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Now, here's today's podcast from Pathway to Victory. Hi, this is Robert Jeffress, and I'm glad to study God's Word with you every day on this Bible teaching program. On today's edition, A Pathway to Victory, there's an inseparable link between receiving God's forgiveness and granting that forgiveness to others. and both receiving and granting forgiveness are marks of a true follower of Jesus Christ, a disciple of Christ. Welcome to Pathway to Victory with author and pastor Dr.
Robert Jeffress. You know, the two most important issues in life both deal with the subject of forgiveness. Choosing to receive forgiveness from God and choosing to extend forgiveness to others. Today on Pathway to Victory, Dr. Robert Jeffers explains why the choice to forgive is essential to our physical, emotional, and spiritual health.
But first, let's take a minute to hear some important ministry updates. Thanks, David, and welcome again to Pathway to Victory. When one of our enemies strikes out and lands a verbal punch, our emotional response is very predictable. We want to strike back with ugly words that sting. But to what end?
What does it serve to replicate what we've received?
Well, today we're addressing another one of the seven marks that define a true follower of Jesus. And in a moment, we'll pick up our study in 1 Peter chapter 2. where Peter tells his protégé to follow Jesus' example. Even when Jesus was reviled by his enemies, Peter said, He didn't revile in return. I've written a book that goes into far more detail on this subject of forgiveness.
It's one of the seven marks of a disciple. And if you're ready to develop a stronger sense of humility and patience, then this book will help you. It's called Encouragement for the Heart of a Disciple. We'd be happy to send you this padded hardcover book when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory. It contains 80 breathtaking photos from God's creation.
And each chapter includes a brief reflection, paired with a scripture verse and a prayer that you can follow. You have to see this devotional book to truly appreciate how beautiful it is. It's designed to infuse your day with hope and joy as you cultivate the seven marks of a true disciple. We'll give more details later, so be ready to write down our contact information. But right now, it's time for a message called Developing a Forgiving Heart.
I want you to turn in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 18, to a story Jesus told to illustrate both why we should forgive and how we should forgive. This story is about a king. Who was having some serious cash flow problems. And so he needed to call in the IOUs he was holding, people who owed him money. And he started with the person who owed him the most amount of money.
It was a slave who owed him 10,000 talents.
Now, that would be about $16 billion in today's money.
So the king says, I want my money. He had a right to say that. And the slave fell down before him and begged him, said, Master, please be patient with me, and I will repay you everything. The lord of that slave, the king, felt compassion and he released him and he forgave him of the debt. That's what forgiveness is.
Literally, it means to release a debt. to let go of. Can you imagine the relief that slave must have felt? But as he was thinking about what he had heard from the king, you are forgiven of your debt, it dawned on him. There's somebody who owes me $16.
So he goes out, Jesus says, grabs him by the neck, begins to choke him, and says, repay me what you owe me.
Now that was a very real debt, too. And so the fellow slave says: have patience with me and I'll repay you everything.
Sound familiar? That's what the first slave saved to the king. But unlike the king, this slave refused to forgive. That paltry $16 debt.
Well, when the king heard about this, He was incensed. Look at verse 32. Then summoning the slave, the king said to him, You wicked slave. I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me? Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave in the same way that I had mercy on you?
And then verse 34 says, The king moved with anger. handed that slave over to the torturers. until he should repay all that was owed him. And then Jesus adds the zinger in verse 35.
So shall my heavenly Father do. to you. If each of you does not forgive his brother, from your heart. I think there are four reasons, four misunderstandings that cause people difficulty in forgiving other people.
So let me dispel a few of those myths about forgiveness that may be hampering some of you right now. from experiencing the freedom of that gift of forgiveness. First of all, understand forgiveness is not ignoring or rationalizing offenses. No, in fact, you really can't forgive somebody until you acknowledge the wrong that they've committed against you. If somebody said, we cannot forgive those we're not willing to blame.
Secondly, forgiveness is not about surrendering. our desire for justice. Justice is the payment that God or other people or government officials might require from My offender. And while we're to give up our desire for vengeance, we never have to surrender our desire for justice. Thirdly, forgiveness is not about forgetting.
The offenses committed against us. Forgiveness is not about forgetting. People say to me, Well, Pastor, I still remember. I keep thinking about what that person did to me. I guess that means I haven't really forgiven them, right?
