Matthew 18:21-35
To forgive is to give up or to release. At the heart of genuine love is forgiveness.
You cannot shake hands with a clinched fist.
Golda Meir
WHAT IS FORGIVENESS? Romans 4:7-8
7. Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. 8. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.
1. Jesus taught that we should never be concerned about stretching the limit of genuine forgiveness.
2. Jesus taught that this man disgraced grace.
3. Jesus taught that forgiveness means release .
We must forgive in the same way we have been forgiven. In His mercy, God has given us what we need, not what we deserve.
Neil Anderson
WHERE IS THE ULTIMATE EXAMPLE OF FORGIVENESS FOUND? Mark 11:25
11. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.
1. The true model for forgiveness is focused in the life of Jesus Christ.
Matthew 6:15
But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
2. To forgive is a conscious decision of the will. Proverbs 25:21
If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.
Unforgiveness does a great deal more damage to the vessel in which it is stored than the object on which it is poured.
S.I. McMillen
3. The motive for forgiving is He forgave us.
Forgiveness is not an occasional act; it is a permanent attitude.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
