Episode Transcript
[00:00:05] Good morning.
[00:00:06] Good morning. If I have not met you, my name is Michael Fueling and I'm the lead pastor here at the village church. And welcome to our last final 7th week in our series on traps. I know some of you are like, we want Leviticus. Some of you are like, stop talking about demons. So next week we're going to jump into a series through second Peter. And if you don't remember, we taught on first Peter a little while back. So we're going to close second Peter starting next week.
[00:00:38] The goal of this series is to train each one of us to have our eyes wide open to the different things that scriptures teach, that the demonic realm lays out traps for us so that when we see these things, we go, oh, I know what that thing is.
[00:00:53] We've opened up the word of God. I know. That is a scheme, that's a design, that's a trap, it's a trick. The evil one is laid for me and I'm not going to fall into that because I already know what the word of God says. And so we want our eyes to be kind of just wide open. And this last message is entitled demonic designs for hurt people. You guys ready?
[00:01:16] Let's talk about emotional hurt.
[00:01:19] Sometimes emotional hurt should be more painful than it is. But we have learned to numb ourselves.
[00:01:28] And this isn't always bad because we can't always feel everything all the time, can we?
[00:01:34] Sometimes we are hurt emotionally because we are too.
[00:01:39] Let you fill in the blank. Here are some options. Sensitive, immature, unhealthy. Of course I'm not talking about you. I'm talking about the person next to you, not me either. Right. Of course. We would never do that now. Got it. Sometimes emotional hurt is the only appropriate response.
[00:02:00] And in these moments when we are rightfully and appropriately hurt emotionally, I need you to remember something vital when you experience emotional hurt. Our instincts are just terrible.
[00:02:14] Like all of the instincts that you have and the way to respond are almost all wrong. And the deeper the pain, by the way, the worse our instincts. Not talking about you. Of course I'm talking about the person next to you. That's it.
[00:02:31] Why is hurt bad? Well, it's bad. It stinks. But is it wrong for you to feel and experience emotional pain? Definitely not. That's normal. We are wired and made this way. Is it even wrong to be angry at the person who has possibly sinned against you or deeply hurt you and wounded you? No. In fact, some of your favorite Bible passage, Ephesians four, be angry, but do not sin. It's not wrong to be angry. Anger is actually a good right emotion.
[00:02:58] It is what connects, that gets us. It is the unforgiveness that the majority of people harbor in our hearts that gets us. I'm going to say it very bluntly. There is no human experience that makes us more vulnerable to demonic influence than unforgiveness.
[00:03:18] Now, you might say, not me. I'm more vulnerable in different areas. How about this, right? There is no human experience the majority of people are going to experience that is going to make them more vulnerable to demonic influence.
[00:03:31] So there are three levels of unforgiveness we're going to talk about. And it's pretty simple diagnostic tests to kind of help you and I figure out, okay, am I harboring some level of unforgiveness? But before we jump into this quick diagnostic, I want to just take a moment, I want to pray, a very simple prayer over you and over me, and then we're going to jump into this. All right? Holy spirit, would you bring to my mind, to our mind somebody that we have not forgiven. In Jesus name, amen. All right, three levels of unforgiveness. Level number one says, I enjoy their pain. Common level one, sins would be bitterness or a hard heart. And so you hear something happened to this person that you have not forgiven, maybe, and you're like, good. I'm not upset about it. Right? This is code for they deserved it. You guys know that feeling? Level two, I want other people to pain them. Common level two, sins are gossip and team building. And when somebody else treats them poorly, you get a little bit of a dopamine rush. You know what I'm saying? Okay. And some of you are like, not me, have no idea what you're talking about. Okay. Level three, I create pain for them. Common level three sins would be scheming, slander, malice, where you actually intentionally create harm, heartache or trouble for another person. Now, my simple reason for sharing that with you is because I want you to understand kind of the depth and scope of what unforgiveness can look like. It's not all as bad as the other, but all of it is a trap. All right, we're going to look at three passages this morning in order to really kind of understand what's going on in these passages, I want to look at the primary two primary greek words for forgiveness. And it's going to be kind of a key that unlocks the passages that we're going to look at. All right? So the first word for forgiveness in Greek is the word ephemi. And this means to simply let go. It is the act of releasing something that I have been holding on to so tightly, nobody can take it out of my hands. And then we make this decision where we say, all right, I'm going to release this thing. I'm going to let this thing go. I am not going to let it corrupt me. Okay, so this is used in two different ways in the New Testament. The first is when somebody harms you or hurts you, but does not ask for forgiveness. And the biblical command, again, is to release it, to not hold on to it tightly, because then you look like this all the time, bitter.
