Join Daniel Sumoge as he delivers a powerful and heartfelt message on forgiveness from our sermon series 'The Lord's Favor.' Learn why 'forgiven people forgive people' and how releasing others from debt is essential for true freedom and spiritual growth. This sermon not only challenges us to forgive but also helps us understand the deep impact of holding onto past hurts. Tune in to be inspired, encouraged, and moved towards a path of healing and reconciliation.

00:00 Excitement and Introductions

00:19 Personal Journey and Gratitude

01:15 Addressing the Congregation

01:49 The Season of the Lord's Favor

03:00 Understanding Forgiveness

04:05 The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant

06:00 Lessons on Unforgiveness

13:28 The Impact of Unforgiveness

18:37 A Father's Journey to Forgiveness

19:36 The Power of Genuine Forgiveness

20:02 Personal Reflections on Unforgiveness

21:03 Jesus' Teachings on Forgiveness

22:49 The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant

24:31 The Consequences of Unforgiveness

26:18 Living in the Freedom of Forgiveness

34:13 Practical Steps to Forgiveness

36:30 Closing Thoughts and Prayer

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OC Church of Christ

Oh man, there it is.

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I love it.

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I'm so excited.

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As you know, my Dodgers, they

just won, so we're gonna the World

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Series back to back, so come on.

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Dodger fans.

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Yeah.

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Wanna say thank you on behalf of Artie

Moreno and the Angels Organization

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for blessing us with Shhe Tani.

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Thank you once again.

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I'm just kidding.

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Well, good morning Church.

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My name is Daniel Sumoge and

uh, my name is Daniel Sumoge.

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Helped serve as a high school

minister here in Orange County.

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I've been doing this

for about two years now.

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Uh, and man, I love being

here in Orange County.

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Uh, I moved here from the metro,

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And man, this fellowship had just

wrapped their arms around me.

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I moved here just in a bad spot,

just in my relationship with God.

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Just a lot of stuff happening

in my own personal life.

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But coming here, you guys

wrapped your arms around me.

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You guys remind me of God's love.

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So I'm so grateful for

each and every one of you.

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Uh, I was here in Orange

County where I was.

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I started dating, got engaged, and

now married to my wife Savannah.

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Right now we've been married

for a year and a half.

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So that's been great.

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And, um, also, uh, her parents are here.

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So my, uh, in-laws are in town right now.

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They're from the Lifeway Church,

Frank and Florence Carillo.

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Uh, they're amazing.

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I love them so much.

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They definitely welcome me into

their, uh, family with open arms.

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So I definitely love them and

I just love God's kingdom.

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Uh, with that being said, I

just have to address something.

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A few people have come up to me

and they're like, Daniel, were

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you supposed to preach today?

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Yes.

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Okay.

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It was on the schedule I was

supposed to preach today.

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You know, last week Marcel mentioned

how, you know, when he comes up on, you

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know, Sundays it's 'cause of USC win.

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But, you know, I think God was

just protecting him right now.

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All right.

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It was an unfortunate loss.

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We're praying for Marcel.

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I we're praying for my father-in-law,

or, yeah, my father-in-law,

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Frank, he's a USC fan, so I'm,

that's enough said right there.

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He is gonna talk to me during

lunch to shut up, so I'm gonna

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shut up right there about that.

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All right.

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Uh, but with that being said, we

are continuing a sermon series

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called Season of the Lord's Favor.

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Where is it?

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Uhoh Click.

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There it is The Season of the Lord's

Favor, and it comes from, uh, Luke chapter

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four, which is also, uh, quoted in, uh,

the scripture from the prophet Isaiah.

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But in it in Luke chapter four,

it reads The spirit of the Lord is

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on me because he has anointed me

to proclaim good news to the poor.

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He sent me to proclaim freedom for the

prisoners and recovery of sight for

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the blind, to set the oppressed free to

proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.

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You know, in this moment, this is Jesus

making himself known onto the scene.

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He's saying, I am the

fulfillment to the jubilee.

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Now, in this moment here, you know,

with Jubilee, I just wanna say it

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wasn't just a conference we attended

this past summer here in Orange County,

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although that was great, but the Jubilee.

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Was a way of life, and Jesus invites

us to live in that way of life.

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It's about, you know, reset, having

a relational reset with God, a

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relational reset with one another.

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It's about releasing what's holding

us back from experiencing the jubilee.

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And then lastly to restore.

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And today what we're gonna talk

about, well, you know, last week

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Marcel talked about re releasing

worthiness, but this morning what I'm

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gonna talk about is something that's

difficult and that's releasing others.

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Now, what do I mean by releasing others?

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What does that mean?

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It means letting go.

