Latest / Near East Christian Fellowship Sermons / The Family Affair pt. 3

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The Family Affair pt. 3 · Near East Christian Fellowship Sermons

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Welcome to NECF sermons. Each message here is
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designed to uplift and strengthen you in your
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walk with God. Don't miss out. Stay with us until
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the end for a rewarding experience. Let's dive
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right in. You know, I was just speaking to the
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pastors and I told them, I said, God has been
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gracious to us in this house. There's no, we
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gather here and then, the word of God does not
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speak to us. God does not speak to us. Every
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time and every moment we gather, there's always,
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always the word of God for our spiritual building.
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And I want to encourage you to be serious about
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what you're receiving. Hallelujah. 52 weeks,
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52 days, every Sunday, every Wednesday, and every
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Friday. Hallelujah. As Paul would say, we have
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not shown to declare to you, right, the counsel,
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all the counsel of God's word. Now you have a
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responsibility. Now, if you don't see your life
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becoming better, it's not that God is not faithful.
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It's not that God is not working. Probably you
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have to examine how you've been responding to
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God's word. It will be foolishness for you to
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be doing something over and over and over again
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and expect to see a different result. Hallelujah.
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So this new year is an opportunity. to restock,
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to take stock, rather, and to be open to changing,
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change your ways. Let me use the word, let me
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use this phrase, change your ways. The things
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you've been doing have not been usually resolved.
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Maybe there's another, but there's a better way
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to do it. Hallelujah. So please, be encouraged
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to take advantage, to participate. And enjoy
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the work of God. Because you see, sometimes when
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we come in, we speak with some of you, we are
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wondering, you've been here for three years,
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four years. You've been hearing, we've been teaching
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you from week out and week in. And we are surprised
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at the responses we hear and some of the actions
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we see you take. You see that we are not doing
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well. So really encourage us. The greatest encouragement
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we can receive as your pastors is the result
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that we will see, the fruit that we will see
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coming out of your life. Hallelujah. Now turn
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with me to Matthew 22. Matthew 22 from verse
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34. Unread from the NLT. But when the Pharisees
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heard that he had silenced the Sadducees with
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his reply, they met together to question him
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again. One of them, an expert in religious law,
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tried to trap him with this question. Teacher!
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Which is the most important commandment in the
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law of Moses? And we know what the law of Moses
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is, right? Pastor has been teaching us about
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the law of Moses. So which is the most important
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commandment in the law of Moses? What is the
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central point of Moses' teaching? What is the
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dominant theme? In the law of Moses. Jesus replied.
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Verse 37. This is it. You must love the Lord
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your God. With all your heart. All your soul.
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And all your mind. This is the first. And the
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greatest commandment. And summarily. We are talking
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about loving God. How we love God is our. is
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by our response to his word. This is how we demonstrate
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our love towards God. Amen? We demonstrate our
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love to God by our response to his word. And
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the response that will show that we love God
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is faith. Hallelujah. We show faith, we believe
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in God's word. Or we talk about believing in
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God, or we're talking about putting our trust
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in Jesus Christ. This is how we express our love
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towards God. So he went on to say in verse 38,
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this is the first and the greatest commandment.
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A second is equally important. Love your neighbor
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as yourself. So when we express our faith towards
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God, we express our faith towards God. believing
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in his provision for our salvation, believing
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in his word, what he says about who he is and
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what he has done, then we love our neighbor.
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And he went on to say in verse 40, the entire
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law and all the prophets and all the demands
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of the prophets are based on these two commandments.
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So the summary of God's message to us, right,
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is about love. Love for God and love for one
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another. Love towards God and love one to another.
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We love God by responding to his word, by obeying,
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then we respond equally. by how we demonstrate
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love towards one another. And this has been the
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summary of all that the prophets have been seeing
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from Genesis to Revelation. This is the message.
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Love towards God, faith in Jesus Christ, and
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then how we love one another. And this has been
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what we've been discussing this season. How we
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can effectively walk in love towards one another.
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And we established that we are a family. We are
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members of the same family. And how we become
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members of this family is by faith in Jesus Christ.
