Our Duty to Forgive, Part 1

If you have your Bible, turn with me to Luke chapter 17. Luke chapter 17, as we continue to make our way through this great and glorious gospel, it talks to us about Jesus Christ, our wonderful Lord. Luke 17, we're going to cover verses 1 to 10 this week. And next week, let me read to you what the text says.

And he said to his disciples, it is inevitable that stumbling blocks should come, but woe to him through whom they come. It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to stumble. Be on guard or on your guard. If your brother sins, rebuke him. If he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times a day and returns to you seven times saying, I repent, forgive him. And the apostle said to the Lord, increase our faith.

And the Lord said, if you had faith, like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, be uprooted and be planted in the sea and it would obey you. But which of you having a slave plowing or tending sheep will say to him when he comes in from the field, come immediately and sit down to eat. But will he not say to him, prepare something for me to eat and properly clothe yourself and serve me until I have eaten and drunk. And afterwards you will eat and drink. He does not thank the slave because he did the things which were commanded, does he?

So you too, when you do all the things which are commanded, you say, we are unworthy slaves. We have done only that which we ought to have done. This is a passage of scripture that hits to the heart of every individual in the room. It's a wake up call for the church to understand the basic instructions that Christ himself gives to his disciples. It's a text about forgiveness and our duty to forgive. It's also a delight to forgive. It also becomes a discipline to forgive. But we are to be characterized by a forgiving spirit.

This past week I sat down in my office and began to think how many times over the last 18 years that we have been together as a church, because our church began 18 years ago this month, have I addressed the topic of forgiveness? To be honest, it was a lot. Going back to the very first book we studied as a church, which was the book of Mark.

In there we talked about forgiveness. We talked about Matthew and his forgiveness. We talked about what Jesus says in Mark 11, 25, when he records these words, Mark 11, verse number 25, and whenever you stand praying, forgive if you have anything against anyone so that your father also who is in heaven may forgive you your transgressions.

So in the very first book we studied, we addressed the topic of forgiveness. Shortly after our church began, we started a Wednesday evening service. And we began with the disciples' prayer. And we covered about what it meant to pray. Of course, in that prayer, Christ says we are to forgive others.

So we talked about forgiveness. On that same Wednesday evening series, you move from there to talk about how to live like a child of the King and cover the Sermon on the Mount, Matthews 5, 6, and 7. Again, in there, it talks about what it means to forgive, what it means to pray for your persecutors. So again, we address the issue of forgiveness. And then, of course, we have done Peter's epistle, where Peter would say in 1 Peter 4, verse number 7, have fervent love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins.

And there, we talked about the importance of covering other's sins and being willing to forgive them. We've also studied the life of David. Before that, it was the book of Genesis. And there was the life of Joseph and how he was forgiving his brothers for all the wrong they did to him. And then we went from the book of Genesis to say the life of Moses and in the book of Numbers, where Moses was willing to forgive both Miriam and Aaron for wanting to usurp his authority as the leader in Israel. And he forgave them and begged God to forgive them as well.

We've also studied the life of David and how he was willing to forgive Saul for his attempt on his life many times over and his relentless pursuit of his life. On top of all that, we've had marriage retreats where at each retreat, we've talked about the essence of forgiveness in a marriage. We have done multiple sermons on marriage, whether it's marriage matters or God's hope for your home or how, I can't remember all of them, but all of them at some time deal with the issue of forgiveness in marriage.

And so over and over again, in fact, we've even done a series on forgiveness. In fact, when it's on the radio, it's the most sought after series we've ever done. People call in all the time wanting to purchase the series on forgiveness, restoring the neglected virtue. So needless to say, over the last 18 years, we have covered the topic of forgiveness many times over. And the reason we do is because it comes up in the text. And when it comes up in the text, you must address it. And yet there are times that you need to address it because it becomes a topic that needs to be focused on and implemented in all of our lives.

And today we come to Luke chapter 17, and Jesus talks about confronting your brother. If he repents, you forgive your brother. And the apostles respond with a phrase that's really quite incredible. Their response is, well, you increase our faith because we can't do that. If you were to give us more faith, then we could be better forgivers. And Jesus turns that around and says, it's not about faith. It's about your obedience to my command. Because forgiveness is not about having more faith. Forgiveness is not about feeling like you want to forgive somebody.