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Learning how to forgive.

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It means releasing the people

who've hurt us, who've probably

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disappointed us, who've let us down.

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And if we're being honest, you

know, forgiveness isn't something

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that's always easy, church, right?

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We say I moved on, but maybe deep

down we still replay that moment.

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Maybe we still feel that sting of someone,

uh, what someone said to us or maybe what

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they didn't say to us in that moment.

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Have you ever been in that place where

you find yourself asking, man, I'm

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fine, but really your heart isn't free

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because the truth is you can't fully

experience the freedom of Jubilee while

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being a prisoner of unforgiveness.

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You cannot fully experience the

jubilee while holding someone else

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in the prison of unforgiveness.

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So this morning we're gonna walk

through a story in Matthew chapter 18.

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We're gonna read a parable.

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About a servant and a king is

gonna help us understand truly

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what it means to release others.

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Let's go to our father in prayer.

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Heavenly Father God, we are just

so grateful for you this morning.

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God.

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God, I pray that your

word just comes to life.

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God.

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God, I pray that you minister to each

and every one of our hearts this morning.

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God, I pray that we hear your

words spoken and not mine.

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God, please remove me completely, God and

just have you be honored and glorified.

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Lord.

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Lord, I pray that we walk away,

encourage, inspired, and just wanting

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to make a difference in our lives.

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God, I pray we can be extenders

of grace and give it to others

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just as you giving it to us.

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God, we love you so much.

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In your son's name we pray, amen.

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Amen.

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So if you're with, if we are

with me, you have a Bible.

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Let's turn to Matthew chapter 18, and

we're gonna read a story, like I said,

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about a parable and all of this started.

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With a question that one of

Jesus's close friends asked him,

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it's close disciple, it's Peter.

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And he asked a question that many of

us would probably ask him if we were

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there in, uh, that time with Jesus.

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It says in verse 21, it says, then

Peter came to Jesus and asked, Lord,

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how many times shall I forgive my

brother or sister who sins against me?

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Up to seven times?

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Jesus answered, I tell you,

not seven times, but 77 times.

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You know, in other words,

here, Jesus is saying to Peter.

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Just stop counting.

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Alright?

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Stop counting how many times

you forgive one another because

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forgiveness isn't about a number.

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Now I know Jesus says, you know, or seven

times, uh, 77 times or four, nine times,

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regardless of the number, whatever it is,

Jesus saying, do not keep count of it.

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You know, one, one who is a disciple,

one who is a follower of Jesus is

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one that never stops forgiving.

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But here's the challenge, right?

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There's always a challenge

when it comes to forgiveness.

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Unforgiveness, in my opinion,

is one of those things, one of

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those sins that's become socially

acceptable in the Christian life.

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We all know anger, we all

know lust, we all know greed.

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We all know those are bad things.

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But when someone hurts us deeply, it

feels reasonable to hold onto that hurt.

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We think, man, that person, they

don't deserve my forgiveness.

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And you know what?

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Sometimes they, they may not 'cause

people do evil, hurtful, wicked things.

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And when it happens.

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Pain feels justified.

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But here's the problem with that

pain is when we try to keep that pain

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and not work through it, not try to

reconcile the pain doesn't just stay.

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The pain becomes poison, it

becomes a cancer to our soul.

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You know, I like to think as unforgiveness

is like that old comfy T-shirt that

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you probably have in your closet

or in your drawer right now, right?

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That comfy t-shirt where you probably had

for years is probably like all holy now.

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It has stains on it.

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You like to wear, you just love it.

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You probably wear it

when you clean the house.

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You know, when I got married, my

wife, she has this one shirt in

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particular, which I want to get

rid of 'cause it has stains on it.

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And it has holes in it.

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And it's a USC shirt actually

she got back in high school.

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It's an oversized USC shirt.

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Exactly.

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And she's like, no, Daniel, I can't do it.

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It's just, I, it just

feels so comfortable.

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I got it back in high school

and it just reminds me of home.

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That's what unforgiveness is like.

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It's comfortable.

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It feels right, even makes you feel

justified like you're protecting yourself.

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But deep down, you're not

gonna display that publicly.

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My wife's not gonna wear that

USC shirt here to Sunday service.

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She won't wear it out to a restaurant we

go out to, but she'll wear it at home.

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When it's time to clean.

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She'll wear it when it's time to bed.

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She'll wear it.

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We won't display unforgiveness publicly

because we're not gonna go up to someone.

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I'm not gonna say, hi, my name's Daniel.

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I'm a resentful person.

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I like to hold grudges.

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No, we're not gonna do that.

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Of course not.

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We hide it, but just because it's

hidden doesn't mean it's not harmless.