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Our response towards God, towards... having faith
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in Jesus Christ and his finished work brings
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us into family, brings us into relationship with
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God. And then we highlighted as well that as
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family, offenses will come in the course of our
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human relationship. All right? Because sometimes
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we have so much expectations towards one another
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that is not real. Because we have so much expectation
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that in the house of God, as a fellowship together,
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oh, these are angels. You know, we're angelic
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beings. So when a brother offends you, you become
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offended by the entire church. So long as we
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are in this world and we are humans, offenses
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or conflicts would arise during our human interactions
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because we have different history. All of us
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come from different backgrounds. Are we together?
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We have different stories. We have different
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experiences. So in the course of our relationship
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as humans, because first of all, we are humans.
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Okay? Of course, we are supernatural beings,
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but we are living in the world. We have physical
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body and we live in a physical world. So in the
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course of our interaction, there will be conflict.
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I think in the course of our meeting with the
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pastors, Pastor Victor bring us to something
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that was, you know, that was a lie to me. He
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said that, Even in scriptures, the apostles,
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some of the conflict they have was just a conflict
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of opinion on what is right. It's not necessarily
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that they were selfish, no. It was their passion,
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their display of passion for the work of God
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can bring conflict and friction. So it is not
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something new to find offense even in our midst.
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because Jesus has informed us. He has taught
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us in the Word. The Word of God is very explicitly
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clear about our relationship and what will happen
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within our relationship with one another. So
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don't be surprised if someone that is a believer,
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that is born again, that even carry the Spirit
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of God, you know, do something that offends you.
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These are things that... are bound to happen
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in the course of our interaction with one another
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because we are humans. But the word of God went
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on to teach us that we are obligated to do what?
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To forgive. Alright? And when a relationship
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gets sour, we have obligation to forgive and
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to reconcile our relationships. Because we are
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members of God's family, we have a responsibility.
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To protect our relationship. To guard our relationship.
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You know, we live in a world where people don't
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regard relationships. And whenever they relate
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with people, it's all about what they will get
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and then that's all. But God wants... See, the
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Christian faith is a relational faith. And God
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has high value for relationships. For family.
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Hallelujah. So reconciliation, forgiveness and
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reconciliation is very, very integral part of
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your faith. If you're a believer and you don't
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forgive, you find it hard to forgive. It means
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that you're not living out your character. Amen?
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So forgiveness and only forgiveness, reconciliation
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is very, very important. Without forgiveness,
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without reconciliation, forgiveness is not complete.
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Without reconciliation, forgiveness is not complete.
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If you say I forgive but I don't want to talk
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with this person, that is hypocrisy. Because
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without reconciliation, forgiveness is not complete.
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So we have a duty to not only forgive but to
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reconcile the relationships. And we say that
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the most important goal In the course of reconciliation
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is that we what? That we gain the brother or
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the sister. We are not trying to reconcile the
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point to prove ourselves right or the other person
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wrong. But the most important thing that we value,
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we have high value for the relationship. So the
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relationship is more important than the offense.
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Hallelujah. The relationship is more important
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than the offense. And God has set us an example
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in the word of God. And we are saying on Wednesday
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that Jesus Christ or Christmas or the most, that
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the message of Christmas is actually the message
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of forgiveness and what? And reconciliation.
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Now we read in Matthew 18, verse 15. Matthew
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18, verse 15, the key scripture. It says, moreover,
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if your brother sins against you, Go and tell
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him his fault between you and him. Between you
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and him alone, if he hears you, you have deigned
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your brother. But if he will not hear, take with
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you one or two more, that by the mouth of two
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or three witnesses, every word may be established,
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and if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the
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church. But if he refuses even to hear the church,
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let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.
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And shortly I say to you, whatever you are buying
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on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever
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you lose on earth will be lost in heaven. Again
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I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth
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concerning that anything that they ask, it will
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be done for them by my Father in heaven. For
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where two or three are gathered together in my
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name, I am there in the midst of them. So these
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were the words of Jesus to the disciples, especially
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those who are his, that he has called them out,
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not only for salvation, but he has called them
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forward for the work of ministry. All right?
