Forgiveness

Revivals with you not turn with if you would dilute chapter 17 and will be looking at verses three through 10. Pay attention to yourself for brothers, sins, rebuke him if he repents forgiving if he sins against you seven times in the day and turns to you seven times saying, I repent, you must forgiving the apostle said of the Lord, increase our faith. The Lord said if you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say the mulberry tree be uprooted and planted in the city, and it would obey you will any of you who has a servant plowing or keep in shape say to him when he is come in from the field, Watson replied at table, will he not rather say to him prepare supper for million dressed properly and served me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink as a thank the servant because he did what was commanded, so you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say we are un-worthy servants. We've only done what was our duty is pray.

Heavenly father, we come before your throne tonight.

Thanking you and praising you that you are God and that you have forgiven us as your children, Lord, what we realize about our self is that there is no way on the face of this earth that we deserved your forgiveness. We are unrighteous. We are selfish we are filled with pride and Lord. There are so many things that we could just confess to you tonight about what we are and what we should be and yet Lord, by the grace of God and by the power of the blood of Jesus. Our sins have been washed away and we have been made right in your sight. We stand before you and that last day you will look at us and you will see, not our filthy sin but you will see the perfect righteousness of Christ only father I look at my own life and how there been so many times in my life where I said to myself I forgiven somebody in an Lord that has not truly and genuinely been the truth and I pray heavenly father that you would help me that I might be more adept at forgiving that Lord might be more broken when I don't forgive quickly and father that I might not become bitter Lord. When that happens. All it does is drive me away from a fellowship with you heavenly father would ask tonight that you give me wisdom and help me Lord as I preach this passage that you would be uplifted and exalted through it.

This congregation would be edified by will be very careful to give you praise and honor and glory for all you do is in Jesus name we pray. Amen. You may be seated. What is forgiveness I write off the cuff that seem to be very easy question. Everybody knows what forgiveness he is somebody does something to offend you and you that person comes and apologizes to you and you say that's okay. No problem. Everything's all right. And that's forgiveness will know that's not forgiveness, that doesn't even come close to what the Bible teaches us about true forgiveness Bible says nothing about apologizing, apologizing, is just the world's unsatisfactory substitute for God's forgiveness. Some would say that forgiveness is a failing but nowhere in the Bible does it speak of feelings of forgiveness or our emotions of forgiveness for how we even get at the real issue I think we have to go to the word of God and in Ephesians chapter 4 verse 12 of a verse 32 Paul says the us that we are to forgive one another, just as God in Christ Jesus has forgiven us so that means that I forgiveness should be modeled after God's forgiveness of us and obviously when God forgives.

He doesn't see it in in the heavens and just emote is much, much more than that. So forgiveness isn't a feeling if it were there, we would never know when we were truly forgiven. Someone asked Martin Luther one time about forgiveness they asking date. Do you feel like you've been forgiven of your sins. And he said no I don't feel like I've been forgiven of my sins, I know I have been forgiven of my sins because the word of God tells me so. So when God forgives. He goes on record.

He makes all proclamation he makes a declaration he says I will not remember your sin. Isaiah 43, 45, God says I am he that blots out your transgressions for my own sake and I will not remember your sins in Jeremiah 3134 the Lord says, for I will forgive your iniquity, and I will remember your sin no more.

That has nothing to do with feelings or emotions is a declaration from God so that we can know that we are forgiven if you don't member anything else that I say tonight. Please remember this forgiveness is not a feeling it is a promise and the promise of God is that he will remember our sins no more out only ask you this is that statement does that baffle you a little bit. I like that statement. I love that statement, but it does baffle me somewhat when I think of a sovereign omission God who does everything past, present, future, and I'm being told that he forgets our sins. Well, that does baffle me. But the truth of the matter areas were not told that he forgets our sins. Forgetting. Sin is is a passive thing and you and I can forget because we not initiate so we can forget, but not remembering is not passive to active and will and what does that mean I think it's a determination by God to not hold our sins against us. It is God saying I will not beat you over the head with guilt. In Psalm 25 seven David prays to God and says remember not the sins of my youth and other places in the Bible the word remember means to bring up and to deal with the end and third John verse nine mentioned this guy this morning. His name was Dr. fees and I share with you this morning that in verse nine. They John says about him that he was a man that always puts self first. He was a man that that was say and keying me as I share with you this morning but he also John also says some more things abounding. John was concerned about him because he was doing some things that were doing great damage to the church and John says this about Dr. fees. He says I will remember you and when I get back to you and get back to the church. I will deal with you and that's what the word remember has to do with it has to do with not only thinking back to what this person is done, but dealing with the issue. So when God forgives.

