March 24, 2013 | Charge That To My Account: The Message of Philemon

Jesus finishes his discourse in Matthew 18 discussing forgiveness. I thought it would be helpful to see another passage on the topic and so we looked at the book of Philemon.

¹ Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother,
To Philemon our beloved brother and fellow worker, ² and to Apphia our sister, and to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house: ³ Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.


⁴ I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers, ⁵ because I hear of your love and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints; ⁶ and I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you for Christ’s sake. ⁷ For I have come to have much joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.


⁸ Therefore, though I have enough confidence in Christ to order you to do what is proper, ⁹ yet for love’s sake I rather appeal to you—since I am such a person as Paul, the aged, and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus—

¹⁰ I appeal to you for my child Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my imprisonment, ¹¹ who formerly was useless to you, but now is useful both to you and to me. ¹² I have sent him back to you in person, that is, sending my very heart, ¹³ whom I wished to keep with me, so that on your behalf he might minister to me in my imprisonment for the gospel; ¹⁴ but without your consent I did not want to do anything, so that your goodness would not be, in effect, by compulsion but of your own free will.  
¹⁵ For perhaps he was for this reason separated from you for a while, that you would have him back forever, ¹⁶ no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, a beloved brother, especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.

¹⁷ If then you regard me a partner, accept him as you would me. ¹⁸ But if he has wronged you in any way or owes you anything, charge that to my account; ¹⁹ I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand, I will repay it (not to mention to you that you owe to me even your own self as well). ²⁰ Yes, brother, let me benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ.

²¹ Having confidence in your obedience, I write to you, since I know that you will do even more than what I say.

²² At the same time also prepare me a lodging, for I hope that through your prayers I will be given to you.

²³ Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you, ²⁴ as do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, Luke, my fellow workers.
 
²⁵ The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.






Audio
Notes


January 27, 2013 | Matthew 17:24-27 - We Are Free Indeed: The Glorious Truth of the Gospel
Matthew 18:1-4 | Children Only: The Secret to being great in the Kingdom of God
February 17, 2013 | Matthew 18:5-14 - Primum Non Nocere: The Kingdom & the Treatment of Children
February 24, 2013 | God Hates Sin
March 3, 2013 | God Pursues Sinners (Audio, Notes)
March 10, 2013 | Matthew 18:15-20 - This Will Hurt Me More Than It Will Hurt You: The Kingdom & the Discipline of Children
Matthew 17, 2013 | Matthew 18:21-35 _ Forgive As Much As You Have Been Forgiven By God in Christ


For more:
Mark Driscoll on What Forgiveness Is Not
Songs on Forgiveness
Mark Driscoll on What Forgiveness Is
Driscoll on What Forgiveness Is Not
"The Truth About Forgiveness" by John MacArthur
November 13, 2011 | Psalm 51: The Lord is My Salvation
June 13, 2010 - Matthew 6:14-15 - The Forgiven Forgive: The Inseparable Reality of the Gospel of Forgiveness
Some Light Reading: Books on Prayer and Forgiveness
Wax on Forgiveness
Colson on Forgiveness
"Forgive Them, For They Know Not What They Do" - A Lesson on Forgiveness 

Matthew 17, 2013 | Matthew 18:21-35 _ Forgive As Much As You Have Been Forgiven By God in Christ

The final passage in Jesus' great discourse on being children in the Kingdom regarding forgiveness. Here are the sermon, notes, and links.

²¹ Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” ²² Jesus *said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.
²³ “For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. ²⁴ When he had begun to settle them, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. ²⁵ But since he did not have the means to repay, his lord commanded him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made. ²⁶ So the slave fell to the ground and prostrated himself before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you everything.’ ²⁷ And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt. ²⁸ But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and he seized him and began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay back what you owe.’ ²⁹ So his fellow slave fell to the ground and began to plead with him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you.’ ³⁰ But he was unwilling and went and threw him in prison until he should pay back what was owed. ³¹ So when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and came and reported to their lord all that had happened. ³² Then summoning him, his lord *said to him, ‘You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. ³³ Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?’ ³⁴ And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him. ³⁵ My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.”