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So Jesus is giving an instruction, and we'll
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read further, we'll see how. Peter responded
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to this from verse 21. Matthew 18, 21. Then Peter
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came to him and said, Lord, how often shall my
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brother sin against me? Since you've told us
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that if our brother sins against us, what should
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we do? We should go and tell him and reconcile
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and all those things. Then Peter said, how often?
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Shall my brother sin against me and I forgive
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him up to seven times? Then Jesus said to him,
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I do not say to you up to seven times, but up
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to 70 times seven. And then he began to explain
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to them how the relationship happens in the family.
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Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a certain
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king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.
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So Jesus here gives a parable to explain or to
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teach further what he has said in the previous
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verses. Now we establish that whatever God will
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tell us to do, he himself always set the example
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for us. And God cannot tell you to do something
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that he himself has not worked out the pattern
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for us. And we say that the birth of Jesus Christ
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Is actually God in Christ reconciling the world
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to himself? 2 Corinthians 5, verse 17 and 18
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tells us that God, he's a pioneer of reconciliation,
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forgiveness and reconciliation. Therefore, if
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anyone in Christ, he is a new creation. All things
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have passed away. Some of us, when we forgive,
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We see all things though. We had archives and
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files and folders of offenses of people that
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once they do something, we dust all the files
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and we begin to open and count all the offenses,
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specific date and time and season. But in Christ,
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we see that all things of God have passed away.
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Behold, all things have become new. Now, all
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things are of God. Who has what? What has he
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done? God, a Christ, has reconciled us to himself
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through Jesus Christ and has given us also the
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responsibility of going out to reconcile people
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to God. So we have a ministry of telling people
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that God... has reconciled himself, or rather
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the message of God being reconciled with men,
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that Jesus has forgiven, that God has forgiven
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sins through Jesus Christ. So then how can we
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who are ministers of reconciliation, forgiveness
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and reconciliation, live in all forgiveness?
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That is hypocrisy. How can we who are supposed
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to be ministers to preach the forgiveness of
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God? To preach the reconciliation of God are
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not able to agree within ourselves and forgive
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and reconcile with one another. And that is not
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the truth. We can't be what we are what we are
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not. We can't teach or preach what we have not
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experienced or what we are not doing. So God
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himself, for him to even give us that instruction,
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he demonstrated it by himself and then giving
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us the responsibility to go out to do what? To
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do same into the world. And if we do the same
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in the world, then we have an instruction. It
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becomes an obligation. It becomes a commandment
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for us to do what? To lift out the message. Because
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when you forgive and you reconcile, you are acting
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the gospel. You are acting the word of God. We
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say that by the standards of God's perfection,
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all men have what? We have all trespassed against
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God. We have transgressed. Romans chapter 3 verse
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9 talks about transgression of all men. All men
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have sinned by the standards of the law. What
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then are we? Better than they? Not at all. For
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we have fiercely charged both Jews and Jews that
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they are all under sin. The next verse. As it
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is written, there is no unrighteous, no not one.
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There is none who understands. There is none
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who seeks after God. They have all torn aside.
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They have together become unprofitable. There
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is none who does good, nor not one. Their throat
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is an open tomb. With their tongues they have
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practiced deceit. The poison of abscess is under
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their lips. Whose mouth is full of cursing and
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bitterness? Their feet are swift to shed blood.
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destruction and misery are in their ways, and
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the way of peace they have not known. Now this
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is describing a man that is under sin, a man
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that has not experienced the salvation and the
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forgiveness of God. And the way of peace they
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have not known. Yes, the next verse. There is
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no fear of God before their eyes. Now we know
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that whatever the law says, now this is the description.
