“My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions and loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next.

VENGEANCEThe desire to exact punishment

for a wrong done to self or another, especially in resentment or vindictiveness

2 CORINTHIANS 5:17-20a…if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to Himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, & entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making His appeal through us.

VENGEANCEThe desire to exact punishment

for a wrong done to self or another, especially in resentment or vindictiveness

RECONCILIATIONTo bring into agreement

or harmony

2 CORINTHIANS 5:17-20a…if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to Himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, & entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making His appeal through us.

FALSE NARRATIVEOnly when we forgivewill we be forgiven & healed(leads to performance & earning)

FALSE NARRATIVE

TRUE NARRATIVEKnowing we have been forgivenleads to healing & forgiveness

Only when we forgivewill we be forgiven & healed(leads to performance & earning)

JESUS’ NARRATIVETherefore the kingdom of heaven may

be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand

talents. And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and

all that he had, and payment to be made.

JESUS’ NARRATIVESo the servant fell on his knees,

imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’

And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and

forgave him the debt.- Matthew 18:23-27

PAUL’S NARRATIVE: Pattern & PowerBear with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgive each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.- Colossians 3:13

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.- Ephesians 4:32

PAUL’S NARRATIVE: Pattern & Power

Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. - Galatians 6:1

PAUL’S NARRATIVE: Pattern & Power

TWO IMPORTANT REMINDERS1. Forgiveness doesn’t mean erasing healthy/necessary relational boundaries

TWO IMPORTANT REMINDERS1. Forgiveness doesn’t mean erasing healthy/necessary relational boundaries

2. Forgiveness should never be done via public ambush

SOUL TRAININGAsk the Lord to show you if there is anyone who has hurt you, but you haven’t been able to forgive…- Remember how much YOU have been forgiven- Remember Christ died for THEM as well- Remember that YOU being reconciled to God & THEM being reconciled to God does NOT mean relationship HAS to be restored to its previous state