Audio
Notes


January 27, 2013 | Matthew 17:24-27 - We Are Free Indeed: The Glorious Truth of the Gospel
Matthew 18:1-4 | Children Only: The Secret to being great in the Kingdom of God
February 17, 2013 | Matthew 18:5-14 - Primum Non Nocere: The Kingdom & the Treatment of Children
February 24, 2013 | God Hates Sin


For more:
Mark Driscoll on What Forgiveness Is Not
Songs on Forgiveness
Mark Driscoll on What Forgiveness Is
Driscoll on What Forgiveness Is Not
"The Truth About Forgiveness" by John MacArthur
November 13, 2011 | Psalm 51: The Lord is My Salvation
June 13, 2010 - Matthew 6:14-15 - The Forgiven Forgive: The Inseparable Reality of the Gospel of Forgiveness
Some Light Reading: Books on Prayer and Forgiveness
Wax on Forgiveness
Colson on Forgiveness
"Forgive Them, For They Know Not What They Do" - A Lesson on Forgiveness 

Mark Driscoll on What Forgiveness Is Not

Earlier today I posted a section of Mark Driscoll's book Who Do You Think You Are? regarding what forgiveness is. Now we must discuss what forgiveness is not and again Driscoll is helpful here. In my work as a pastor and Christian, it is this question that is rarely given but often asked. "You mean to tell me I have to act like nothing happened?" is one variation of the question that comes when I discuss the radical, gospel-centered notion of forgiveness. This is why I find Driscoll so helpful here.

1. Forgiveness is not denying that sin occurred or diminishing its evil. In forgiving someone, we don't say, "Nothing happened," or that something was "no big deal." Instead, we say sin happened and that it was such a big deal that Jesus died for it.
2. Forgiveness is not enabling sin. To forgive is not to allow offenders to remain stuck in their cycle of sin, thus being complicit and enabling their continued transgression. We can forgive while still being truthful about someone's behavior.
3. Forgiveness is not necessarily a response to a repentant apology. Sometimes sinners will acknowledge their wrong and ask for forgiveness. Sometimes they don't. sometimes we don't even know who the offender is or how to locate him or her; other times the person is deceased. Either way, we're to forgive whether there is an admission of guilt or not. Christianity is unique in this way, as other major religions teach that you cannot forgive someone who hasn't apologized.
4. Forgiveness is not covering up sin committed against us. in fact, if a crime is committed, we can simultaneously forgive someone and seek legal action.
5. Forgiveness is not forgetting. It's commonly believed that we should "forgive and forget," which is impossible. When God said, "I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more," he didn't mean he has no recollection, as that is impossible, because God is all-knowing. Instead, it means that God doesn't begrudgingly hold our sin against us and keep it as the basis of our identity and interaction with him. Furthermore, when we forgive someone, we're remembering the sin so that we can forgive it. To demand that someone completely forgive without remembering that he or she was beaten, raped, betrayed, or any other array of sinful actions is to demand the impossible and add burden.
6. Forgiveness is not trust. Forgiveness takes a moment, but trust is built over time. And once trust is lost through sin, it can take much time to be rebuilt.
7. Forgiveness is not reconciliation. It takes one sinner to repent and one victim to forgive, but it takes both to reconcile. Therefore, unless there is both repentance by the sinner and forgiveness by the victim, reconciliation can't occur, which means the relationship remains continually broken until reconciliation does occur. Your forgiveness is the beginning of potential reconciliation but not in and of itself reconciliation. (165-166)

For more:
Mark Driscoll on What Forgiveness Is
Driscoll on What Forgiveness Is Not
"Death By Love" by Mark Driscoll & Gerry Breshears: A Review
Doctrine by Mark Driscoll
"Real Marriage" by Mark & Grace Driscoll
Religion Saves by Mark Driscoll
The Radical Reformation by Mark Driscoll
Vintage Jesus by Mark Driscoll 

Driscoll on Abortion
How Much Do You Owe?:  Mark Driscoll on Our New For Redemption
Churches Helping Churches: MacDonald Makes His Plea
The Myth of Adolescence: Mark Driscoll Weighs In
Does Satan Exist? Debate
Driscoll on ABC  
What Creation Reveals About God 
Driscoll Sermon: God the Creator 
The Church as Family     

Driscoll on What Forgiveness Is Not

"God's Hand in Our Suffering" by Mark Driscoll

Songs on Forgiveness

I'm sitting here in my office working on Sunday's sermon on Matthew 18:21-35 regarding forgiveness and have come across some songs on the topic that has enriched my soul worth passing along.

