Forgiven to Forgive
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· 39 viewsIf we have been forgiven infinitely, we must infinitely forgive
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Introduction
Introduction
Amish Continue to Show Forgiveness
On October 2, 2006, Charles Roberts walked into an Amish schoolhouse, dismissed all but ten young girls, and proceeded to shoot them before fatally shooting himself. Five of the girls died, five survived.
Six months after this tragic event, U.S. News and World Report returned to the scene of Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania, to find out how the Amish were coping, reporting their findings in the article, "Moving On." The reporters discovered that the tragedy brought together Amish and non-Amish neighbors, resulting in a deeper sense of community. They stood together, comforting and supporting one another. The Amish immediately reached out to the widow of the shooter, extending forgiveness, and forgiveness has been what has moved these Anabaptist descendants forward through dark days.
Donald Kraybill is an expert on the Amish tradition. He teaches at Elizabethtown College, near Nickel Mines. In an interview, he explained how forgiveness, in the biblical sense, is love letting go when wrong has been suffered. "To a person, the Amish would argue that forgiveness is the central teaching of Jesus. They will take you to the Lord's prayer—if you don't forgive, you won't be forgiven."
Amish culture relies upon lessons learned from a 17th century book, Martyr's Mirror. This volume tells the stories of Christian martyrs, including the Dutch Anabaptists. One of the more popular stories tells of how a Christian prisoner was escaping, but stopped to save a guard from drowning. The guard was saved, but the prisoner was burnt at the stake. That account gives insight into the fabric of the Amish character.
Source: Liz Hallorun, "Moving On," U.S. News and World Report (April 26, 2007), pp. 24-28
Peter is asking about forgiveness in 21-22
In that day it was taught by Rabbis that they were to extend forgiveness 3 times
Peter is going beyond that and suggesting that he forgive 7 times
Yet, Jesus’ expectation was even higher - It was God’s standard of forgiveness - Infinite forgiveness
We all need forgiveness
We all need forgiveness
Explanation (23-27)
10,000 talents - 10,000 was the largest amount that had a name in biblical greek. A talent was the largest denomination of money. This was nearly and infinite amount that could never be paid. Today, the debt could be seen in the millions, if not a billion dollar debt
When the account was to be settled this man was brought with a massive debt.
Knowing He could not pay and that the king would sell his wife, children, and everything he had, the man pleaded for mercy and grace
The idea that he could ever repay everything was utterly impossible
The king had pity on this man, released him and forgave him this massive debt.
Application
The debt is to signify the amazing debt we owe Jesus
We had the massive debt of sin that we could not pay ourselves - Every sin we have ever committed
But Jesus, in His mercy, sought to simply forgive us
Just as this man is required to do nothing to receive the pardon, so Jesus requires nothing of us to be forgiven of our sins
We are to acknowledge the depth of our own sin and the greatness of the gift of forgiveness
If we think too little of the debt paid by Jesus on the cross, we will misunderstand the need and ease with which we should forgive others
Forgiving others will cost you
Forgiving others will cost you
Explanation (28-30)
The debt in this case is not inconsequential, but it is certainly nothing in comparison to what he owed the King
When the man is initially forgiven the massive debt, the King is assuming the loss for himself. There is no cost for the man, only benefit
But, when it is his turn to be so generous he chooses not to take the loss, and demands that the man pay it back immediately
The fellow servant responds identically to how the first man responds
Yet, the man is not merciful - He is not willing to eat the cost of the loan
Even more - He is willing to wreck the life of the man, placing him in prison until he should pay the debt
In a debtor’s prison they cannot work and this have no way to repay
Forgiveness Always Comes at A Cost
Pastor and author J.D. Greear writes:
I remember a Muslim asking me when I lived in Southeast Asia, why would God need somebody to die in order to forgive our sin? He said, "If you sinned against me, and I wanted to forgive you, I wouldn't make you kill your dog before I forgave you. Why would God require some kind of sacrifice to forgive?"
Here's how I answered him:
Choosing to forgive somebody means that you are agreeing to absorb the cost of the injustice of what they've done. Imagine you stole my car and you wrecked it, and you don't have insurance and or the money to pay for it. What are my choices? I could make you pay. I could haul you before a judge and request a court-mandated payment plan. If you were foolish enough to steal my $1.5 million Ferrari (No, I do not actually own a Ferrari), you might never pay it off, and you'd always be in my debt.
