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Teaching on Forgiveness… (5things)
How can we not from the heart gladly for give others!
1st – Do not tempt others to sin… vs. 1-2
Jesus tells us that we are going to face temptations (scandalon – to stumble) in life…
In other words – don’t be surprised when you are tempted to sin…
I Peter 4:12 – “Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you.”
Instead recognize that God will use those temptations to show us our heart…
He uses them to reveal the sin in our life – so that He can then draw it out!
God turns up the ‘heat’ in life – He put us in the refiners fire…
Silver is refined by putting it into the heat of an intense fire
The fire draws out the impurities of the silver so they can be removed
The smith knows the silver is pure when he can see his reflection…
Jesus put us in the fire to draw out the impurities from our life (sin)…
He knows when we are done – because He sees his reflection in our lives!
But whoever causes one of these little ones to stumble…
Jesus here refers to all those who believe as His little children – I John 2:13…
If someone caused a young believer in Jesus to doubt or be temped by sin…
It would be better if he tied a millstone around his neck and jumped into the sea…
Millstone – a HUGE stone meant to be pulled by a caribou – 200 kilos…
Deepest part of the sea – where ocean-going vessels would sail – VERY deep…
In other words those who stumble Jesus’ kids – are in deep trouble!
Imagine what you would do if someone wanted to harm one of your children…
God does not play around when it comes to stumbling His children…
He is a VERY protective Father – and will deal with anyone who threatens His kids!
A sobering thought – something to keep in mind next time we ‘invite’ someone to…
Have a drink – go to the party – play the game – have a boyfriend/girlfriend…
2nd – If someone sins against you – confront them… vs. 3-4
Jesus gives instructions on what to do if someone sins against you…
Jesus’ command (it is not an option) is to confront them!
Too often our response when we are hurt is to just ignore that person…
We don’t want to confront – it’s uncomfortable – we think it’ll make it worse…
Yet Jesus commands us to confront others when they sin against us…
So what qualifies as someone sinning against us…
There are obvious sins – lying /steeling / cheating / violence…
But even if we just have our feelings hurt – we only have two choices…
We can say nothing – stay hurt – which leads to bitterness and anger…
Or we can confront and allow Jesus to do a work of healing the relationship…
There are four steps to confronting sin – Matthew 18:15-20
1st ~ Go (Present/Active/Imperative) to your brother alone…
We might have misunderstood something that was done or said…
Simply taking the time to talk to the person resolves the problem…
Or if there is sin and they repent – then their is forgiveness – I John 1:9
2nd ~ Take (Aorist/Active/Imperative) 1 or 2 others with you…
If your brother will not hear you – then bring a mediator…
The opportunity is to have a mediator(s) – someone who is impartial…
If it is a misunderstanding – then they can help clarify to both parties…
If it is a matter of unrepentant sin – confirmed by more than one person
* Deuteronomy 19:15 – “One witness is not enough to convict… must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.”
3rd ~ Tell (Aorist/Active/Imperative) the church…
If they still refuse to hear – are unwilling to admit any wrong– or seek restoration…
By this point it is certain the problem is a lifestyle of unrepentant sinning…
The command is to bring the person (and the sin) publically before the local church…
The desire is to impress the severity of sin – don’t just pass it over…
It is far to easy to ‘wink’ at sin – just let it go on in the church…
By confronting sin in front of the church – everyone sees the consequences of sin…
It teaches all the believers to be holy – to stay away from the destruction of sin!
4th ~ Let (Present/Imperative) them be to you as an like an unbeliever…
If they still refuse to hear – treat them as an unbeliever…
No matter what words are said – the fruit of their life does not show salvation…
* I John 3:9 – “Whoever has been born of God does not [continue to] sin…”
We cannot say we are saved and continue to live in unrepentant sin…
So the most loving thing to do is to treat them as if they are not saved…
Then we can give them the greatest need they have – the Gospel
So why is it so important to confront sin…
To keep sin from spreading in the church…
The church in Corinth had a man in church having an affair with his stepmother
They thought they were being ‘loving’ by not confronting the sin…
I Corinthians 5:5-6 – “Deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?”
When sin goes unchecked it encourages others to sin…
Just as a ‘little’ mud can quickly contaminate – make all the water unclean…
A little sin can quickly spread out and infect a whole family or church!