Sanctus Real - Forgiven




Matt Redman - Nothing But the Blood




Casting Crown - East to West




Chris Tomlin - Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)




Relient K - Forgiven




For more:
Mark Driscoll on What Forgiveness Is
Driscoll on What Forgiveness Is Not
"The Truth About Forgiveness" by John MacArthur
November 13, 2011 | Psalm 51: The Lord is My Salvation
June 13, 2010 - Matthew 6:14-15 - The Forgiven Forgive: The Inseparable Reality of the Gospel of Forgiveness
Some Light Reading: Books on Prayer and Forgiveness
Wax on Forgiveness
Colson on Forgiveness
"Forgive Them, For They Know Not What They Do" - A Lesson on Forgiveness

Mark Driscoll on What Forgiveness Is

From Mark Driscoll's book Who Do You Think You Are: Finding Your True Identity in Christ. In it, Driscoll dedicates an entire chapter to the subject of forgiveness beginning with the truth I Am Forgiven! There he clarifies what forgiveness is and is not. First, what forgiveness is:

1. Forgiveness is canceling a debt owed to you. When someone sins against you, a wrong is committed and a debt is accrued. In forgiving others, you relinquish your right to make them repay that debt.
2. Forgiveness is removing the control your offender has over you. So long as your offenders remain unforgiven, they continue to loom large in your life by maintaining an emotional presence. through forgiveness, you not only free them from their debt to you but also emotionally free yourself form them.
3. Forgiveness is giving a gift to your offender and yourself. Forgiveness includes the physical benefits of reduced anxiety, stress, and blood pressure; and the mental benefits of no longer obsessing over a person or act, freeing you up to move on with your life. Forgiveness also allows you to move from a life centered on pain to one centered on God and others as you regain emotional health, empathy, and perspective. This improves all of your relationships and is a gift to you, your friends, and your family.
4. Forgiveness is forsaking revenge. Romans 12:19 says, "Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, 'Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,' says the Lord." When we seek revenge, we place ourselves morally alongside our offenders. When we forgive, we rise above them by grace and leave them to a perfect and holy God. Revenge may temporarily placate our rage, but it can never undo a wrong. By feeding rage, we become like the person who hurt us - self-interested and dangerous. This is why one ancient Chinese proverb says, "He who seeks revenge should dig two graves."
5. Forgiveness is leaving ultimate justice in God's hands. Sometimes forgiveness is difficult because it violates our sense of fairness and justice. But the Bible promises that god will deal with everyone's sins justly. For those who repent of sin and come to faith in Jesus Christ, justice came at the cross of Jesus, when our Savior suffered and died in our place for our sins. those who don't repent of sin and come to faith in Jesus Christ will have justice in the punishment of conscious eternal torments of hell. In forgiving, we don't neglect justice, but rather, we trust God for perfect justice and get out from between the sinner and God.
6. Forgiveness is often an ongoing process. In Jesus's time, a rabbinic teaching said that you only had to forgive someone three times, and after that no more. In Matthew 18:21-22 we read, 'then Peter came to [Jesus] and said, 'Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?' Jesus said to him, 'I do not say to you up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.'" A noted Bible commentator says of this, 'It is a way of saying that for Jesus' followers forgiveness is to be unlimited."*
7.  Forgiveness is wanting good for your offender. In forgiving our offenders, we change from wanting them to suffer and pay to wanting them to repent and change by God's grace. (164-165)

In short, live the gospel that saved you. Freely forgiven. Freely forgive.

I would also add that forgiveness is a one way street. Reconciliation, another aspect of the gospel, is a two way street. We are called to forgive and work towards reconciliation.


* Leon Morris, Matthew, 472.


For more:
Driscoll on What Forgiveness Is Not
"Death By Love" by Mark Driscoll & Gerry Breshears: A Review
Doctrine by Mark Driscoll
"Real Marriage" by Mark & Grace Driscoll
Religion Saves by Mark Driscoll
The Radical Reformation by Mark Driscoll
Vintage Jesus by Mark Driscoll 

Driscoll on Abortion
How Much Do You Owe?:  Mark Driscoll on Our New For Redemption
Churches Helping Churches: MacDonald Makes His Plea
The Myth of Adolescence: Mark Driscoll Weighs In
Does Satan Exist? Debate
Driscoll on ABC  
What Creation Reveals About God 
Driscoll Sermon: God the Creator 
The Church as Family     

Driscoll on What Forgiveness Is Not

"God's Hand in Our Suffering" by Mark Driscoll

Driscoll on What Forgiveness Is Not

I found this to be helpful and wanted to pass it along.

Now in saying this, let me tell you what forgiveness is not, because again, this is very important. Gracie and I put in the book, “Forgiveness is not denying, approving, or diminishing sin that is committed against us.” “Oh, you didn’t do anything wrong. It’s no big deal. It’s in the past. I forgot about it.” It’s saying, “You know, I appreciate you recognizing that. It really bothered me and it was a big deal to me.” And sometimes people will feel awkward when they’re repenting. “Ha-ha-ha,” they’ll try to make a joke of it. Say, “You know what? I really appreciate you bringing that up, but how about if we just take the awkward laughter out? This really was a problem.” Make it more awkward, that’s what I’m suggesting. Right?

