REALIZED FORGIVENESS...The TEST of LOVE/Trust-III—Luke 7:36-50
Attention:
Thru testing, the true identity becomes conclusive.
Jesus called Simon the Pharisee to task regarding two demonstrations of love.
A forgiveness that is fully Realized is reflected in a reciprocal/proportional appreciation.
!You can know whether God’s forgiveness is fully realized in your life!
?Where/How is that fully realized forgiveness tested?
9 tests of Realized Forgiveness.
Previously we found that Realized Forgiveness is tested in the crucible of...
1. RECOGNITION(:36-37a-b)
2. OPPORTUNITY(:36-37)
3. PERCEPTION(:38, 39)
4—Realized Forgiveness is tested in the crucible of...
DEBT RELEASE(:40-42)
Explanation:(:40-42)Finances
:40—“And Jesus answered & said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” So he said, “Teacher, say it.”
Jesus knew Simon’s internal wranglings/conclusions. Jesus openly “answered” Simon. Jesus made sure that Simon would at least understand/grasp the lesson before him so He pointedly told Simon that He wanted to say something of importance to Simon.
“Jesus answers the thoughts & doubts of Simon & so shows that he knows all about the woman also.”—RWP
Simon realizing the gravity in Jesus’ tone, responded favorably to Jesus as a “Teacher”, calling Him such & giving Jesus the floor & Simon’s full attention.
“Answered”(See :43)—apokrinomai—1) To give an answer to a question proposed, to answer; 2) To begin to speak, but always where something has preceded(either said or done) to which the remarks refer. Strong—To conclude for oneself, i.e. by implication--To respond; by Hebraism[compare hne( properly--To eye or generally--To heed, i.e. Pay attention; by implication--To respond; by extension--To begin to speak; specifically--To sing, shout, testify, announce)] To begin to speak (where an address is expected).
From—apo—Off/Away from —& krinw—[ 1) To separate, put asunder, to pick out, select, choose; 2) To approve, esteem, to prefer; 3) To be of opinion, deem, think, to be of opinion; 4) To determine, resolve, decree; 5) To judge; 6) To rule, govern; 7) To contend together, of warriors & combatants.
“Something”(See :41—“Certain”)—tiv—Pronoun—1) A certain, a certain one; 2) Some, some time, a while. Strong—an enclitic indefinite pronoun; Some or any person or object.
“Said/Replied”—fhmi—
“Say it”(See :39, 50)—epw—
“Teacher”—didaskalov—1) A teacher; 2) in the NT--One who teaches concerning the things of God, & the duties of man. Strong—An instructor (genitive case or specially). :41—“There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, & the other fifty.”
Jesus’ lesson for Simon was pictured in a parable/story which He used to illustrate what had just occurred in the exchange of appreciation & opinion(:38-39).
A moneylender[God](made his living lending—banker or private citizen, family member, friend, etc.)had two people[sinners] who still owed him money[indebted].
A rank sinner—One of the people had incurred a debt of 500 denarii(500 days wages—Approx. 1 1/2 yrs/ worth of debt).
A religious sinner—Another of his debtors owed 50 denarii(approx. 50 days worth of debt) a more easily foreseeable/attainable payoff.
It is assumed that they both have similar means of approaching the loan as neither had a means to repay(:42). (Although one may have had more revelation at his disposal than the other).
“Certain”(See :40—“Something”; :42—“Which”)—tiv—
“Creditor/Moneylender”—daneisthv—1) A money lender, creditor. Strong—A lender. RWP—A lender of money with interest. Used 1X.
From—daneizw—To loan on interest; reflexively--To borrow.
“Debtors”—crewfeilethv—1) A debtor. Strong—A loan-ower, i.e. Indebted person. Used 2X.
“Owed”—ofeilw—1) To owe—1a) To owe money, be in debt for—1a1) That which is due, the debt; 2) metaph.--The goodwill due. Ofeilei indicates rather the personal obligation; it is that which is proper, something that ought to be done. Strong—To owe(pecuniarily); figuratively--To be under obligation(ought, must, should); morally--To fail in duty.
