On On Having Mercy (Forgiveness)
Life of Christ • Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 5 viewsOur culture today is very centered around the idea of tearing down others. People exult in destroying others' well-being: their property and possessions, their reputations, and especially of destroying what we have come to call self-worth, confidence, or integrity. God has confronted this issue in many ways throughout history, as we see in the accounts recorded in the Bible.
Notes
Transcript
This chapter of Matthew has many profound teachings of Our Savior Jesus Christ. As a result, many teachers and readers will tend to take these sections from Matthew 18, and understand them separately from each other.
It is critical for us to understand the primary message being taught by Jesus In this passage. Beginning with the context of this testimony written by Matthew, we can very easily pick out this chapter's relationship to the overall theme of the book: the "kingdom of heaven". However, As we dig into the local context of what Jesus was teaching the disciples in this part of the book, we to see a two-part message unfolding. First and foremost, Jesus was establishing God's priority in relationship rather than in law. Second, Jesus was teaching them how this relationship becomes a grounding reality for our day-to-day lives.
In this chapter, we see Jesus establish in his followers' minds the priority relationship in contrast to the traditional mindset of the Jews. We also see Jesus continuing to live and teach in a manner that reflected His message: “that we might fulfill all righteousness”.
Then the men rose from there and looked toward Sodom, and Abraham went with them to send them on the way. And the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing, since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice, that the Lord may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him.” And the Lord said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave, I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know.”
Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the Lord. And Abraham came near and said, “Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it? Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”
So the Lord said, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.”
Then Abraham answered and said, “Indeed now, I who am but dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: Suppose there were five less than the fifty righteous; would You destroy all of the city for lack of five?”
So He said, “If I find there forty-five, I will not destroy it.”
And he spoke to Him yet again and said, “Suppose there should be forty found there?”
So He said, “I will not do it for the sake of forty.”
Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Suppose thirty should be found there?”
So He said, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”
And he said, “Indeed now, I have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: Suppose twenty should be found there?”
So He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of twenty.”
Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak but once more: Suppose ten should be found there?”
And He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of ten.” So the Lord went His way as soon as He had finished speaking with Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place.
Introduction
Introduction
Our culture today is very centered around the idea of tearing down others. People exult in destroying others' well-being: their property and possessions, their reputations, and especially of destroying what we have come to call self-worth, confidence, or integrity. God has confronted this issue in many ways throughout history, as we see in the accounts recorded in the Bible.
Nuestra cultura actual está muy centrada en la idea de derribar a los demás. La gente se regocija de destruir el bienestar de los demás: sus propiedades y posesiones, sus reputaciones, y especialmente en le destruir lo que hemos llegado a llamar autoestima, confianza o integridad. Dios se ha enfrentado a este tema de muchas maneras a lo largo de la historia, como vemos en los relatos registrados en la Biblia.
genesis
Illustration:
Passage
Problem
Problem
Spurgeon gave a message many years ago, where he referred to the growing Christian as a “vessel of mercy”.
“There was nothing in thee by nature better than that which is found in any other man. Thou didst lie in the impure mass of fallen creatureship, and if God hath made thee a vessel of mercy it was not because there was anything in thee that could merit esteem, there was no fitness, no natural adaptation in thee to become what thou art; thou art a miracle of his love and of his distinguishing grace.”
C. H. Spurgeon, “Vessels of Mercy,—A Sermon of Self-Examination,” in The New Park Street Pulpit Sermons, vol. 6 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1860), 326.
Passage
Illustration
Passage
A Changed Perspective
A Changed Perspective
Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”
Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. 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. The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, ‘Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.
“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!’ So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. 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. Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’ And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.
“So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”
“Let’s consider what these people knew.
That there is a Creator and that He is powerful.
That God punishes sin.That God is faithful.
Never again would He destroy the earth by a flood.
They knew also about God’s promise to send a Deliverer and about the need to bring animal sacrifices to God. Their ancestor passed this information on to them.”
Micah Windle, Firm Foundations Series
Response
Response
Passage
Passage