Participants:
Series Code: TDYFW
Program Code: TDYFW200033S
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00:02 I want to spend my life
00:07 Mending broken people 00:12 I want to spend my life 00:19 Removing pain 00:24 Lord, let my words 00:30 Heal a heart that hurts 00:34 I want to spend my life 00:40 Mending broken people 00:46 I want to spend my life 00:51 Mending broken people 01:08 Hello, friends, welcome to 3ABN Today. 01:11 Honey, what time is it? 01:13 It's Sabbath, it's Friday night Family Worship time. 01:15 That's right. 01:17 Thank you for turning to this channel to invite us 01:19 into your home and hearts. 01:21 Amen. 01:22 We have an amazingly exciting topic tonight. 01:24 What's the topic on, Honey? 01:25 Well, we know that in this world today 01:28 there's such division not just in the world but in families. 01:32 And the topic is reconciliation. 01:35 Reconciliation. It's important, isn't it? 01:37 Every time we began 3ABN, you hear Danny say 01:41 we want to spend our lives mending broken people. 01:44 Not just forgiving broken people 01:46 but mending them, and this program 01:49 is about reconciliation, 01:50 how those individuals get mended. 01:53 So we're going to challenge you 01:55 and we're going to give you the Word of God. 01:57 But before we do any of that, 01:58 I want to just thank you for your prayers 02:00 and financial support of 3ABN 02:01 as we continue going and growing, 02:03 getting ready for the coming of the Lord. 02:05 Honey, why don't you introduce our guests tonight? 02:08 Okay, over here we have 02:09 Ricky Carter from Dare to Dream. 02:11 What do you do at Dare to Dream, Ricky? 02:13 I'm Dare to Dream's video editor. 02:15 So I do little video editing 02:16 and also I do a lot of animation graphics. 02:18 Wow. 02:19 And your background, I love this. 02:23 My mom is Cuban. She's Cuban. 02:25 And my father's from Jamaica. I love that. 02:28 So I've got a Caribbean mixture there. 02:30 Yes, you do. And you were born in America? 02:32 Oh, here in the States, yes. Yeah. 02:33 See I love that because I like the mixture. 02:35 That's called the fusion. 02:39 I love the mixture. 02:40 I got the great taste in food though. 02:41 Oh, yeah. 02:43 On that note, that's totally confusion. 02:45 Good to have you here, Ricky. Yes. 02:47 And over here we have Ron and Donna Baerg. 02:51 Now, am I saying your last name correctly? 02:53 Yes. Is that good enough? 02:54 Very good. Very good. 02:56 Someone told me the other day how incorrect, it's a Baerg. 03:00 And welcome. You're from Arizona. 03:04 But Donna is from, 03:05 originally from Illinois, right? 03:09 Yes. 03:10 And we're glad to have you both here today. 03:12 Thank you. Welcome. 03:13 We're excited about this topic 03:15 and you have a wealth of knowledge also, 03:18 all three of you have a wealth of knowledge 03:20 the Lord has blessed you with to share tonight. 03:22 That's right. 03:23 You know, I think what we need to do tonight 03:25 before we go into the program, 03:26 I think it's appropriate that 03:27 since we're going to be walking through God's Word, 03:29 why don't we begin with prayer? 03:31 And, Ricky, I'll ask you to begin 03:32 with prayer tonight, if it's okay? 03:33 Glad to. 03:35 Heavenly Father, we are so thankful that 03:37 You set aside the Sabbath hours 03:39 where we can recommit ourselves to You 03:43 or we can spend time in Your Word 03:45 and getting to know You more. 03:48 Father, during this time, 03:49 we ask that You would help us to know You more. 03:53 Help us to draw closer to You 03:55 as we see the day approaching 03:56 where You're going to be here very soon. 03:59 We want to hear You say 04:00 well done good and faithful servant. 04:03 Father, help us to remain faithful 04:05 and give us a special measure 04:06 of Your Holy Spirit to understand 04:09 Your Word as we seek, we seek to know You more. 04:13 We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. 04:15 Amen. Thank you, Ricky. 04:18 This topic is not new to some of you. 04:21 But the Lord delivered it to me in a new way. 04:24 He did. 04:26 I had a conversation with a gentleman 04:27 on the phone a few weeks ago 04:29 that reignited this word in my mind, reconciliation. 04:34 And I thought about it. 04:35 Wow, you know, is the ultimate measure 04:38 of our Christian walk forgiveness. 04:41 And we often say to people, 04:42 you know, if we confess our sins, 04:44 this is true that God is faithful 04:45 and just to forgive us 04:47 and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 04:49 And I thought, wow, 04:50 if I'm forgiven, that's all I need. 04:53 But the Lord brought to me that 04:55 there's something greater and more powerful 04:58 than forgiveness 04:59 and that's what we're going to talk about today, 05:01 because there are Christians 05:03 and we can all chime in on this if we like. 05:06 There are Christians that worship the Lord, 05:09 they go to church from week to week. 05:12 But some go down aisle number one, 05:15 others go down aisle number two, 05:17 they don't wave at each other, they don't talk. 05:19 And then this is I added to that, 05:21 I'm not going to speak to you again 05:22 until we get to heaven 05:24 and then we'll be on the right page. 05:25 Well, we want to go ahead and dispel that false ideology 05:28 and say, "The Lord didn't come to say to us, 05:31 "We'll talk when we get to heaven." 05:32 He came to reconcile us to the Father here, 05:35 so that we can be fit to go to heaven. 05:37 And you know, 05:39 there are families that don't talk to each other. 05:41 And they'll say, "Well, I forgave him years ago," 05:43 but they don't call, they don't talk, they don't... 05:45 The only time they see, 05:47 as one person said, is at a funeral. 05:50 They just become minimally civil. 05:53 But they don't have any connection 05:55 with reconciliation. 05:56 So we're going to talk about that today. 05:58 What it means to not only forgive someone, 06:01 but to bring that to the point of reconciliation. 06:04 All right, any comments on that before we dive into it? 06:07 Well, what you were saying their pastor about, you know, 06:10 they wouldn't speak to each other 06:11 until they got to heaven. 06:14 There's probably a good chance 06:16 they don't have to worry about that 06:17 because they probably won't be there 06:19 if they have that attitude, 06:21 if they keep that attitude in their heart. 06:24 Yeah. That's very true. 06:25 That's very true. 06:27 The spirit behind it 06:28 is what's going to prevent them from being in the kingdom. 06:29 Amen. Yes. 06:31 Right. Yeah. 06:32 Anything else, Honey? 06:33 No, I'm just looking forward 06:35 to diving into this topic so let's go. 06:36 Okay. 06:37 So I introduced this in a sermon not too long ago, 06:40 I said, "The Lord has revealed in His Word 06:43 something more powerful than forgiveness. 06:45 So what we're going to do is we're going to walk 06:47 through the process of forgiveness 06:49 and we're going to use some examples in Scripture 06:50 and find out how can we get 06:52 from a broken relationship to an obvious sin, 06:55 to the forgiveness of sin 06:57 because of the atonement of Christ, 06:59 to the point of reconciliation. 