The Danger of Not Forgiving!

1 Chronicles 14; 1 Chronicles 15; Psalm 132; Matthew 18
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Scripture

Matthew 18:21-35

21 Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?”
22 “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!
23 “Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him. 24 In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars. 25 He couldn’t pay, so his master ordered that he be sold—along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned—to pay the debt.
26 “But the man fell down before his master and begged him, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.’ 27 Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt.
28 “But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars. He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment.
29 “His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it,’ he pleaded. 30 But his creditor wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full.
31 “When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened. 32 Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. 33 Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ 34 Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt.
35 “That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.”




Observation

Matthew 18 is loaded with important stuff and I could have written about humility, or the steps to getting things right with an offended brother, but I chose instead to write about the danger of refusing to forgive. I have watched people who have made the choice to not forgive and it has ruined them.

God gives us this warning in verse 35 “That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.” Look out! You better forgive! God will deal with you severely if you don’t forgive. Because having a heart that will not forgive is just the opposite of having a heart like God’s! Forgiveness is what nailed God’s Son to the cross and yet we say that we are not going to forgive.

Is there someone that you are mad with today? God says to forgive them 70 times 7 if you need to. Forgive them everyday if you need to, but don’t let your heart be filled with junk. Guard your heart! Let it go! Forgive!





Application

Who do I need to go the second mile with today? Who needs my forgiveness?


Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank you for Matthew 18 and all that is in it. Help me to treat my brothers and sisters with love and respect. Thank you for what you are doing in the lives of people around me. Help me to model your love and your forgiveness today to those I come in contact with. Help me be an encouragement to someone today.



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