Scripture Luke 17 v 3-5

“If your brother or sister in God’s family does something wrong, warn them. If they are sorry for what they did, forgive them.⁴Even if they do something wrong to you seven times in one day, but they say they are sorry each time, you should forgive them.”

We have heard numerous sermons on faith, faith to receive, faith to believe, and faith to overcome. In this passage, we find Jesus teaching about forgiveness to his Apostles and followers. He said ladies and gentlemen I want to tell you something that is very hard to digest, very difficult to take in but this is not an option, this is a command. When your brother or sister abuses you, misuses you, openly takes advantage of you, even to the point where it is done seven times in a day and comes back and ask forgiveness, you have no choice but to forgive them. I can hear Peter saying, Jesus are you serious? Someone hurts me, abuses me, mistreats me and you tell me to just jump up and forgive him, you should know me Jesus ,I don’t know how to handle this, this is not my nature, Jesus said to them, guys this what we have to do, get use to it. Upon hearing these teachings, the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith so we can be able to take this, so that we can obtain the strength to forgive “Increase our faith!” The disciples see their own inadequacies and struggles with these teachings. They knew it was a difficult command, they knew it was almost impossible to follow, but yet they knew it was commanded by Jesus, They had to forgive. As Jesus commanded His Disciples, He also commands and encourages us to do the same.

POINTS TO NOTE

STEPS TO INCREASING OUR FAITH TO FORGIVE:

1.Acknowledge the hurt. You cannot forgive what you don’t acknowledge. Genesis 45 v 1-5 Joseph had to let his brothers know, he was aware that they did him wrong but yet, he able to forgive them.

2.Surrender your rights to Revenge. Human Nature: An eye for an eye. Romans 12 v 17-19 If someone does you wrong, don’t try to pay them back by hurting them. Try to do what everyone thinks is right. ¹⁸Do the best you can to live in peace with everyone. ¹⁹My friends don’t try to punish anyone who does wrong to you. Wait for God to punish them with his anger. In the Scriptures the Lord says, “I am the one who punish; I will pay people back.”

3. Draw close to God. James 4:8.

A. Believe in Him. Get saved: ACCEPT Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior

B. Be able to forgive those who hurt you, those who abuse and misused you. Matthew 6:14-15

14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

C. STUDY THE WORD JAMES 2 VERSE 15

D. Praise and Worship the Lord Colossian 1 v 16

D. Trust God.

Proverbs 3:5-6, which states, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.”

4. Be open to reconciliation.

What does the Bible say about reconciliation? Reconciliation is defined as the restoration of friendly relations. In the Bible, reconciliation involves a change in the relationship between God and man or man and man. It assumes there has been a breakdown in the relationship, but now there has been a change from a state of enmity and fragmentation to one of harmony and fellowship.