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And that's what Jesus

confronts here in this parable.

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He stands directly against that

mindset that says, I'm gonna hold

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this over you, that I'm gonna

have this upper hand on you.

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Jesus says, no.

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That is not how the forgiven live.

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If you are a disciple this

morning, you are forgiven.

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So we are called not to live that way.

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When you've been forgiven by God,

it changes not only how it affects

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us, but really how we treat others.

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So if you're taking notes this

morning, and if there's something I

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want you to walk away with, if you

guys have that TikTok, you know, uh,

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mindset where it's like, just gimme

a minute or a seven second clip.

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Here's what it is.

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I want you guys to remember this is

that forgiven people forgive people.

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Stay with me.

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Forgiven people, forgive people.

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And we're gonna see that here.

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We're gonna continue on reading

in Matthew, uh, 18 verse 23.

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Here, here it is.

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It says, therefore, the kingdom of

heaven is like a king who wanted to

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settle, uh, settle counts with his

servants, and he began the settlement.

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A man who owed him 10,000 bags

of gold was brought to him.

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Since he was not able to the master order

that he and his wife and his children and

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all he had to be sold to repay the debt.

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Uh, there it is at this time,

the servant fell on his knees

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before him be patient with me.

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He begged me and I will

pay back everything.

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The servant master took pity on him,

cancel the debt, and let him go.

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Now, I love this passage here,

so let's kind of break this down.

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You know, the first part here is.

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Jesus says, the kingdom of heaven

is like, so what we're about to

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read is a window to God's heart.

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We see you have a king who's powerful,

who's wealthy, who's well off, and

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then you have a servant who's ordinary,

who's powerless, who is completely

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in debt, and we see that the servant

owes him 10,000 bags of gold, which

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is a ridiculous money back then and a

ridiculous amount of money right now.

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So, in other words, is

impossible to repay.

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So what does the king do?

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You know, he calls the servant in

and he says, you owe me, right?

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You have to pay.

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Justice demands payment here.

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But we see how the

servant responds to this.

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He was desperate, he was terrified.

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He fell on his knees

and pleased for mercy.

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He says, be patient with me.

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I will pay it back.

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Know about you.

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But if I was the king right there,

I would be laughing right there.

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Like, there's no way you can pay all this

money back, but the king sees something

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deeper, says the king looks at this man.

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We see that this servant is

broken, that he's begging.

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He's on his knees, he's helpless, and

the king is moved with compassion.

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You know, we see that the king

doesn't give him more time.

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He doesn't cut the debt in half, but he

cancels the entire debt just like that.

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Gone.

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No payment plan, no conditions,

no interest rate, just

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forgiven, released and freed.

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You know, this is Jesus's picture

of our relationship with our God.

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The king obviously represents God

and the servant represents you and I.

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We owe God and unpayable

debt for our sins.

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There's no amount of good deeds, no

amount of church going, no matter, uh,

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how hard we try that can make up for it.

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When we fall on our knees and

cry out for mercy, God doesn't,

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doesn't just delay the punishment,

he erases the record completely.

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He doesn't say, okay, let's see if

you can do this for a little while.

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He doesn't say any of that.

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He just says, your debt

is canceled, you are free.

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You know, that's grace right there.

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That's the gospel of Jesus.

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And when we truly get grasp that, when we

truly grasp how much we have been forgiven

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of it changes how we see and view others.

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We stop holding their debts over their

heads because we remember how our

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king, how God wiped our debt clean.

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You know, that's what

forgiveness is meant to do.

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It transforms us from, from grace givers

or grace receivers into givers of grace.

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Let's continue in verse 28.

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Here it says, but when the servant went

out, he found one of his fellow servants

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who owed him a hundred silver coins.

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He grabbed them and began to choke

him, pay back what you owe me.

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He demanded.

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His fellow servant fell to his knees

and begged him, be patient with me and

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I will pay it back, but he refused.

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Instead, he went off and had

the man thrown into prison

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until he could pay the debt.

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Now we see the same servant who is

forgiven of billions now finds a

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fellow servant, a coworker, possibly

a friend, owes him just a small

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amount, and instead of showing mercy.

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We see him show no mercy.

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Like Cobra Kite grabs him by the throat,

chokes him, says, pay me what you owe.

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But we see the man, he falls to his

knees, this servant he falls to.

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He's pleading with the same words that

this first servant said to the king.

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He said, be patient with me.

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I'll pay you back.

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But this time there's no compassion.

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There's no mercy.

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There's no grace, only judgment.

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He throws the man in prison and

waits for him to pay it back.

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How about you guys?

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But can we all agree that this is the

peak of hypo hypocrisy right here?

