Get Truth Get Life

KEY TEXT: Matthew 18:32-33 (AMP) – “³² Then his master called him and said to him, ‘You wicked and contemptible slave, I forgave all that [great] debt of yours because you begged me. ³³ Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave [who owed you little by comparison], as I had mercy on you?’”

We shall focus on Matthew 18:21-35, The parable of the unforgiving servant.

In this parable, Jesus talks about a certain servant who owed the master 10,000 talents. The master prescribed that they should sell his belongings for that debt to be paid. The servant pleaded with the master, and the master forgave him. Later, the servant found a fellow servant who owed him one hundred denarii and told him to pay him what he owed.

The fellow servant could not pay and pleaded for patience with him, promising to pay. The servant did not hear the plea of his fellow servant and went ahead to throw him in prison. The other servants were so displeased by this act and told the master. When the master heard this, he was furious and delivered him to the torturers until he paid everything, he owed him.

In this lesson, we can see that:

• The master showed mercy on the servant despite owing him so much (10,000 talents).
• The servant did not pity the fellow servant despite owing him so little than what he owed the master. Comparing what the fellow servant owed him to what he owed the master is 1% or less.
• The servant expected the master to forgive him an enormous debt but could not forgive his fellow servant a small debt. That is selfishness, wanting the best for yourself and not for others.

As Christians, we need to forgive as God forgives.

How does God forgive?

Micah 7:18-19 (KJV) – “¹⁸ Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He retaineth not His anger forever, because He delighteth in mercy. ¹⁹ He will turn again, He will have compassion upon us; He will subdue our iniquities, and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.”

Jeremiah 31:34 (KJV) – “For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

The two passages of scripture tell us that God forgives completely. Most humans forgive half-heartedly, while a part of our hearts still hold a small grudge against the person, we say we have forgiven. True forgiving should be accompanied by forgetting. God forgives and forgets. Holding on to the wrongs someone has done to you is not forgiving, and it is difficult to forgive with a carnal mind. That is why we need to ask God to help us forgive anytime a person wrongs us.

Why do we Find it Difficult to Forgive?

1. We think forgiveness is for the weak.
2. We find it burdensome or impossible to figure out the other person’s condition or situation.
3. We expect people to be and act like us, not considering that everybody is peculiar.
4. We feel that mercy cannot restore what has once been ruined.
5. Some people may have wronged us or caused us “trouble to the limit.”
6. You forget how regularly God and fellow human beings have forgiven you (like how the servant forgot the master’s compassion).

There is no limit to forgiveness. You need to forgive unlimitedly. Matthew 18:21-22 (KJV) – “²¹ Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? ²² Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.”

The Bible instructs us to condone every wrong done to us. It does not specify the wrongdoings that can be excused and those that cannot. Many of us will find it smooth to forgive what we consider a minor mistake but cannot forgive what we consider a huge mistake.

These are some cases in which we may find it challenging to forgive others.

1. You are in a marriage, and you catch your partner red-handed cheating on you, or your spouse leaves you for no reason.
2. You are at work, and someone makes up an erroneous allegation against you, causing you to lose your job, and you have a household that depends on that job.
3. You are in a university where a professor despises you and has sworn to give you a failing grade whenever you take his or her class.
4. You discover your best companion, someone you trust, speaking evil about you behind your back and doing things behind your back to ensure your breakdown.
5. Someone expects you to forgive them, but they cannot forgive you when you do something less hurtful than what they did to you.
6. You are a widow with five youngsters, and your relatives come and snatch all your inherited property away. Leaving you and your children destitute.
7. You are in a marriage or courtship, and your partner constantly abuses you emotionally and physically.

With the carnal mind, it is impossible to forgive such errors, but with the aid of the Holy Spirit, it is going to be extremely flexible to forgive situations that are worse than the ones specified above.

Does Forgiving Others Mean We Are Free to Disobey God?

“But the teaching of this parable should not be misapplied. God’s forgiveness toward us lessens in no wise our duty to obey Him. So, the spirit of forgiveness toward our fellow men does not lessen the claim of just obligation. In the prayer which Christ taught His disciples He said, “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” Matthew 6:12. By this He did not mean that in order to be forgiven our sins we must not require our just dues from our debtors. If they cannot pay, even though this may be the result of unwise management, they are not to be cast into prison, oppressed, or even treated harshly; but the parable does not teach us to encourage indolence. The word of God declares that if a man will not work, neither shall he eat. (2 Thessalonians 3:10.) The Lord does not require the hard-working man to support others in idleness. With many there is a waste of time, a lack of effort, which brings to poverty and want. If these faults are not corrected by those who indulge them, all that might be done in their behalf would be like putting treasure into a bag with holes. Yet there is an unavoidable poverty, and we are to manifest tenderness and compassion toward those who are unfortunate. We should treat others just as we ourselves, in like circumstances, would wish to be treated.” – Christ Object Lessons, Page 247.2, Ellen G. White.

