The Forgiven and the Forgiving

We have an opportunity to open our Bibles and glean God's Word and to put it into our lives today. And we certainly have that opportunity for this main message. A title for the main sermon message is, The Forgiven and the Forgiving. The Forgiven and the Forgiving. If you have your Bibles, I invite you to open them up. Let's turn together to Luke chapter 11, and we're going to look at verse 4. Verse 4 will be the verse in which we establish our study today. Luke 11, verse 4. And of course, in turning there, many of you will know that we arrive again, once again, at the section which contains the example or the model prayer. This example prayer is in response to one of Christ's followers asking him if he would teach them to pray. Lord, teach us to pray. Was the request put forward? And Christ's response here, then, is referred to as the model prayer. And in verse 4, we find the small section of the model prayer. And it's the portion in which Jesus speaks about forgiveness. Here it is. Luke 11, verse 4. Christ says we should pray this. He says, pray this, forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. Let's stop there. So that's what we ought to pray to our heavenly Father. Father, forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who's indebted to us. Now, just prior, and last time we visited this portion of Scripture, we rehearsed the part of the prayer that spoke of the praying for the basic of our physical necessities. We are to pray for our daily bread, which is there in verse 3. So, yes, we are to pray for our utmost daily physical necessity. And then likewise, Jesus now continues and says, but we should also pray daily for our most basic spiritual necessity, namely forgiveness here. It is a matter of absolute spiritual necessity. It is our daily most basic spiritual need. I wonder if you've thought about forgiveness in that way. But it is that for those who have not properly dealt with this daily necessity of forgiveness, if that's the case, well then you may be becoming more and more spiritually malnourished also daily. So we want to give ourselves to this whole matter of forgiveness. And we're going to take it on in our study the way it's laid out for us, really into two categories. Our forgiveness from God with one of the two most difficult phrases to utter in this lifetime, which is, will you forgive me? And then we're going to take on also the second to address is our forgiveness of others. With the perhaps most difficult phrase to utter in this lifetime, I forgive you. So please forgive me, and then I forgive you here. So let's deal with it in turn. First up, forgive us. Forgive us our sins. And when approaching a topic like this, we should always ask the question, why? Why are we in need of forgiving forgiveness? And we should always ask the question, why are we in need of forgiveness from God? Why do we need forgiveness of our sins?

Well, the answer is given to us all throughout Scripture, but one of the most remarkable moments where this need of forgiveness comes forward is actually in the foot washing moment. Of course, we know and rehearse foot washing as was the example of Jesus Christ right before the New Covenant Passover symbols were instituted, that of the bread and wine. And what we find here is, in that moment, we are given the answer as to why we need forgiveness from God. So if you'd like to keep your marker here, let's turn over to John 13, if you will, where we find that moment recorded for us. John 13 and verse 8 here. John 13 and verse 8. In this encounter, leading up to this, of course, Peter protests, and he says, Jesus, you should not be washing my feet. We're very familiar with this moment. And then Jesus responds to that, the second part of John 13 verse 8. To Peter, Jesus says, second part of John 13, 8, if I do not wash you, you have no part with me. Peter, if I do not wash you, you have no part with me. To which Peter, always hot or cold in his emotions, he responds, okay, well then not just my feet. Right? He says, my hands and my head as well there. But Jesus was not speaking of the bare necessities physically. He was speaking of the He was speaking of our bare necessity spiritually as Jesus continues here and says, well, Peter, and also to the group, he who is bathed, verse 10, Jesus said, he who is bathed need only to wash his feet, but is completely clean. But you are clean, but not all of you are there. Speaking of Judas Iscariot, who would betray Jesus in just short order. So this was a spiritual matter. So when you look at the foot washing, what you're actually observing is that in the spiritual realm and the spiritual cleansing. And so here lies the answer as to why you and I need forgiveness of God from our sins. Jesus is pointing them to the fact that unless they are washed in coming to him in repentance and faith, and unless they are washed in that way, they will have no part with him. So in other words, this is pointing to the fact that unless we are called by God the Father to his Son, unless we respond to the Son and are washed of our sins and made white in his forgiveness, we have no part with him. And therefore, no part in all that he is offering us. So symbolically, this foot washing points us to the humble act of making forgiveness possible to us. The act, this act, is foreshadowing the ultimate of humble acts, where in just a matter of moments he would then put himself through the crucifixion. So this is not merely about the physical washing of the disciples' feet. Peter, this is not merely the physical, bare necessity that you need, the washing of your feet. No, I'm actually fulfilling for you your basic, spiritual, bare necessity. So Jesus Christ must cleanse you and I of our sins, thereby making forgiveness possible so that we can have our part in him. So we need this, and we need this daily.