Forgiveness is not naivety and ignoring sin. It’s not saying, “I’m not going to look. I’m not going to ask. I’m just going to pretend that I don’t even see it.” No, that’s not forgiveness. Forgiveness is eyes open, knowing the truth, and choosing to simply forgive it. That’s forgiveness.

Forgiveness is not naively ignoring the sinful condition of people ‘cause sometimes we’ll say, “Well, yeah, you did a bad thing, but you’re a good person,” or, you know, “You’re amazing and you just had a bad day,” or, you know, “You have a good heart.” No, you know what? Sin is down in the roots. Forgiving someone doesn’t mean you need to pretend that everything’s fine and they’re really good and this was an aberration, that sin is a condition down in the roots.

Forgiveness is not enabling sin. It’s not, “Well, I forgive you and I’ll keep helping you,” because that might be enabling. I’ll give you an example that I see some occurrences of. A wife in the name of submission sometimes will just forgive her husband over and over and over and over and over and over and over for some sin, but he’s not really repenting, he’s not putting it to death. And she’s just enabling him, okay. . . .

Forgiveness is not forgetting about the sin that is committed against us. Forgive and forget is foolishness. You can’t forget. You can’t forget. Some of you have had horrendous evil committed against you, it’s not like, “I forgive them and I don’t even remember.” You do. When the Bible says that God remembers our sin no more, which it does in the Old Testament, one of the prophets, it doesn’t mean God’s in heaven going, “I don’t know. I don’t know what they did. I don’t know where my car keys are. I’m very absent-minded,” right? Instead, it means that he chooses not to interact with us based upon our sin, but his grace if we’re believers in Jesus. It furthermore means that he does not establish our identity based on our transgression, but Jesus’ salvation.

But it doesn’t mean you forget. I mean, religious people just make up these stupid little bumper sticker–isms that are very discouraging. Now the Bible does say in 1 Corinthians 13 that love keeps no record of wrong. So you’re not, you know, like an archaeologist trying to always dig up history. But it does mean you’ll remember. That’s what it means. But you choose not to interact on behalf of that person based upon the sin and transgression. It means that you want good for them, that you love them, that you pursue good for them. And even if it hurts emotionally, you’re still willing to continue to seek good for them. But it doesn’t mean you forget. It doesn’t mean you forget.



Mark Driscoll - Luke 17:1-10:  How to Fight to the Glory of God 

Originally published January 16, 2012.

For more:
Sermon - June 13, 2010 - Matthew 6:14-15 - The Forgiven Forgive: The Inseparable Reality of the Gospel of Forgiveness 
Sermon - November 13, 2011 | Psalm 51: The Lord is My Salvation
GBC - Some Light Reading:  On Prayer and Forgiveness  
GBC - Wax on Forgiveness  
GBC - Colson on Forgiveness
GBC - Driscoll on What Forgiveness Is Not
Reviews - "The Freedom and Power of Forgiveness"  
GBC - "Forgive Them, For They Know Not What They Do" - A Lesson on Forgiveness  

"The Truth About Forgiveness" by John MacArthur

If there is one thing that could heal virtually every church, every marriage, every marriage, and every relationship, it is forgiveness.  In his book, The Truth About Forgiveness, author and pastor John MacArthur tackles this important issue. The book begins with a heavy attack on the trend among evangelicals to use pop-psychology clouded with Christian language. MacArthur speaks boldly here and really calls Christians to task to rethink how they approach counseling and how they apply the Christian gospel. One of the points he makes here is that such an approach to Christianity confuses sin for a sickness, orientation, disease, or we are merely victims. He writes:

But assume for the moment that the problem is sin rather than sickness.  The only true remedy involves humble repentance and confession . .. - then restitution, and growth through the spiritual disciplines of prayer, Bible study, communion with God, fellowship with other believers, and dependence on Christ. IN other words, if the problem is in fact spiritual, labeling it a clinical issue will only exacerbate the problem and will offer no real deliverance from the sin. That is precisely what we see happening everywhere.

The sad truth is that disease-model treatment is disastrously counterproductive. By casting the sinner in the role o a victim, it ignores or minimizes the personal guilt inherent in the misbehavior. 'I am sick' is much easier to say than, 'I have sinned.' But it doesn't deal with the fact that one's transgression is a serious offense again a holy, omniscient, omnipotent God.