But I have another choice. I could forgive you …. What am I choosing to do if I say, “I forgive you”? I'm choosing to absorb the cost of your wrong. I'll have to pay the price of having the car fixed. ... You have no debt to pay—not because there was nothing to pay, but because I paid it all. Not only that, I'm choosing to absorb the pain of your treatment of me. ... I'm choosing to give you friendship and acceptance even though you deserve the opposite.
This is always how forgiveness works. It comes at a cost. If you forgive someone, you bear the cost rather than insisting that the wrongdoer does. And that is what Jesus, the Mighty God, was doing when he came to earth and lived as a man and died a criminal's death on a wooden cross.
Source: J. D. Greear, Searching For Christmas (The Good Book Company, 2020), p. 52-53
Application
You have to know that our forgiveness of others will cost us something
Giving up anger and hurt
Not getting the revenge we think we deserve
Yet, It cost Jesus the cross to save and forgive us
In comparison, our loss in forgiving others is nothing and we are right to suffer such a negligible cost if Jesus was willing to forgive such an amazing debt
We are accountable to the one who forgave us
We are accountable to the one who forgave us
Explanation (31-35)
The master refers to him as a “Wicked Servant” - Morally corrupt, evil
He was forgiven much
But showed no mercy to another who had the same need
The expectation of the master is that He gave mercy and so the servant should do likewise - Luke 12:48 “But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.” - Lazy Servant
The result: Delivered to the jailers -
He ultimately is given over to his original fear
Even worse, the word for jailers whose job was to torture the inmates
Until he should pay his debts - He won’t be able to pay his debts - to large, and no opportunity to work in jail - It is eternal
Application
The parable demonstrates the need of people, given the privilege of having all of their sin forgiven, must also forgive those who have wronged them
The one who forgives us sees us and knows whether we have returned that to others
If we have not shown forgiveness to others after all we have received, we can expect the full wrath of God to be poured out on us
The illustration gives the idea of an eternal torturous punishment
So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of your, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart
Conclusion
Conclusion
Miracle of Forgiveness
It was five days before Christmas when a stranger approached ten-year-old Christopher Carrier, claiming to be a friend of his father. "I want to buy him a gift, and I need your help," said the stranger. Eager to do something good for his dad, Chris climbed aboard a motor home parked up the street.
The driver took Chris to a remote field, claiming to be lost, and asked Chris to look at a map. Suddenly Chris felt a sharp pain in his back. The stranger had stabbed him with an ice pick. The man drove the wounded boy down a dirt road, shot him in the left temple, and left him for dead in the alligator-infested Florida Everglades.
Chris lay lifeless for six days until a driver found him. Chris miraculously survived his injuries, though he was blind in his left eye. Because he was unable to identify his attacker, police could not make an arrest. For a long time young Chris remained frightened, despite police protection. Finally at an invitation given after a church hayride, Chris trusted Jesus Christ as his Savior. He recalls, "I was overwhelmed with emotion
because I knew I had never really accepted and personally met the Savior." This turning point in Chris's life came three years after the attack. At age 15 Chris shared his story for the first time. He eventually decided to pursue full-time ministry, helping others find the peace he had discovered in Christ.
In 1996 a detective told Chris over the phone that a man had confessed to the crime that had cost him his left eye. The man's name was David McAllister. Chris made plans to visit the feeble and now blind man, living in a nursing home. The strong young man Chris remembered was now a broken, humbled 77-year-old.
Chris learned from the detective some of the background of what had happened years ago. McAllister had been hired by Chris's father to work as a nurse for an ailing uncle. Chris's dad had caught McAllister drinking on the job and had fired him. The senseless attack on Chris had been motivated by revenge.
As Chris now talked to the old man, at first McAllister denied knowing anything about the kidnapping. As Chris revealed more about himself, the old man softened and eventually apologized. Chris said, "I told him, 'What you meant for evil, God has turned into a wonderful blessing.'" Chris told his attacker how God had allowed his wounds to become open doors to share the good news of Christ.
Chris went home and told his wife and kids about meeting the man who had tried to kill him. The entire family began almost daily visits to McAllister's nursing home. During one Sunday afternoon visit, Chris popped the most important question he had yet asked McAllister: "Do you want to know the Lord?" McAllister said yes. Both men basked in forgiveness as McAllister gave his heart to Christ. A few days later McAllister died—peacefully—in his sleep.
Carrier says it is not a story of regret, but of redemption. "I saw the Lord give that man back his life, and so much more," Chris said. "I can't wait to see him again someday—in heaven."
Source: Adapted from article by Adam Myrick in the Southwestern News (Fall 2000)
Forgiveness could give life to you and to those around you because it is a display of the gospel