As children of God who are created in His image, we should be able to see things as He sees them. We are always pleading to God to forgive us despite the magnitude of our errors, but we are not willing to forgive others for their minor errors.

“How many are today manifesting the same spirit. When the debtor pleaded with his lord for mercy, he had no true sense of the greatness of his debt. He did not realize his helplessness. He hoped to deliver himself. “Have patience with me,” he said, “and I will pay thee all.” So, there are many who hope by their own works to merit God’s favor. They do not realize their helplessness. They do not accept the grace of God as a free gift, but are trying to build themselves up in self-righteousness. Their own hearts are not broken and humbled on account of sin, and they are exacting and unforgiving toward others. Their own sins against God, compared with their brother’s sins against them, are as ten thousand talents to one hundred pence—nearly one million to one; yet they dare to be unforgiving.” – Christ Object Lessons, Page 245.2, Ellen G. White.

“In the parable, the lord summoned the unmerciful debtor, and “said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me; shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.” “So likewise,” said Jesus, “shall My Heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.” He who refuses to forgive is thereby casting away his own hope of pardon.” – Christ Object Lessons, Page 247.1, Ellen G. White.

While Jesus was going to be crucified for the sins he did not commit, after being oppressed to the extreme, he could say, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do”— Luke 23:34 (KJV). The most fascinating point is that Jesus stated this out of a pure heart. Most of us will say, “it’s ok,” or “I’ve forgiven him,” but deep inside our hearts, we are hoping for the worst to meet our offenders.

When Jesus forgave, that action did not make him powerless, and it did not make him less of what He was. Mind due, after going through all that, He resurrected after three days. The individuals who scoffed, humiliated, and tortured Him were mere mortals. So, who was the bigger person? Was it Jesus or them? By asking God to forgive them, Jesus did not refrain from being the Son of God, and it did not stop Him from soaring to heaven after the resurrection. Therefore, you must learn that nothing gets lost when you act right. In fact, God adds you more blessings since right doing is pleasing to God.

Any act of sin, no matter how small it is, its effects go a long way. A perfect example is Adam and Eve. The one sin they did has kept us in this mess for thousands of years (Genesis 3). An act of righteousness, no matter how small, also goes a long way. What does this mean? This means that unforgiving (an act of sin) can go a long way, and forgiveness (an act of righteousness) can go a long way. You may never know how huge your actions impact people.

Some of the Blessings of Forgiveness

1. Forgiving heals – Luke 5:18-20 (KJV) – “¹⁸ And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him. ¹⁹ And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus. ²⁰ And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee. Forgiving leads to purification of the spirit. It makes you become physically and emotionally healthier.”
2. Forgiving helps rebuild relationships as it causes you to realize the other person’s worth. Through forgiving, you can bless someone else.

3. Forgiving helps one to be more profitable in all that they undertake. Individuals are less effective because they constantly reminisce on what transpired to them in the past. Failing to forgive affects one psychologically, thus causing your productivity to be less than it should be.
4. Forgiving compels God to answer your prayers. Mark 11:25 (KJV) – “And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”

“We can receive forgiveness from God only as we forgive others. It is the love of God that draws us unto Him, and that love cannot touch our hearts without creating love for our brethren.” – Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, Page 113, Ellen G. White.

When we embrace God’s love, we will automatically be inclined to love our fellow men. The power of God’s love is extraordinarily strong that it pulls us towards other people, and it pulls other people towards us more than any magnetic force can ever do.

The love of God in our hearts would compel us to do acts of kindness that we never thought we could before we experienced it. We will be kind to those who hurt us. We will bless those who bless us, do good to those who cause us pain and forgive those who do not forgive us.

“After completing the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus added: “If ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Matthew 6:14, 15. He who is unforgiving cuts off the very channel through which alone he can receive mercy from God. We should not think that unless those who have injured us confess the wrong we are justified in withholding from them our forgiveness. It is their part, no doubt, to humble their hearts by repentance and confession; but we are to have a spirit of compassion toward those who have trespassed against us, whether or not they confess their faults.” – Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, Page 114, Ellen G. White.

Normally, we wait for someone who has wronged us to come and ask us for forgiveness. We are to forgive those who have wronged us immediately after they have wronged us, whether they ask for forgiveness or not. When the wounds (they have caused us) are still fresh, and the pain is excruciating we should say from an earnest heart, “Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing (Luke 23:34).”

Let us not wait for them to come and ask for forgiveness for the carnal mind is full of pride.

Sinners tend to pull away especially after knowing the errors that they have made. The pride that is in their hearts does not allow them to say, “I’m sorry.” Thus, they lock themselves in their own cage of unrepentance. After Adam and Eve sinned, they hid themselves from the presence of God (the One whom they had wronged). As a child of God, it is your duty by the power of God to do your best to unlock them from that cage. The first step in unlocking them from that prison is forgiving them.

