncondi-tionally.
• 3. English definition to give up resentment
  against or the desire to punish to stop being
  angry with to pardon.

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What Is Involved In Forgiveness?

• What is required of the one who is seeking
  for-giveness?
• 1. Repentance, Acts 822 Repent therefore of
  this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the
  thought of your heart may be forgiven you.
• 2. Restitution, Luke 198 Zacchaeus
  under-stood it to be necessary when he said,
  Lord and if I have taken anything from anyone
  by false accusa-tion, I restore fourfold.

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3. An intention not to repeat the offense,Luke
38 John the Baptist said to the Jewish leaders
who came out into the wilderness to be baptized
of him, Therefore bear fruits worthy of
repentance

• Matt. 2128,29 A father said to his son, Go
  work today in my vineyard, but He answered and
  said, I will not, but afterward he regretted it
  and went.
• What is required of the one who is extending
  forgiveness to one who has wronged him?
• 1. Within the word forgive is the word give,
  so that forgiveness involves some giving.

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a. We must give away any feeling or desire for
vengeance, Rom. 1217,19,21 Repay no
one evil for evil do not avenge yourselves
do not be over-come by evil, but overcome
evil with good.

• b. We are to give up any bad feelings or
  thoughts about the one who has hurt us, Eph.
  431 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger,
  clamor, and evil speaking be put away from
  you, with all malice.
• c. We are to surrender our pride, Jas. 46
  God resists the proud, but gives grace to the
  humble.

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2. We must restore the relationship and feelings
that existed prior to the offense.

• a. Forgiveness requires that we forget that the
  wrong was done to us, Heb. 812 For I
  will be merciful to their unrighteousness,
  and their sins and their lawless deeds AI
  will remember no more.
• b. The former relationship is to be restored
  when David had sinned again God and asked
  for forgiveness he asked the Lord not to cast
  him away from His presence.

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c. When we forgive, we are to impart peace and
edification to the one who has wronged us,
Rom. 159 Therefore let us pursue the
things which make for peace and the things
by which one may edify another.

• 3. Forgiveness is not the ignoring of a wrong
  that has been committed, but an action designed
  to control our heart so we can feel and act as if
  the wrong had not been committed, which will then
  en-courage repentance on the part of the offender
  and the acceptance of the offenders apology by
  the one who has been offended.

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Forgiveness Illustrated

• In the life of Jesus, Luke 2334 Father,
  forgive them, for they do not know what they do.
• In the parable of the Prodigal Son, who was
  forgiven by his father, Luke 1521-24.
• In the death of Stephen, the first martyred
  Christian, who asked in prayer, Lord, do not
  charge them with this sin, Acts 760.
• In Esaus forgiveness of his brother, Jacob,
  Gen. 334 --

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In Josephs forgiveness of his brothers for
sell-ing him into captivity, Gen. 455.

• Answers to Some Important Questions

Who should initiate the reconciliation
process? 1. Many times forgiveness is neither
sought nor granted because no one will start the
process. a. The offender is too ashamed and
fearful. b. The offended is unconcerned about
the spiritual welfare of the offender,
feeling per- haps his bad feelings are
justified.
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2. The New Testament imposes this
responsi-bility on both.

• a. On the offender, Matt. 523,24 Therefore
  if you bring your gift to the altar, and
  there remember that your brother has
  something against you, leave your gift there
  before the altar, and go your way. First be
  reconciled to your brother, and then come
  and offer your gift.

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b. On the offended, Matt. 1815 Moreover
if your brother sins against you, go and
tell him his fault between you and him
alone. If he hears you, you have gained your
brother.

• Can I forgive one who has wronged me if he does
  not repent and seek my forgiveness?
• 1. The answer is yes, but this must be
  ex-plained.
• 2. There are two kinds of forgiveness
• a. Legal to forgive a person of guilt for
  having violated a law of God is the
  prerogative of God alone.

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(1) David, in his prayer to God after having
committed sin with Bathsheeba, asked,
Have mercy upon me, O God, accord- ing to
Your lovingkindness according to the
multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out
my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from
my iniquity, and cleanse me from my
sin (Psa. 511,2).

• (2) No one, not even a priest, preacher or
  friend, has the power or right to forgive
  sins.

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2. The other kind of forgiveness is
attitudinal, and is to be granted by all of us
unconditionally.

• a. Matt. 511 Blessed are you when they
  revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of
  evil against your falsely for My sake.
• b. Matt. 544 But I say to you, love your
  ene- mies, bless those who curse you, do good
  to those who hate you, and pray for those
  who spitefully use you and persecute you,
  that you may be sons of your Father in
  heaven.

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c. We are not allowed to harbor bitterness,
mal- ice, anger, desire for revenge or any
other bad feeling in our hearts toward one
who has wronged us whether he has sought our
for- giveness or not.

• d. Whether we are to forgive another of a wrong
  committed against us in no way depends on
  his doing anything We are to forgive him
  period!
• e. Our forgiveness of him does not necessarily
  mean that he has been forgiven by God from
  a legal standpoint (removal of his guilt).

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f. Our love and kindness toward him and our
concern for his soul should motivate us to try
to show him that he has done wrong, Gal. 61
Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any
tres- pass, you who are spiritual restore
such a one in a spirit of gentleness,
considering yourself lest you also be
tempted.

• g. James 519,20 Brethren, if anyone among
  you wanders from the truth, and someone
  turns him back, let him know that he who
  turns a sinner from the error of his way will
  save a soul from death, and cover a multitude
  of sins.

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How many times must we forgive someone who
repeatedly sins against us?

• 1. Matt. 1821,22 Then Peter came to Him and
  said, Lord, how often shall my brother sin
  against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?
  Jesus said to him, I do not say to you, up to
  seven times, but up to seventy times seven.
• 2. Jesus is requiring attitudinal forgiveness
  of us in this text. We cannot grant legal
  forgiveness.
• 3. Four-hundred-ninety times should not be
  thought of as a limit, but, rather, indicating
  unlimited attitudinal forgiveness.

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How should we forgive someone who has committed
a wrong against us?

• 1. Completely and unconditionally and with no
  reservations.
• 2. Sincerely, genuinely and heartfelt.
• 3. Forgetfully (not to be brought up again).
• 4. To forgive as God forgives us.

CONCLUSION
We should remember that any bad feelings we may
harbor in our hearts toward one who has wronged
us will ultimately hurt us more than him.
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Forgiveness will always come easier if we try to
remember how completely and of how much we have
been forgiven ourselves.

• 1. By God
• 2. And by our family, friends, brethren and
  others.
• Forgiveness will be easier if we will ask God to
  help us to forgive others.
• And we must always remember that our own
  forgiveness by God depends on whether we have
  been willing to forgive those who have wronged us.

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Forgiveness from God depends on our ap-proaching
Him in His way to obtain it.

• 1. If a person has never been forgiven by God
  for any of his sins, he must
• a. Believe in Jesus as Gods son, Jn. 316
• b. Repent of his sins, Acts 1730
• c. Confess before men his faith in Jesus, Rom.
  109,10
• d. Be baptized in water for the remission
  (forgiveness) of his sins, Acts 238 --

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2. If a person has done these things and is a
child of God but commits further sins

• a. Repent of those sins, Acts 822
• b. In prayer confess his sins to God and seek
  His forgiveness, 1 John 19 If we confess
  our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us
  our sins and to cleanse us from all
  unright- eousness.