“Denarii”—dhnarion—Denarius = “containing ten”—1) A Roman silver coin in NT time. It took its name from it being equal to ten "asses", a number after 217 B.C. increased to sixteen (about 3.898 grams or .1375 oz.). It was the principal silver coin of the Roman empire. From the parable of the laborers in the vineyard, it would seem that a denarius was then the ordinary pay for a day's wages.(Mt 20:2-13). Strong—of Latin origin; A denarius(or ten asses).
:42—“And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?”
Neither of the debtors had anything by which they could “repay” the debt.
The moneylender, seeing their inability to meet their obligations, saw fit to forgive the debt. This forgiveness was entirely an act of mercy & grace on the part of the moneylender[God].
Jesus asked Simon to respond to the illustration by asking him which of the (illustrated)debtors would “love” their creditor “more.” Jesus wanted Simon to recognize the difference in the “love” expressed as a result of the means of grace/forgiveness received.
There are expectations of the one(s) forgiven!
“Had nothing/Unable”—mh econtwn—mh—1) No, not lest—&—ecw—1) To have, i.e. To hold; 2) To have i.e. own, possess; 3) To hold one's self or find one's self so & so, to be in such or such a condition; 4) To hold one's self to a thing, to lay hold of a thing, to adhere or cling to. Strong—a primary verb; To hold (used in very various applications, literally or figuratively, direct or remote; such as possessions; ability, continuity, relation, or condition).
“Repay”—apodidwmi—1) To deliver, to give away for one's own profit what is one's own, to sell; 2) To pay off, discharge what is due; 3) To give back, restore; 4) To requite, recompense in a good or a bad sense. Strong—To give away, i.e. Up, over, back, etc. (in various applications).
“Freely forgave/Frankly forgave/Graciously forgave/Forgave”(See 43, 47, 48, 49)—carizomai—1) To do something pleasant or agreeable(to one), to do a favor to, gratify. Strong—To grant as a favor, i.e. Gratuitously, in kindness, pardon or rescue.
“Which”(See :40—“Something”;:41—“Certain”)—tiv—
“Love”(See :47)—agapaw—1) of persons—1a) To welcome, to entertain, to be fond of, to love dearly; 2) of things—2a) To be well pleased, to be contented at or with a thing. Strong—To love(in a social or moral sense). “More”(See :43)—pleion—Adj.—1) Greater in quantity—1a) The more part, very many; 2) Greater in quality, superior, more excellent. Strong—More in quantity, number, or quality; also(in plural)--The major portion. RWP—Strictly, comparative more, pleion, not superlative pleista, but most suits the English idiom best, even between two.
Argumentation:
Mat. 18:23-33—“Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife & children & all that he had, & that payment be made. The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, ‘Master, have patience with me, & I will pay you all.’ “Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, & forgave him the debt. But that servant went out & found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; & he laid hands on him & took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’ “So his fellow servant fell down at his feet & begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, & I will pay you all.’ “And he would not, but went & threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, & came & told their master all that had been done. Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’ ”
Mat. 6:9-15—“In this manner, therefore, pray:
Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come.
Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.
And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom & the power & the glory forever. Amen. “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
Eph. 2:4-10—“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), & raised us up together, & made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, & that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
Isa. 53:4-6, 12—“Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, & afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”.....“Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors.”
Illustration:
Suppose you were renting an apartment/You barely eek by but you made the commitment to pay every month!/The landlord calls you & says that he’s not going to charge you any rent for the summer(4 months)!/He wants you to have a great vacation with your kids!/DEBT RELEASE
A‘lender’(of any kind) with a heart, sees & senses the struggle of the debtor & cannot allow himself to contribute to that struggle/This is why lenders & their companies should always have a means of screening those they lend to—For the sake of the borrower & the lender/That is why the banking industry took a hit some years back, because they indiscriminately made it ‘easy’ to borrow—Decisions made out of greed(?)/DEBT RELEASE
Application:
?Your Forgiveness pass the Test of DEBT RELEASE?
?Your DEBT RELEASE reflect God’s Forgiveness?
?Do you Trust Jesus?
?God’s Forgiveness fully Realized in your life?
5—Realized Forgiveness is tested in the crucible of...
APPRECIATION/Love(:42b-43)
Explanation:(:42b-43)
:42—“And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?”
:43—“Simon answered & said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.” And He said to him, “You have rightly judged.”