Wrong. Remember this: forgetting is a biological function. Forgiving is a spiritual function. Listen, the Bible says Every time we sin against God, We owe God for the sin we've committed. Sin always creates an obligation.
And the more we sin, the bigger the IOU that we owe God. Our sin debt to God is incalculable, and the longer you live, the bigger that debt becomes. And listen, if you die... without having paid off that sin debt. then you spend eternity in hell separated from God trying to pay off that debt.
The Bible says, for the wages of sin is death, eternal death. The biggest choice you and I make in life is the choice. Who's going to pay for my sin? It has to be paid for. The Bible says God cannot overlook our iniquity.
He can't turn his back and play like it never happened. God is a holy God who demands payment for our sin. The question is: who's going to pay for it? Do you think jumping in that baptistry over there is going to wash away your sins? Not enough water in the world to wash away your sins.
You think joining a church is going to do it? No. Baptism and church membership are important, but they have nothing to do with paying your sin debt. Oh, there's only one person who can pay your sin debt, and his name is Jesus Christ. And that's exactly what he did on the cross.
Let me show you what God did with your IOU and my IOU if we really have trusted in Christ. It's in Colossians 2:13 and 14. He has forgiven us of all of our transgressions. This is so great. Having canceled out.
The certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us which were hostile to us. And he has taken that certificate of debt out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Isn't that a great truth? You know, in Paul's day... If you went to jail, there was a certificate of debt placed above your cell listing all of your offenses.
Everything you did to deserve going to jail.
Well, look at what God has done. Can you imagine how long our certificate of debt to God is? A listing of everything we've done? What has God done with that certificate of debt? He has taken it and he has nailed it to the cross of Jesus Christ.
Remember, some of Jesus' final words on the cross were: it is what? Finished. The Greek word, one Greek word there. That word literally means paid in full. Isn't that great?
Jesus paid the debt we could never repay, that $16 billion sin debt. He's done it all. There is nothing we can add to it, but there's something we must do to receive it. The biggest choice we ever make in our life is the choice who's going to pay for my sin. We can spend all of this life and all eternity in hell trying to pay off that debt and we'll never do it.
Or we can say by faith, Jesus, I believe you paid the debt for me. I'm not trusting in myself. I'm trusting in what you did for me. I'm going to allow you to pay the debt for me. That's what Jesus Christ offers to do.
No, forgiveness is not about forgetting. It's about not holding to account somebody else's sin. Fourth, forgiveness is not reconciling with our offender. Forgiveness does not necessarily mean reconciling with our offender. I've talked to many Women who have been physically abused by their husbands.
And they made the right choice to separate, to move themselves and/or their children away from that abusive background. God doesn't ask us to. Go through physical harm in the home, that's not God's plan at all. And yet, somewhere along the way, after they've separated, they realize as a Christian they need to forgive their husband. But they're reluctant to do so because they're afraid that if they forgive their husband, That that means they have to automatically move back in and put their lives or the life of their children in danger.
No. There's a big difference between forgiveness and reconciliation. Forgiveness is unconditional. It doesn't depend on what my offender does or doesn't do. But reconciliation is very conditional.
You can forgive people who never say I'm sorry. But you never can be reconciled with people until they say, I'm sorry. Specifically, to rebuild a broken relationship requires several things. It requires repentance. You can't be back in a relationship with somebody who doesn't say, I'm sorry.
The Bible says, How can two walk together lest they be agreed?
Sometimes it takes rehabilitation. The person who's wronged you may need to go through counseling, they need to go through some spiritual process to be restored. Thirdly, sometimes restitution is necessary. You know, you can forgive your business partner who cheated you out of $100,000, but before you go back into business, you probably want to see him pay back that $100,000. The best way to understand this is like this.
Forgiveness. has no strings attached to it. Reconciliation has several strings attached to it. Forgiveness can be offered to those who never say, I'm sorry. Reconciliation can only be offered to those who say, I'm sorry.
Forgiveness Depends upon me. Reconciliation depends upon us. That's the difference between forgiveness and reconciliation. We've talked about the benefits of forgiveness, the misunderstandings of forgiveness.
Now let's talk very quickly about The steps to understanding authentic forgiveness. Go back to Matthew 18:27. And the Lord of that slave. Felt compassion and released him, and he forgave him of the debt. First of all, notice genuine forgiveness acknowledges the offense that has taken place.
Again, we're not asking you to. Ignore it, rationalize it, pretend it never happened. You cannot forgive those you are not willing to blame. Secondly, genuine forgiveness. calculates the debt that is owed to us.
