Forgiveness (Part 2) Series

Last week we looked at forgiveness and how important forgiveness is to God.

We touched on:

• Where asking for forgiveness was first mentioned in the bible. Found in Exodus 9:27

• We also looked how Adam and Eve blamed others instead of asking for forgiveness.

o A friend commented to me this past week that maybe they didn’t know they needed to ask for forgiveness.

? Here’s my take: They knew they disobeyed God, and in their shame, covered themselves with fig leaves.

? Shortly after God found Adam and Eve hiding in the garden after they ate of the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, He cover them with the skin of an animal.

• This is the first mention of animal sacrifice in the bible.

• God offered a sacrifice to man to cover man’s sins, before man began offering sacrifices to God for sinning against Him.

• We took a look at Matthew 18:21-35

o Jesus said, and I paraphrase “The Kingdom of Heaven wants to settle accounts with it’s servants.”

o In this passage Jesus teaches us the importance of forgiveness, so important in fact, that scripture says this:

o Read v34-35 from my bible

• Today we are going to look at Matthew 18:15-20. So I’ll ask you to turn there and stand with me as we honor God while reading His word.

• Set it up: 10-14

o Parable of the sheep

? Jesus has come to save us

? God does not want anyone to perish

• Don’t miss this key point:

o This is also a message of unity

o One is separated and brought back to the flock

• Read Matthew 18:15-20

I think it might be easy to see this only as a conflict resolution message, but it is much more than that.

Let me illustrate:

• A while back, I got wind that someone wasn’t happy with the ways things were going at CPC. I didn’t hear about it from the person who was upset, but through another source.

o I contacted this person, and said I hear you aren’t happy with some things at church.

? He expressed his dissatisfaction

? We visited a bit.

? There was a conflict, but I had not sinned against this person. There was nothing biblically that I had done wrong against him or God.

• Although I believe Jesus gives us a recipe here for conflict resolution, it is directed at sinning against another, not simply a disagreement in format or procedures.

V15 And if your brother sins, go and reprove him in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother.

This is the NASB. Ask others to read theirs.

I looked at the Greek transliteration of a few words.

Sins (Ham-ar-tan-o) In the context of this verse it means “offend” or “wronged”

Reprove- Greek transliteration is: disapprove of their behavior.

If your brother has wronged you, go and tell him you disapprove of his behavior.

Notice Jesus doesn’t say, “send him an email or text or call him on the phone, he says “go and show”(several translations)

Do we always know when we wronged someone? If that person doesn’t tell us, how can he be sure we know?

For many personally, there have been many times when I see a subtle change in my relationship with someone, I approach and ask “Have I offended you in some way?”

It’s funny, but according to scripture, that is backwards, or as my grandfather used to say “bass ackwards”.

Jesus instructs us to approach that person, and in the ideal world, in the end we have, won our brother!

Keep in mind, Jesus is addressing believers.

Unfortunately, it is not always that simple, and Jesus knows this, so He gives us step 2.

V16. But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so the by the mouth of two or three witnesses, every fact, may be confirmed.

Ask others to read their bible.

Second time Jesus uses the word “listen”. I had a mentor that taught me “God gave us two ears, and one mouth, for a reason. So we could listen twice as much as we speak.

Listen- the Greek means “hear you, as in perceive what you are saying.”

Witnesses- in this context the Greek literally means “in a judicial sense.” About to get real huh?

Fact- Greek=accusation

Confirmed- Greek=established

Restate verse

• But if he does not perceive what you are saying, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three of those who will testify to the accusations, and will establish what was said.

V17 And if he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile, and tax-gatherer.