GRACE
Series: Motivated by grace
Speaker: Steve Jeffrey
Date: 22nd December 2012
00:00:00 --> 00:00:02 Keep your Bibles open there at Matthew 18.
00:00:03 --> 00:00:03 I'll pray.
00:00:04 --> 00:00:08 Gracious Father, a couple of days before Christmas,
00:00:08 --> 00:00:13 as you remember the great event of the Lord Jesus coming into this world,
00:00:14 --> 00:00:18 to live that obedient life, to die that substitutionary death,
00:00:19 --> 00:00:22 to be raised in a very powerful way,
00:00:23 --> 00:00:27 Lord, we pray that we would see the implications of your grace to us
00:00:27 --> 00:00:32 and the implications in terms of our grace to one another
00:00:32 --> 00:00:33 as we look at this passage.
00:00:33 --> 00:00:38 So we need your help to do the thing that we cannot do,
00:00:38 --> 00:00:43 to not just see the facts of this story,
00:00:44 --> 00:00:46 but to see the glory of it.
00:00:46 --> 00:00:51 And so, Lord, we pray that we would not just understand your grace,
00:00:51 --> 00:00:53 but that we would rejoice in it,
00:00:53 --> 00:00:57 that we would see the beauty and the glory of it this morning from your word
00:00:57 --> 00:00:59 so come and help us, we pray in Jesus' name.
00:01:00 --> 00:01:00 Amen.
00:01:03 --> 00:01:07 A former American footballer with the Miami Dolphins was interviewed by Newsweek
00:01:07 --> 00:01:10 and he was asked the question,
00:01:10 --> 00:01:12 what motivated him to go to university?
00:01:13 --> 00:01:15 And his reply was,
00:01:15 --> 00:01:19 my father and uncle were human cannonballs in the carnivals.
00:01:19 --> 00:01:22 He said, one day my father came to me and said,
00:01:22 --> 00:01:25 son, go to university or become a human cannonball.
00:01:27 --> 00:01:30 And he said, one day while I was contemplating my future,
00:01:30 --> 00:01:34 he said, my uncle came out of the cannon and hit the ferris wheel
00:01:34 --> 00:01:36 and that's when I decided to go to university.
00:01:38 --> 00:01:42 Motive is a strange thing to work out sometimes
00:01:42 --> 00:01:44 and especially as Christians.
00:01:44 --> 00:01:49 What motivates us to be here this morning?
00:01:49 --> 00:01:52 What motivates us to pursue spiritual disciplines?
00:01:53 --> 00:01:56 What motivates us to give generously?
00:01:56 --> 00:01:58 What motivates us to serve?
00:01:58 --> 00:02:00 What motivates us to do what we were doing
00:02:00 --> 00:02:02 even in the last week down at the mall?
00:02:03 --> 00:02:08 Often, it is true that our motives are mixed in the pursuit of right things,
00:02:08 --> 00:02:13 but it's also possible to have wrong motives in pursuing right things.
00:02:15 --> 00:02:20 This is the last sermon in our short series on the grace of God.
00:02:20 --> 00:02:22 We started off being amazed by grace.
00:02:23 --> 00:02:25 It was right there at the very beginning.
00:02:25 --> 00:02:30 I said that the grace of God is God's love freely shown towards guilty sinners,
00:02:30 --> 00:02:34 contrary to their merit and in fact in defiance of their demerit.
00:02:34 --> 00:02:41 That is, neither all the good things we do nor the bad things we do actually count.
00:02:41 --> 00:02:46 God isn't drawn to us because that somehow we're better than other people
00:02:46 --> 00:02:51 and he isn't repulsed by us because our sin is so bad.
00:02:52 --> 00:02:58 Grace is about God's free, unconditional, sovereign, electing love.
00:02:58 --> 00:03:00 In the end, it's not about us.
00:03:00 --> 00:03:02 It is about God and his character.
00:03:02 --> 00:03:09 Last week, we saw how this grace can scandalise us
00:03:09 --> 00:03:16 because our normal moral position is to think of ourselves more highly than we ought.
00:03:17 --> 00:03:20 That is, we tend to play down our massive vices
00:03:20 --> 00:03:25 and we assume that the small occasional virtues
00:03:25 --> 00:03:28 will somehow cover up the massive vices.
00:03:28 --> 00:03:32 It's like a bank robber before a judge
00:03:32 --> 00:03:36 and he's about to get convicted for armed robbery in a bank
00:03:36 --> 00:03:39 and he said, well, hang on a bit, judge, before you get too carried away here,
00:03:39 --> 00:03:43 just remember in your assessment of me that I didn't rob the bank on that corner
00:03:43 --> 00:03:46 and on that corner and that corner, I only just did this one here
00:03:46 --> 00:03:49 and the judge goes, oh, okay then.
00:03:49 --> 00:03:50 I never considered that.
00:03:51 --> 00:03:53 So you're not such a bad bloke after all.
00:03:54 --> 00:03:55 Innocent.
00:03:57 --> 00:04:02 And now it's time for us to look at grace
00:04:02 --> 00:04:06 as grace being the motivation for us
00:04:06 --> 00:04:08 to live a life of grace
00:04:08 --> 00:04:09 and this is crucial.
00:04:09 --> 00:04:12 It's crucial because it's unfortunate
00:04:12 --> 00:04:15 that we often only get it half right
00:04:15 --> 00:04:18 when we look at the doctrine of grace.
00:04:19 --> 00:04:21 When we become a Christian,
00:04:21 --> 00:04:24 we understand that we are saved by grace
00:04:24 --> 00:04:27 but we get confused about what sort of comes after that.
00:04:28 --> 00:04:31 We often are not clear about what it means to live by grace
00:04:31 --> 00:04:34 and there are two classic historical mistakes
00:04:34 --> 00:04:36 in response to being saved by grace.
00:04:36 --> 00:04:40 One, the first mistake is that I'm saved by grace
00:04:40 --> 00:04:44 but I stay saved through doing good things.
00:04:45 --> 00:04:48 It can be sort of like joining a sports team.
00:04:48 --> 00:04:52 You get into the team because the coach was gracious to you,
00:04:52 --> 00:04:54 he needed some spot field
00:04:54 --> 00:04:56 or because you signed the rego forms
00:04:56 --> 00:04:59 but you need to keep your spot in the team
00:04:59 --> 00:05:01 by earning your place
00:05:01 --> 00:05:04 by working hard and performing well to be part of the team.
00:05:04 --> 00:05:07 Another name for it is legalism
00:05:07 --> 00:05:10 and it is a great danger for us.
00:05:12 --> 00:05:15 Even good relational things like spiritual disciplines,
00:05:16 --> 00:05:18 things like evangelism and prayer and barberating
00:05:18 --> 00:05:19 and church and giving
00:05:19 --> 00:05:23 can easily become performance measures
00:05:23 --> 00:05:26 by which we gauge how things are going
00:05:26 --> 00:05:27 in our relationship with God.
00:05:29 --> 00:05:30 Now don't get me wrong here,
00:05:30 --> 00:05:32 I want to actively promote disciplines
00:05:32 --> 00:05:35 like those things amongst Christians.
00:05:35 --> 00:05:39 They are absolutely necessary for growth as Christians
00:05:39 --> 00:05:41 but they are benefits.
00:05:41 --> 00:05:43 They are not duties.
00:05:43 --> 00:05:45 They are a privilege.
00:05:46 --> 00:05:48 Legalism is very, very dangerous
00:05:48 --> 00:05:51 because the legalist is often deluded
00:05:51 --> 00:05:54 by their own self-righteousness
00:05:54 --> 00:05:59 and pride becomes a massive problem
00:05:59 --> 00:06:01 and remember what I said last week
00:06:01 --> 00:06:02 and Deb's reminded us this morning,
00:06:03 --> 00:06:05 pride is the thick hide
00:06:05 --> 00:06:07 that grace cannot penetrate.
00:06:09 --> 00:06:11 Legalism isn't how grace works.
00:06:12 --> 00:06:14 Salvation is all God's work
00:06:14 --> 00:06:16 from beginning to the end.
00:06:16 --> 00:06:19 from the moment you begin the Christian life
00:06:19 --> 00:06:20 until you enter heaven
00:06:20 --> 00:06:22 and I would even say that
00:06:22 --> 00:06:24 for all of eternity in heaven,
00:06:24 --> 00:06:26 it is all by the grace of God.
00:06:28 --> 00:06:29 All by the grace of God.
00:06:30 --> 00:06:31 Take for instance Romans 8.
00:06:31 --> 00:06:33 If you're really quick with your Bible,
00:06:33 --> 00:06:34 flick to Romans 8,
00:06:35 --> 00:06:37 verse 28 to verse 30.
00:06:39 --> 00:06:41 And we know that in all things
00:06:41 --> 00:06:43 God works for the good of those who love Him,
00:06:44 --> 00:06:46 who have been called according to His purpose.
00:06:46 --> 00:06:48 For those God foreknew,
00:06:48 --> 00:06:50 He also predestined to be conformed
00:06:50 --> 00:06:51 to the likeness of His Son
00:06:51 --> 00:06:53 that He might be the firstborn
00:06:53 --> 00:06:55 among many brothers.
