MY RESPONSIBILITY TO OTHERS
Part 1
Romans 14:10 Why do
you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For
we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; 11 for it is written, "As I
live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess
to God." 12 So then each
of us will give an account of himself to God.
2 Corinthians 5:9 So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please
him. 10 For we must all
appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is
due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.
In these verses, Paul
makes one thing clear, we are all going to have face
The Judgment Day, and we will have to give an account for our actions. This is
not limited to how well we keep ourselves out of sin, but includes how we treat
others. Even though we are ultimately responsible for where we end up in
eternity, how we treat others especially our brothers and sister in Christ, plays an important part in our Christian walk of
faith.
Something important for
us to remember is not to be self-centered to the point that we only worry about
ourselves and couldn’t care less about anyone else or where they end up, and we
must also avoid the other extreme where we care about others so much that we
neglect to care of our own spiritual health. Paul understood this balance.
1 Corinthians 9:24 Do you
not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run
in such a way that you may obtain it.
25 And everyone who competes for the prize is
temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown,
but we for an imperishable crown.
26 Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight:
not as one who beats the air. 27
But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have
preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.
Paul had to be careful
not to get lost is just preaching God’s Word and helping others to stay focused
on following because he also had to watch out for himself and make sure that he
was doing he was supposed to do as well. In other words, he had to learn to
have good spiritual balance in his life. While the majority of this lesson will
focus on our responsibility to other Christians, please never forget about
being spiritual balanced so that you can effectively help others while
maintaining righteousness in your own life.
Let’s begin looking at
some of our
responsibilities as Christians toward other Christians.
1. I must love and serve other Christians
Galatians 5:13 For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only
do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love
serve one another.
I know that it can be
challenging to love others especially when they are weird and completely
different than you. No mater how different they may
be from you, one thing that we all have in common is
Christ. If Christ could bring together Jews, despised tax collectors, zealots,
and Gentiles together in the first century, then He can certainly bring you and
the goofball sitting across the aisle from you. While we may not laugh at the
same jokes or think the same way about politics or other worldly things, we
will always have the common bond of loving God and His Word. Jesus said:
John 13:35
"By this all will know that you are My disciples,
if you have love for one another."
So, loving your brethren
despite their past, the cultural differences, and their outer appearance will
show others that you are disciples of Christ. When you
love your brother as the Bible tells us to, we are also to serve one another
because we love them. Jesus illustrates this to His disciples in:
John 13:3 Jesus,
knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had
come from God and was going to God, 4
rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded
Himself. 5 After that, He
poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them
with the towel with which He was girded.
6 Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him,
"Lord, are You washing my feet?" 7 Jesus answered and said to him,
"What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after
this." 8 Peter said to
Him, "You shall never wash my feet!" Jesus answered him, "If I
do not wash you, you have no part with Me." 9 Simon Peter said to Him,
"Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!" 10 Jesus said to him, "He who
is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you
are clean, but not all of you." 11
For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, "You are not all
clean." 12 So when He
had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them,
"Do you know what I have done to you?
13 "You call me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so
I am. 14
"If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also
ought to wash one another's feet.
15 "For I have given you an example, that you should do
as I have done to you. 16
"Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master;
nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. 17 "If you know these things,
blessed are you if you do them.
Some religious groups misapply what Jesus is teaching His disciples here and think that Jesus was instituting feet washing, but it goes much deeper than than. Though Jesus knew that Judas was about to betray Him, He took this opportunity to teach His disciples about the importance of serving one another. Jesus set the example by washing His disciples' feet, which was a common occurrence during those times because people walked everywhere and their feet became very dirty especially with the king of shoes that had back them. You could imagine how refreshing it would be to enter someones’ house and have your feet cleaned. While washing feet back then was one way that one could serve another, the bigger picture was to follow Christ’s example in serving others, just as He did though out His ministry. Jesus taught a similar message in:
Mark 10:43 …
whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. 44 "And
whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. 45 "For
even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His
life a ransom for many."