He makes a determination to not remember our sins. Having said all that, let me remind you that God's judicial forgiveness does not mean that our life as a Christian will not be evaluated and either be rewarded or receive loss of rewards at the judgment seat of Christ urban loser said the following.

I think you said it will leading the list of mistaken ideas is the belief that there cannot be a serious review of our lives at the judgment seat of Christ, because as believers are sins are forgiven and cast into the depths of the sea.

After all, the argument goes, as far as God is concerned, our past failures and sins do not exist. Doesn't Calvary covered all friend of mine asked when I suggested that some people might experience deep regret along with lost privileges at the judgment seat of Christ him the judgment seat of Christ is really no judgment at all. All believers will pass the judgment seat with flying colors, not so, let us hear the words of Paul. We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may be recompensed for his deeds done in the body according to what he is done, whether good or bad. That phrase, whether good or bad reasons us of the cherished hope that our failures can never return to haunt us, reminds us that our father in heaven. Judges us even though we are secure in the knowledge that we are his children forever. Yet those who trust Christ alone for their salvation are redeemed eternally forgiven and legally perfect before God. We are not under condemnation, but it passed out of death and life. We enter heaven with the righteousness of Christ credited to our account. We accepted on the basis of his worthy merit to this. All Christians must say amen but Paul did not see a contradiction between teaching justification by faith and the related fact that we shall be judged for all our deeds done in the body.

Since our conversion. With that in mind, let's take a look at Jesus warning us about forgiveness. He starts out by saying, take heed.

Some says pay attention census be on guard and that's interesting to me that seems a little radical done it took to start a discussion on forgiveness. With take heed.

Well, there's a reason for it. Jesus is telling us something here that is extremely tough.

I've known people that were great great theologians that would absolutely mail with what Jesus is saying here about forgiveness.

This is not spiritual pablum that were dealing with here tonight. This is not just some truth that we are throwing out, so you'll be better at Bible Jeopardy.

This is where the rubber hits the road for us and Jesus is hitting us where we live you've ever read any biographies of Charles Spurgeon and you probably read about some of the. The physical handicaps and sicknesses and illnesses that he had to go through. He had a lot of things that were wrong with the one of the things that he hated the most. Him and was the very toughest awning was galloped and there was a man in his church that that came up to him and said Charles, you just need to quit complaining said you're always talking about how horrible galloped is is that I got rheumatism.

Rheumatism pains a lot worse than galloped and Spurgeon had rheumatism to and he took his glasses and put them down on the end of his nose. He looked at that God he said, kind sir. He said let me explain to you the difference between rheumatism, pain, gout, pain. He said rheumatism, pain is like sticking your hand in a vice and then taken that advice and twisted it around until the pain is so great you can't stand it. He said get out is like taking it right there and then turning it three more times.

Gaps tough. Jesus tells us to be on guard in the first part of verse three is going to hurt like rheumatism eyes tough, but in the second part of verse three is more like galloped look at the rheumatism, part verse three part a if your brother sins against you rebuking him, and noticed that this is a sin against you. You don't have the responsibility to to be rebuking everybody else for all their sins. This is if your brother is as sins against you, then you have the responsibility to go to him and to to deal with that how you handle it will just get real practical. Let's say that you're in a big cry. Alden and all your friends are there and there's a God that slayer he's got on a big set of army boots you they are in your barefooted, she thinks he's going be funny. He comes over there with his big army boots. He lifts up his leg when you're not looking, and he just comes damn I am just stomp your foot and he laughs about it and he walks off that pain has gone up here from your foot all the way to your head. I mean the pain is just horrible. You look down at your toes. Your toes are already turning blue. They look like little pancakes. I mean he is flattened out your feet.