Forgiveness is solely about obedience to my word. And when you forgive based on obedience to my word, because it is your duty, once you have forgiven, whoever has offended you, realize this, you are an unworthy slave and you have not done anything extraordinary. You've only done that which is your duty to do. When you forgive someone their sin, no matter how great that sin is against you, you've only done that which is your duty to do. We tend to write books about forgiveness. We tend to capitalize on people's extraordinary events and how they were so incredibly forgiving to somebody.

And we laud those people. And yet Jesus says, you've only done that which is your duty to do, and you're still an unprofitable slave.

He gives us a little different perspective on it, a little different take on it, to make sure we maintain proper perspective when it comes to forgiving those who have sinned against us. Of all the sermons I've preached on forgiveness, it all comes down to seven basic principles I'm going to give you this morning. Seven basic principles that help you understand not only the duty of forgiveness, but the delight of forgiveness. And it all begins with principle number one, which simply is this.

Forgiveness is simply a pattern we are commanded to follow. Forgiveness simply is a pattern we are commanded to follow. Listen to what the Bible says in Ephesians chapter four, verse number 29.

Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment. That it may give grace to those who hear. Now that verse alone totally wipes out 95% of your conversation throughout the day, at least 95%. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth. In fact, the only thing that should come out of your mouth is that which is wholesome, that which is graceful, that which is kind. And then he says these words, and do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

In other words, if you somehow let unwholesome words proceed out of your mouth, you're going to grieve, sadden the Spirit of God who lives within you. Then he says, let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and slander be put away from you along with all malice. Wow, can you imagine that? Bitterness, anger, slander, clamor. Clamor is that outburst of anger. Anger is that condition of the mind that's set on vehemency. Bitterness is that smoldering resentment that lies deep within the soul.

And Paul says, put all that stuff off because none of that is characteristic of the believer. And be kind to one another, verse 32, tenderhearted, forgiving each other just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. Wow, what a statement. Be compassionate, kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. Here's our pattern that we are commended to follow. He is the one who set the tone. Father, forgive them for they know not what they do. As he hung on the cross, beaten beyond recognition, humiliated, hanging there naked, and yet he begged his Father to forgive them for they had no idea what they were doing.

Verse 33, the book of Micah talks about who's a God like thee who forgives, who pardons iniquity. Psalm 103 talks about how he separates the sin as far as the east is from the west. Exodus chapter 34 talks about how God is compassionate, tenderhearted, and forgiving of sins. That's the way God is. And then Paul comes along and says, okay, this is the pattern we are to adopt for our lifestyle. We are to be forgiving people as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven us. But for the most part, we hang on to those bitter feelings, those opportunities to return evil for evil.

And it goes against what the Word of God has for all of us. So it's a pattern that we're commended to follow. Number two, it's a picture of Christ to the world.

It's a picture of Christ to the world. This is seen easily in Luke 15, the parable of the two lost sons and the Father who is so willingly kind to forgive the son when he repents. It's a lavish hymn with gifts and acceptance. But before that, there was a conversion of Matthew, Matthew chapter 9. If you got your Bible, turn there with me if you would for a moment. Matthew chapter 9. And Matthew at this point addresses his conversion. And what he says is very unique as he records the words of Christ.

Christ had come to him and said, follow me. He arose and followed. And verse 10 says, then it happened that as he was reclining at the table in the house, behold, many tax gatherers and sinners came and were dining with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, why is your teacher eating with the tax gatherers and sinners? But when he heard this, he said, it is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. Go, but go and learn what this means.

I desire compassion and not sacrifice for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners. What Matthew records is Christ's quotation of Hosea six, verse number six, because Hosea had a wife who left him. Her name was Gomer. If I had a wife named Gomer and she left me, I'd wave goodbye. But her name was Gomer and she lived the life of a prostitute and Hosea had all the biblical right to divorce her. And God comes to Hosea and says, I don't want you to divorce her. I want you to pursue her. I want you to go after her.

And I want you to forgive her because in so doing, you are going to show my people, Israel, the way I am toward them, that I will relentlessly pursue them. I will go after them. I will forgive them, but I need you to go after your wife. So Hosea did. He followed her around from village to village, from town to town, paying all of her bills. And she had accumulated lots of them till one day he, he bought her off of the slave market, stripped totally naked. He bought her back to demonstrate the love of God for the nation of Israel.