As Christians, let us
look for ways that we can serve each other. Not only is it Biblical, it is
rewarding to serve others.
2. I must practice
the Golden Rule
Jesus said:
Matthew 7:12 "Therefore,
whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and
the Prophets.
This saying of Jesus is
referred to as the golden rule, which is do unto others as you would have them
to unto you. When you think about it, we all struggle with having a dual
standard when it comes to ourselves and others. The reason for us this is because
we know who we are and how we feel. We know whether or not we are faking or
being real. However, when it comes to others, we do not know how they really
feel, what their truth motivation is, or whether they are sincere or fakes. Not being able to know another person and having to
make a judgement call based on our own wits can make
it challenge for us to follow this golden rule.
For
example. If you found yourself
needing help with whatever it may be, you want people to believe you and help
you because you know it is legitimate. However, when someone comes to you
needing help with whatever, you may question their motives and send them on
their way even though they may have a legitimate need for help. As Christians,
we must be careful not to set dual standards for ourselves and others. Please
understand, I am not saying that we cannot question a person who needs help to
see if they are legitimate or not, but I am saying that we should give them the
same compassion and consideration that we would others to give us.
Of course another aspect
of the Golden Rule is that we should treat those around and especially our
brethren with the same love and respect that we want them to show to us. We all
have a heart and we all deserve to be treated kindly. How many times have
become mad and driven to tears when people used the very words you have used on
others, but you did not notice it when you were the one dishing it out? This is
an easy thing for us to overlook in own lives, but we need to be watchful of
how we are treating others in comparison to how we want to be treated. Though
not easy to do, Paul teaches us how to have the right attitude toward other so
that we do not set a dual standard in:
Philippians 2:3 Let nothing be done through selfish
ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better
than himself. 4 Let each of
you look out not only for his own interests, but also
for the interests of others. 5
Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
Jesus was willing to die
for you. He has set the ultimate example. So, don't you think we all should be
willing to treat each other as we want to be treated? I think so.
3. I must help build up the church
The church, which refers
to the called out, refers to Christians. We are the body of Christ. Jesus died
and gave His life and He purchased the church with His blood (Acts 20:7). The
church is also referred to as the kingdom of God and it to be one of our
priorities in life. Jesus said:
Matthew 6:33
"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these
things shall be added to you.
Certainly one of our
goals as Christians is to build up the church, the kingdom of God. The church
can refer all Christians everywhere, but is also denotes the assembly of the
saints just as we are gathered together this morning. While there are many ways
we can help build up the church, one of the ways we can do this is by being
part of the assembly as the writer of Hebrews says:
Hebrews 10:24 And let
us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of
ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one
another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
I have heard some people
say that they do not need to assemble with saints because they do just fine on
their own. Well, this is what you call being self-centered. Even if one could
claim that they don’t need the church, which I believe to be a false statement
on so many levels, the church needs you. Every member of the Lord’s body serves
a purpose. Even if you feel like you do not need anymore
encouragement and you you are as as
solid as a rock, you need to be there for the rest of us who have not achieved
your supposed level of faithfulness.
Notice the writer says we
are to consider one another in order to stir up love and good works. How can we
do this if we stay in own world and do our own thing and stay away from the
assembly of the saints? We cannot, and we neglect our duty as Christians to
serve and love others when we forsake the assembling of ourselves together.
Paul talks a lot about
the body of the Christ and how each member has its part to do in 1 Cor. 12, but
he concludes with these words:
1 Corinthians 12:23 And
those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these
we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts
have greater modesty,
24 but our presentable parts have no need. But
God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which
lacks it, 25
that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should
have the same care for one another. 26
And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one
member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.
While
showing care for someone and rejoicing for them goes beyond simply being
assembled with them, it certainly includes it. Even with all our technology
sometimes the only way you are going to find out about a brother or sister that
needs your help, encouragement or needs to be rejoiced with is by assembling
with the saints.
