Forgive 77 Times
Welcome to the Forgive 77 Times sermon message by Elder Paul Ybarra from Riverside Seventh-day Adventist Christian Church. Paul gave this sermon on Sabbath, 20 October 2018.
Scripture verse for today is Matthew 18:21-22.
The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant
Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”
Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.”
Paul Ybarra asked his brother: “How many times have you forgiven me?” His brother replied 70 x 7 = 490 x 7 = 3,430 x 7 = 24,010.
God’s forgiveness is Infinite. Once you count past Forgive 77 times, you may forget how many times you have forgiven.
1 Corinthians 15:52
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
Our bodies will be changed but our characters will not. The character we have at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ is what we will be in heaven.
Forgiveness is mentioned over 130 times in the Bible. God tells us we must forgive. When God tells us something, it is a Holy Directive.
John 17:3
And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
Hebrews 11:6
But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
Matthew 22:37
Jesus said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.”
Three Steps to Be Able to Forgive
- Know Your God
- Believe In Your God
- Love Your God
Forgiveness is a journey. It is easier said than done. Acknowledge you have done something wrong.
Luke 11:13
If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!
Ask for the Holy Spirit to help you. Once a person opens the door of their heart to God, God will respond.
King David’s Prayer of Repentance is in Psalms 51. David committed adultery with Bathsheba. That sin led to a worse sin of having Bathsheba’s husband Uriah killed in battle.
A Prayer of Repentance
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.
Psalm 51
Have mercy upon me, O God,
According to Your lovingkindness;
According to the multitude of Your tender mercies,
Blot out my transgressions.
2
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
And cleanse me from my sin.
3
For I acknowledge my transgressions,
And my sin is always before me.
4
Against You, You only, have I sinned,
And done this evil in Your sight—
That You may be found just when You speak,
And blameless when You judge.
5
Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
And in sin my mother conceived me.
6
Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts,
And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.
7
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8
Make me hear joy and gladness,
That the bones You have broken may rejoice.
9
Hide Your face from my sins,
And blot out all my iniquities.
10
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11
Do not cast me away from Your presence,
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
12
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.
13
Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
And sinners shall be converted to You.
14
Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
The God of my salvation,
And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness.
15
O Lord, open my lips,
And my mouth shall show forth Your praise.
16
For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it;
You do not delight in burnt offering.
17
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
A broken and a contrite heart—
These, O God, You will not despise.
18
Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion;
Build the walls of Jerusalem.
19
Then You shall be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness,
With burnt offering and whole burnt offering;
Then they shall offer bulls on Your altar.
God says that David is a man after His own heart.
Paul Ybarra owed $1,000 to a janitorial supply business in California. On a recent trip there, Paul drove by the business and the man was still in business. Paul made retribution and paid the $1,000.
After forgiving other people, we must learn to forgive ourselves. The Devil will keep bringing up your past.
Pastor Pavel Goia says when tempted, instantly ask for the Holy Spirit and Pray. Here are his audio sermons about Forgiveness.
What does the Bible say about God and His Forgiveness?
1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Mark 9:24
Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”
Believe that God has forgiven your sins.
Micah 7:19
He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.
Revelation 21:1
All Things Made New
Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea.
There are over 3,000 Promises in the Holy Bible. Read your Bible. Read it slowly. Ask God to help you understand the scriptures as you read them.
Jesus picked 12 totally different men to be His Disciples. On a sports team, there are different personalities on the team. Individuals may not get along. When they get on a sports field, the team plays as a team and forgets about all the differences.
Our nation is split. We need to all be on Jesus’s Team and work on Saving Souls. If you want to learn how to Grow, learn to Love. Join a church. It will take effort by all church members to agree and get along.
- The First to Apologize Is the Bravest.
- The First to Forgive Is the Strongest.
- The First to Forget Is the Happiest.
I hope you were blessed by reading my Forgive 77 times post. If I can help you with growing in Jesus Christ, contact me.