It calculates the debt that is owed to us. You know, isn't it interesting? Jesus in telling the story didn't say, Hey, this slave owed the king a lot of money. No, he tells exactly how much money he owed. 10,000 talents of gold, 16 billion dollars.
I think Jesus was telling us something. Before we can forgive somebody, we really ought to calculate how much. That person owes us for what they did to us. It may be a certain amount of money. Or our offender may deserve a divorce for what they did.
They may deserve jail time for what they did. They may deserve the death penalty for what they did. But before you forgive somebody, don't just acknowledge that they've wronged you, calculate what they owe you. for what they've done to you. You need to know what you're forgiving before you can let go of it.
Genuine forgiveness calculates the debt. And thirdly, genuine forgiveness releases the debtor to God. They don't miss this. Why did that king forgive a $16 billion debt? Jesus said, because of compassion.
Obviously, I think Jesus was right. It was compassion. Even though he was a hardened king, he felt compassion for that pitiful slave offering to repay an unrepayable debt. But I think there was something else going on here. I think this king was also a pretty good businessman.
He knew he would never get that money back. The IOU he had was worthless. It was absolutely worthless.
So why did he want to spend the rest of his days trying to extract money from somebody who could never repay the debt?
So he let it go. He released it so he could get on with running the kingdom. But When this slave went out and demanded payment from his fellow slave, he choked him. Trying to squeeze. That $16 out of him.
And he wouldn't let go. He didn't realize. That the IOU he was holding was just as worthless, the $16 one, as the $16 billion one. This fellow slave had no more ability to repay his debt as the first slave had to repay his debt. The difference is this first slave didn't realize he was holding a worthless IOU.
You know, I think the reason some of you maybe this morning are watching this broadcast, you may have difficulty forgiving. The reason you can't let go, you keep holding on to that offense is you don't realize how worthless your IOU is. You still think there's something that person can do to make up. For what they've done to you. Oh, you think, if only I could hear the words, I'm sorry.
The words I'm sorry are highly overrated. They really don't produce the relief you think it's going to. I mean, think about it. What could anybody repay you to make up for A marriage that was destroyed by adultery. What could anybody do to repay you for your reputation that was unfairly ruined by slander?
What could anybody do to make up to a parent whose child was killed by a drunk driver. Letting go. Forgiving. is really the only reasonable. Response when you think about it.
We all hold this worthless IOU. That's what happened here. This fellow slave Refused to forgive his friend for that completely worthless debt that he was holding. You know, I'm often asked the question: is it possible to forgive somebody who never says, I'm sorry? I mean, after all, Pastor, don't we have to say I'm sorry before we receive God's forgiveness?
That's right, we do. But people who say that miss one important point. There's a difference between receiving forgiveness and granting forgiveness. It's true, I can only receive forgiveness from another person or God. If I say I'm sorry and open my heart to receive that gift of forgiveness.
But I can grant forgiveness to people whether they say I'm sorry or never say I'm sorry. Listen to what Jesus said in Mark 11, 25. He said, whenever you stand praying, forgive. If you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you of your transgressions. Jesus said, if you're standing or as you are sitting in church.
And you think, hey, I've got something against somebody. What did he say do?
Now, this isn't a case where Jesus said you're offering a sacrifice and you remember somebody has something against you. In that case, you're to leave and go be reconciled to them. No, this is a case where you have something against somebody else. You're sitting there thinking, you know, as Pastor Jeffries has been talking, I remember all these people who have wronged me. What are you to do about it?
One word, forgive. It doesn't matter if they're sitting next to you in the pew. Whether they're in the next city, the next state. It doesn't matter even if they're in the cemetery. You can forgive them right where you are.
Let go of it. Regardless of whether they ever ask for forgiveness or not. Why is that so important to do? Because if you don't forgive that person, You are tied to them forever. You've made your future dependent upon their future.
Do you all remember, did you ever go to those kind of Old-fashioned picnics that we used to have more of, and where they would have a contest, a game called the three-legged race. Did you ever participate in a three-legged race? You know, you get your right leg bound to the left leg of your partner, and you've got several different teams, and you're trying to make it to the finish line, and you're hobbling along like this, you're hobbling along. And if you've ever had the thought that I have, you probably have thought at some point in that: if only I could get loose from this nitwit, I could go a lot farther and a lot faster and win the contest. But you see, three-legged races don't allow for solo contenders.