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Now we know that whatever the law says, it says
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to those who are under the law, that every mouth
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may be stopped and all the world may become guilty
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before God. So by the standards of the law, all
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men are what? We are equal. We are all falling
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short of the standards of God. Verse 20. Therefore,
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by the deeds of the law, no flesh will be justified
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in his sight. For by the law comes what? The
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knowledge of our shortcoming. By the law comes
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the understanding that we cannot meet up the
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standard of God. Hallelujah. So none of us can
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meet the standard of God. Alright? But now the
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righteousness of God, this is how God equalizes
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us. Now the righteousness of God, apart from
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the law, is revealed, being witnessed by the
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law and the prophets. Even the righteousness
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of God through faith in Jesus Christ to all and
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on all who have faith in Jesus Christ, who believe
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in Jesus Christ. For there is no difference between
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all of us here. For all our world in the past,
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all have sinned and all have come short of God's
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standards. Remember I was telling us, the scripture
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says, if your brother sins against you, it simply
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means that in our relationship there are standards.
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And we in the course of our relationship can
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fall short of our standards. The expectation
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that is needed in our interaction every day,
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we can fall short of the standards of our interaction
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together. I can offend you, you can offend me.
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In the course of even correcting, I can offend.
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For all have sinned and all have fallen short
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of the glory of God. Be justified, how? Free.
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Free. By His grace. through redemption that is
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in Christ Jesus. So God reconciles himself, right?
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Three, whom God set forth as a propitiation by
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his blood through faith to demonstrate his righteousness.
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Because in the forbearance of God, God has passed
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over the sins that were previously committed
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to demonstrate at the present time his righteousness,
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that he might be the just. the just and the justifier
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of the one who has faith in Jesus Christ. Hallelujah.
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So by the standard of God's perfection, all men
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have trespassed. By the standard of God's perfection,
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all men are worthy of condemnation. And we see
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God coming to us, isn't it? Coming to us and
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then dealing with the transgression that we have
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transgressed. And we see God, coming to us in
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the form of Jesus Christ, isn't it? Jesus was
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born in order to reconcile us. So it would be
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fitting for Jesus to say, if your brother sinned
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against you, do what? Go to him. Because when
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we sinned against God, God came to us. And what
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did he come to us to do? He didn't come to give
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you a better life. He didn't come to make you
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financially rich. He came fundamentally toward
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to reconcile with you because there's a problem.
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There's an offense problem. There's a relationship
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problem. So God in Christ came to us to deal
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with the issue of sin for us to be forgiven.
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And when we are forgiven, did God cease to communicate
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with us? Did he say, okay, the world have died
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for you. Henceforth, I don't want to talk with
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you again. I don't want to relate with you again.
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No. He lived in us in the form of the Holy Ghost.
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He inhabits us. He lives in us permanently and
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forever. We have union with him, eternal relationship
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with him. We have this union that is eternal
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that we can communicate, we can come in, we can
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enjoy fellowship, we can enjoy his leading, we
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can enjoy his preservation by the Spirit. So
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not only that he forgave us and reconciled us
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to himself, he brought us into an eternal union.
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That is why we are committed to telling you that
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you cannot, we repeat, you can never be separated
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from the love of God. Because God himself has
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committed himself to your redemption, to your
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reunion with him, to the forgiveness of your
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sins. Therefore, he has brought you into this
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eternal relationship with him. So therefore,
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We on our paths have an obligation. And what
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is our obligation? That when a brother sins against
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you, what do you do? You do what God has done
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for you. Because you cannot outdo what God has
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done. What Christ has done has eternally reconciled
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you to God. What Christ has done has forgiven
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all your sins, past, present, and future. So
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you cannot see, your sin cannot overdo what God
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has done in Christ. And this places us in a position
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to always forgive one another. Consequentially,
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it means That there's no sin that a brother can
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do to you that you cannot forgive. Because there's
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no sin that you can do, right, to God that God
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can never forgive. As a child of God, you are
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eternally forgiven. And it comes with a consequence.
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And the consequence is that what? That you also
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forgive. Always. And that is our heart prayer
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that this message of love will be rooted in our
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heart. That God's love will be rooted in our
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hearts. That we will understand the depth, the
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breadth, the width, the length, the height of
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the love of God towards you. And by that understanding,
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you begin to live this kind of love towards people.
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This is how people will know that you are a child
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of God. It's not in how many times you give prophetic
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words. It's not in how many times you prophesy
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or you pray in tongues and then your words are
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sanctimonious. That is what makes you a believer.