00:06:55 --> 00:06:56 And here it is.
00:06:57 --> 00:06:58 And those He predestined,
00:06:59 --> 00:06:59 He called,
00:07:00 --> 00:07:01 and those He called,
00:07:01 --> 00:07:02 He justified,
00:07:02 --> 00:07:03 and those He justified,
00:07:03 --> 00:07:05 He also glorified.
00:07:05 --> 00:07:07 It is all of God's work
00:07:07 --> 00:07:09 from beginning right through to the end,
00:07:09 --> 00:07:12 from eternity past to eternity future.
00:07:12 --> 00:07:14 It is His work in choosing,
00:07:14 --> 00:07:15 His work in saving,
00:07:15 --> 00:07:17 His work in changing,
00:07:17 --> 00:07:20 it is all His gracious action.
00:07:22 --> 00:07:26 So legalism is dangerous.
00:07:28 --> 00:07:31 The second mistake is that we are saved by grace,
00:07:31 --> 00:07:32 all of God's work,
00:07:32 --> 00:07:33 His doing,
00:07:33 --> 00:07:34 I contribute nothing,
00:07:34 --> 00:07:36 and so I can live however I like.
00:07:38 --> 00:07:39 Augustine of Hippo
00:07:39 --> 00:07:42 summarized the Christian life with the saying,
00:07:42 --> 00:07:44 love God and do as you please.
00:07:45 --> 00:07:47 So there's legalism on one hand,
00:07:47 --> 00:07:48 on the other hand,
00:07:48 --> 00:07:50 there is license.
00:07:51 --> 00:07:52 The German pastor,
00:07:52 --> 00:07:53 Dietrich Bonhoeffer,
00:07:53 --> 00:07:54 called it cheap grace.
00:07:55 --> 00:07:57 The Bible says this about license,
00:07:57 --> 00:07:58 a couple of chapters,
00:07:58 --> 00:07:59 if you are in Romans chapter 8,
00:07:59 --> 00:08:01 go back to chapter 6,
00:08:01 --> 00:08:03 verse 15,
00:08:03 --> 00:08:04 what then?
00:08:05 --> 00:08:06 Shall we sin
00:08:06 --> 00:08:08 because we are not under law
00:08:08 --> 00:08:09 but under grace?
00:08:10 --> 00:08:11 By no means.
00:08:12 --> 00:08:13 Don't you know
00:08:13 --> 00:08:14 that when you offer yourselves
00:08:14 --> 00:08:16 to someone to obey him as slaves,
00:08:16 --> 00:08:18 you are slaves to the one whom you obey,
00:08:18 --> 00:08:20 whether you are slaves to sin,
00:08:20 --> 00:08:20 which leads to death,
00:08:21 --> 00:08:22 or to obedience,
00:08:22 --> 00:08:23 which leads to righteousness.
00:08:23 --> 00:08:25 But thanks be to God
00:08:25 --> 00:08:28 that though you used to be slaves to sin,
00:08:28 --> 00:08:30 you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching
00:08:30 --> 00:08:32 to which you were entrusted,
00:08:32 --> 00:08:34 you have been set free from sin,
00:08:34 --> 00:08:36 and have become slaves to righteousness.
00:08:38 --> 00:08:40 Now what Paul's doing here in Romans chapter 6
00:08:40 --> 00:08:44 is he's actually quoting someone,
00:08:45 --> 00:08:47 and he's trying to help this poor fellow
00:08:47 --> 00:08:50 to understand the Christian life
00:08:50 --> 00:08:52 and the essence of the Christian life.
00:08:52 --> 00:08:53 And this fellow,
00:08:53 --> 00:08:55 he listens to Paul's teaching
00:08:55 --> 00:08:57 about the gospel of justification
00:08:57 --> 00:09:00 by grace through faith apart from works,
00:09:00 --> 00:09:01 and he says,
00:09:02 --> 00:09:05 well if I have a right standing before God
00:09:05 --> 00:09:07 by trusting in his gracious actions
00:09:07 --> 00:09:08 towards me in the Lord Jesus,
00:09:09 --> 00:09:11 and if all of my past and present
00:09:11 --> 00:09:13 and future sins are all forgiven
00:09:13 --> 00:09:15 and dealt with by Jesus,
00:09:16 --> 00:09:18 well that's great,
00:09:18 --> 00:09:18 I'll have that,
00:09:19 --> 00:09:21 and I might as well go on living a life of sin
00:09:21 --> 00:09:23 because I can have that too.
00:09:24 --> 00:09:27 I can enjoy all the desires of sin as well.
00:09:30 --> 00:09:33 And what's Paul's response to that?
00:09:35 --> 00:09:36 Paul's response is,
00:09:37 --> 00:09:40 that's the way a person talks about Christianity
00:09:40 --> 00:09:44 if it is just simply a group of ideas
00:09:44 --> 00:09:48 and not an experience of the preciousness
00:09:48 --> 00:09:50 of the Lord Jesus Christ.
00:09:51 --> 00:09:53 It's a person whose Christianity
00:09:53 --> 00:09:55 is all truth and no treasure,
00:09:55 --> 00:09:57 all choices and no cherishing,
00:09:57 --> 00:09:59 all logic about Christ
00:09:59 --> 00:10:00 and no love for Christ,
00:10:00 --> 00:10:02 all decision and no delight.
00:10:02 --> 00:10:05 That is,
00:10:05 --> 00:10:06 they know Jesus,
00:10:06 --> 00:10:09 but they don't treasure Jesus.
00:10:11 --> 00:10:14 We are being set free from slavery to sin.
00:10:16 --> 00:10:17 Why would you want to go back there?
00:10:18 --> 00:10:19 Is what Paul says.
00:10:20 --> 00:10:22 If I cherish the love of God towards me,
00:10:22 --> 00:10:23 the Lord Jesus,
00:10:23 --> 00:10:25 what is it that will please me?
00:10:25 --> 00:10:30 What pleases me is what pleases Him.
00:10:32 --> 00:10:33 And I live accordingly.
00:10:33 --> 00:10:34 Not because I have to,
00:10:35 --> 00:10:36 not because of obligation or guilt,
00:10:36 --> 00:10:38 not because I'm forced or manipulated
00:10:38 --> 00:10:39 or I owe Him,
00:10:40 --> 00:10:42 but because I've experienced the love
00:10:42 --> 00:10:44 and the grace that God has shown me.
00:10:46 --> 00:10:49 And this then brings us to this story of Matthew 18.
00:10:49 --> 00:10:51 So hopefully most of you have got your Bibles open
00:10:51 --> 00:10:51 at that point.
00:10:51 --> 00:10:53 If you haven't,
00:10:53 --> 00:10:54 flick there really quickly.
00:10:55 --> 00:10:56 Matthew 18.
00:10:57 --> 00:11:00 This is a story which helps us to see
00:11:00 --> 00:11:02 how grace,
00:11:03 --> 00:11:04 the grace of the Lord Jesus,
00:11:04 --> 00:11:05 should motivate us
00:11:05 --> 00:11:08 in a life of grace towards one another.
00:11:09 --> 00:11:11 Jesus has been talking about
00:11:11 --> 00:11:11 how to handle things
00:11:11 --> 00:11:13 when someone sins against you.
00:11:13 --> 00:11:14 And so in verse 15,
00:11:15 --> 00:11:16 Jesus says this,
00:11:16 --> 00:11:17 if your brother sins against you,
00:11:17 --> 00:11:18 go and show him his fault
00:11:18 --> 00:11:20 just between the two of you.
00:11:20 --> 00:11:21 If he listens to you,
00:11:21 --> 00:11:22 you have won your brother over.
00:11:23 --> 00:11:24 But if he will not listen,
00:11:24 --> 00:11:26 take one or two others along
00:11:26 --> 00:11:27 so that every matter
00:11:27 --> 00:11:27 may be established
00:11:27 --> 00:11:28 by the testimony
00:11:28 --> 00:11:29 of two or three witnesses.
00:11:30 --> 00:11:32 If he refuses to listen to them,
00:11:32 --> 00:11:33 tell it to the church.
00:11:33 --> 00:11:35 And if he refuses to listen
00:11:35 --> 00:11:36 even to the church,
00:11:36 --> 00:11:37 treat him as you would
00:11:37 --> 00:11:38 a pagan or a tax collector.
00:11:40 --> 00:11:41 Those few verses there
00:11:41 --> 00:11:44 are so essential
00:11:44 --> 00:11:47 for good relationships
00:11:47 --> 00:11:48 within the church.
00:11:48 --> 00:11:52 don't talk to other people
00:11:52 --> 00:11:54 about how you've been wronged.
00:11:55 --> 00:11:56 Don't hold a grudge
00:11:56 --> 00:11:59 and write a little payback list.
00:12:00 --> 00:12:02 Go to the person directly
00:12:02 --> 00:12:03 and speak about the issue.
00:12:04 --> 00:12:04 Look them in the eye
00:12:04 --> 00:12:06 and seek resolution
00:12:06 --> 00:12:07 and reconciliation.
00:12:07 --> 00:12:10 And then straight after
00:12:10 --> 00:12:11 these verses,
00:12:11 --> 00:12:12 Peter's asked the question.
