Forgive as God in Christ Forgave You
Forgive as God in Christ Forgave You
Scripture Reading: Ephesians 4:29-32
Intro.
1. God’s forgiveness of our sins in
Christ is the greatest act of love and grace we will ever experience, Psa. 32:1-2; Rom. 5:8-9.
a. “To send forth…lay
aside, leave…remit” (Strong’s); To let go” (Thayer).
b. To bid to go away or
depart, cf. Matt. 13:36.
2. Jesus commands us
to forgive others, Mk. 11:25-26; Eph. 4:32.
a. He practiced
forgiveness, Lk. 23:34; Acts 13:38.
b. He is our example of
forgiveness, Col. 3:13.
3. But someone says, “He hasn’t asked
for my forgiveness! I’m not expected to forgive.” (Where was such a request
in Luke 23:34?)
4. Christ had a heart of
forgiveness (ready, willing, anxious), so that when God’s
conditions were met by the sinner, forgiveness was immediate.
5. Forgiveness is a great
expression of love. God’s forgiveness of us will be measured against our
forgiveness of others, Matt. 6:12, 14-15.
I. WHAT TO DO TO BE FORGIVEN OF SIN.
A. Sinners Must Acknowledge Sin
and Repent, Lk. 15:7, 10, 17-21.
1. “You
cannot change what you will not acknowledge.”
2. God:
You cannot be saved if you will not acknowledge your sin:
a. To become a Christian, Acts 2:37-38, 41.
b. The
Christian: Repent and pray (confess), Acts 8:22; 1 Jno. 1:9.
II. WHAT FORGIVING SOMEONE LOOKS LIKE.
-It is not pretense, not partial, not
temporary, not probationary.
-It is unlimited, immediate and
restorative. Lk. 17:4; Heb. 10:17-18
A. Forgiving Requires Us to
Look for and Upon the Sinner with Compassion, Lk. 15:20 (4-5).
B. Forgiving Requires Us
to Fully Receive the Sinner, Lk. 15:20, 22-24.
1. Because
forgiveness lets go of the sin (obstacle/barrier) that harmed the relationship.
2. It
rejoices over the repentance and salvation of a soul.
3. It is
merciful and completely unselfish, Lk. 15:24.
III. WHAT FORGIVENESS DOES NOT LOOK
LIKE, Lk. 15:25-30.
A. Forgiving Someone
is not an Angry Concession, Lk. 15:25-30.
B. Forgiving Someone is not Suspicious, Dismissive and Condescending, Lk. 15:30. (Self-righteousness, Lk. 18:9, 13-14)
IV. FORGIVING IS AN ACTION OF
FAITH, Lk. 17:5 (3-4).
A. Take Heed: Jesus Warns
of the Difficulty of Forgiveness, 17:3.
1. Rebuke the
brother who sins against us.
a. Try
to convince sinner of sin (or he remains lost).
b. Easier to
be hurt and to hold hatred in our heart, to gossip, to backbite or in other
ways hinder that person’s success, than it is to forgive, Matt. 18:15.
2. If the
sinner repents, forgive him, 17:3.
a. Tests
our faith (17:5): To release
the debt, to let go of the pain, the resentment, the doubt that the sinner and
his sin has caused in our life.
b. How
can we do this? Only by following the example of Christ, Eph. 4:31-5:2 (kindness,
tenderhearted love and sacrifice); Lk. 23:43; Heb. 12:3.
3. If I do
not forgive the repentant sinner then I am a stumbling block to him and I lose
my soul!
a. Since
God forgives repentant sinners, we must too, or we are not following the
example of Jesus.
b. Example:
Failure to forgive repentant fornicator would have cast him into the pit of
overwhelming despair, 2 Cor. 2:6-7.
B. The Repetitive Nature
of Forgiveness, 17:4.
1. Sometimes
it is not the first sin that we have trouble forgiving, but we struggle with
repeated sins against us.
a.
Tempted to judge motives of repentance as insincere, to become bitter and
withhold our forgiveness.
b. cf. God and Israel, Matt. 23:37 (“how often”); God and us.
2. We will
be forgiven as we forgive others, Matt. 6:14-15.
3. We are
not walking by faith when we refuse to have a heart of forgiveness and actually
forgive as God in Christ forgave us, Col. 3:13; Eph. 4:31-32.
Conclusion
1. Forgiveness looks like how God
in Christ forgave us (Eph. 4:32).
2. “And forgive us our sins, for we
also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.” (Luke
11:4)
By: Joe R. Price
Posted: June 6, 2018
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