May we please God to bless us
as we continue our meditation in the Sermon on the Mount. We
come this evening to the sixth chapter of Matthew and we'll
read verses 14 and 15. The sixth chapter of Matthew
and reading verses 14 and 15. For if we forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also
forgive you. But if ye forgive not men their
trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." This is a very clear and yet
a very solemn statement. And surely it penetrates into
all of our hearts to realise the need that all of us have
of forgiveness, because no unforgiving person will enter into heaven,
no one who has any sin will enter into heaven, and so all of us
need to know the wonderful blessing of forgiveness. And we have the
words of the Lord who speaks to us, therefore, in this way. And we've also, of course, meditated
previously on similar words where the Lord Jesus spoke when he
introduced the Lord's Prayer, and those words which we read
and have meditated on, and forgive us our debts. as we forgive our
debtors." Well, of course, the word here is slightly different.
It's trespasses, which really means offences. But nevertheless,
these words were important and are important, that the Lord
will forgive our debts, but also the point made was, as we forgive
our debtors. And here we have a very similar
statement. If, for if, Ye forgive men their trespasses. And it
is a big if for us all, isn't it? Because we intend, I suppose,
to hold back forgiveness. Perhaps we think, well, that
kind of act doesn't deserve any forgiveness and we should therefore
not go along that road. Well, we only have to really
consider our position before a holy God. and to realise how
utterly unworthy we are of any forgiveness. Why should the gracious
God forgive us? And if we are truly humble before
the Lord to realise what a blessing it is to receive forgiveness,
that should make us very willing to forgive people that offend
us, who trespass against us, who do those things which are
wrong, and perhaps not rightly wrong, yet we should still have
a forgiving spirit. And what does it demonstrate
to us? It demonstrates to us, surely,
the Spirit of Christ. What did the Saviour say? Father,
forgive them, for they know not what they do.' And how offensive
that was in all that those people had done to the Saviour, who
was holy and harmless, who never sinned at all, never spoke an
evil word, went about doing good. And yet he's able to come and
speak those gracious words, Father forgive them, for they know not
what they do. And how offended, no doubt, the
Saviour was. And yet we see that wonderful
spirit. And surely you and I should desire
to emulate that spirit in our lives. It's a great blessing
to be blessed with a spirit which is willing to forgive and desiring
to forgive. You know, it's not in our nature,
is it? But what it is, is the evidence of God's grace. It's
the evidence of his love toward us, in granting us this spirit
so that we may desire and forgive those people who do trespass
against us. And then the word is so true,
for if ye forgive men their trespasses, and it's clear from this word
that without that, without that right spirit, we won't be forgiven. I'm sure we all want to be forgiven,
don't we? But the words are clear, aren't
they? If ye forgive men their trespasses, then your Heavenly
Father will forgive you. And how important it is, that
we are forgiven. And he goes on to say, confirming
this in the opposite way, but if ye forgive not men their trespasses,
neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. So the statements
really are very clear, aren't they? And very important for
all of us in our lives today. Very important for the whole
Church of God to adhere to such words as this. and to turn against
our natural reaction, which is to resist anything like this. But as we recognize and view
the goodness of God toward us in forgiving us, and when we
think how obtuse and awkward and disobedient we've been to
God, how we haven't followed his way, how we disobeyed his
commands, and yet His great mercy, His wonderful compassion upon
us, in not dealing with us as our sins are deserved. If He
did, we should be cut off eternally. There would be no hope for us.
Well, what a gracious God we have. What a wonderful God we
have, in looking upon us, in all our sinfulness, all our evil,
and freely forgiving us, freely ye have received, freely give'
is the Word of God, and how we should therefore desire to, as
we receive forgiveness, to also freely forgive those who may
trespass or those who may offend against us. And I'm sure the
result of this The result of this grace, which it is, the
result of this favour and blessing, which it is, will give us a good
answer, a good answer in our own conscience, and bring about
that peace of God. Remember, it is far more blessed
to forgive than to hold any enmity against people. And how humbling
it is to realise when God does give us this gracious spirit
of forgiveness, and then to realize what God has forgiven us. Well, you and I shall never be
able to repay the cost of that forgiveness which we have received,
if we are the children of God, and clearly the reality is that
if we hold anything against other people, then we should really
examine ourselves to see whether we have received the true forgiveness
from Almighty God. Well, we should be thankful tonight
that the Word of God is clear, the Word of God is encouraging,
the Word of God does direct us to such words as this. and to therefore be blessed with
that wonderful favour as the Apostle spoke to the Corinthians
when he said, but ye are washed and he'd given them before a
long list of sinful situations which they were involved with
and had not managed to curtail and deliver themselves from and
the Spirit of God comes and says and such We're some of you. We can't say, well, we're a holy
person. We can't say we're free from
sin. The apostle tells us very clearly, and such were some of
you. But ye are washed. Now then, if we are washed, how
are we washed? By what way? Washed in the blood
of the Lamb. Redeemed with the precious blood
of the Saviour. The great cost of our forgiveness
is the death on Calvary's cross of that gracious and sinless
Son of God, who took upon us His sins, our sins rather, all
our sins, imputed to Him, and in return He imputes His righteousness
and His forgiveness. Well, what an amazing example
we have. And surely therefore our prayer
must be that we desire to follow these words which are recorded
here. in Matthew, and they're also recorded in that chapter
in Mark that we read together in a separate context. They weren't really written in
the same context as we have here. But nonetheless, they were powerful
and pertinent when he says, and when you stand praying, forgive. We've stood praying tonight.
How important. When you stand praying, forgive. If ye have ought, that means
anything against any, that your Father also, which is in heaven,
may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, Neither
will your Father, which is in heaven, forgive your trespasses."
Well, this is a very great truth, isn't it? Remember, the earlier
verse tells us, Therefore I say unto you, what things have you
desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye
shall have them. and they follow then with the
words that we've just read. So as we come in prayer, as we
do pray, we do need to be concerned that we have a right spirit. Perhaps sometimes we've not received
answers to our prayers because we've not prayed in a right way. Perhaps we've held something
against somebody. Perhaps we misjudged them. What
a mercy if the Lord brings us to this gracious position of
forgiveness. And so to understand these words,
for if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father
will also forgive you. What a promise. But If he forgive
not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your
trespasses. A very solemn realization will
may be found on the right side with the right spirit and that
one of forgiveness. Amen.