Personal guilt is for that very reason at the heart of what must be confronted when dealing with one's sin. But the disease-model remedy cannot address the problem of guilt without explaining it away. And by explaining guilt away, disease-model therapy does untold violence to the human conscience. It is therefore no remedy at all, but a disastrous prescription fr escalating wickedness and eternal damnation. -9-10

MacArthur is dead one and his critique of this "disease-model" approach to counseling and the Christian life is worth the price of the book itself. But from here, MacArthur moves from what he calls the "bad news" here to the good news: the gospel. By understanding we are sinners, we can now understand better the gospel (good news) of Jesus Christ that though we are rebels, we can be forgiven. This dominates most of the book. MacArthur focuses on the cross, of course, and also highlights various stories in the Bible to illustrate the point. He spends some time on the Parable of the Prodigal Son which he rightly believes is a beautiful illustration of God's depth of love He has towards us and how that love leads to our forgiveness.

This all leads to the final chapter which discusses turning our vertical forgiveness to a horizontal one. It is not enough for the Christian to accept God's forgiveness, we must also forgive others. MacArthur does not attempt to uncover every stone and answer every question here, but he does offer a helpful framework on forgiving others.

Overall, this is a great book that remains brief but thorough. MacArthur has already written a book on forgiveness which looks more deeply at this issue. This is more of an introduction to the subject and is a helpful book to both scholars and lay people. If you want to know the truth about forgiveness, you will find it here.


I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”


 



MaArthur Books:
Reviews - "The Freedom and Power of Forgiveness"  
Reviews - "The Truth About Grace" by John MacArthur
Reviews - "The Truth About the Lordship of Jesus" by John MacArthur 
Reviews - "Slave" by John MacArthur 
Reviews - "Slave" by John MacArthur Audio
Reviews - "The Gospel According to Jesus"  
Reviews - Hard to Believe  
Reviews - "A Tale of Two Sons" 
Reviews - "the Jesus You Can't Ignore" 
Reviews - Why One Way
Reviews - "The God Who Loves" 
Reviews - "Who Money Is It Anyway?"
Reviews - "Lord, Teach Me to Pray"
Reviews - "Our Sufficiency in Christ"
Reviews - "Fools Gold"
Reviews - "The Vanishing Conscience"
Reviews - "Can God Bless America" 
Reviews - "Twelve Ordinary Men"
Reviews-  "John Calvin: A Heart for Devotion, Doctrine, and Doxology"
Reviews - "Welcome to the Family"
Reviews - "The Second Coming"
Reviews - "God in the Manger"
Reviews - "John MacArthur Study Bible"
Reviews - "Found: God's Will"
Reviews - "Preaching the Cross"
Reviews - "Truth War"


MacArthur sermons:
Blogizomai - "Slaves of Christ" by John MacArthur
Blogizomai - Theology Thursday | MacArthur: A Tale of Two Sons
Blogizomai - "The Greatness of Being a Slave" by John MacArthur
Blogizomai - Honoring God through Edifying Preaching by John MacArthur
Blogizomai - "The Theology of Christmas" (Philippians 2:5-11) by John MacArthur
Blogizomai - MacArthur & The Attacks on the Bible
Blogizomai - "It Pleased God": MacArthur on the Darkness and Drama at the Cross

Driscoll on What Forgiveness Is Not

I found this to be helpful and wanted to pass it along.

Now in saying this, let me tell you what forgiveness is not, because again, this is very important. Gracie and I put in the book, “Forgiveness is not denying, approving, or diminishing sin that is committed against us.” “Oh, you didn’t do anything wrong. It’s no big deal. It’s in the past. I forgot about it.” It’s saying, “You know, I appreciate you recognizing that. It really bothered me and it was a big deal to me.” And sometimes people will feel awkward when they’re repenting. “Ha-ha-ha,” they’ll try to make a joke of it. Say, “You know what? I really appreciate you bringing that up, but how about if we just take the awkward laughter out? This really was a problem.” Make it more awkward, that’s what I’m suggesting. Right?

Forgiveness is not naivety and ignoring sin. It’s not saying, “I’m not going to look. I’m not going to ask. I’m just going to pretend that I don’t even see it.” No, that’s not forgiveness. Forgiveness is eyes open, knowing the truth, and choosing to simply forgive it. That’s forgiveness.

Forgiveness is not naively ignoring the sinful condition of people ‘cause sometimes we’ll say, “Well, yeah, you did a bad thing, but you’re a good person,” or, you know, “You’re amazing and you just had a bad day,” or, you know, “You have a good heart.” No, you know what? Sin is down in the roots. Forgiving someone doesn’t mean you need to pretend that everything’s fine and they’re really good and this was an aberration, that sin is a condition down in the roots.

Forgiveness is not enabling sin. It’s not, “Well, I forgive you and I’ll keep helping you,” because that might be enabling. I’ll give you an example that I see some occurrences of. A wife in the name of submission sometimes will just forgive her husband over and over and over and over and over and over and over for some sin, but he’s not really repenting, he’s not putting it to death. And she’s just enabling him, okay. . . .

