Restoring the Neglected Virtue, Part 2B

We've had the last several weeks the opportunity to speak about the topic of forgiveness as it applies to your life and to mine as we have taken a break from our study in the book of Genesis. By looking at what it means to forgive our fellow man, helping us to understand better the life of Joseph as he was one who would forgive his brothers all of their sin. And we've been talking about forgiveness, how to restore that neglected virtue. Because for most people, it is a neglected virtue. And yet the highest point of our Christian life is to be able to have a forgiving kind of spirit.

So, I want to talk to you about that today and begin to give you some principles that we'll cover this week and next week and in the following weeks to help you understand several principles. On how we restore that neglected virtue in our lives. Principle number one is this: to forgive is important because it is a pattern that we are commended to follow.

So, if we're going to restore that neglected virtue, we recognize its command, but it was patterned by the one who went before us, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And so we follow that command based on how he lived his life. John said it well, if you abide in him and he abides in you. 1 John chapter 2, verse number 6. Then you need to walk as He Himself walked. You need to live the life that Christ Himself lived. If you claim to be a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, then at the heart of your soul, You want to be able to live as Jesus Christ Himself lived through the power of the Spirit of God energizing you from day to day.

And I began thinking about that and thought to myself, how has God forgiven us in Christ Jesus? Well, first of all, God's forgiving us was one that was demonstrated by fervency.

There was fervency in his forgiveness. Because that's what he wants to do. Read the parable of the prodigal son, a parable that is so misunderstood, so misinterpreted. But the parable of the prodigal son helps us understand the character of our God who loves to forgive because he is a forgiving God. That's the way our Lord is. And so we understand that the forgiveness of God, number one, is based on the fact that He fervently forgives His people.

He passionately goes after them. The next thing I notice about how God for Christ's sake hath forgiven us is that not only does He forgive us fervently, but He forgives us Factually.

That is, it's a fact. It's a concrete fact. It is certain. He hath forgiven us. He has. A true child of God has experienced the forgiveness of God. It's a fact. It's not something we hope for. Well, I hope that I've been forgiven of my sins. Ah, bas on your understanding of the forgiveness of God helps you understand the security of your God, the eternal security of your God. Those people who don't believe in the eternal security have a hard time with the forgiveness of God. Our God is a forgiving God because that's the way our Lord God is.

That's why in Isaiah chapter 1, verse number 18, he said, Come, let us reason together. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. It says over in Isaiah chapter 43, verse number 25: I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for my own sake. God doesn't forgive you your sin for your sake. God forgives you your sin for His sake. Isn't that good? You see, we think God did it for us, He did secondarily. But primarily, he did it for himself.

It says over in Isaiah 44, verse number 22: I have wiped out your transgressions like a thick cloud, and your sins like a heavy mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you. God forgives our sins fervently, factually. The third way we need to understand the forgiveness of our sins as God has forgiven us in Christ Jesus is that He forgives them frequently.

Continually. There's a frequency about his forgiveness. Not only has he forgiven our sins in the past, but he forgives our sins in the present, and he forgives them in the future as well. But there's a frequency about his forgiveness. There's a ferven about his forgiveness. And there is a fact about his forgiveness. But to understand the frequency of it, Is amazing because you and I both know that we sin continually, and yet God Himself frequently Cleanses us from all of our sins. That's why the Bible says if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.

You see, we have a hard time understanding God's forgiveness because when we have those who are close to us and we ask them to forgive us, they tend to give us a cold shoulder, right? They tend to say, Yes, I forgive you, but then don't talk to you anymore. And we think that's how God is. That's not the way God is. He says, if you confess your sins, I'm faithful. I am faithful. I'm just. I forgive you your sins. But there's another thing: God's forgiveness. Is free. You didn't earn God's forgiveness.

You didn't merit God's forgiveness, did you? There was nothing you did, there was nothing in you that would cause God to forgive you because you're a sinner. So am I. So we understand that the Bible says over in Titus chapter 3, it is not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us.

Oh, did you repent of your sins? Yes, you did. Did you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ? Yes, you did. You had to to be saved. But we know from the Bible that repentance is a gift and belief in God is a gift. No man can believe in God unless God grants him the gift of belief. And no man can repent of his sins unless God grants him the gift of repentance. It's a gift. And not only this, it's full. It's free and it's full. It's all encompassing. God never said, I'll forgive this sin and that sin, but I'm not going to forgive this one.

