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March 9, 2022 7:00 am
Today on Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ.
Why is he understands the tormentors, you have an unforgiving spirit human unforgiving spirit.
I can almost guarantee as your life goes on in Illinois become more more evident everybody probably even to you.
You become a better person and I know there's nothing more tragic sea person is been a Christian for decades in her 60s 70s and 80s, and they just lose bitterness. The reason they do miss her because it will not today on this additional Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie, Louisiana. Let's join Pastor Bill Gebhardt now is once again he shows us how God's word meets our world. We try this scenario, somebody's hurt you so much try to destroy your reputation, so is done you wrong in your past, and then you hear later that they are following difficult circumstances or bad times how you respond smiled as a little smile when you think it getting what they deserve now. See if you if you think that kind of joy and someone is hurt you in the past whenever there are certain you have not forgiven you, not choking them. Would you have the same vengeful heart.
Jesus is don't do that forgiven people must be forgiving notice, so his fellow slave fell to the ground began to plead with him, saying, have patience with me and I will repay you know that's verse 29.
Again, look back to verse 26. This is himself. So the slaveowner, the Bob prostrate himself before miss it.
Have patience with me and I will repay you everything based on similar I need mercy well verse 30 says, but he was unwilling. Now I didn't say the pain was so great he just couldn't help himself.
He didn't say he was so emotionally distraught by dismantling in three months late, but he just couldn't help whenever God's children don't forgive, there's only one reason you don't you are on willing, unwilling, it's an act of the will. As I told you it's not an action of the emotion he was unwilling and by the way he has the legal right what he was unwilling anyone eats Roman prison until he should pay back all that was owed. He has every legal right to do that.
You all me and I may get justice. Jesus said he was unwilling forgiven people must be forgiving now even others. By the way, see this. This can't be right in the story, verse 31 so when his fellow slaves saw what happened, they were deeply grieved and a camera report of the Lord all that it happened as a way to minute you know this guy came on joyful telling all of us that he owed you 10,000 talents and you forgave and now a guy owes him three months wages.
By the way, that's one 600,000 of what he owed.
Don't miss that one over 600,000. That's how much more healed and he was so happy about what he had received, but he wasn't gonna receive it and he says even the others that were there so that doesn't seem right away is that a picture of us. I guess a secondary point of view.
The world is watching us who claim that we go around telling everybody want to receive the forgiveness of God want your sins are forgiven you with the surety of heaven.
Jesus Christ will forgive you all your sins, past and present and future.
He will is forgiveness wonderful, can forgive you see Jesus as you can do that you can't do that, you can but you surely shouldn't says you can't do that forgiven people must be forgiving and yet he says we are, many of us are so unwilling. I think were unwilling often because we say, and I hear this often, but if you only knew what so-and-so did to me what I can tell you this. It was only one 600 thousandths what you did to God at its best, one, 600,000's of what you did to God. Don't tell me what so-and-so did to you and that's why you can't forgive Jerry's center wrote a book in his book was entitled when God does not answer your prayer. And he is a Christian man who for Dave Thompson about the freedom and the joy when he finally came to a position of forgiveness and oh by the way, he might've had more to forgive than you had in your life. You see it a drunk driver intoxicated when across lanes as we always read about or see on the news and ran into a car and in that car drunk driver killed his mother, his wife and his only daughter of that's a lot of forgiving in one moment he lost his mother, his wife and his daughter define freedom and forgiveness and he writes this about those who will not forgive you sit it's easy to spot unforgiving people. They leave a trail of evidence everywhere. They take offense easily and bake in a caress hurts that sometimes go back years. Even the childhood they rehearse the wrongs done to them as if reciting a script. They are absolutely convinced that they were and are victims. Unforgiving people become so preoccupied with the wrong done to them, which may be and often is severe and painful that they cannot see the wrong that's in them obsessed by their own pain they become oblivious to the pain that they inflict on others on their children and their spouses, their friends and even God. He has a right to say that no one is God's perspective on all this. If one forgiving verse 32 then summoning him as Lord 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 with a Skype call that we will forgive wicked the word Panera's choosing not translated wicked. It's almost always translated evil, you evil slave to what does God see our unforgiveness to be sin, it's sin, it's wicked. It's evil. You see, God said, you wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt. All of it 200,000 years of labor forgiven all Lisa should you not when he says, should you not he is really saying literally wasn't necessary to translate that wasn't necessary that you also had mercy and your fellow slave in the same way that I did on you and it gets quite interesting in his Lord, moved with anger, and by the way, evil and sin always moves got better God's wrath, even Christ experience that on the cross because he was arson bears and his Lord, moved with anger, handed them over to the torturers and wait a minute until he should repay all that is owed him no torturers. I had him that's an unusual were doing and we got very much in English it's even more unusual you try to read it in Greek. And the reason is, is the word is bass in this list is the only time it's in the Bible. One time right here it comes in the word messianism bass in his own means to torment notice. These are executioners is her tormentors so the Lord moved with anger, handed them over to the tormentors, until he should repay all that was owed him as John MacArthur rights until we had a change of heart and forgave his offending brother knows he's not paying back what he owes God he's going to have to pay back what was owed him. Lord Herbert said he cannot forgive what you cannot forgive others. He says breaks the bridge on which he himself must pass James that it this way in James 213. Judgment will be merciless to the one who shows no mercy.
