The eighteenth message from the book of Ephesians, “Forgiveness.”

Eph. 4:31-32 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

The subject of forgiveness is a common one. Most of us learn about the importance of forgiving one another from a child. It is a fundamental habit that must be developed if we are to have lasting and loving relationships with people. This is true regardless of the relationship, it applies to family, friends, work and school colleagues, and the church body.

Forgiveness—that is forgiving and not holding something against a person—sounds simple and easy. The reality is very different. When we were young and somewhat innocent we quickly forgave but, as life goes on and the wrongs against us become larger, forgiveness gets harder to give.

Today we will look at examples of forgiveness, the command to forgive, the dangers of an unforgiving heart, and the blessings of having a forgiving heart.