Seventy Times Seven
Pastor Darryl Bentley
Midland SDA Church
April 11, 2009
Homiletical Idea: Forgiveness is something that we all need to make it through life. Without it we will begin to harbor bitterness and hatred to those we choose not to forgive. Forgiveness can even prove to be quite elusive to us unless we first come to Christ. It is only after we come to Christ that we can even truly understand what forgiveness is and how we can extend it to others.
My Struggle
I have shared with this congregation before about how I grew up with a step-father. I was three years old when my mother re-married. Growing up was really tough after my younger brother was born because it was after that that my step-dad changed toward me. Before that he would take me fishing and do things with me that dads do with their kids. But that drastically changed, and thus we began down a road that would eventually work to sow deep seeds of anger and resentment.
After things changed he began to treat me unfairly. He would call me names and seemingly make every effort to put me down and ridicule me. I truly could not understand it. I spent many hours trying to figure out what I had done so wrong to have him turn on me. I really never did get that answer even after these many years later.
So by the time I reached junior high I was a mess emotionally. I had very little self esteem and I began to doubt if I would ever amount to anything because that was one of the constant themes in my home; that I would never amount to anything. After years and years of this you can imagine that I had some really hard feelings toward my step-dad. In fact I probably hated him and wished him dead on more than one occasion. I am not proud of that today, but I am just trying to be honest with you all.
During the time I was growing in my dislike toward my step-dad I met someone wonderful. In fact, I met a whole lot of wonderful people. I have told you all how Ginger and her family welcomed me in and introduced me to Jesus so I will not rehash that entire story either. But the reason that I bring it back up today is because it was through meeting Ginger and her family that I learned what forgiveness was all about.
Forgiveness 101
Before meeting them I had no clue what it meant to forgive and let things go. I lived in a world that said you had a right to be angry and bitter toward someone if they wronged you. My world said it was OK to hold grudges and to even run someone down verbally to other people.
When I met Ginger and her family they invited me to come to church and when I did I began to learn about Jesus. I began to learn that He had died for my sins. I began to learn that He wanted to forgive me of the wrongs that I had committed toward Him and that He wanted to teach me to forgive those who had wronged me.
The Uncertainty
These concepts were totally foreign to me friends and at first I was not sure that I wanted to learn them. You see when we first learn that we have wronged someone else and we do not really understand that we have it is hard to see a need to be forgiven. Not having grown up in a religious environment, I did not understand that I had sinned against God. I did not realize that just being a good person did not cut it in the eyes of God. In my world growing up I learned that as long as you did not rob someone, kill them, or sleep with their wife you were doing alright and that made you a good person. What I failed to realize was that apart from God there is no such thing as a good person. Did you realize that this morning? I surely did not. I discovered that when after going to church for a while with Ginger and her family someone shared the concept with me from (Psalm 14:3) that there is not one good person on this earth.
Sudden Realization
That was shocking to me when I first learned that. It suddenly dawned on me that if there is not one good person on this earth apart from God. I suddenly occurred to me that I needed Jesus in the worst possible way. I recall the first time that I truly went forward during an altar call and gave my heart to Jesus.
· I was overcome with emotion to think that I was lovable in the eyes of my God.
· I was overcome with joy to discover that I had value.
· I was so relieved to learn that even though I had sinned, I could and would be forgiven if I repented for my sins.
· I was suddenly very saddened to learn that now that I was forgiven, I too had to forgive others.
I was not happy in the least to think that I was obligated to forgive my step-dad. After all, he had not changed one bit. Why did he deserve to be forgiven? I decided that he did not deserve and therefore I would not extend it to him. That one decision became a stumbling block to my spiritual growth, and until I realized that I had an obligation to forgive him regardless of whether or not he deserved it I could not grown spiritually.
Transition to the Text
Today I want us to look at this concept of required forgiveness. Today I want us to learn or reaffirm the fact that as Christians we have an obligation to forgive others. Today on this special weekend where we focus on the sacrifice that Jesus made for this world full of sinners we need to come to the stark realization that the Christian who holds bitterness in their heart and who refuse to forgive those that have wronged them are in fact excluding themselves from the kingdom of God. Let’s read from the Word of God today and discover this exciting teaching.
**Read Matthew 18:21-27**
Relatable Picture
As you can see from this parable, Jesus is trying to show us a parallel of how things are with our heavenly Father. There is no question that each of us is just like this salve before we come to Jesus. Romans 3:23 tells us that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God and Romans 6:23 tells us that the wages of sin is death. So each of us, being sinners, is worthy only of death apart from Jesus. Would you agree with that today?
Universal Application
So since we are all worthy of death then we all need to experience the forgiveness that God has to offer. I love the promise that we have from the Bible from 1 John 1:9 where is says that if we confess our sins then Jesus is faithful and righteous to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
· Therefore it does not matter what you have done in this life.
· It does not matter how grievous your sins may be.
· It does not matter if you have been the worst sinner among us all.
· It also does not matter how much good you have done.
· It does not matter how good of a person you may think you are.
· We ALL need Jesus to cleanse us of our unrighteousness, Amen?
The great thing about God’s forgiveness is that it is universal. There is not one person that Jesus wants excluded from the kingdom of heaven.
· In 2 Peter 3:9 we learn that Jesus does not wish that any should perish, but that all should repent and receive salvation.
· In John 3:16 we read how God sent His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should have eternal life.
· In Luke 1:77 we learn that John the Baptist was sent to bring people into a knowledge of their sins in order that they might be saved.
