Forgiveness in Christ

Colossians 3:13 - "Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you."

***Are you more concerned about your rights than about your relationships?

***If you can't find and give forgiveness, you will never know love

***Love is the motivator and reward for forgiveness

***To forgive is to set a prisoner free and realize the prisoner was you

***Unforgiveness will destroy you, not the other person

Mattnew 18: 21-35 -"Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?"
Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.
"Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
"The servant fell on his knees before him. 'Be patient with me,' he begged, 'and I will pay back everything.' The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
"But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. 'Pay back what you owe me!' he demanded.
"His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.'
"But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.
"Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?' In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
"This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart."

***Jesus taught the lesson of unlimited forgiveness, then He lived it out before them

Mark 11:25-26 - "And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins."

Matthew 6:14-15 - "For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."

***He that cannot forgive others breaks the bridge over which he himself must pass

***Forgiveness does not overlook the deed - it rises above it

***The greater the offense, the more you need to forgive

***If you focus on the person or the deed, you will not be able to forgive

***Look to Christ - He will give you the strength to forgive

***When you are unwilling to forgive, it says more about your relationship with Christ than your relationship with the person

***Whose voice are you listening to?

***Freedom to live is on the other side of forgiveness

***You won't have abundant life in Christ until you forgive everyone who has sinned against you, whether you want to or not