Forgiven To Forgive

Introduction

I’m not telling you anything new when I tell you that life is full of ups and downs, mountains and valleys. But I’ve got a question for you. If we went around the room this morning, and I ask everybody here to name three mountaintops in your life. Personal and very personal. Three times in which you did something great. Felt good about what you accomplished and you did. Could you name three things? I bet you could. Probably pretty easily. But we would do that exercise again. And we’d start in reverse in two senses. I’d start on this side of the room this time, and I would say, can you tell me three valley moments? You look back in your past and remember three things that you did that you’re ashamed of.

You’re embarrassed. You can remember those disappointing moments. Yeah, you probably could. Memory’s funny that way. We have trouble memoring the in-betweens. We can remember the mountain, the highest mountains and the lowest valleys, but we have trouble remembering the kind of the in-between stuff. Let me tell you about one of my valley moments. Probably like you, much of my growing up and memories revolves around my cousins. One of my cousin moments was one of my grandmothers, and only knew one of my grandfathers. But my mom’s dad, Grandpa Duke, had remarried by the time I was born, and so she was my grandmother. We called her Granny Hazel. Granny Hazel was as sweet as she could be, and like so many of her generation, she was a good cook.

And one of my valley moments started out as a mountain moment. Granny Hazel gave me some brownies. And when Granny Hazel made brownies, there was not a cardboard box involved. He made them from scratch. And it sounds corny, but the most important ingredient was love. And you could taste it in those brownies. He gave me those brownies, and I sat down and I ate them. And I ate every crumb off of that plate. And then I went in and played with my cousins. It just kind of added to that mountain moment. I had brownies, and I get to play with my cousins. But often as life does, it kicks you off the mountain and lands you in the valley. And my sweet granny Hazel did it that day when she walked in with me and my cousins and asked one simple question.

All of us. Y’all, underline that word yaw. Did y’all enjoy those brownies? And of course, my cousin said, What brownie?

And I was looking for the door. Those weren’t my brownies. When Granny Hazel gifted me those brownies, he meant for me to take them into the room and share them with my cousin. Now my memory, memories can be skewed and flawed. My memory is I didn’t remember that part of the conversation, Granny. I really thought they were just for me. But I still felt that tall.

Because I was selfish and unsharing and uncaring. And my diminutive status was shrunk even more because not only was I those things, but now those things were exposed. And that’s one of my sadly core memories of that valley moment. But you know the good thing about life is that those little moments can serve as spiritual lessons.

So hopefully I’m a better person because of that valley moment. That I remember the shame and the feeling of regret.

Spiritually, God intends for the gifts that He has given to us to be shared with others. And that is certainly true when it comes to forgiveness. Will you turn to me in our text in the book of Colossians, chapter 3, Colossians chapter 3. I’m sure our PowerPoint will be up here directly. Colossians chapter 3, and let’s look at this point that God intends not only for us to be forgiven of our sins and to get to gain a renewed and powerful status with him, but he intends that to be the impetus for how we treat others. That we are to be forgiven in order to forgive. Would you read the text with me? Colossians 3, let’s begin in verse 12. Therefore, therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, long suffering, bearing with one another, and forgiving one another.

If anyone has a complaint against another, even as Christ forgave you, so you must also do.

To forgive as God in Christ Jesus has forgiven us carries with it two very important meanings. Number one is I am to forgive because he’s forgiven me. That’s principle number one from those passages and its sister passage in the book of Ephesians and numerous places where that concept is taught. You forgive because he forgave you. That is the reason for and the basis of my treatment of you is because God’s done it to me. But let’s also recognize that that word as, that we are to forgive each other as he has forgiven us, carries with it much more than just a reason behind it. That not only am I to forgive my fellow man because God has forgiven me, but I am to forgive my fellow man in the manner in which God has forgiven me.

1. God Forgives Willingly

I am to forgive just like God. Forgive in the same manner, in the same way, to the same degree. And so there’s our lesson. Let’s look at how God forgives us, and then apply that to how I am to forgive others. And so you’re getting a bargain today. This is like publics, it’s a bogo. Got two lessons in one. We’re going to talk about how does God forgive us. And then the application half of the lesson is, then how am I to forgive? One thing, one way that God, and your list probably is much longer to that than this, and in your notes, add to it. One way that God forgives is that he forgives willingly. Look at this in James chapter one. A little statements like this can be just read past and forget we forget or fail to see the significance.

When passages, numerous passages like James 1, verse 18, will say things like this. After saying every good and perfect gift comes from the Father of lights, he says in verse 18, of God, of our Father, of His own will, He brought us forth by the Word of truth that we might be a kind of first fruits of His creatures, of His own will. Why did God do all of the wonderful things for us, including forgiveness, of His own will? That’s a biblical way of saying, because He wanted to. Another way of saying it was His idea. And again, there’s two concepts that can be discerned from that or distilled from that. Concept number one is nobody made God do it. As if anybody could.