00:12:13 --> 00:12:14 He's always the first one
00:12:14 --> 00:12:15 to come in with the question
00:12:15 --> 00:12:17 or to make a statement.
00:12:17 --> 00:12:18 And in verse 21,
00:12:18 --> 00:12:18 he says,
00:12:19 --> 00:12:19 Lord,
00:12:19 --> 00:12:20 how many times
00:12:20 --> 00:12:22 should I forgive my brother
00:12:22 --> 00:12:23 when he sins against me?
00:12:23 --> 00:12:24 Up to seven times?
00:12:24 --> 00:12:26 You see,
00:12:26 --> 00:12:28 the attitude of the rabbis
00:12:28 --> 00:12:29 around that time
00:12:29 --> 00:12:30 was that you would
00:12:30 --> 00:12:31 forgive your brother
00:12:31 --> 00:12:33 three times
00:12:33 --> 00:12:33 and no more.
00:12:34 --> 00:12:35 And so Peter here,
00:12:35 --> 00:12:36 probably thinking
00:12:36 --> 00:12:40 that he's come up short
00:12:40 --> 00:12:41 a number of times already.
00:12:42 --> 00:12:43 Whenever he's jumped in
00:12:43 --> 00:12:43 with a question
00:12:43 --> 00:12:44 or made a statement,
00:12:44 --> 00:12:45 he always says
00:12:45 --> 00:12:46 the wrong thing.
00:12:47 --> 00:12:48 And so Peter's thinking,
00:12:48 --> 00:12:49 I'm going to go down
00:12:49 --> 00:12:50 on record here
00:12:50 --> 00:12:50 for all of history
00:12:50 --> 00:12:51 and I'm going to say
00:12:51 --> 00:12:52 the right thing
00:12:52 --> 00:12:52 for a change.
00:12:52 --> 00:12:55 So Jesus,
00:12:55 --> 00:12:57 knowing it's only three times,
00:12:57 --> 00:12:58 should I forgive my brother
00:12:58 --> 00:12:59 seven times?
00:13:01 --> 00:13:02 Jesus comes in,
00:13:02 --> 00:13:02 verse 22,
00:13:03 --> 00:13:04 not seven times,
00:13:04 --> 00:13:06 but 77 times.
00:13:06 --> 00:13:06 And Peter goes,
00:13:06 --> 00:13:07 oh my goodness,
00:13:07 --> 00:13:07 not again.
00:13:09 --> 00:13:10 Now some say here
00:13:10 --> 00:13:13 that Jesus doesn't actually
00:13:13 --> 00:13:14 mean 77 times.
00:13:15 --> 00:13:16 What he means is
00:13:16 --> 00:13:17 seven times,
00:13:17 --> 00:13:18 70 times,
00:13:18 --> 00:13:20 he means 490 times.
00:13:21 --> 00:13:22 The reality is though,
00:13:22 --> 00:13:23 either alternative
00:13:23 --> 00:13:25 is simply to miss the point
00:13:25 --> 00:13:26 of what Jesus is saying here.
00:13:28 --> 00:13:29 Either it would be 77
00:13:29 --> 00:13:31 or 490,
00:13:31 --> 00:13:32 it is to return
00:13:32 --> 00:13:34 to the pedantic calculation
00:13:34 --> 00:13:35 of forgiveness
00:13:35 --> 00:13:37 that Jesus rejects.
00:13:37 --> 00:13:38 And how do I know
00:13:38 --> 00:13:39 he rejects it?
00:13:40 --> 00:13:41 Because he says it
00:13:41 --> 00:13:42 in the parable.
00:13:42 --> 00:13:43 Next point.
00:13:45 --> 00:13:45 You see,
00:13:45 --> 00:13:47 forgiveness is unlimited.
00:13:47 --> 00:13:47 unlimited.
00:13:49 --> 00:13:50 That's what God's grace
00:13:50 --> 00:13:51 is towards us.
00:13:51 --> 00:13:52 It is unlimited.
00:13:53 --> 00:13:54 And this next story
00:13:54 --> 00:13:56 makes this point clear.
00:13:57 --> 00:13:57 It gives us
00:13:57 --> 00:13:59 a brilliant insight
00:13:59 --> 00:14:00 into the enormity
00:14:00 --> 00:14:01 of the grace of God
00:14:01 --> 00:14:02 towards us.
00:14:03 --> 00:14:04 There is a man
00:14:04 --> 00:14:05 who owes a king
00:14:05 --> 00:14:06 10 talents.
00:14:07 --> 00:14:07 It was a debt,
00:14:08 --> 00:14:09 according to verse 25,
00:14:09 --> 00:14:10 that he was not able
00:14:10 --> 00:14:11 to pay.
00:14:12 --> 00:14:13 And that is
00:14:13 --> 00:14:14 an understatement.
00:14:15 --> 00:14:15 The talent
00:14:15 --> 00:14:17 was the highest
00:14:17 --> 00:14:19 unit of currency
00:14:19 --> 00:14:21 and 10
00:14:21 --> 00:14:22 was the highest
00:14:22 --> 00:14:23 Greek numeral.
00:14:25 --> 00:14:26 In other words,
00:14:26 --> 00:14:27 you put them both together
00:14:27 --> 00:14:28 and it meant to convey
00:14:28 --> 00:14:30 the largest sum
00:14:30 --> 00:14:31 imaginable.
00:14:32 --> 00:14:32 And so when
00:14:32 --> 00:14:34 one of my children
00:14:34 --> 00:14:35 says to me,
00:14:35 --> 00:14:35 wow,
00:14:35 --> 00:14:36 how much does that cost?
00:14:36 --> 00:14:37 I say,
00:14:37 --> 00:14:38 squillions of dollars.
00:14:40 --> 00:14:40 Wow.
00:14:40 --> 00:14:43 The debt
00:14:43 --> 00:14:44 is incalculable.
00:14:44 --> 00:14:45 In fact,
00:14:45 --> 00:14:46 the debt
00:14:46 --> 00:14:47 was more
00:14:47 --> 00:14:48 than a thousand
00:14:48 --> 00:14:49 times
00:14:49 --> 00:14:51 the annual
00:14:51 --> 00:14:51 revenue
00:14:51 --> 00:14:52 of Galilee,
00:14:53 --> 00:14:54 Judea,
00:14:54 --> 00:14:55 Samaria
00:14:55 --> 00:14:55 and
00:14:55 --> 00:14:56 Edomia
00:14:56 --> 00:14:57 combined.
00:14:59 --> 00:15:00 It's like
00:15:00 --> 00:15:01 taking all
00:15:01 --> 00:15:03 foreign
00:15:03 --> 00:15:04 debt
00:15:04 --> 00:15:05 of every
00:15:05 --> 00:15:06 country
00:15:06 --> 00:15:07 and lumping
00:15:07 --> 00:15:08 on top of
00:15:08 --> 00:15:09 one single
00:15:09 --> 00:15:09 human being
00:15:09 --> 00:15:10 and say,
00:15:10 --> 00:15:11 pay that
00:15:11 --> 00:15:11 back.
00:15:14 --> 00:15:14 It's
00:15:14 --> 00:15:15 totally
00:15:15 --> 00:15:16 incomprehensible.
00:15:19 --> 00:15:20 And yet,
00:15:21 --> 00:15:23 even though
00:15:23 --> 00:15:23 this man
00:15:23 --> 00:15:24 who has
00:15:24 --> 00:15:24 lumbered
00:15:24 --> 00:15:25 with such
00:15:25 --> 00:15:26 an enormity
00:15:26 --> 00:15:26 of debt,
00:15:28 --> 00:15:29 he's bankrupt
00:15:29 --> 00:15:30 so many
00:15:30 --> 00:15:31 times
00:15:31 --> 00:15:31 over,
00:15:32 --> 00:15:33 he still
00:15:33 --> 00:15:34 has a sense
00:15:34 --> 00:15:35 of pride.
00:15:36 --> 00:15:36 He hasn't
00:15:36 --> 00:15:37 grasped
00:15:37 --> 00:15:37 the enormity
00:15:37 --> 00:15:38 of his debt.
00:15:38 --> 00:15:38 Have a look
00:15:38 --> 00:15:38 at there
00:15:38 --> 00:15:39 in verse
00:15:39 --> 00:15:39 26.
00:15:39 --> 00:15:40 The servant
00:15:40 --> 00:15:40 fell on his
00:15:40 --> 00:15:41 knees before
00:15:41 --> 00:15:41 him,
00:15:41 --> 00:15:41 that is
00:15:41 --> 00:15:42 before the
00:15:42 --> 00:15:42 king,
00:15:42 --> 00:15:42 and he
00:15:42 --> 00:15:43 says,
00:15:43 --> 00:15:43 be patient
00:15:43 --> 00:15:44 with me,
00:15:44 --> 00:15:45 he begged,
00:15:45 --> 00:15:46 and I
00:15:46 --> 00:15:46 will pay
00:15:46 --> 00:15:47 you back
00:15:47 --> 00:15:48 everything.
00:15:50 --> 00:15:51 He's got
00:15:51 --> 00:15:52 no capability
00:15:52 --> 00:15:52 of paying
00:15:52 --> 00:15:53 it back.