See, it's a, it's a picture of Christ to the world. See, but isn't it true that that just doesn't make much difference to us? When we're right in the midst of those arguments or right in the midst of a bitter divorce or right in the midst of a, of a horrible experience, we, we don't think about picturing Christ to the world. We can think of one thing and that is somehow getting back or, or, or, or getting a leg up on the one who has tried to, to dishonor us. We're not thinking about Christ and showing Jesus to the world.

I'm sure Hosea wasn't too concerned about demonstrating God's love to a nation that lived in rebellion. But God said to Hosea, this is what you do. I need you to do this for me. And Hosea did. I would venture to say that probably none of us would be willing to do that, but Hosea did. And now Christ comes to us and says, I need you to picture me to the lost world because never are you more like Christ than when forgiveness is at stake. And I need you to show the world me. So the next time you find that you've been greatly offended by someone close to you, someone in your family, ask yourself this question.

How is it I can extend and demonstrate forgiveness toward them no matter what, that they in turn might be able to see not me, but Christ in his work in my life? It's a pattern that we're commended to follow. It's a picture of the Christ to a lost world. Colossians 3 verse number 12 says it this way, Colossians 3 verse number 12. And so as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone, just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.

It's a picture of Christ to the world. Number three, it is the priority in caring for other people. It is the priority in caring for other people. If you want to show how much you truly care, then you forgive. It's important to realize that we have studied the life of David. First Samuel 24, he had the opportunity to to kill Saul when Saul came into the cave to relieve himself.

And all of us men said to David, God has delivered him to your hands. This is God's appointed time for you to slay Saul and ascend the throne. But David did not. He did not seek revenge. A little later in First Samuel chapter 26, once again, David had that opportunity when he walked into the camp of Saul in the middle of the night when they were all asleep because God had caused them all to sleep soundly.

Remember the story for those of you with us? He took two things. He took his jug of water and he took his spear, Saul's spear. And when he went out from that night across the valley and yelled across the valley to demonstrate to Saul that once again, he could have taken his life, but he did not because David never sought revenge on someone else. And Romans chapter 12 is the New Testament commentary on First Samuel 24 and First Samuel 26.

When it says this, never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Paul doesn't say never pay back evil for evil to those in your church. He says to anyone, that's a believer and an unbeliever. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God. For it is written, vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord. But if your enemy is hungry, feed him. And if he is thirsty, give him a drink.

For in so doing, you will heap burning coals upon his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. In other words, don't let evil overcome you. Don't let evil dominate your life. Instead, overcome someone else's evil towards you by giving them good things, by being good to them, by being kind to them. That's what David did to Saul. And Saul tried to kill him, at least on three separate occasions, by himself. He pursued him relentlessly for 15 years. And David had the opportunity to take Saul's life.

But he did not, because he knew that vengeance was all about God's responsibility and not his. See, sometimes we usurp God's authority by thinking that it's our responsibility to put someone in their place and to pay them back. But God has not descended from his throne and allowed you to ascend his throne, that you might be the sovereign controller of the universe. He expects us to be subject to his sovereignty and to follow what his Word says. And that's what David did. And so forgiveness becomes a priority in caring for others.

If you got your Bible, turn to Matthew chapter 18. Matthew chapter 18. Remember Matthew 16? Matthew 16 is the first mention of the church in Scripture.

Matthew 18 are the first instructions given to the church. That's important. The first instructions given to the church deal with how we interact with one another.

And Christ talks about not offending one of these little ones who come into the kingdom. It would be better for you that a millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the depths of the sea, that you were to die a horrible death than offend one of these little ones. Because my angels are in heaven. They watch out. They watch me. And when there's concern on my eyes, they are dispatched to take care of the needs of my children. And then he says, if your brother sins, go to him. Verse 15.

Reprove him in private. If he listens to you, you have won your brother. But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses, every fact may be confirmed. And if he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and task gatherer. Truly I say to you, whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven. And whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

And again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, shall be done for them by my Father who is in heaven. For where two or three have gathered together in my name, there I am in their midst. It's about the process of confrontation in the church. Now listen carefully. This does not mean that every time someone sins, you enact Matthew 18. Because 1 Peter 4, 7 says, be fervent in your love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins. Every sin is not lifted to the level of confrontation that leads to the church confronting that individual.

