Lesson Six • Forgiveness
Devotion 2: Repentance is Key
Pastor John Carter
Yesterday, we started to develop the idea of forgiveness as it relates to debt. We walked through a short exercise comparing all that we have done against God versus what others may have done wrong against us. It reminded me of one of Jesus’ parables that He taught. Please read the following passage. Spend some time meditating on how similar the teaching in the parable is compared to the passage in Matthew 6:14-15. Maybe there is something that Jesus is trying to teach us that we really need to understand.
Matthew 18:21-35 says, “Then Peter came up and said to him, ‘Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times. Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.’”
This is a very shocking parable that Jesus speaks to us. As believers and followers of Jesus Christ, we have been given a great amount of mercy and forgiveness from God. Do we live out this forgiveness we have received from God like the servant in the parable? Or, do we, as verse 35 teaches us, choose to forgive our brothers, sisters, moms, dads, or whomever it may be? Are you doing it from your heart? If we are 100% honest, that is probably the hardest part to do. As a father, I often have to instruct my children to say, “I am sorry,” for some wrong they have done against their sibling. If you are a parent, I am sure you can relate. The difference between the child who authentically is sorry versus the one who just says sorry because you told them to do it, is generally pretty obvious. Maybe you can relate to this application yourself from a time when you were a child. I know there were many times my mom told me to say, “I am sorry,” when in reality I would do the same thing again, given the chance.
Saying, “I am sorry,” and meaning it from the heart is one of the beginning steps of reconciliation when it comes to wrongs or trespasses. Reconciliation is a financial term. It has to do with accounting and making sure all debts and credits are equal and the end result is a zero balance. Obviously, it can get more complicated than that, but that is the basic gist of it. As we start to link this aspect of debt and reconciliation, we can soon start to see how God’s plan is that we have this reconciliation with Him first as well as with others in our life.
Since we are walking through Matthew, let me point out a few verses earlier in the book of Matthew that deal with repentance.
- “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 3:2
- “Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.” Matthew 3:8
- “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” Matthew 3:11
- “From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’” Matthew 4:17
Here are some verses after Matthew 6 that deal with repentance.
- “Then he began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent.” Matthew 11:20
- “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.” Matthew 11:21
- “The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.” Matthew 12:41
Repentance is a big deal in the Bible. It is where the beginning of forgiveness starts. Here are more passages to reflect on regarding repentance.
- “John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” Mark 1:4
- “Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out.” Acts 3:19
- “And Peter said to them, ‘Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’” Acts 2:38
- “God exalted him [Jesus] at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.” Acts 5:31
- “Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you.” Acts 8:22
The point of all these passages is to connect the idea of forgiveness with the aspect of repentance. It is a pretty important connection. As we are walking through applying forgiveness as Jesus taught it in Matthew 6:14-15, it is important to have a solid understanding of our own forgiveness from God. That understanding generally comes from an understanding of our own mistakes and wrongs we have committed against God and against others. When we ask God to forgive us, or we repent of the sins or wrongs we have done, are we doing it like a child that really does not want to do it? Are we only walking through the process because we have been told to? God is faithful to forgive us when we approach Him with a genuine and authentic heart of repentance. In 1 John 1:9-10, we read, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”
We have all sinned. Just like in the parable, when the man knew he could not repay his debt to the master, he pleaded for the master’s mercy. Our sins against God cannot be repaid by our own self, this is why we need a Savior. This is why we need Jesus to pay for the debt through the blood He shed on the cross.
Take time to think about repentance in your own life. Have you truly repented of the sins you have committed against God? Is your list really long like mine? I could do only good things for the rest of my life and I still would not be able to make up for all the wrong I have done. Receiving forgiveness starts with recognizing the fact that we have done wrong. This can be applied to those in our home, community, and workplace, but the most important part we need to address is how it applies to God Himself.
In 2 Corinthians 7:10, Paul writes. “For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.” Mourning and grieving over the sins we have committed against God are good things. God is pleased when we humble ourselves and come before Him asking for forgiveness.