00:15:55 --> 00:15:56 No amount
00:15:56 --> 00:15:56 of time,
00:15:56 --> 00:15:57 no amount
00:15:57 --> 00:15:58 of patience
00:15:58 --> 00:15:58 would do it.
00:15:58 --> 00:15:58 He is
00:15:58 --> 00:15:59 utterly
00:15:59 --> 00:15:59 bankrupt.
00:16:00 --> 00:16:00 He is
00:16:00 --> 00:16:01 powerless
00:16:01 --> 00:16:01 and helpless,
00:16:02 --> 00:16:03 no ability
00:16:03 --> 00:16:03 to trade
00:16:03 --> 00:16:04 out of this
00:16:04 --> 00:16:04 situation
00:16:04 --> 00:16:05 at all.
00:16:05 --> 00:16:06 And it
00:16:06 --> 00:16:06 is again
00:16:06 --> 00:16:07 the picture
00:16:07 --> 00:16:07 of our
00:16:07 --> 00:16:08 situation
00:16:08 --> 00:16:08 before God
00:16:08 --> 00:16:09 as we
00:16:09 --> 00:16:09 saw back
00:16:09 --> 00:16:10 in Ephesians
00:16:10 --> 00:16:11 chapter 2
00:16:11 --> 00:16:12 where it
00:16:12 --> 00:16:13 describes us
00:16:13 --> 00:16:14 there as
00:16:14 --> 00:16:14 being dead
00:16:14 --> 00:16:15 in our
00:16:15 --> 00:16:16 transgressions
00:16:16 --> 00:16:16 and sins.
00:16:17 --> 00:16:17 Dead people
00:16:17 --> 00:16:18 don't cut
00:16:18 --> 00:16:19 deals.
00:16:19 --> 00:16:20 They don't
00:16:20 --> 00:16:20 pay back
00:16:20 --> 00:16:21 loans.
00:16:21 --> 00:16:22 They are
00:16:22 --> 00:16:23 powerless.
00:16:23 --> 00:16:24 They cannot
00:16:24 --> 00:16:25 even walk.
00:16:26 --> 00:16:27 Of course,
00:16:27 --> 00:16:28 the king
00:16:28 --> 00:16:28 understood the
00:16:28 --> 00:16:29 plight of his
00:16:29 --> 00:16:29 servant.
00:16:29 --> 00:16:38 You see,
00:16:38 --> 00:16:38 this story
00:16:38 --> 00:16:39 ultimately is
00:16:39 --> 00:16:40 about God
00:16:40 --> 00:16:40 and the way
00:16:40 --> 00:16:41 he has
00:16:41 --> 00:16:41 graciously
00:16:41 --> 00:16:42 treated us.
00:16:42 --> 00:16:43 We who
00:16:43 --> 00:16:43 were bankrupt
00:16:43 --> 00:16:45 before God
00:16:45 --> 00:16:45 with a debt
00:16:45 --> 00:16:45 of sin
00:16:45 --> 00:16:46 that we
00:16:46 --> 00:16:46 could never
00:16:46 --> 00:16:47 repay
00:16:47 --> 00:16:47 have been
00:16:47 --> 00:16:48 forgiven
00:16:48 --> 00:16:48 through the
00:16:48 --> 00:16:49 Lord Jesus.
00:16:49 --> 00:16:49 Our debt
00:16:49 --> 00:16:50 against God
00:16:50 --> 00:16:50 has been
00:16:50 --> 00:16:51 piling up
00:16:51 --> 00:16:52 minute after
00:16:52 --> 00:16:52 minute,
00:16:53 --> 00:16:53 hour after
00:16:53 --> 00:16:53 hour,
00:16:53 --> 00:16:54 day after
00:16:54 --> 00:16:54 day,
00:16:54 --> 00:16:55 month after
00:16:55 --> 00:16:55 month,
00:16:55 --> 00:16:56 year after
00:16:56 --> 00:16:56 year.
00:16:57 --> 00:16:57 But God
00:16:57 --> 00:16:57 in his
00:16:57 --> 00:16:58 gracious
00:16:58 --> 00:16:58 action
00:16:58 --> 00:16:59 towards
00:16:59 --> 00:16:59 the Lord
00:16:59 --> 00:17:01 Jesus
00:17:01 --> 00:17:02 has wiped
00:17:02 --> 00:17:02 it clean.
00:17:05 --> 00:17:05 He's
00:17:05 --> 00:17:06 forgiven us
00:17:06 --> 00:17:06 a debt
00:17:06 --> 00:17:06 that we
00:17:06 --> 00:17:07 could never
00:17:07 --> 00:17:07 repay.
00:17:09 --> 00:17:09 You see,
00:17:09 --> 00:17:09 the words,
00:17:09 --> 00:17:10 he'd be
00:17:10 --> 00:17:10 patient with
00:17:10 --> 00:17:10 me and
00:17:10 --> 00:17:11 I'll pay
00:17:11 --> 00:17:11 you back
00:17:11 --> 00:17:12 everything,
00:17:12 --> 00:17:12 Jesus.
00:17:13 --> 00:17:13 I'll go
00:17:13 --> 00:17:14 to church
00:17:14 --> 00:17:14 and I'll
00:17:14 --> 00:17:14 pull my
00:17:14 --> 00:17:15 socks up
00:17:15 --> 00:17:15 and I'll
00:17:15 --> 00:17:15 read my
00:17:15 --> 00:17:16 Bible and
00:17:16 --> 00:17:16 I'll pray
00:17:16 --> 00:17:17 and I'll
00:17:17 --> 00:17:17 give you
00:17:17 --> 00:17:17 some money.
00:17:18 --> 00:17:18 It is
00:17:18 --> 00:17:20 so pitifully
00:17:20 --> 00:17:20 untrue.
00:17:22 --> 00:17:22 No amount
00:17:22 --> 00:17:23 of good
00:17:23 --> 00:17:23 Christian activity,
00:17:24 --> 00:17:25 no amount
00:17:25 --> 00:17:25 of pulling up
00:17:25 --> 00:17:26 the socks
00:17:26 --> 00:17:26 and rolling
00:17:26 --> 00:17:26 up your
00:17:26 --> 00:17:27 sleeves and
00:17:27 --> 00:17:27 trying a
00:17:27 --> 00:17:28 little harder
00:17:28 --> 00:17:29 morally,
00:17:29 --> 00:17:30 our debt
00:17:30 --> 00:17:31 against God
00:17:31 --> 00:17:32 is phenomenal.
00:17:33 --> 00:17:33 We are
00:17:33 --> 00:17:34 bankrupt.
00:17:35 --> 00:17:36 We don't
00:17:36 --> 00:17:36 have the
00:17:36 --> 00:17:37 power or the
00:17:37 --> 00:17:38 ability to
00:17:38 --> 00:17:38 trade out of
00:17:38 --> 00:17:39 it and God
00:17:39 --> 00:17:39 comes along in
00:17:39 --> 00:17:40 the Lord Jesus
00:17:40 --> 00:17:41 and says,
00:17:41 --> 00:17:42 I release you
00:17:42 --> 00:17:43 from the debt.
00:17:46 --> 00:17:47 Now,
00:17:47 --> 00:17:47 of course,
00:17:47 --> 00:17:47 the twist in the
00:17:47 --> 00:17:48 story comes
00:17:48 --> 00:17:48 when this
00:17:48 --> 00:17:50 servant who
00:17:50 --> 00:17:50 has been
00:17:50 --> 00:17:51 forgiven an
00:17:51 --> 00:17:52 incalculable
00:17:52 --> 00:17:53 debt
00:17:53 --> 00:17:57 walks out
00:17:57 --> 00:17:58 onto the
00:17:58 --> 00:17:59 deck
00:17:59 --> 00:18:00 and starts
00:18:00 --> 00:18:00 choking
00:18:00 --> 00:18:01 someone
00:18:01 --> 00:18:02 who owes
00:18:02 --> 00:18:03 him
00:18:03 --> 00:18:05 a trifling
00:18:05 --> 00:18:05 amount
00:18:05 --> 00:18:06 in comparison.
00:18:09 --> 00:18:10 He makes
00:18:10 --> 00:18:11 sure that
00:18:11 --> 00:18:11 this other
00:18:11 --> 00:18:11 servant who
00:18:11 --> 00:18:12 owes him
00:18:12 --> 00:18:12 a few
00:18:12 --> 00:18:13 dollars
00:18:13 --> 00:18:14 pays him
00:18:14 --> 00:18:14 back right
00:18:14 --> 00:18:15 down to
00:18:15 --> 00:18:15 the last
00:18:15 --> 00:18:16 cent.
00:18:17 --> 00:18:18 Verse 28,
00:18:18 --> 00:18:19 But when
00:18:19 --> 00:18:19 that servant
00:18:19 --> 00:18:19 went out,
00:18:20 --> 00:18:20 he found
00:18:20 --> 00:18:20 one of his
00:18:20 --> 00:18:21 fellow servants
00:18:21 --> 00:18:21 who owed him
00:18:21 --> 00:18:22 a hundred
00:18:22 --> 00:18:22 denarii.
00:18:23 --> 00:18:24 He grabbed
00:18:24 --> 00:18:24 him and began
00:18:24 --> 00:18:25 to choke him.