He just cannot walks away and laughs about it. What you do. We hear some typical reactions number one you could throw yourself a pity party.

You can whine and you could write, you could complain and you you you become a social recluse you you could just what Pat like a baby is not the Council. Jesus gives second you could pitch a fit if you get mad and you could tell that person off you could pull off your coat and kick it down the hall.

Are you could I do like Bobby Knight did pick up a chair and throw it down there that after the GM or you could save the offender. I don't get mad I get evening don't go right over him install p.m. on the foot to get him back Jesus and give that counsel either.

Then there's 1/3 counselors are oldie but a goodie. You could act real pious and you could go around to that big crowd wheat where you are and you could save each one of them.

I want you to see what brother Joe did to my foot would you look at my toes there flat is pancakes. I mean I'm in all kinds of pain and I'm just telling you this because I want you to pray for John. You know what that is, that sanctified gossip and folks that's absolutely horrible, horrible, slight, did, did you hear about Mr. so-and-so's daughter.

She's had a baby out of wedlock. I'm just telling you the S because I want you to pray for in that sweet that's not sweet that sad and it's not the Council that Jesus gives. Here's the Council. If someone offends you, then rebuke him privately, privately, you go to him and you telling you stepped on my toes, and you may have thought it was funny but it hurt me and it hurt me bad and you need to deal with that question arises, but wait a minute, someone that did the wrong they should be coming to me.

I should have to go to him in Matthew chapter 5 verse 24 says if you've done something wrong, your brother, you all to go to him.

So that's what he should do, but who is talking to in this passage is not that one is the one who's hurt you.

He's talking to you and so the problem now is the Lord's command. In this passage is straight to you in the Scripture says you go to him.

Hopefully you'll meet together a halfway which you go to him. The question is why should you do that an answer is maybe the offender doesn't realize that he's offended you a lot Jay Adams wrote a great book on forgiveness and he said that in his book used illustration.

If there was a lady in his church named Jane and she had gone to Europe she gone been gone for about a month and she finally came back she was in church that Sunday and and are a good friend of hers is all way on the other side of the church and she saw her that she come back at all excited so service ended this lady gets up she runs over there to see your friend, she gets right over there. She's trying to get around some people and she says Jane Jane. Hey, I'm glad you're back.

We missed you so much Jane sticks her nose up in the air twirls around and walks out without even speaking and what's going on here why she.net with a lady says I been snubbed. This is horrible I don't like feeling this way.