[00:06:18] The second way to use is when somebody does ask for forgiveness. This is like a sacred moment. If somebody comes up to you and says, I was wrong, will you forgive me? And the command here is still the same, I'm going to let this go. I'm going to release you, and I'm not going to take what you did and amplify the sin by holding it in me and letting it ruin me in the process.
[00:06:45] I can already hear your objections. Okay, yeah, Pastor Michael, but what about, but what about, what about this? What about that? We're going to get there. The second word in Greek is charismae.
[00:06:56] I'm trying to find the best way to articulate a definition of this, and I think you'll understand why in a moment. We put it like this. It is to offer reconciliation at a speed and to a degree one does not deserve.
[00:07:08] And the noun form of this is the word charis, where we translate keras into what english word? Who knows what that is? Grace. And so this is the idea that when somebody asks you for forgiveness, that our response is so quick and so sincere that it shocks them.
[00:07:31] And in that moment, they are given just a little micro tiny picture of the gospel, of that moment when they went to Jesus for the very first time and said, I am so sorry. Will you forgive me of my sin? And Jesus shockingly, immediately charismaed us or poured out such a forgiveness that could only be called grace. Because when people get grace, do they deserve it? And the answer is no. It's actually unforgiveness that is illogical and shocking and makes no sense that they don't deserve. All right, turn with me to our first text. It's going to be in Ephesians, chapter four, verse 26. And we're going to watch these greek words in action. Ephesians, chapter four, verse 26. Paul says, be angry. It's okay to be angry, but don't sin.
[00:08:19] Do not let the sun go down on your anger. And I want you to pay attention to verse 27 and give no opportunity to the devil anger here. It is a response to a person who is either harmed or offended. You and Paul is pretty clear headed in this moment, the moment you experience hurt or offense, that very quickly transitions to anger, which, again, you're fine. You can be angry about that, but there is a decision in that moment that every single person has to make.
[00:08:59] I will not give a foothold to the devil. What is the decision? We're going to get there in a moment, but I want you to hear what he doesn't say. He doesn't say, now, this is going to be surprising to some of you, but I want you to. He does not say, go talk to the person. In most cases, if somebody has hurt or offended you, should you go talk to the person? The answer is, of course, but he doesn't actually say that here. He doesn't say, go work it all out tonight. Some of the hurt and the pains that people cause you are so deep they go back years. You think one night's going to work all that out.
[00:09:31] There are going to be moments when you experience hurt and you experience pain. And the command here is not go work it all out tonight. He doesn't say, ignore it. We're going to sweep this under the rug. Because sometimes it's not appropriate or right to talk about the hurt right now, in that moment, sometimes you're unhealthy enough or not okay enough that if you talk about it, you're just going to amplify sin. And so you kind of restrain and you're like, we're going to postpone this conversation. Sometimes there are court orders preventing you from actually working it all out tonight.
[00:10:00] And so you can't.
[00:10:02] So verses 31 and 32, actually, a little bit later, they tell us the two decisions that need to be made the moment or at worst by the end of the day that you experience hurt or offense. So the devil does not have a foothold. Decision number one is this. I am throwing vengeance in the trash.
[00:10:18] Vengeance is mine, says the Lord. One more time. Vengeance is mine, says the Lord.
[00:10:28] But here's what he says. Let all bitterness, these are all acts of vengeance, by the way. Wrath, anger, clamor, slander, be put away from you along with all malice. I mean bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander, malice. I'm not going to lie to you. These are satisfying anybody else.
[00:10:48] For some people, that's fun.
[00:10:53] But to follow Jesus is not to do these. It is to throw them in the trash. Or here's what the text says to put them away from you.
[00:11:01] Why? Because it is the Lord. Here's the second decision, that the moment you experience hurt or emotional pain or offense, the second decision that you make in this moment is this.
[00:11:12] If they ask for forgiveness, I will forgive.
[00:11:18] Verse 32 goes on, be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, releasing them, letting them go as God in Christ released you from your sin, from your punishment, forgiving one another as God and Christ forgave you, even though they probably don't deserve it.
[00:11:45] I will choose kindness.
