Text to Read: Romans 5:1 So, since we have come to be considered righteous by God because of our trust, let us continue to have shalom with God through our Lord, Yeshua the Messiah. 2 Also through him and on the ground of our trust, we have gained access to this grace in which we stand; so let us boast about the hope of experiencing God’s glory. 3 But not only that, let us also boast in our troubles; because we know that trouble produces endurance, 4 endurance produces character, and character produces hope; 5 and this hope does not let us down, because God’s love for us has already been poured out in our hearts through the Ruach HaKodesh who has been given to us.
Matthew 18:21 Then Kefa came up and said to him, “Rabbi, how often can my brother sin against me and I have to forgive him? As many as seven times?” 22 “No, not seven times,” answered Yeshua, “but seventy times seven! 23 Because of this, the Kingdom of Heaven may be compared with a king who decided to settle accounts with his deputies. 24 Right away they brought forward a man who owed him many millions; 25 and since he couldn’t pay, his master ordered that he, his wife, his children and all his possessions be sold to pay the debt. 26 But the servant fell down before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ 27 So out of pity for him, the master let him go and forgave the debt.
28 “But as that servant was leaving, he came upon one of his fellow servants who owed him some tiny sum. He grabbed him and began to choke him, crying, ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ 29 His fellow servant fell before him and begged, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’ 30 But he refused; instead, he had him thrown in jail until he should repay the debt. 31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were extremely distressed; and they went and told their master everything that had taken place. 32 Then the master summoned his servant and said, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt just because you begged me to do it. 33 Shouldn’t you have had pity on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’ 34 And in anger his master turned him over to the jailers for punishment until he paid back everything he owed. 35 This is how my heavenly Father will treat you, unless you each forgive your brother from your hearts.”
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John Wesley's Notes-Commentary for Romans 5:1-5
Verse 1
[1] Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Being justified by faith — This is the sum of the preceding chapters.
We have peace with God — Being enemies to God no longer, Romans 5:10; neither fearing his wrath, Romans 5:9. We have peace, hope, love, and power over sin, the sum of the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth chapters. These are the fruits of justifying faith: where these are not, that faith is not.
Verse 2
[2] By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Into this grace — This state of favour.
Verse 3
[3] And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
We glory in tribulations also — Which we are so far from esteeming a mark of God's displeasure, that we receive them as tokens of his fatherly love, whereby we are prepared for a more exalted happiness. The Jews objected to the persecuted state of the Christians as inconsistent with the people of the Messiah. It is therefore with great propriety that the apostle so often mentions the blessings arising from this very thing.
Verse 4
[4] And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
And patience works more experience of the sincerity of our grace, and of God's power and faithfulness.
Verse 5
[5] And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
Hope shameth us not — That is, gives us the highest glorying. We glory in this our hope, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts - The divine conviction of God's love to us, and that love to God which is both the earnest and the beginning of heaven.
By the Holy Ghost — The efficient cause of all these present blessings, and the earnest of those to come.
Matthew 18:21-35
Verse 22
[22] Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.
Till seventy times seven — That is, as often as there is occasion. A certain number is put for an uncertain.
Verse 23
[23] Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.
Therefore — In this respect.
Verse 24
[24] And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.
One was brought who owed him ten thousand talents — According to the usual computation, if these were talents of gold, this would amount to seventy-two millions sterling. If they were talents of silver, it must have been four millions, four hundred thousand pounds. Hereby our Lord intimates the vast number and weight of our offences against God, and our utter incapacity of making him any satisfaction.
Verse 25
[25] But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.
As he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold — Such was the power which creditors anciently had over their insolvent debtors in several countries.
Verse 30
[30] And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.
Went with him before a magistrate, and cast him into prison, protesting he should lie there, till he should pay the whole debt.
Verse 34
[34] And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.
His lord delivered him to the tormentors — Imprisonment is a much severer punishment in the eastern countries than in ours. State criminals, especially when condemned to it, are not only confined to a very mean and scanty allowance, but are frequently loaded with clogs or heavy yokes, so that they can neither lie nor sit at ease: and by frequent scourgings and sometimes rackings are brought to an untimely end.
Till he should pay all that was due to him — That is, without all hope of release, for this he could never do. How observable is this whole account; as well as the great inference our Lord draws from it: 1. The debtor was freely and fully forgiven; 2. He wilfully and grievously offended; 3. His pardon was retracted, the whole debt required, and the offender delivered to the tormentors for ever. And shall we still say, but when we are once freely and fully forgiven, our pardon can never be retracted? Verily, verily, I say unto you, So likewise will my heavenly Father do to you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.
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Daily Devotional:
Monday, October 19, 2015
Text to Read: Romans 5:1-5 and Matthew 18:21-35
- How would you define the word “forgiveness?”
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Text to Read: Romans 5:1-5 and Matthew 18:21-35
- How have you experienced forgiveness?
- From God?
- Others?