00:18:26 --> 00:18:27 Pay back what
00:18:27 --> 00:18:28 you owe me,
00:18:28 --> 00:18:28 he demanded.
00:18:29 --> 00:18:30 And his
00:18:30 --> 00:18:30 fellow servant
00:18:30 --> 00:18:31 fell on his
00:18:31 --> 00:18:31 knees and
00:18:31 --> 00:18:31 begged him,
00:18:31 --> 00:18:32 be patient
00:18:32 --> 00:18:32 with me and
00:18:32 --> 00:18:33 I will pay
00:18:33 --> 00:18:33 you back.
00:18:34 --> 00:18:34 But he
00:18:34 --> 00:18:35 refused.
00:18:36 --> 00:18:36 Instead,
00:18:36 --> 00:18:37 he went off
00:18:37 --> 00:18:37 and had the
00:18:37 --> 00:18:37 man thrown
00:18:37 --> 00:18:38 into prison
00:18:38 --> 00:18:38 until he
00:18:38 --> 00:18:39 could pay
00:18:39 --> 00:18:39 back the
00:18:39 --> 00:18:39 debt.
00:18:39 --> 00:18:41 You see,
00:18:41 --> 00:18:41 the fact
00:18:41 --> 00:18:42 that the
00:18:42 --> 00:18:43 second servant's
00:18:43 --> 00:18:44 debt is
00:18:44 --> 00:18:45 one six
00:18:45 --> 00:18:46 hundred
00:18:46 --> 00:18:47 thousandth of
00:18:47 --> 00:18:48 the first
00:18:48 --> 00:18:48 debt,
00:18:49 --> 00:18:51 emphasizes the
00:18:51 --> 00:18:51 ludicrous
00:18:51 --> 00:18:54 nature of
00:18:54 --> 00:18:55 this servant's
00:18:55 --> 00:18:56 behavior.
00:18:58 --> 00:18:59 Any limitation
00:18:59 --> 00:19:00 of grace and
00:19:00 --> 00:19:01 forgiveness that
00:19:01 --> 00:19:02 he shows to
00:19:02 --> 00:19:03 his fellow
00:19:03 --> 00:19:04 servant is
00:19:04 --> 00:19:04 just
00:19:04 --> 00:19:05 inconceivable.
00:19:05 --> 00:19:09 the second
00:19:09 --> 00:19:10 servant pleaded
00:19:10 --> 00:19:11 for mercy,
00:19:11 --> 00:19:11 be patient
00:19:11 --> 00:19:12 and I will
00:19:12 --> 00:19:12 pay you
00:19:12 --> 00:19:13 back.
00:19:13 --> 00:19:13 And he
00:19:13 --> 00:19:14 could have
00:19:14 --> 00:19:14 paid it
00:19:14 --> 00:19:15 back with
00:19:15 --> 00:19:15 time.
00:19:16 --> 00:19:16 It's a few
00:19:16 --> 00:19:17 bucks.
00:19:18 --> 00:19:18 He could have
00:19:18 --> 00:19:19 paid it
00:19:19 --> 00:19:19 back.
00:19:19 --> 00:19:20 But what does
00:19:20 --> 00:19:20 the first
00:19:20 --> 00:19:21 servant do?
00:19:21 --> 00:19:22 He grabs
00:19:22 --> 00:19:22 him,
00:19:22 --> 00:19:23 hands him
00:19:23 --> 00:19:23 over to
00:19:23 --> 00:19:24 the jailers,
00:19:24 --> 00:19:24 he has him
00:19:24 --> 00:19:25 thrown into
00:19:25 --> 00:19:27 prison until
00:19:27 --> 00:19:28 he can pay
00:19:28 --> 00:19:28 the debt
00:19:28 --> 00:19:28 back.
00:19:29 --> 00:19:29 And what
00:19:29 --> 00:19:30 happens when
00:19:30 --> 00:19:30 he's in
00:19:30 --> 00:19:30 prison?
00:19:32 --> 00:19:32 He can't
00:19:32 --> 00:19:33 earn the
00:19:33 --> 00:19:33 money to
00:19:33 --> 00:19:34 pay the debt
00:19:34 --> 00:19:34 back.
00:19:35 --> 00:19:35 And so the
00:19:35 --> 00:19:36 first servant
00:19:36 --> 00:19:36 will hold
00:19:36 --> 00:19:37 that debt
00:19:37 --> 00:19:37 against him
00:19:37 --> 00:19:38 forever.
00:19:46 --> 00:19:46 We know
00:19:46 --> 00:19:47 right at the
00:19:47 --> 00:19:48 very end of
00:19:48 --> 00:19:48 this parable
00:19:48 --> 00:19:49 and also at
00:19:49 --> 00:19:49 the very
00:19:49 --> 00:19:50 beginning of
00:19:50 --> 00:19:51 this parable
00:19:51 --> 00:19:51 because it's
00:19:51 --> 00:19:52 just flown out
00:19:52 --> 00:19:53 of Peter's
00:19:53 --> 00:19:54 question to
00:19:54 --> 00:19:54 Jesus, how
00:19:54 --> 00:19:55 many times
00:19:55 --> 00:19:55 should I
00:19:55 --> 00:19:55 forgive my
00:19:55 --> 00:19:56 brother,
00:19:56 --> 00:19:57 that ultimately
00:19:57 --> 00:19:57 this parable
00:19:57 --> 00:19:58 is about
00:19:58 --> 00:19:58 forgiveness.
00:20:01 --> 00:20:03 And it's a
00:20:03 --> 00:20:04 shocking picture,
00:20:04 --> 00:20:04 isn't it?
00:20:04 --> 00:20:05 the first
00:20:05 --> 00:20:06 servant throws
00:20:06 --> 00:20:07 the second
00:20:07 --> 00:20:07 servant into
00:20:07 --> 00:20:08 prison and
00:20:08 --> 00:20:09 holds the
00:20:09 --> 00:20:09 debt against
00:20:09 --> 00:20:10 him.
00:20:11 --> 00:20:11 My friends,
00:20:11 --> 00:20:12 resentment,
00:20:14 --> 00:20:15 the unwillingness
00:20:15 --> 00:20:15 to forgive,
00:20:16 --> 00:20:17 is a deadly
00:20:17 --> 00:20:19 disease and it
00:20:19 --> 00:20:20 is very common.
00:20:21 --> 00:20:22 It can have
00:20:22 --> 00:20:23 quite negative
00:20:23 --> 00:20:24 physical
00:20:24 --> 00:20:25 consequences,
00:20:25 --> 00:20:26 but it
00:20:26 --> 00:20:27 certainly has
00:20:27 --> 00:20:28 very negative
00:20:28 --> 00:20:28 spiritual
00:20:28 --> 00:20:29 consequences.
00:20:29 --> 00:20:30 Verse 32,
00:20:30 --> 00:20:31 then the
00:20:31 --> 00:20:32 master called
00:20:32 --> 00:20:32 the servant
00:20:32 --> 00:20:34 in, you
00:20:34 --> 00:20:35 wicked
00:20:35 --> 00:20:35 servant.
00:20:37 --> 00:20:37 He said,
00:20:37 --> 00:20:38 I cancelled
00:20:38 --> 00:20:38 all the
00:20:38 --> 00:20:39 debt that
00:20:39 --> 00:20:39 was yours
00:20:39 --> 00:20:40 because you
00:20:40 --> 00:20:40 begged me
00:20:40 --> 00:20:40 to.
00:20:41 --> 00:20:41 Shouldn't
00:20:41 --> 00:20:42 you have
00:20:42 --> 00:20:42 had mercy
00:20:42 --> 00:20:43 on your
00:20:43 --> 00:20:43 fellow servant
00:20:43 --> 00:20:44 just as I
00:20:44 --> 00:20:44 had on you?
00:20:46 --> 00:20:46 And in
00:20:46 --> 00:20:47 anger, his
00:20:47 --> 00:20:48 master turned
00:20:48 --> 00:20:48 him over to
00:20:48 --> 00:20:49 the jailers to
00:20:49 --> 00:20:49 be tortured
00:20:49 --> 00:20:51 until he
00:20:51 --> 00:20:51 should pay
00:20:51 --> 00:20:52 back all
00:20:52 --> 00:20:52 that he
00:20:52 --> 00:20:53 owed.
00:20:55 --> 00:20:55 This is how
00:20:55 --> 00:20:56 my heavenly
00:20:56 --> 00:20:57 father will
00:20:57 --> 00:20:57 treat each
00:20:57 --> 00:20:58 of you unless
00:20:58 --> 00:20:59 you forgive
00:20:59 --> 00:20:59 your brother
00:20:59 --> 00:21:00 from your
00:21:00 --> 00:21:00 heart.
00:21:01 --> 00:21:02 You see,
00:21:02 --> 00:21:02 the spiritual
00:21:02 --> 00:21:03 consequences
00:21:03 --> 00:21:05 here are
00:21:05 --> 00:21:05 severe.
00:21:06 --> 00:21:07 Our
00:21:07 --> 00:21:07 relationship
00:21:07 --> 00:21:08 with God
00:21:08 --> 00:21:10 is strangled
00:21:10 --> 00:21:12 by resentment.