07:01 We're going to talk about that. 07:02 So let's start with a very, very important question, 07:05 how must we or what must we do 07:07 to receive forgiveness from God? 07:09 We're going to go to that very common passage. 07:11 1 John 1:9, I'll have Ricky read that for us. 07:14 What does that say? 07:15 What do we have to do 07:17 to receive forgiveness from God? 07:19 It says in 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, 07:23 He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins 07:28 and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 07:30 Okay. What does that mean to you? 07:32 I need to confess, I need to come to God first. 07:36 And if I can, it says it's plain right there. 07:40 If I confess my sins to God, He's faithful. 07:44 And He will forgive me and I need that forgiveness. 07:47 Okay. 07:48 It should be specific with God or should we just be general? 07:52 Lord, I've sinned, I'm sorry. What do you think? 07:55 I think we should be specific. 07:58 You know, what you've done and, Lord, 08:00 I'm sorry for what I've done. I offended someone. 08:03 And then, of course, we'll get to the next step 08:04 as we go on, right? 08:06 That's right. 08:07 Because when you look in the Bible, 08:08 those who came to God 08:10 in true repentance were clear about what they did. 08:13 You know, David said, "My sin is ever before me." 08:16 But he said, "Create in me a clean heart 08:17 and renew a right spirit within me." 08:19 So I believe it's right. 08:21 It's important to go ahead and be specific about 08:23 what we're confessing about. 08:24 Because if you say things like, 08:26 well, if I've done anything wrong to you, forgive me. 08:28 Yes, I've heard that. 08:29 This is like saying, 08:31 we'll go to the airport and pick any plane, 08:32 I'll see you in New York. 08:35 I heard once that, if you say if, 08:39 I have said anything to you that you didn't like, 08:42 or if I've done something to you, 08:44 would you put that if in 08:45 there your question, did I really? 08:48 Yes. That is. 08:49 You know, so just say it, to say I have done wrong. 08:53 I have hurt you. I'm sorry. 08:56 Yeah. Not the if. 08:58 That's right. I like that. 09:00 Because the if is just a presupposition at all, 09:02 since you feel that way. 09:04 Yeah. 09:06 If this works, since you feel I've done something, 09:09 I'm sorry, whatever it is. 09:10 That's negative. 09:12 But I don't really admit for what it is. 09:13 Very negative, very negative. Anything, Ron? 09:17 Well, we know that 09:20 Christ forgave all of our sins at the cross, 09:25 every sin from Adam 09:27 until He comes till the close of probation. 09:31 But we have to go 09:34 and ask for that forgiveness ourself, 09:37 we have to accept that. 09:40 It's, I could give a little example, 09:43 if I got... 09:44 Sure. 09:46 I got a lot of miles 09:48 from having been in the trucking business. 09:51 If I got a speeding ticket and I went before the judge 09:56 and he said, "Well, your fine's $140." 10:02 And Donna walks in the back and she says, 10:07 "I've got a, I've paid that $140. 10:10 I don't have anything against me. 10:14 Apply this to him," and I say, 10:16 "No, I don't accept that." 10:22 That's the same as if I don't accept my sin 10:28 and recognize it and confess it myself. 10:33 And I accept Christ's forgiveness, 10:36 I can accept His forgiveness in my place. 10:40 Right. 10:42 And so it's not just, 10:43 it's not just the forgiveness aspect, 10:46 but the receiving of it, right? 10:49 You know, when we come to the, when we come to Christ, 10:51 we have to receive the gift He's extending, 10:54 because forgiveness is of no value 10:55 if you don't receive it. 10:57 If I don't accept that, then it falls back on me. 11:01 So I'm going to have to pay the penalty, 11:03 that death penalty, 11:05 that what the wages of sin is what? 11:09 Death. Death. 11:10 So I don't want to have to pay that. 11:13 I say, "Oh, I accept that." 11:16 You know, well, that's the way I accept Christ, 11:20 dying on the cross for my sins. 11:23 That's right. 11:25 That imputed in and imparted righteousness. 11:27 We can't do anything of ourselves 11:28 to pay the penalty. 11:31 He does, He pays that price. 11:33 But there's something else He does and I want to, 11:35 so we're going to be chiseling away 11:36 at this whole thought of forgiveness 11:38 because forgiveness sometimes, 11:40 as I've looked at it and as I've relooked at it, 11:43 it's amazing that here I am 33 years of ministry, 11:46 and a new light, a light is coming on clearer 11:49 than it has ever been before. 11:50 That shows the growth, the spiritual growth. 11:53 A light is coming on and saying, 11:55 "You've always preached that people need to be forgiven 11:57 and you need to ask for your sins to be forgiven." 11:59 But the Lord says, "Wait a minute, 12:01 I don't just forgive your sins, I do something else." 12:03 Let's go to the second one. 12:04 Because the Bible describes who God is. 12:07 Honey, read that for us, Psalm 103:3. 12:10 The Bible describes who God is 12:12 and what He does other than just forgive. 12:15 "Who forgives all your iniquities, 12:18 Who heals all your diseases." 12:21 Okay, what's another word for disease? 12:24 Sin? Sin, right? 12:26 Sin. 12:27 So notice what it says, Who heals all your diseases. 12:33 Now, we know that many people die 12:36 from diseases, right? 12:39 So let's give a broader understanding 12:40 to these diseases. 12:42 And so if we use the word sins, 12:45 people die from diseases every day, 12:47 people die from diseases. 12:49 But if you remember the story of the paralytic 12:52 when his friends brought him on the bed to Christ, 12:54 remember that, Ron? 12:56 Right. You want to recall that for us? 12:58 Are you talking about where they laid him down? 13:00 Yes. Yes. 13:02 When they laid him down, Christ says, "I forgive you." 13:07 And the Pharisees, "What?" 13:10 And Christ says, 13:12 "Is it easier to forgive a man or healing?" 13:18 Christ had the power granted to Him 13:20 from the Father to do either one. 13:24 But they weren't recognizing that. 13:27 And I would rather be forgiven of my iniquities 13:31 or my sins by that disease 13:35 than an infirmity in my body. 13:38 I know. But he got both. 13:42 He got both. He got both. 13:45 What a blessing. What a blessing. 13:46 Unlike the rich young ruler. Right. Oh, yeah. 13:50 That's, you know what He wanted everything. 13:53 And what did the Lord say? 13:54 He said, "You have to give up everything 13:56 so that you can receive the benefits of your relation." 13:59 How did he go away? Sad. 14:01 Sad, sorrowful. 14:04 Anything you want to add to that, Ricky? 14:05 I was going to say in the illustration 14:08 we're talking about disease has a way of eating at you. 14:14 Think about cancer 14:16 and thinking about the paralytic. 