Good day dear friends. We shared a sermon on Forgiveness yesterday based on the scripture from Matthew 6:14-15, which comes after the Lord's Prayer. “For if you forgive others when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sin, your Father will not forgive your sins.” This was our primary text. Another Matthew passage from Matthew 18:23-35 on forgiveness between servants that owed different amounts towards the king.
Here is today's study guide:
Monday: Re-read yesterday’s text. Let the text speak to you again about forgiveness. Remember this passage comes from Jesus’ post-Sermon on the Mount where Jesus has taught the disciples’ how to pray. It is in the Lord’s Prayer that Jesus has taught us to pray, “Forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Given the sacredness of prayer and the seriousness of our praying to God, we should realize how powerful this passage is in the prayer. How can we face God in this prayer saying we are a forgiving person AND ask for forgiveness if we haven’t forgiven?
We sometimes approach prayer with the speed of our lives. Usually a rapid-fire declaration of needs lifted out, instead of up, with the hope that it gets heard. Biblically, prayer is a sacred time meant to be enjoyed. Jesus' prayer to the Father was meant to share a foundation of structure on which we could build a worship time with God. And right towards the end, He shares a line about forgiveness that says "we forgive." Yesterday, I shared with the church, it doesn't include the word "should" or "if we feel like it" or "if we get to it" or even "maybe." The implication is that we DO forgive others. And notice that our forgiveness is dependent on whether we DO forgive others or not. And remember, this is while we pray so it might not be a good idea to lie.
To not forgive is not to love. Sometimes we find ourselves loving gthe idea of revenge more than the other person, and that is a sin. We sometimes love ourselves more than others and turn that love inward and we don't forgive, and that is a sin. Forgiveness is putting the love of others before the love of self.
Forgiveness is the surrender of pride to humility and service. Forgiveness is the embracing of God’s vision for peace and rejecting our selfish vision of comfort.
Forgiveness is, as we demonstrated with the ball and chain, taking the key to abundant living and setting free the weight that could keep us down.
PRAYER: Dear God, make this a day that our eyes are open to the need to forgive. Let us put ourselves aside and look towards the needs of others as we need to forgive them. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