[00:11:47] I will choose to be tender hearted. And if the opportunity presents itself, I will forgive. And if the opportunity does not present itself, I will choose to let this go.
[00:12:05] When people hear let it go, of course you're thinking frozen. Skip that.
[00:12:11] It doesn't mean you're letting them off.
[00:12:16] It means you're handing them to the Lord and saying, your job out of my jurisdiction.
[00:12:25] You're not letting them off the hook. You're giving them to the Lord. And let me tell you, I am so happy to let the Lord have that. I don't have the character, the strength, the integrity to hold vengeance or to try to take that on my own. But the Lord does turn with me now to second Peter, or just second Peter. Second Corinthians, chapter two, verse ten. Here's our second text.
[00:12:52] You'll notice in two Corinthians ten that the word forgive comes up four times. In this one verse alone. He says, anyone whom you forgive to the corinthian church, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I've forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ. And this is now we're moving to the word charismae, to offer reconciliation at a speed and to a degree one does not deserve to grace someone.
[00:13:18] So there's someone in the corinthian church, and here's what's happened.
[00:13:22] They did something really big and really dumb and really sinful, and it hurt a lot of people in the church.
[00:13:28] And the apostle Paul loves this church a lot. And whatever this thing was, it wasn't private. It was public, and everybody kind of saw it, and the pain was deep. But this person was sincerely sorry for what they had done.
[00:13:43] And Paul's like, listen, you forgive him, I forgive him. Forgiveness. If I need to model for you what forgiveness looks like, going to do it right, because this is what we do. God gives you charisma. He gives you unbelieving irrational, illogical, speedy grace. You guys got to give this guy speedy grace. But what I want you to notice is the ease with which the Apostle Paul is willing to forgive.
[00:14:08] It is really clear that this guy has built the muscle of forgiveness over years, over many years of betrayals, many years of wrongs done to him, many years of injustices done against him.
[00:14:24] Okay, but, Pastor Michael, you don't know what they did to me.
[00:14:30] Listen, I'm not going to excuse bad behavior, but I will not let it corrupt me.
[00:14:37] I will not take your sin that might be against me.
[00:14:42] I will not take what, your offense or your hurt.
[00:14:46] Take that sin and amplify it in my heart.
[00:14:50] I might get angry about it because I should be able to be angry in that sin, but I will not let it corrupt me so that I become defiled in my heart.
[00:14:57] I can't control how bad it hurts, but I can't control whether or not I let it corrupt me. Okay, Pastor Michael, you don't know what they did to me.
[00:15:10] I totally agree.
[00:15:12] Can I ask you something?
[00:15:16] When you trusted in Christ for the first time and asked him to forgive you of your sins, are you at all aware of the magnitude of pain, hurt and devastation you caused to God?
[00:15:27] Did you understand what you did to him? Did you understand the depth of your sin? Did you understand what happened in the trinity? Father, son and Holy Spirit, perfectly unified. And the father actually had to kill the son to pay for your sins to make right what you made wrong. Were you aware the moment you asked God to forgive you of what you did or were going to do to your husband, to your wife, to your mother, to your father, to your children, to your great grandchildren? Were you aware of the depth of all of that? My guess is, everybody, the answer is no. And really, like maturing in, Christ is slowly coming to grips with the depth of our sin and the impact that it has had on so many people year after year and generation after generation? That's part of growing up spiritually. And yet, even though we didn't understand all of that, the moment we came to him with this minuscule understanding of, like, you and me are not okay. I don't want to go to hell. I do love you. I don't even understand the depths. Will you forgive me? And God's immediate shocking response is grace. It is giving something we don't deserve. Now, does that mean God's like, hey, you know what? Why don't you go pastor a church and be a missionary? And, no, it doesn't mean that he's all of a sudden going to go call you to do things that are beyond your character or where you're at. But it does mean that in that moment, you and him are fully, 100%, forever reconciled. That's what it does mean.
[00:16:39] And we step back and we're like, but you don't know. You know what they did to me. You have no idea what you did to God. And his hand is outstretched to you and it is grace upon grace.
[00:16:50] Forgiveness should result in some form of reconciliation. But when it's between people, sometimes it's not necessarily full restoration.
[00:16:59] And I think for some people, the greatest fear is like, okay, if I forgive them, does this mean it has to go back to normal? The answer is no. Actually, a lot of times it doesn't. But it does mean that we are going to be at peace with each other. So Paul's not done. Chapter two, verse eleven. Paul pulls back the curtains so we can kind of see the games that Satan is playing in these moments.