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How can someone who's been shown

so much forgiveness then turn

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around and show none after that?

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We see the king who forgave this

servant of an impossible debt, and

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the man he refused to forgive owed him

very little, and that's just insane.

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Not even close yet.

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This man who was set free, who

walked around the palace, debt

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free, turns around, imprisoned

someone else over pocket change.

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Basically, this is what happens when

we forget what we've been forgiven of.

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When we forget the size of our own debt,

he easily magnifies everyone else's

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and this forgiven servant, rather than

extending grace, he extends judgment.

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He extends punishment.

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And let's be honest, sometimes

we can do the same things.

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Church.

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We hold people hostage in our own hearts.

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We replay what they did to us.

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We may not throw them into a literal

prison, but we'll throw 'em into a

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mental one where in our hearts, in

our heads, we're like, no, there's no

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way you're getting out of this one.

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We locked them up with bitterment,

with resentment, with anger.

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We think that they don't

deserve my forgiveness, but

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the truth is neither did we.

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That's the point.

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Jesus is driving home forgiven.

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People are called to forgive people.

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Forgiven people or called to forgive

people, not because it's easy, not because

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the hurt doesn't matter, but because we

remember how much we've been forgiven.

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We'll continue here in verse 31, it

says, when the other servants saw

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what had happened, they were outraged

and went and told their master

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everything of what had happened.

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You know, I want to give credit

to my wife, Savannah here, because

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she was like, Daniel, did you ever

notice this part of the story?

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He says, the other servants saw this,

you know, they're probably whispering,

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man, can you believe this servant?

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Like he was just forgiven of this debt.

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And then it made her, and I think,

how do we see our brothers and sisters

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when they're struggling with their

unforgiveness, like, do we even see it?

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Church?

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Do we care enough to step gently into

that situation, not to shame them, but

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to help them find freedom in Jesus again?

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Because sometimes the people sitting right

next to us in church or at work, they're

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the one carrying years of pain and they

just need someone to walk with them.

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They need someone to

remind them of God's grace.

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You know?

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That's what real love looks like.

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Not staying silent, but

helping each other heal.

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You know, sometimes in helping others,

I know God reveals something in me.

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It can reveal something in you guys.

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You know, maybe that reason, you

know, we, we try to help and we

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feel a little uncomfortable is

because maybe we see a little bit of

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ourselves in that person's struggle.

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The truth is other people are

often aware of your unforgiveness,

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even when you think it's hidden.

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In other words, unforgiveness is not

hidden as much as you think it is.

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It's not.

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We like to think, no one

sees that side of me.

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We tell ourselves, I don't

let that bitterness come out.

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It's just between God and I.

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But the truth is

unforgiveness, it's visible.

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People can see it in the way we, we

talk, in our tone, in our body language.

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The way we withdraw or

even avoid one another.

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It's kind of like that comfy t-shirt

my wife has so comfortable but too

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embarrassing to wear in public.

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Unforgiveness is just like that.

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You think it's private, you think

it's something you wear at home,

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but really when you wear it at

home, the windows are wide open.

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Your neighbors can see it.

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Everyone around you sees it.

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Everyone knows Savannah.

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Everyone knows your USC shirt now.

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I'm sorry.

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This is one of those lies we often believe

about sin is that my sin is just my sin.

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It doesn't affect anyone else,

and that's completely false.

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It's beyond not true, especially

when it comes to unforgiveness.

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'cause unforgiveness always affects

us and also other people as well.

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I mean, unforgiveness, it affects

your attitude, can affect your

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relationship, can affect your joy, can

even affect your physical appearance.

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My kindergarten teacher always told me it

takes more muscle to frown than to smile.

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You know, when you do that, like you're

you, the face is not meant to just, it's

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meant to smile less muscles that way, and

I've seen it both in myself and in others,

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how bitterness can change a person.

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It makes you colder, it makes you

shorter with people, makes you less

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trusting of them because in their face

and their eyes and their posture, I've

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seen it firsthand in my own family.

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Through watching within my own family,

it taught me something that I'll never

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forget about unforgiveness is that there

is nothing more destructive to the human

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heart than deep-seated unforgiveness.

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There is nothing more destructive

to the human heart than deep seated

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unforgiveness and bitterness in the heart.

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Now, growing up I saw my dad, who,

man, I saw some deep seated bitterness

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and unforgiveness towards his dad.

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My grandfather, he was not

the best dad to my father.

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And there were deep wounds there.

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And as I got older, I saw how my

dad started carrying those pains.

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For years.

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He had this deep hurt.

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He had this unforgiveness

towards his father.

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That Nev never really went away.

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It affected him.

