Matthew The Greatest in the Kingdom are Able to Forgive

 

Matthew

The Greatest in the Kingdom are Able to Forgive

The reason Jesus says we are to forgive seventy times seven

Is because our debt to God is far greater than all the debts owed us in a life time

So, we should never hold back mercy and not forgive

If we do not forgive it will show a lack of gratefulness to God, the Father,

 That is why Jesus ends with these words

 "Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to.  Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?'  In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

 "This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart." Matthew 18:32-35

You want to be great in the Kingdom of Heaven

Than forgive others as Christ forgave you

 

 

The Greatest in the Kingdom are Able to Forgive

 

Matthew 18…

 

 Who is the greatest in the Kingdom?

 

Jesus says…

 

The Greatest are those born again…

 

 Like a little child with minds humble

and able to be taught by our heavenly Father.

 verses 1-10

 

The second point Jesus teaches concerning

who will be the greatest is…

 

The Greatest will be able to properly

handle sin with Love.

 verses 11-20

 

The third point Jesus makes concerning

who will be the greatest in the Kingdom is…

 

The Greatest in the Kingdom are able to forgive.

 

Some of us keep record of wrongs.

 

We can go back in history and list everything

and every time someone has wronged us.

 

This comes up in marriages because

we live with our spouse for life.

 

This keeping record of wrongs pops

its head up after the latest offense.

 

We pull out the record book and say things like…

 

You always do that!

 

You never do this!

   

The first offense is always the easiest to forgive.

 

To forgive is to put in the past,

to forsake or lay aside, to leave it alone.

 

You have heard the term “digging up the past”.

 

Forgiveness buries the offense.

 

When something is dead to us, we bury it.

 

We don’t go back and dig it up.

 

But on the other hand,

we don’t forget where we buried it.

 

 Peter asked…

 

 “How many times do we forgive our brother?”

 

The more graves of forgiveness you dig

 the less trust you have in a person.

 

We can not stop remembering the past

and those memories can have an effect on us.

 

When we do the math,

 Peter asked is it seven time we forgive?

 

Jesus’s replied its seventy times seven.

 

Forgiveness does not dig up the passed…

 

 It stays focused on the current offense.

 

When we dig up the past, we muddy the water.

 

The issues at hand gets out of hand

and it becomes harder to forgive.

 

Treat the last offense as the first

 in hope and love for the offender.

 

Remember 1 Corinthians 13:4-7…

 

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

 

We forgive because we want

to see the best for the offenders.

 

This does not mean the seven or seventy times

 seven graves we dug in the past are not important.

 

Jesus tells a story of a man who owed a debt.

 

The man was being forced to

pay the debt and rightfully so.

 

The man pleaded for forgiveness and it was given.

 

This man was free from his debt,

 but not forgotten when the man did

not forgive someone who owed him.

 

 This man was called back and called wicked because

he did not show the same mercy that was granted to him.

 

When we forgive, we are giving a gift of mercy.

 

The gift of mercy is a gift that is

to be passed on, not to be hoarded.

 

The servant was not called back because

the master decided he changed his mind

and wanted his money back.

 

The wicked servant was called back because

he did not handle the gift of mercy he was given.

 

When you forgive, you give the gift of mercy.

 

That gift needs to be respected.

 

Because the wicked servant did not extend

to others the gift of mercy he received…

 

Mercy was taken back and the debt reinstated.

 

 We need to keep this in perspective.

 

 This story of the wicked servant

is the one who did not forgive.

 

His debt was far greater than the debt

of the person he should have forgiven.

 

The reason Jesus says we are to forgive

seventy times seven is because…

 

Our debt to God is far greater then all

the debts owed us in a life time.

 

So, we should never hold back mercy and not forgive.

 

If we do not forgive it will show a lack of gratefulness

to God, the Father, that is why Jesus ends with these words…

 

 "Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to.  Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?'  In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

 

 "This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart."

Matthew 18:32-35

 

You want to be great in the Kingdom of Heaven…

 

Than forgive others as Christ forgave you.

 

 

 

Scripture Reading

 

Matthew 18:21-35 NIV

 

21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?"

 

22 Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. 

 

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 talents 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 "The servant fell on his knees before him. 'Be patient with me,' he begged, 'and I will pay back everything.' 27 The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.

 

28 "But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. 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 you 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 greatly distressed 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 turned 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 from your heart."