14:22 Not only did he have that disease 14:24 that was eating at him physically, 14:26 but he had that sin as well that was eating at him. 14:30 And I can imagine the joy that filled his heart is, 14:35 I can just see his expression on his face 14:37 just come to a big smile when Jesus said, 14:41 "You know, I forgive you." 14:43 So he was not only just healed 14:45 from the sickness of the disease, 14:48 that was eating at him, 14:49 but also from the sin that have been eating at him 14:52 over the years or whatever the time period was. 14:55 They're just dump. 14:57 He was made whole, and he just felt 15:01 I'm sure had a joy at his heart, 15:02 I'm sure it was expressed on his face. 15:04 Wow, anything on that, Honey? 15:05 Oh, the guilt was probably overwhelming. 15:08 You know, when you live with guilt 15:09 and all that you've done and you meet Jesus, 15:12 and then He's forgiving you. 15:15 Oh, the burden 15:16 that must have been lifted from him. 15:18 That's right. 15:20 And that's why I've often said is not necessarily 15:22 what a person's eating, but what's eating him. 15:26 As Seventh-day Adventist Christians, 15:27 we focus a lot on what we eat, 15:29 but we focus very little on what's eating us. 15:32 And that's what we're talking about. Ron? 15:33 Well, you know, back then, the Jewish nation, 15:39 especially the Pharisees and the ruler, 15:42 they looked at a person if they had, 15:46 if they were blind, or if they had some... 15:48 Leprosy. Yeah. 15:50 Especially like leprosy. Boy, he was sinful. 15:54 God was punishing him for a sin, 15:57 in their eyes didn't make any difference. 16:00 Okay, like the one did he sin, 16:04 or was that his parents? 16:08 Because there was a point 16:10 where he said unto the third and fourth generation. 16:15 So they took that literally, boy, 16:18 if your kids were born with some impediment, 16:23 boy, you must, your parents must have been very sinful. 16:27 Right. They must be sinful. 16:29 And, you know, there's some cultures 16:30 that look at that in a retributive way that, 16:33 you know, you're born blind 16:34 because your parents were wicked, 16:35 or have all these things 16:37 that they connect to the maladies 16:38 that go from generation to generation. 16:40 But Jesus came to break that. 16:42 And so we're going to now transition 16:44 into what he came to break because remember, 16:46 he says, heals all your diseases 16:48 in the healing aspect 16:50 as we just pointed out, is not only physical healing, 16:53 but you could recall there are people that may die 16:55 from the illness like my mom. 16:59 She died from cancer, 17:01 even though she stopped smoking, 17:03 gave her life to the Lord, got baptized, 17:05 the results of the nicotine 17:09 all that eventually claimed her life, 17:12 but she died forgiven. Amen. 17:14 Because, you know, 17:15 she had abandoned me at three months old 17:17 and I forgave her and then she questioned 17:20 whether God can forgive her 17:21 and I assured her that He can forgive her. 17:23 So she died in the disease, but not in the sin. 17:27 Amen. 17:29 That's what you're saying is more powerful to die 17:31 and be resurrected, than to die 17:34 and not have any hope of resurrection. 17:36 So let's look at the relationship aspect of it. 17:38 Go to James 5:16, 17:39 I'm going to have Donna read this one. 17:41 What must we do to receive forgiveness 17:44 from one another? 17:45 Because we just talked about 17:47 what we do to receive forgiveness from God, 17:49 and He not only can, we confess and we ask for forgiveness, 17:53 and I'll add this to the point. 17:54 We don't just confess, 17:56 but we should also forsake that sin. 17:58 Right, don't just confess it and continue in it. 18:00 Turn away from it. Turn away from it. 18:03 So let's go to James 5:16. Donna, look at that. 18:07 Okay, James 5:16, New King James Version, 18:11 "Confess your trespasses to one another, 18:15 pray for one another, that you may be healed. 18:18 The effective, fervent prayer 18:21 of a righteous man avails much." 18:24 Wow. 18:25 So know this, confess your trespasses to... 18:30 I don't want to be insensitive to the person 18:32 who didn't do anything wrong. 18:33 Who do you confess it to? Each other. 18:36 You don't gossip. Say it again, Honey. 18:38 You don't gossip about it. Right. 18:40 If I've sinned, I've hurt you, what do I do? 18:44 I come to you, "Honey. 18:46 I've done so and so, I am so sorry." 18:49 Remember you said there's a difference between 18:51 an apology and being sorry. 18:53 Right. 18:55 Apologies, that's, thank you for bringing that up. 18:57 I've often in the scheme of teaching, 19:00 in relationship counseling, 19:02 I say begin by saying I apologize. 19:06 Later on the godly sorrow will come 19:09 because sorrow to be sorrowful 19:11 is something that God has to awaken in you. 19:14 And sometimes it hits you one day 19:15 and you think I did that? 19:19 And then you go to the person and say, 19:20 "I am so sorry for what I've done." 19:24 But initially, sometimes you say to kids, 19:26 "Now I apologize, you apologize. 19:28 I apologize. I apologize." 19:30 And like four weeks later, mommy what, she was wrong. 19:34 I don't know, I can't believe I did that to Johnny. 19:37 That's what the sorrow comes in. 19:39 So apologies is legal, sorrow is godly. 19:43 Yeah. Ron. 19:47 One point there is that you notice it says 19:51 and pray for one another that you may be healed, 19:57 as you were talking about earlier, you know, 20:00 you are healed when you pray for one another 20:04 and you pray and you have also, 20:07 you not only have sinned against Him, you've sinned, 20:11 because he is a child of God, you've sinned against God too. 20:16 So God will heal you. 20:18 And the fervent prayer 20:19 of a righteous man availeth much, 20:22 not just one thing. 20:24 Much. Who knows how much it avails? 20:26 It just does good. Yes. 20:29 That's what the Bible talks about. 20:30 When you forgive someone, 20:32 it covers a multitude of sins. 20:37 It goes a long way 20:38 when you have the right attitude behind. 20:40 But pray for one another. I like it. 20:42 Yeah, I've done someone wrong, I pray, 20:45 and I've done that 20:46 I've prayed for them till the Lord will heal 20:48 and it says what? 20:50 That you may be healed, so I will be healed. 20:53 So that's beautiful because we all want and need healing. 20:57 And it's even good to pray with one another. 21:00 You see, and I just, I prayed for you yesterday. 21:02 You did. 21:04 When people asked me, pray for me, 21:05 I like to do it right then and there because 21:07 sometimes I forget later on, that's the human aspects. 21:10 Or we write it down and say, 21:11 I want to put you on my prayer list 21:13 but I've discovered, it's so much more personal 21:15 when you stop by there and pray with that person. 21:17 They say thank you, it really means a different, 21:19 and Ellen White says, "When we pray for people, 21:22 we should let them know 21:23 so that they can respond in accordance to the prayer." 21:27 Ron? 21:32 A while back, I put that into practice 21:35 someone that I was talking to on the phone. 