It is sad when the church looks just like the world – no difference…
When young girls get pregnant in the church just like they do outside the church…
But it is not just for the church – it is for the one who is sinning…
II Corinthians 2:6-8 – “This punishment which was inflicted by the majority is sufficient for such a man, so that, on the contrary, you ought rather to forgive and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one be swallowed up with too much sorrow…”
By turning the man in the church over – he was broken and eventually restored…
We learned as a child not to touch a flame because when we did we got burned…
Better to face consequences now – and learn not to sin…
Than to live in sin – never have anyone correct us – then end up in hell…
It is the consequences of our actions that teach us…
By facing the consequences of our sin we learn not to sin…
We confront sin that those who are sinning learn to live a righteous life!
3rd – If someone sins against you – forgive them…
Even if it’s 7 times in one day – if they repent you are commanded to forgive every time!
Peter picks up on this saying of Jesus and tried to limit it – Matthew 18:21-22…
I only have to forgive my brother for sinning against me – 7 times…
In other words once he messes up the 8th time – I am OK to hold it against him…
If someone went around telling bad stories about me to others…
Then came to you and asked for forgiveness – I might forgive them…
But if they went right back out and told more of the same stories…
I would not want to forgive them – I want to give them some choice words!
Jesus answers – not 7 but 70×7…
With a little quick math we can figure out that is 490 times…
If you are like me – that means you break out the notebook and start to count…
‘You are at 480 buddy – careful – you only have 10 more to go!’
But Jesus is not giving us a number – He is giving us a Bible reference…
In the days of Jesus the Bible had no chapters of verses…
In order to reference a passage in the Bible – you quoted part of it…
It turns out that 70×7 is a very special number only used once in the Bible…
Daniel 9:24 – “A period of seventy sets of seven [70×7] has been decreed… to bring an end to sin, to atone for guilt, to bring in everlasting righteousness….”
Jesus is saying – ‘you forgive until there is no more sin!’
How often are we to forgive someone who sins against us – Every time!
What if they keep committing the same sin – then we keep forgiving…
Is there ever any reason when we do not to forgive – not even one!
4th – The faith to forgive… vs. 5-6
At this saying the disciple answered very honestly – increase our faith!
We have a hard enough time forgiving once / seven times in one day – overwhelming…
But to be commanded to always have to forgive – every time – impossible!
If you had the faith of a mustard seed – the smallest of all seeds…
If the disciples had the smallest faith – in Jesus – ‘THE Sycamine’ tree can be uprooted…
They could command it to be ‘planted’ in the sea – and it would obey them!
The sycamine tree is famous in the Middle East for having incredibly deep roots…
The tree is capable of growing very quickly – and cause of its roots its VERY difficult to kill…
Even cutting to the base is no guarantee – it has to be pulled out by the roots!
The fruit of the tree is VERY sour and bitter – and its wood is commonly used to make coffins!
Un-forgiveness is like a sycamine tree that ‘takes root’ in the heart of a man…
When we are hurt by someone – and refuse to forgive – it plants a seed in our heart…
It can quickly grow into bitterness – we become consumed with what ‘they did to us’!
Its roots can grow down deep – poisoning and hardening – separating us from God…
The ‘fruit’ in our life makes us sour and bitter – and eventually brings spiritual death…
With un-forgiveness in our hearts – God doesn’t hear our prayers – Mark 11:25
The only solution – is faith in Jesus – He can tear out the roots of un-forgiveness!
He can send them away into the farthest ocean – never to be seen again…
Psalm 103:12 – “He removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.”
Forgiveness is not just for the one who did us wrong – it is also for us…
It sets us free – we don’t dwell on the past – we get to move forward in Jesus!
5th – Forgiveness is not an option… vs. 7-10
The example of the servant…
Suppose you worked for a very wealth man – plowed his field / watch his caribou…
When you came in afterwards would you sit down at his table and eat his food with him…
No – first you would serve him dinner / then go and eat by yourself…
And you would not expect thanks for all your work – after all it your job…
We are the servants of Christ…
Jesus has sent us out to work in His fields – the harvest is ripe – Luke 10:2
And Jesus commands us to confront / and forgive others…
We are not to expect ‘thanks’ for obeying – it is not an option – it is our ‘job’…
But it is also the example Jesus has given to us!
Considering how much we have been forgiven – how could we not forgive…
Jesus went to the cross to pay for our sins – ALL of our sins…
He was willing to forgive everything we ever have done – or will ever do!
How then could we not forgive someone for the little sin they have done against us
If we are unwilling to forgive – then God will not forgive us!
Matthew 6:15 – “But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
Not just in words – but also sincerely – forgiven from the heart…
If we really understand from our heart how much we are forgiven…
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