The Distinctive Nature of Light--Part Six--The Distinctiveness of Jesus; Part Five 1/31/2021
The Distinctive Nature of Light • Sermon • Submitted
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Introduction:
1. The world has a different standard of success than God.
A. As Christians we need to remember to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling.
12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;
1. Christians need to remember to use God’s standard for godliness.
2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
A. His word is our standard and following it is how we separate ourselves from the world.
17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.
B. When we follow God’s Word and are sanctified by it then we are distinctive from the world as light rather than darkness.
7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
C. It is in following God’s Word that it shines as a lamp to our feet and a light to our path.
105 Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.
B. Over the past two weeks we have been looking at God’s standard for success opposed to what the would says is success.
1. We have considered...
A. Money
B. Mercy
2. Today we consider forgiveness.
C. The world says that forgiveness is overrated.
1. The world says forgiveness has limits as to how many times one is to be forgiven.
2. The world says one can choose who to forgive and who not to.
3. The world condones bringing up past transgressions over and over even though one has supposedly been forgiven.
Body:
1. The world says that forgiveness is overrated.
A. The world says forgiveness has limits as to how many times one is to be forgiven.
1. Peter asked Jesus how many times he should forgive his brother?
21 Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”
A. Peter thought that seven times was more than enough.
1. To the Israelite seven showed completeness.
2. Jesus’ answer was to take seven which was considered a complete number and multiply it by ten which show its perfection.
22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.
A. Jesus multiplying seven by ten and then again by seven is to show the unlimited nature of forgiveness.
B. Jesus was not saying forgive someone only 490 times.
1. What Jesus was saying is every time your brother sins against you and he repents forgive him.
3 Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 4 And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.”
3. This is how Jesus lived His life.
A. One of Jesus’ purposes in this life was to seek and save the lost.
10 for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
1. In order to save the lost Jesus had to have a heart of forgiveness.
9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
A. Jesus’ heart of forgiveness caused Him to truly care for people.
6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
B. Jesus’ heart of forgiveness was truly seen when He was dying upon the cross.
34 Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” And they divided His garments and cast lots.
1. Jesus stood out as distinctive because He had a heart of forgiveness.
B. The world says one can choose who to forgive and who not to.
1. God shows no partiality.
34 Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. 35 But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.
A. The context of this verse is the first gentiles to be converted.
44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. 45 And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also.
1. The Israelite did not keep company with gentiles because they considered them unclean.
28 Then he said to them, “You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean.
A. Jonah did not what Nineveh to be saved so he fled.
2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.” 3 But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.
B. Jonah tried to choose who could be forgiven by fleeing to Tarshish but God caused a large fish to swallow him.
17 Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
B. Our forgiveness should be like God’s.
10 Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it.
2. Jesus is distinctive because He forgive all who properly seek His forgiveness.
9 Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. 10 For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.
A. Even a thief on the cross next to Jesus recieved forgiveness when he repented.
39 Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.” 40 But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” 43 And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”
C. The world condones bringing up past transgressions over and over even though one has supposedly been forgiven.
1. Once God forgives a person their sins are no longer remembered.
25 “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins.
A. We can not continually bring up past sins and say we have honestly forgiven someone.
12 As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
1. When God forgives our sins are blotted out.
19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,
3. Jesus is distinctive because He does not constantly remind us of our previous sins.
A. This is what allowed Paul to have the proper attitude toward his previous life style knowing he had been forgiven.
13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you.
Conclusion:
1. The world says that forgiveness is overrated.
A. Does your forgiveness have limits?
B. Does your forgiveness choose who to forgive and who not to?
C. Do you truly forgive people?
2. To truly be like Jesus we need to learn how to properly show forgiveness.