21:40 They called and they told me that 21:44 they were suffering from something. 21:46 And I said, "Well, I'm going to pray for you." 21:49 And I thought, you know, usually say, well, 21:53 you say that, and maybe you put them 21:55 on your prayer list. 21:56 I said, "I'm going to pray for you." 21:57 And I prayed for him right there. 21:59 There you go. 22:00 And he says, "I can't believe that." 22:04 I said, "Well," I said, "It makes me feel better too." 22:09 I got a blessing out of it 22:14 probably more than that person did. 22:16 Yes, yes. 22:17 The other day we were in Walmart 22:20 and we met a couple people, 22:22 man that recognize you from 3ABN 22:24 and he talked to you 22:26 and having issues with his family or self. 22:30 And he said, "Would you pray for me?" 22:31 And what did you do? 22:33 We paused right there at Walmart in freezer section. 22:34 Right there on Walmart in freezer section. 22:37 We said, why don't we pray right now? 22:39 I mean, people, 22:40 let's not be ashamed of the Lord. 22:43 Let your light so shine. 22:45 And we stopped and prayed right there. 22:47 And he was praying while we were praying. 22:49 Thank you, Father. Thank you, Jesus. 22:50 And it was so beautiful. We never met the guy. 22:52 We don't know him. I wrote his name down. 22:54 Remind me, Honey, I have to send him something. 22:56 But that's what happens when you do that, 22:58 it makes a difference. 23:00 And it starts to mend that relationship. 23:01 And sometimes the Lord responds right away. 23:03 Like I remember, Comely Detroit, remember, 23:07 when the father was alive. 23:08 Yeah, Shell Detroit. 23:10 He was so, his day was going horribly 23:12 and she called us all way down here. 23:14 She lived in Michigan and said, "Could you pray for my dad? 23:17 We just cannot get him to quiet down." 23:19 And I said, "Hun, let's pray right now." 23:21 Yes, you sure did. 23:22 And it was about maybe a month later she could. 23:24 She said, "I have got so busy, I meant to call you back." 23:26 She said, "Do you know that 23:28 right after we ended that prayer, 23:30 when you prayed for my dad, 23:32 he immediately quieted down." 23:34 She said, "I just want you to know, 23:36 I had never saw that before." 23:38 And... Praise the Lord. 23:39 We give God the glory, but He works through us 23:42 in spite of us in all the glory, 23:44 because He's the one that does the quieting down. 23:46 We just extend the petition and God is the one that works 23:49 through that petition. 23:51 But there's another thing 23:52 that I want to also point out the motive. 23:54 We have to have motives, and the motive sometimes 23:57 is a big part of the act that's going to follow. 23:59 Let's go to James 2:13. 24:03 Did I have you do that? Okay. Ricky, James. 24:05 The question is, why does the Bible... 24:07 Did we do Proverbs 28? Okay, right. 24:10 Proverbs 28. 24:11 Read that for us, Honey. This is important. 24:12 I illustrated this, but I didn't read it today. 24:14 Okay, from Proverbs 28:13. 24:17 "He who covers his sins will not prosper, 24:21 but whoever confesses and forsakes them 24:25 will have mercy." 24:26 That's right. 24:28 I just illustrated that 24:29 but I'm glad you brought that out. 24:31 Because we say don't just ask for forgiveness, 24:32 get rid of that thing. 24:34 Put it down, put the dog back on the leash. 24:37 You know, it's not having to bite you every day 24:39 and say why is he biting everybody? 24:41 Get rid of that sin 24:42 and the Lord can take it from you, 24:44 we want to just say that. 24:45 Anything you could do. 24:46 So why does the Bible motivate us 24:48 to show mercy, James 2:13. 24:50 James 2:13 says, "For judgment 24:53 is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. 24:58 Mercy triumphs over judgment." 25:01 Have mercy. Wow. 25:03 Say it again, Honey. Have mercy. 25:05 Wow, wow, wow. 25:07 What does that say, Ricky? Yeah. 25:09 Wow. I know I need some mercy. 25:16 I need some help with this one 25:18 because the fact that it's saying judgment 25:21 is without mercy to the one 25:25 who has shown no mercy. 25:28 If I'm not showing mercy, judgment going to be little, 25:32 more heavier on me, 25:33 is that kind of what the text is saying? 25:34 This is what it's saying. 25:36 If you don't want to show mercy to somebody, 25:37 God is going to say, "Wait a minute, 25:40 whatever man sows, that shall he also reap. 25:44 With the measure that you need, 25:46 it will be measured back to you again. 25:48 Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." 25:50 You don't want to show mercy? 25:52 Well, that's I guess 25:53 that's how you want me to treat you. 25:54 I'm not going to show you mercy either. 25:56 So it's a reciprocating value. 25:58 It's not just saying do it because you think 26:00 you are in a position to say, "Well, you know, 26:02 I'm going to extend mercy to you." 26:04 Don't do it from a throne to a peasant mentality. 26:08 He's not on any throne, right, Donna? 26:11 One of my favorite sayings 26:12 is follow after peace and pursue it, 26:16 that means chase it down if you have to. 26:19 Pursue, chase, I tell myself that. 26:22 Follow after peace, 26:23 doesn't matter what they've done, 26:25 or doesn't matter what they're saying. 26:26 Just be at peace, and chase it down. 26:29 That's right. 26:31 Chase it down, grab it by its ankles 26:32 and you don't want to. 26:34 You're not getting away from me. 26:35 You're not getting away from me. 26:36 And you know, the Bible does say peace to peace 26:38 with all men, pursue it. 26:40 Where is it? There it is, go get it. 26:41 You know, we got to go. And a lot of us don't do that. 26:44 Psalm 119:165, great peace have they... 26:48 Which love thy law. Nothing. 26:49 Nothing shall offend. Wow, that's deep. 26:53 Yeah, that's the Bible. It's good. 26:55 If you have peace, nothing's going to offend you. 26:56 But a lot of people get offended 26:58 when somebody does something wrong. 26:59 How dare they, but it ended with this phrase. 27:01 Mercy triumphs over judgment. 27:06 Amen. Amen. 27:08 Okay, now let's just apply this to all of us. 27:10 And I think you set the stage. 27:12 If you call the court as a defendant, 27:16 what are you going to ask for, mercy or justice? 27:19 I think about it. Mercy. 27:22 I'm gonna ask for mercy anytime over judgment. 27:27 Right. Absolutely. 27:28 Now, if you know you didn't do it, 27:30 you asked for justice. 27:32 I demand justice. I'm wrongly accused. 27:35 But if you know you did it, what are you going to ask for? 27:38 I'm going to ask for mercy. 27:40 What do they say, throw yourself on the... 27:42 Mercy of the court. 27:45 Yes, God is a merciful God, 27:47 but we have to throw ourselves on the mercy of God. 27:49 When we do that and we receive mercy. 27:52 It reminds me of a story. 27:53 And I'm not going to take a lot of time 27:55 because we have a lot more to cover. 27:56 But it reminds me of the gentleman 27:58 that was in debtor's prison, his debt was forgiven. 