(Matthew 18:33 MSG) Shouldn’t you be compelled to be merciful to your fellow servant who asked for mercy?’
√ What COMPELS you?
• DENIAL of your own forgiveness.
(Romans 5:8-9 NLT) But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation.
• They don’t DESERVE my forgiveness.
(Matthew 6:14-15 NLT) “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.
“To be a good Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in us.” -C.S. lewis
• I’ll find my own FORGIVENESS.
(Galatians 5:19-21 NLT) When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: . . . hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, . . . . Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
THREE NEW PERSPECTIVES OF FORGIVENESS
√ The CRUCIFIED life perspective.
(Galatians 2:20 NKJV) “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
(Colossians 3:13-14 NLT) Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.
√ The IMPOSSIBLE debt perspective.
(Matthew 18:26-27 NLT) “. . .the man fell down before his master and begged him, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.’ Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt.
(Isaiah 1:18-19 NLT) “Come now, let’s settle this,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool. . . .
√ The UNDESERVING perspective.
(Romans 5:8-9 NLT) But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation.
(Psalm 25:6-11 NLT) Remember, O LORD, your compassion and unfailing love, which you have shown from long ages past. Do not remember the rebellious sins of my youth. Remember me in the light of your unfailing love, for you are merciful, O LORD. vs 11….. For the honor of your name, O LORD, forgive my many, many sins.
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