Chapter 11 Forgiveness: You don’t give – You don’t get

This chapter of the book emphasizes what Jesus said in the Gospel of Mark 11:24-26

‘Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But, if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.’

This is both mercy and a warning coming from Jesus. And when Jesus speaks, He wants us to take Him seriously. We cannot view what He says the way we view the other authorities or relations in our lives. When He says something, He means it. He is faithful even when we are faithless. So when Jesus said, ‘But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses’. He meant it.

And, Jesus says this many times in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke.

‘For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.’ Matt 6:14-15

‘Forgive, and you will be forgiven.’ Luke 6:37

‘And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.’ Matt 6:12

Here the author relates his personal experiences in his ministry of the consequences of having an unforgiving heart.

Ex. 1 – the story of a rich man who died and was outside the gates of heaven. Jesus was there and dealt with him about his disobedience. The man pleaded with the Lord that if He would extend his life, he would serve Him. The Lord consented but before sending him back to his body, he was shown a vision of hell. There he saw his wife’s mother burning in the flames of hell. The man was amazed because she had said the ‘sinner’s prayer’, confessed to being a Christian, and had attended church. Why is she in hell?
The Lord told him that she had refused to forgive a relative and therefore could not be forgiven.

Ex. 2 – the story of a wife who complained to the author about not experiencing the presence of the Lord even after going to every service. The author after praying with her, felt no sense of God’s presence at all. God spoke to the author and said ‘she is holding unforgiveness against her husband’. She agreed to this; ‘but have done my best to forgive him.’ But because of the horrible things he had done to her, she wrestled with forgiving him. The author explained God’s command and Jesus’ teaching about forgiveness;

‘For you to receive from God you must forgive. You cannot forgive him in your own strength. You must take this before God and ask God to forgive you. Then you can forgive your husband.’

She released her husband, said this simple prayer, wept and spoke in tongues for the first time. She experienced the presence of the Lord.

In Matthew 18, Jesus sheds further light on the bondage of unforgiveness and offence.

Peter asked, ‘Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?’

Peter as always, talks before thinking and felt generous saying this, taking things to the extreme. Jesus saw through this question and gave a shocking response. ‘I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.’

In other words, forgive as God does, without limits.

Jesus explained the enormity of this statement through The Parable of the Talents. He shows the compassion and forgiveness of the master writing off the higher debt of a servant. But, the servant did not show mercy to a fellow servant owing a lower debt, Jesus shows our ‘true self’ in holding on to debt or offence.

The offences we hold against each other cannot be compared to our offences against God, yet God forgave by sending His only Son, Jesus, to die for our sins.

As a lesson to believers, Jesus explains the parable further that once the master heard of the unforgiveness by the servant to another, the master scolded and condemned the unforgiving servant and delivered him to the torturers until he pays the debt. And Jesus concludes, ‘my heavenly Father (like the master) also will do this to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.’

Three major points in these verses.

1. The unforgiving servant is turned over to torture.
2. He has to pay off the original debt
3. God the Father will do the same to any believer who doesn’t forgive.

The Bait of Satan
July 12, 2006