MAY 21, 2023
SERIES: DEVELOPING CONFIDENCE FOR TODAY’S CULTURE
MESSAGE: CONFIDENCE IN FORGIVING
Matthew 10:8

Matt. 10:8 – Give as freely as you have received!

FORGIVENESS QUIZ

A person should not be forgiven until he asks for it. T F
Forgiving includes minimizing the offense and the pain caused. T F
Forgiveness includes restoring trust and reuniting a relationship. T F
You haven’t really forgiven until you’ve forgotten the offense. T F
When I see someone hurt, it is my duty to forgive the offender. T F

WHAT FORGIVESS IS NOT

It isn’t conditional.
It isn’t minimizing the seriousness of the offense.
It isn’t resuming a relationship without changes.
It isn’t forgetting what happened.
It isn’t my right when I wasn’t the one who was hurt.

WHAT IS GENUINE FORGIVENESS?

Remembering how much I’ve been forgiven.

Eph. 4:32 – Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ. God forgave you.

Relinquishing my right to get even.

Romans 12:19 – Never avenge yourselves. Leave that to God, for He has said that He will repay those who deserve it.

Responding to evil with good.

Luke 6:27-28 – Do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat you.

Repeating the process as long as necessary.

Matt. 18:21-22 – Peter asked, ‘Lord how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?’ ‘No’, Jesus replied, ‘seventy times seven!’

WHY OFFER GRACE TO OTHERS?

God is gracious to me. Eph. 4:32

The alternative is bitterness

Heb. 12:15 – Be careful that none of you fails to respond to the grace which God gives, for if he does there can very easily spring up in him a bitter spirit which is not only bad in itself, but can also poison the lives of many others.

God expects me to do it.

Matt. 6:15 – 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.