28:00 He like owed equivalently millions 28:02 of millions of dollars, he couldn't pay the debt. 28:06 They let him out. 28:07 But on the way home, he saw a guy that owed him $20 28:10 and he said, "Where's my money?" 28:13 And the judge heard about it, 28:15 and they got him and put them back in prison. 28:18 In other words, God has forgiven you so much, 28:21 who are you to require more than God requires of us. 28:26 That's what this topic is really all about. 28:28 God could judge us and condemn us in a heartbeat. 28:31 But he said, John 3:17, "For God sent not a Son 28:35 into the world to condemn the world, 28:37 but the world through Him might be saved." 28:40 So let's dive into the deeper part now. 28:41 Oh, Ron. Just one short point, Pastor. 28:46 This here, the mercy triumphs over judgment, 28:49 but also the one who shows, has shown no mercy. 28:54 This is the same principle 28:56 that God asked us to do with forgiveness. 28:59 This follows through, 29:01 this is one of the underlying principles 29:04 I believe that God has, 29:06 that He will show us mercy as we show mercy. 29:11 He forgives sins as we forgive. 29:15 It's not that He doesn't want to, He can't. 29:20 If we haven't got that 29:21 forgiving attribute in our heart, 29:27 how can we even expect Him to extend that to us 29:33 if we're not willing to extend it? 29:35 And so it follows, that's one of the great... 29:40 Attributes. Attributes of God. 29:42 Thank you. 29:44 Well, didn't he say to forgive us our sins 29:45 as we forgive. 29:47 Forgive us our debts as we forgive. 29:50 Amen. See, it's a reciprocating. 29:52 I think if we really locked that down, 29:55 we could begin to see, 29:56 you cannot not forgive somebody. 29:58 Yeah, right. Right, Donna? 30:00 Right. 30:01 You don't have the right to say, 30:02 I will not forgive you. 30:04 Oh, did I just hear you say you're not going to forgive me? 30:06 I'll write that down. John is not going to forgive. 30:08 So until he does, 30:09 there'll be no forgiveness extended to you. 30:11 That's reciprocating. That's scary. 30:14 What do you do when someone says, 30:18 well, like you said, I am not going to forgive you. 30:22 And you've tried to reconcile? 30:25 What do you do? 30:26 Well, that's, that's a, 30:28 it's not an easy pill to swallow 30:29 but here's what you do. 30:31 You do what Jesus did. 30:33 When Jesus before He passed away on the cross, 30:36 before He died, He said, "Father, forgive them, 30:38 for they know not what they do." 30:40 Forgiveness is more than 30:41 just the act of freeing the other person, 30:43 it's the most powerful act of freeing yourself. 30:46 You say I understand how you feel but you know what? 30:50 When you do your part in seeking that forgiveness, 30:54 the Lord is going to bring to that person's table, 30:57 a plate of food that they won't be able to eat, 30:59 and you know what's going to be on that plate? 31:01 All of their sins. 31:03 That's why the Lord wrote in the sand, 31:05 the woman that was accused 31:07 and brought before the Lord to be stoned. 31:09 It's so beautiful, 31:11 He started writing on the ground 31:12 and He started looking, "Where are your accusers? 31:14 Are any of them here?" "No, Lord." 31:18 He did not condone the sin of adultery. 31:21 He said to her do what? Go and what? 31:24 "Sin no more." "Do not do this again." 31:26 But He said first, He said, "I do not condemn you." 31:31 Right. What did He come to condemn? 31:35 Sin, not the sinner. Not the person. 31:36 Right. 31:38 And we often condemned sinners... 31:39 You wrote a song about that, did you? 31:41 Oh, I got to record it, though. 31:42 It's called "Nor do I condemn thee." 31:44 Yeah, a beautiful song. I was... 31:47 Yes, Donna. I remember, I went to church. 31:52 And I asked the Lord, you know, "Forgive me, 31:54 I have nothing to give You but my black heart. 31:57 I have nothing." 31:59 And I asked for full forgiveness. 32:01 You know, what did, what do you ask for? 32:03 All forgiveness. 32:05 And I remember the next morning when I was, I woke up. 32:10 And I hadn't even gotten out of bed yet. 32:12 And it was like, what's different? 32:14 What's different today? 32:16 Ah, I get to talk to God today, all day if I want to. 32:20 It's like it was a new concept. I was right with God. 32:24 And there was just the neatest moment. 32:26 Amen. It's beautiful. 32:29 I want to dive down to number seven now 32:30 because we'll come back to number six in a moment 32:33 when we want before 32:34 we wind up the problem if we can. 32:36 But this is where it really gets 32:38 to the rubber meets the road. 32:40 This is where the rubber meets the road. 32:41 Because there's somebody watching this program 32:43 that probably said, you know, 32:45 I will never forget what A, B, and C 32:48 or what this family member, what that person did to me. 32:51 I will never forget it. 32:53 I will never, 32:54 I'm going to take it to my grave. 32:56 I... Well, will they forgive? 32:59 Watch this? Will they forgive? 33:02 Now let's see what the Bible requires. 33:05 Okay, let's see. Okay. 33:06 Matthew 5:23-24. 33:09 Honey, now I think it's your turn now. 33:11 Oh, me? Okay. Ricky just read before. 33:13 "Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, 33:16 and there remember that 33:17 your brother has something against you, 33:20 leave your gift there before the altar, 33:22 and go your way. 33:25 First be reconciled to your brother, 33:29 and then come and offer your gift." 33:32 Wow. Wow, Ricky? 33:34 Pastor John, listen, when you, when I, 33:37 when you sent this to me, 33:39 and I was looking at this text... 33:40 Yes. 33:42 For most of my life, 33:43 I've always thought of this text as something that, 33:49 let's say I'm at the altar, 33:50 something that I did against my brother, 33:53 that I need to go and ask for forgiveness. 33:58 But when I read this again, what I'm seeing here, 34:03 it's something that I'm seeing that, 34:06 hey, they wronged me and the onus is on me 34:10 to go to them to ask for reconciliation. 34:13 I don't know why I never saw that before. 34:16 Um, but that was powerful because that takes a lot to, 34:21 I mean, the person wronged me. 34:22 Right. Right. 34:24 The way that I naturally want to ask, act as like, 34:27 I'm waiting for this guy to, you know, 34:29 come in and make it right. 34:31 But that's not what God is saying here. 34:33 It's on me to go to him and to her 34:38 and to reconcile and then I've got to also do it 34:42 in a way that's Christlike, 34:44 you know, being kind and tender. 34:50 That is also a way that I'm not naturally like that. 34:55 Exactly. We're not wired that way. 34:56 No, but man, praise God. 34:59 He can, He can work in me to give me that 35:02 tender spirit to be able to do that. 35:05 And it says to bring in everlasting righteousness 35:09 on both parts. 35:10 That's right. 35:12 To make reconciliation for iniquity, 35:13 bringing everlasting righteousness 35:15 in Daniel 9:24. 35:16 But notice, this is the thing 35:17 that really caught me and you know, you're right. 35:19 Even Angie talked to me. 35:20 She told me, she says, I call her Angie. 