Also,
when you attend faithfully, it encourages others to attend faithfully and it
shows others how much love you have for the Lord and for your breathern. Besides, when you forsake the assembly you
breaking several commands, such as partaking of the Lord’s Supper, giving your
means, obeying those who rule over you, which are the elders, and you count the
body of Christ as a common thing, which disrespects Jesus and what He gave up
to establish the church. So, let us not neglect our responsibility to keep God’s commands
and to edify brethren when we assembly together to sing praises to God and
worship Him together.
4. Our fourth point
comes from:
1 Thessalonians 5:14 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are
unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. 15 See that no one renders evil
for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves
and for all.
The
word exhort has several meanings:
to address, speak to, (call to, call upon), which
may be done in the way of exhortation, entreaty, comfort, instruction, etc. 2a)
to admonish, exhort 2b) to beg, entreat, beseech 2b1) to strive to appease by
entreaty 2c) to console, to encourage and strengthen by consolation, to comfort
(Thayer)
In
general to exhort is to bring something to the attention of another, which
could range from being a warning to words of comfort. Hebrew 3:13 says to
exhort one another daily. This is another one of those responsibilities we have
toward one another.
Paul
says we are to warn those who are unruly. It takes courage to do this. When you
see someone that is doing or saying things that are sinful especially if that
person is loud and overbearing, it's easy to ignore it, but this will not help
them to overcome their sin. We must understand the seriousness of their
condition as Paul points out in:
2 Corinthians 5:10 For we
must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive
the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good
or bad. 11
Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men;
We
must learn to overcome our fear for the sake of their soul. Paul certainly practiced
what he preached:
Galatians 2:11 Now
when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to
be blamed; 12 for before
certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they
came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the
circumcision. 13 And the rest
of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was
carried away with their hypocrisy. 14
But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the
gospel, I said to Peter before them all, "If you, being a Jew, live
in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to
live as Jews? 15 "We who
are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, 16 "knowing that a man
is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we
have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ
and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be
justified. 17 "But if,
while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is
Christ therefore a minister of sin? Certainly not! 18 "For if I build again
those things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. 19 "For I through the law
died to the law that I might live to God.
20 "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I
who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the
flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for
me. 21
"I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through
the law, then Christ died in vain."
I do not know what Paul
was feeling when he rebuked Peter, but I can tell you that if I were in Paul’s
shoes, I would have to push myself to rebuke one of the original 12 apostles.
Whatever, emotions Paul was experiencing, he did not
allow it to keep him from warning Peter and others about their unruly behavior
and neither should we.
Let’s look at our text
again:
1 Thessalonians 5:14 Now we
exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted,
uphold the weak, be patient with all. 15
See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good
both for yourselves and for all.
We are to comfort the
fainthearted or we could say the discouraged. Satan will exploit discouragement
because a discouraged person is easy prey, but we are to do our part to help
them out of their discouragement by being there for them.
We are to uphold the
weak. This word weak can refer to someone that is physically sick or is
helpless because of some physical limitation, but it can also refer to one that
is spiritually weak and and struggling with his
faith. Whether one is physically weak or spiritually weak, Christians in this
condition need our encouragement and our help.
We are to be patient with
all. This is a tough one for some of us, but it is something we must learn to
get better at. The better we get at learning patients, the better off we will be
because there are many challenges we will face as we deal with those that are
not like us and those that we are trying to encourage or trying to get them to
change their sinful ways. When we get better at being patient and taking our
responsibilities to other more seriously than verse 15 will not be as difficult
for us.
15 See that no one renders evil for
evil to anyone
I cannot think of a more
fitting conclusion to end the first part of this lesson on that captures what I
have been talking about this morning than the last part verse 15:
but always pursue what is good both for
yourselves and for all.