Simon reasoned correctly that the one “loving” “more” would be the one who had been forgiven the greater debt for there had been more at stake. ‘The key is for the one forgiven, to personally recognize the cost, degree, & depth of forgiveness received. Such recognition will produce the love necessary for a proper response to the forgiveness received. “Love” will thus be directed toward the forgiver by the one forgiven. The depth of forgiveness is only felt/experienced by an individual, as well as corporate recognition, thru acceptance & ownership of personal sin(See :47).’
Jesus then openly acknowledged & praised Simon’s grasp of the concept to be learned.
Jesus then brought the illustration home by visibly turning to the woman & then speaking to Simon of the woman in relation to Simon’s observation.
“Suppose”—upolambanw—1) To take up in order to raise, to bear on high; 2) To receive hospitably, welcome; 3) To take up—3a) Follow in speech, in order either to reply to or controvert or supplement what another has said; 4) To take up in the mind—4a) To assume, suppose. Strong—To take from below, i.e. Carry upward; figuratively--To take up, i.e. Continue a discourse or topic; mentally--To assume(presume). Used 4X.
“Forgave”(See 42, 47, 48, 49)—carizomai—
“More”(See :42)—pleion—
“Rightly/Correctly”—orywv—Adverb—1)Rightly. Strong—In a straight manner, i.e. figuratively--Correctly(also morally). Used 4X.
“Judged”—krinw—1) To separate, put asunder, to pick out, select, choose; 2) To approve, esteem, to prefer; 3) To be of opinion, deem, think, to be of opinion; 4) To determine, resolve, decree; 5) To judge—5a) to pronounce an opinion concerning right & wrong, 5b) to pronounce judgment, to subject to censure; 6) To rule, govern; 7) To contend together, of warriors & combatants. Strong—properly--To distinguish, i.e. Decide (mentally or judicially); by implication--To try, condemn, punish.
Argumentation:
Mat. 25:31-46—“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, & all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, & He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: ‘for I was hungry & you gave Me food; I was thirsty & you gave Me drink; I was a stranger & you took Me in; ‘I was naked & you clothed Me; I was sick & you visited Me; I was in prison & you came to Me.’ “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry & feed You, or thirsty & give You drink? When did we see You a stranger & take You in, or naked & clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, & come to You?’ “And the King will answer & say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil & his angels: for I was hungry & you gave Me no food; I was thirsty & you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger & you did not take Me in, naked & you did not clothe Me, sick & in prison & you did not visit Me.’ “Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, & did not minister to You?’ “Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ “And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Ps. 49:6-9—“Those who trust in their wealth And boast in the multitude of their riches, None of them can by any means redeem his brother, Nor give to God a ransom for him-- For the redemption of their souls is costly, And it shall cease forever--That he should continue to live eternally, And not see the Pit.”
Lk. 17:11-19—“Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria & Galilee. Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. And they lifted up their voices & said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, & with a loud voice glorified God, & fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. So Jesus answered & said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.”
Isa. 43:22-28—“But you have not called upon Me, O Jacob; And you have been weary of Me, O Israel. You have not brought Me the sheep for your burnt offerings, Nor have you honored Me with your sacrifices. I have not caused you to serve with grain offerings, Nor wearied you with incense. You have bought Me no sweet cane with money, Nor have you satisfied Me with the fat of your sacrifices; But you have burdened Me with your sins, You have wearied Me with your iniquities. I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins. Put Me in remembrance; Let us contend together; State your case, that you may be acquitted. Your first father sinned, And your mediators have transgressed against Me. Therefore I will profane the princes of the sanctuary; I will give Jacob to the curse, And Israel to reproaches.”
Acts 13:38-39—[Paul to the Antiochan synagogue]“Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins; & by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.”
Rom. 4:3-8—“For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, & it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works: “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, And whose sins are covered; Blessed is the man to whom the LORD shall not impute sin.”
Eph. 1:3-6—“Blessed be the God & Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy & without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved.”
Mk. 12:28-31—“Then one of the scribes came, & having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the first commandment of all?” Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is:[Deut. 6:4] ‘Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. And[Deut. 6:5] you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, & with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
1Cor. 16:22-24—“If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed. O Lord, come! The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.”
Rev. 2:2-5—[To the angel(pastor) of the church of Ephesus]—“I know your works, your labor, your patience, & that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles & are not, & have found them liars; & you have persevered & have patience, & have labored for My name’s sake & have not become weary. Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent & do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly & remove your lampstand from its place--unless you repent.”
