THE BEAUTY OF FORGIVENESS

Forgiveness is sweet and also bitter. It is sweet when we have offended someone badly and the person decides to forgive us. It is bitter when someone does something bad to us and the pain is so much yet they want us to forgive them.

So, why is forgiveness beautiful? This and other things will form the bases for our discussion today and it is my prayer that God will help all of us to understand the beauty of forgiveness.

Ricky Jackson is a 57 year old man who was wrongly accused for murder and spent 39 years in prison. The witness who claimed he saw Ricky Jackson killed another man was a 12 year old boy who was forced by the police back then told a lie that he saw Ricky Jackson. After 39 years in prison, the boy who was the witness is now an old man, told his pastor that he was forced to tell a lie so his pastor encouraged him to speak out and that was how Ricky Jackson was released from the prison.

The amazing thing about the story I am telling you is that Ricky Jackson was not angry or bitter towards the man that lied against him but he was happy that finally the truth came out and he is free. He refused to be angry or to decide that he will never forgive the people that put him in prison for 39 years. (source: http://fox8.com/2014/11/19/wrongly-convicted-man-in-prison-39-year-about-to-get-out-after-confession/)

What is forgiveness?

Somebody defines forgiveness as giving up my right to hurt you for hurting me. Another person says:

 Forgiveness takes place when the person who was offended and justly angered by the offender bears his own anger, and lets the other go free. Anger cannot be ignored, denied, or forgotten without doing treachery in hidden ways. It must be dealt with responsibly, honestly, in a decisive act of the will. Either the injured and justifiably angry person vents his feelings on the other in retaliation__(that is an attempt at achieving justice as accuser, judge, and hangman all in one)__or the injured person may choose to accept his angry feelings, bear the burden of them personally, find release through confession and prayer and set the other person free. (David Augsburger, cherishable: Love and Marriage, 141-144

Matt 18:21-35

21 Then Peter came to Him and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" 22 Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.  23 Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.  24 And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.  25 But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made.  26 The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, 'Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.'  27 Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. 28 "But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, 'Pay me what you owe!'  29 So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.'   30 And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt.  31 So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done.  32 Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me.  33 Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?'  34 And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.

35 "So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses."  NKJV

 Lessons

From the verses we read in the Bible, let us look at the message God has for us about forgiveness

1.     How many times should I forgive? Peter asked Jesus. Is it seven times in a day? The answer that Jesus gave him is seventy times seven which is 490 times in one day. V 21-22

2.     A servant was forgiven by his master because he owed a lot of money and could not pay back. His master decided to cancel all his debt. V 23-27

3.     Another person who owes the forgiven servant asked for forgiveness but the man refused and put him in prison. Even though he was forgiven, he refused to forgive others. V 28-30

4.     The forgiven servant was thrown into the prison for not forgiving another person as he was forgiven. V 31-34

5.     God will not forgive us if we refuse to forgive other people from our hearts. V 35

Why is it important for us to forgive?

1.     God want us to be like him because he always forgives us all our wrongs. This is because we are created in his image and likeness.

2.     When we forgive we demonstrate the love of God.

3.     None of us is perfect.

4.     When we forgive God will be proud of us and bless us.

5.     When we forgive we stay healthy and can create room for others to be like us.

6.     Forgiveness brings us closer to God and also closer to one another.

 The beauty of forgiveness is that when God forgives he does not have a back up or keeps data of our past. So also when we forgive, our past will eventually loose grip and we will be free from hurt, pain, disappointment.

When you forgive you are not doing people favour but yourself because you will no longer remain in the prison of your emotions.