EP46: The Weight of Unforgivness

Unforgiveness is like carrying a heavy chain that only grows tighter with time. In this episode, we’ll explore how Jesus calls us to release that weight, forgive as we have been forgiven, and walk in the freedom only He can give.

Episode Transcript

(00:04):
The wooden cricket. Welcome back to the Whitten
Cricket Podcast. I'm Lawrence, and every day we
open God's work together to hearHis truth for our lives.
Yesterday in episode 45, we talked about unity in a divided

(00:28):
world and how Jesus prayed that his followers would be won.
But if division is the fruit, unforgiveness is so often the
root. It's unforgiveness that builds
walls and marriages, Unforgiveness that splits
churches, unforgiveness that turns brothers and sisters into

(00:49):
strangers. And here's the trap.
Unforgiveness doesn't chain the other person.
It chains us. Caring bitterness is like
drinking poison and hoping that it hurts somebody else.
That's crazy to day. We're going to look at the words
of Jesus. A parable.

(01:11):
He told it reminders from Paul, all pointing to the freedom that
comes when we forgive as Jesus forgave us.
It all begins with a simple question.
Peter asked us to Jesus. He wanted to know where's the
limit? How much forgiveness is too much

(01:31):
forgiveness? And in Matthew chapter 18 verses
2122 it says Then Peter came to him and asked, Lord, how often
should I forgive someone who sins against me?
7 times? No, not 7 times, Jesus replied,
but 70 * 7. Peter thought that 7 was a big

(01:56):
generous number. Um, you know, forgiving somebody
7 times, that's radical mercy inhuman terms.
But Jesus flips it upside down. It says not 7, but 70 * 7.
It's not a number that needs to be counted, but it's a way of
life. Forgiveness in the Kingdom isn't

(02:18):
about keeping score. It's about keeping grace
flowing. And that's where most of us
wrestle. Because forgiveness feels
unfair. It feels like letting someone
off the hook. But the truth is, forgiveness
isn't saying what they did was OK.
It's saying God is the judge, not me, and I'm handing the

(02:43):
gavel back to him. To drive the point home, Jesus
tells the story about forgiveness and debt, a parable
that makes the cost of unforgiveness painfully clear.
In Matthew 1832, it says, then the king called in the man he
had forgiven and said, You evil servant, I forgave you that

(03:05):
tremendous debt because you pleaded with me.
Shouldn't you have mercy on yourfellow servant just as I had
mercy on you? The servant had been forgiven
millions, a debt that he could never repay in 1000 lifetimes,
and yet he grabbed his fellow servant by the throat over a

(03:26):
handful of coins. That's the picture of
unforgiveness. When we refuse to forgive, we're
choking someone over pennies while God has wiped away our
mountain of debt at the cross. Yeah, think about that at
Calvary. Jesus paid what we could never

(03:47):
pay. Every sin passed in future
nailed to Him in that moment, and we've been forgiven that
much. How can we withhold forgiveness
from anybody else? But forgiveness isn't just
something Jesus taught, it's something He lived even in his

(04:09):
darkest moment. In Luke 23 verse 33 it says when
they came to a place called the Skull, they nailed him to the
cross and the criminals were also crucified, one on his
right, one on his left. And Jesus said, Father, forgive
them, for they don't know what they're doing.

(04:32):
Think about this, in the moment of greatest pain, bleeding,
mocked, suffocating on the cross, Jesus prayed forgiveness
over the very ones hammering in the nails.
If he could forgive there in that agony, what excuses do we

(04:54):
possibly have to hold on to unforgiveness in our lives?
Forgiveness isn't natural, but it's supernatural.
It's the Spirit of Christ alive in us, empowering us to release
what we never could on our own. And This is why Paul urges
believers not to hold on to bitterness because it poisons

(05:17):
us. But forgiveness frees us.
Ephesians chapter 4, verse 31. Get rid of all bitterness, rage,
anger, harsh words, and slander,as well as all types of evil
behavior. Instead, be kind to each other,
tender hearted, forgiving one another just as God through

(05:40):
Christ has forgiven you. Paul gives us a clear trade off.
Bitterness or kindness, Rage or tenderness, Chains or freedom.
And the reason isn't simply to be nice.
It's because God through Jesus Christ forgave you.

(06:02):
The cross is always the standard.
Forgive as you've been forgiven.Not half heartedly, not
reluctantly, fully, freely and forever.
Unforgiveness is heavy. Some of you listening today have
carried it for years. You've replayed the words, the

(06:24):
betrayal, the wound, and that chain has only gotten heavier
for you. But Jesus is whispering, you
don't have to carry that anymore.
Forgiveness doesn't mean you forget.
It doesn't mean you that trust is instantly restored, and
doesn't mean you pretend it didn't hurt.

(06:46):
It means you place the pain in the hands of Jesus, the only one
who can truly heal. At the cross.
Jesus carried our sin, our shame, and yes, our
unforgiveness. He took it all so we could walk
free. So today, who is God calling you

(07:07):
to forgive? A parent, a friend, a spouse,
maybe yourself. So lay it down, because the
longer you hold it, the heavier it's going to get.
But when you release it at the cross, when you release it to
Jesus, you're going to find freedom deeper than you ever
imagined. Tomorrow, we'll talk about

(07:29):
something many carry quietly. That's loneliness, even in a
crowded world. This is the wooden cricket
podcast. I'm Lawrence Friends,
unforgiveness will chain you, but Jesus came to break chains
at the cross. He forgave us completely, and
now he calls us to live that same freedom.

(07:53):
Don't let bitterness write your story.
Let the mercy of Jesus write it instead.
Don't let unforgiveness steal your joy.
Let His Spirit fill you with peace.
So today may you walk in forgiveness.
May you know the freedom of grace and may your life shine as
a testimony that Jesus is alive because His mercy flows through

(08:19):
you. Until next time, friends, keep
your eyes on Jesus, keep your heart open to His Spirit, and
walk in the freedom of His forgiveness.
Again, this is Bill Lawrence of the Wooden Cricket Podcast, and
to you I'm saying peace.