What is supposed to make Christians different than from other people? Jesus tells us the story of a man who was in debt and couldn’t repay his debt. So the banker forgave the man his debt. This is what makes Christians different. We have been forgiven for our sins. And because we have been forgiven we can forgive others.
As Christians we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour. And what makes us feel so wonderful is that Jesus washed away our sins with His blood. He filled us with His Spirit so we are forgiven and filled the awesome joy of the Holy Spirit.
Peter once asked Jesus how many times we have to forgive others who sin against us. Jesus told Peter that we had to keep on forgiving others no matter how many times they sin against us. So as you listen to this teaching from Jesus think of all those people that you need to forgive you have sinned against you. And remember that as a Christian you need to forgive them all.
“Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?”
“No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!
“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. In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars. 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.
“But the man fell down before his master and begged him, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.’ Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt.
“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.
“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. But his creditor wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full.
“When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened. 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. Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt.
“That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.”
Jesus is saying that it is not with the mouth that you forgive people it is from your heart. Many of us just like to pretend that we have forgiven others when in reality we haven’t.
Jesus repeats the principle of this teaching in Mark chapter 11. He compares our hard hearted unforgiveness to a mountain. A mountain is made out of rock and it is very hard and immoveable. And that is what happens to us when we do not forgive our family members, clan members, culture, society or country. Our hearts become hard and we can no longer reach out to others in love. Our unforgiveness is like a weigh that drags us down and keeps us from moving forward with Christ.
Listen to the message in Mark chapter 11 and think about those people that you still need to forgive from your heart and if you want to be made right with God then forgive those people from your heart.
“Then Jesus said to the disciples, “Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.”
So each time your family sins against you because you are a Christian – forgive them, love them, and pray for them. Do not allow your heart to become hard or bitter toward them because this will affect our Christian walk and you will not be able to witness to them for Christ.
Keep on forgiving them. Don’t give up. Each time you see them and they say something evil about you – forgive them. Each time they do something bad against you – forgive them. Just keep on say “I forgive you.”
The Power to forgive is a mighty gift and blessing that the Lord has given us. Let us use it go glorify the Lord.