Is serious business, the Christ you know why because he understands the tormentors that, when you have an unforgiving spirit human unforgiving spirit. I can almost guarantee you as your life goes on and on and on to become more more evident to everybody, probably even do you you become a bitter person and I know there's nothing more tragic than to see a person who's been a Christian for decades in her 60s 70s and 80s, and they just lose bitterness and the reason they do is their miserable because it will not forgive you see, they will not forgive, torment us, we can take this to our grave.
In verse 35 Jesus simply says my heavenly father will also do the same to you.
If each of you does not forgive his Brother from your heart you not asking a second opinion here is no options or forgiving people must forgive you, so you sure about that mean are you certain that that's what he means will turn back to Matthew six, the sermon on the mount for moment, the sermon on the Mount chapter 6 and in the context of the Lord's prayer.
I won't comment too much on the Lord's prayer and that the past but it is kind of ironic, if not funny. Verse five says when you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corner so that they may be seen by many situation you they have their reward will men say while that was a great parade of mocha. That's it that's all you get. Jesus is when you pray, you going to you in a room, close the door, pray to your father is in secret, and your father who sees what is he says done in secret will reward you. And when you are praying now what's this morning. Do not use meaningless repetition as unbelievers so other church we repeated this for 2000 years. He said don't repeat prayers.
Let's repeat this prayer that I'm it's unbelievable that we could do that right in the context do not use meaningless repetition. Just pray like this. Let's pray that what disappointing group. We are, he said don't be like them. In verse eight. Your father knows what you need. Even before you ask, you got understand you not informing God with prayer and not oppressing with prayer simply communicating with God. Your heart, pray then in this way, our father is in heaven, hallowed be your name Lord I honor you. You are a holy God. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven what Lord I want you will done. I want you will done in every instance and then he says give us this day our daily bread, Lord, I need every day to get through the day. I need you, and then he says, and forgive us our debts and it's a present tense keep on forgiving us Lord we talked about this last time, keep on forgiving me, but then he had something as we also have forgiven our debtors. Lord, I want you to forgive me.
The way I forgive others. You pray that this I would you want to pray for Lord, I want you to forgive me. The way I forgive other people little tough. By the way, it's the only way he will forgive you watch what happens. Do not lead us into temptation but deliver us from evil. For yours is the kingdom the power and the glory forever. Amen. And then disallowing tobacco make a point. For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you if you do not forgive others. Your heavenly father will not forgive your transgressions you not talking about eternal life. When I talk about that kind of forgiveness. This is my go to heaven. This is how you stay in fellowship with God. We talked about the last time. In other words, an unforgiving spirit in you is a perpetual sin in your life. You stay in a state of sin because your unforgiving is that you don't expect to get anything from God.
If that's the case Ken Sandy in his book the peacemaker says this if someone has sinned against you part of the day is also owed you. This means that you have a choice to make. You can take it.
You can either take payments on the debt or you can make payments on the debt you can take or extract payments on the debt from other sin. In many ways. Some of us do.
By withholding forgiveness by dwelling on the wrong by being cold and aloof. By giving up though on the relationship by inflicting emotional pain by gossiping about the people by lashing back by seeking revenge against the one was hurt us.
These actions may provide a perverse pleasure for the moment, but they exact a high price from you in the long run the torture chamber of the unbelieving spirit is all too real. You see the person that really loses when you don't forgive someone is not them. Sometimes they never think of you again if you you think about it all the time you think about the pain all the time miserable Christians I know the mantra. If you only knew what they did to me at worst they did one 600,000s of what you did to God and yet you receive the forgiveness to accept the forgiveness of God and refuse to forgive others is not unfortunate people wicked to become a prisoner of the unforgiving spirit when lots are in this book.
When you been wrong says this unless we see our own failures. We will never be able to deal fairly and biblically with the failures of others unless we are willing to be honest about her own since we will always distort and overreact to the sins of others.
