Sermon on the Mount #29 If You Do Not Forgive, Your Father Will Not Forgive

We evidence the mercy we have received from our Father in heaven when we show that mercy to those who have offended us. Unbelievers will be bitter and unforgiving for the way they have been mistreated (I expect that, for that is natural to fallen man); but as a Christian, I cannot personally return evil for evil, but rather good for evil. As a Christian, I cannot keep a mental ledger of offenses, but must seek reconciliation where there is damage to my relationship with others (Matthew 18:15; Matthew 5:23-24); and if the other person does not want reconciliation, I must let love cover a multitude of sins until such a time (1 Peter 4:8). Nursing and feeding in our minds the sins others have committed against us or sharing them with others so that more people become involved in a disagreement and conflict is not the way of the gospel. That is the way of the world. As we shall see, God takes these matters very seriously, and so must we as those who profess Jesus as Savior and Lord.