Grace Bible Church Glorifying God by Making Disciples of Jesus Christ

Forgiving One Another Introduction Greatness in the kingdom requires humility – represented by the child 1)Jesus indentifies with the children of God – to receive one of them is to receive Him 2)God’s children are precious to Him – His wrath will be on those who cause one to stumble

Forgiving One Another Matthew 18: )God has assigned angels to His children – don’t despise them 4)God will look for His straying sheep – He does not want any of them to perish 5)God uses the church to correct straying sheep

Forgiving One Another Introduction Sin is a serious matter to God and so there must be serious measures taken to deal with it. Christians are obligated by God’s commands concerning how they treat and interact with one another

Conditions need for Proper Church Discipline 1)Love God and His word so that you know Him and His commands 2)Be concerned about the glory of God enough to want to live a holy life 3)A strong desire to do God’s will over your own

Conditions need for Proper Church Discipline 4)Be humble to confess your own sins and repent of them 5)Love other believers enough to carry out all the “one another” commands 6)Care about other believers enough to pursue what is in their best interests

Conditions need for Proper Church Discipline 7)Reflect God enough to speak the truth in love, point out sin, correct error, and bear the burden of others 8)Slow to take personal offense and quick to forgive and reconcile

Forgiving One Another Introduction Obedience to God will result in rejection and even slander by other people The four steps of church discipline only escalate due to a sinner’s stubbornness Hardness of heart may indicate a false profession of faith The quest of church discipline is repentance and restoration

Peter’s Question Matthew 18:21 Peter understood that discipline is about being loving & forgiving and not about being vindictive Peter was being generous compared to Rabbinic tradition of only forgiving three times

Peter’s Question Matthew 18:21 Peter still thought in terms of the Law as interpreted and twisted by traditions instead of by God’s character

Jesus’ Answer Matthew 18: is Peter’s number multiplied by itself and then ten-fold to show the greater magnitude needed This may also have been a contrast to man’s quest for revenge - Lamech in Genesis 4:24

A Parable of Forgiveness Matthew 18:23-34

A Forgiving King Matthew 18:23-27 The slave incurred a “myriad” / countless amount of debt (1 Cor. 4:15, Rev. 5:11, etc.). 10,000 talents = 60 million denarius / days of work The king had no hope of recovering the debt, so he sentenced him and his family to debtor’s prison

A Forgiving King Matthew 18:23-27 The slave humbled himself before the king, and in compassion, the king freed him and forgave the debt Every person owes God a countless debt. One sin requires death (Ezekiel 18:4, Romans 3:23)

A Forgiving King Matthew 18:23-27 God would be just to send everyone to Hell, but in compassion He provided a means of forgiveness in Christ People tend to ignore the debt they have incurred until a crisis reveals the danger You can’t repay the debt yourself, you can only humbly beg for forgiveness

An Unforgiving Slave Matthew 18:28-30 He did not show mercy to another slave that owed an amount that could reasonably be repaid Being unforgiving is not only morally wrong, but it also leads to cruel and irrational behavior

A Stern Reckoning Matthew 18:31-34 When the king heard about the slave’s wickedness, he treated him in like manner

The Lesson Matthew 18:35 Jesus also taught this in Matthew 6:14- 15: Forgiveness to the forgiving; no forgiveness to the unforgiving Believers can be selfish and unforgiving - 1 Corinthians 6:1-8; 11: Believers are commanded to put away sin and walk in righteousness - Romans 6; Colossians 3

The Lesson Matthew 18:35 You cannot earn mercy, but those who receive mercy must demonstrate it by showing it to others What is not possible in your flesh, is possible by walking in the Spirit - Galatians 5:22-23

Conclusions Sin is serious and serious measures must be taken to deal with it Be humble and give help when others stumble and receive help when you stumble

Conclusions Forgive others as God has forgiven you in Christ - Ephesians 4:32 The offer of forgiveness can be unilateral, but repentance / confession is needed for it to be received

Conclusions Today is the day to be reconciled with God - repent, confess, receive forgiveness in Christ Today is the day to be reconciled with others - offer forgiveness / ask for forgiveness

Grace Bible Church Glorifying God by Making Disciples of Jesus Christ