Bury The Hatchet – Part 3: Love and Forgive

Matthew 18:21-35

Series Memory Verse: “Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.” Colossians 3:13 (p.904)

“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!'” Matthew 18:21-22 (p.749)

1. Realize how completely I’m forgiven.

“In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars…Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt.”  Matthew 18:24-27 (p.749)

“But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” Romans 5:8 (p.860)

2. Don’t withhold forgiveness.

 “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…But his creditor wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full.” Matthew 18:28-30 (p.749)

3. Give forgiveness generously.

 “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.”  Matthew 18:33-35 (p.749)

• To Love Others Is To Forgive Others.

My Next Step This Week: My daily prayer this week: Lord, empower me with your Spirit today to forgive others in the same way you have forgiven me.