This deals with habitual unrepentant sin. If someone continues in habitual unrepentant sin, then you go to him privately. You confront him. If he repents, you've won your brother. If he doesn't, you go to him with two or three witnesses. If he's continuing in habitual unrepentant sin. But listen, if you're in a marriage and your husband or wife sins against you, what do you do? Is it not true that love covers a multitude of sins? There are certain things you just forgive. Because if you don't just forgive because you're a forgiving person, your marriage is going to be horrible.

It's going to be on the rocks always. But because we are Christians and we're forgiving people, we forgive. Listen, if my wife didn't forgive me my sin, we'd be in a whole heap of trouble. But she's a forgiving, merciful, kind person that's willing to forgive me of all my sin without having to confront me and then take me to the church and then bring me before the elders because of my sin. Could you imagine what kind of marriage you'd have if that's the way you lived your life? Because love covers a multitude of sin.

But if there's that habitual sin that is not repented of, that's where Matthew 18 comes into play in the life of the church. And so the disciples are hearing this. Peter says in verse 21, then Peter came and said to him, Lord, how often shall I, shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times. Now where did he hear that from? Luke 17, our passage today. Jesus already said, if your brother sins against you seven times in a day, then you forgive him seven times. So now Jesus is talking about forgiving a brother again.

And Peter says, well, oh Lord, is there a limit to forgiveness? Because that's the question. Is there a limit to forgiveness? Because you have said, and let me quote you, Jesus, you said, if he sins against you seven times in a day, you forgive him seven times.

So Lord, I'm using your words. I'm going to use what you said. And so that must be the limit in which we forgive someone who's sinned against us. And Jesus says, oh no, up to 70 times seven.

Now we don't understand that because we don't get it. But if you just forgave someone seven times in a day, I mean, in the normal 24 hour period, you sleep eight hours. You've got 16 hours in which you're awake. You're offended seven times in a day. You're offended every two hours and 15 minutes. But if you forgive 70 times seven, that means you've been offended every 1.9 minutes in a day. Jesus is saying, it's not about how many times you do it. It's the fact that it's unlimited. There's never a time you don't forgive.

You see, as Christians, we are forgiving by nature. We want to forgive. That's what we want to do because we recognize what Jesus has done for us. And that's what the whole parable that follows this whole story is about, about the man who was forgiven an insurmountable amount of debt by the King. Yet when he went out, he went to a man who owed him just a little bit of money and threw the guy in prison because he couldn't pay his debt. And that guy said to that man exactly what he said to the King.

The King forgave him, but he wouldn't forgive the man who owed him just a little bit of money. The King was outrageous. He was furious when he heard about what this man did. And it's interesting to note that what he says, when the King said, summoned him, he says, you wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you entreated me. Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, even as I had mercy on you? And his Lord moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him.

So shall my heavenly father also do to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart. Torturers, that word torturer is the same word we just discussed in Luke chapter 16, where the rich man was in hell and he was what? He was tortured. And the Lord says, you'll be delivered over to torture. It's the same word used over in second Peter two, eight, talk about Saul, uh, uh, lots soul being tormented and over in Matthew chapter eight, verse number six, where a man was suffering in great pain.

The bottom line is this, the agony and the misery and the pain that you experience because of an unforgiving spirit is relentless until you forgive. How many people do you know where their lives are so bitter? They are so miserable. They are not happy. And a lot of that has to do with the fact that they are unwilling to forgive someone who has sinned against them. There's some way to let it go. Unwilling to forgive. It's like the one man who said that forgiveness is setting the prisoner free from bondage only to discover that the prisoner is you.

So many times we're in prison to our own bitterness. We're in prison to our own misery. We're in prison to our own torture because we're unwilling to forgive. And Jesus says, this is the priority in caring for other people.

You say you care about your family, your wife. Do you forgive her willingly and freely? You forgive your husband willingly and freely because we're all offended against. And that's what the whole parable in Luke 17 is about. He says, it's important possible for offenses not to come. They're going to come. You can't get around it. You can't escape offenses. You can't escape someone coming up to you and causing a stumbling block. Jesus then says, but woe to those of you who cause your brother to stumble.

