FORGIVENESS

Matthew 6:14-15  For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:  (15)  But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Definition of forgiveness:   1.  The act of forgiving; the pardon of an offender, by which he is considered and treated as not guilty.  The forgiveness of enemies is a Christian duty.

2.  The pardon or remission of an offense or crime; as the forgiveness of sin or of injuries.

Note:     Trespass(es) means to stumble, to fall, to deviate from God's Word.

              Jesus, our Christ our Lord and Saviour forgave us all on that “Old Rugged Cross.”  So to be “Forgiven” is to accept Him as your personal Saviour.  Once He died on that Cross so that all my sins will be cast into the deepest of deep seas.  Never to be accounted against me ever again.

              I have had men tell me that Salvation was receiving “forgiveness.”  If that were the case all anybody would have to do is simply state “Jesus forgive me.”  Salvation is very simple, yet it is not receiving “forgiveness.”  That comes as a part of our Salvation, we receive forgiveness when we humbly accept God’s only begotten Son as our Saviour.  If it came any other way it would be salvation by works.  Salvation is of Faith and only by Faith.

              This “Lord’s Prayer” is to be used as a model to structure our prayers.  These verse are for those who have accepted Jesus as their personal Saviour.

I.               THE PROMISE  (God will Forgive)                                      (v 14)

           A.              Forgive Others, Be Forgiven

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

B.              Some of The Prerequisites For Forgiveness.

1.               A person Must confess HIS sins

i.            To Jesus Christ (Not to Men)

2.               A person MUST have faith in God

Hebrews 11:6       But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

3.               A person Must repent

i.       Turn to God, His ways   (No Burger King)

Acts 3:19              Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;

4.               A person MUST forgive those who has done wrong

i.                No hard feelings

ii.               Must be sincere

II.              ATTITUDES TO FORGIVNESS

A.              The Agnostic Or The Doubter

Greek for A = not   Greek for Gnostic = I know   Latin synonym = ignoramus

1.               God may be,

2.               God may not be

i.            All that matters is that men are to forgive men

B.              The Guilt Stricken Person

1.               Knows little or nothing about a personal God.

2.               Deeply conscious of guilt

i.            Has need for forgiveness

C.              The Social Church Goer

1.               Mentally aware of need for forgiveness

i.              Makes an occasional confession

a.               Feels forgiven

b.               No more guilt till later

ii.           A false forgiveness

a.           A mental forgiveness

iii.          Views God as a Grand-Father

a.           Makes and occasional 

showing to stay in the will

iv.          He ignores and denies the              righteousness of God

D.              The Mature Believer

1.               Knows His own Sinful self

2.               Knows His continual need for God's forgiveness

3.               He lives in a

i.                Spirit of Confession

ii.               Spirit of Repentance

4.           Comes to Know God's

i.                Forgiveness

ii.               The assurance of eternal forgiveness

John 10:28           And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

III.            FORGIVNESS OF OTHERS

Galatians 6:1-3  Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.  ² Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.  ³ For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.

A.              Christ Knows We Need Forgiveness

1.               We are sinners

i.            We have failed God's law

2.               Even the best of the Christian lot

i.            We always fall short

Romans 3:23       For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

3.               We must forgive each other

B.              The Greatest Thing That Can Happen

1.               Be Forgiven of God

i.                To be accepted

ii.               To be restored

iii.             To be assured of seeing Christ

iv.             To be set free

a.             To eternal life.

              C.              There Is Only One Way To Be Forgiven

                             1.           Jesus the Christ is the only way

Ephesians 4:31-32  Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: ³²And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

2.           Forgive others, we are not to be

i.                Judgmental

ii.               Bitter

iii.             Revenge seekers

iv.             Hold hard feelings

v.               Gossips

a.           Correct rumor

vi.             Not to be rejoicing over others problems

3.           We are to love and pray for one another

CONCLUSION:  In verse 15 of our text we find a warning, paraphrased it sounds like this:

 Refuse to forgive, is to be unforgiven

A person who asks God for forgiveness, yet is unwilling to forgive is a hypocrite.

              That person is asking God to do what he is not WILLING to do

              A.           Bad Feelings Show

1.               A person does not know

a.               The true nature of God

1.)          The perfection of God

b.               the true nature of man

1.)          The real depth of man's sinful nature

2.               When a person walks and lives in self righteousness

a.               Thinks he is acceptable

1.)          By his deeds of righteousness

3.               Has not taken the necessary steps to be forgiven

4.               When a person is living by standards of society

a.               Not by God's Word

Luke 6:36-37       Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.  ³⁷ Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:

The opposite of Luke 6:36-37 states:

 Judge and ye shall be judged, condemn and ye shall be condemned, be unforgiving and ye shall be unforgiven.