Give Us Today – 6

Give Us Today – 6

Subject – Forgiveness

By Rick Welborne

Matthew 6:9-15 (NLT2)
⁹  Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.
¹⁰  May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
¹¹  Give us today the food we need,
¹²  and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
¹³  And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.
¹⁴  “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you.
¹⁵  But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins. 

--Today we continue “Give Us Today”. I personally believe there is reason people normally leave off verses 14-15 because this is the more difficult part of the Lord’s Prayer – Forgiving people.

Gothard: Forgiveness deals with our emotional response toward an offender. Pardon deals with the consequences of his offense. Unless we have the authority we may not be able to pardon an offense, but we can always forgive.

– Forgiving a person is “clearing his record” with us and transferring the responsibility for any punishment to God. Forgiveness will make it possible for us to have the love and empathy toward the person.

–Pastor Rick, it is easy for Jesus to say for us to forgive but He really does not understand what has happened to me and how can He identify with my situation?

Heb 2:17‑18 (NLT)

17 Therefore, it was necessary for Jesus to be in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. He then could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. 

18 Since he himself has gone through suffering and temptation, he is able to help us when we are being tempted.  

–No one has ever had to bare the sins of the whole world, and be crucified on a cruel cross but Jesus. Listen to His words while they were in the very act of killing Him.

Luke 23:34 (NLT)

34 Jesus said, "Father, forgive these people, because they don't know what they are doing." 

1. Forgiveness Involves a Positive Attitude Toward the Offense Rather Than a Negative Attitude Toward the Offender.

–Our initial focus after being offended is on the offender...difficult not to be bitter. If we first focus on the offense instead of the offender, it becomes easier to see the offense as a way of God developing our character.

–Having a proper attitude as we deal with the offense becomes important for us. The offender and the offense fade into the background as we ask the Lord, “What are You teaching me through this situation?”

2. Forgiveness Views or Sees the Offender as God’s Instrument for my Life.

Psalm 76:10 (NLT2) ¹⁰ Human defiance only enhances your glory, for you use it as a weapon. 

–When Shemei followed King David and was cursing him look what David said:

2 Sam 16:12 (NKJV)

12 "It may be that the LORD will look on my affliction, and that the LORD will repay me with good for his cursing this day."  

–Joseph could have become offended by his brothers, by Potiphar’s wife, the butler, and even the Lord Who gave him his dreams. He chose to see these people as instruments in God’s hand.

–Jesus could have become offended at those who beat Him and nailed Him to the cross but He prayed - Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.

3. Forgiveness Looks at the Wounds of the Offense as God’s Way of Helping Us See the Offenders Needs.

–Paul could have become bitter at the demon possessed girl who disrupted his meetings.

Acts 16:16‑18 (NKJV)

16 Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune‑telling. 

17 This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, "These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation." 

18 And this she did for many days. But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, "I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her." And he came out that very hour. 

 

–We must learn to see past the surface of people and see their hearts need. Wounded people wound others. They need our help and our love.

4. Forgiveness Recognizes that Bitterness is Assuming or Exercising a Right We Don’t Have.

--Bitterness is like drinking poison and watching for the other person to die. It only hurts us.

–We assume God can’t use this situation to help our lives. We assume God is wanting to use us to execute judgment on the offender. To be His hand extended…

–We assume we know better than God so we play the part of God. Only God has the right to punish.  

--A response of bitterness is an instinctive means of revenge toward the one who has offended us. We are prone to use silence toward the offender as a means of punishing them. Silence can be loud!

Romans 12:17‑21 (NKJV)

17 Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. 

18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. 

19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. 

20 Therefore  "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head."  

21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

5. Forgiveness Realizes that the Offender Has Already Begun Receiving the Consequences of His Offenses.

–A person’s happiness is linked with his harmony with God and others. When a person offends another that harmony is broken and causes insecurity.

–Others too will pick up on the offense so his life will become more disrupted.

–God uses the conviction of the Holy Spirit, the reproofs of friends, and life’s circumstances as tools to expose the person’s offenses.

–When the offender goes thru this he must sense a love and willingness on our part to help him be restored.  Our attitude is so important.

Gal. 6:1‑4 (NKJV)

1 Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. 

2 Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. 

3 For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

4 But let each one examine his own work (His own actions – NIV), and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. 

 

–We must examine ourselves: Are we failing in the same area of our lives? Are we genuinely praying for the offender? Are we modeling true Christianity?

2 Corinthians 13:5 (NLT2)
⁵  Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith.

6. Forgiveness Involves Working with God in the Offender’s Life.

–When a person intentionally offends us you can be sure that they are aware of our response to them.

–We have a great opportunity to demonstrate God’s forgiveness in this case.

–As he sees our openness and love it makes him aware of God’s openness and love toward him.

–Offenses that are not intentional will give us opportunity to help the person grow in areas that they are weak in. Make disciples.

–Our joy will be in the helping of this person and then seeing him or her exhibit the same attitudes toward others.

Gothard: Forgiveness is having a greater concern for a person after he offends me than I did before he offended me. It is using the hurts of others as the basis of demonstrating Christ’s love back to them.

--Forgiveness is the ultimate exercise of “Lord, give me today.” It is the toughest but also the most rewarding.

Matthew 6:14-15 (NLT2)
¹⁴  “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you.
¹⁵  But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.