I should never speak to her again and then this passage of Scripture came to her mind. I can't just walk away and so she followed her out to her car. She got out to her car and she saw that she grabbed a box of Kleenex's and she was blowing her nose and she went over to her and she tapped her on the shoulder and with tears in her eyes. She said why did you stop me like that and the likes of what he talking about Jane, Jane, to listen, I've been in Europe for the last four weeks and said I call a terrible Colo as they are in my ears are stopped up and I can't hear a thing and she said I had to run out of the car because my nose is running and I had to blow my nose and she said I didn't see you in there and I certainly didn't hear you. That's why Jesus said the offended person should go to the offender because maybe the offender doesn't know within what she gone to him what you do. Scripture says you rebuking is two Greek words for rebuke in the Scripture, and this one is a pit of my and it means to admonish tentatively so you go and you explain the facts without an accusing attitude. And then you wait for an explanation. Perhaps there's been a misunderstanding and if not, then this guy has the opportunity repent, and he may tell you he will plan what I did to you was wrong. I'm sorry about this and would would you forgive me. So that's what you're hoping will happen. So much for the rheumatism part is get to the tough part and tough part hurts like gout, so only read the second part of verse three in tack verse four along with it and if he repents forgiving and if he sins against you seven times in a day, seven times in a day return to you, saying, I repent, you shall forgiving another illustration saying your plan and pickup basketball game gets pretty competitive. You're out there trying to win everything's fun is one particular guy is a friend of yours who's a little overly competitive and so he sees that you're getting ready to go up for a layup and he's kind of maddening and any jumps up and he swats at the ball misses the ball and hits you right in the face you cannot think he did this on purpose of you pulling off to the side. He silica that really hurt, you shouldn't be doing that we were not here to have a good time and the gases meant I just got a bad temper. I'm sorry. Please forgive me. He says okay you're forgiven let's go play ball. I go back out there about 10 minutes later this guys after that same guy that got slapped in and now he's he's right he's stealing the ball from the same guy avoid but disguised as overly competitive and when when that happens, he gets overly aggressive and after just a minute. He pushes the guy down on the floor guy gets up and goes back over to their both Christians, he says, look at a said this is the second time this is happened and said you pushed me down said I don't know why you did that and he said I am so sorry that a said at least just like an ungodly reflex and I shouldn't of done it and I repent please forgive me. He has a responsibility to repeat, do you see the difference layer between rheumatism and get out. You see the difference. I tell you that that would get all right quick if this guy just kept doing it Doing it and kept doing it and he kept repenting and you have the responsibility to forgiving his disciples were pretty spiritual guys. So how do they respond to this verse five. They look up to Jesus in the sight oh Lord, increase our faith or they say in they were saying this, Lord. That's too hard you're asking us to do something that is way too hard. We'll have enough faith to forgive like that.

Lord, if you forgive like that when Juergen have to increase our faith was Jesus say does he say well you guys are probably right. That's probably just a little bit too much that I'm asking for you know Jesus doesn't say that he says in verse six and the Lord said if you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you can say to the mulberry tree be uprooted and planted in the sea, and it would abutting. Was this a good response from the disciples when they said, oh Lord, if you expect us to forgiving this way Juergen have to increase our faith.

That was not a godly response at all.

In fact, it was a pious copout. So Jesus lowers both barrels. Adam says listen.

The issue here is not a faith issue. If you had faith just the size of mustard seed, you compete doing all kinds of things so issues not faith issues obedience.

This is an obedient issue. This is not really a faith issue.

So you just need to obey my word.

Notice how Jesus deals with an excuse that he knows that they're going to come up with.

He knows he just foresees them saying this and that. The excuse is the excuse of sincerity. People say well they said they were repentant. They said they were sorry they said they would turn from it, but they turn right around and began they want sincere. They didn't mean it. Jesus, I tune. He said if your brother sins seven times in a day, seven times in a day and I think that in a day is important said you forgive them, you forgive them see why calling out as hard, but people say live if I could just say that their repentance was real, then it would be easy to forgive then I would know that there's their spiritual frankness taken place layer, business, and that can use the real spiritual fruit in a day.

Can you see a watermelon that that it can grow in this day can't see them a watermelon drone a day. All have Apple are bright. You can see fruit growing like that in a day and so the command is not to try to determine sincerity not to look for the spiritual fruit not to see if there's been genuine repentance in your your opinion is the us if that person says to you. I'm sorry I repent.

I turned from this and you have the responsibility before God to forgiving.

Then Jesus tells a story. The Things off versus seven through 10.

Will anyone of you has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he is come in from the field come at once and reclined at the table, will he not rather say to him prepare supper for me and dress properly and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink. Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded, so you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say we are unworthy servants.

We have only done what was our duty picture this if you can.

There's a slave it's been out working the gets up before the sun comes up in the morning starts work, he works all day long till after the sun's gone down. He finally gets back home in these dirty he's is close are our dirty he's dirty.