Woe to you. They're going to come. You're going to be offended, but beware of the offender. And those of you who offend, be careful. It would be better for you to die a horrible death than offend one of my little ones. That's what Jesus says.

And so Christ says, you've got to be willing to forgive because that's what we do. That's who we are. We're forgiving kind of people. And so it becomes the pattern we are committed to follow, the picture of Christ to the world, the priority and caring for one another. And fourthly, it is the prerequisite to communion with Christ. It is the prerequisite to communion with Christ. A lot of people, and maybe you're one of them today, believe or feel that you're so far from God because you have yet to forgive someone who's offended you their sin.

If I regard iniquity in my heart, Psalm 66, 18, the Lord will not hear me. God's not deaf. He hears everything. It's just that He does not respond to someone who harbors sin in their lives. Proverbs 28, 13, if we conceal a transgression, we will not prosper. But if you confess and forsake your sin, you find mercy. That's important, to find mercy. Matthew 6, Matthew 6, verse number 14, Christ has already said in the disciples' prayer, forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors. And then the only commentary that Jesus ever makes on the prayer He teaches us to pray is this, for if you forgive men for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

But if you do not forgive men, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions. Boy, that's powerful. That is so powerful. If you are unwilling to forgive, God will not forgive you. You say, wait a minute, that can't be true because the Bible says that God throws all my sins into the sea and separates them as far as the east is from the west.

We have been forgiven all of our sins, past, present, and future. And yes, in a judicial sense, that is absolutely true. You are forgiven forever all your sins when you're saved, but not in a relational or parental sense are you forgiven. Because if you harbor sin, that fellowship you have with God is hindered because of your sin and your unwillingness to confess it and get it right. That's why it becomes imperative for you to forgive someone else. Matthew chapter five, Sermon on the Mount, Matthew five, verse number 23.

If therefore you are presenting your offering at the altar and there, remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go your way. First, be reconciled to your brother and then come and present your offering.

Jesus simply says, look, if you're going to come and worship me and you know that there's a brother who's got something against you, there's something you need to do first.

Before you worship me, go get it right. Go to your brother and say, listen, I was wrong. I understand you got something against me. Would you please forgive me of my offense? Would you forgive me for the way I treated you? Go seek reconciliation with your brother first, then come back.

Then you're free to worship me. But if you haven't done that, don't come. Don't come. Say, well, what if I go and they don't forgive me? That's not your issue. That's their issue. But you have fulfilled the biblical mandate and the biblical responsibility by going to your brother, seeking to get it right with them before you go and worship the Lord. Well, what if I go and I ask for forgiveness and the situation gets worse? Chances are it will. Chances are it will get worse. But you have to be faithful to God to do the right thing no matter what happens.

Well, can't I just talk to God about it? No, you can't because God said, go to your brother. If they've sinned against you, go to them. If they have something against you, go to them. You see, the Christian is never, ever relieved from taking the initiative. He is never to sit back and wait for someone else to take the initiative. He is to be a follower of Christ and take the initiative, especially when it comes to forgiving your brother. So what have you learned? That forgiveness is a pattern we are commanded to follow.

It's a picture of Christ to the world. It's a priority in caring for others. It's a prerequisite to communion with God. It's the process that clears my guilty conscience. It's the process that clears my guilty conscience. Psalm 32, how blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. How blessed is a man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity and whose spirit there is no deceit. When I kept silent about my sin, this is David speaking about a sin with Bathsheba, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long.

For day and night, thy hand was heavy upon me. My vitality was drained away as with a fever heat of summer. I acknowledged my sin to thee and my iniquity I did not hide. I said, I will confess my transgressions to the Lord and thou didst forgive the guilt of my sin. It's the process that clears the guilty conscience by going and begging for forgiveness from God and from those you have transgressed. So important. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians chapter 2, Paul was speaking to those in Corinth.

They had to go through a confrontation with a man who had committed incest with someone in his family. So they confronted him and put him out of the church. Evidently, he's repentant of a sin. He wants to get back into the church, but the Corinthians aren't willing to forgive him. And it says in verse number five, but if any has caused sorrow, he has caused sorrow not to me, but in some degree in order not to say too much to all of you, sufficient for such a one as this punishment, which was inflicted by the majority.