Now, we understand that once we are washed by Jesus Christ, that sin is not fully eradicated from our life. We know that. Sin still remains in our physical existence, although sin's power is broken, its power is broken. We still sin, though, and miss the mark. And because of that, when sin happens in our lives, those in Christ's presence, then have their relationship with the Father through the Son affected. And the enjoyment of that relationship with God through Jesus Christ is weakened. So we need to call upon forgiveness daily in our prayers. That's what Jesus Christ is putting forth in the model prayer. And we know this. I was trying to think of some example by which we could think of and attach this to. If any of you have teenagers, perhaps you've gone through something like this. If you have little ones, you will go through this. It's a little bit like giving your son or daughter the keys to the car, and you are very clear in what time they should come back to the house, only to find that your son or your daughter misses that mark, that time mark, and is delinquent in getting back. So often what happens is they shuffle in, and the comment is made. We'll talk about it in the morning, you know. And then at breakfast, there's a cloud that has descended over the breakfast table, isn't there? As a result of that sin, as a result of that disobedience, the child has put themselves in a situation where all the blessing and the enjoyment and the beauty of that relationship has been marred. The cloud is there. And so what needs to happen? Well, there needs to be, I'm sorry, and a sorry given, a painful acknowledgement of the wrong action, and an expression of a desire to turn from that behavior, and then there needs to be a request for forgiveness. And it is then that that relationship between the son or the daughter and the parents or the father needs that regular restoring in that way. And so this is not just a one-time act. This is not a one-time utterance, a one-time forgiving that we need. Rather, we see in the model prayer, when you pray, say, and there it is, Father, forgive us of our sins. Daily, we need this cleansing, this washing to be made white once again. And thereby daily, we need to come to Him in repentance, make the request for forgiveness. Yes, the cloud of sin comes down in our lives. They are at the breakfast table, if you will. But God, in His grace and mercy, does not leave us under the cloud. Rather, He gives us a way to have that cloud lifted. As the prophet Jeremiah says, new mercies are available every morning, every morning at the breakfast table, if you will.

So, a petition can be made. A commitment to turn can be given. And a promise from God to forgive is then kept and extended to us.

It's a wonderful process. The process of bringing ourselves to be made clean again, it is one of the most beautiful processes by which God makes available to us. And He wants us to engage in it every day. But forgiveness is not ours until we seek it with repentance. And so that's why it's right here in the model prayer for us.

And one more thing to consider with regards to the I'm sorry part, the Father please forgive me part of the first part here regarding forgiveness. In thinking about forgiveness, we do need this petition in our daily prayers because it's imperative that we keep short accounts with God. And by confessing our sins quickly to God, the minute perhaps we become aware of them, we do just that. We keep short accounts with God, if you will. Confessing our sins when we become aware of them in our daily discussion with God, we do not want long periods of time in which the relationship is marred. You see? So when the clouds of sin descend upon us, He awaits and awaits for these words. Father, please forgive me. Father, I'm sorry. I should not have said that. Father, I should not have done that. Father, my actions, I want to stop doing this. Would you please help me stop in this behavior? I need your help to overcome. I want to ask for your help. And I know that begins with asking for forgiveness. And it is in this encounter and in keeping short accounts that all the blessing and all the enjoyment of that relationship with Him can be restored daily and continually.

And it might be good to mention that it's not that our repentance and asking for forgiveness, it's not that somehow that merits our pardon, if you will. You know, asking for forgiveness does not then merit our pardon by God, but it prepares a way for it. Asking for forgiveness prepares a way that if God so chooses, by His mercy, we may be forgiven. And it is by repentance that we may be washed by Jesus Christ, removing all things that are inhibiting our relationship with Him, so that He may choose to forgive us. And we are bringing Him close to us in our daily work to remove sin from our lives. So that's the first part. Forgive us. Forgive us our sins. I'll leave you further contemplation on that, because we want to move to the second part regarding forgiveness. The second half there, in Luke 11 verse 4, here, if we turn back there, Luke 11 verse 4, Jesus continues here, turning back to Luke 11 verse 4, where he may have paused and took in a breath and says, now, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. It's quite an encompassing phrase, wouldn't you say? For we also, he says, forgive some. No, not some. But we also forgive the ones who make it easy to forgive. No. For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.

