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Sermon

Following is an excerpt of "Let It Go (13 of 23)" by Ken Trivette added on 05/10/2007.
This content is part of a series.
Let It Go (13 of 23)
The Greatest Sermon Ever Preached
Ken Trivette
Matthew 6:14-15

Outline
1. THE MEANING OF FORGIVING OTHERS
a) The Faults Described
b) The Forgiveness Demanded
2. THE MOTIVE OF FORGIVING OTHERS
a) Forgiving Others Is a Command
b) Forgiving Others Is a Condition
3. THE MEASURE OF FORGIVING OTHERS
a) Unlimited Forgiveness
b) Unconditional Forgiveness

A Sunday School teacher had just concluded her lesson and wanted to make sure she had made her point. She said, "Can anyone tell me what you must do before you can obtain forgiveness of sin?" From the back of the room, a small boy spoke up and said, "Sin."

Today, as we continue looking at the Sermon on the Mount we find that Jesus tells us what we must do before we can be forgiven of our sin. In our last study we looked at what is commonly called the Lord's Prayer. We saw that Jesus taught us that our prayer time should involve the confession of our sins so that we might be forgiven by God. Jesus said in verse 12, "And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors."

You will notice that Jesus not only taught us that we need to be forgiven, but that we also need to be forgiving. There is not only the matter of our debts (sins) being forgiven, but also the matter of our forgiving the debts (sins) of others. In verses 14-15 Jesus tells us that a condition for our being forgiven of God is forgiving others.

This is not only the only time that Jesus made forgiving others a condition of being forgiven by God. In Mark 11:25 Jesus said, "And when ye stand praying, forgive, if you have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses." Jesus was telling us that when we are right with God we will be right with others. But on the other hand, if we are not right with others, we will not be right with God.

In Bruce Wilkinson's little book entitled "The Secret of the Vine," he tells the story of Catherine whom he met at a weekend retreat. He described her as, "a bright, sixty something professional." At dinner Friday night, she admitted that she'd never been able to break through to a rewarding Christian life. "I just don't feel like my faith amounts to anything-except guilt. I always feel like God is unhappy with me." All through dinner she expressed such sentiments. About the time dessert was being served, Bruce said, "Catherine, I think there's something that's keeping you spiritually stuck." She asked, "Like what?" After ruling out several possibilities, he suggested that unforgiveness might be the blockage in her walk with God. Wilkerson called unforgiveness "hardening of the attitudes."

On Saturday morning, she cornered him right after breakfast. She hadn't slept well during the night. Bruce's words the night before had opened an old wound. It was her bitterness toward her aged mother. Through the years she had held things in her heart against her and had been unforgiving of her. He advised her to sit down and ...

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