Illustration:
The person who led you to the Lord—/You know they were on target’ regarding your own sin & need for the Savior!/You know they were ‘dead honest’ with you about your spiritual condition!—They did not hesitate to call sin ‘sin’!/You always maintain an adoration for that person—You are concerned for that person’s welfare—You compare other people to them, etc./We may even assign them such respect that we view them above others/APPRECIATION-Love
The Carrabelle River/The city draws its strength from the river, bay & ocean/The city is responsible, in large part, for maintaining the river’s health/The city does not divert the river considerably/It does not dredge out or fill in the marshes, nor dump raw sewage, chemicals, etc. in the river/APPRECIATION-Love
Husband-Wife relationships—Get used to one another’s company but do not fully appreciate their love for you/APPRECIATION-Love
Girlfriend-Boyfriend relationships—You may be attracted to him & may appreciate his attention toward you, but you do not love him or appreciate who he is as a person/She may ‘look good on your arm’(status symbol) but there is no real appreciation for who she is as a person/APPRECIATION-Love
What has Jesus done for you?—Do you love Him?
Application:
?Your Forgiveness pass the Test of APPRECIATION/Love?
?Your APPRECIATION/Love reflect God’s Forgiveness?
?Do you Trust Jesus?
?God’s Forgiveness fully Realized in your life?
6—Realized Forgiveness is tested in the crucible of...
RECIPROCATION(:44-46)
Explanation:(:44-46)Exemplified thru contrast/Corresponding Love
:44—Then He turned to the woman & said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears & wiped them with the hair of her head.”
:45—“You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in.”
:46—“You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil.”
Jesus made sure that Simon saw the woman(the sinner(:37, 39)).
Jesus then informed Simon of his blatant ignorance regarding sin & worthiness by calling attention to the facts that Simon had NOT even provided Jesus...
1)“Water”—The common courtesy of washing His feet. In contrast, the “sinner” woman had provided such with her tears & hair.
2)“Kiss”—The common courtesy of a greeting of fellowship to the face. In contrast the “sinner” woman had greeted Jesus by kissing His feet—a lowly expression of humility in the presence of One who is greater than oneself.
3)“Oil”—The common courtesy of anointing the head of the one for whom we have respect. In contrast the “sinner” woman had “anointed” His feet. this was something above the call of duty & courtesy(cleansing from the journey) for even a slave. An expression of lowliness & humility regarding One who is greater than oneself.
Thereby, Simon openly showed that he had ‘loved Jesus less’ than the woman who was an actual sinner(:37, 47). She had grasped Jesus significance for her life(& others) whereas Simon had merely invited Jesus in to question Him, having a pre-determination of his own worthiness as well as that for Jesus’ ‘ministry’(identity & purpose).
The sinner’ had lived & operated by faith(:48, 50). Whereas Simon had lived & operated by ability. No doubt some would ‘pat themselves on the back’, saying that their providing a meal for Jesus was more than enough. But then these same ones would also deny Him as the Son of God, Son of Man, King of kings, Lord of lords, & Messiah.
?Does love produce the reciprocation or religious jealousy?
“Sweet oil or oil of olives, prepared in such a way as to give an agreeable smell. It was also used to render the hair more smooth & elegant.”—Barnes
“Turned To/Turning Towards/Having Turned”—strefw—2Aorist Passive Participle-Nominative Sing. Masc.—1) To turn, turn around; 2) To turn one's self i.e. To turn the back to one. Strong—strengthened from the base of troph[A turn ("trope"), i.e. Revolution (figuratively, variation)]; To twist, i.e. Turn quite around or reverse (literally or figuratively).
“See”—blepw—1) to see, discern, of the bodily eye; 2) metaph.--To see with the mind's eye; 3) in a geographical sense--Of places, mountains, buildings, etc.--Turning towards any quarter, as it were, facing it. Blepw gives prominence to the particular mood or point. When the physical side recedes, blepw gets a purely outward sense. Strong—a primary verb; To look at (literally or figuratively).