Forgiveness is not forgetting about the sin that is committed against us. Forgive and forget is foolishness. You can’t forget. You can’t forget. Some of you have had horrendous evil committed against you, it’s not like, “I forgive them and I don’t even remember.” You do. When the Bible says that God remembers our sin no more, which it does in the Old Testament, one of the prophets, it doesn’t mean God’s in heaven going, “I don’t know. I don’t know what they did. I don’t know where my car keys are. I’m very absent-minded,” right? Instead, it means that he chooses not to interact with us based upon our sin, but his grace if we’re believers in Jesus. It furthermore means that he does not establish our identity based on our transgression, but Jesus’ salvation.

But it doesn’t mean you forget. I mean, religious people just make up these stupid little bumper sticker–isms that are very discouraging. Now the Bible does say in 1 Corinthians 13 that love keeps no record of wrong. So you’re not, you know, like an archaeologist trying to always dig up history. But it does mean you’ll remember. That’s what it means. But you choose not to interact on behalf of that person based upon the sin and transgression. It means that you want good for them, that you love them, that you pursue good for them. And even if it hurts emotionally, you’re still willing to continue to seek good for them. But it doesn’t mean you forget. It doesn’t mean you forget.



Mark Driscoll - Luke 17:1-10:  How to Fight to the Glory of God 


For more:
Sermon - June 13, 2010 - Matthew 6:14-15 - The Forgiven Forgive: The Inseparable Reality of the Gospel of Forgiveness 
Sermon - November 13, 2011 | Psalm 51: The Lord is My Salvation

GBC - Some Light Reading:  On Prayer and Forgiveness  
GBC - Wax on Forgiveness  
GBC - Colson on Forgiveness 

November 13, 2011 | Psalm 51: The Lord is My Salvation

I had some computer problems and am finally back up and running.  Here is the audio and the notes from the sermon from November 13 from Psalm 51 written after David was confronted by Nathan the Prophet regarding his sexual sin with Bathsheba and his act of murder against her husband Uriah.





Audio
Notes


For more:

Sermon - October 16, 2011 | Psalm 23 - The Lord is My Shepherd: Peace in the Shepherd's Arms
Sermon - October 23, 2011 | Psalm 99 - The Lord is My King
Sermon - October 30, 2011 | Psalm 8 - The Lord is My Lord
Sermon - November 6, 2011 | Psalm 1: The Lord is My Delight

June 13, 2010 - Matthew 6:14-15 - The Forgiven Forgive: The Inseparable Reality of the Gospel of Forgiveness

Sorry, I know I'm behind, but I haven't been able to load the audio and notes from this past Sunday until now.  Anyways, here's the description of our discussion of Matthew 6:14-15:


The forgiven forgive.  Of course they do.  Being forgiven by God and forgiving others as a result is an inseparable reality.  Those who have been forgiven must forgive.  Jesus speaks in the clearest terms in Matthew 6:14-15 that the two are inseparable.  We will know if we are Christians by our forgiveness.  Do you forgive?