35:22 But you say Angela. 35:25 When we read that passage, I remember quoting it that way, 35:29 I said, "The Lord puts the responsibility 35:32 of the reconciliation on the innocent person." 35:35 She said, "Go to the one that has wronged you. 35:38 Go to the one that has done something to you 35:41 and seek reconciliation." 35:42 And as Ricky said, 35:44 "In the spirit of humility restore such a one." 35:47 And then Paul says, "Less you also be tempted." 35:50 He said, "Consider yourself." 35:51 So watch out because one day the script may flip 35:55 and you'll be on the other side 35:56 and what would you want people to do to you? 35:58 Because this wounded sheep that the Bible 36:00 uses in an illustration, the sheep that strayed away. 36:04 The Lord didn't say, "Where's that sheep? 36:06 I'm waiting for him to come back. 36:07 I'm waiting for him to come back. 36:09 What did the Lord do? 36:11 He went out and put them to His breast 36:13 and brought them back and rejoiced. 36:15 Ron? Just as if you... 36:18 Well, I had two points real quick. 36:20 First is, just as the prodigal son 36:23 in the same chapter in the same parable, 36:28 write down the verses there. 36:32 The father ran after the son when he saw him coming. 36:37 One of my favorite ones. 36:39 But as Rick was pointing out there, 36:44 the reconciliation it's not just going and asking, 36:49 saying I forgive you, you know, 36:51 that's mean glorifying yourself. 36:57 You're going for reconciliation be, 37:00 first be reconciled to your brother. 37:02 Go there as you play in a humble way. 37:05 Yes. That's right. 37:08 Mend those broken places. 37:10 Start applying the glue and it'll dry in time. 37:14 You know, that's the beautiful thing about it. 37:15 Anything else? 37:17 But look at Galatians 6:1, Donna, read that for us, 37:19 Galatians 6:1 on the point number seven. 37:21 "Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, 37:25 you who are spiritual restore 37:28 such a one in a spirit of gentleness, 37:30 considering yourself lest you 37:35 also be tempted," like you were saying. 37:37 That's right. Lest you also be tempted. 37:39 And this is something I want to have... 37:41 Honey, would you read that 37:43 for us that quote in Ellen White 37:44 there in Desire of Ages, page 440, paragraph two. 37:46 This is a powerful statement. Yes. 37:49 "In the spirit of meekness consider in thyself, 37:52 let's also be tempted." 37:56 In Galatians 6:1 we just read, 37:59 "To go to the erring one and tell him his fault 38:04 between thee and him alone." 38:06 Between who? Just the two people. 38:08 Okay. 38:09 Do not put him to shame 38:12 by exposing his faults to others. 38:15 Nor bring dishonor upon Christ 38:19 by making public the sin 38:21 or error of one who bears his name. 38:27 Often, the truth must be plainly spoken to the erring. 38:33 He must be led to see his error that he may reform. 38:38 But you are not to judge nor condemn. 38:43 Make no attempt at self-justification. 38:48 Let all your effort be for his or her recovery. 38:54 In treating the wounds of the soul, 38:56 there is need of the most delicate touch, 39:00 the finest sensibility. 39:03 Only the love that flows 39:06 from the suffering one of Calvary can avail here." 39:11 And it ends here, "With pity and tenderness, 39:15 let brother deal with brother, 39:19 knowing that if you succeed," 39:22 I love this, "you will save a soul 39:24 from death and hide a multitude of sins." 39:30 James 5:20. 39:32 That's powerful. Yes! 39:34 That's powerful because in this Facebook world... 39:37 Oh, people put everything on Facebook, 39:39 they pull all their junk, 39:40 they tell what the people have done, 39:42 but what does it say? 39:44 Do not do that. But what did it do to God? 39:46 It puts Christ to an open shame. 39:50 It bear, it injures the name of Christ when... 39:53 You Facebook junkies, 39:54 let me talk to these Facebook junkies right now, 39:56 I got to be just very frank about it. 39:58 Hold on, Ron. 40:00 I'll be back to normalcy in a moment here. 40:02 But you Facebook junkies that like to put your business 40:04 in other people's business on Facebook, 40:06 you ought to get before God and repent. 40:09 Because God, if God put your junk on Facebook, 40:11 you wouldn't, 40:12 you would not be able to recover 40:14 from the things you have done. 40:16 If you, if God did to you what you've done to others, 40:20 by putting all their business on Facebook, 40:23 naming details and shaming individuals in a public forum, 40:28 because as I heard this years ago, 40:31 and this is a minor illustration 40:33 as compared to the real injury that follows, 40:35 because I've heard, you know, 40:37 husbands or wives a lot will have an argument. 40:39 And I've said to people many years ago, 40:41 if you and your husband have an argument, 40:42 settle that argument 40:44 or go to a counselor or a pastor, 40:45 somebody that's not going to put it out in public. 40:47 But when you go from a church member 40:49 to church member to church member 40:50 to church member and dog each other, 40:52 tear down your husband or your wife, 40:54 long after you're healed, other people can't get over it. 40:58 Every time they see, Ricky, 40:59 isn't he the one that hit it what? 41:02 And not that you did that. No. 41:03 But that's what people do. 41:05 They link that behavior to them and they never forget it, 41:07 and Ellen White said, 41:08 "God has not," I'm paraphrasing, 41:10 she says, I think is in book My Character Personality. 41:13 She says, "God has not designed 41:16 that others may bear the burden of your sin. 41:20 Do not put your sin upon anyone else. 41:22 They cannot atone for it and they cannot handle it." 41:25 And long after the matter is resolved, 41:27 they'll never forget it. 41:29 But here it says... Go ahead, Honey. 41:30 Now one thing about us. 41:32 We don't tell other people what we're going through. 41:36 We're struggling husband and wife. 41:38 We don't do that. We rather fight than switch. 41:42 Remember that. 41:43 In 37 years of marriage, 41:45 you better believe, we disagree. 41:46 But we don't come to church like she's in another car, 41:49 she'll be here in a minute. I'll drive her today. 41:53 I'm not going to let her be in my car until she is. 41:55 And there are husbands and wives, 41:57 they don't talk for weeks. I've had people say that. 41:59 Where's your wife? We're not on talking terms. 42:01 Where's your husband? I locked him out of the house. 42:05 I'll wait till I feel it's right for him 42:07 to come back in. 42:08 This is dishonoring to God. 42:10 If God locked us out of the house 42:12 till we were right, Lord, have mercy. 42:15 We'll be cold. So let's look what God... 42:17 Ron. Ron. Ron. 42:19 He looks like he's going to say something. 