Forgive – You Don’t Have A Choice
We know that even though Jesus lived during the time the Law was in effect, he didn’t teach the law. Jesus taught principles from the kingdom of God. That will be very important to keep in mind this morning.
We are going to be in John 13 and to give you a quick overview it’s a chapter where we’re introduced to Judas’ betrayal. In the process of that betrayal Jesus washes the feet of the apostles. At the end of the chapter, verses 34 and 35, Jesus says people will know the apostles were his disciples by how much they loved one another. One thing I want you to keep in mind and we’re not going to read past verse 20 – chapter 13 is the beginning of a series of messages that Jesus gives to the apostles at the last supper. He doesn’t finish teaching the apostles until John 18. So you have to read all of John 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17 to get the full picture of what Jesus shared that night. But we’re just going to look at a small portion of that this morning.
John 13:1 – Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of the world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them to the end.
Jesus is about 24 hours away from the garden of Gethsemane. I want you to notice something. Jesus didn’t say “his own were of the world.” He said they’re “in the world.” Hold your finger here and look at John 17:14-18.
John 17:14-18 − I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.
Jesus is speaking prophetically. Jesus refers to the apostles as being “in the world” but not “of the world.” And that’s important because we are “in the world” but not “of the world.” I’m 56 years old and 46 years ago I was of the world. I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior when I was 10 years old. At that moment, I left this world and entered the kingdom of God. That’s where I now live and so do you.
John 13:2 – And supper being ended the devil now having put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him.
We focus a lot on Judas but when you look at Matthew 26:31 and John 16:12 you see that all of the apostles dessert Jesus. In the verses in Matthew and John, Jesus says all of you will be offended of me this night but I’m not alone because the Father is with me. So we’re not only talking about Judas in this record but the other apostles as well.
Notice that it says “the devil having now put in Judas’ heart”. The devil had put the plan for betrayal into Judas’ heart at least six days before the last supper. You can read this in Matthew 26:14-16 and Luke 22:1-6.
I have a question for you. Do you think God uses words by chance or haphazardly? God is very specific in the words that he uses. Why is this important? It says here in verse 2 that “the devil having now put into Judas’ heart.” Scripture doesn’t say “mind” but “heart”. How important is that? Romans 10:9-10 says “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Can you get saved if you don’t believe in your heart? Can you get saved by mentally agreeing with this passage? No, you have to believe in your heart. If a man can believe in his heart to righteousness, can he also believe in his heart to unrighteousness? This is not a trick question. The answer is “yes.” Remember Jesus said in John 6:63, one of my favorite verses, “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak are spirit and they are life.” If Jesus is speaking spirit and life, what is your enemy speaking? He is speaking spirit and death. Judas’ heart had been prepared over time to accept the devil’s lies.
Look at 2 Corinthians 10:5 – Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.
We are to bring into captivity the thoughts that are roaming freely and in disobedience to Christ and put them in a cage. We are to no longer give them access to our minds. The devil feeds your mind with thoughts and you determine whether or not they take root in your heart. The thoughts of betrayal had taken root in Judas’ heart.
Here in verse 2 of John 13, the word “devil” is the Greek word diabolos. It paints the image of water dripping on a rock or a piece of wood over and over again until it begins to make an impression. If left alone, the water will eventually bore a hole in the rock or the piece of wood and come out on the other side. All the water needs is time. This is how scripture describes the enemy of the soul. He will “drip” his thoughts and imaginations into your mind over and over again and if you allow them to remain, they will slowly break you down until his thoughts manifest through you. As long as you are living in this world, the devil is not going to stop coming after you. Just get that settled in your heart right now. He’s not going to stop. He drips and drips until he can get you to respond. That’s what he does. It doesn’t matter how much you pray in tongues. He’s not going to stop. It doesn’t matter how much you fast. He’s not going to stop. It doesn’t matter who much time you spend meditating the word. He’s not going to stop. It doesn’t matter how much you worship. He’s not going to stop.
Once you come to the place of realizing the enemy’s attack will not cease, you’ll trust God more and the more you seek him the more you’ll find him. And the more you find God the more you’ll be prepared for the attacks time and time again. Brother Tim Stemple (Prayer Center in Tulsa, Ok) says “You will always be in one of three places in your Christian walk. You will be coming out of an attack, in an attack, or going into an attack.”
What we’re seeing here in verse 3 is the culmination of a process similar to the one the devil used against Eve in Genesis 3. As I said before, Judas’ heart had been prepared over a period time for the devil’s lies. Sometimes we fail to realize that the serpent didn’t show up in the Garden of Eden on Monday and Eve took a bite of the apple on Tuesday. No, it was a process. For the sake of this example, the serpent began talking to Eve on January 1st and over a period of months he had planted seeds of doubt in her mind. Eve finally comes into agreement with the serpent on July 3rd and takes a bite of the apple. What I want you to understand is this: he’s going to attack until he wears you down. If that doesn’t work, he’s going to step back, wait and then try something else.