Audio
Notes


For more:
Some Light Reading:  On Prayer and Forgiveness  
Wax on Forgiveness  
Colson on Forgiveness 
January 17, 2010 - Matthew 5:1-12 - If Your Joyful and You Know It . . . 
January 24, 2010 - Matthew 5:13 - Stuck Between Salt and Manure:  The Call to Preserve the Gospel 
January 31, 2010 - Matthew 5:14-26 - Its Dark in Here:  The Call to be the Light of the World 
February 7, 2010 - Matthew 5:17-20 - Medium Rare is Unbiblical or What Do Christians Do with the Law
February 14, 2010 - Matthew 5:21-22 - I Am a Murderer . . . And So Are You 
February 21, 2010 - Matthew 5:23-26 - Resetting What Was Broken:  The Necessity of Reconciliation
February 28, 2010 - Matthew 5:27-30 - America's Pastime: Our Lust for Lust 
March 7, 2010 - Matthew 5:31-32 - The Gospel and Divorce:  What Does the Bible Say?
March 14, 2010 - Matthew 5:33-37 - Allergies to Toast, the Gospel, and Integrity
March 21, 2010 - Matthew 5:38-42 - I Surrender!  I Surrender!
March 28, 2010 - Matthew 5:43-48 - Love God as He Loved You
May 23, 2010 - Matthew Thus Far:  Matthew 1-5 
January 17, 2010 - Matthew 5:1-12 - If Your Joyful and You Know It . . . 
January 24, 2010 - Matthew 5:13 - Stuck Between Salt and Manure:  The Call to Preserve the Gospel 
January 31, 2010 - Matthew 5:14-26 - Its Dark in Here:  The Call to be the Light of the World 
February 7, 2010 - Matthew 5:17-20 - Medium Rare is Unbiblical or What Do Christians Do with the Law
February 14, 2010 - Matthew 5:21-22 - I Am a Murderer . . . And So Are You 
February 21, 2010 - Matthew 5:23-26 - Resetting What Was Broken:  The Necessity of Reconciliation
February 28, 2010 - Matthew 5:27-30 - America's Pastime: Our Lust for Lust 
March 7, 2010 - Matthew 5:31-32 - The Gospel and Divorce:  What Does the Bible Say?
March 14, 2010 - Matthew 5:33-37 - Allergies to Toast, the Gospel, and Integrity
March 21, 2010 - Matthew 5:38-42 - I Surrender!  I Surrender!
March 28, 2010 - Matthew Thus Far:  Matthew 1-5 
January 17, 2010 - Matthew 5:1-12 - If Your Joyful and You Know It . . . 
January 24, 2010 - Matthew 5:13 - Stuck Between Salt and Manure:  The Call to Preserve the Gospel 
January 31, 2010 - Matthew 5:14-26 - Its Dark in Here:  The Call to be the Light of the World 
February 7, 2010 - Matthew 5:17-20 - Medium Rare is Unbiblical or What Do Christians Do with the Law
February 14, 2010 - Matthew 5:21-22 - I Am a Murderer . . . And So Are You 
February 21, 2010 - Matthew 5:23-26 - Resetting What Was Broken:  The Necessity of Reconciliation
February 28, 2010 - Matthew 5:27-30 - America's Pastime: Our Lust for Lust 
March 7, 2010 - Matthew 5:31-32 - The Gospel and Divorce:  What Does the Bible Say?
March 14, 2010 - Matthew 5:33-37 - Allergies to Toast, the Gospel, and Integrity
March 21, 2010 - Matthew 5:38-42 - I Surrender!  I Surrender!
March 28, 2010 - Matthew 6:1-4 - Camouflaged Gold:  Why Christians Should Give In Secret
May 30, 2010 - Matthew 6:5-8 - Jesus on Prayer:  Our Inward Motivations  

Some Light Reading: Books on Prayer and Forgiveness

Over the past three weeks I read and glanced at a number of books covering the subjects of prayer and forgiveness as we continue to walk through the Sermon on the Mount.  This is a partial list and my goal is to put some resources in your hands so you can learn more about the subject.

Prayer:

EM Bounds Complete Works of E. M. Bounds on Prayer, The: Experience the Wonders of God through Prayer - This is a classic work



Warren Weirsbe On Earth as It Is in Heaven: How the Lord's Prayer Teaches Us to Pray More Effectively - Much of Weirsbe's work is well worth your time.

John MacArthur Lord, Teach Me to Pray - An excellent and yet brief look at the many components of prayer.


Bruce Wilkinson The Prayer of Jabez: Breaking Through to the Blessed Life - a best-selling book but one that raises a number of dangerous suggestions.  We discussed this last Sunday Night.  There is no magical formula in prayer and this book makes that suggestion.

Hank Hanegraaff The Prayer of Jesus: Secrets of Real Intimacy with God - this book was written after the Prayer of Jabez craze.  It is a good summary of the Lord's prayer.

John MacArthur Alone with God: Rediscovering the Power and Passion of Prayer (John Macarthur Study) - I did not get a chance to read this book, but one I'm sure is well worth our read.  Finding it has turned out to be difficult.

Forgiveness:

John MacArthur The Freedom and Power of Forgiveness - Easily the best book on the subject I have read.  MacArthur covers the doctrine of our forgiveness and reconciliation made through the atonement of Christ and then applies it to us.  An important book that we should all read.  It is theological and practical.  All theology is practical.

Donald B. Kraybill, Steven M. Nolt, and David L. Weaver-Zercher Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy - This is now a Lifetime Movie.  It covers the story of the mass murder of a number of Amish school girls and how the community responded to the heinous act.  In short:  they forgave. 

Denise George Cultivating a Forgiving Heart: Forgiveness Frees Us to Flourish (Secrets of Soul Gardening) - A pretty good book available at our local library discussing the issue of forgiveness.  Well written and practical.


Rabbi Harold S. Kushner  How Good Do We Have to Be? A New Understanding of Guilt and Forgiveness - Kushner is a heretic.  So no, I didn't like this book, but nonetheless it is about forgiveness (at least it is supposed to be).  The theology presented in this book falls short of the gospel to say the least.




General/Other:

Thabiti Anyabwile What Is a Healthy Church Member? (IX Marks) - an excellent short book that includes a chapter on prayer. Read the book!