I hope something I have
said this morning has reminded you that there is more to life than just you. I
hope that this lesson will encourage to fully embrace the
responsibilities you have to others, while you also strive to maintain your
responsibility to your own spiritual welfare.
MY RESPONSIBILITY TO OTHERS
Part 2
This morning I began talking about our responsibility to others. I believe this is an important lesson because it reminds us that there is more to life that just ourselves. Here are the points we covered this morning.
1. I must love and serve other Christians
2. I must practice the Golden Rule
3. I must help build up the church
4. Our fourth point comes from:
1 Thessalonians 5:14 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are
unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. 15 See that no one renders evil
for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves
and for all.
Tonight we will continue
with this same idea. Our first topic for tonight is this:
1. I must be a good example for others to follow
This is actually
something a self centered Christian can pull off part
of the way because, if a Christian is truly concerned about his relationship
with God, then he will live His life as God would want Him to. If you live for
God, then you are naturally going to be a good example for others to follow
because you will do things that glorify God. However, there are limitations to
the example a self centered Chrisitan
because he will only be able to be good examples in ways that serve him, but
will be a poor example when it comes to serving and loving others. When it
comes right down to it a self centered Christian can
only follow God so far and this will be detrimental to his soul because much of
the teaching of the N.T. involves caring for others. While a self serving Christian will have some good qualities about
him, they will not be enough to be pleasing to God.
Paul certainly understood
this concept of being a good example others because notice what he taught
Timothy:
ESV 1 Timothy 4:12 Let no
one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in
conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. 13
Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to
exhortation, to teaching.
Timothy had some great
responsibilities as a young evangelist, and Paul encouraged him often. Though
these words written to Timohty the same principles apply
to us all because our goal as Christians is to be good examples for those who
around us. Yes, Paul specifically mentioned believers in this context, but this
same idea is taught elsewhere of how we are to be good examples to the world as
well. Notice the points that Paul makes:
He is to be a good
example in speech. The words and the tone we use can either destroy or build up
a person.
Proverbs 18:21 Death and life
are in the power of the tongue.
Controlling
our words and how we sound is important because it make the difference between
winning a soul to Christ or pushing one away from
Christ. It makes the difference between lifting a fellow Christian up or knocking them down. The writer of Proverbs says it best:
Proverbs 21:23 Whoever guards his mouth and tongue Keeps his soul from
troubles.
Proverbs 16:23 The heart of the wise teaches his mouth, And adds learning
to his lips. 24 Pleasant
words are like a honeycomb, Sweetness to the soul and health to the
bones.
I read a saying that
said, “Some people need a glue stick instead of chap stick.” While this is
funny it offers great advice to us as Christians because, we would be better
off many times by keeping our mouths shut instead of speaking everything that
comes to our minds. It is important to think before you speak because words are
powerful and the damage they do cannot be taken back. Paul gives us this
advice:
Colossians 4:6 Let your speech always be with grace,
seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.
Ephesians 4:29 Let no
corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary
edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.
Not only are we to be good examples to others with
our speech, but Paul also told Timothy to be a good example: in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.
In conduct, is your way of life.
In other words, everything you do and handle the situations around you should be
done in such a way that serves a Christ-like example.
In love. We talked about this some this morning, but the
idea is that our lives and how we treat others should be a reflection of the
love that God had for us and how He treats us.
In faith means that others can see that you put
your complete trust in God. People can look at you and see how you deal with
heartache and the problems of life as you lean on God for strength. I have
heard of nonChristians that were converted by
observing the faith and trust that others had in God during trying times
because they could see how much comfort it gave grieving Christians to know
that God was there for them.