He forgives us all of our sins, not just some of our sins. That's the way our God is. So, we are to forgive one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven us. That's the pattern. It's a pattern of ferven, it's a pattern of fact. It's a pattern of frequency. It's a pattern of freedom. It's a pattern that's full. Finally, it's a pattern that's forever.

Forever. Why? Because it's the forgiveness of God that allows us entrance into His kingdom. We couldn't go there, sinners. We couldn't go in there in sinful bodies. Why? So, what did Christ do? He cloaked us with His righteousness. He gave us the garments of salvation. And therefore, the forgiveness of God is full and free. That's why Paul would say there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. And so when we began to or begin to examine the scriptures, we realized that God says, here's a pattern.

I want you to forgive your brother. I want you to be compassionate. I want you to be tenderhearted. I want you to be forgiving toward one another, even as God, for Christ's sake. Hath forgiven you. And you see, that's where it begins, with a ferven. In order that there might factually be that forgiveness. God hath forgiven us. We will forgive our brothers and we will forgive them frequently. That's why Christ says, forgiveness is unlimited, not limited.

When Peter says, Up to seven times, Lord? Christ says, no, 70 times seven, Peter. Forgiveness is unlimited. There's a frequency behind it. Why? Because God frequently forgives you your sins, right? So there's a pattern that we are commanded to follow. And then you begin to understand that it's free. I freely forgive and I fully forgive. I don't hold some sins in check and forgive Other sins, I fully forgive my brother all his sins. And that forgiveness should be final, and that forgiveness should be forever.

N wanting to bring it back up again. Wanting to forget about it and move on. See, it's a pattern we're commanded to follow. And you see, we realize if you understand your identity in Christ, that we are slaves. We talked about last week, our identity in Christ is wrapped up in the fact that we are His servants. We are His slaves, right? Slaves have no rights. See, one of the biggest problems is that we think we have rights. We've been sold a bill of good by our society. You have rights. If your rights have been violated, sue.

You sue if your rights have been violated. Slaves have no rights. None. And that is so hard for us to get hold of. We say that is just so demeaning. That's so demeaning. I have rights. I am a person. Well, if you understand the gospel, the Bible says you've got to deny yourself.

Take up your cross and follow the one who laid aside his rights, became a servant that he might serve his fellow man. That's the gospel. That's the truth, right? And there's the pattern that we're commanded to follow. That we might understand. That's why I love what the hymn writer said when he said. My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought. My sin, not in part but the whole, is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, O my soul. Oh, my sin's been nailed to the cross.

I bury it no more. He's taken it away. Written off of Psalm 103, which says these words, verse number 8. The Lord is compassionate and gracious. Slow to anger and abounding in loving kind, He will not always strive with us, nor will He keep His anger forever, but He has not dealt with us according to our sins. Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his loving kind toward those who fear him. As far as the East is from the West, so far as He removed our transgressions from us.

That's our God. That's what He has done. He's taken your sin. He's nailed it to the cross. It's been washed in the blood of the Lamb and is no longer remembered in heaven. That's our God. And Paul comes and says, You know, you need not grieve the Spirit of God. Don't grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you are sealed unto the day of redemption. He says, but bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander, let it all be put away from you. Why? Because of your identity in Christ, who you are.

You're a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. Put those things and put them aside because they don't accurately represent you. You need to bear the fruit of the Spirit in your life, and you need to be kind. To one another. Compassionate, tender, forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven you. I like what Martin Lloyd-Jones said. He said, Whenever I see myself before God and realize something of what my blessed Lord has done for me at Calvary, I am ready to forgive anybody, anything.

I cannot withhold it. I do not even want to withhold. Isn't that good? When I understand what Christ did for me at Calvary, I don't even want to withhold forgiveness from my brother. Why? Because he understands the pattern of fervency, of frequency, of freely, of fully. Finally, forever.

Do you understand that? I trust that you do. I trust that God has spoken to you through His Word this morning that you would understand that. The bottom line for us is to understand God's forgiveness of us. Martin Lloyd Jones went on to say these words about comprehending God's forgiveness. Of us individually. He said, This: There's a vital question before us: Do you know that your sins are forgiven? How can I know, says someone, that my sins are forgiven? Mr. Jones says, I have a very short test to give you.