Karl Barth Evangelical Theology: An Introduction - Barth is a controversial theologian, but this is a pretty solid book.  For those wanting to know how to do theology and the mindset behind it, turn here.

Kevin DeYoung The Good News We Almost Forgot: Rediscovering the Gospel in a 16th Century Catechism - this is a fascinating book that includes a section on the Lord's Prayer.  It is a good introduction to Reformed, sound theology.

Martin Luther Table Talk (Fount Classics Series) - I love Luther's table talk.  You never know what is going to come out of Luther's mouth.

Timothy Lull Martin Luther's Basic Theological Writings (w/ CD-ROM) - A great collection of Luther's most famous and important writings and sermons.  His chapter on prayer is important.

Wayne Grudem Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine - One of the best and concise systematic theologies out there.


As I said before, this is just a short list of some of the books I have consulted for the past 3 weeks.  More could be added, but hopefully this will get you started.

Wax on Forgiveness

As I continue to study our text for next Sunday, Matthew 6:14-15, I have come across yet another interesting treatment of what Jesus meant.  Trevin Wax uses the following illustration to illustrate that one who has been forgiven should forgive:

A crucial part of Jesus’ Kingdom message was the announcement of forgiveness. Many times, before Jesus would heal someone, He would announce their sins forgiven. He called His disciples to forgive others no matter how many times they had been wronged. He demanded His followers forgive not only the personal offences of their neighbors, but also their outstanding financial and social debts. Within this ministry of forgiveness, Jesus states that one cannot refuse to forgive others and still hope to bask in God’s forgiveness.

It does not help you to have one artery clear for blood to come rushing to your heart if the artery going out from your heart is blocked. A heart attack is still inevitable. You cannot stay alive by simply taking in one big breath of air and refusing to exhale. You cannot climb a tree and expect to remain up high if you cut off the branch you are sitting on.

Forgiveness works the same way. You cannot expect to receive God’s forgiveness unless you are an open vessel through which His mercy can flow on out to others. A blocked artery that refuses to allow blood to be pumped through will only cause heart failure. If we think we have accepted God’s forgiveness but are not forgiving others their debts, spiritually, we are as good as dead.

He is right.  Unless we are willing to forgive, we should consider ourselves forgiven.


Wax - Why an Unforgiving "Christian" is Unforgiven 

Colson on Forgiveness

This Sunday we'll be discussing forgiveness and how true gospel-believing followers of Christ ought to be persons characterized by forgiveness.  Since we have been forgiven much, we ought to forgive much.  Ironically, this week Charles Colson has written an interesting article at his Breakpoint website regarding how forgiveness has come center stage in our culture in light of the recent wrong call in a game that robbed one major league baseball player of a perfect game.

Colson concludes:

The Christian message summed up in the words “forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us,” provided a revolutionary new basis for human relationships. And it has the power to transform lives—both of victims and offenders—as I’ve witnessed over and over in 30 years of prison ministry. It has the power to heal nations, as the world witnessed in the aftermath of the genocide in Rwanda.

What happened after that baseball game was more beautiful than Galarraga’s pitching. Especially for a postmodern culture that rejects the faith that gave meaning to the words “I’m sorry” and “I forgive you.”

And that’s one call I’m sure of.

I encourage you all to read the article.


Colson - Perfect Sportsmanship 

Wednesday Night Bible Study - Philemon: Be Reconciled

Here are the notes for Philemon.  It was a good discussion and I strongly encourage everyone to come out on Wednesdays.  Here's the description:

Philemon is one of those letters than many overlook.  For one, many don't understand why it is in the Bible.  But once we look carefully at the text, it shows us how the gospel meets us in the real world.  It is a letter of reconciliation, forgiveness, and love and it is a message we all need to heed.

Philemon:  Be Reconciled

For more:
Slavery, Philemon, and the Gospel:  The Challenges the Book of Philemon Raises

"Forgive Them, For They Know Not What They Do" - A Lesson on Forgiveness

Perhaps many of you remember the shooting that took place a few years ago where the senior pastor was shot and killed before the very eyes of his congregation. Since those events, the pastors family have reached out to the gunman offering forgiveness and praying that he will embrace the good news of Jesus Christ.

At this point, I have to admit that I don't know if I would be so bold, so . . . godly. Could I ever forgive and even pray for the one who killed my spouse? I have a lot to learn here.

But as we continue to march through the final week in the life of Jesus, this story reminds me of one of Jesus' seven statements on the cross, "forgive them for they know not what they do." Imagine, praying for forgiveness of your own executionors. It really puts things into perspective doesn't it? If Christ, and this wife, can forgive so much, how could I not forgive so little?

Who do you need to forgive today?