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That's not what makes you a child of God. That's
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not what makes you spiritual. The spirituality
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will be seen in your demonstration of love towards
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people, especially, especially the people of
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God. So God in Christ has reconciled us to himself.
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Similarly, he laid down a pattern for us that
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in our relationship with one another, we can
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forgive one another. Verse 15, Matthew 18, 15
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says, if your brother sins against you, Go and
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tell him his fault between you and him alone.
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If he hears you, you have gained your brother.
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And then we discuss that the instruction for
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the believer is to be quick. The instruction
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for us is to be quick to forgive and to seek
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reconciliation. Whenever a brother sins against
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you, we'll know how mature you are. Spiritual
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maturity now. Spiritual maturity. We'll know
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how spiritually mature you are. to the speed
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at which you forgive and reconcile. If it takes
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you years to forgive, it means that you don't
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understand the things of God and you are still
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a bit. The speed at which you respond to offenses
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in the sense that you respond. What is our response
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to offenses? Forgiveness. Forgiveness shows the
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level of maturity in the things of God. Now,
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when we are offended, it's not enough to pray
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for the person. Because oftentimes, we pray for
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people when we are offended. We must also talk
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to them. You don't just have the liberty to solve
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the problem the way you like. You know, some
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people come to us and then when there's an offense,
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we say, see brother, there's a need for you to
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reconcile with this brother or with this sister.
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Say, no, me, that's the way I feel. That's the
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way I do my things. You don't have an exclusive
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way of doing things in the family of God. You
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don't define the rules in the family of God.
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You don't determine how relationships are led
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in the family of God. You follow the rules as
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given within the family, within the kingdom of
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God. So you don't just have the liberty to solve
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the problem your own way. The Bible is clear
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about what you should do. Forgive. Go to the
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person and seek reconciliation. And I can feel
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in my heart that last week, Sunday, and even
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Wednesday, there are some people here that are
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battling with reconciliation. And they feel,
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you know, at least I have forgiven the person.
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But instruction for you, number one, is not just
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to forgive the person in your heart. What do
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you do? You must initiate conversation concerning
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the offense. And you must speak the offense.
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reconcile with the person because the Bible is
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clear about what you should do. Go to the person
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and seek reconciliation. You can't just say,
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I don't feel like doing it. Your love work will
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be tested by how many relationships you have
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restored. Some of us, every... Every city, every
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town, everywhere we go, there are relationships
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that end in crisis. And we are so used to it.
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People know us with relationships. Every relationship
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you have with people always ends in chaos. People
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are always the ones that are offending you. People
31:14
are the ones that are always doing you wrong.
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People are the ones that are always taking advantage
31:17
of you. People are the ones that are always...
31:20
Anywhere you go, your first speech is like, everybody
31:23
just ends up offending you. Don't you think that
31:27
there's a problem with the way you live? So we
31:32
can't accumulate offenses. Our love will be tested
31:38
by how many relationships we have been intentional
31:44
about restoring. Verse 16 went on to say, but
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if you will not hear, take with you one or two
31:53
people. that by the mouth of two or three witnesses,
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every word may be established. First step is
31:58
that you go, all right, and you may share reconciliation.
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Now, if you need help to do that, we are here
32:05
to always help. We'll teach you what to do. We'll
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teach you what to say. We'll teach you how to
32:11
say it because there's wisdom in reconciliation.
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But if the person refuses to hear you, the person
32:16
is not interested in hearing you, especially
32:18
you are in church here. And then you try to reconcile
32:20
the pain with the person. And the person say,
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I have forgiven you. But when they see you, they
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change what? When they see you, they don't even
32:28
want to greet it. They don't even want to. When
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they say, look for a neighbor and hold the neighbor,
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and you are coincidentally seated around the
32:36
same seat, the person will go and look for another
32:38
person. Because they don't want to look at your
32:40
eyes. They don't want to bless you. They don't
32:43
want to pray for you. The Bible says, take with
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you one or two that by the mouth of two or three
32:53
witnesses, every word may be established. Now
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the individuals that you take, the one or two
33:07
that you take must be the family of God's people.