So as we consider the second part here regarding forgiveness, let me just make this statement. Once forgiveness has taken place in the life of a believer, what Scripture commands is that that forgiven person is to be a forgiving person. Okay? Pretty simple, but profound. This is what Scripture demands. Once forgiveness has been extended to a believer from God the Father through Jesus Christ, once that has come, if you've received that forgiveness, well, then Scripture is clear that that forgiven person must then become a forgiving person. Now, it is not that we cause God to forgive us as a result of us forgiving another. No. We don't cause God anything, right? Some read that incorrectly, though. If you do enough study online, they will incorrectly interpret it this way. Forgive us our sins because we forgive everyone who sins against us. You have to forgive me, Father, because I'm such a forgiving person, you know?

We're doing this, so you've got to do it as well, Father. No, of course it's not that. God's forgiveness of us only and solely emerges from mercy and grace. No merit. No merit, of course.

But I think the second part, I think we could summarize it this way. If it's not that, then what is it? I think it's this. It is not that our forgiveness of others earns us the right to be forgiven, but it is that our forgiveness of others is one of the main evidences that we have had true repentance and forgiveness from God. Forgiveness from God. You see, does that make sense?

We're not earning God's forgiveness by being a forgiving person. No. Our forgiving of others, everyone who has any indebtedness to us, our forgiving is the evidence, it is the fruit that can be seen of the fact that we ourselves are the recipients of mercy and grace and forgiveness from God.

It's the evidence. And it's wonderful evidence, beautiful evidence, beautiful fruit for others to see. Perhaps some of the most impactful fruit that others can witness in our lives. It's the evidence. So, in other words, if I continuously harbor anger and bitterness in my heart and grudges against someone else, well, I call into question, then, whether I have truly discovered the nature of true forgiveness from God. I call that into question if I'm harboring grudges against others. I call that into question whether I truly understand God's forgiveness of me, if I'm harboring grudges against someone else.

Why? Because the forgiven person is to be the forgiving person. So, take a look at yourself today. I take a look at myself today. If you are not, if you are struggling with becoming a forgiving person, one of the first acts is to not just keep analyzing that aspect or analyzing that person that you're having a grudge against.

The very first act you should take if you're having trouble with that is to go back to Scripture and ask God to reveal to you His wonderful, gracious forgiveness of you. If you get to that place, you will then be released in your capabilities to forgive others.

That's the process. And it's a serious issue. It really is. This is one of the issues that we need to daily focus on and analyze. In fact, there was a whole parable given to this that we're speaking of today. And it's found in Matthew 18. If you'd like to turn over there, let's look at this parable as it speaks to this very issue. It's the parable Jesus gives in Matthew 18. If you want to turn over there, we will begin in verse 22.

This is the parable of the unmerciful servant. Again, found in Matthew 18. We're going to begin in verse 22 in just a moment. But as you turn there, let me give you the essence of the parable right off the bat. The lesson we glean from this parable that we're about to read of the unmerciful servant is this. When I consider the enormity of my offense against God, then the offenses that others have inflicted upon me, they appear insignificant in comparison.

That's the lesson. When I think about the enormity of God's forgiveness toward me, it puts me in the perspective to which when I consider others, other offenses against me, they seem insignificant by comparison. Now, before we delve in here, Matthew 18 verse 22, I'll just give you a quick reference. The verse right before verse 21, we have Peter again here. Lord, asking Jesus, Lord, how many times do I have to keep forgiving my brother? That was the question.

How about seven times Peter says, is that a good number, Jesus? Would that work out? Could you just give me a number? It's that way. If you give me a number, I can anticipate, as I get closer to that number, really letting that individual have it. So if it's seven, I can't wait till number eight, you see. Well, Jesus answers, verse 22, Matthew 18 verse 22.

