Level: 2, Lesson: 9
FORGIVENESS
OUTLINE

Matthew 18:21-35, "Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? 22Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. 23Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. 24And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. 25But forasmuch 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. 26The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 27Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. 28But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. 29And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 30And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. 31So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. 32Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: 33Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? 34And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. 35So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses."

There is an indefinite amount of offenses that a person can experience in one day. Forgiveness should be continuous. It should be the real attitude of a Christian. Luke 23:34, "Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots." Jesus and also Stephen, the martyr, both said, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do."

Not all people will receive forgiveness, but the attitude and heart of a Christian should always be to offer forgiveness.

We had a debt that we could not pay. The Bible says that the wages of our sin is death, or separation from God for eternity. All the silver and gold in the world couldn’t redeem us. God in His grace and compassion sent His Son, Jesus, to pay the debt we couldn’t pay. God looked on us in compassion and said, "I forgive your debt."

When you make a decision to forgive and let go of the hurt with the help of God, you then can walk in deliverance and freedom.

If we don’t forgive others from the heart, when we’ve been forgiven so much by God, we’ll be delivered to the tormentors. The tormentors can be demonic strongholds, sickness, depression and many other things of which the root is unforgiveness.

Mark 6:12: "And they went out, and preached that men should repent." Jesus said in the Lord’s prayer to forgive as we’ve been forgiven. Mark 11:25: "And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses." If we have the least bit of ought against anyone, we should release him and ask God to help us let that person go and forgive him, because He forgave us such a great debt.

FORGIVENESS

1. What is Jesus saying in Matthew 18:21-22 about forgiveness?
2. What does Psalms 103:10-14 show us about God’s love in forgiving us?
3. 1. What does Matthew 18:11-14 show us about God’s concern for the lost?
   2. Why should we forgive others, according to Ephesians 4:32?
   3. What does James 2:13 show us about having mercy towards others?
4. 1. What did Jesus say about forgiving others in Matthew 6:12?
   2. When should you forgive others according to Mark 11:25?

FORGIVENESS
Lesson Text

Read Matthew 18:21-35 (out loud).

Peter thought he was being very generous by offering to forgive his brother seven times in one day, but Jesus said he should forgive him 490 times in one day. It would be impossible to have someone sin against you 490 times in one day. Jesus is actually saying that there should be no limit to our forgiveness.

Regardless of how many times someone sins, if he repents each time (Luke 17:4), we are supposed to forgive him and confirm our love unto him (II Corinthians 2:6-8).

If God expects us to forgive our brother who has trespassed against us 490 times in one day (actually an unlimited number of times), certainly He who is love (I John 4:8), will do no less with us.

The word "therefore" with which Jesus begins this parable in Matthew 18:23, ties this teaching with His previous statement on forgiving (verse 22), and God’s compassion for the lost (Matthew 18:12-14).

The main thrust of this parable is that when people wrong us, we should remember God’s great mercy that He has shown to us, and respond in kind (Ephesians 4:32). Any debt that could be owed to us is insignificant compared to the debt which we have been forgiven. We should have compassion for others as Christ has for us (Colossians 3:13; James 2:13).

If we fail to forgive others as we have been forgiven, then this parable teaches that we can, once again, become liable for the debt that was forgiven. This could also pertain to a person who has been saved, but renounces his faith, becomes reprobate, and perishes (Hebrews 10:28-29).

It is certain that not every part of this parable can be applied literally because the lord of this servant commanded this man’s wife and children to be sold as part of the payment of the debt. It cannot be applied to the spiritual meaning of this parable in light of the scriptures’ teaching that every man or woman will receive judgment for his own sins and not another’s (Deuteronomy 24:16; II Kings 14:6; Jeremiah 31:29-30; Ezekiel 18:19-32).

Therefore, caution should be used when drawing conclusions from this parable about judgment. The main point is the necessity of forgiving others and the severe consequences if we don’t.

FORGIVENESS
(Additional Information)

Text: Matthew 18:21-35.

(Matthew 18:22) Peter thought he was being very generous by offering to forgive his brother seven times in one day, but Jesus said he would forgive him 490 times in one day. It would be impossible to have someone sin against you 490 times in one day. Jesus is actually saying that there should be no limit to our forgiveness.

In context, this principle applies to church discipline. Regardless of how many times we have to discipline someone, if he repents each time (Luke 17:4), we are supposed to forgive them and confirm our love unto him (II Corinthians 2:6-8).

If God expects us to forgive our brother who has trespassed against us 490 times in one day (actually an unlimited number of times), certainly He who is love (I John 4:8) will do no less with us.

(Matthew 18:23) The word "therefore" with which Jesus begins this parable, ties this teaching in with His previous statement on forgiving (verse 22) and, indeed, on the related topics of church discipline (verses 15-20) and God’s compassion for the lost (verses 12-14). This parable simply illustrates what He already said.

The main thrust of this parable is that when we have people who wrong us, we should remember God’s great mercy that He has shown to us and respond in kind (Ephesians 4:32). Any debt that could be owed to us is insignificant compared to the debt of which we have been forgiven. We should have compassion on others as Christ had on us (Colossians 3:13; James 2:13).

If we fail to forgive others as we have been forgiven, then this parable teaches that we can, once again, become liable for the debt that had been forgiven. This could be illustrating the church discipline spoken of in verses 15-20. This man’s fellow servants brought him before his master for judgment similar to Christ’s instructions about how to discipline a brother. This could also illustrate a person who has been saved, but who continues to renounce his faith, and becomes reprobate.

It is certain that not every part of this parable can be applied literally because the Lord of this servant commanded this man’s wife and children to be sold as part of the payment of this debt. This cannot be applied to the spiritual meaning of this parable in the light of the scriptures’ teaching that every man or woman will receive judgment for his own sins and not another’s sins.

Therefore, caution should be used when drawing conclusions from this parable about judgment. The main point emphasized is the necessity of forgiving others and the severe consequences if we do not.

Here are some questions to think about for this lesson

Level 2 Lesson 9 Questions
FORGIVENESS

1. What is Jesus saying in Matthew 18:21-22 about forgiveness?
2. What does Psalms 103:10-14 show us about God's love in forgiving us?
3. What does Matthew 18:11-14 show us about God's concern for the lost?
4. Why should we forgive others, according to Ephesians 4:32?
5. What does James 2:13 show us about having mercy towards others?
6. What did Jesus say about forgiving others in Matthew 6:12?
7. When should you forgive others according to Mark 11:25?

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