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Hallelujah. Now this is very important. You can't
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have an offense with a brother in church. And
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the person that will help you reconcile with
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the person is Mehmet in the class, from your
33:23
class, or Selçuk. You can't have an offense with
33:33
your brother in church. And the person that you
33:36
take, the one or two people you take is police.
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The one or two that you take to the person's
33:47
door for reconciliation is police. 1 Corinthians
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6, verse 1. 1 Corinthians 6, verse 1. There any
34:09
of you, the way Paul is speaking here, he says,
34:12
there any of you, Having a matter against another,
34:15
go to the law. Which law? Is it the law of God?
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Go to the police or to the court before the unrighteous
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and not before the saints? Do you not know that
34:28
the saints will judge the world? And if the world
34:31
will be judged by you, are you unready to judge
34:35
the smallest matters? Do you not know that we
34:40
shall judge angels? How much more things that
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pertains to this life? How much more carnal things?
34:49
If then you have judgments concerning things
34:52
pertaining to this life, do you appoint those
34:55
who are least esteemed by the church to judge?
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I say this to your shame. That is, if you are
35:05
the one that will call police for your brother
35:07
and sister in Christ, shame on you. Paul is saying,
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shame on you. Is it not that there is not a wise
35:15
man? Is it so, rather, that there is no wise
35:18
man among you, right, among the family of God's
35:21
people? Not even one. Who will be able to judge
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between brethren? But brother goes to law against
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a brother, and that before unbelievers. Imagine
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a believer that professes Christ. goes to report
35:39
another believer that professes Christ before
35:42
an unbeliever that does not know God. And he
35:44
knows the two of you are believers. What gospel
35:47
are you preaching? Is there an opportunity for
35:52
this person to understand? Imagine you coming
35:53
together tomorrow to tell the person about the
35:55
love of God and the forgiveness of God. How will
35:58
you correlate the issue that happened between
36:01
the two? This person... So, you people that know
36:07
the love of God and the forgiveness of God can
36:09
do these terrible things one to another like
36:10
this. It is now therefore it is already an utter
36:20
failure for you that you go to law against one
36:23
another. Why do you not rather, this is what
36:25
it says, rather accept wrong? Alright? Why do
36:31
you not rather let yourself be cheated even if
36:34
it's been a business? I'd rather allow my brother
36:37
to take advantage of me than to sue him. I know
36:43
this seems hard and difficult. You know, when
36:47
they are preaching these kind of things, people
36:48
don't shout glory. People don't rise up and rejoice.
36:57
It may not seem juicy, but you know what? We
37:03
will face it with the truth. All right? Because
37:06
this is the counsel of God's word. I don't have
37:08
an opinion. If I have an opinion, maybe I would
37:12
have done it another way. My human mind and wisdom
37:17
and intellect wouldn't be far from doing what
37:20
I do. You know what I'm saying? There's a law
37:29
of physics. Equal, false, What will happen? Equal
37:36
reaction, right? Which law of force? Motion?
37:40
Is it motion? In the kingdom of God, it's not
37:45
like that. It's not physics. In fact, in the
37:49
kingdom of God, one plus one is not two. First
37:52
of all, it's above the law of mathematics. The
37:57
one plus one of God in marriage is one. Hallelujah.
38:02
So, Is not forced in. Then receiving equal level
38:06
of. Then we will be full of. Crisis and chaos.
38:14
So we have an obligation. No. You yourself do
38:19
wrong and cheat. It is a believer. Say you yourself
38:22
do wrong and cheat. And you do these things to
38:26
your brethren. To your brothers and your sisters.
38:28
Some of you in this house cannot even do business
38:30
together. People cannot even sit together and
38:37
say, okay, let's pay house rent. The house rent
38:40
is £2 .56, for example, now. We are supposed
38:45
to £2 .56 divided by two is how much? 120 what?