00:21:13 --> 00:21:14 Resentment
00:21:14 --> 00:21:15 is most
00:21:15 --> 00:21:15 often the
00:21:15 --> 00:21:16 reason behind
00:21:16 --> 00:21:17 spiritual
00:21:17 --> 00:21:17 dryness and
00:21:17 --> 00:21:18 decline.
00:21:19 --> 00:21:20 A good
00:21:20 --> 00:21:20 question to
00:21:20 --> 00:21:21 ask of one
00:21:21 --> 00:21:22 another in
00:21:22 --> 00:21:22 that state
00:21:22 --> 00:21:23 is, who
00:21:23 --> 00:21:24 do you need
00:21:24 --> 00:21:24 to forgive?
00:21:26 --> 00:21:27 Who do you
00:21:27 --> 00:21:27 need to
00:21:27 --> 00:21:27 forgive?
00:21:29 --> 00:21:31 When someone
00:21:31 --> 00:21:32 says, I
00:21:32 --> 00:21:32 cannot forgive
00:21:32 --> 00:21:33 so and so
00:21:33 --> 00:21:33 for what
00:21:33 --> 00:21:34 they've done
00:21:34 --> 00:21:34 to me,
00:21:35 --> 00:21:36 the answer
00:21:36 --> 00:21:36 is, according
00:21:36 --> 00:21:37 to verse
00:21:37 --> 00:21:38 35, is
00:21:38 --> 00:21:39 you must
00:21:39 --> 00:21:41 forgive or
00:21:41 --> 00:21:42 you will
00:21:42 --> 00:21:42 never be
00:21:42 --> 00:21:43 forgiven by
00:21:43 --> 00:21:43 God.
00:21:46 --> 00:21:47 The grace
00:21:47 --> 00:21:47 of God
00:21:47 --> 00:21:48 is dynamic
00:21:48 --> 00:21:49 and it is
00:21:49 --> 00:21:50 life-changing.
00:21:50 --> 00:21:51 We simply
00:21:51 --> 00:21:52 cannot go
00:21:52 --> 00:21:54 through heaven's
00:21:54 --> 00:21:55 narrow door
00:21:55 --> 00:21:56 if our
00:21:56 --> 00:21:57 lives are
00:21:57 --> 00:21:58 bulging
00:21:58 --> 00:21:59 with
00:21:59 --> 00:21:59 resentment.
00:22:01 --> 00:22:02 Heaven is
00:22:02 --> 00:22:03 for penitent
00:22:03 --> 00:22:03 sinners
00:22:03 --> 00:22:03 only.
00:22:04 --> 00:22:04 God's
00:22:04 --> 00:22:05 grace,
00:22:06 --> 00:22:06 compassion,
00:22:07 --> 00:22:07 love,
00:22:07 --> 00:22:07 mercy,
00:22:08 --> 00:22:08 forgiveness
00:22:08 --> 00:22:09 is meant
00:22:09 --> 00:22:10 to motivate
00:22:10 --> 00:22:10 grace,
00:22:11 --> 00:22:11 compassion,
00:22:12 --> 00:22:12 love,
00:22:13 --> 00:22:13 mercy,
00:22:13 --> 00:22:14 forgiveness
00:22:14 --> 00:22:15 in us.
00:22:15 --> 00:22:16 Whenever we
00:22:16 --> 00:22:17 are confronted
00:22:17 --> 00:22:17 with someone
00:22:17 --> 00:22:18 who has
00:22:18 --> 00:22:19 wronged us,
00:22:19 --> 00:22:20 the place
00:22:20 --> 00:22:21 to dwell
00:22:21 --> 00:22:21 in our
00:22:21 --> 00:22:22 thoughts and
00:22:22 --> 00:22:23 our emotions
00:22:23 --> 00:22:24 is not
00:22:24 --> 00:22:25 the gravity
00:22:25 --> 00:22:25 of their
00:22:25 --> 00:22:26 sin against
00:22:26 --> 00:22:27 me,
00:22:27 --> 00:22:28 but the
00:22:28 --> 00:22:28 gravity of
00:22:28 --> 00:22:29 my sin
00:22:29 --> 00:22:30 against God.
00:22:36 --> 00:22:37 On the
00:22:37 --> 00:22:37 25th of
00:22:37 --> 00:22:38 July 1993,
00:22:40 --> 00:22:40 three men
00:22:40 --> 00:22:42 rushed into
00:22:42 --> 00:22:43 St. James
00:22:43 --> 00:22:44 Anglican Church
00:22:44 --> 00:22:45 Kenilworth in
00:22:45 --> 00:22:45 South Africa
00:22:45 --> 00:22:46 and armed
00:22:46 --> 00:22:47 with machine
00:22:47 --> 00:22:47 guns and
00:22:47 --> 00:22:48 grenades.
00:22:49 --> 00:22:50 After the
00:22:50 --> 00:22:50 slaughter,
00:22:51 --> 00:22:52 11 parishioners
00:22:52 --> 00:22:52 lay dead in
00:22:52 --> 00:22:53 the pews,
00:22:53 --> 00:22:54 60 of
00:22:54 --> 00:22:54 them were
00:22:54 --> 00:22:55 wounded,
00:22:55 --> 00:22:56 some of
00:22:56 --> 00:22:56 them were
00:22:56 --> 00:22:57 permanently
00:22:57 --> 00:22:57 maimed.
00:22:58 --> 00:22:59 One of
00:22:59 --> 00:22:59 those who
00:22:59 --> 00:23:00 was killed
00:23:00 --> 00:23:01 was the
00:23:01 --> 00:23:01 wife of
00:23:01 --> 00:23:02 Dowie
00:23:02 --> 00:23:02 Ackerman.
00:23:03 --> 00:23:03 She was
00:23:03 --> 00:23:04 sitting in
00:23:04 --> 00:23:04 the back
00:23:04 --> 00:23:05 pew,
00:23:05 --> 00:23:05 I think
00:23:05 --> 00:23:06 while Dowie
00:23:06 --> 00:23:06 was in
00:23:06 --> 00:23:07 the foyer
00:23:07 --> 00:23:07 handing,
00:23:08 --> 00:23:08 I know he
00:23:08 --> 00:23:08 might have
00:23:08 --> 00:23:08 been at the
00:23:08 --> 00:23:09 front of
00:23:09 --> 00:23:09 the church
00:23:09 --> 00:23:10 involved in
00:23:10 --> 00:23:10 some sort
00:23:10 --> 00:23:11 of ministry.
00:23:12 --> 00:23:13 She was
00:23:13 --> 00:23:13 one of the
00:23:13 --> 00:23:13 first to
00:23:13 --> 00:23:14 die.
00:23:15 --> 00:23:16 Dowie
00:23:16 --> 00:23:17 attended the
00:23:17 --> 00:23:17 truth and
00:23:17 --> 00:23:18 reconciliation
00:23:18 --> 00:23:18 for the
00:23:18 --> 00:23:19 men who
00:23:19 --> 00:23:20 gunned down
00:23:20 --> 00:23:21 his wife.
00:23:21 --> 00:23:23 during the
00:23:23 --> 00:23:24 course of
00:23:24 --> 00:23:24 the hearing,
00:23:25 --> 00:23:26 the men
00:23:26 --> 00:23:26 turned to
00:23:26 --> 00:23:28 Dowie and
00:23:28 --> 00:23:28 said,
00:23:28 --> 00:23:29 will you
00:23:29 --> 00:23:30 forgive us
00:23:30 --> 00:23:30 for what we
00:23:30 --> 00:23:31 have done
00:23:31 --> 00:23:31 to you?
00:23:33 --> 00:23:34 This is what
00:23:34 --> 00:23:34 he said.
00:23:34 --> 00:23:38 I forgave
00:23:38 --> 00:23:38 them
00:23:38 --> 00:23:40 unconditionally
00:23:40 --> 00:23:42 because they
00:23:42 --> 00:23:42 asked for
00:23:42 --> 00:23:43 it.
00:23:44 --> 00:23:45 God has
00:23:45 --> 00:23:46 forgiven us
00:23:46 --> 00:23:47 and all
00:23:47 --> 00:23:48 we have
00:23:48 --> 00:23:48 to do
00:23:48 --> 00:23:49 is ask
00:23:49 --> 00:23:50 for it.
00:23:50 --> 00:23:51 They've
00:23:51 --> 00:23:51 asked for
00:23:51 --> 00:23:52 my
00:23:52 --> 00:23:52 forgiveness
00:23:52 --> 00:23:55 so I
00:23:55 --> 00:23:56 must give
00:23:56 --> 00:23:56 it to
00:23:56 --> 00:23:56 them.
00:24:00 --> 00:24:00 Tough
00:24:00 --> 00:24:00 call,
00:24:00 --> 00:24:01 isn't it?
00:24:02 --> 00:24:03 Forgiveness
00:24:03 --> 00:24:03 like that.
00:24:04 --> 00:24:05 But my
00:24:05 --> 00:24:05 friends,
00:24:06 --> 00:24:07 that is
00:24:07 --> 00:24:08 the way
00:24:08 --> 00:24:08 of Christian
00:24:08 --> 00:24:09 living.