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I saw it, how it affected his peace,

how it affected his joy, even how

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he related to others, how he was at

home with my mom and my siblings.

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But here's the amazing thing that I saw

though, with that, you know, all my life I

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kind of saw my dad for the past 20 years.

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That was his life.

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But the last year before he passed,

I got to see him release that pain to

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God months before he passed church.

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And those were the best

months I ever saw my dad.

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I saw him smiling more

like a genuine smile.

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It wasn't a fake one.

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He was laughing more.

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He and I were praying together

something we didn't do as much.

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He was back in his word.

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We had quiet times together.

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Church.

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He even went up on stage to sing for

the Sunday worship band, and he wasn't

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the best singer, but he didn't care.

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He had that joy.

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But there was something different

about him, and I saw that he was free.

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All of this showed me that holding onto

bitterness ruins you, but forgiveness,

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this genuine real forgiveness.

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It sets you free.

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You know, maybe some of you have

seen it in your own families.

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Someone holding onto that

pain that eats away at them.

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Or maybe it's you.

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You know, church, I learned

through my dad's forgiveness.

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And even though it doesn't

excuse what happened, it frees

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you from being chained to it.

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And listen, I don't say this church

to shame anyone because I know there

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are real people who are carrying

real pain and I'm just a young man

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who really hasn't experienced life

and I don't have that many wounds.

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But I know church that some

of us, you guys were lied to.

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You guys were probably betrayed,

probably gossiped about.

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Maybe someone took advantage of you

or abandoned you broke your trust.

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So Hope Church, when when I

talk about forgiveness, I'm not

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trying to minimize your pain.

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'cause truly I grieve with you this

morning if you're carrying that,

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especially if it's years of wound

and unforgiveness that you have.

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'cause I know that unforgiveness church,

it doesn't start with bitterness.

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Unforgiveness starts with hurt.

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We don't choose unforgiveness

because we wanna ruin the other

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person's life or even our own lives.

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We end up there because someone did

wrong by us, and now we're left, you

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know, trying to hold the pieces together,

trying to figure out how to move

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forward when the wound still stings.

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And sometimes the only thing that

feels right is to hold a grudge.

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But Jesus, I believe Jesus tells this par.

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He tells this story not to dismiss

your pain, but he tells you to,

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uh, to remind us and to lead us

and guide us back to freedom.

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Forgiveness isn't primarily

for the person who hurt you.

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Forgiveness really is for you.

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Forgiveness is what sets you free.

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Church, when Jesus calls us to

forgive again and again, it's not

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because he wants us to be weak.

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It's 'cause he doesn't want

us to be weighed down by it.

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You see, I don't forgive people church

just to release them from their debt.

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I forgive because I know I'm

not built to carry that burden.

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My heart's not built to carry

that burden, to carry that pain.

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My heart was designed to hold on.

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Was not, uh, built to hold on to

hate or resentment or revenge.

435

Those things rot your

soul from the inside out.

436

And if I'm being honest, when my, when

someone hurts me, my heart wants to

437

harden, it wants to lash out, it wants

to curse at them, it wants to stay

438

angry, but that's not the way of Jesus.

439

But way of Jesus is to release it,

to hand it over to God, to say,

440

Lord, I can't carry this anymore.

441

You carry it.

442

And so we come back.

443

To this message today.

444

Once again, forgiveness is not for

the other person, it's for you.

445

And it goes back to the main heart of

this message, as I mentioned earlier,

446

is that forgiven people, forgive people.

447

Can you guys say with me, forgiven people,

forgive people, church of God extended

448

grace and cancel your debt and my debt.

449

How can we look at someone else

and say, I'm gonna hold this

450

against you, your debt and my debt.

451

Against God was infinitely greater than

what any person has ever done to us.

452

That's the lens Jesus wants us to

have when it comes to forgiveness.

453

And now Jesus is gonna show us what

happens when we don't have that

454

gospel lens, when we don't have

that perspective of forgiveness

455

as we pick it up here in verse 32.

456

Are you still with me?

457

Church?

458

Amen.

459

All right.

460

In verse 32, it says, then the master

called the servant in you, wicked servant.

461

He said, I canceled all that debt

of yours because you begged me to.

462

Student, you had mercy on your fellow

servant, just as I had on you in anger.

463

His master handed him over to

the jailers to be tortured until

464

he should pay back all he owed.

465

You know, the king finds out what happens.

466

The man he forgave, refuses to

forgive someone else, and the

467

king calls him a wicked servant.

468

Notice he didn't call him a lazy servant.

469

He didn't call him a lazy servant or

an ungrateful or a foolish servant.

470

He calls him wicked.

471

Church there is simply, deeply evil about

receiving mercy and refusing to extend it.

