How We Are To Forgive Others Forgiveness Part 3 How We Are To Forgive Others

We Must Forgive As God Forgives Ephesians 4:31-32 31Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and railing, be put away from you, with all malice: 32and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, even as God also in Christ forgave you.

Review Forgiveness part 1 How God Forgives Us How much or often does God forgive us? Limitless Does God forgive us unconditionally? Conditionally Must others ask to be forgiven before God forgives? God does not forgive unless we ask Does God hold a grudge? God does not hold grudges, but He will not clear guilty If we sin against God again and again will He forgive them each time? He is faithful to forgive ALL of our trespasses Does God want to forgive those who sin against Him? Yes, but to reject His will there is no more sacrifice for sin Does God forget to truly forgive others? God does not forget the cost of our sin, but forgets my guilt

We Must Forgive As God Forgives Having seen how God forgives us Tells us how we must forgive others Look at remaining questions about forgiveness To see how we must forgive each other

Review of Forgiveness Pt. 2 How much or often must we forgive others? Our forgiveness must be limitless As limitless as God’s forgiveness is for us Must I forgive others unconditionally? Our forgiveness must be conditional Unconditional forgiveness is unjust and clears guilty Must others ask to be forgiven before We forgive? Others must ask to be forgiven We must forgive when asked We must restore the one who sinned

Forgiveness part 3 How Should We Forgive Others 4. May we hold a grudge? 5. If others sin against us again and again, must we forgive them each time? 6. Do we want to forgive those who sin against us? 7. Must we forget to truly forgive others?

4. May I hold a grudge? We must want to forgive others 15See that none render unto any one evil for evil; but always follow after that which is good, one toward another, and toward all. We must not be vengeful, vengeance does not belong to us Heb. 10:30 30For we know him that said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. 31It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

4. May I hold a grudge? Did Paul hold a grudge against Alexander? Acts 19 – Alexander was involved in the riot at Ephesus Not sure of the role Alexander played against Paul He was mentioned by name to Timothy by Paul 2 Tim. 4:14-15 – Alexander did Paul much harm Though he did not excuse or forgive Alexander’s behavior He held no grudge or ill will toward him The Lord will repay him according to his deeds Paul recognized the Lord’s place in justice We must leave room for God’s just wrath Rom. 12:19-21 19Avenge not yourselves, beloved, but give place unto the wrath of God: for it is written, Vengeance belongeth unto me; I will recompense, saith the Lord. 20But if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him to drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head. 21Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

4. May I hold a grudge? We must hold no grudges but desire to forgive But forgiveness must be on God’s terms Forgiveness that upholds justice And extends mercy at the same time But mercy denied demands accountability We must not play God and desire to avenge wrongs

4. May I hold a grudge? Col. 3:12-17 Put on therefore, as God’s elect, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, longsuffering; 13forbearing one another, and forgiving each other, if any man have a complaint against any; even as the Lord forgave you, so also do ye: 14and above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfectness. 15And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to the which also ye were called in one body; and be ye thankful. 16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts unto God. 17And whatsoever ye do, in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

5. If Others keep sinning against Me Must I forgive? Disciples Question – Matt. 18:21-23 How often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to 7 times? Jesus did not address the number but the attitude He used an exagerated number to make His point Disciples needed to desire to forgive Not find a point where they would not have to forgive God wants to forgive us We must want to forgive others Not look for ways to keep from forgiving

5. If I keep sinning against God, will He forgive me? How many of us would forgive 7 sins a day? Luke 17:4 4And if he sin against thee seven times in the day, and seven times turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him. Or would we be looking for excuses not to forgive But if we don’t forgive him we will not be forgiven How many of us would forgive someone 470 times? Matt. 18:22 70 X 7 If our forgiveness is not infinite neither will God’s be

6. Must We Have A Forgiving Spirit? Our prayers ought to portray our forgiving spirit Mark 11:26-27 25And whensoever ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught against any one; that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. 26But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your trespasses.

6. Must We Have A Forgiving Spirit? Even as Jesus’ prayer portrayed His forgiving spirit Luke 23:32-34 32And there were also two others, malefactors, led with him to be put to death. 33And when they came unto the place which is called The skull, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand and the other on the left. 34And Jesus said, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And parting his garments among them, they cast lots. Yet they were not forgive until they repented, were cut to the heart and were baptized – Acts 2:37-38 Jesus knew they would not be forgiven until they complied with God’s conditions.

6. Must We Have A Forgiving Spirit? For us to be holy we must be loving and forgiving Col 3:12-13 12Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 13Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. Without which we will not have the peace of Christ Vs. 14-15 14and above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfectness. 15And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to the which also ye were called in one body; and be ye thankful.

7. Must We forget when We forgive? Consequences of some sins are unforgettable A child killed by a drunk driver A family member murdered The cost of some sins stays with us for life Forgetting personal guilt is basis of New Covenant Heb. 8:12 – Merciful to their iniquities and remember no more Heb. 10:17 – Their sins I will remember no more As sons in the New Covenant We must forgive as God forgives Forgetting the personal guilt and resposibility of sins

How We Forgive - Summary We must forgive others completely and endlessly. We must forgive when others repent. We must forgive when others ask. We must not hold a grudge but must not excuse guilty. We must forgive over and over again. We musts want to forgive others – a forgiving spirit. We must forget others responsibility in sin.

Have You Really Forgiven As God Forgives Us? Completely When they repent When they ask Without holding any grudges Over and over and over and over again Want to forgive with a forgiving spirit Forget personal responsibility

Requires Responsibility Of Sinner Must ask repent when sinning against others Must ask others to forgive them Must not hold grudges Must ask over and over to be forgiven over and over Must have a forgiving spirit and want forgiveness Forget personal responsibility ours and theirs Matt. 18:5 – sins against you go show him fault

Colossians 3:12-17 12Put on therefore, as God’s elect, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, longsuffering; 13forbearing one another, and forgiving each other, if any man have a complaint against any; even as the Lord forgave you, so also do ye: 14and above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfectness. 15And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to the which also ye were called in one body; and be ye thankful. 16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts unto God. 17And whatsoever ye do, in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Forgiving As God Forgives - Conclusion To be God’s elect we must put on a new heart Compassion Kindness Lowliness Meekness Longsuffering Forebearing Forgiving others even as the Lord forgave you When we put on this new heart can we put on love Only then can we have the bond of perfectness found within the church Only then will the peace of Christ rule (control) our heart To which we are called in one body, the church

We End Our Study Where We Began Eph. 4:31-32 31Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and railing, be put away from you, with all malice: 32and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, even as God also in Christ forgave you. Where Forgiveness Is found