Sermon
Forgive To Be Forgiven
June 5-6, 1999
Pastor Leighton Sheley

I'll invite you to take your Bibles and open to Matthew chapter 6. Our pastor is going through the Sermon on the Mount systematically, passage by passage, sometimes verse by verse, sometimes clause by clause so that we can gain an understanding of God's kingdom. In the first four chapters of Matthew, the author is introducing us to Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of the messianic prophesies, the Messiah, the Mashiah, the King. You'll find there many times a phrase similar to, and this was to be in fulfillment of, and a reference to an Old Testament passage indicating that He was indeed the fulfillment of God's promises of long ago.

In fact, Jesus fulfilled over 300 promises. And having thus then introduced Jesus as the King, in the Sermon on the Mount he allows the King to introduce His kingdom. It's a kingdom unlike any other. It's not a geographical area. It's not a military force. It's not an economic system. One of my children's books says God's kingdom is wherever God is King. His kingdom has been established in the hearts of men and women and children. Many of the kingdom principles are in direct opposition to the principles of this world. When looking at it from the perspectives of this world the poor are rich, the weak are strong, the wise are fools. So many times the principles are exactly opposite that of this world. In this world if someone does you wrong, it's your right and your responsibility to get even with them, to take vengeance. Not so with Christ's kingdom.

As Jesus Christ was hanging on the cross He said, Father, forgive them for they know not what they do. Christ's kingdom is a kingdom of forgiveness. Stephen was the church's first martyr, and as he was being stoned to death for his proclamation of faith in Jesus Christ, he said Lord do not hold this sin against them, as he spoke it to the people who were throwing those stones. It's also a theme of the Old Testament saints as well. Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers who wished to do him evil. In the fullness of God's time, he revealed himself to his brothers as the second in command only to pharaoh in Egypt. And they had a right to be afraid because he had every opportunity to take their lives, but he said do not be afraid for I am in God's place, and as for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about the present result to preserve many people alive. So therefore do not be afraid I will provide for you and your little ones. 

David was being pursued by Saul who wished to take his life, and yet 1 Samuel chapter 24 and following indicates that David refused to harbor resentment or hatred against King Saul. Forgiveness reflects the highest in human virtue because it so clearly reflects the character of God. Forgiveness is the key to spiritual unity and therefore effectiveness in the church. Only forgiveness breaks down the barriers which would divide people. One of Satan's names means divider, and it's his purpose to cause division, and unforgiveness is one of his tools and trade. 

Jesus said, it's recorded in Matthew chapter 18, I tell you the truth unless you change and become like little children you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. One of the characteristics about children is how quickly they forgive. They can be fighting like cats and dogs and in two minutes you turn around and you'll find them playing together in the sandbox as though nothing happened. One of the characteristics of worldly adults is how long they can hold a grudge, years, decades, a lifetime if they think it necessary. So we look at this passage today. What does it say? What does it mean? What does it mean to me? 

The Amplified version gives us this translation, And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven (left, remitted, and let go of the debts, and have given up resentment against) our debtors. Now that's a mouth full so I'll say it again. The amplified version, And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven (left, remitted, and let go of the debts, and have given up resentment against) our debtors. Now there're five Greek words that are used in the New Testament for sin. The one that Matthew uses here is opheilema and it probably was selected by him because it corresponded with the Aramaic term that would have been so familiar with the Jews of that day, which could refer to a debt whether physical or spiritual. 

Now, Luke, on the other hand, used one of the other terms, hamartia, and that's why sometimes when we are asked to recite the Lord's Prayer, there's some confusion as to whether or not we should say, and forgive us our debts, or, and forgive us our trespasses. Because they used two different words, but the basic meaning, nonetheless, remains the same. You can say forgive us our sins as we forgive those who have sinned against us. Now there was another word, paraptoma, which is often rendered trespass. It's the sin of slipping or falling. It's a compound of para, which means beside; and pipto which means fall, or literally to fall beside as in the path or the road. To fall off the path. The implication is an unintentional false step or a stumble. 

And, yes, we can unintentionally fall into sin. Another word is apobasis which means stepping across a line. A line is clearly drawn and we make an intentional step across that line. It's often translated as transgression. It's more conscious and intentional than the other words. Yet there's another word for sin, anomia, which means lawlessness. And it's still even more intentional and flagrant, and it's an open direct rebellion against God and against His ways. Now, what does the word forgive mean? 