We’re still in verse 2. The word “betray” is interesting. I’m going to give you the Greek definition and then Webster’s. In the Greek the word means “to deliver up one to custody, to be judged, condemned, punished, scourged, tormented, put to death.” And this is exactly what Judas did; he offered Jesus up to the temple priests. When you look at the definition in Webster you will gain an understanding of what motivates betrayal. Webster says it is a “misplaced trust.” A common example would be the feeling of betrayal a spouse has when she or he learns of the other’s infidelity. A person feels betrayed when he believes he and the other person are walking together in agreement but later finds out the other person is walking a different path. So the question becomes why did Judas feel betrayed? I believe part of the answer is the fact that he was disappointed that Jesus had not established his kingdom on earth and he was trying to force the issue. Remember when two of the apostles asked Jesus to sit on his right and left hands when he established his kingdom? Remember when the apostles asked Jesus who (which of them) would be the greatest in the kingdom? At that time, the apostles were expecting Jesus to establish an earthly rule to free the Jews from Rome. Judas got tired of waiting and you can tell that he was trying to force Jesus’ hand by the way he responded when he found out that Jesus would be crucified – that he would be killed instead of establishing his kingdom. But that’s for another teaching.
Look at verse 3. Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God.
Let’s read this verse in two other translations.
“Jesus being conscious that the Father had put everything into his hands, and that he came from God and was going to God.” (Bible in Basic English)
“The Father had given Jesus power over everything. Jesus knew this. He also knew that he had come from God. And he knew that he was going back to God.” (Easy to Read Version)
John 3:3 says that we have to be born again to see the kingdom of God, to become a resident, just like Jesus. If we have been born again then we have everything Jesus had except deity. John 13:3 is you! Remember in Genesis 1:26 where it says God gave man dominion and authority over all his creation? You are the brothers and sisters of Jesus. God has given everything into your hands! Do you believe this? Jesus also knew he came from God. When we get born again who is now our Father? God! We now come from God. If God has given all things into your hands do you lack anything? Jesus also knew he was going back to God. In other words, listen to me, Jesus knew that this life was a temporary assignment. Jesus didn’t get bogged down with the things of the world because he knew his life here on earth was a temporary assignment. He came from God and was going back to God after he finished his assignment.
Each one of you has an assignment. I know what mine is. I’m a teacher of the Gospel. I’m going to tell you something, being as honest and transparent as I can possibly be: until you find out what your assignment is, and until you are doing your assignment, you are not going to be happy. You’re going to be frustrated. But Brother Barry, I don’t know what my assignment is. Then ask God. Ask him. He’ll tell you. He wants to tell you .
In verses 5 and 6 Jesus begins to wash the disciples’ feet. What filth was he washing away? What is the context of the record? Jesus was washing away the filth of betrayal. He forgave Judas before he committed the act. Remember I said at the beginning of the teaching that Jesus taught principles from the kingdom of God? Well, this is the principle he was teaching the disciples. Now I want you to hear what I’m about to read to you. The forgiveness that Jesus extended was already waiting to wipe clean the wrongdoing. Do you hear me? Does that mean we can sin willfully and the forgiveness is already there for us? No and all you have to do is read I John chapter one to know that’s not what I’m talking about. Forgiveness is a law of the kingdom of God.
I’m going to be clear. I’m going to be blunt. I’m not going to sugarcoat this at all. If you don’t forgive and continue to hold unforgiveness, you’re going to miss heaven. What I’m telling you is this: it does not matter what anyone does to you, you’ve already forgiven them. Did you hear me? You’ve already forgiven them. It doesn’t matter what they do. It’s a decision you’ve already made because it comes out of the life that resides in you. You have already forgiven them. They don’t have to come to you and ask for forgiveness. They don’t have to apologize. You have already forgiven them. If you can’t live with that I suggest you go home and have a talk with your Father. It doesn’t matter what the world says. Jesus forgave Judas. He forgave the apostles. He forgave all of them before the wrongdoing. And that’s your responsibility.
In verse 7 Jesus tells Peter What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.
What was it that the apostles couldn’t know? They couldn’t know how much Jesus really loved them and that he had already forgiven them for a future wrong. Why couldn’t the apostles know this? They didn’t have a capacity to know at that moment because they were not born again with the nature of God and they didn’t know how to operate in the kingdom of God. Remember, Jesus was teaching them a kingdom principle.
In verses 8-11, Peter refuses to have Jesus wash his feet because he understood clearly that the teacher never washed the pupil’s feet. Again, Jesus taught a kingdom principle. He says “Simon, if I don’t wash you – if you are not washed in my blood – then you will not be part of my kingdom.” Simon didn’t fully understand what Jesus meant but he knew that he didn’t want to be separated from Jesus. So Jesus took the principle one step further. He said “Simon, you are clean (speaking prophetically) but there’s going to come a time when you will need to wash away the filth of betrayal and desertion. This is why I’m showing you how.”
When we get down to verse 12 Jesus asks “Know ye what I have done to you?” What had he done? First of all, he had turned the “master/student” relationship upside down. The kingdom of God will always turn the ways of the world upside down. Second, Jesus showed them what love looked like in the face of betrayal and desertion. When Jesus washed their feet, he was giving Judas time to think about what he was planning to do. The whole process of washing each person’s feet and Judas being the last, took time. I don’t know how long it took for Jesus to wash the feet of 11 men but it wasn’t completed in five minutes. And yet, Judas betrayed him anyway. He made a conscious decision to reject what Jesus was doing.