472

There is something deeply evil about

receiving mercy and refusing to extend it.

473

You know, the king reminds him that he

canceled the debt that he begged him to,

474

and he asked, shouldn't you have mercy?

475

Just as I had on you?

476

And that's the heart

of this whole parable.

477

Forgiveness isn't just something we we

receive, it's something we give as well.

478

We're meant to forgive the

way we've been forgiven.

479

But we see how this

servant did not do that.

480

He wanted to, for, for him to

have grace for himself, but

481

justice for everyone else.

482

And so the same king turn him over

to the jailers to be tortured until

483

he pays everything back that he owes.

484

Now, let's stop and think

about that for a second.

485

Obviously, it's like

billions of dollars he owes.

486

So the king knows, man,

you're not gonna repay this.

487

He knows he won't get out.

488

He knows that he's gonna live

the rest of his days in prison,

489

not because of the debt itself,

but because of his unforgiveness.

490

I mean, isn't that a chilling image?

491

You're in prison because of

your unforgiveness, not because

492

of the amount of money This

man had already been set free.

493

He was living in grace, but through

his own heart, his heart and heart, he

494

walked himself right back into prison.

495

I believe this is what

Jesus is showing us.

496

That unforgiveness leads you to prison.

497

Unforgiveness leads you to prison.

498

It's not always a physical one, but

it's a prison of the heart, A prison

499

of anger, of bitterness, of resentment.

500

When we hold on to unforgiveness,

it's like locking ourselves up and

501

just handing the enemy the key.

502

We think we're punishing the other person,

but really we're just punishing ourselves.

503

And I've seen it happen so many times

that someone gets hurt deeply and

504

understandably so, but years later,

they're still replaying that same story,

505

still carrying that same bitterness.

506

And it's not the other person

who's suffering, it's them.

507

They become prisoners of their own pain.

508

And if we're honest, some of us

prison is all we've ever known.

509

Probably.

510

You know, there's a term,

I'm a criminal justice major.

511

There's a term called

institutionalization.

512

And this means that when someone has been

released from prison, who's been there for

513

so long, when they're finally set free,

they don't, they don't know what it's

514

like to live outside those prison walls.

515

Freedom feels foreign to

them, almost uncomfortable.

516

So they end up going right

back to what they know.

517

They commit a crime just

to go back to prison.

518

And that's exactly what Jesus

is trying to warn us about.

519

The For the Forgiven servant went back

into prison on his own making, not

520

because the king put him there first, but

because his heart never left that prison.

521

He didn't know how to live in

the freedom of forgiveness.

522

And maybe that's where

some of us are today.

523

Maybe some of us started to

decorate those prisons inside our

524

heart, making it our our home.

525

Maybe you've forgotten what it feels

like to live free, free from bitterness,

526

from anger, from replaying that

moment over and over in your mind.

527

Maybe you've carried that grudge

or that pain for so long's

528

become a part of who you are.

529

And I get it, that pain can run

deep, but there's a difference

530

when you wrestle to forgive and we

just flat out refuse to forgive.

531

Wrestling means you're trying, you're

trying to put it at the foot of the cross.

532

You're really trying to say,

God, take this away from me.

533

I don't know how to do it, but

God, I know you are powerful.

534

I know you show favor for your people,

but when you refuse, it just shows

535

that you just stopped fighting.

536

That your heart is just

hardened that that's saying,

537

I'm never gonna let this go.

538

And you're completely fine with that.

539

And that's what Jesus is addressing next.

540

He's addressing the condition of the

heart, because forgiveness isn't just

541

about words, it's about transformation.

542

In verse 35, it resists how my

Heavenly Father will treat each of

543

you unless you forgive your brother

or your sister from your heart.

544

You know when you read that

verse, you can't help and pause

545

and think that Jesus, what?

546

What are you talking about here?

547

You know, for me, I believe that

Jesus is drawing us back to the heart

548

of this entire parable itself, that

forgiven people, forgive people.

549

This isn't just a story about a servant.

550

This isn't a story about a king.

551

This is a story.

552

About you and I.

553

It's a soy that reveals that either

our heart has been truly changed by

554

grace, or it reveals a heart that

hasn't yet experienced that grace.

555

A heart still holding on

bound by unforgiveness.

556

That's how serious this is.

557

Forgiveness isn't just a

good Christian practice.

558

It's evidence of a forgiven life.

559

It's either proof that you've truly

met Jesus or a sign you haven't

560

let him transform your heart yet.

561

Jesus makes this crystal clear in

Matthew six, verse 14 through 15.

562

It reads four.