The compete word study New Testament translates the word forgive as follows; to cry, forgiven, forsake, lay aside, leave, let alone, let be, let go, let have, omit, put away, send away, remit, suffer, yield up, to forgive. Now what's the problem? Well the problem is sin. It really always comes down to sin. It's sin that separates man from God and is therefore mans greatest enemy and his greatest problem. It's sin that dominates the mind and the heart of man. It's contaminated every human being and is the degenerative power the makes man susceptible to illness and disease, and every conceivable form of evil and unhappiness. The ultimate effects of sin are death and damnation. Its present effects are misery, dissatisfaction, and guilt. Sin is the common denominator at every crime; theft, lie, murder, immorality, sickness, pain, and it brings enormous sorrow to mankind. The natural man does not want his sin cured, because he loves darkness rather than light. 

Those who trust in the Lord Jesus Christ have received God's pardon for sin and are saved from eternal hell, and since, as we have seen, that this prayer is given specifically to believers to pray, the debts that are referred to here are those that are incurred by Christians when we sin. Because mans greatest problem is sin, his greatest need is forgiveness, and therefore we are to pray forgive us. In fact, forgiveness is the central theme to the Lord's Prayer, being mentioned six times in eight verses. But because we fall into sin, we frequently require God's gracious forgiveness. John warns believers, if we say that we have no sin, we're deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. Then he goes on to assure us that if we confess our sin, He is faithful and just, righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteous. 

Now during the last supper Jesus began washing the disciple's feet, as a demonstration of the humble serving spirit with which they should have for each other. And at first Peter refused, but when Jesus said, if I do not wash you, you will have no part with Me; Peter went to the other extreme and said, well give me a bath, bathe me all over. And Jesus said, He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean. Now Jesus' act of foot washing was more than just an example of humility. It also was a picture of God's forgiveness in the repeated cleansings of those who are already saved. You see, dirt on the feet symbolized the daily surface contamination from sin that we experience as we walk through life. It does not and cannot make us entirely dirty because we have been permanently cleansed from that. We've been bathed. But daily, we need to wash our feet, have Jesus wash our feet. 

Now, asking forgiveness implies confession. Feet that are not presented to Christ cannot be washed by Him. Peter at first says, You're not going to touch my feet. I'm not going to give them to You. It was not until Peter presented his feet to the Lord to be washed, that they could be cleansed. And it's not until sin is confessed to the Lord that it can be forgiven. Confession means bringing our sin to the Lord. And it means to agree with God about them; that they're wicked, and evil, and defiling, and have no part, and do not belong to Him. Now it's difficult to confess sins because both Satan and our own prideful natures fight against it, but it's really the only way to enjoy a free and prosperous life. 

Proverbs 28:13 says, He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy. The true Christian does not see God's promise of forgiveness as a license to sin, a way to abuse His love and presume upon His grace, but rather the true Christian sees God's forgiveness as a means of spiritual growth and sanctification, and continually gives thanks to God for His willingness to forgive, and forgive, and forgive, and forgive again. For all that You've done, for all that You're going to do, thank you Lord. Jesus gives the prerequisite for receiving forgiveness in these words, as we have also forgiven our debtors. And the principle is very simple and yet it's also very sobering, if we have forgiven, then we will be forgiven. If we do not forgive, we will not be forgiven. Citizens of God's kingdom are blessed and receive mercy because they themselves are merciful.

In Matthew 5:7, Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy. They love their enemies because they have the nature of the heavenly Father within them. Forgiveness is a mark of a truly regenerate person. We're also motivated to forgive because of Christ's example. Be kind to one another, Paul says, tenderhearted forgiving each other just as God in Christ has also forgiven you. Because it reflects God's own gracious forgiveness, the forgiving of another person's sin expresses the highest virtue of man. 

Proverbs 19:11 says, The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger, And his gory is to overlook a transgression. Forgiveness also frees the conscience from guilt. The conscience can interfere with peace of mind, and happiness, and satisfaction, and even the proper functioning of the body. Many people are sick because of unforgiveness. Forgiving others is also a great benefit to the whole congregation of believers. There are probably so few things that have short circuited the power of the church as unresolved conflicts among its members. 

