Freedom That Comes From Forgiveness – Wednesday Service
The pathway to genuine spiritual liberty and continuous change is rooted in embracing forgiveness, a force so powerful it is often diminished. When viewed through the lens of God’s grace, forgiveness is the essential key that sets believers free from the trap of offense, guilt, and spiritual amnesia.
The ministry and its members are called world changers, a title that reflects their identity and mission to influence the world one person at a time, especially since grasping the gospel of grace. The knowledge, understanding, and revelation gathered—including learning how not to be offended and how not to operate in sin consciousness—are tools to be used and distributed, not hoarded.
The central challenge in the spiritual life is overcoming offense, which is defined by the Greek word scandalon, meaning a trap or being ensnared or imprisoned. If offense traps you, then forgiveness sets you free.
1. The Power of Forgiveness: A Debt Canceled
Forgiveness is not a minor spiritual concept; it is born out of love, which is the most powerful thing in the universe, as God is love. God used forgiveness from His position of love.
The Danger of Unforgiveness (The Wicked Servant)
Unforgiveness is directly addressed in the parable of the wicked servant (Matthew 18:23-35).
- A servant was forgiven a great debt—about 10,000 talents, estimated to be around $10 million in modern terms.
- The lord, moved with compassion, forgave the servant his debt when the servant begged, “Lord, have patience with me, and I will repay thee all”.
- However, that same servant immediately went out and found a fellow servant who owed him only a small amount (a few pence or 100 pence).
- The wicked servant “took him by the throat” and demanded immediate payment, refusing to show the same compassion he had received, ultimately casting his fellow servant into prison.
- This act caused the lord to classify the servant as “wicked,” asking, “Shouldst not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow servant, even as I had pity on thee?”.
This parable illustrates the unbalanced nature of offense. Many believers who know they were forgiven of immense spiritual debt (sin against God, including coming out of broken homes, abusive relationships, or past wrongs) often hold onto little things, demanding payment for wrongs done to them while simultaneously basking in God’s grace.
Spiritual Amnesia and the Hard Heart
Unforgiveness is a form of spiritual amnesia where we forget the vast grace we received and become harsh creditors to those around us.
An offended brother is harder to be won than a strong city, and their contentions become like the bars of a castle. Offense puts a person in a contentious situation that is very hard to overcome.
2. Forgiveness and God’s Sovereignty (The Vineyard Laborers)
Offense often arises when individuals try to dictate how God applies His grace, leading to jealousy or murmuring.
- In the parable of the vineyard laborers (Matthew 20:1-16), the householder hired laborers at different times—morning, third hour, sixth hour, ninth hour, and eleventh hour.
- All laborers, regardless of the hours worked, received the same pay (a penny).
- The early laborers murmured because they supposed they should have received more, having “borne the burden and heat of the day”.
- The householder asked, “Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with my own?” and “Is thine eye evil because I am good?”.
This demonstrates that God’s grace is His own to dispense as He sees fit. Believers who have been saved for years may become offended when someone newly in the kingdom appears to be “getting blessed left right for behind front backward up down”. God says, “It’s my grace to do with it whatever I want to do with it”. If someone who appears to be living a “hellion” lifestyle still gets blessed, it might be the goodness of God leading that person to repentance. You cannot tell God how to use His love or who is worthy of forgiveness.
3. The Model of the Father (The Prodigal Son)
The father’s response to the prodigal son and his elder brother serves as a profound demonstration of radical, love-fueled forgiveness.
- The younger son dishonored his father by demanding his inheritance early, wasted his living on “riotous living,” and ended up feeding swine.
- When the son “came to himself” and decided to return, the father saw him a great way off, had compassion, and ran to him, kissing him. The father was wronged, yet he initiated the reconciliation.
- The father immediately ordered the best robe, ring, and shoes, and killed the fatted calf, saying, “this my son was dead, and is alive again”.
Love Trumps the Law
The elder son was angry, hearing the music and dancing, and refused to go in. The father went out to entreat the angry brother.
The father’s actions were extraordinary:
- He ran to the son, which was against norms.
- He “debased” himself by going out to entreat the angry son, showing, “I am showing you how to walk in forgiveness”.
- By hierarchy, the father was not supposed to bend his knee to his son.
- The father had a right by law to disown or stone the disobedient child, but his great love caused him to violate the law because love is greater than the law.
The father demonstrates that while you may have a right to be angry, it is not the righteous thing to do. Forgiveness will always be the righteous choice. When you walk in forgiveness, you are always trumping offense and releasing yourself from the trap.