He says to Peter, I do not say to you up to seven times, but seventy times seven. And I don't know if Peter said, okay, this person that's offended me, he might be getting close to that. I'm not sure. I'm not too far off, Jesus. I'm not too far off, Jesus. But ultimately, what he's saying here is this is a number that can never be reached with regards to how many times you are to forgive another.

And then that exchange then ushers in this parable. And it is one of the most impactful parables in all the Bible here with regards to a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. So that begins in verse 23. Let's look at verse 23 through 27 here.

Jesus continues with this parable. He says, Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. Verse 24, And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. That's quite a bit. But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold with his wife and his children and all that he had, and that that payment be made. Verse 26, The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, Master, have patience with me, and I will repay you all, and I will pay you all. Verse 27, Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. Let's stop there. So this servant owed the king an impossible amount to pay, couldn't even, his whole lifetime, the totality of it, could not measure up the amount that he owed. But the king was moved with compassion, releases him, forgives him of the debt. Likewise, you know where I'm going with this, likewise, you and I, there is a debt upon us that we could never pay back in our indebtedness to God as a result of our sin. And the fact of the matter is, the debt here in this story is so vast. Again, if the man tried to, all of his life, to pay it. He could never do it. So the only hope that he had, which he actually discovered, was that the servant's master would take pity upon him and mercy and cancel the debt, forgive him, and let him go. Which he did. Which he did. Now, what a remarkable act of the servant's master. And you would think, how would you think that this man then would stand up, brush himself off, and his family comes around him so thankful and tears? How do you think he would respond from this moment? Relieved of such a great debt, do you think he would dedicate himself to honoring this act? In honoring the character by which his master displayed this forgiving, gracious character that was on full display to share the blessing of forgiveness with others? Well, unfortunately, he didn't. Rather, this sane man went out and he found one of his fellow servants who owed him an amount. And here's that interaction. Verse 28 through 30. Verse 28 through 30.

But that same servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. Nothing in comparison, right? And he, the one who had been forgiven, 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. But he now would not and went and threw him into prison till he should pay all the debt. Let's stop there. Unbelievable.

Now, the lesson is obvious. The whole point of the story here is this. How unreasonable the actions of this servant are in view of the disparity between the size of the debt involved, right? The unpayable amount represented in 10,000 talents, which was forgiven to him, compared to the amount represented here, a mere hundred denarii.

And what Jesus is saying here, what is he saying? Well, we know that it's inconceivable then, it's inconceivable that we who have been forgiven such a vast debt should then fail to forgive the debts of others that are owed to us. It's ridiculous. It's inconceivable. You see, that's why this act of, that's why Father forgive us is before as we forgive others, you see. We have to do part one to get us in the right posture of heart before we get to ever accomplish and obey part two.

So, confronting us with this question here, is this parable? And it asks us, will I, haven't been forgiven so much, refuse to forgive another so little? And that's verse 32 and 33. Verse 32 and 33. Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, so the master calls him back, the one who now was demanding other debts, the master calls him back and says, 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?

Are you really demanding that of your fellow servant?

Can I really say, and can you really say, that we truly understand the debt that's been forgiven us and the cleansing that's taken place if we live a life stewing at some trivial offense by comparison as a result of a word said to us, as a result of an offensive action to us? Can I truly say, I understand the enormity of my forgiveness if I refuse to forgive the offenses of others against me? And let me just say, it's not that the offenses that others have toward us or given put on us, it's not that those are trivial. They are. And there are some offenses that have been applied and applied to us in our lives that reach the very core of our being. And sometimes they've been there for years and years and years. You understand, I'm not saying that those offenses are trivial of and by themselves. It is to say that in comparison to the vastness of our condition before God and His forgiveness of us, in the shadow of that, every other offense that could ever occur to us is trivial by comparison. And so, this is where we are. And this is where we need to be in our perspective on these things.

And so, if you and I ultimately neglect this exercise of forgiveness, we will lose our enjoyment of God's forgiveness. Verse 34 and 35, here it is. Let's just feel the full weight of this. Verse 34 and 35, And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers, until he should pay all that was due to him. So, my heavenly Father, verse 35, here it is, feel this. So, my heavenly Father also will do to you, if each of you from his heart does not forgive his brother his trespasses.

