Creekside Church, Jan 24, 2021
RELATIONSHIPS | LET GO
Relationships: Fight Fair
Locations & Times
Creekside Church
660 Conservation Dr, Waterloo, ON N2J 3Z4, Canada
Sunday 9:00 AM
RELATIONSHIPS | LET GO
MATTHEW 6:9-14
“This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.’
For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
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Jesus wants us to see forgiveness as more than a nice idea. It's essential to being one of his followers. It's like breathing. We breath in forgiveness from the Father and we breath out forgiveness to others.
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MATTHEW 18:21-35
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”
Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.
“Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
“At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
“But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.
“His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’
“But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.
“Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
“This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
---------------------------
The idea of forgiveness is not an easy one.
Jesus wants us to imagine how beautiful the world could be if we forgave each other, and to see how ugly it becomes when we don't forgive.
---------------------------
When we forgive we should realize that it may be a continual/ongoing act that may take time.
---------------------------
When we forgive we should realize it's about more than our feelings. Even if we are still angry or upset, Jesus gives us three actionable steps.
Luke 6:27-28 - “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
---------------------------
Spend some time talking to God about if there is anyone you need to forgive. Maybe there is someone who comes to mind right away and the idea of forgiving them seems impossible. Or maybe it's someone you haven't seen for a long time, but you still harbour resentment for them.
MATTHEW 6:9-14
“This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.’
For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
---------------------------
Jesus wants us to see forgiveness as more than a nice idea. It's essential to being one of his followers. It's like breathing. We breath in forgiveness from the Father and we breath out forgiveness to others.
---------------------------
MATTHEW 18:21-35
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”
Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.
“Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
“At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
“But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.
“His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’
“But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.
“Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
“This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
---------------------------
The idea of forgiveness is not an easy one.
Jesus wants us to imagine how beautiful the world could be if we forgave each other, and to see how ugly it becomes when we don't forgive.
---------------------------
When we forgive we should realize that it may be a continual/ongoing act that may take time.
---------------------------
When we forgive we should realize it's about more than our feelings. Even if we are still angry or upset, Jesus gives us three actionable steps.
Luke 6:27-28 - “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
---------------------------
Spend some time talking to God about if there is anyone you need to forgive. Maybe there is someone who comes to mind right away and the idea of forgiving them seems impossible. Or maybe it's someone you haven't seen for a long time, but you still harbour resentment for them.