If you want to know whether your sins are forgiven or not, here is my test. Are you forgiving others? Are you ready to forgive others who have harmed you and sinned against you? Or look at it another way.

Does this argument of the apostle appeal to you? As I read out these words, be ye kind to one another, tender, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you, are you softened in your feelings? Do you feel melted? Are you ready to forgive at this moment? If you are, I do not hesitate to say you are a Christian. But a bitterness is still rankling down there. And if you are saying, in spite of these glorious words, But after all, I did nothing, and I don't deserve such treatment.

You had better go back and examine your foundation. I find it very difficult to see how such a person can be a Christian at all. He's right. He is absolutely right. When the Word of God is read and the Spirit of God begins to convict the soul, it's not like I'm going to defend myself. I say, wait a minute, you don't know how I was treated. You don't know what they did to me. You're right, we don't know. And not only that, we don't want to know. Because that's between you and your God and that individual.

But it's the melting of the heart that says, Yes, Lord, that's the way I need. I'm a child of God. I'm a child of God. And because I'm a child of God, then that's exactly what I want to be able to do. Which leads me to my second point.

Not only is it a pattern that we're committed to follow, it is a picture of Christ to a lost world. It's a picture of Christ to a lost world. Oh, this is so good. Turn with me, if you would, to Matthew chapter 9 for a moment.

Matthew chapter 9. The Gospel of Matthew. Unbelievable gospel. They're all unbelievable. They're incredible. But as you read the Gospel of Matthew, you realize that you know what? Matthew. The man who wrote Matthew, do you know? He only is seen in one incident in the Bible. It's Matthew chapter 9. Do you know he never speaks a word? He never asks a question. Now, we assume Matthew could speak, but you know he never asked a question. There's no record of him ever saying, Hey, Lord, I got a question I want to ask you.

Or there's no record of him saying, You know what? This is what I said to the Lord Jesus Christ, and this is how he responded, and this is what I said to Peter. Nothing like that. Nothing. He is a silent disciple, the silent apostle. And one day, he picks up a pin. And God uses this man to record the kingship of Christ by looking from Matthew's perspective. About the kingliness of the king. And in Matthew chapter 9, it is the only incident that we have in the Bible that refers to Matthew and what he did.

In fact, he says over in Matthew chapter 9, as he lists the apostles, he lists his job with his name only when he does it. Nobody else doesn't, but Matthew does. Because it's a reminder of his unworthiness. It's a reminder of his sinfulness. It's a reminder of what God did, what the king did in his life. Matthew. A tax collector. Just think of the dirtiest sin you could ever imagine. And just imagine yourself committing that sin, and that's how you'd always list your name. Bob the murderer. Betty the harlot.

Matthew the tax collector. The most despicable sin of that day. I mean, there were sinners, and then there were tax collectors. So, tax collectors were lower than sinners were. And so, Matthew would just remind us of the fact that he was unworthy of the king's blessing. But the Lord came to Matthew one day, knocked on the table where he was sitting. You, you follow me. You follow me. Matthew left his table, left his job. Why? Because when a man's des to follow the Lord Is supreme. He will do whatever God asks.

And Matthew got up and left it all behind to follow Jesus Christ. And it says in Matthew chapter 9, these words, verse number 10, and it happened as he was reclining at the table in the house, behold, many tax-gatherers and sinners came 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.

But go and learn what this means. I desire compassion and not sacrifice, for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners. Wow. That is so good. Here he is eating with the despicable people of the land. And the religious people have a problem with that. So they go to the disciples and say, you what, why is it this Jesus of yours is eating with these people? They're such vile, rotten sinners. And of course, they were the religious elite, and they were better than everybody else. They look good on the outside, they smelled good, they acted good, but they were, as Jesus said, like dead man's bones.

They were like the inside of a sepulchre. They were rotten to the core. And so, why does your Jesus eat with these rotten people? And of course, the Lord hears that. and pipes up and says the healthy. They don't need a physician. It's the sick. It sees people who realize their sinfulness. It sees people who realize that they need a savior. And I've come to seek and to save that which is lost. He says, but you go and learn. That's a rabbinical rebuke. In Jewish tradition, you go and you learn, Christ says, what this means.