Number one is you squabbled and fought with your siblings. And number two, I bet your parents made you go and say you were sorry.

Of those times you went and told your siblings you were sorry for calling them an ugly name or punching them or shoving them down the stairs or whatever you did. And you went and told them sorry because mom said you had to. How many times were you sincere? I know my percentage is really low. Sincerity, not always, but sincerity can usually be gauged on how whose idea was it. So it’s not just that nobody made God do this, but it’s also that God conceived, God wanted to do this. He came up with the idea of sending his son.

And isn’t that remarkable? That God would think of us and conceive of that idea and willingly, voluntarily, forgive us.

2. God Forgives Fully

When you think about any time you read about forgiveness in the prophets, God usually, usually sent prophets when the people were misbehaving, and that’s an understatement, misbehaving. They were doing terrible things. God would send these prophets to try to draw them back to him. Why? Because he wanted to. And in Micah chapter 7 and verse 19, when they were doing horrible things against him, God extended the olive branch and said, I’m going to forgive you. But he doesn’t say I’m going to forgive you. He says he is going to cast, are you looking at Micah 7 verse 19? I’m going to cast your sins into the depth of the ocean. What a picture that paints. That’s how far away I’m going to cast those sins. People smarter than me tell me that the average, just the average depth of the ocean is 12,000 feet.

At its deepest, we believe it’s about 36,000 feet. God says, that’s where I’m going to put your sin. Where you can’t get to them. They’re gone. The psalmist would take it even further than that. Psalm 103, verse 12. Psalm 103, verse 12, if that’s not far enough away to the deepest part of the ocean, 36,000 feet below the surface of the ocean, God says, that’s where I cast your sins. The psalmist, Psalm 103 verse 12, takes it even further. As far as the east is from the west, that’s how I’ve separated you from your sin. That’s as far as you can get. God forgives fully. You want an illustration of that? King David. Yes, David had to pay a price. Another in his circle had to pay a price.

But he was still king. You want an example? The New Testament, how about a man named Paul? Done what he did. He says, I persecuted Christians. I didn’t just persecute them. I threw them into prison. Men and women, I dragged them off. And again, that’s a phrase you read over it, and you might miss. I want you to picture that.

And maybe I’m old-fashioned. But even worse, when a mother being drug away from her children, thrown into prison just because they said, I believe in Jesus. Paul did that. And he says, not only that, but I I voted they put to be put to death. He killed them. And even worse than that. In his moment of confession, Paul would say, I compelled them to blaspheme. He caused some of them to blaspheme the name of Jesus Christ. Those who didn’t have the fortitude and the courage of their faith to be cast into prison and killed, said, No, I give up. Paul did that. And God didn’t just forgive him. God made him an apostle. And God said, I want you to be the bulk of this New Testament.

3. God Forgives Repeatedly

God forgives fully. And God gives, forgives repeatedly. Look with me in Romans chapter 5. And this is so needed because man has continually sinned. That’s Paul’s point in Romans chapter 5, that from that beginning and in Genesis chapter 3, generation after generation has sinned. Romans chapter 5 begin in verse 12. Therefore, just as through one man, that’s Adam, of course, sin entered the world and death through sin, and thus death has spread to all men, because all sin. I know it’s it’s mathematically impossible to calculate, but how many sins has God forgiven? Skip down to verse 18. Therefore, as through one’s man’s offense, judgment came into all men, resulting in condemnation. Even so through one man’s righteous act, the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification.

For as by one man’s disobedience, many were made sinners. Adam introduced this concept. We all willingly walk down that pathway. So also by one man’s obedience, Jesus Christ, obedience to the death on the cross, many will be made righteous. Moreover, the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more. God forgives repeatedly. I said the smartest mathematicians among us couldn’t calculate how many sins God has forgiven in the history of mankind. But don’t just think globally. Even with the calculator on my phone.

4. I’m to Forgive Willingly

Forget about Adam throughout history. I’ve lost track of how many times he’s forgiven me. Over and over again. And to my shame, sometimes it’s the same sin. Over and over. But that’s the God we serve. That’s the God we love. Because He forgives willingly, fully, and repeatedly. Alright, there’s your first sermon. Here comes the second one. But I’m to forgive as God in Christ Jesus has forgiven me. So how am I to forgive? Don’t get ahead of me, no cheating. I’m to forgive willingly. This is not a scenario repeated from your childhood where your mom says, go tell your brother you’re sorry. This is not God holding us, pinching our ear and saying, you go forgive your brother. And I walk up to you and say, I forgive.