In purity means that Timothy was to be pure and
holy and not getting involved in worldly sinful things. People would know that
he had a pure mind and would not lower himself to do or say impure things. We
live in a society today that has a low moral standard, and we need more
Christians that are willing to raise that standard by being a good example in
this area. This could include what kind of movies we watch, what we say, the
kind of jokes we tell and laugh at, and the way we dress. Everything we need to
know about how to be a good example to others in these areas that Paul has just
mentioned comes from the Word of God. Paul emphasizes this Timothy over and
over again. For example, just as read earlier, Paul said:
13 Until I come, devote yourself to
the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching.
So, let us never
underestimate our responsibility of being a good example to others.
2. I must pray for others.
I love the fact that God
allows us to pray to Him and I never grow tired of the following verses:
Hebrews 4:15 For we
do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in
all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to
the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find
grace to help in time of need.
We are taught to pray without ceasing, yet many
times we find ourselves struggling to squeeze out a 15 second prayer once a
day. If there is one area of Christininty that is
taken for granted and not used as much as it should be it is prayer. Think
about how awesome it is to have a God that actually wants to listen to us and
answer our prayers. Since many spend such little time in prayer, they also
usually focus on themselves. While it is important that we pray to God about
our own problems and use it as a time to praise God, we are also taught to pray
for others as well. Notice some verses that point this out:
James 5:16 Confess your
trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be
healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
Colossians 1:9 For this reason we also, since
the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be
filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual
understanding;
Hebrews 13:18
Pray for us; for we are confident that we have a good
conscience, in all things desiring to live honorably.
1 Timothy 2:1 Therefore I exhort first of
all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be
made for all men, 2
for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable
life in all godliness and reverence. 3
For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,
More verses could be given, but these show that we
should not only pray for ourselves, but for others as well. There is always
someone to pray for, so do not neglect your responsibility to pray for others.
3. I
must do what I can to restore the fallen
Sometimes we might have the mentality of the
Pharisee in:
Luke 18:11 "The Pharisee stood and prayed
thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not
like other men -- extortioners, unjust, adulterers,
or even as this tax collector. 12
'I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.'
This goes back to the idea of a self-centered
Christian. They look at their own lives with great bias and praise themselves
about how good they are and how much better they are than others. Even if it
were true that you are some kind of spiritual giant, that would not excuse from
talking bad about the weak or excuse you from helping the fallen return back to
God. One of our goals as Christians should be to take as many people as we can
to heaven with us because we understand that God wants all to repent and turn
to Him. So, we should never fail in our duty to help lead people back into the
arms of God.
James 5:19 Brethren, if anyone among you
wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, 20 let him know that he who turns
a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a
multitude of sins.
Now I am not going to lie to you and say that you
will always have success as doing this because the truth is, it can be
challenging to get someone to change their ways because once they knew the
truth and then fell from it, they already have something that feels more
important to them than God. However, every person deserves a chance. No matter
how many reject your efforts to return back to God, it is worth it because they
were given the opportunity and you planted a seed in their hearts that may one
day grow and cause them to come to their senses.
We must be careful when we try to get Christians
to come back to God because if we are not careful and do not have ourselves
rooted and grounded in God’s truth, then we may find ourselves persuaded to be
like the person we are trying to restore. As Paul warns:
Galatians 6:1
Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are
spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering
yourself lest you also be tempted. 2
Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
Remember earlier when Paul taught Timothy to be a
good example in his speech. Well, one area we have to be extremely caution with
our speech is when we are trying to restore a fallen brother because they will
look any excuse to discount your efforts if they are really wrapped up in their
sins.
Notice, Paul did not say go and restore your
brother by yelling at him or telling him how bad a person he is. No, he said
restore them with a spirit of gentleness. Now this may not be the best analogy
in the world, but as I was thinking about this, I thought about how people will
treat a dog they find that has obviously been through the ringer. If they want
that dog to come to them, they do not yell at it or beat on it some more. No,
they get down on their knees and the call the dog to them with a gentle voice
and make themselves as approachable as possible.