I desire compassion and not sacrifice. I des mercy. I desire loyalty. I desire compassion. It 's a quotation of Hosea 6. Verse number six, which reads this way: I delight in compassion rather than sacrifice and in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. He's taking these people who were to know the law of God, who were to be experts in the Old Testament, taking them back to the Old Testament and saying, listen.

This is what I want. I don't want your rituals. I don want your religiosity. I'm not interested in your sacrifices. Why? Because I desire a compassionate heart. I des someone who's committed to me and wants to follow me. That 's what I desire. He says, listen.

You need to be focusing on the perfect word of God instead of the imperfect ways of man. You need to go and learn. Because evidently you have not learned anything about who I am. And the amazing thing about this is that he quoted from the book of Hosea. Why? Because Hosea was a picture. Wasn't he? His relationship with his wife was a picture to the nation of Israel of God's compassionate, merciful forgiveness. Upon a sinner. Remember the story? Gom was his wife. She played the harlot. She left Hosea, and Hosea had every right to divorce his wife.

Every right to leave her? Because she was in sin and she was un of her sin. And God came to Hosea and said, You can't divorce your wife. You can't leave her. Instead, I want you to go after her. I want you to pursue her. So what did Hosea do? He followed Gom from village to village, from town to town, from place to place, paying her hotel bills, paying her food bills, paying her doctor bills, Following her wherever she went. Until one day, one day, he found her stark naked on a slave block, being sold once again.

And he bought her back. He bought her back. What a tremendous testimony. He bought her back. He paid the price to redeem the bride that turned his back on him. And God says, Hosea, you're a picture of me that the world needs to see.

They need to understand who I am, and the way they're going to understand who I am is because of you, Hosea. You're going to show them who I am. And you're going to show them my compassion. You're going to show them my mercy because that's what I desire. I want that, Hosea. I don't want you to seek revenge. I don't want you to become bitter. I want you to go after your wife because that's how I'm going to go after Israel. I'm going to keep pursuing Israel, keep pursuing Israel, t one day I can redeem her back, I can buy her back, she can be mine.

And I want the world to know that's me, Hosea. So you tell them, you teach them about me. But most importantly, you demonstrate to them me. And that, my friend. That's what forgiveness is. It's a picture of Christ to a lost world. You see, we are most like beasts when we kill. Most like man when we judge, but most like God when we forgive. And that's the way we need to be. And I guess you've got to ask yourself this question: Do I? want to, at the bottom of my heart, show the world the merciful compassion of my God.

Do I want them to see it? Do I want them to understand the forgiveness of God? If I want them to understand it, then I need to demonstrate it. And I need to willingly, frequently, fervently, fully forgive my brother his sins. Because that's what Jesus Christ did for me. And that's why when you get to Luke 15, the Pharisees are still upset. Why? Because he accepts the sinner. They had such a hard time with that. That's because they thought they were so good. They were beyond sin. And Jesus would give those parables of the lost sheep, of the lost coin, of the two lost sons.

Remember, he painted the picture of that boy? He painted the picture of that boy in such a way that he just looked rotten. He took his inheritance. He ran away. He did whatever he wanted to do. He lived the lifestyle of luxury until he ran out of everything. And then he came, the Bible says he came to his senses.

He realized he was wrong. And in that parable of Luke 15, you have a complete definition of repentance. If you want to understand repentance, you need to understand the prod son. Because when he came back, he came back to his father with no agenda and no demands. That is the repentant spirit. He didn't come back because he wanted his dad to bring him back into the house. No. He came back because he sinned against God. That's why he came back. That is the definition of repentance. He realized his sin was against God.

He came back to ask his father for forgiveness, whether his father would take him in or not. He didn't know his dad was going take him back. Did he know that? No. Uh-uh. All he knew is that he wasn't even worthy to be a slave in his father's household. But he goes back. His dad, his dad saw him. The Father is a picture of God the Father. And made a beel to him, fell on his neck, and kissed him, and gave him a tremendous celebration. Because that's the character of our God. He is a for God. Are you a forgiving person?

It's a pattern you're commanded to follow. It's a picture of Jesus Christ to a lost world. Let's pray.