Seventy Times Seven
Matthew 18:21-22 Then came Peter to him, and said,
Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and
I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto
him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but,
Until seventy times seven.
Our discussion this time around is about forgiving others. There are
many aspects to this topic. We live in a world that seems to want
revenge against those that do wrong to others. But, as we shall see,
the bible demonstates the wisdom we need to deal with disobedient
brothers and sisters in Christ.
Forgiveness isn't just related to believers, it also extends to
unbelievers. God commands us to love our enemies. Scripture gives us
a few examples to start with.
Matthew 5:38-39 Ye have heard that it hath been
said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but
whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek,
turn to him the other also.
Matthew 5:43-44 Ye have heard that it hath been
said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate
thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your
enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to
them that hate you, and pray for them which
despitefully use you, and persecute you;
Romans 12:19-21 Dearly beloved, avenge not
yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for
it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay,
saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger,
feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so
doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.
Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with
good.
Our knee-jerk reaction is to want to get even with those that do us
wrong. When we retaliate against others that do us wrong, we quench
the Holy Spirit working in us for the glory of God.
When we turn the other cheek, we are allowing the Holy Spirit to take
over and break down the walls of disobedience. We need to overcome
evil with good. By trusting God to deal with the struggles we face in
life, we are allowing Him to provide the solutions. to our problems.
It is of note that when we handle things ourselves, we are actually
saying to God "I don't need your help". This is a very dangerous train
of thought. If it becomes a regular practice, then it will likely lead
to a life that is full of bitterness, hatred, and dispair.
The devil practices this ungodly behaviour often. Why would we want to
follow his examples? The devil has no concern at all for the things of
God. The devil has forsaken God and thinks he should be worshipped.
II Thessalonians 2:3-10 Let no man deceive you by
any means: for that day shall not come, except
there come a falling away first, and that man of
sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth
and exalteth himself above all that is called God,
or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in
the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I
told you these things? And now ye know what
withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
For the mystery of iniquity doth already work:
only he who now letteth will let, until he be
taken out of the way.
And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the
Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth,
and shall destroy with the brightness of his
coming: Even him, whose coming is after the
working of Satan with all power and signs and
lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of
unrighteousness in them that perish; because they
received not the love of the truth, that they
might be saved.
Believers in Christ follow Christ. We don't follow the devil. If we
love Christ, we will want to live for Him and to obey Him. This also
means we will forgive others their trespasses as God has forgiven us.
If we don't forgive others, then the love of God does not dwell in us.
Matthew 6:14-15 For if ye forgive men their
trespasses, your heavenly Father will also
forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their
trespasses, neither will your Father forgive
your trespasses.
We indeed must forgive others. Jesus set all of the examples we should
follow. The true nature of God is love. A perfect love that gives us
what we don't deserve. God's saving grace!
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave
his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in
him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Jesus paid the price for all of us. Without His finished work on the
cross, we have no hope. He washed our sins in His own blood. We have
hope beyond the grave if we put our complete trust and confidence in
what He has done for us.
Forgiving others is an act of love. Showing love to those that sin
seems strange in this day and age, but God's word is clear. How can we
win lost souls to Christ if we don't follow what the bible says? We
need to apply God's grace towards others in our daily lives. The
ultimate goal is for a lost sinner to repent and come to the knowledge
of God.
By forgiving others this can be accomplished for God's glory!
Showing love towards others can indeed move mountains. We need to have
faith in what God can do. There is a purpose for everything in life.
The hope when someone sins against us, is that they will come to
repentance. God puts us into our relative positions. He is in total
control. It may not be evident at the time your dealing with someone
rebellious, but put your trust in God to remedy the situation. We need
faith in what a great God can do. We can even move mountains!
Matthew 17:20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of
your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye
have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall
say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder
place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be
impossible unto you.
Forgiving others also can be tied to humility. If it is in our power
to help someone, we need to follow through on helping them. Our pride
should not get in the way of lending help to those in need. We cannot
know what someone else is going through. Life has many trials and
tribulations, but God is in control of everything.
Materail possessions can be a bone of contention in many lives. Remember
the following passages, and analyze whether your heart is humble towards
God.
Matthew 6:19-21 Lay not up for yourselves treasures
upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and
where thieves break through and steal: But lay up
for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither
moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do
not break through nor steal: For where your
treasure is, there will your heart be also.
I am by no means saying we need to be robbed of our possessions. Our
heart should reflect the true nature of God. We should offer a hand to
those in need. If we have an abundance of items, then God commands us
to give to others. How are we helping others?
Material possessions are just that. "material". They make wings and fly
away.
Proverbs 23:5 Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that
which is not? for riches certainly make themselves
wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.
I Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is the root
of all evil: which while some coveted after, they
have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves
through with many sorrows.
The treasure in heaven is quite different. The riches above cannot be
compared to what God has in store for us.
Jesus laid down His life for us. He humbled himself and became a man so
that we could have eternal life. He was rich and became poor for us!
Phillipians 2:1-8 If there be therefore any
consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if
any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and
mercies, Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded,
having the same love, being of one accord, of one
mind. Let nothing be done through strife or
vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each
esteem other better than themselves.
Look not every man on his own things, but every
man also on the things of others. Let this mind
be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who,
being in the form of God, thought it not robbery
to be equal with God: But made himself of no
reputation, and took upon him the form of a
servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And
being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself,
and became obedient unto death, even the death of
the cross.
Words just cannot describe what Jesus Christ has done for us! What a
saviour we have! What an example for all of us to follow!
To conclude we must say something about repentance as it relates to
forgiveness. To quote a preacher of mine: "forgiveness is not whistling
in the dark". Our hope is that those who sin against God will come to a
saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
Jesus said "Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand". Repent of what?
The sin of unbelief is one aspect. The breaking of God's commandments is
another. Not forgiving others is yet other.
God shows grace towards those who repent. Without repentance there is no
more sacrifice for sin. The gospel is to repent and be saved. When we
forgive others they see our examples that we practice. Do we practice
what we preach? Or are we just like the rest of the world?
Luke 17:3-4 Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother
trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent,
forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven
times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again
to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.
Jesus commands us to repent. The bible is clear.
Mark 1:14-15 Now after that John was put in prison,
Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of
the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is
fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand:
repent ye, and believe the gospel.
Revelation 2:5 Remember therefore from whence
thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first
works; or else I will come unto thee quickly,
and will remove thy candlestick out of his
place, except thou repent.
Revelation 2:16 Repent; or else I will come unto
thee quickly, and will fight against them with the
sword of my mouth.
Revelation 3:3 Remember therefore how thou hast
received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If
therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on
thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what
hour I will come upon thee.
Revelation 3:19 As many as I love, I rebuke and
chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
Let us come boldly to the "Throne of Grace" and forgive others just as God
has forgiven us. Seventy times seven is God's standard!
Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto
the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy,
and find grace to help in time of need.
Written by Mark Dickens 07/20/2022