[00:17:19] Verse eleven. We are commanded to forgive so that we would not be outwitted by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his designs. And so here is the design, the trap, the scheme.
[00:17:34] I'm going to say this sort of like, if you guys know the book, screw tape, letters by C. S. Lewis, and there's like an upper demon who's training a younger demon, and he's kind of coaching him how to outwit christians, is what I imagine him saying.
[00:17:46] When a Christian's hurt, foster an environment where they can milk their pain, get angry, and just savor every single taste of bitterness, they will be deeply satisfied again. Is milking your pain deeply satisfying?
[00:18:07] Sure is.
[00:18:09] Where did the apostle Paul learn that this is a demonic trick? Where did the apostle Paul learn that withholding forgiveness, holding on, not releasing, is an age old demonic trip? Now, when a pastor asks you an answer, typically the answer is going to be Jesus. Good. The answer is Jesus. This is the right answer. Last text of the morning. Turn with me to Matthew, chapter six, verse twelve. And this is the Lord's prayer. Our Father who are in heaven, hallow be the name. Something surprising in here that I think is just overlooked.
[00:18:42] Verse twelve. You know this. Forgive us our debts. When you sin against God, you are in debt to him. This is a trespass, it's a sin. There's a relational issue, and we owe him something because of our sin, and so we want him to forgive us of our debts. Amen. As we also have forgiven our debtors. This is, again, a femi. This is. Would you release us from what we owe you, we could never pay it back and do this. This is interesting because this is supposed to be our prayer to God. Would you do this? To the degree that I do this for other people, most people think this prayer is just kind of random and that every sentence is sort of disconnected from the other sentence. So we get to verse 13. And again, most people are just thinking about this as an independent thought, not connected to verse twelve. And here's what it says. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Some of your translations might say the evil one. And here's the idea. Like, okay, there's a temptation that we can fall into, and it makes us susceptible to demonic influence and activity. And so what is this temptation? And most people are like, yeah, it could mean anything. It could mean this.
[00:19:52] But actually, when we get to verse 14, what we learn is that Paul or Paul, Jesus never stopped talking about forgiveness. He's been actually talking about forgiveness in verse 1213 and now 14. Look at verse 14 for carrying on this thought. If you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly father will also forgive you. But if you don't forgive others their trespasses, neither will your heart father, forgive your trespasses.
[00:20:18] So what is the temptation in verses twelve and 13 that leads us to evil influence?
[00:20:27] Very simply, it's this.
[00:20:30] When someone asks you for forgiveness, the temptation is to say no and to withhold it.
[00:20:40] And here's what Jesus says. If someone comes to you and asks to be released from their relational debt because of sin, offense or hurt to you, their trespasses, whatever it is, and you look at them and you say no, that is a scary place to be because it means one of two things.
[00:21:00] It means, number one, you are not a true Christian. And that is petrifying to think about, because what person receives the astounding, unbelievable grace of God and then turns around to somebody who has actually given you a lesser offense, they ask for forgiveness and you say no.
[00:21:20] Or number two, maybe you're a true Christian, but you are in the thick of the trap, the design, the scheme, and you are so far away from the gospel, it is ridiculous. And that itself is also a scary place to be.
[00:21:39] Okay, but is it okay to struggle to forgive somebody? Is it okay to still have a heavy and hurt heart even after I forgive them? Guys, of course our feelings are liars. Our emotions are ridiculous. They're up and they're down. We don't live by our emotions. And so if somebody hurts me and says, michael, will you forgive me.
[00:22:07] I'm probably not super pumped in that moment to be like, yeah, because I still want vengeance, but I am not going to let my heart's desire or my feelings dictate what I do. In that moment. I'm going to look at somebody and say, you are released. My heart might need some time to catch up to that, but I am committed to my heart catching up to the reality that you and I are okay and we're going to be able to coexist in this moment when somebody comes to you in this sacred moment of asking for forgiveness.
[00:22:37] Jesus'basic, command. I mean, this is like, I feel like I can say this to you because Jesus has basically said it like, you're going to do it, you're going to like it. And if not, well, don't expect your heavenly father to forgive you. So do it. Okay, but what if they don't understand the depth of pain that they have caused me? And let me just. They never will until Jesus shows them they never will.