Can you see how the forgiveness was already waiting to wipe clean the wrongdoing? When it comes to forgiveness it’s not about you and the other person. It’s about you and God. Your relationship with God is the issue. What the person did to you is not really that important to God. But what you do is important to him.
As we wind down, verses 13 and 14 are crucial to understanding forgiveness in the kingdom of God.
John 13:13 − Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.
A Master is an “instructor or teacher.” A Lord is “he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding.” A “Master” has students/pupils and a “Lord” has servants/slaves. This is very important.
Look at verse 14. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet.
In verse 13 Jesus said the apostles called him “Master and Lord.” Notice the order. They viewed their relationship with him as a Master or Teacher first and then their Lord. Jesus identifies the real relationship. He says “I am your Lord and then your master.” He’s telling them, “You are not my students first; you are my servants/slaves first.” Remember the definition of “Lord”. He’s someone who owns servants/slaves and decides what they do or don’t do. Do you see this? If Jesus is our Lord then we are his slaves because that’s what the word doulos really means. We have made a conscious decision to become his slave. If we are his slaves that means we have no rights outside of what our Lord gives us. We follow no instruction outside of what our Lord gives us. We have no say-so.
Jesus also says we “ought to wash one another’s feet.” We look at the word “ought” and think it’s giving us an option. It’s not. The word in the Greek means “to owe a debt, to be under obligation.” The Amplified Bible renders verse 14 this way: “If I then, your Lord and Teacher (Master) have washed your feet, you ought (it is your duty, you are under obligation, you owe it) to wash one another’s feet.” What is the debt and to whom do we owe it? Keeping this verse in context, the debt we owe is forgiveness and we owe it to Jesus because he is our master and that is his command.
We, in the body of Christ, think we have options. We don’t. We think we do but we don’t. We have free will. When Jesus says something we don’t have an option. It’s called the kingdom of heaven for a reason. When you are a citizen of the kingdom of heaven you abide by the laws of that kingdom. We live in America and think we are in a republic. No. Listen to me: You are IN the world but not OF the world. In the kingdom of heaven it does not matter what the world says if it goes against the kingdom.
We’re going to end with verses 16 and 17. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.” Do see where Jesus places the emphasis? He places them on the doulos, the servant, the slave. Forgiving a wrongdoing is not an option for those of us who call Jesus our Lord. He says in verse 17 that if we know this and do it we would be happy. Notice there’s a difference between “knowing” and “doing.” It’s not enough to know what to do. Jesus, our Lord, commands that we do it. What are we to know and do to be happy? What has been the context of John 13? Forgiveness in the face of betrayal and desertion. Happiness is a fruit of joy, which is a fruit of the spirit. There is nothing the devil can do to a person walking in that kind of forgiveness. You will overcome your circumstances continually.
Do you want to defeat the devil’s attack at every hand? Then you need to follow the instructions of your Lord: “If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet (clean of the filth of betrayal and desertion) ye also ought (are commanded) to wash one another’s feet (the filth of betrayal and desertion against you).”
I want to end this message with two words of encouragement that we received from the Lord on May 6, 2012.
“My love and My mercy and My forgiveness go far beyond what your human mind can understand. You may think you cannot forgive, but My life in you is your capacity to forgive anything. There is nothing that can happen to you or to anyone else that is greater than My life in you. But you have to the ability to suppress My life and overpower it with your emotions and your feelings and hold unforgiveness. But I say to you, if you will stay humble before Me then your pride will not rise up and set you up for destruction. Stay humble before Me and I’ll show you how to forgive out of My life in you. And you will walk in freedom like you’ve never known says the Lord.
*****
The Lord says you don’t know how to forgive – at least that’s what you think. But that’s because you’re thinking with your way of thinking not with the mind of Christ. You must understand that My life in you is a release from Me into you of not just My life but everything about My life, which is love and mercy and grace and forgiveness. I tell you to forgive because that is a reflection of who you’ve become in Me. I tell you to forgive because I want you walking in fellowship with Me. I tell you to forgive so that you don’t bring damnation upon yourself. I tell you to forgive because I want you to avoid sickness and disease, for I have shown you in My word that not discerning what my Son did for you opens the door for sickness, disease and an early death in this life. I’ve shown that to you in My word. So I say unto you, walk in forgiveness. Do not hold anything against anyone. For My Son died for all of humanity, including those who have hurt you, lied to you, betrayed you and one you wrong. When you walk in My nature in you, you’re going to understand and see that what My Son accomplished, he accomplished for all. And so again, spend time with Me and know My heart. Come to understand Me greater and you will walk in love and forgiveness if that is what you want. But if you don’t want it you will begin searing your conscious to a mighty work that I want to accomplish in you. So as your Father, I implore you. Walk in My nature that is in you. Love as you are loved and forgive as you have been forgiven. For this is who I am, says the Lord.
Let the church say "Amen".