38:53
Point something, something, something. You will
38:55
not even allow your brother to carry one point
38:58
something, something, something, something. Your
39:03
account was balanced to the latter. Habba. Carnal
39:11
things. Material things. You always want to exhaust
39:18
every privilege in every relationship. You yourself
39:26
do wrong and cheat. And you do these things to
39:29
your brethren, to your brothers and sisters in
39:31
Christ. You know, some of you... See, let me
39:37
say this in this house. You know, there are agents
39:40
all around. And there are some of us, some of
39:43
them in this house. If we hear you doing things
39:47
unethical, first of all, you will have us to
39:51
face. All right? And then we'll deal with you
39:56
appropriately. Now, I'm not saying you shouldn't
39:59
do business. But be ethical. Be righteous about
40:04
it. Do you even know that the unrighteous will
40:07
not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived.
40:10
Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers,
40:13
nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves,
40:17
nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor
40:21
extortioners. Who are extortioners? Extortioners
40:27
will inherit the kingdom of God. This is not
40:31
your identity, all right? And such were some
40:34
of you. That is where some of us were coming
40:37
from. But you were what? We were washed. We were
40:42
sanctified. We were justified in the name of
40:45
the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of God. It means
40:47
that God has forgiven us. He has made us whole.
40:50
He has brought us into a new life. So how can
40:54
we, who have been justified and set free from
40:57
that kind of life, be living that kind of life?
40:59
Even in the family of God's people. So please,
41:06
watch out how you live. The individuals you must
41:13
carry to go to the concern must be the people
41:15
of God. And I said this last week. I said, if
41:18
you are the one that someone comes to you and
41:21
says, see, when someone offends you and he tries
41:25
to reconcile, And the person seems to be difficult
41:29
in that reconciliation. When you go to another
41:31
person, you're not going there to defend to,
41:33
you know, sometimes we want to paint a picture
41:36
of ourselves as good. We are the ones that are
41:39
right. We are the ones that have been offended.
41:41
You know, we try to build the person. Now, when
41:44
the person is on your side and you're going to
41:46
meet the other person, you go sophisticatedly.
41:51
And what you get is actually, So, if you are
42:00
the one that is going to accompany someone to
42:03
go for reconciliation, don't take sides. Agree
42:07
together. Even if you know who is wrong, who
42:10
is right, your goal is not to point who is right
42:13
or who is wrong. Your goal is to reconcile the
42:16
brothers. So, by virtue of your responsibility
42:20
as a spiritual man, you are to do what Christ.
42:24
What Christ? When Christ came to reconcile us
42:28
to God, did he look at our sins before he died
42:30
on the cross? What did he do? Even while we were
42:34
in sin, he died for us so that we can be brought
42:36
into fellowship with God. So you're the one that
42:38
is turning the gap. You must act the way Christ
42:43
will act. Your goal is the reconciliation of
42:50
that relationship. Your goal is that that relationship
42:52
will work. will be built up because that is the
42:55
will and the purpose of God. So when a brother
43:06
says against you, we look for brethren to help
43:12
us in the course of that reconciliation once
43:14
we find difficulty. And then the last part, it
43:17
says, verse 17, and if he refuses to hear them,
43:20
that is, you have made the first step. He couldn't
43:24
succeed. He gathered one or two, and then you
43:29
go to the person, two or three. That mission
43:32
failed. If he refuses to hear verse 17, what
43:38
do you do? Tell it to who? To the church. That
43:46
is, the leadership of the church should now be
43:49
involved in trying to reconcile. But if he refuses
43:53
to even hear the church, let him be to you like
43:58
a heathen and a tax collector. This is where
44:02
some of us are looking. We are looking for an
44:04
escape. The Bible says, let him be to us like
44:08
a heathen or a tax collector. So what do we do?
44:11
We treat the person like a sinner, like a trash.
44:16
Is that what the Bible is teaching? How did Jesus
44:19
treat publicans and sinners? That should tell
44:24
us how we should treat somebody that you tried
44:27
to reconcile and even in the reconciliation.
44:30
Listen, you are not the one that offended this
44:32
person in the first place. This person offended
44:35
you. Alright? And what did he do to you? You
44:38
went to him to reconcile and then he blasted
44:41
you. As in the word. You went and carried one
44:45
or two brothers or even three because you won
44:47
a good number. You went to him and the person
44:50
he... He refused to listen to you. You came to
44:55
the pastors and said, Pastor, see, this is what
44:57
I've done. I've done A, B, and C. And this person
44:59
is not responding. The Bible says what? Treat
45:06
him like a heathen, a home believer, a tax collector.