00:24:10 --> 00:24:11 That is
00:24:11 --> 00:24:12 the impact,
00:24:12 --> 00:24:13 the dynamic
00:24:13 --> 00:24:14 transforming
00:24:14 --> 00:24:16 impact of
00:24:16 --> 00:24:16 the grace
00:24:16 --> 00:24:17 of God.
00:24:17 --> 00:24:18 It is
00:24:18 --> 00:24:19 only possible
00:24:19 --> 00:24:20 when we
00:24:20 --> 00:24:20 see the
00:24:20 --> 00:24:21 enormity of
00:24:21 --> 00:24:22 our sin
00:24:22 --> 00:24:22 against God
00:24:22 --> 00:24:23 and his
00:24:23 --> 00:24:24 forgiveness
00:24:24 --> 00:24:24 and his
00:24:24 --> 00:24:25 grace to
00:24:25 --> 00:24:25 us in
00:24:25 --> 00:24:25 the Lord
00:24:25 --> 00:24:26 Jesus
00:24:26 --> 00:24:26 Christ.
00:24:27 --> 00:24:28 The grace
00:24:28 --> 00:24:29 of God
00:24:29 --> 00:24:30 towards us
00:24:30 --> 00:24:31 in the
00:24:31 --> 00:24:31 Lord
00:24:31 --> 00:24:31 Jesus
00:24:31 --> 00:24:33 is the
00:24:33 --> 00:24:34 motivation
00:24:34 --> 00:24:34 for us
00:24:34 --> 00:24:35 to put
00:24:35 --> 00:24:35 on the
00:24:35 --> 00:24:36 garments
00:24:36 --> 00:24:36 of
00:24:36 --> 00:24:36 grace.
00:24:38 --> 00:24:39 And I
00:24:39 --> 00:24:39 use the
00:24:39 --> 00:24:40 term
00:24:40 --> 00:24:40 garments
00:24:40 --> 00:24:40 of
00:24:40 --> 00:24:40 grace
00:24:40 --> 00:24:41 from
00:24:41 --> 00:24:41 Colossians
00:24:41 --> 00:24:42 chapter
00:24:42 --> 00:24:42 3
00:24:42 --> 00:24:44 verses
00:24:44 --> 00:24:44 12 to
00:24:44 --> 00:24:45 14.
00:24:45 --> 00:24:45 Therefore,
00:24:45 --> 00:24:47 as God's
00:24:47 --> 00:24:47 chosen people,
00:24:48 --> 00:24:48 holy and
00:24:48 --> 00:24:49 dearly loved,
00:24:49 --> 00:24:50 clothe yourselves
00:24:50 --> 00:24:51 with compassion,
00:24:52 --> 00:24:52 kindness,
00:24:52 --> 00:24:53 humility,
00:24:53 --> 00:24:53 gentleness,
00:24:53 --> 00:24:54 and patience.
00:24:55 --> 00:24:55 Bear with
00:24:55 --> 00:24:55 each other
00:24:55 --> 00:24:56 and forgive
00:24:56 --> 00:24:57 whatever grievances
00:24:57 --> 00:24:58 you may have
00:24:58 --> 00:24:59 against one
00:24:59 --> 00:24:59 another.
00:25:00 --> 00:25:00 Forgive
00:25:00 --> 00:25:01 as the
00:25:01 --> 00:25:02 Lord forgave
00:25:02 --> 00:25:02 you.
00:25:02 --> 00:25:03 And over
00:25:03 --> 00:25:03 all of these
00:25:03 --> 00:25:04 virtues,
00:25:04 --> 00:25:05 put on love,
00:25:05 --> 00:25:06 which binds
00:25:06 --> 00:25:06 them all
00:25:06 --> 00:25:07 together in
00:25:07 --> 00:25:08 perfect unity.
00:25:08 --> 00:25:09 You see,
00:25:10 --> 00:25:10 the main
00:25:10 --> 00:25:10 thrust of
00:25:10 --> 00:25:11 Paul's
00:25:11 --> 00:25:12 teaching here
00:25:12 --> 00:25:12 in this
00:25:12 --> 00:25:14 passage is
00:25:14 --> 00:25:15 that we
00:25:15 --> 00:25:15 are to be
00:25:15 --> 00:25:16 clothed
00:25:16 --> 00:25:16 ourselves
00:25:16 --> 00:25:17 with
00:25:17 --> 00:25:18 Christ-like
00:25:18 --> 00:25:19 virtues.
00:25:19 --> 00:25:20 But he
00:25:20 --> 00:25:21 grounds his
00:25:21 --> 00:25:22 exaltation
00:25:22 --> 00:25:23 on being
00:25:23 --> 00:25:23 clothed with
00:25:23 --> 00:25:24 these virtues
00:25:24 --> 00:25:26 in the
00:25:26 --> 00:25:26 grace of
00:25:26 --> 00:25:27 God.
00:25:27 --> 00:25:28 The fact
00:25:28 --> 00:25:28 that he
00:25:28 --> 00:25:29 has chosen
00:25:29 --> 00:25:29 us to be
00:25:29 --> 00:25:30 in him,
00:25:30 --> 00:25:30 that we
00:25:30 --> 00:25:31 are holy
00:25:31 --> 00:25:31 in his
00:25:31 --> 00:25:32 sight,
00:25:32 --> 00:25:32 that we
00:25:32 --> 00:25:33 are dearly
00:25:33 --> 00:25:34 loved by
00:25:34 --> 00:25:34 him.
00:25:36 --> 00:25:36 It is
00:25:36 --> 00:25:37 difficult.
00:25:38 --> 00:25:39 Perhaps
00:25:39 --> 00:25:40 impossible
00:25:40 --> 00:25:40 for us
00:25:40 --> 00:25:41 to show
00:25:41 --> 00:25:41 compassion
00:25:41 --> 00:25:43 or patience
00:25:43 --> 00:25:43 to someone
00:25:43 --> 00:25:45 else if we
00:25:45 --> 00:25:45 are unsure
00:25:45 --> 00:25:46 if God
00:25:46 --> 00:25:46 is patient
00:25:46 --> 00:25:47 with us.
00:25:47 --> 00:25:48 Or even
00:25:48 --> 00:25:49 worse,
00:25:49 --> 00:25:50 if we
00:25:50 --> 00:25:51 don't sense
00:25:51 --> 00:25:51 the need
00:25:51 --> 00:25:52 for God
00:25:52 --> 00:25:53 to be
00:25:53 --> 00:25:53 patient
00:25:53 --> 00:25:54 with us.
00:25:56 --> 00:25:57 These
00:25:57 --> 00:25:58 garments of
00:25:58 --> 00:25:58 gracious
00:25:58 --> 00:25:58 Christian
00:25:58 --> 00:25:59 character
00:25:59 --> 00:26:00 can only
00:26:00 --> 00:26:00 be put
00:26:00 --> 00:26:01 on by
00:26:01 --> 00:26:02 those who
00:26:02 --> 00:26:03 are continually
00:26:03 --> 00:26:05 experiencing
00:26:05 --> 00:26:06 the grace
00:26:06 --> 00:26:06 of God
00:26:06 --> 00:26:07 in their
00:26:07 --> 00:26:08 own lives.
00:26:08 --> 00:26:09 And it's
00:26:09 --> 00:26:10 passages like
00:26:10 --> 00:26:10 this,
00:26:10 --> 00:26:11 Colossians 3
00:26:11 --> 00:26:12 and Matthew
00:26:12 --> 00:26:13 18,
00:26:13 --> 00:26:15 that undergird
00:26:15 --> 00:26:16 our core
00:26:16 --> 00:26:16 value here
00:26:16 --> 00:26:17 at St.
00:26:17 --> 00:26:17 Paul's of
00:26:17 --> 00:26:17 humble
00:26:17 --> 00:26:18 authenticity.
00:26:20 --> 00:26:20 Let me
00:26:20 --> 00:26:21 remind you
00:26:21 --> 00:26:22 of bits
00:26:22 --> 00:26:22 of it.
00:26:22 --> 00:26:23 As a
00:26:23 --> 00:26:23 church,
00:26:23 --> 00:26:24 we are
00:26:24 --> 00:26:24 committed
00:26:24 --> 00:26:25 to serving
00:26:25 --> 00:26:26 others and
00:26:26 --> 00:26:26 considering
00:26:26 --> 00:26:27 them more
00:26:27 --> 00:26:28 important than
00:26:28 --> 00:26:28 ourselves,
00:26:29 --> 00:26:30 speaking to
00:26:30 --> 00:26:30 one another
00:26:30 --> 00:26:31 honestly and
00:26:31 --> 00:26:32 in private
00:26:32 --> 00:26:32 when problems
00:26:32 --> 00:26:33 arise,
00:26:34 --> 00:26:34 honoring each
00:26:34 --> 00:26:35 other by
00:26:35 --> 00:26:35 not engaging
00:26:35 --> 00:26:36 in gossip
00:26:36 --> 00:26:36 or malicious
00:26:36 --> 00:26:37 or slanderous
00:26:37 --> 00:26:38 talk,
00:26:38 --> 00:26:39 being careful
00:26:39 --> 00:26:39 how we
00:26:39 --> 00:26:40 interpret one
00:26:40 --> 00:26:40 another,
00:26:41 --> 00:26:42 asking clarifying
00:26:42 --> 00:26:43 questions before
00:26:43 --> 00:26:44 making judgments
00:26:44 --> 00:26:45 in disagreements,
00:26:46 --> 00:26:46 being slow to
00:26:46 --> 00:26:47 take offense,
00:26:47 --> 00:26:48 being quick to
00:26:48 --> 00:26:49 confess error
00:26:49 --> 00:26:50 and sin,
00:26:50 --> 00:26:50 to pursue
00:26:50 --> 00:26:52 reconciliation and
00:26:52 --> 00:26:52 work towards
00:26:52 --> 00:26:53 change when we
00:26:53 --> 00:26:54 have offended,
00:26:54 --> 00:26:55 being rigorously
00:26:55 --> 00:26:56 honest,
00:26:57 --> 00:26:57 being vulnerable
00:26:57 --> 00:26:58 with our
00:26:58 --> 00:26:59 imperfections that
00:26:59 --> 00:27:00 encourages openness
00:27:00 --> 00:27:01 and honesty
00:27:01 --> 00:27:02 rather than
00:27:02 --> 00:27:03 cover up.