Shouldn’t we have this same mentality toward those
who have fallen. Most of these people already know
what they are doing is wrong, so why not try encouraging to return to God
instead of beating them over the head with their obvious sin. This is not
always easy to do, but as we carry out this responsibility of restoring others,
we should always strive to do it with a spirit of gentleness.
4. I
must be ready to forgive those who repent
Forgiveness is a wonderful thing. When we look at
our own lives and think about how much God loved us that He was willing to
allow His Son to come to the earth so that He could die for us, it is beyond
amazing.
Romans 5:6 For when
we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man
will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own
love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been
justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
Before we obeyed the gospel, we understood that we
were sinners and that the ONLY way, we could be redeemed was through Jesus.
Once our heart’s were
pricked and we repented and confessed Jesus as our Lord, we were baptized in
the name of Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins. We were no doubt thankful
beyond words for the forgiveness that God offered us.
If that wasn’t enough, God has now made it
possible for us to continue to take care of new sins in our lives through the
power of Jesus’ blood. As John says:
1 John
1:7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the
light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His
Son cleanses us from all sin. 8
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in
us. 9 If we confess our sins,
He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from
all unrighteousness.
Who could ask for anything more than this? We
should be thankful to the Lord for allowing us to have so much power over sin
knowing that sin cannot stand up to the power of Jesus’ blood, but we must
repent and confess that sin to God for it be forgiven. When we look at
ourselves and see how weak we are sometimes, we all want God to forgive us of
whatever awful thing we have done when we repent.
There is another aspect of forgiveness that is
more difficult for us because we also have a responsibility to forgive others
that repent. Remember the golden rule I talked about this morning? Well
sometimes we have a dual standard when it comes to forgiving others. When it comes
to our mistakes, we want others to forgive us understand our sincerity, but
when it comes to forgiving someone else, we hold them to a higher standard and
sometimes we will not forgive them. Well, the Bible teaches us an important
lesson on this in several places.
Luke 17:3 "Take heed to yourselves. If
your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 4 "And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a
day returns to you, saying, 'I repent,' you shall forgive him."
Mark 11:25 " And
whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him,
that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. 26 "But if you do not
forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses."
When someone wrongs you or someone you love it is
hard to forgive them, but if we refuse to forgive them when they repent, then God
will not not forgive us of
our sins. I cannot think of a better way to illustrate this idea than the
following parable:
Matthew 18:23 "Therefore the kingdom of
heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his
servants. 24 "And when
he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten
thousand talents. 25
"But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with
his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. 26 "The servant therefore
fell down before him, saying, 'Master, have patience with me, and I will pay
you all.' 27
"Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him,
and forgave him the debt. 28
"But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed
him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the
throat, saying, 'Pay me what you owe!' 29
"So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, 'Have
patience with me, and I will pay you all.'
30 "And he would not, but went and
threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. 31 "So when his fellow
servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told
their master all that had been done. 32
"Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you
begged me. 33 'Should you not
also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on
you?' 34
"And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he
should pay all that was due to him.
35 "So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of
you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses."
Though forgiving someone can be difficult, I can
promise you if you refuse to forgive someone that has repented you are not
doing much harm to them at all, but you are making yourself a prisoner and
ruining your life by holding on to something that cannot be changed. Even
worse, when we refuse to forgive those who repent God will refuse to forgive
us. If we find ourselves struggling with forgiving those that repent we need to
remind ourselves of God forgave us for our sins and continues forgives for the
sins we commit when we repent of them. We must follow the example of
forgiveness that God has applied to us or else His forgiveness for our sins
will be taken away and no wrong is worth losing your soul over. So, let us
never forget that forgiveness is one of our responsibilities to others.
There are many more responsibilities to others I
could name, but I hope these two lessons today help remind us to focus on more
than just ourselves. As I pointed out at the beginning of lesson this morning,
we must learn to have balance in Chrisitan lives by
watching out for ourselves and for others. I want to close this lesson with the
words of Peter:
1 Peter 2:17 Honor all people. Love the
brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.