The fact is when you're bound to somebody else, You can go only as fast and as far as they're willing to travel.
Now, listen to me. When you make forgiving another person dependent on what they do, it's like you're emotionally tying yourself to that other person. If you're saying, I can't forgive them until they say, I'm sorry. then you can go no further in life, no more quickly in life, than they're willing or unwilling to go. But forgiveness is the process by which I untie myself for my offender.
When I say If not to them directly, to God. I no longer want to be bound to this other person. I'm letting go of the hurt that they've committed against me so that I can be free to live the life that God has planned for me. Today, I'm letting go. I am binding myself so that I can go where God wants me to go.
Remember that first slave? Because he didn't forgive, he was put into the prison, the torturer's house. For he was tormented day and night forever and ever. When you refuse to forgive until somebody does something, You're going through mental, emotional, and spiritual torture just waiting for them to free you. No, you need to be free of that other person's.
Lewis Mead said: when we forgive, we set the prisoner free. And the prisoner we set free is us. That's the practical reason to forgive. But the greater reason is the spiritual reason. As Jesus said, if you don't forgive others, God will not forgive you.
Pastor, I don't understand that. Are you saying that we earn our forgiveness by forgiving other people? Of course not. Paul said, For by grace, God's grace, you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, that is a gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.
Well, then, Pastor, are you saying that if we don't forgive, we lose our salvation? Not saying that either. Romans 11, 29 says, The gifts of God are irrevocable. God doesn't take away what he's given as a gift. Then what are you saying, Pastor?
What I'm saying is If you find yourself saying what I hear many people in the church saying, I cannot forgive. I cannot forgive. I will not forgive. It doesn't mean you lose your salvation. It means you never had salvation to begin with.
Because somebody who has truly received God's forgiveness. who is understood. The magnitude of his own sin, that sixteen billion dollar debt. Will naturally forgive somebody. of a much less offense than we've committed against God.
Forgiveness is the obligation of those who have forgiven. Paul said it this way in Ephesians 4.32. Be kind to one another. tenderhearted, forgiving one another just as. God in Christ.
has forgiven you. And this is what it means to be a true follower of Jesus Christ. As one of his disciples, we're in a constant process of developing a forgiving heart.
Now, just before our time is entirely gone for today, I want to remind you that in the month of July, we're pleased to provide a brand new resource. It's a devotional book that's published by Pathway to Victory and called Encouragement for the Heart of a Disciple. And we're prepared to send you a copy when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory. This devotional book isn't a theological treatise on discipleship. This padded hardcover book is intentionally written to inspire your daily prayer life, emphasizing the relief that comes when you invite God's Spirit to cultivate spiritual virtues in your life, such as contentment, forgiveness, and trust.
Each chapter includes a stunning photograph from nature, complemented by a brief reflection, a Bible verse, and a short prayer to follow. When you respond today, we'll also include a collection of pocket-sized prayer cards so that you can easily engage in conversation with Jesus throughout your day. To be clear, both the devotional book, Encouragement for the Heart of a Disciple, and the prayer cards come with our profound thanks when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory. Here's David with all the details. You're invited to request your copy of Encouragement for the Heart of a Disciple by Dr.
Robert Jeffers when you give a generous gift to support the Ministry of Pathway to Victory. Just call 866-999-2965 or it's even easier: go online to ptv.org. And when your ministry gift is $100 or more, we'll send you the encouragement resource set containing the new devotional, six clutter-free prayer cards, the clutter-free Christianity book and life application guide, and the seven marks of a disciple message series on DVD and MP3 format audio disc set.
Now, this is the last week we'll mention these resources, so get in touch right away. Again, call 866-999-2965 or go online to ptv.org. If you'd prefer to send a check by mail, write to PO Box 223-609, Dallas, Texas, 75222. Again, that's PO Box 223-609, Dallas, Texas, 75222. I'm David J.
Mullins. If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. And while that transformation may take place internally, the Bible instructs us to demonstrate that transformation externally as well. Join us for an eye-opening message on the importance of baptism. That's Thursday here on Pathway to Victory.
Pathway to Victory with Dr. Robert Jeffress comes from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas. Experience the breathtaking majesty of America's last frontier on the 2026 Pathway to Victory cruise to Alaska. Board Holland America's luxurious Conningsdam ship with Amy and me for a journey that will refresh your soul and renew your spirit. Experience the unforgettable adventure June 13 through 20, 2026.
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