00:27:03 --> 00:27:07 our core
00:27:07 --> 00:27:08 value of
00:27:08 --> 00:27:08 humble
00:27:08 --> 00:27:09 authenticity
00:27:09 --> 00:27:10 is so
00:27:10 --> 00:27:11 essential
00:27:11 --> 00:27:12 for our
00:27:12 --> 00:27:13 spiritual
00:27:13 --> 00:27:13 health,
00:27:14 --> 00:27:15 but not
00:27:15 --> 00:27:16 just for
00:27:16 --> 00:27:16 ours,
00:27:17 --> 00:27:19 but for
00:27:19 --> 00:27:19 other
00:27:19 --> 00:27:20 people's.
00:27:20 --> 00:27:21 Their lives
00:27:21 --> 00:27:22 are at stake.
00:27:23 --> 00:27:23 Why would
00:27:23 --> 00:27:24 they want to
00:27:24 --> 00:27:25 know or
00:27:25 --> 00:27:25 experience the
00:27:25 --> 00:27:26 grace of
00:27:26 --> 00:27:27 God if
00:27:27 --> 00:27:27 they don't
00:27:27 --> 00:27:28 see it as
00:27:28 --> 00:27:29 life-changing
00:27:29 --> 00:27:30 and dynamic
00:27:30 --> 00:27:31 for the
00:27:31 --> 00:27:32 people of
00:27:32 --> 00:27:32 God?
00:27:33 --> 00:27:35 why
00:27:35 --> 00:27:38 would we
00:27:38 --> 00:27:38 not put
00:27:38 --> 00:27:39 humble
00:27:39 --> 00:27:40 authenticity
00:27:40 --> 00:27:41 into practice
00:27:41 --> 00:27:42 amongst us?
00:27:44 --> 00:27:45 Why would
00:27:45 --> 00:27:45 we want to
00:27:45 --> 00:27:46 hold on to
00:27:46 --> 00:27:46 resentment?
00:27:47 --> 00:27:48 Why would
00:27:48 --> 00:27:48 we not
00:27:48 --> 00:27:49 forgive?
00:27:51 --> 00:27:52 The only
00:27:52 --> 00:27:53 reason is
00:27:53 --> 00:27:53 that we
00:27:53 --> 00:27:54 have not
00:27:54 --> 00:27:54 admitted our
00:27:54 --> 00:27:55 own total
00:27:55 --> 00:27:56 and permanent
00:27:56 --> 00:27:57 spiritual
00:27:57 --> 00:27:58 bankruptcy.
00:27:58 --> 00:27:59 Only as
00:27:59 --> 00:28:00 we see
00:28:00 --> 00:28:01 ourselves as
00:28:01 --> 00:28:02 basically good
00:28:02 --> 00:28:03 do we
00:28:03 --> 00:28:04 expect everyone
00:28:04 --> 00:28:04 else around
00:28:04 --> 00:28:05 us to be
00:28:05 --> 00:28:06 basically good
00:28:06 --> 00:28:08 and especially
00:28:08 --> 00:28:09 basically good
00:28:09 --> 00:28:09 to me.
00:28:12 --> 00:28:12 Living by
00:28:12 --> 00:28:13 grace means
00:28:13 --> 00:28:14 recognising our
00:28:14 --> 00:28:15 spiritual bankruptcy.
00:28:16 --> 00:28:17 It means
00:28:17 --> 00:28:17 seeing the
00:28:17 --> 00:28:18 vast contrast
00:28:18 --> 00:28:19 between the
00:28:19 --> 00:28:21 enormity of
00:28:21 --> 00:28:21 my debt
00:28:21 --> 00:28:22 against God
00:28:22 --> 00:28:25 and another
00:28:25 --> 00:28:26 person's
00:28:26 --> 00:28:27 trifling debt
00:28:27 --> 00:28:28 against me.
00:28:28 --> 00:28:29 it means
00:28:29 --> 00:28:30 throwing
00:28:30 --> 00:28:30 yourself
00:28:30 --> 00:28:31 on God's
00:28:31 --> 00:28:31 mercy
00:28:31 --> 00:28:32 daily.
00:28:32 --> 00:28:32 It means
00:28:32 --> 00:28:33 responding to
00:28:33 --> 00:28:34 the Bible's
00:28:34 --> 00:28:35 instruction to
00:28:35 --> 00:28:36 forgive as
00:28:36 --> 00:28:37 the Lord has
00:28:37 --> 00:28:38 forgiven me.
00:28:40 --> 00:28:40 And so
00:28:40 --> 00:28:41 friends after
00:28:41 --> 00:28:42 three weeks
00:28:42 --> 00:28:42 we've come
00:28:42 --> 00:28:42 back full
00:28:42 --> 00:28:43 circle.
00:28:44 --> 00:28:44 We are
00:28:44 --> 00:28:45 back where
00:28:45 --> 00:28:45 we began
00:28:45 --> 00:28:47 with our
00:28:47 --> 00:28:47 spiritual
00:28:47 --> 00:28:48 bankruptcy.
00:28:48 --> 00:28:50 This is
00:28:50 --> 00:28:50 where we
00:28:50 --> 00:28:51 must begin
00:28:51 --> 00:28:52 and it's
00:28:52 --> 00:28:53 where we
00:28:53 --> 00:28:54 must end
00:28:54 --> 00:28:55 if we are
00:28:55 --> 00:28:56 to experience
00:28:56 --> 00:28:57 the daily
00:28:57 --> 00:28:59 joy of
00:28:59 --> 00:28:59 living by
00:28:59 --> 00:29:00 God's
00:29:00 --> 00:29:00 transforming
00:29:00 --> 00:29:01 grace.
00:29:02 --> 00:29:02 And so
00:29:02 --> 00:29:03 I invite you
00:29:03 --> 00:29:04 again
00:29:04 --> 00:29:06 to lay
00:29:06 --> 00:29:07 aside any
00:29:07 --> 00:29:08 remnant of
00:29:08 --> 00:29:09 self-goodness
00:29:09 --> 00:29:09 that you may
00:29:09 --> 00:29:10 think you
00:29:10 --> 00:29:11 still have.
00:29:11 --> 00:29:12 Admit your
00:29:12 --> 00:29:12 total
00:29:12 --> 00:29:13 spiritual
00:29:13 --> 00:29:14 bankruptcy
00:29:14 --> 00:29:15 bankruptcy
00:29:15 --> 00:29:16 and drink
00:29:16 --> 00:29:17 deeply
00:29:17 --> 00:29:18 from the
00:29:18 --> 00:29:18 infinite
00:29:18 --> 00:29:19 grace of
00:29:19 --> 00:29:20 the Lord
00:29:20 --> 00:29:20 Jesus
00:29:20 --> 00:29:20 Christ.
00:29:22 --> 00:29:23 And then
00:29:23 --> 00:29:23 in deep
00:29:23 --> 00:29:24 awareness
00:29:24 --> 00:29:25 of what
00:29:25 --> 00:29:25 you have
00:29:25 --> 00:29:26 received
00:29:26 --> 00:29:27 extend
00:29:27 --> 00:29:28 that same
00:29:28 --> 00:29:28 spirit of
00:29:28 --> 00:29:29 grace to
00:29:29 --> 00:29:30 one another.
00:29:31 --> 00:29:32 Amazing
00:29:32 --> 00:29:33 grace
00:29:33 --> 00:29:34 how sweet
00:29:34 --> 00:29:34 the sound
00:29:34 --> 00:29:35 that saved
00:29:35 --> 00:29:36 a wretch
00:29:36 --> 00:29:37 like me.
00:29:40 --> 00:29:40 But
00:29:40 --> 00:29:42 it is
00:29:42 --> 00:29:43 his grace
00:29:43 --> 00:29:43 that has
00:29:43 --> 00:29:44 brought me
00:29:44 --> 00:29:44 safe thus
00:29:44 --> 00:29:45 far
00:29:45 --> 00:29:46 and grace
00:29:46 --> 00:29:48 will lead
00:29:48 --> 00:29:48 me home.
00:29:49 --> 00:29:50 Let's stand
00:29:50 --> 00:29:50 and sing.