42:20 Yeah, Ron is on fire right now. 42:22 Well, one day I was counseled long time ago 42:28 that never, it doesn't make any difference 42:32 if your wife has done something wrong, 42:34 and somebody says you never side with them. 42:40 You know, somebody says something, boy, 42:43 you know, I love your wife, but she does this. 42:47 You never side with them. 42:49 You always even if that is a fault of hers, 42:54 you take up for her. 42:57 You always hold your mate up even if you've had like you say 43:03 if you had a fight at home, you don't bring that out. 43:08 But if somebody says something, you never, 43:12 ever talk bad about your mate, not even in a joking way. 43:17 Amen. That's right. You know what? 43:19 There's a lady that we have a good friend of ours. 43:20 Annie Johnson. 43:22 Annie, I hope you're listening. 43:24 She says to me, years ago, she's in California. 43:28 And she says, "Angela, one thing I know about you, 43:32 you never say anything bad about your husband." 43:36 And it's true. I don't do that. 43:38 I don't do that publicly. 43:40 Well, behind the closed doors, we'll talk, 43:43 we'll discuss right whatever issues going on, 43:47 we'll discuss it with each other. 43:48 We'll discuss it with each other. 43:50 That's right. But I don't do that publicly. 43:52 Yeah, don't tear your spouse 43:53 that you could be ever so frustrated. 43:55 Don't drop your spouse's garbage 43:57 in other people's ears. 43:59 Because long after you got the thing resolved, 44:00 they look at them in a negative way. 44:02 But look at what we should do. 44:04 Let's go to Romans 5:8-11. 44:06 I think is it Ron's turn, Yeah, 44:09 Romans 5:8-11 on the point number eight. 44:12 In what condition were we when God extended 44:16 reconciliation to us? 44:18 Romans 5:8-11, look at this. 44:20 I love this. I love this. 44:22 This is Paul and I are going to have a long talk 44:27 when we get to heaven. 44:29 But this is one thing that I love that he said, 44:35 New King James Version. 44:37 "But God demonstrates His own love toward us 44:41 in that while we were still sinners, 44:44 Christ died for us. 44:46 Much more than having now been justified by His blood, 44:52 we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 44:55 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled..." 44:57 Oh, wow, wait. Pause a moment. 44:58 I got to say, if while we were what? 45:01 Enemies. Still enemies. 45:03 Enemies, keep going. 45:05 "We were reconciled to God to the death of His son, 45:10 much more having been reconciled, 45:13 we shall be saved by His life." 45:16 Okay, keep going. 45:18 "And not only that, but we also rejoice in God 45:22 through our Lord Jesus Christ, 45:25 through whom we have now received the reconciliation." 45:30 Amen. Isn't that beautiful? 45:32 Isn't that beautiful, 45:34 the checkbook of salvation balance that. 45:36 Isn't that hopeful? Amen. Praise God. 45:39 I mean, it's hopeful because you know, 45:41 none of you watching this program 45:43 could even stand up and say, now I deserve to be saved. 45:48 Sit down. 45:49 None of us could stand up and say I deserve to be saved. 45:52 And even if you're not a Christian, 45:53 I want to give you this word of encouragement. 45:56 Don't think that Christians have an advantage 46:00 other than they just accepted the pardoning grace of Christ. 46:05 So all you've got to do 46:07 to come into reconciliation with God 46:09 and have the joy is accept that gift of reconciliation. 46:12 He said, "I want to forgive you. 46:14 I have atoned for you to be forgiven. 46:16 But now let me close the gap between you and My Father." 46:19 And that's the person of Christ. 46:21 Amen to that? Amen. 46:22 We often don't see that. 46:24 So this is something, 46:25 we were enemies when that happened. 46:27 But now as children, we accept it, 46:29 and we're no longer enemies. 46:30 Ron? Did you call that checkbook? 46:34 That checking account could never be overdrawn. 46:38 Never be overdrawn. Amen! 46:42 I really do. Never. Praise God. 46:44 That's why I pause that if you and I are redeemed 46:45 with things like silver and gold 46:47 with the precious blood, you know, all of our need, 46:50 according to his riches and glory. 46:51 Amen. That's powerful. 46:53 Blood is priceless. Priceless. 46:55 Priceless. 46:57 Now, I want to get to this next one 46:58 because it's going up 46:59 to the next level in the ladder, 47:01 the next rung on the ladder. 47:03 In what way does the Bible 47:04 reveal the importance of reconciliation? 47:07 Is it Ricky now? 47:08 Yeah. Okay, Ricky. 47:10 2 Corinthians 5:17-19 is where we're headed right now. 47:13 In the New King James Version, it says. 47:15 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, 47:18 he is a new creation, 47:21 old things have passed away, behold, 47:23 all things have become new." 47:25 Okay. Pause right there. 47:26 Pause it there. Now we got to grab this. 47:28 This is such a powerful passage. 47:29 You got to break it down. 47:30 It's like a really good cheesecake, 47:34 I'm using a loose illustration. 47:35 A vegan tofu cheese. Exactly. 47:38 It's like a cheesecake that you absolutely love. 47:40 And you take the first bite and I've seen this people go... 47:43 Melt in your mouth. What's wrong? 47:50 It is saying if anyone is in Christ 47:52 he's a new creation. How does that happen? 47:56 Old things. 47:57 What things? Old. 47:59 Anything behind you is old, right? 48:01 What has happened to them, Ron? 48:03 They have passed away. 48:05 Another word for passed away, they're dead. 48:08 How many things that come, how many things are new? 48:10 All. 48:11 So all the stuff you did is gone 48:15 because you are in Christ. 48:19 And you are a new creation, to God be the glory. 48:21 Now, Ricky, take it hold on to your seats, 48:24 because verse 18-20 48:26 is going to light up that furnace. 48:29 "Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us 48:33 to Himself through Jesus Christ, 48:37 and has given us the ministry of reconciliation." 48:41 So what I've done for you, now you go do, 48:44 this is your ministry. 48:46 Keep going. 48:47 "That is, that God was in Christ 48:51 reconciling the world to Himself, 48:55 not imputing their trespasses to them, 48:59 and has committed to us the word of reconciliation." 49:04 Okay. Notice what he did. 49:05 God through Christ reconciled the world to Himself. 49:11 But then it says not imputing their trespasses to them. 49:13 What does that mean? 49:15 That means that 49:16 He's not holding their trespasses. 49:19 He's not keeping them 49:21 over here in a bank against them. 49:23 Just in case he needs it. Bring it up. 49:26 Remember what you did? 49:28 Remember what you did, you know that's irritating. 49:31 Yes, it is. 49:33 Donna, good to see but I never forgot 49:34 what you did seven years ago. 49:37 The Lord doesn't do that. What does He do? 49:40 He throws into the depths of the sea, He forgets it, 49:44 He remembers it no more, 49:46 and the Bible says somebody once said that 49:48 he puts out a no fishing sign. 49:51 And as far as the east is from the west so far has as, 49:55 so far has he removed our transgressions from us. 49:57 So here's the point. 49:59 When you think about what God has done for you, 50:01 don't do opposite to somebody else. 50:03 But now Ricky is going to take it 50:04 to the next level in verse 20. 