563

If you forgive other people when they

sin against you, your heavenly Father

564

will also forgive you, but if you do

not forgive others their sins, your

565

father will not forgive your sins.

566

You know, he shows that forgiveness

is an optional for those who

567

belong to him, that if we belong

to 'em, it's our response to grace.

568

And when you've been forgiven

of much, you can't help but just

569

forgive others of much as well.

570

Church.

571

And that brings us to the story and a

question we all have to wrestle with

572

today is who are we in this story?

573

Excuse me.

574

You know, if we're honest.

575

I know for me this week I was like, man,

I really think I'm the king here Actually,

576

I, I extend compassion pretty well.

577

I extend grace, I extend mercy.

578

But when I remove that stuff, when I

remove my pride, and I look at it from

579

the gospel standpoint, every single

one of us is that wicked servant.

580

We're all owed a massive and unpayable

debt to God, and yet through the

581

cross, Jesus looks at us and says

It's forgiven and paid in full.

582

The entire parable here

points us to the cross.

583

How could we who have been

forgiven with so much sin?

584

Look at someone else and say,

I can't forgive you for that.

585

It's crazy to think about it.

586

We've been forgetting so much

yet we hold on to so little.

587

Now.

588

Listen, I know talking about forgiveness.

589

I know forgiveness isn't always instant.

590

I'm not expecting us after this to forgive

and let go, although that'll be great.

591

But some of you may be thinking, I want

to forgive, but I still feel anger inside.

592

I still feel that

bitterness and resentment.

593

I just wanna say, that's okay.

594

The fact that you're wrestling with it,

you're praying about it, feeling convicted

595

about it, I think that's evidence

of God just working in your heart.

596

It means the Holy Spirit is

softening your heart and shaping

597

you into the likeness of Jesus.

598

All of this forgiving, giving

grace, humbling ourselves.

599

It isn't just about doing the right

thing, it's about who we are becoming.

600

You know, God's ultimate desire

is isn't just for us to act right?

601

It's for us to become more like him.

602

He wants our heart, our hearts,

our thoughts, our attitude.

603

He wants us to reflect his character.

604

In other words, likeness to

Christ is God's will for my life.

605

Likeness for Christ is

God's will for my life.

606

If you understand that, you

understand everything else, even your

607

struggles, your pain, your broken

relationships, God can use all of

608

that to make you more like Jesus.

609

What the enemy meant for evil.

610

Jesus can turn for good.

611

He doesn't just erase the pain he uses to

shape us, to mature us, and to grow us.

612

So the real question

for us this morning is.

613

What does growth in Christ look like?

614

What does growth in Christ

look like for in my life?

615

Well, I believe in Matthew

18, we see three clear things.

616

Growth in Christ, for one,

looks like forgiveness.

617

God calls us to forgive, especially those

who have heard us, and it's not easy.

618

But as my boy, Chris Lewis

says, it's essential.

619

It's essential for us to forgive.

620

Maybe for you, forgiveness means writing

a letter, making a phone call, or simply

621

just praying, God help me release this.

622

Forgiveness is a first

step towards freedom.

623

You know, when you forgive, you're

not saying what they did was right,

624

but what you're saying is this

will no longer hold me in chains.

625

Forgiveness frees your heart to

live in grace that God has given

626

you second growth in Christ.

627

It looks like giving grace.

628

Let's be honest, giving grace, that's

not a a natural human reaction.

629

What does come natural for us?

630

For humans to be cynical, to be guarded.

631

It's quick to assume the worst, but when

the Holy Spirit softens our heart, we be,

632

we begin to look and think differently.

633

You start to say, maybe they

didn't mean it that way, or

634

they've been through a lot.

635

I'll just give 'em the

benefit of the doubt.

636

We've all heard that phrase before.

637

Hurt people.

638

Hurt people, and sometimes giving grace

means recognizing that someone's behavior

639

may be coming from their own pain.

640

With my own dad.

641

I had to realize like, man,

my dad, he doesn't hate me.

642

He doesn't not love me.

643

He just had a terrible example,

and that's all he knows.

644

You know?

645

Could it be that God wants to show his

grace through you, that someone might

646

come to see the love of Jesus, by the

way, you extend grace to them, you know?

647

Lastly, growth in Christ.

648

It looks like humility.

649

At the heart of this parable is humility.

650

You know, when I realized

the massive debt.

651

I can never repay because of my sin.

652

It crushes my pride.

653

There's, there's a reason why pride and

unforgiveness, they go hand in hand.

654

They love each other,

they feed off one another.

655

Pride says, you've hurt me, so now

I'm gonna have this upper ground.

656

I'm gonna have this moral

advantage above you.