Wednesday, October 21, 2015
Text to Read: Romans 5:1-5 and Matthew 18:21-35
- If we are to forgive so much, how do we not become a “doormat” for others?
Thursday, October 22, 2015
Text to Read: Romans 5:1-5 and Matthew 18:21-35
- Is forgiveness different than forgetting?
- Why or why not?
Friday, October 23, 1015
Text to Read: Romans 5:1-5 and Matthew 18:21-35
- How great is the forgiveness of God?
- What is the implication for us?
Saturday, October 24, 2015
Text to Read: Romans 5:1-5 and Matthew 18:21-35
- Where does forgiveness need to happen in your life?
Sunday, October 25, 2015
Text to Read: Romans 5:1-5 and Matthew 18:21-35
- Pray for those suffering in bitterness with unforgiving hearts.
First United Methodist Church
2111 Camino del Rio South
San Diego, California (2108, United States
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Sermon Notes "Forgiveness" by Gary Lee Parker for Sunday, 25 October 2015 with Scripture: Romans 5:1 So, since we have come to be considered righteous by God because of our trust, let us continue to have shalom with God through our Lord, Yeshua the Messiah. 2 Also through him and on the ground of our trust, we have gained access to this grace in which we stand; so let us boast about the hope of experiencing God’s glory. 3 But not only that, let us also boast in our troubles; because we know that trouble produces endurance, 4 endurance produces character, and character produces hope; 5 and this hope does not let us down, because God’s love for us has already been poured out in our hearts through the Ruach HaKodesh who has been given to us.
Matthew 18:21 Then Kefa came up and said to him, “Rabbi, how often can my brother sin against me and I have to forgive him? As many as seven times?” 22 “No, not seven times,” answered Yeshua, “but seventy times seven! 23 Because of this, the Kingdom of Heaven may be compared with a king who decided to settle accounts with his deputies. 24 Right away they brought forward a man who owed him many millions; 25 and since he couldn’t pay, his master ordered that he, his wife, his children and all his possessions be sold to pay the debt. 26 But the servant fell down before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ 27 So out of pity for him, the master let him go and forgave the debt.
28 “But as that servant was leaving, he came upon one of his fellow servants who owed him some tiny sum. He grabbed him and began to choke him, crying, ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ 29 His fellow servant fell before him and begged, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’ 30 But he refused; instead, he had him thrown in jail until he should repay the debt. 31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were extremely distressed; and they went and told their master everything that had taken place. 32 Then the master summoned his servant and said, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt just because you begged me to do it. 33 Shouldn’t you have had pity on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’ 34 And in anger his master turned him over to the jailers for punishment until he paid back everything he owed. 35 This is how my heavenly Father will treat you, unless you each forgive your brother from your hearts.”
The story that Jesus told about how we who are followers and believers in Him should forgive others who have sinned against us as well as the Apostle Paul shared in the readings with read that he wrote to the Messianic Community in Rome. Yet we hear the story over and over again about a Manager or King had a servant that owed him quite a bit of money where he could not have enough to pay this debt. The man begged the king to give him time to pay even though the king was going to throw him and his fmaily in jail and sell them as slaves. As a result of the man's begging, the king forgave the complete debt of the man and let him go free. He did celebrate this gift, but then as he was outside walking, he came across a fellow servant who owed him a tiny amount of money, but when the other man begged him to wait the man cast the other man into prison until the debt was paid. Still another servant saw this and reported this back to the king. The king called this man who was forgiven his debt to hear this story of his own unforgiveness of a fellow servant said to the man that he recants his previous forgiveness and cast him into jail until the whole debt was paid in full. This reminds to ofen of people who recognize that they have been given much forgiveness, yet for various reasons people will not forgive other people who have sinned aganst them. Have you ever know such people or is their this unforgiveness in your life? How do you understand this parable or story for us in today's world especially people who are not like us? How do you understand the last verse when Jesus said that the same way each of us fails to forgive other people, God will forgive us? Yes, Grace is free for all, but the condition of full forgives is our full forgiveness of other people including ourselves. Lord Jesus, as we come to eat the Body of Jesus and Drink His Blood we come to to seek forgiveness from God as we forgive all other people for sinning against us including ourselves. We come with full forivess to receive the elements of the Holy Sacrement of the Holy Eucharist singing the Hymn "The Joy of Forgiveness" by Ken Bible
1. Forgiveness - what a joyful gift!
You love me, Father God, as if
I never turned away.
You give what I can never earn,
A favor, Lord, I can't return,
A debt I cannot pay.
2. Forgiveness - what a joyful sound!
I'll share Your gift with all around,
For none of us can pay.
Forget what others owe to me!
I set us both completely free!
I wipe their wrong away!
3. Forgiveness - Father God, in You
The dreams of love are coming true.
Your peace will be restored,
For Mercy sees what we can be
And grows it to reality
In Jesus Christ our Lord.
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Gary Lee Parker
4147 Idaho Street, Apt. 1
San Diego, California 92104-1844, United States
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