Be Forgiving #

Transcription

1 Intro: Start sermon by making an outrageous suggestion. Think of person that sometimes bothers you Maybe you were hurt by them or simply they annoy you. You might like to tell off but you know that would be wrong. Suppose there would be one day you can without sin or any repercussion. Call it Freedom Day. How interesting a day that would be? *Just hold on to that thot for a few minutes A New Beginning: TODAY: Be Merciful Matt18:23 For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. I. Mercy has been shown to us. A. Man owed a LARGE DEBT. B. The king does not say to make installment payments. He doesn t garnish his wages. He completely and totally forgives the debt. C. Mercy was in God s vocabulary from the beginning: God: I will speak to you from above the Mercy Seat (Exodus 24:22) D. Song: He paid a debt He did not owe; I owe a debt I could not pay I needed someone to wash my sins away; And now I sing a brand new song Amazing grace all day long; Christ Jesus paid a debt that I could never pay II. We should show mercy to others. A. Fellow servant owed the Forgiven man money. Very payable: 28 But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and he seized him and began to choke him, saying, Pay back what you owe. 29 So his fellow slave fell to the ground and began to plead with him, saying, Have patience with me and I will repay you. 30 But he was unwilling and went and threw him in prison until he should pay back what was owed. B. God has NOT made us debt collectors (i.e. anyone who has hurt me must suffer) C. Love does not take into account a Wrong Suffered (1 Cor 13:5) D. Forgiving Others - The Divine Example Colossians 3:13 says, "Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." Jesus not only had the power to forgive, but to grant us the ability to forgive others just as we have been forgiven. E. Forgiving is not always easy. Yet, it is something that is commanded. Page 1 of 5 Cumberland Church of Christ 2015

2 F. We must let go of bitterness. But How? G. Let go of bitterness. How? Growing up I remember going to a school and a church was nearby. The man who rang the bell pulled on a rope to ring the bell. After he let go of the bell, it would still ring, however slower and fainter until it stops. When we forgive, we take our hand off the rope. But if we've been tugging at our grievances for a long time, we mustn't be surprised if the old angry thoughts keep coming for a while. None the less, we must let go. H. Jesus warns we need to TRY to forgive. He warned the Scribes & Pharisees: Matthew 23:23, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the other undone." I. You may know of Christians who worship regularly, maybe even pray and read their Bible, yet find it difficult to FORGIVE someone. III. Benefits of showing mercy: RECEIVE MERCY. A. Our Motivation? 1. JESUS FORGAVE. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you. (Ephesians 4:31-32) 2. Forgive in order to be forgiven of sins. *Blessed are the Merciful for they shall receive Mercy (Matt 5:7) *Matt 6:12-15 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. "For if you forgive men for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 "But if you do not forgive men, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions. B. Secondary Reason: An emotional appeal. Why does God want me to forgive others? God is saying it is in our own best interest to forgive! We are the ones who God is trying to protect. We are the ones who receive the most benefit from forgiveness. Page 2 of 5 Cumberland Church of Christ 2015

3 A refusal of not forgiving complicates and compromises our daily walk with God. Forgiving others releases us from anger and allows us to receive the healing we need. The whole reason God has given us specific direction is because He does not want anything to stand between us and Him. Forgiving others often starts as a decision of surrender-an act of our will. Remember, forgiveness does not justify the deed or the person, it does not provide God's forgiveness for their actions, because only God can do that. Forgiving others makes a way for our own healing to begin. To forgive means to not seek revenge on the one who has hurt you. It means letting go of the anger we harbor inside us and allowing God to deal with him or her as he, in His perfect wisdom, sees fit. It is HARD to forgive: Luke 17:1-5 1 Jesus said to His disciples, 3 "Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 4 "And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, 'I repent,' forgive him." 5 IMMEDIATELY the apostles respond: Lord, Increase our faith!" C. Why is Hell eternal? 1. To answer, first why are we allowed in Heaven? a. Jesus took away our debt. b. Matt 18:27 And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt. 2. Matt 18:26 Have patience with me and I will repay you everything. 3. Slave mistakenly THOT he could repay the debt. No Way! 4. Matt 18:34 And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him. 35 My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart. 5. Hell is eternal Because we can never repay our debt. Page 3 of 5 Cumberland Church of Christ 2015

4 D. James 2:12-13 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; Mercy triumphs over judgment. 1. In 1984 Jody Plauche was 10 years old living with his parents in Louisiana. He was abducted by his karate school teacher and taken to California. He was rescued after being sexually abused several times. Thankfully Jody's parents received their child back. However two weeks later, as the kidnapper was being returned to Louisiana, Jody's father was secretly waiting at the airport in Louisiana. Upon his arrival, Jody's father, Gary, shot and killed the man. On the video you can hear the police yelling, "Why Gary? Why? His answer: "If it had been your child, you would have done the same thing". Last week I contacted with Jody Plauche (the son) who is now 40 years old. (He speaks across the country on child abuse) #1 I asked him: How hard was it to forgive the man who had assaulted you? *Of course he was around 10/11 at the time. 1. I knew what the man was doing was wrong and not my fault. 2. I think the fact that my dad shot him. I never had to wonder what other kid he was molesting and I never had to see him. 3. I had the support of my family and the community all helped me deal with it. 4. Plus...I didn't keep a twenty year secret that manifested in self-destructive behavior. James 5:16 Confess your faults to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. #2 Also, what about your dad? How did he handle going on in life? Did he ever put the past in the past or was this something he had to deal with on a daily basis? My dad was a God fearing man and the first thing my mother said to him following the shooting was, "you know you are going to hell?" He acknowledged that he knew that. Jody said a few years after the shooting his Minister invited his dad to a forgiveness ceremony. Throughout the years, occasionally dad would get upset for taking a human life. He was a good kind hearted man. Sadly, some people only knew him as the killer of a pedophile and not the real person that he was. Page 4 of 5 Cumberland Church of Christ 2015

5 His dad had a stroke and died last year. *Even the last 3 years in the nursing home he never missed church. From Jody: I hope I answered your questions...if you have any more feel free to ask. I hope your sermon goes well. Again Forgiveness/Mercy is NOT easy but commanded. I ve heard: Well unless you ve walked in my shoes True But Jesus has and desires Mercy Conclusion: Gary Ridgeway: Arrested in Nov He was charged with being the worst serial killer in the United States for murdering several women on the west coast. (Upwards of 50 Convicted of 48 years.). Over a 20 year period. Green River Killings. He was convicted. The court allowed the survivors of the victims to make a statement to the convicted murderer. {WATCH ONE Minute VIDEO of how a Father forgave a man for killing his daughter.} Then Peter came and said to Him, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" (Matthew 18:21) Jesus said to him, I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven (Matthew 18:22) I began this sermon asking you to: Think of person that sometimes bothers you. You might like to tell off but you know that would be wrong. Suppose there would be one day you can without sin or any repercussion. How interesting a day that would be? Today is the day you get satisfaction: All you have to do is: Go home and pray for that person and yourself. It s all about Mercy. God s Mercy for us. Our Mercy given to those around us who don t deserve it any more than we do. Page 5 of 5 Cumberland Church of Christ 2015