Psalm 66:18 says, If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear. The Holy Spirit cannot work freely among those individuals or those groups who carry grudges, and harbor resentments, and have unforgiveness. Forgiving others also delivers us from God's discipline. You see, unforgiveness is a sin, and it was because of unrepented sin in the church at Corinth that caused many believers to be weak, and sick, and even die. We learn that from the passage that we studied in communion. But of all of these benefits to be derived from forgiving others, the most important reason for forgiving is that it brings God's forgiveness to us. And this truth is so important that Jesus reinforces it by restating it again after the Lord's Prayer. Now some people might think, well, this is just a New Testament concept of forgiveness. Not so.

Exodus chapter 20. We're familiar with it because of the Ten Commandments that are found there which are the basis of every great civilization, and yet, there are additional verses that follow that, in the chapters that follow, that give us instruction as to how to live. And we find this instruction in Exodus 23:4-5, "If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again. "If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying under its burden, and you would refrain from helping it, you shall surely help him with it. Now what's that saying? It's saying that if your enemy is in need of help, you come to his aid. If someone that hates you is in need of help, you come to his aid. 

Proverbs 24:17 says, Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles. Proverbs 24:29, Do not say, "I will do to him just as he has done to me; I will render to the man according to his work." I'm going to take vengeance. And I know I'm giving you these passages quickly, if you want to just note the passage and refer to them later. Proverbs 25:21-22, If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; For so you will heap coals of fire on his head. And the Lord will reward you. 

In fact, this is quoted again in the New Testament in Romans 12:12. Already, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus has said; if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak also. And we've studied that passage. Mark 11:25-26 says, "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 your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses." Romans 12:14 says, Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Romans 12:17-21, Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. Therefore "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. 

Colossians 3:13, 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. 1 Peter 3:9, not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing. Well, does that mean pastor that we're supposed to be doormats? 

Well we find this lesson in Matthew 18:15 and following, "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. "But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ' by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.' "And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you as a heathen and a tax collector. Are we doormats? No, but the Bible provides us a procedure that we should go through. First, go to the individual and see if you can be reconciled on an individual basis. If not, then take one or two with you so that matters might be established. Then you go before the leaders of the church, and ultimately, if there's no reconciliation that takes place, they need to be treated as a pagan or a tax collector. Now, the next question; how often or how much should we forgive? 

Again, Matthew chapter 18 is so rich. Verses 21 and following, 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. "Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. "And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. "But as he was unable to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. "The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, 'Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.' "Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. "But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, 'Pay me what you owe!" "So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.' "And he wound not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay that debt. "So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done. "Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. 'Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?' "And his master was angry, and delivered him to the tortures until he should pay all that was due to him. "So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses. 

You know, I'm so very glad that Peter asked these questions. And I'm so very glad that the Spirit prompted the writers to record the questions and the answers for us, because there's so much to learn. Seven times, Peter said. He thought he was being very generous. It was twice the requirement of the scribes and Pharisees. Rabbi Jose Ben Jehuda said, if a man commits an offence once, they forgive him. If a man commits an offence twice, they forgive him. If a man commits an offence three times, they forgive him. The forth time, they are not forgiven. 

You know, I heard a story when I was growing up. I haven't seen it written any place, but I can remember it well. It's the story of a mountain man coming out of the mountains into town. He chose himself a young wife, a stranger really, and a young horse. The horse was drawing their buckboard home. It became obvious to the new wife that her new husband was the strong silent type, a man of few words. So she remained silent, wondering about the future this new life would hold. After a short while the horse stumbled and the occupants of the buckboard were thrown out. The man helped his new wife back into the buckboard. He went to the front and faced the horse, and the wife clearly heard him say, that's one. He then rejoined her, took up the reins and the journey continued. A little while later the horse again stumbled. The scene was repeated with the man giving his new horse a second warning. When a little while later the horse again stumbled, the new wife was appalled to see her new husband stand in front of the horse and say, that's three, then proceed to break a plank over its nose. She immediately began a boisterous appeal to the man to show mercy to the horse. The man let her vent her feeling and frustration, standing resolute and silent in the verbal barrage. When she finished her torrent, he looked at her and said; that's one. 

I wonder how often we think about God looking down from heaven. That's one. That's 489. You know why Jesus said seven times seventy? In order to know where you were at in your accounting system, you'd have to be keeping track, in which case then, forgiveness never really took place. I've found that when I counsel couples, that very often the two will come in and one will begin to recite dates, times, places, and specifics of events. On this date you did this! And on this date you did this! And on this date, you remember, you did this! And sometimes the other spouse is sitting there thinking, I can't remember a thing. I know things have happened, but nothing comes to mind right now. And they think they're at a great disadvantage in the counseling session, and they think they're at a great disadvantage in the relationship. And in actuality, the one who is sitting there recounting all of the specifics is incriminating themselves because they have not forgiven. 

