Scripture:
Matthew 18:21-22 NKJV
[21] Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” [22] Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.
Observation:
Sometimes, it isn’t easy to write these without getting very personal. But I told myself when I started this I would live my life in full view… so here we go. The conversation that Jesus was having with HIS men was about what to do when someone sins against you. How to treat them and how to go about fixing the issue. The verses before and the verses after what was selected this morning are the ways to deal with a brother who has sinned against you. I would challenge you to read Matthew chapter 18 altogether because the principles are very valuable and should be put into practice it would probably save a lot of trouble in our lives. But for the sake of time, I want to zero in on just two verses this morning after the discussion with HIS men about how to approach someone who has sinned against you. Peter, as always, needed a little more clarity. So he goes to Jesus with a question. My thought is Peter had something that he did not want to forgive someone for, and he wanted Jesus to co-sign for his lack of forgiveness. So his question went something like this. “How often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Then, thinking he was throwing out a number that was off the charts… Peter gave his best attempt to answer his own question. But just like me, Peter is not as smart as he thinks he is. How many times, Jesus… 7 times should I forgive him 7 times. Is that enough?? When it’s said that, you can almost hear the resentment. Of course, I put that in there to make my point, but you can almost see it going down just like that. However, as we all know, Jesus is always 2 steps ahead of everything and already has an answer prepared for Peter. “I do not say to you up to 7 times, but up to 70 times 7. I wish I could have been there to see Peter’s reaction to the response that Jesus gave him. I’m sure he thought 7 was a more than adequate number to throw out there, and Jesus just blows it out of the water with a number like 490 times. My guess is HE knew that Peter had something he wanted to hold on to, and HE knew the poison it would bring into his life. So when HE said 70 times, 7 HE wasn’t saying 490 times HE was saying just keep on forgiving. Don’t stop. HE goes on to explain a parable of a man who was forgiven his debt but was unwilling to forgive someone who owed him. I honestly challenge you to read this chapter. If you have ever been forgiven of anything by GOD or anyone for that matter, it will help you put things into perspective.
Application:
Sometimes, we think we have a right to be mad. A right to hold resentment against someone. After all, don’t you know what they did? That may be one of the ways we justify not loving them the way Jesus does. We may also say something like I will never forgive them for what they did to me. Well, I’m just going to be honest when we think like that, we are basically saying we know better than GOD. Having a lack of forgiveness is really refusing GOD’S forgiveness for us and saying that they don’t deserve it. Like our sin is so much better than theirs. Listen, if you have ever sinned, you don’t deserve forgiveness… you don’t if you did. Jesus would have never had to go to the cross. But we all know that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of GOD… and if you have offended one part of the law, then you are guilty of all of it. So no one can stand here and say I deserve to be forgiven, but they don’t. Resentment is the number one offender of those who struggle with addiction. An addict can grab ahold of a wrong done to them and feel justified in using and drinking over something that can easily be forgiven. I know this from experience. When we feel justified in our reason to remain offended, we allow the enemy a foothold in our lives. We have no right not to forgive. The enemy wants us to be separated to drive us apart by hate and discontentment. As believers in Christ, we can not allow that to happen. We have to let offense roll off our backs like water off a duck’s butt. If we want forgiveness, we must forgive. Not just once but over and over. We have to meet those around us with the same grace we were met with. GOD forgives you, and HE knows all and sees all… all those things you thought you got away with… you didn’t, and HE forgives you. In fact, while your sin was hammering nails into HIS hands and feet, HE was saying forgive them. I know… it’s not easy. The enemy wants to convince us that we have rights. We don’t have to turn the other cheek. But love covers a multitude of sins. HIS blood ran down on the mercy seat. So that anyone who asks will be forgiven. Be bold. Set yourself free from resentment. Forgive all those who have offended you. No matter what they have done. It’s not hurting them it’s killing you inside. Let love be your banner. By forgiving, you are only doing for them what has already been done for you.
Prayer:
Father, we know that you are love, and that love is so great that you gave your only son. HIS blood covers all our sins. Help us to extend to others the same grace you have given to us. Not one of us deserves what you did, but that did not stop you from pouring out your grace on us. Let us never forget what you have done and allow ourselves to show that same kind of grace. We do not want to be unforgiving. Release us fir654m the bondage of self and pride. The only rights we have are the right to forgive. We don’t see what you see. Our inability to forgive may keep not only us but also those who we refuse to forgive just outside the kingdom. Help us to be more like your son as we nailed HIM to the cross. HE was crying out for our forgiveness. We want that same attitude. It’s in the mighty name of Jesus I pray amen.