Our youth pastor shared the message this morning in the It Matters series.
Unforgiveness and Bitterness matters. It impacts our thought process and impacts others around us.
The message came for scripture, Matthew 18:21-35.
Jesus instructs Peter to forgive and shares by parable. He tells the story of a king who forgave his servant’s large debt – as God forgives all of our debt. But the man went out and angrily tried to collect from his own debtors. When the king heard about this, he called the man wicked for failing to show mercy to others. Therefore, he threw him into prison until the large debt was paid.
1. Forgiveness is a choice; not just forgetting over time.
2. We have to forgive in the same fashion (example) that God forgave. Unconditionally and freely.
3. Forgiveness doesn’t have to be fair. Jesus dying on the cross wasn’t fair to Him.
The Facebook program was interrupted but the message still works.
If you have ever had to forgive another, you learned that forgiveness frees you of the bitterness that otherwise poisons your own soul.
I found this video to share today.
Matthew 18:32-33 NIV
32 “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’
Lord, I thank you daily for the mercies you have shown me. Please help me be mindful when I need to forgive anyone else for any offense I suffer or take.
