December 15th

By Pr. Silvana

FORGIVENESS... WHAT DOES

IT MEAN?

• THE ACT OF FORGIVING SOMEONE.

•TO FORGIVE = to decide not to blame someone or be angry with them although they have done something wrong (Longman Dictionary of  Contemporary English);

•// behave as if they had never done it;

•// no longer have the wish to punish somebody for an offence;

•// show mercy to somebody;

•// no longer have hard feelings towards

somebody who has hurt you.

The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant 

Matthew 18.21-35

21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” 

22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. 

23 “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 

24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. 

25 Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

26 “The servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ 

27 The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.

28 “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.

29 “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’

30 “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 

31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.

32 “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 

33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ 

34 In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

35 “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.”

—FORGIVENESS is a commandment. —

- The one who loves Jesus, obeys His commandments.

—Luke 6.37 – “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”

—Col. 3.13 – “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

—FORGIVENESS is a decision, not a feeling.

—- I decide to forgive even when I don’t want to.

—FORGIVENESS brings joy, peace and freedom.

- Lack of forgiveness brings bitterness and sickness.

—FORGIVE ANYONE WHO HAS OFFENDED/HURT YOU.

—Ephesians 4.32 – “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

—FORGIVE  YOURSELF.

—Romans 8.1-2 – “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.”

—II Co. 5.17 – “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”