He smells bad, needs a bath, a sweat, and all day and what what is his master say tooling a man he had a tough day wanted to just go in. Take your bath right quick coming to get you some food, and I'll help you out here and then you can just go to bed earlier you tired you need this rest is not what the master said is it master said this is what you doing said you going on and you take your bath right quick and then you change close because your stinking and then you come out here and I want you to make my meal and make it as quick as you can and I want you to make my meal and undulate before you even think about eating and so what is a servant Billy comes back back in a is there at the kitchen he's got his frying pan full of fried chicken enemies's got mailings of mashed potatoes and gravy and homemade biscuits and he sets it out for his master. Then after he sets it out before his mastery, since it stands back and is God's will towel over his arm and he watches the master aid the whites and the whites and the whites finally that last forkful of mashed potatoes is going into his mouth and then he swallows that they own it, stretches a little bit leisurely and says I think I like some dessert and so what is the guy do pay runs back into the kitchen and he comes back out. He cleaned off the table gets everything perfect and he goes back to to get a big big piece of coconut pie and just covers it over with males of of whipped cream and he brings that he puts it before the master and the master just leisurely aids and enjoys his dessert. Here's the situation that Jesus wants us to see everything in that man is saying. I want to eat that food. I want to eat it. Right now I don't want to wait till later. I don't want to do this for my balls. I won't to satisfy myself right now he can't do that while not because he must obey his master. He does not have the privilege of just doing what he feels like doing very interesting what Jesus says Jesus as this servant has not done anything exceptional. He's just done what he was supposed to do, is another question. If I forgive somebody and I really don't feel like it. Does that make me a hypocrite on the our society has convinced us that we have to run on feelings but that's not biblical.

Some of you hate to get up in the morning, you really hate to get up in the morning and so your clock goes off and it's still dark outside what you want to do you want to reach over slap that alarm clock. Put your pill over your head and sleep for another hour but you don't do that.

Instead, the clock goes off you get up you stretch a little bit you go and wash your face off you change your clothes and you head off to work now. You didn't want to do that. Does that make you hypocrite on you just did what you were supposed to do only close with the with this refusal to forgive is a decision for revenge. In Romans 12, Paul quoted the Lord and said this vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord is not our responsibility to get even.

It's not our responsibility to seek retribution for an offense that's God's business in the 50th chapter of Genesis.

There's a great passage. They are where judges brothers are talking to Joseph after Jacob their father has died and I want to read you.

That passage then read you what James Boyce had to say about that will close with this judges brothers Saul that their father was dead. They said it may be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the evil that we did to him. So they sent a message to Joseph saying your father gave this command before he died cited Joseph please forgive the transgression of your brothers in theirs and their sin because they did evil to you. And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father Joseph wept and they spoke to him. His brothers also came and fell down before him and said, behold, we are your servants. Joseph said to them, do not fear frying in the place of God is for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good to bring it about that many people should be kept alive as they are today, so do not fear.

I will provide for you and your little ones, thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.

James Boyce said this, Joseph reassured them in what is surely one of the great statements of Scripture. Don't be afraid, and I in the place of God you intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then don't be afraid I will provide for you and your children. What gave Joseph the grace to make this remarkable reply. There is only one answer.

Joseph knew God in particular. He knew two things about God in you, that God is sovereign and nothing ever comes into the life of anyone of his children that he is not approved. First, there are no accidents and he knew that God is good. Therefore, the things that come into our lives by God's sovereignty or for our benefit and for others and not for our harm.

What Joseph saw and spoke of in this next to the last scene of his earthly life is what the apostle Paul wrote about eloquently hundreds of years later is a text often memorized by Christian people. We know that in all things God works together for good. Those who love him, who are the called according to his purpose is impossible to overestimate the wonder of this verse. So Joseph says I can forgive because my God is God is pray. Heavenly father, we thank you for this passage. We thank you Lord for your wisdom to the disciples, Lord, at this point in time in their lives and their discipleship. There was still a lot of misunderstanding there was deep need for guidance from your spirit. I thank you Lord that is recorded for us in Scripture that we might know the importance of being a people who forgive heavenly father got into soup and direct us that we might be forgiving people there might be no root of bitterness in any of our lives that Lord when things happened that hurt us and are against us that that we might realize that the call that we have on our lives is to forgive. We love you Jesus, thank you and praise you for your goodness and love to us, and we assess prayer in your holy and precious name. Amen