[00:23:04] But I read this book that says apologies aren't sincere unless they have the following ingredients. Ingredient number one, personal ownership before God. Ingredient number two, personal ownership before me. Ingredient number three, understanding of their own roots and issue that led to this behavior. Ingredient number four, full restitution of all wrongs done. Ingredient number five, a personal request for forgiveness that includes exactly the phrase with no edits. Will you forgive me? I have sinned.
[00:23:30] I've been in rooms where I've mediated, and somebody says, I'm sorry. And the other person says, you didn't say it right.
[00:23:42] 99% of the people who are going to apologize to you didn't read that book.
[00:23:48] It's a great book. And I think it would be great if before I said I'm sorry that I understood the deep root sin issue, all of its origin, where it came from, why I have this impulse, the extent and magnitude of the sin, and I was ready, fully ready with full restitution for all the wrongs that I made right. I actually would like. I think that's great. We should do a sermon series on that and how to actually look at somebody and say, will you forgive me? Because there is an exchange in forgiveness, but the best 99% of people have is this, I'm sorry. I don't know what to say to you now. Sometimes a parent will bring their kid, say you're sorry, Jimmy. Say you're sorry, and you know the kid doesn't mean it. What am I doing to that kid? He doesn't mean it, dad. Mean it, kid. No, I'm not going to do that. Dude. Kid, you're released. Or an employee does something ridiculous at work and your boss says, you got to go apologize to them. And someone comes to you and says, the boss said, I need to say I'm sorry, so I'm sorry.
[00:24:47] And you know, they're not sorry. What am I going to do? A femme, I'm going to release.
[00:24:53] I can't take your sin, hold on to it, become bitter and then amplify in my own life and let it corrupt me. I don't have the energy for it. I don't have the time for it. I don't want to do that.
[00:25:06] Let me speak bluntly. If you are harboring hate, spite, disdain, coldness, or bitterness to someone, you fell for it.
[00:25:23] You've been duped.
[00:25:26] You're officially not as clever as Satan.
[00:25:30] He got you.
[00:25:33] Just sit on that.
[00:25:35] You lost that battle.
[00:25:38] You can, by the way, take it back, right? You don't have to harbor bitterness or hate or spite the Holy Spirit. You can release this.
[00:25:51] For some of you, you're listening. And here are some things that might be going through your mind right now. And these are all sort of defense mechanisms so that we can find any reason possible to not release someone else because it's not fair.
[00:26:05] I'm not ready to forgive them yet.
[00:26:09] Jesus is like, well, you better get ready because it is a command to do this. You don't know what they've done to me. I'm not ready to begin letting go of the hurt. I wonder what the price of bitcoin is. Hmm. I think I don't have to listen to Michael. I'm going to pull up my phone and start looking at that because there are actually powerful forces at work that do not want you to think, ponder on, or apply anything that the word of God is saying at all. On the issue of forgiveness, I hope you see that. So some of you, you're like, oh, it's my ADHD or it is actually a heart issue or a spiritual influence trying to distract you from actually listening to maybe what the word of God has to say on this issue.
[00:26:46] Let's talk about what forgiveness is not.
[00:26:49] Forgiveness is not, number one, forgetting I'm not God, I remember things.
[00:26:56] Forgiveness is number two. It's not always going back to the way things were.
[00:27:03] Reconciliation does not mean immediate restoration.
[00:27:08] Forgiveness is not always trust. I can be reconciled to somebody but not trust them. Trust is earned slowly and once broken, it is even earned back more slowly than the first time.
[00:27:20] Friendship is or forgiveness is not always friendship.
[00:27:25] You have the freedom to part ways peacefully with some people.
[00:27:30] Friendship or forgiveness is not always feeling no hurt.
[00:27:36] You can choose to forgive and still feel all the feels that is normal and that is human.
[00:27:42] Forgiveness is not always fair. But let's be straight, guys. Since when were we ever in the business of equity?
[00:27:48] Psalm 100 and 310.
[00:27:51] He does not deal with us, God, according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.
[00:28:01] Forgiveness is, on the other hand, it is a choice.
[00:28:05] It is a decision that every one of us have the power to make, to generously give to someone else what we have received from God.
[00:28:12] Forgiveness is a process, like, to think about, like your salvation. The moment you ask God for forgiveness. Are you forgiven? Yep. But there's a whole lot more that needs to be done after that. So you can be objectively forgiven in a moment, but then have to go through a process of growth. Relationally, forgiveness is essential to obey Jesus. Apparently, for Jesus, we don't have the option. This is like, if you're going to follow me and be my disciple, you're going to figure out how to release people.