“But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Matthew 6:15. Nothing can justify an unforgiving spirit. He who is unmerciful toward others shows that he himself is not a partaker of God’s pardoning grace. In God’s forgiveness the heart of the erring one is drawn close to the great heart of Infinite Love. The tide of divine compassion flows into the sinner’s soul, and from him to the souls of others. The tenderness and mercy that Christ has revealed in His own precious life will be seen in those who become sharers of His grace. But “if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His.” Romans 8:9. He is alienated from God, fitted only for eternal separation from Him.” – Christ Object Lessons, Page 251.1, Ellen G. White.

Forgiving others is like a credit coin earned for you to receive forgiveness. You find it difficult to forgive your neighbor because what they have done seems unbearable to you. What you do not realize is what you do is also unbearable to many others, and it is more unbearable to God because He is holy. We do not understand how what we consider a small sin harms a God who is holy, righteous, and perfect. If we did, we would forgive others just as He has forgiven us.

“We are not forgiven because we forgive, but as we forgive. The ground of all forgiveness is found in the unmerited love of God, but by our attitude toward others we show whether we have made that love our own. Wherefore Christ says, “With what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged; and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.” Matthew 7:2.” – Christ Object Lessons, Page 251.4, Ellen G. White.

Does Forgiving Mean We Should Not Tell Other People Their Errors?

Matthew 5:23-26 (KJV) – “²³ Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; ²⁴ Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. ²⁵ Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. ²⁶ Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.”

Jesus is telling us (the converted ones) to reconcile with our fellow human beings before we go to worship Him. Before you do any act of worship, ask yourself, have you forgiven the person who has made you angry? Before you return tithes and offerings, reconcile with your offenders.

Before you pray, reconcile with those who have wronged you. Before you sing songs to God, reconcile with those who have harm you. Before you study the Bible, reconcile with those who have hurt you. Before you do anything (as a Christian whatever you do to the glory of God is an act of worship), reconcile. Tell your neighbors their errors and forgive them before you bring your gifts to the altar.

“But sin is not to be lightly regarded. The Lord has commanded us not to suffer wrong upon our brother. He says, “If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him.” Luke 17:3. Sin is to be called by its right name, and is to be plainly laid out before the wrongdoer.” – Christ Object Lessons, Page 248.2, Ellen G. White.

“In his charge to Timothy, Paul, writing by the Holy Spirit, says, “Be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.” 2 Timothy 4:2. And to Titus he writes, “There are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers…. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith.” Titus 1:10-13.” – Christ Object Lessons, Page 248.3, Ellen G. White.

How Should Christians Deal with Conflict?

“If thy brother shall trespass against thee,” Christ said, “go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.” Matthew 18:15-17.” – Christ Object Lessons, Page 248.4, Ellen G. White.

“Our Lord teaches that matters of difficulty between Christians are to be settled within the church. They should not be opened before those who do not fear God. If a Christian is wronged by his brother, let him not appeal to unbelievers in a court of justice. Let him follow out the instruction Christ has given. Instead of trying to avenge himself, let him seek to save his brother. God will guard the interests of those who love and fear Him, and with confidence we may commit our case to Him who judges righteously.” – Christ Object Lessons, Page 248.5, Ellen G. White.

Forgiving is not easy, but it is worth it. You may need to take a pen and a piece of paper, write down all the names of the people who have wronged you then pray over it. If you still feel heaviness in your heart against them, try to do some fasting till you forgive them completely.

Let us ask God to help us forgive as He forgives. I wish you all the best as you experience the blessings of forgiveness.

GOD BLESS YOU!

Prayer

Heavenly Father, Thank You for the boundless forgiveness You have shown me through Jesus Christ. Help me to forgive others as freely as You forgive me, even when it feels impossible. Soften my heart, cleanse me of bitterness, and fill me with Your love and mercy. Teach me to release every hurt into Your hands and to live in the freedom and healing that comes from forgiveness. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Activity

The Forgiveness Letter

1. Approach someone who has wronged you (face to face, through a text message, through a letter, etc.), expressing your feelings honestly and releasing them through forgiveness.
2. End the letter by stating, “I forgive you, just as God has forgiven me.”
3. Decide whether to share it or keep it as a personal act of letting go, depending on the situation.
4. Spend time in prayer, asking God to soften your heart further toward forgiveness and healing.
5. Write down the names of the people who have wronged you and ask God to help you forgive them. You may need to fast and pray over that list.
6. Share this message with someone.

Author: Mark Alex   

BUY MY EBOOK: A FAITH FUELED LIFE: I RUN ON FAITH AND I’M NEVER RUNNING LOW

A FAITH FUELED LIFE: I RUN ON FAITH AND I’M NEVER RUNNING LOW (Amazon): https://amzn.to/4atSjuO

A FAITH FUELED LIFE: I RUN ON FAITH AND I’M NEVER RUNNING LOW (Google Play): https://bit.ly/4i9fXQp

Email: gettruthgetlife@gmail.com 

Phone Number: +254710633247   

My LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-alex-0b87a9109/

PayPal: gettruthgetlife@gmail.com  

Revolut: revolut.me/markalex92