Marriages are broken churches are split and believers he says are stalled in their tracks spiritually because they have not properly responded when they are offended. They become bitter and defensive, critical and hardhearted and Satan uses the offense to keep them bound. There was a wall between them and God and they do not want the wall to be removed. Forgiving people must forgive you see the secret of forgiving us across. That's the secret Ephesians be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as Christ in God is forgiving across it's grace. It's where we received it our duty to forgive is grounded in the dirt of Calvary. That's where we went receive forgiveness going to close an illustration Cory 10 boom and I can probably close every several illustration Cory 10 boom and the reason is she is such a godly woman was just saying to my wife this week. There are three women that I have such enormous respect for spiritually live in my lifetime. All three of those women are unique. One is Corrie 10 boom who heard her sister and her family were hiding Jews in Nazi Germany and ended up in concentration camps because interfaith prevailed. The others Elizabeth Elliott, her husband went in to reach the tribal people, those tribal people killed her husband and she went in and led those tribal people to Christ.
The other is John Erickson, Todd, a typical teenage girl dies in a swimming pool and as a quadriplegic for the rest of her life and what she has done for Jesus Christ is overwhelming.
The reason I have so much respect for them. Their spirituality is not theoretical.
Their theory, their spirituality is grounded in enormous suffering and pain and yet they still honor Jesus Christ and live for his glory will Corrie 10 boom. I found the story about her that illustrates the sermon during World War II.
Corrie 10 boom was confined to a concentration camp at ravens Brook. For her part in sheltering Jews from the Nazi oppressors. Her father died in another camp and in the dehumanizing conditions of ravens Brook. She was not only humiliated and degraded, but she watch the life of her sister Betsy have a way. Yet God's grace was real in the midst of all the suffering and after the war she went to Germany to preach God's forgiveness.
Following one service, a man came forward. She recognized immediately. One of the worst experiences in the camp had been the delousing showers where the women were ogled and taunted by the living guards.
This man was one of those SS guards, a man who had been one of the cruelest, especially to her sister.
Now he stood in front of her with his hand outstretched. Jan Fräulein is wonderful that Jesus forgives all our sins, just as you say, Cory froze as all the memories flooded back. But the man carried on. You mentioned ravens Brook. I was a guard there, but since I have become a Christian and I know that God has forgiven me, but I would like to hear it from you as well. Fräulein, will you forgive me. Cory stood there paralyzed. She can forgive her sister Betsy died. She had been humiliated there at the same time she was ashamed that she could preach about forgiveness but couldn't and wouldn't forgive so she began to pray Lord forgive me for I cannot forgive, and she cried inwardly and as she prayed she began to think about the cross of Jesus Christ and she felt not only forgiven but set free the glacier hate melted within her and her hand on froze and as she reached out her hand and spoke her forgiveness. She felt another burden of her past fallen away the cross he says is where we receive forgiveness.
The more we learn how to forgive. If she did, you can. What I like you to do is I want to think of the people in your life in your past. It might be apparent. A relative, my dear spouse might be employer might be an adversary. It might be somebody who is really hurt what you think about that person and then in your mind. I like to take that person with yourself to Calvary for the cross place for you receive all the forgiveness in your minds.
I want you to say the Lord. I forgive them in the same way that you forgiven me.
We have no other option forgiven.
People must be forgiving the spring father I know how difficult this is difficult for someone like Corrie 10 boom. It is certainly difficult for me and I'm sure difficult for others as human beings we have this tendency to latch on and hold a bitter spirit toward individuals in our lives but father all that does is torment us. It certainly does not please you father you forgive me because you loved me. Christ paid the price for my forgiveness because he loves me and he was willing to go to the cross for me.
Jesus told me and all of these folks to love the Lord our God with all our heart, our mind, our soul and our strength and we are to love others as ourselves. Father included in that love is the idea forgiveness. So father I pray that this is a day for so many of us that we let go of that that we forgive those who hurt us nowhere near the degree that we have sinned against you, but in the same way. Father, we forgive and we experience the melting away is Corrie 10 boom said we experience the freedom cleansing the person we pray this in Christ. Amen Pastor Bill Gebhardt on the radio ministry and fellowship more if you ever miss one of our broadcast or maybe you just like listening to the message one more time. Remember the good a great website called one place.com that's one place.com and you can listen to Fellowship in the Word online at that website you will find on with today's broadcast but also many of our previous audio program that Fellowship in the Word. We are thankful for those who financially support our ministry and make this broadcast possible. We ask all of our listeners to prayerfully consider how you might help with radio ministry continuous broadcast on this radio station by supporting a monthly report just a one-time gift support for ministry can be sent to Fellowship in the Word. 4600 Clearview Pkwy., Metairie, LA 7006 if you would be interested in hearing today's message in its original format that is a sermon, the pastor Bill delivered during a Sunday morning service of fellowship monitored visit our website FVC Nola.org that FVC and oh LA.O RG at our website you will find hundreds pastor Bill sermon you can browse through our sermon archives to find the sermon series you're looking for or you can search by title.
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