[00:28:39] Forgiveness is spiritual corruption prevention. I love this. If you don't want to become spiritually corrupt, learn to let go and not let their sin or their harm against you corrupt you any further. Like, let it die with you.
[00:28:53] And then finally, forgiveness is a savvy spiritual war tactic. Nice try, Satan. I win. You don't get to have this battle. I'm going to let them go. Give them over to God and let him deal with it. Ha ha. It is a great, great act of spite to the evil one to forgive somebody else and then hand them over to Jesus.
[00:29:14] Foreso, what's number one? Protect your church.
[00:29:20] Protect us from what? Yourself and me.
[00:29:26] Wounded people hurt other people.
[00:29:31] Wounded people inflict their pain onto other people. And you all know what I'm talking about, and we've all done it ourselves.
[00:29:38] We get the blood of our open wound all over people. And unless you are a doctor or a pastor or a therapist, you didn't sign up to get all this all over you. It's not what you signed up for.
[00:29:50] Now, is it okay to be hurt and wounded? Of course it's okay to be hurt and wounded.
[00:29:55] The moment we actually choose to forgive somebody, we in that moment move toward the process of healing. Which brings us to number two. Forgiveness is the key to start the healing process.
[00:30:07] So if you want to even begin recovering from the domino effect of what has been done to you or against you. You will never begin the process of healing until you make this decision.
[00:30:18] Even though I don't want to and I don't feel like it, I will release this person, give them back to the Lord, and entrust them to him. It is the key that unlocks the beginning of the journey of healing. Number three, recognize the signs of healing. Some of you are like, I've been working this for a long time. God's doing really an incredible work in your life. And so here's some of the signs of healing that you have let go even though someone has not asked you for forgiveness.
[00:30:50] You know you've let something go when you have stopped rehearsing conversations with them in your head. Anyone ever done that?
[00:30:57] You know you've let something go when you have stopped taking vengeance on them and entrusted them to the Lord or to the law.
[00:31:04] You know you've let something go when your need to verbally process has kind of gone away. You know you've let something go when you are able to articulate the lessons learned and share them without naming your offender.
[00:31:17] Let's talk about signs of healing. When it comes to somebody who has actually asked you for forgiveness, you know you are healed. Or healing when their name comes up and you don't feel the need to disparage them verbally or nonverbally with the eye roll when you hear their name and you don't bristle inside when they are blessed to succeed and you are not irritated and maybe you're like, good for them. That's exciting.
[00:31:45] And when you're in their presence and you can just be yourself.
[00:31:50] Final. So what? Number four, direct command from Jesus, bless those who blank you.
[00:31:59] One. Peter three nine says, bless those who revile you.
[00:32:03] Luke 628 says, bless those who abuse you.
[00:32:08] Luke 628 again says, bless those who curse you. Matthew 544, bless those who persecute you.
[00:32:17] Forgiveness, when it has done its work, actually puts us in a position where we are now able to bless people, even if they've never asked us for forgiveness themselves.
[00:32:31] It's also interesting that if somebody is having a really, really hard time emotionally letting something go, there's this funny antidote that allows us to expedite the process, and that is serving blessing and loving somebody in a way that they never know it's you. There's something about blessing, serving, or loving somebody that just begins to break down these walls of hatred and bitterness in our hearts. It expedites the healing process.
[00:32:57] You might be here and you're like, I've never trusted in Christ and what I love is that not only does God offer you release to let go all the debt you owe him because of your sin and what you've done to him, but he is also offering not just release, but unspeakable and unimaginable blessing for anybody who trusts in Christ. And so I don't know where you stand with the Lord, but today, do you believe that you're a sinner?
[00:33:25] And have you personally come to him and said, I'm sorry? Do you believe that Jesus is God? He died for your sins and was raised from the dead. If you have never done that, I just have great news. Not only is he offering you to be debt free relationally with him, he is also offering you unimaginable blessings because he loves you.
[00:33:44] Now, I want to talk to those of us in this room. You've trusted in Christ, and I want to close with, I think, one of the most amazing stories of forgiveness and blessing in the entire bible.
[00:33:55] You guys ever heard of a guy named King David? Yes, we've heard of King David.