“Woman”—gunh—
“Entered”(See :36, 45)—eisercomai—
“Gave”2X—didwmi— Didwmi is to give" in general, [&] might be used even of evils. Strong—a prolonged form of a primary verb (which is used as an alternative in most of the tenses); To give (used in a very wide application, properly, or by implication, literally or figuratively; greatly modified by the connection).
“No”—ouk—Particle—1) No, not; in direct questions expecting an affirmative answer. Strong—a primary word; the absolute negative [compare mh[a primary particle of qualified negation]] adverb; No or not.
“Water”—udwr—1) Water. Strong—Water(as if rainy) literally or figuratively.
“But”—de—Conj.—1) But, moreover, &, etc. Strong—a primary particle (adversative or continuative); But, &, etc..
“Wet/Washed/Bedewed”(See :38)—brecw—1) To moisten, wet, water; 2) To water with rain, to cause to rain, to pour the rain, to send down like rain. Strong—a primary verb; To moisten(especially by a shower). Used 7X.
“Tears”(See :38)—dakru—Dative Plural Neuter—1) A tear.
“Wiped”(See :38)—ekmassw—1) To wipe off, to wipe away. Strong—To knead out, i.e. by analogy--To wipe dry. Used 5X.
“Hair”(See :38)—yrix—1) The hair of the head; 2) The hair of animals. Strong—of uncertain derivation; Hair.
“Head”—kefalh—
“Kiss”—filhma—1) A kiss; 2) The kiss with which, as a sign of fraternal affection, Christians were accustomed to welcome or dismiss their companions in the faith. Used 7X.
“Ceased”—dialeipw—1) To interpose a delay, to intermit, leave off for a time something already begun. Strong—To leave off in the middle, i.e. Intermit. Used 1X.
“Came in”(See :36, 44)—eisercomai—
“Anoint”2X—aleifw—1) To anoint. Aleifw is the mundane & common word for anoint. Strong—To oil(with perfume). Used 9X.
From—A—as particle of union—&—liparov—from lipov(grease); Fat, i.e. figuratively--Sumptuous.
“Head”(See :38)—kefalh—
“Oil”(See :38)—elaion—
“Fragrant oil/Perfume”(See :37, 38)—muron—1) Ointment. Strong—probably of foreign origin [compare rm mowr, smurna]; “Myrrh”, i.e. by implication--Perfumed oil. Used 14X.
Argumentation:
Eph. 1:3-6—“Blessed be the God & Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy & without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved.”
Eph. 4:20-32—“But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him & have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, & be renewed in the spirit of your mind, & that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness & holiness. Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another. “Be angry, & do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil. Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, & evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.”
Col. 3:1-17—“If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, & your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, & covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them. But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, & have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all & in all. Therefore, as the elect of God, holy & beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, & forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; & be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching & admonishing one another in psalms & hymns & spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”
Illustration:
proportional or corresponding Love/Love for Like love
You work construction & are desperate for work/Billy Bob’s Construction, Inc., out of Tallahassee, approaches you because they have heard of the excellent quality of your work/Billy Bob’s wants your commitment for a huge job which will set you & your family in ‘high cotton’ for 1 1/2 yrs.!/You agree, shake hands, sign the papers & give your all to the job/?What kind of a job will you do?—Out of love & appreciation, you will make every effort to give as you have gotten!/RECIPROCATION
Car dealership/You buy a brand new car/The car is great except there seems to be something wrong with the transmission/You take it to the dealership over giving them opportunity to find a solution/They are eager to please you but cannot seem to get it right—Then they do not ‘make it right’ either!/You gave them your hard-earned money in exchange for a car along with their ‘promised’ service!/Where’s the RECIPROCATION?
God always gives as he promises. How do/will you respond?
Application:
?Your Forgiveness pass the Test of RECIPROCATION?
?Your RECIPROCATION reflect God’s Forgiveness?
?Do you Trust Jesus?
?God’s Forgiveness fully Realized in your life?
CONCLUSION:
Action:
Realized Forgiveness is tested in the crucible of...
4. DEBT RELEASE(:40-42a)
5. APPRECIATION/Love(:42b-43)
6. RECIPROCATION(:44-46)
1. RECOGNITION(:36-37a-b)
2. OPPORTUNITY(:36-37)
3. PERCEPTION(:38, 39)
Pts. 4-6 Presented 04/19/2015pm to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave. SE.(A Ave.)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