657

Pride wants you to keep people at

a distance, but Jesus calls us to

658

be on our knees and beg like the

first servant did, and remember

659

how much we have been forgiven.

660

Maybe what you need to release today

probably isn't just unforgiveness, maybe

661

it's pride as well, because humility

is, is opening the door for healing.

662

It allows mercy and grace to flow

again, both from God and towards others.

663

So as we're coming in for a landing,

the question I wanna leave with you is,

664

if Jesus has forgiven us of everything

forgiven you and I of everything, who is

665

it that you still need to forgive today?

666

Maybe it's someone who hurt you deeply.

667

Maybe it's someone who disappointed you.

668

Maybe it's even yourself, you know,

whatever it is, Jesus is inviting

669

you to release it, to let it go, to

walk in the freedom that he has given

670

you and I, because say it with me,

church, forgiven people forgive people.

671

And when you forgive, you

don't just free someone else.

672

You reflect the heart of Jesus himself.

673

So before we close today, I wanna leave

us with a few practical action steps,

674

ways we can begin to walk in freedom this

week and we can release others first.

675

Let's identify who do you need to release?

676

Who do you need to release?

677

Ask God this week, who am I still

holding this unforgiving heart towards?

678

Maybe it's someone from years ago.

679

Maybe it's a family member, a friend,

or maybe someone in this room.

680

You can't release what

you don't recognize.

681

First church start by writing

their name down and just praying,

682

God, help me let this go.

683

And second, I want us

to pray for that person.

684

I know it may seem

hard, but it's powerful.

685

You're not just praying to

justify what they did, but you're

686

praying to free your own heart.

687

Ask God to soften your

heart to bless them.

688

And every time you pray church,

I know you're gonna feel that God

689

is just chipping away at the walls

of bitterness and unforgiveness

690

that was built up in your hearts.

691

And lastly, let's take a step

towards reconciliation this week.

692

Maybe for you it's sending a

message, making a call, or simply

693

choosing not to speak negatively

about that person anymore.

694

If you're not responsible church

for how they respond, you're just

695

responsible how God calls you to obey.

696

Even if reconciliation doesn't

happen right away, your heart is

697

moving towards Freedom Church.

698

Just imagine this church.

699

You know, as I was thinking about

this lesson, praying about it, I

700

just thought, what would this church

look like if every person here truly

701

release what was holding them back?

702

If instead of walking into a

service carrying old wounds,

703

we came carrying in peace.

704

When people looked at the North,

north OEA church family, they didn't

705

just see a group of believers.

706

They saw a family that forgives

quickly, that loves deeply

707

and reflects Jesus completely.

708

That's what revival looks like,

and that's what healing looks like.

709

That what?

710

That's what God wants to do.

711

Starting with us today.

712

You know, I'm excited.

713

I know Marcel Mason announce announcement,

but next Sunday we're gonna have a time of

714

reconciliation as a family, and it's gonna

be a time where we come before together

715

to God, to pray, to worship, to forgive.

716

To commune and to release the things that

have been imprisoning our own hearts.

717

So as you go through this week,

start preparing your heart.

718

Ask God, what do I need

to release before you?

719

Because next week, I believe God is

gonna bring healing, unity, and freedom

720

for our North, north Sea Church family.

721

Amen.

722

You know, it's to close out with

scripture here from the Apostle Paul.

723

In Ephesians four, verse 31 through

32, it says, get rid of all bitterness,

724

rage and anger, brawling and slander,

along with every form of malice.

725

Be kind and compassionate to

one another, forgiven each other

726

just as Christ God forgave you.

727

Church forgiven people, forgive people.

728

So let's really walk in.

729

Walk in next week with open hearts,

ready to release, ready to forgive.

730

Ready to live in the freedom of

the seasons of the Lord's favor.

731

Amen.

732

Amen.

733

Church.

734

Here I'll say a quick prayer.

735

And then we'll continue on

with our worship service.

736

Uh, heavenly Father, God, just

thank you so much for your grace.

737

Thank you for the forgiveness you've

extended to each of us, a debt

738

that we could never, ever repay.

739

Lord, we recognize the grudges that we

may hold in our hearts, the bitterness,

740

the pride, instead of walking freedom.

741

Lord, I pray that this week

you can just chip away at our

742

heart slowly as a family God.

743

Soften our hearts today and

each and every day, help us

744

forgive those who have hurt us.

745

God, to give grace who may not even

deserve it, and to walk humbly before

746

you guide us as we take our steps.

747

God, next week as a family,

just releasing things.

748

God, I pray we can start now.

749

God, just identifying some of

the things we need to release.

750

Will we pray powerfully for you to move?

751

We love you so much.

752

It's your son's name we pray.

753

Amen.