I actually was in a session one time and one of the spouses says, and on this date you did this, and the other spouse said, I thought you forgave me for that. I remember I asked for forgiveness, and you... And the spouse said, yea, well I did. I was just bringing it up for an illustration. Didn't understand the concept of forgiveness at all. You remember the definition of forgiveness? Put away, send away, omit, release. You know Jesus used parables to explain the kingdom and its principles, and the king in this parable represents the attitude of God, and the slaves, His subjects and no matter what their personal rank or wealth. Now the first slave was obviously a man of significant rank, perhaps a senior tax official or a governor. And ten thousand talents represents an enormous debt. 

Just so you can get some idea of the size of the debt of this governor, we learn from historical documents that the total taxes received from the four provinces of Idumea, Judea, Samaria, and Galilee, that's the area that Jesus lived and worked primarily, averaged nine hundred talents per year. That means all of the taxes from all of the people, and you remember how they complained about the taxes, all of the taxes from all of the people from that area averaged nine hundred talents a year. This governor owed ten thousand. 1 Kings 10:14 tells us that King Solomon, he was a very wealthy king, his total tax revenue of gold was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold. This slave owed ten thousand talents. You see how big it was? Well, there's more to it than that. You see the term murios literally means ten thousand, but it's also the largest numerical term in the Greek language, and it's often used to describe an immense incalculable amount of debt. It was a debt that could not be paid. 

Now we have some modern concepts of wealth and, by contrast, debt. The other night I caught a story on television about the lawyers and the tens and hundreds of millions of dollars they're making off the tobacco settlement. And we think, WOW! That's a lot of money! That couldn't pay this debt. Ah, Pastor, you're not shooting high enough. Bill Gates. You know, my brother did a calculation one time and he figured out that if Bill Gates dropped a hundred dollars on the floor, in the two seconds it would take him to lean over and pick it up, he would lose another three hundred dollars. Bill Gates could not pay this debt. This debt was immense. This debt was huge. Our minds cannot fathom the grandness of this debt. And you know what? That's also true of the debt that we owe God? Our feeble little minds can't understand, we can't comprehend, we can't envision, we cannot absorb; we just cannot understand how much we owe God. It's too enormous. Ten thousand talents was an unpayable debt.

Ezra 9:6 records this prayer, "O my God, I am too ashamed and humiliated to lift up my face to You, my God; for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has grown up to the heavens. David declares in Psalm 51:4, Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight. And every sin that's ever committed is always committed against God. We might think it might be committed against another person, but any sin committed against a person is also committed against God. The slave threw himself down prostrating himself before the king. This more than a typical homage that was paid to a king. He appealed to the king, I promise to repay everything. He couldn't repay everything. How often do we try to negotiate with God? God, if You'll just give me a little more time, I'll clean myself up. I'll pay the debt. And yet, though he was forgiven so much, what was the first thing that this slave did? He went out and he sought out a fellow slave and violently demanded repayment of a small loan. Now, it was a hundred denarii. What is a denarii? Well, one denarii is roughly equivalent to one day's labor. So the loan that was owed him was one hundred days labor, about one third of a year. Now that was not a small amount, but it was nothing compared to ten thousand talents. And what was the response when he asked for repayment? Slave number two said, have patience with me and I will repay you. 

Now those were almost the exact same words that came out of his mouth before his king, and you would think it would trigger a thought, wait a minute there's a connection here. But he did not understand and did not appreciate the forgiveness that was extended to him. And so what he did is he had him thrown into prison. Now what did that mean? Well, if he would have kept him loose, then perhaps in one hundred days time, or thereabouts, he might have repaid the debt, but by throwing him into prison, a prisoner was not able to make one denarii a day. He could only make a fraction of it. And so the ability of the prisoner to repay the debt was virtually eliminated. We do the same thing. We put people into positions where they can't be reconciled to us. 

