Forgiveness is a Heart Matter
We have to decide whether we will obey God or react to the circumstances.
Forgiveness is an act of obedience. The disciples asked Jesus how to pray? As
we read what is called the Lord’s prayer, in Matthew 6 verse 12 says “and forgive
us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” the word “as” means in just the same way.
In verses 14-15 the Bible says “for if ye forgive man their trespasses, your heavenly
Father will also forgive you, but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will
your Father forgive you your trespasses”.
People quote Mark 11:22-24 often “for verily I say to you, that whosoever shall say
to this mountain, be you removed, and be you cast into the sea, and shall not doubt
in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he says, shall come to pass for
he shall have whatsoever he say. Therefore I say to you, what things so ever you
desire, when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you shall have them”, but
don’t go on to read verses 25-26 which says “and when you stand praying, forgive
if you have any thing against any, that your Father also which is in heaven may
forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father
which is in heaven forgive your trespasses”.
Jesus spoke a parable, then said it was liken to the kingdom (Matthew 18:21-35)
“then came Peter to Him, and said Lord how often shall my brother sin against me,
and I forgive him? Till seven times? Jesus said unto him, I say not unto thee until
seven times, but until seventy times seven. Therefore, is the kingdom of heaven
likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. And when he
had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed ten thousand talents.
But for as much as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his
wife and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. The servant
therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, lord have patience with me, and I
will pay thee all. Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and
loosed him, and forgave him the debt, but the same servant went out, and found
one of his fellow servants, which owed him a hundred pence; and he laid hands on
him, and took him by the throat, saying, pay me that thou owe. And his fellow
servant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, have patience with me, and
I will pay thee all. And he would not, but went and put him into prison, till he should
pay the debt. So when his fellow servants saw what was done, they were very
sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. Then his lord, after that
he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that
debt, because desired me. Shoudest not thou also have had compassion on thy
fellow servant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth, and delivered
him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall
My heavenly Father do also unto you, if you from your heart forgive not every one
his brother their trespasses”. If you are walking in unforgiveness, you have opened
the door for the devil to come in and demand that God honor His words, and not
forgive you.
This kind of forgiveness is not possible in your flesh, but thank God that “the love of
God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given to us” (Roman 5:
5). God wants His love to pour out of our heart. God is a God of love, showing
grace and mercy and we are told to imitate our heavenly Father. Jesus came and
died for the sins of the whole world. He came because God loves the whole world.
We have to hear what Paul says for us to do “put on the whole armor of God that
you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against
flesh and blood, (that means people), but against principalities, against powers,
against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high
places” (Ephesians 6:11-12). We have to remember that the devil uses people to
come against people to get them into bitterness, and when they do, they are defiled
(Hebrews 12:14-15) “follow peace with all men and holiness without which no man
shall see the Lord. Looking diligently less any man fail of the grace of God, less
any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled”. You
fail of the grace of God, when you receive it and don’t give it.
People sometimes say that Jesus operated under the Old covenant because He
hadn’t died to bring in grace yet. Paul tells the Ephesians to forgive (Ephesians 4:
31-5:2) “let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be
put away from you, with all malice. And be you kind one to another, even as God
for Christ’s sake has forgiven you. Be you therefore followers of God as dear
children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us, and has given Himself for us
an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor”. Grace is for all
mankind, even for the one who is being used of the devil to come against you.
Jesus is the one who takes us from the Old Testament into the New Testament.
Law is good, but grace is better, justice is good but mercy is better. We can’t stand
in the place of grace and still try to keep others in the place of judgment. God
wants all of us to be in His mercy and grace (Matthew 5:7) “blessed are the merciful,
for they shall obtain mercy”.
Once you receive the grace of God, you have to be willing to give grace to others.
The kingdom is operated under the principal of sowing and reaping (Genesis 8:22)
“while the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer
and winter, and day and night, shall not cease”. Jesus said “freely you have
received, freely give” (Matthew 10:8). Romans 3:24 tells us “we are being justified
freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus”. James 2:13
says “for he shall have judgment without mercy that showed no mercy, and mercy
triumph against judgment”. I John 4:20 says “if a man say, I love God and hates his
brother, he is a liar, for he that loves not his brother whom he has seen, how can he
love God whom he has not seen”. We are commanded to love one another
(Matthew 22:37-40) “Jesus said to him, you shall love the Lord your God with all
your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great
commandment. And the second is like to it, you shall love your neighbor as
yourself. On these two commandments hand all the law and the prophets”. In fact
Jesus, says this is the way that the world will know that God sent Him (John 17:21)
“that they all may be one as You Father are in Me, and I in You, that they also may
be one in Us that the world may believe that You have sent Me”.
You see we have an adversary the devil, and we are warned in I Peter 5:8 “be
sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about,
seeking whom he may devour”. Christians have fallen into his trap, they love God,
and have been not been seeing happen in their lives, but have let unforgiveness
cause themselves to be defiled. Remember God is not mocked, whatsoever we
sow, the same we shall reap. If we sow judgment, we will reap judgment (Matthew 7:
1-2) “judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you
shall be judged, and with what measure you mete, it shall be measured to you
again”. You can even beat up and judge yourself. As I was putting this together, I
found that I had not forgiven myself over some things in my pass, but I have
repented and gave it to God and I have been delivered. Let us examine ourselves
on a regular basis because the devil will keep trying to devour us.
