Universal Life Church

5 Pillars of Forgiveness

Matthew 6:14-15

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Oscar Wilde once said, Always forgive your enemies nothing annoys them so much. With that said, forgiveness is one of those things we do that can help a person recover and be restored to relationships. Jesus said that we are to be peacemakers and one of our tools is supposed to be is forgiveness. When you look up the word in the dictionary it reads, To grant free pardon or remission of any offense or debt; to give up all claim. That last part may be difficult. Some are willing to say, I forgive you, but want to claim a grudge or say in their heart, I am keeping my eye on you. Today, we will look at the five pillars of forgiveness as a means of learning how to use this tool more effectively.

First -- Forgiveness Is A Command Not A Suggestion.

Forgiveness is a blessing when done. Note that in the Lords prayer we read in verse 12: And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. Preceding this is the text that says, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. What is Gods will? His will is that men be forgiven of their sins. Not just the sins between man and God but also between each other. This is why Jesus says, after teaching this prayer, For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you (v. 14). The blessing is that when we forgive, we are in fellowship with God. The lines are kept open. He hears our prayers. We are in line with His purpose and He can work through us.

Unforgiveness is a barrer when we fail to disobey: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. A failure to give closes the door to His blessings. Think about this for a moment. A failure to forgive leads the door open for division. This is especially true in the church. Note Pauls comments concerning two women who were not reconciled in Philippi:

I beseech Euodias, and beseech Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord. And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are in the book of life. (Philippians 4:2-3)

Forgiveness is a priority to be done. So a failure to forgive one another in the body of Christ is a poor witness of our love. It becomes a toehold for the devil. This is why Jesus teaches that forgiveness must be a priority in Matthew 5:23-24:

Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

It is so important that worship must stop. Why? God will not accept your worship until it is done!

Second There Is No Limit To Forgiveness.

Is there a limit to forgiving a person? How about you? Do you want to be forgiven every time you fail and realize you blew it? Do you want to be separated from your loved ones forever because they failed to forgive you for the 15th time for forgetting to take out the trash? In Matthew 18 we have question presented by Peter about how many times we should forgive:

Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. (Matthew 18:21-22)

Jesus uses exaggeration to make His point. It would be a burden to keep a list of 490 sins to forgive. For me, it would be better to keep on forgiving. It would be the loving act to forgive because per 1 Corinthians 13:5 we have this interesting comment: love thinketh no evil. The word for think means to logically make an account. The New American Standard Bible translates it: does not take into account a wrong [suffered,] and the NIV says, keeps no record of wrongs. An evil person would keep an account in order to get even. A Christian does not.

There is no limit to sins forgiven. In my search of the Bible, there is only one sin that God will not forgive unbelief. It is called the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. Why? The Holy Spirit comes to convict the sinner of sin in such a way that the sinner will either repent of sin or reject the Spirit and thus die unforgiven. God loves you and me so much it is His desire that we are forgiven of sins between Him and us. Therefore, because we are commanded to love one another, we must be moved by love to forgive. In 1Peter 4:8, we read: And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. The word charity there is the Greek Agapao for unselfish love. Modern translations will read love covers a multitude of sins. All sins can be covered. Moses was a murderer and God reached him. Saul of Tarsus may have murdered a Christian as part of his persecution and Christ saved him. Jesus forgave a woman caught in adultery. The Samaritan woman by the well was living with a man, not her husband, and Jesus reached out to her.

Sins are to be forgotten. Note what the Lord does for you and me when we are forgiven:

He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. (Ps 103:10-12)

He expects us to do the same!

Third Unforgiveness Holds Us In Bondage.

Unforgiveness is subject to judgment. Look at verses 23 thru 25 of Matthew 18. A man owed a huge debt and he was not able to pay. He was judged for a failure to pay debts. When you and I fail to forgive, we are placed in a similar position. Sin is judged. All sin is judged and the penalty of sin is always death. Death was something we could not pay because we were less than perfect. We all came short in the payment. Jesus is teaching His disciples a lesson designed to remind them of the difference between the world and His kingdom. The judgment was to be sold to another. Folks, we escaped the bondage of sin when we are saved. We are not to be in service of anyone but Jesus Christ. Unforgiveness allows Satan and his forces to entrap you and me.

Unforgiveness subjects us to torment. In verse 34 this man was delivered to his tormenters for failing to forgive another. People who are in financial difficulties will often become depressed. They are filled with worry. Think of what unforgivness does to you and me. We become anxious. We focus too much on the supposed hurt or what is owed us. It can go on and on. It removes us from serving the Lord. It can open the door to mental illness and further torment by satanic forces.

Unforgivness subjects us to bitterness. In our text this man was a bitter man. Look at how he treated the one who owed him a small amount. He put the man in prison. He did not act like someone who had been freed of a huge price. He did not show respect for the forgiveness shown him. No wonder the master came along and dealt with this man. Though he was free from debt, he was never free from the bondage of sin.

Since I have spoken this truth to you, we must move to the fourth pillar which helps free us from the bondage of the sin of unforgiveness...

Fourth -- Forgiveness Is A Willing Act.

Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled (Heb. 12:15)

There is a principle found in this verse that will help us. When we are in the state of unforgiveness we are failing in the grace of God. So forgiveness is not based upon our feelings but a biblical decision. Emotion should never drive our decisions. Note again Hebrews 12:15. It warns of bitterness springing up and leading to trouble. The Bible is clear forgiveness is not based on how you feel but what is right in the eyes of God. You can honestly tell the person you are forgiving, Your actions hurt me. Your words caused me pain.

Thus forgiveness requires constant vigilance on our part. The words looking diligently speak of the alertness we need to have. Sometimes the vigilance requires looking into the past. I have known people to bear grudges for years. If suddenly you discover that an action you did a few years ago is causing some hurt today, deal with it. Seek forgiveness and reconciliation. One of the saddest scenes is the funeral service where members of the family show up and are not only in grief but further saddened that they never reconciled some issue with the deceased.

Let us remember that the act of forgiveness is always relational. The person you forgive is a living human being. We are not to look at the person as an enemy and we must remember that the Bible teaches that we are to love God, each other, our neighbor, and even our enemies.

Lastly Our Fifth Pillar: Reconciliation Is Always The Answer.

Do not follow the example of Judas Iscariot. He led the authorities to arrest Jesus Christ for 30 pieces of silver. And what did he do? He never forgave himself. He never sought forgiveness. He drove himself to deep despair and suicide.

Follow the example of Jesus Christ. Peter rejected Jesus Christ three times. Did that stop the Lord from seeking reconciliation with Peter? No. Peter did not want to remain unforgiven and Jesus was willing to reach out and restore this man to His service. Listen to the words of Paul to the Roman church: Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not (Ro. 12:14). It is a different mindset! When people do attempt to persecute and curse, we are to respond with a blessing. The greatest blessing for many people besides salvation will be the restoring medicine of forgiveness. When Jesus hung on the cross He saw the soldiers casting lots for His robe. Note His words: Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do (Luke 23:34).

Conclusion. We know what to do. We are to be peacemakers. We are commanded to forgive. Forgiveness has no limits. A failure to forgive keeps us in bondage. Forgiveness is always a willful act in line with the Bible. And finally, reconciliation is always the answer. Remember, God forgave us first:

For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life (Ro. 5:10).

And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. (2 Cor. 5:18,20)

As you are forgiven, now go forgive others!

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