FORGIVEN PEOPLE FORGIVE

Matthew 18: 21-22

"Then came Peter to Him, and said Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive Him?  till seven times?  Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, until seven times:  but, until seventy times seven."

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Sermon at church this morning was about transactional forgiveness.  The latter portion of Matthew 18 taught the parable of a servant who owed his master an unimaginable amount of debt, yet when the servant asked for compassion, his master forgave all his debts.  This servant then went out and saw his fellow servant, who owes him an amount comparable to a third of his annual earning.  He laid his hands to his fellow servant and took him by the throat, demanding that he be paid.  The fellow servant asked for compassion in a similar fashion the first servant did with his master.  Having been forgiven, we would expect the first servant to show compassion towards his fellow servant.  However, he refused and instead threw his fellow servant into jail.  When their master learned of this, he was angered with the first servant and punished him until he could pay all his debts.

As Christians, we were once sinners who owed God an amount we could never repay, but because of His love for us, He sent His Son to pay for our sins.  When we sincerely repented through faith and accepted Christ to be our Saviour, all our sins - past, present, and future - had been forgiven, just like an unimaginable amount of debt paid in full.  As God forgave us, we should also forgive.  If forgiveness is something we can't find in our hearts, let's ask ourselves if we have indeed experienced God's forgiveness... because forgiven people forgive.

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For more inspirational/devotional reading, please click:  SOLEMN SUNDAY

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