True Meaning of the Word
I am so thankful that God longs to save us, but I think it is important to ask, “What does it mean to be forgiven?” The Greek word that is used gives us some deep insights on this. It is the word aphesis which means to release or a dismissal.
This is what we have at the heart of forgiveness. When we experience forgiveness from God we experience a dismissal from the penalty of death because Jesus has already paid the sin debt that we owe against God. Just like the slave in the story we are in debt to God in the sense that we have accumulated sin against Him. Remember Romans 6:23 said the wages of sin is death? The Bible puts sin in the perspective of being a debt against God. It is pictured this way because a price must be paid for the folly of sin. A sacrifice must be made in order to take away our sins.
So to be forgiven means that God dismisses our sins. It means that He will cast them away from us and from His remembrance. In Micah 7:19 we learn that the Lord wants to cast our sins into the sea. In Jeremiah 31:34 we are told that He will remember our sins no more.
Complete Forgiveness and Forgetfulness
You see when God forgives us He does it completely. He does not hold our sins in reserve so that He can use against us in case we start to slip away from Him. No, God gets rid of our sin totally and completely. Satan is the only one that tries to bring our sins back to us. It is Satan alone that wants us to never forget the evil that we have done. God is not in the business of using guilt to keep us in check. With God all guilt is gone forever.
We this beautiful concept presented in the Old Testament sanctuary service. On the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, there were two goats that were brought. One was sacrificed as the Lord’s goat for the cleansing of the sanctuary from the year-long build up of sin. The other goat was called the scapegoat and upon it was placed all the guilt of the nation. That goat was then sent out into the wilderness to symbolize that the guilt of Israel was now taken away and forgotten by God.
You want to hear something very interesting? The Hebrew word that is translated “scapegoat” is actually the word azazel which means to remove completely. I think that is so amazing. From the Old Testament to the New Testament we can see clearly that the Lord desires to take away the guilt of our sins completely. He longs to grant us true forgiveness in that He dismisses and totally removes the guilt of our sin.
Back to the Story
Let us get back to our parable. In the first part of this story we see that a slave owing a great debt was granted forgiveness from the compassionate caring king. The slave did not deserve forgiveness, but it was granted because of the king’s heart was moved with compassion. Notice that it was the king who granted the forgiveness. It was not a representative, it was the king himself. This is a significant point.
Just like the slave in the story, we too need forgiveness from our king. And our wonderful Father God did everything to provide the pathway for us to have forgiveness when He sent Jesus to us. We as Seventh-day Adventists to not celebrate “Easter” per se, but we fully recognize and celebrate the fact that:
· Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life
· He died a substitutionary death on the cross for each of us, and
· He was resurrected on the third day to give us the hope of having eternal life.
Easter or Not?
We do not get wrapped up in the Pagan festivities that have become a part of the package of celebrating the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, but we fully celebrate the joy of Christ’s salvational mission for lost humanity, Amen? Easter eggs have their root fully in the Pagan fertility festivals. Bunnies are clearly a symbol of fertility and have nothing to do with Christ.
Facilitating Forgiveness
But despite the Pagan focus of much of what has become associated with Jesus’ death, we all need to accept Jesus’ sacrifice for ourselves. We must on an individual basis come to Christ and accept Him for ourselves.
It is only when we accept Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins that we experience forgiveness. It is only when the blood of Jesus washes away our sins that we can be cleansed from all our unrighteousness. We read in Hebrews 9:22 we read that without the shedding blood there is no forgiveness of sins. In other words, if Jesus had not died on our behalf then we would all be lost without the hope of being saved. But because He died for us we can have full assurance that our sins are forgiven and that we will live forever with Him.
We also know from the Bible that God did not and does not wait for us to be perfect before He forgives us. He accepts us as we are and where we are. In fact Romans 5:8 tells that while we yet sinners, Christ died for us. Paul reiterates this in 1Thessalonians 5:9, 10 when he tells us that Christ died for us.
Obligation to Extend to Others
Once that forgiveness is granted to us we have an obligation to forgive others.
**Read Matthew 18:28-35**
The picture that very simply and clearly immerges from the remainder of this parable is that since we have been forgiven of our multitude of sins against God, then we should be motivated by love to then forgive those who have sinned against us. Like the first slave in the story we have all amassed a huge debt against God, and yet He is willing, because of the sacrifice of Christ, to release us from all of that sin-debt.
How much more then should we be willing to forgive others for the sin-debts they may have against us? Even the most grievous of human sins against us cannot exceed the amount of sin we have against God prior to accepting Jesus.
So like God we must release those who have sinned against us. We forgive them and not harbor any anger or resentment against them.
Not an Easy Task
I fully realize that this is not an easy thing to do on our own. In fact, I would assert that apart from God you cannot truly forgive someone because you yourself do not fully understand forgiveness until you have had your own sin and guilt taken away by Jesus. It is only after tasting of the goodness of Christ that you can be equipped to let go of the past and truly forgive those who have offended you.
When I came to understand this concept I realized that I had an obligation before God to forgive my step-dad for what he had done to me. When I begin to pray in my heart for the Lord to empower me to forgive him, it was amazing how things changed in my life. I can recall the first time I went around him after forgiving him in my heart and feeling so differently. I did not get tense. I did not get bound up inside. I was able to talk and visit with him and accept him for who he was. He never asked me to forgive him for the way he treated me, but I still needed to forgive him because it was causing stress in my heart and if I had not forgiven him despite his not asking, then I would have been sinning against God.
You cannot profess to love the Lord and harbor bitterness in your heart toward someone. That is incompatible with the Christian walk.