It's not uncommon in Europe if someone does evil against someone else; they take their little book and mark them off. They're dead. Their heart is still beating, but as far as the person that was injured is concerned, they're as good as dead. They never talk with them. They never talk about them. They're dead. They never give an opportunity for reconciliation or forgiveness to take place. That's what the first slave did to the second. He put him in a position where no reconciliation, no forgiveness, was possible. The king said, shouldn't you have had mercy on him as I had mercy on you? And God was moved with anger. The king was moved with anger. You know, that's one sure fire way of making God angry. You want to make God angry? Be unforgiving.

James 2:13 says, For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. He was given over to the torturers. Now, they can refer to inquisitors, but it also means stress, hardship, pressures, and difficulties. Stress, hardship, pressure, and difficulties. Now it's interesting to note that this story is found at the end of chapter 18 of Matthew. At the start of chapter 19 of Matthew, is Jesus teaching on divorce. How often is divorce the result of unforgiveness? And how often the last stages in a marriage relationship is the experience stress, hardship, pressure, and difficulties? Stress, hardship, pressure, and difficulties. This is how My heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart. Forgiveness is not an option. 

There's another sideline that we should also learn about, and that is, that when the king forgives a debt the debt is forgiven. And it would be improper for that slave to refuse the forgiveness of the king, because basically what he would be doing is usurping the authority of the king to release the debt. He would be saying, King, your word is no good. And yet, I know of too many people that carry around burdens in their life that God has forgiven them for, but they won't forgive themselves. They won't receive and accept the forgiveness that is theirs from God, and what they're really doing is they're insulting God. Your word is no good God. Your forgiveness is no good. You don't have the authority to forgive me, is what you're saying. Unforgiveness is the spirit of the older brother in the prodigal. What does it say? What does it mean? What does it mean to me? 

I'm going to invite you to close your eyes and bow your heads, because this really is the question that each and everyone of you need to ask yourself; what does this mean to me? Perhaps this Word of God is being expounded this day, the Holy Spirit has been inside of you saying you know there's this person that you need to forgive, then there's this person, there's this situation. Reconciliation is required here. It might be a brother or a sister, a father, mother. It might be a child, might be a spouse, might be a co-worker or a neighbor, might be a friend. Do you feel that your prayers only go so high as the ceiling? God's Word says that if you regard inequity, sin, unforgiveness in your heart the Lord will not hear. Perhaps there's a relationship that needs to be corrected. Are you going through a spiritual desert? God seems distant and far away? You might attend a church, listen to the sermons, but you get nothing out of them. They don't make any sense. They don't feed any appetites. Of course, we as mankind have a tendency to blame. It's the pastor's fault. He's not preaching the Bible. It's my spouse's fault. It's their fault. It's because of unforgiveness that many of us that sit here in this sanctuary today are bankrupt spiritually, morally, physically, financially, relationally bankrupt. You want to be free of spiritual death? Perhaps it's because you need to forgive someone. Forgive and be freed. You want to be free of physical disease? Perhaps, not always, but perhaps it's because of unforgiveness. Forgive and be freed. You want to be freed from financial bondage? Perhaps, not always, but perhaps it might be because of unforgiveness. Forgive and be freed. Forgive and be freed. If we do not forgive, we'll not be forgiven.

Lord, as we've gathered here this day we prayed that we wouldn't leave this place the same as when we came in. We're not here just to hear words, Lord. We're here to experience the fullness and the power of Your presence, the work of Your Holy Spirit. We thank you Lord for Your Word and the truth that's therein. Lord, when we look at it we see how often and how greatly we fail, and Lord we are reminded then of how merciful You are to us. Your mercies are new every morning, and how greatly You love us and how patient You are. For when we stumble and fall as we often do, You pick us up and You forgive us. You give us the opportunity to learn from our mistakes and carry on. You're kind and patient and loving, heavenly Father. Thank you Lord. 

Now Lord, Your spirit has revealed to us this day areas that need to be repaired, relationships that need to be repaired if at all possible. Lord we ask You to give us the wisdom to do so, the opportunity, prepare the way for us we pray. We want to live lives that bring honor and glory to You. Thank you Lord for hearing our prayers today. Let's stand. Lord, as we go forth from this place this day we do so as ambassadors of Your kingdom, imperfect as we are. Lord, make us sensitive to the leading of Your spirit. The opportunities that You give us to present the gospel, the good news, to bring forgiveness, to bring encouragement to those in whose world You've placed us. We go forth from this place to bring honor and glory to You, to serve You. In Jesus' name we pray, and together we say, amen. God bless you.