Operation Restoration

Jesus told His disciple the parable of the Lost Sheep…

Finding the one lost sheep sets the stage for Jesus further stressing the importance of taking steps to restore that which is lost…

Matthew 18:15–35 CSB

15 “If your brother sins against you, go tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won your brother. 16 But if he won’t listen, take one or two others with you, so that by the testimony of two or three witnesses every fact may be established. 17 If he doesn’t pay attention to them, tell the church. If he doesn’t pay attention even to the church, let him be like a Gentile and a tax collector to you. 18 Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will have been loosed in heaven. 19 Again, truly I tell you, if two of you on earth agree about any matter that you pray for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there among them.” 21 Then Peter approached him and asked, “Lord, how many times must I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? As many as seven times?” 22 “I tell you, not as many as seven,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven. 23 “For this reason, the kingdom of heaven can be compared to a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 When he began to settle accounts, one who owed ten thousand talents was brought before him. 25 Since he did not have the money to pay it back, his master commanded that he, his wife, his children, and everything he had be sold to pay the debt. 26 “At this, the servant fell facedown before him and said, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27 Then the master of that servant had compassion, released him, and forgave him the loan. 28 “That servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him, started choking him, and said, ‘Pay what you owe!’ 29 “At this, his fellow servant fell down and began begging him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’ 30 But he wasn’t willing. Instead, he went and threw him into prison until he could pay what was owed. 31 When the other servants saw what had taken place, they were deeply distressed and went and reported to their master everything that had happened. 32 Then, after he had summoned him, his master said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. 33 Shouldn’t you also have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ 34 And because he was angry, his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured until he could pay everything that was owed. 35 So also my heavenly Father will do to you unless every one of you forgives his brother or sister from your heart.”

Seek to restore broken relationships.

If someone has done something to you, tell them - this is especially true with fellow believers

Counselors talk about the “48-hour rule”: if someone hurts you, you have about 2 days to address it before hurt hardens into resentment. The longer you wait, the more your imagination fills in the gaps – motives get invented, hurt grows larger, and reconciliation becomes harder.

We cannot have Christians at odds with each other because it hurts the gospel

Special note - this process begins between 2 people the one hurt and the alleged offender NOT everyone else you know (no gossip)

If they listen and make amends it is done but if not then bring one or two others with you to help make your case

If this doesn’t work then get the church involved (extreme cases)

Jesus needs to be part of the solution.

Jesus is everywhere (omnipresent) and does not need us to be gathered BUT when we seek Him the authority of heaven is behind us

Forgiveness has no limit.

Peter asks a legitimate question - how many times do we forgive someone?

The Jewish Rabbi’s tradition is to forgive 3 times so Peter takes the number to 7

Jesus multiplies the answer - He is not giving a specific number (some believe the actual translations is 70 and 7 = 77 times - but it could literally be 70x7 or 490 times) - either number is way larger than most of us would be willing to forgive someone

Neuroscientists note that forgiving repeatedly rewires the brain. The more often people choose forgiveness, the stronger the neural pathways of compassion become — like strengthening a muscle. Connection: Jesus is saying: forgiveness isn’t a number — it’s a way of life shaped by grace.

We forgive because we are forgiven.

If we are humbly following Jesus, embracing the forgiveness we have received then the natural outflow should be our forgiving of others…