[00:34:00] David, when he was younger, he would play music for King who?
[00:34:04] Saul. And Saul was an irritable man. Let's be honest. Sometimes David would be playing. He'd throw a spirit him and David for.
[00:34:12] You're welcome, Marina, if you don't know that joke. Marina's ever. It doesn't matter.
[00:34:22] But I forgot where I was. But David.
[00:34:26] For a decade of his life, Saul hunted David's life, tried to kill him, tried to eradicate. It was not. And do you think David was hurt emotionally by that experience? Read the psalms. He wrote down songs for Israel to sing about his pain, his hurt, his anger, all the emotions. David felt them all. But when Saul died, David wrote a song. And he made sure that all of Israel learned the song. And in two, Samuel, chapter one, verse 17, right before this, it says that David wept when he heard the news. And it wasn't just because Saul and Jonathan, Saul's son, David's best friend, died. It was for Saul.
[00:35:04] Here's what it says. David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and Jonathan, his son. And he said, it should be taught to the people of Judah. Behold, it is written in the book of Jashar. And he said, here's the song. Your glory, meaning king Saul, O Israel, is slain on your high places. How the mighty have fallen.
[00:35:27] Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely in life and in death. They were not divided. They were swifter than eagles. They were stronger than lions.
[00:35:37] You, daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you. Luxuriously in scarlet. Who put ornaments of gold on your apparel?
[00:35:46] How the mighty have fallen in the midst of battle. Is that a song that you're ready to write, sing and distribute over your enemies? Well, David's not done, because that act of forgiveness was unbelievable. But what he does a few chapters later in second Samuel is just shocking.
[00:36:06] The custom is that when you become a king, you kill all the former king's family so that they don't rise up because they have rights to the throne. David is now king. It's two Samuel, nine. I just want to read this to you. I'm going to pull out sections and you'll get the vibe. David said, is there still anyone left of the house of Saul that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake?
[00:36:32] Now, there was a servant of the House of Saul. His name was Zeba. And they called him to David. And the king said to him, are you Zeba? He said, I am your servant. The king said, is there still not someone of the House of Saul that I may show the kindness of God to him? Zeba said to the king, there's still a son of Jonathan, by the way, he's the rightful heir to the throne and he's crippled in his feet, so there will be no threat to you whatsoever. Good. The king said to him, where is he?
[00:36:58] And he says to the king, he's in the house of Makir, the son of Amiel ate bar. You don't know Lodebar is. But that's where the criminals went. That's where, if you were guilty of something, you went to hide. This is where the lowest of the lowlifes went. This is where you went to go not be killed by the new king, Lodebar. Then King David sent and brought him from the house at Lodebar. And here's his name. Ready? Mephibosheth. I tried to name my son this, but my wife wouldn't let me. So Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, implied rightful heir to the throne, came to David, fell on his face and paid homage. And in this moment, he's waiting to have his head chopped off. And David said, mafibosheth. And he answered, behold, I am your servant. And David said to him, do not fear, for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father, Jonathan. And I will restore to you all the land of Saul your father, and you shall eat at my table always. And he, Mephibosheth, paid homage. And he said, what is your servant that you should show regard for a dead dog such as I.
[00:38:05] Then the king called Zeba back in Saul's servant and said to him, all that belong to Saul and to all his house I have given to your master's grandson, Mephibosheth. And you and your sons and your servants shall till the land for him, and shall bring in the produce that your master's grandson may have bread to eat. But Mephibosheth, your master's grandson, shall always eat at my table.
[00:38:28] This is how it ends. So Mephibosheth ate at David's table like one of the king's sons. That's ridiculous and awesome.
[00:38:38] You write a song for the man who tried to take your life for a decade, and then you bless and you honor his name and his legacy to this degree. May it be said of us. Amen. Let's pray. Father, we stand here as hurt men, women, students and children, and we will continue to be hurt in the future. But God teach us and train us, so familiarize us with the gospel of Jesus Christ that we think to ourselves, how could we not release those who ask us for forgiveness? And, Lord, may you give us such confidence in your sovereignty and your character. How could we not release those who won't ask for forgiveness into your good, kind and just hands?
[00:39:29] Lord, we love you. And we are so thankful that we have the privilege this side of heaven to show forth just a small image and picture of the kind of grace that you have lavished upon us. Grace upon grace upon grace. We love you. We thank you for this, and we do it all in Jesus name. Amen. Amen.