So that on the contrary, you should rather forgive and comfort him. Let's somehow such a one be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. Wherefore, I urge you to reaffirm your love for him. For to this end also, I wrote that I might put you to the test, whether you are obedient in all things, but whom you forgive anything, I forgive also. For indeed what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, I did it for your sakes in the presence of Christ in order that no advantage be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes.

Paul says, listen, this man has come to ask for forgiveness. He needs forgiveness. If you're not willing to accept him and forgiving him, you're going to, you're going to heap upon him all kinds of excessive sorrow. You forgive him. I've forgiven him. If you don't, if you don't, Satan will take advantage of you. You cannot be ignorant of a scheme. Do you know, do you know that when you refuse to forgive, Satan has an inroad to your life, to your marriage, to cause all kinds of havoc in your family.

Can't neglect the schemes of the devil. Beware of those schemes. That's why the Bible says in Ephesians 4, 26 and 27, be angry yet do not sin and do not let the sun go down upon your wrath, because if you do, you give opportunity for the devil.

If you're going to bed angry, guess what? The devil has an open door to your life. And the more you go to bed angry, the bigger that door swings open. And the bitterness and the rage and the malice and the evil and the clamor and all those negative emotions begin to be so overwhelming, simply because you were unwilling to extend the hand of forgiveness, which comes from a heart filled with love toward those who offended you. There's one process that clears the guilty conscience, and that's forgiveness.

Forgiveness from God, and you forgiving your brother who sinned against you. Next, it's the practice that's characteristic of the Christian. It's the practice that's characteristic of the Christian. Matthew chapter 5, verse number 43 says this, you've heard that it was said, you should love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you in order that you may be sons of your father who is in heaven. For he causes his son to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

So if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the task gatherers do that? And if you greet your brothers only, and do you, what do you do more than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Therefore, you are to be perfect as your heavenly father is perfect. To love your enemies, to pray for those who persecute you, is to hand them out to forgiving them, that you might demonstrate to them the love of Christ. Acts 7, Peter's being stoned. As he's being stoned, he looks up into heaven.

He says, do not hold this charge to their account. And as he was asking God to forgive them, he dies. And people would take their robes and throw them at the feet of one named Saul, because he had orchestrated the death of Stephen. Yet when you come to the end of Saul's life, who is now Paul, because he's been converted on the Damascus road, in 2nd Timothy chapter 4, he says the exact same words that he heard Stephen say years earlier, when no one would stand with him at his defense. And he said, do not hold this charge to their account, because he was a forgiver.

You see, forgiveness simply is the practice that is characteristic of the Christian. And one more, number seven, forgiveness predicates or affirms my comprehension of the sovereignty of Almighty God. It predicates my comprehension of the sovereignty of Almighty God. And that's basically illustrated in the life of Joseph. When his father died, in Genesis chapter 15, his brothers were deathly afraid that now Joseph would seek revenge, that Joseph only did what he did because his father was alive. But now that his dad is dead, they were so afraid that Joseph was going to kill them.

But Joseph did not, because Joseph had perfect biblical vision. Genesis 50 verse number 20, you meant it evil, but God meant it for good. You had an evil motive. You wanted to get rid of me. You wanted to rid yourself of my influence and my character. You want to get rid of me completely. That was your evil intent. But God would override all of that, all of it, because he had something better in store for me and for you. And Joseph was that man of great forgiveness in the old Testament. And it affirmed the fact that he believed that God was sovereign over all of life events.

Do you believe that? Do you believe that every offense that's happened to you up to this point has been orchestrated by the sovereign plan of Almighty God? Because it has. Nothing has escaped his notice.

Nothing has happened to you that's caught God off guard and said, Oh, I can't believe that that happened to one of my own children. Oh no. Oh, he is in charge of everything. And he wants you to have biblical vision, 50, 20 vision. You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good. It is our duty, as well as our delight, to forgive. Let me pray with you.

Father, we thank you for today, the great joy of learning your text. Our prayer is that we'd be obedient to your word. We'd follow you. We'd serve you. We'd honor you. And every one of us, Lord, would demonstrate a heart, the spirit of forgiveness. Pray, Lord, that as we learn more about this topic next week, you'd enlighten us that we might better represent you to everybody around us for your glory and for your honor in Jesus name. Amen.