Sacrificial Forgiveness”
How God Deepens Our Love
Matthew 18:21-34
21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” 22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.
God Deepens Our Love through
· Spiritual Formation
· Sacrificial Forgiveness
· Sacred Fellowship
· Sanctified Service
Sacrificial Forgiveness is about taking in the Suffering by what another has done and letting go of Vengeance.
34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing - Lk. 23:24
1. REVERSAL of the CONDEMNATION (vs 23-26)
23 “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. 25 Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. 26 “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’
Grace: is God GIVING US what we DO NOT Deserve
Mercy: Is God NOT GIVING us what WE DO DESERVE
Law: Is our WAY of giving REMEDY to our own NEED for Forgiveness
· Ritual Reconciliation (Law) is replaced by Real Repentance (Mercy)
· Required Restitutions (Law) replaced by Righteous Redemption (Mercy)
· Restricted Results (Law) replaced by Remarkable Renewal (Mercy)
14 For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace. - Romans 6:14
2. RELEASE from the CONSEQUENCE (vs. 27)
27 The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go
13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. - Col. 2:13-14
3. REFLECTION of our CONDITION (vs 28-35)
28 “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded. 29 “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’ 30 “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened. 32 “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ 34 In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. 35 “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. - Eph. 4:32
For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. - Matt. 6:14-15
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness - 1 John 1:9