When you can look in my eyes and say, see, just like my brothers could see, I’m not really sorry. I’m doing this under duress. It’s to be willingly. Of his own will, he sent his son. That requires a change of heart. That requires us to be like God. Look at our text again. Colossians chapter 3, where we started this. Colossians chapter 3. Notice what he says there in verse 13. Bearing with one another, forgiving one another. If anyone has a complaint against one another, even as Christ forgave you, so you must also do. God sent his son. But every indication from scripture is Jesus came willingly. I am to forgive as he forgave. And also look at this in Mark chapter 11. This is a concept you know, but we need to be reminded of it.

Mark 11, and in verse 25. This is essential to us being forgiven by God. Mark 11, verse 25, and whenever you stand praying, if any if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. Again, you know this concept. This is what we might call the forgiveness sandwich. Here we are in the middle of that sandwich. And remember, it’s a forgiveness sandwich. I forgive based upon the forgiveness that God has already extended to me.

Because he’s given me this forgiveness, that’s the motivation for me to forgive.

5. I Should Forgive Fully

That I’m to forgive if I want God on the day of judgment to forgive me. So here I am in the middle. Why do I forgive? Because I’ve been forgiven. Why do I forgive? Because I want to be forgiven. And so I willingly, willingly forgive. I should forgive fully. If I really want to be like God. And as difficult as it is, I must strive eagerly, selflessly, through struggle, strive to be as gracious as my God is to me. True forgiveness doesn’t hold grudges.

But I’ll never forget.

God let David remain king. God made Paul an apostle. I’ll forgive. But I’ll bring it back up again if I need to. Is that forgiving? As God forgave. Let’s be more pragmatic about it. Is that the way I want God to forgive me? To take all those sins and don’t cast them 36,000 feet into the deepest part of the ocean, God. Put them in your pocket. Because you might need them again. Keep them close by so that you can recall them and pile them up with those new sins I’m going to commit and throw those in my face. Matthew chapter 18 teaches a principle, I think a broad principle in how we deal with people who sin. Purpose of the lesson this morning is not the process here, but it’s the result.

6. I Am to Forgive Repeatedly

If he hears you, you have gained your brother. I’ve consulted numerous translations, various ancient manuscripts, and not a single one reads. If he hears you, you’ve gained a brother in law. No. It says brother. That’s the idea of a full restoration of a relationship. Because like God, I am to forgive fully. This might be the easiest application to make because we’ve got a couple verses that just pound this point home. Like God forgives me repeatedly, I am to forgive you repeatedly. And I’m going to be honest with you, none of these are easy. This one may be the most difficult for me at least. I don’t know about you.

You know the saying. But then I’ve got a couple things ringing in my ears. Number one is I’m to forgive as he’s forgiven me. And I hope.

Excuse me, that’s the wrong passage. Matthew chapter 18. You already heard that. But when Jesus told them that you are to forgive seven times. If your brother comes to you, and I’m gonna tell you, this stretches the limit of my God given graciousness. If my brother comes to me seven times in a day.

Three strikes, you’re out. God is more gracious. And I’m striving to be. God says seven times. And maybe they misunderstood that because they would come to him and say, seven times, and he goes, No. Seventy. And I imagine, as he just started that sentence, they were going, seventy. And he finishes it by saying, times seven. You are to forgive. That ain’t easy. But nobody ever said being like God was. But it’s worth it. And to shed a little light on that principle of forgiving repeatedly, seven times or seventy times seven. I think probably primarily Jesus meant that means that person in one day has committed seven different sins against you. Or if my math is right, that person through a span of time has committed 490 different offenses against you.

That you have to forgive every one of those, and you know we don’t literalize and limit those numbers. That misses the point.

Or 490 times for that one thing you did to me. Because I’m not as good as God.

This morning mad at you. Not because you came in the night and sinned again, but because I didn’t forgive fully.

Conclusion

And again. And again. Seven times in one day for the one thing you did. And it may take me 490 times to get over it and to forgive you fully. But I want to be like God. I want to be gracious. Kind and compassionate. And this is one of those times it’s okay to have an ulterior motive. Because I also want God to keep being kind, compassionate, and gracious to me. And he’s placed this condition on it. So I’m going to forgive. Because he’s forgiven me. Do you need that forgiveness this morning? He’s extending it willingly, fully, and repeatedly. But God is not mocked. We don’t use that for an excuse to continue in our sins. We don’t use that as an excuse to postpone seeking that forgiveness.

We’re moved to repentance because of the goodness of God. Would you come to Him this morning to a gracious God? He is so eager to forgive you.

Would you let Him be gracious to you this morning? Can we help you as together we stand and as we sing?