This might be the most difficult part of the whole model prayer right here. And it's real. It is real. And there are some hurts that have been with us, and they're so deep. They are so deep. But we have to start this process. We woke up this morning, and God gave us another breath, another life, another opportunity to dedicate ourselves to this part of the prayer. If you keep a record of sins against another, stored up in our heart or mind, it's critical that we release those things. Start the process to release those things. Because surely, if he has forgiven us the vastness of our offense against him, we should then dedicate ourselves to endeavoring to walk in harmony with those who have offended us.

So let's be clear as we work to a conclusion here.

It is in our forgiveness of other people's sins against us. It's in our forgiveness of other people's sins against us that we will reveal the fact that we have forgiveness from God the Father. It's going to be the evidence.

So by participating in this part of the example prayer and forgiveness, we're emulating God's forgiveness by putting into practice toward others.

And as we close, I want to ratchet it up even further for you.

If we're not feeling the weight enough, let me just raise that bar, if you will. We have God the Father and Jesus Christ living in us. If we've been baptized and we have his very power, so we're able to reach and we're asked to reach for a higher level of righteousness. And the higher level of righteousness with regards to forgiveness is this. Did you know that God also not only forgives, but he forgets? Forgets. We see that in our final scripture for today, Jeremiah 31 verse 34. If you'd like to turn over there, we'll be working to a conclusion soon here. Jeremiah 31 verse 34. Here we see that we have the forgiveness of God, but also we have the forgetfulness of God. The forgetfulness. We want this part of God to forget, not to forget us, but to forget our sins.

This is the level of righteousness to which we're called, the higher level. Jeremiah 31 verse 34. Here it is. This is what we're striving for. Let's stop there. Incredible. So consider your forgiveness or lack of forgiveness of others who have offended against you, and consider that once he's applied the covering blood of his son, Jesus Christ, onto repented sins, God has pledged himself to not only forgive, but to not remember that record of sin and hold it against you. So, brethren, beloved, sons and daughters, brothers of God, brothers of Jesus Christ, when we apply this to forgiving others, when we forgive one another, we pledge to this process of forgetting, forgetfulness, to not bring it up to ourselves. We don't want to bring that offense of a brother or sister up to ourselves. We certainly don't want to bring it up to others, and we do not bring it up after healing has taken place to the offender. Because this kind of forgiveness that we see from God, and this kind of forgiveness, is also a kind of forgetfulness. This is what we must strive for. This is the higher level of righteousness. To where we see and come in contact with a brother or sister or someone who's offended us, and there's not that pain in our heart or that memory which comes up. Sure, you may have forgiven them and started that process, but we even want to reach for the higher level of righteousness where that occurrence and that thought doesn't even come up in our memory. That is a higher level of righteousness, but this is what we're to strive for. So, as you consider the forgiving of others who've offended you, and if you're having trouble, you may begin, first and foremost, with simply considering it as a command, and as you are being obedient to God. Consider it just being obedient to God, because you're not going to feel it first. You're not going to feel like forgiving a brother or sister, but maybe consider it and put it in the category of just being obedient to the one who has forgiven you. And I think what you'll find is when you pray, I just want to be obedient to this command. I'm not feeling it, but I want to be obedient to you, Father. I believe what you'll find is eventually the feelings will follow. And God will give you the grace of forgiveness, and God willing, the grace of forgetfulness in your heart as you are striving in obedience to Him. In other words, the desire must, first of all, be that we want to desire to please God, and we want to honor His forgiveness of us. That's where it starts.

And hopefully, God willing, God will release you someday into the forgiveness of an offending brother or sister. And if you're prepared to forgive in this way, it is that God, and through Jesus Christ, will work in your heart, in your mind. And the progress you make may even surprise you. God is a loving God. And yes, He gives us this high admonition, but He's so loving, He gives us the ability through His Spirit to reach the high admonition. He gives us the command, but then He gives us the ability to accomplish, the capability to accomplish what is required. And I believe that you and I can find this kind of forgiveness and maybe even this kind of forgetfulness that we are striving to achieve this year. Well, we'll stop there. It's quite a task that's before us. It's a difficult task. It's going to be very costly to us as you start this process. It's very difficult. But just know that it was very costly to the Son of God to make this available to us, this forgiveness available. And may we find our motivation to forgive others from God's forgiveness of us. May we pray every day until Christ's return, forgive us our sins, for we also, Father, forgive everyone who is indebted to us.