45:12
Telling it to the church refers to leadership.
45:16
And how should we treat the person? As a tax
45:19
collector, as a sinner, Let's see how Jesus treats
45:22
Republicans and sinners. I think we'll do this
45:25
and then we'll stop here. We'll continue next
45:27
time. How do you treat a brother? Remember? It's
45:34
a brother that you're going to treat like a sinner.
45:42
Amen? We're not saying the brother is a sinner.
45:48
Sinner in this context is someone that is an
45:50
unbeliever. He is a brother, but you have to
45:54
treat like the way we treat sinners, unbelievers.
46:00
Now, how did Jesus treat sinners? Matthew 5,
46:03
verse 44. Let's see how Jesus disdained sinners,
46:07
how Jesus was disgusted by tax collectors and
46:12
sinners. Matthew 5, verse 44. But I say to you,
46:17
We read from verse 44 to 48. But I said to you,
46:19
love your word. Aha. This one is a difficult
46:23
one. Love your word. Love your word. I want us
46:30
to read this verse together. Want to go. But
46:36
I said to you. Again. But I said to you. But
46:43
I said to you. How do you love your enemies?
46:48
Bless those who curse you. That is, you pronounce
46:52
God's blessings on them. You pray for their ways
46:58
to prosper. Now, this completely, completely
47:03
destroyed the theology of my enemies fall down
47:07
and... Love your enemies. This is Jesus speaking.
47:15
Bless those who curse you. Do good to those who
47:18
what? Who love you, who hate you. That means
47:22
that if you have an opportunity to do good for
47:24
them, what do you do? You respond by doing good
47:26
to them. Pray for those who what? Who spitefully
47:31
use you. They took advantage of you and persecute
47:37
you that you may show that you are what? You
47:42
are really the sons and the children of your
47:44
father. In heaven, what did he do? He makes his
47:49
son, right, to shine on all, on those who are
47:55
evil and on those who are good. And he sends
47:59
his reign on those who are just and those who
48:02
are unjust. So in God's love, there's no selection.
48:05
God's love is for all men. For he's loved those
48:11
who love you, what have you. Do not even the
48:15
tax collectors do the same? Who are the tax collectors?
48:18
They are the people that are called sinners.
48:22
And if you greet your brethren only, won't some
48:25
of you even your brethren until you don't greet
48:27
them? Because you have an issue, you don't greet
48:30
them. When you see them, you change roads because
48:33
you have offense. Let me tell you, you are living
48:36
in disobedience to God's word. And I'm telling
48:39
you this, we're going to look at it subsequently.
48:40
God will hold you accountable for that offense.
48:45
God will hold you accountable for that offense.
48:47
Do you know how another God will hold you accountable
48:49
for that offense? If you go to Matthew, let's
48:51
look at this briefly. Matthew 18, verse 32. Matthew
48:56
18, verse 32. 32. The last verse in that parable,
49:12
is it 32, sir? Cat 5. So my heavenly father,
49:21
right, will also do to you, to you, if each of
49:26
you from his heart does not forgive his brother
49:29
his trespass, which means our God will hold you
49:31
accountable for unforgiveness. Are we together?
49:36
We're going to study this and understand it based
49:38
on the context. So, we'll stop here. I will continue
49:42
from seeing how we ought to treat a stubborn
49:45
brother or a stubborn sister. A brother that
49:48
have refused to reconcile with us even when we
49:50
make the steps to reconcile. And God will help
49:52
us to live with them in accordance to his will
49:54
and his purpose. That they might know the love
49:58
of God and respond to the love of God for his
50:00
glory and for his honor. This is what I want
50:02
to matter and pray and ask God to help us. We
50:06
appreciate you being here today. We hope you
50:08
carry this word with you throughout your week.
50:11
Don't forget to check the show notes for additional
50:13
insights. Stay connected with us through our
50:16
website or follow us on social media. If you
50:20
are encouraged, share this message with someone
50:22
you care about. Until next time, stay blessed.