Study by: Harriet Bond
Date:August 12, 2008
We have to decide whether we will obey God or react to the circumstances.
Forgiveness is an act of obedience. The disciples asked Jesus how to pray? As
we read what is called the Lord’s prayer, in Matthew 6 verse 12 says “and forgive
us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” the word “as” means in just the same way.
In verses 14-15 the Bible says “for if ye forgive man their trespasses, your heavenly
Father will also forgive you, but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will
your Father forgive you your trespasses”.
People quote Mark 11:22-24 often “for verily I say to you, that whosoever shall say
to this mountain, be you removed, and be you cast into the sea, and shall not doubt
in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he says, shall come to pass for
he shall have whatsoever he say. Therefore I say to you, what things so ever you
desire, when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you shall have them”, but
don’t go on to read verses 25-26 which says “and when you stand praying, forgive
if you have any thing against any, that your Father also which is in heaven may
forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father
which is in heaven forgive your trespasses”.
Jesus spoke a parable, then said it was liken to the kingdom (Matthew 18:21-35)
“then came Peter to Him, and said Lord how often shall my brother sin against me,
and I forgive him? Till seven times? Jesus said unto him, I say not unto thee until
seven times, but until seventy times seven. Therefore, is the kingdom of heaven
likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. And when he
had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed ten thousand talents.
But for as much as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his
wife and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. The servant
therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, lord have patience with me, and I
will pay thee all. Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and
loosed him, and forgave him the debt, but the same servant went out, and found
one of his fellow servants, which owed him a hundred pence; and he laid hands on
him, and took him by the throat, saying, pay me that thou owe. And his fellow
servant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, have patience with me, and
I will pay thee all. And he would not, but went and put him into prison, till he should
pay the debt. So when his fellow servants saw what was done, they were very
sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. Then his lord, after that
he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that
debt, because desired me. Shoudest not thou also have had compassion on thy
fellow servant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth, and delivered
him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall
My heavenly Father do also unto you, if you from your heart forgive not every one
his brother their trespasses”. If you are walking in unforgiveness, you have opened
the door for the devil to come in and demand that God honor His words, and not
forgive you.
This kind of forgiveness is not possible in your flesh, but thank God that “the love of
God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given to us” (Roman 5:
5). God wants His love to pour out of our heart. God is a God of love, showing
grace and mercy and we are told to imitate our heavenly Father. Jesus came and
died for the sins of the whole world. He came because God loves the whole world.
We have to hear what Paul says for us to do “put on the whole armor of God that
you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against
flesh and blood, (that means people), but against principalities, against powers,
against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high
places” (Ephesians 6:11-12). We have to remember that the devil uses people to
come against people to get them into bitterness, and when they do, they are defiled
(Hebrews 12:14-15) “follow peace with all men and holiness without which no man
shall see the Lord. Looking diligently less any man fail of the grace of God, less
any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled”. You
fail of the grace of God, when you receive it and don’t give it.
People sometimes say that Jesus operated under the Old covenant because He
hadn’t died to bring in grace yet. Paul tells the Ephesians to forgive (Ephesians 4:
31-5:2) “let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be
put away from you, with all malice. And be you kind one to another, even as God
for Christ’s sake has forgiven you. Be you therefore followers of God as dear
children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us, and has given Himself for us
an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor”. Grace is for all
mankind, even for the one who is being used of the devil to come against you.
Jesus is the one who takes us from the Old Testament into the New Testament.
Law is good, but grace is better, justice is good but mercy is better. We can’t stand
in the place of grace and still try to keep others in the place of judgment. God
wants all of us to be in His mercy and grace (Matthew 5:7) “blessed are the merciful,
for they shall obtain mercy”.
Once you receive the grace of God, you have to be willing to give grace to others.
The kingdom is operated under the principal of sowing and reaping (Genesis 8:22)
“while the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer
and winter, and day and night, shall not cease”. Jesus said “freely you have
received, freely give” (Matthew 10:8). Romans 3:24 tells us “we are being justified
freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus”. James 2:13
says “for he shall have judgment without mercy that showed no mercy, and mercy
triumph against judgment”. I John 4:20 says “if a man say, I love God and hates his
brother, he is a liar, for he that loves not his brother whom he has seen, how can he
love God whom he has not seen”. We are commanded to love one another
(Matthew 22:37-40) “Jesus said to him, you shall love the Lord your God with all
your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great
commandment. And the second is like to it, you shall love your neighbor as
yourself. On these two commandments hand all the law and the prophets”. In fact
Jesus, says this is the way that the world will know that God sent Him (John 17:21)
“that they all may be one as You Father are in Me, and I in You, that they also may
be one in Us that the world may believe that You have sent Me”.
You see we have an adversary the devil, and we are warned in I Peter 5:8 “be
sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about,
seeking whom he may devour”. Christians have fallen into his trap, they love God,
and have been not been seeing happen in their lives, but have let unforgiveness
cause themselves to be defiled. Remember God is not mocked, whatsoever we
sow, the same we shall reap. If we sow judgment, we will reap judgment (Matthew 7:
1-2) “judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you
shall be judged, and with what measure you mete, it shall be measured to you
again”. You can even beat up and judge yourself. As I was putting this together, I
found that I had not forgiven myself over some things in my pass, but I have
repented and gave it to God and I have been delivered. Let us examine ourselves
on a regular basis because the devil will keep trying to devour us.
Study by: Harriet Bond
Date:August 12, 2008