50:05 Okay. 50:07 "Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, 50:11 as though God were pleading through us: 50:15 we implore you on Christ's behalf, 50:18 be reconciled to God." 50:21 Isn't that powerful? 50:22 So watch this, you're new creation in Christ 50:25 because Jesus atoned and got rid of all your junk. 50:30 You are new creation. 50:31 Everything in front of you is brand new, 50:33 what have happened to that ulcer? 50:34 It was gone, I just throw it out, 50:36 the garbage truck left, 50:37 it's going to dump it into the ocean, 50:38 have no fishing sign. 50:40 Nobody has gone there ever since I put that sign there. 50:42 Praise God for that. 50:43 But now here's what I want you to do. 50:44 I just reconciled to you. 50:46 Now I want you to do the same to other people. 50:49 But I don't want you to do it in an arrogant way. 50:51 I want you to implore them on Christ's behalf. 50:54 I've said when I do appeals, friends, 50:57 I said I don't mind begging for Jesus. 51:01 When I do an appeal, people say why you took so long? 51:03 Oh no, I'm not taking long. It's not a sermon process. 51:06 I'm saying to you, be reconciled to God, 51:08 give your life to Christ. 51:10 That's why this quotation from Desire of Ages, 51:12 I'm going to read the first paragraph. 51:14 And then we're going to wind up on the second one. 51:15 Look at this. 51:17 Desire of Ages, page 440, paragraph one. 51:21 "We then that are strong 51:22 ought to bear the infirmities of the weak 51:24 and not to please ourselves. 51:27 No soul who believes in Christ, though His faith may be weak, 51:31 and steps wavering as those of a little child 51:34 is to be lightly esteemed, 51:37 by all that has given us advantage over another. 51:41 Be it education, refinement, nobility of character, 51:45 Christian training, religious experience, 51:47 we are in debt to those less favored, 51:52 and so far as it lies in our power, 51:54 we are to do what, minister on to them. 51:58 If we are strong, 51:59 we are to stay up the hands of the weak. 52:02 Angels of glory that do 52:04 always behold the face of the Father in heaven, 52:07 joy in ministering to His little ones, 52:11 trembling souls, 52:12 who have many objectionable traits of character." 52:16 Don't wait till they all got everything in line. 52:18 Don't wait to say, "Well, when you get it all together, 52:19 I'll help you out." 52:20 No. God's got to do that. 52:22 But it goes on to say, "Trembling souls 52:25 who have many objectionable traits of character 52:28 are their special charge. 52:30 Angels are ever present, where they are most needed. 52:35 For those who have the hardest battle 52:37 with self to fight, 52:40 and whose surroundings are the most discouraging. 52:43 And this in this ministry, 52:46 Christ's true followers will cooperate." 52:48 But look at how it ends. 52:49 And you have another quotation about you had early, 52:51 I want you to not forget that. 52:53 Wants you to get that in the end here. 52:54 Listen to this part, friends. 52:57 "If one of these little ones shall be overcome 52:59 and committed wrong against you, 53:01 then it is your work to seek His restoration. 53:05 Do not wait for him to make the first effort 53:08 for reconciliation." 53:10 How think he said Jesus, if a man have 100 sheep, 53:14 and one of them be gone astray? 53:17 Doth he not leave the 99 and go into the mountains 53:21 and seek that which was that which has gone astray 53:24 and if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, 53:29 he rejoices more of that sheep 53:33 then of the 99 which went not astray, 53:37 even so it is not the will of your father, 53:41 which is in heaven, 53:43 that one of these little ones should perish." 53:45 So we are saying the ministry of reconciliation, 53:47 God did all that for you. 53:49 Don't wait for people to come to you. 53:50 You go to them. 53:52 Don't wait for people to have all the, 53:53 everything right. 53:55 You don't have everything right, right? 53:56 And this one more quote, 53:58 and then we'll have some closing thoughts. 53:59 Listen to this, Honey. Where's this from? 54:01 Christ Object Lessons, page 144. 54:03 Paragraph two. 54:04 "One of Christ's last commands to His disciples 54:08 was love one another, as I have loved you." 54:11 John 13:34, "Do we obey this command 54:15 or are we indulgent and sharp 54:18 on Christlike character of traits? 54:21 If we have in any way grieved or wounded others, 54:26 it is our duty to confess our fault 54:29 and seek for reconciliation. 54:33 This is an essential preparation 54:36 that we may come before God in faith and ask, 54:39 to ask His blessings." 54:41 Wow. It's a precursor to blessings. 54:42 Yeah. 54:44 Let me give you guys an opportunity 54:45 to comment here before we close. 54:46 Yes. We'll start with you, Ron. 54:49 You know, one thing 54:50 I got out of this is reconciliation 54:55 is if someone has done something 54:58 against you, you say, well, I've forgiven them. 55:02 I've deeply, I forgave them. 55:05 And it's so sad that we can't get along. 55:10 No, this is saying that you need to go to them, 55:14 and not brag about your forgiveness of them. 55:18 But go to them and say, "Listen, 55:20 this is come between us. 55:23 Let's pray about this. Let's get this out of the way. 55:28 Let's get back to that friendship that we had. 55:32 Let's get back to serving the Lord together." 55:36 That's right. Together. 55:38 Donna? 55:39 Well, it seems with everything that we have looked at, 55:43 I believe that it's more. 55:47 God helped me keep the negativity out of myself, 55:50 out of my heart because if I don't, 55:53 then it'll just keep getting blacker and blacker. 55:57 And I know, I always talk about the 10 virgins, 55:59 why did the five not get to go in, 56:03 something wrong in the heart, it was something wrong. 56:06 Right. Ricky? 56:08 I got an example I'll close within. 56:10 In the Civil War, there was a lot of death, lot a carnage. 56:14 The Jefferson Davis of the Confederacy, he died. 56:18 Of course, after later on, 56:19 and Ulysses Grant of the Union, he died. 56:23 But what's interesting is that there are two spouses, 56:27 Verina Davis and Julia Grant, the two of them, the wives, 56:33 they actually settled near each other. 56:37 And it said that they became the closest of friends. 56:40 Wow. 56:41 There had to be some kind of reconciliation 56:44 there between those two parties. 56:46 And I thought that was a great example for us 56:48 to remember of how this can come together 56:52 this reconciliation that we all need. 56:54 That's right, they were on the opposite sides 56:56 in the war, the Confederate war. 56:57 Honey? 56:59 Being reconciled, I don't want it to be fake. 57:01 I want it to be real. 57:03 To be reconciled with my brother, my sister, 57:06 I'm reconciled with my Lord. 57:08 That's right. 57:10 And, friends, what we talked about today 57:11 cannot happen except that Christ abides in you. 57:16 So our prayer for you is that you sit down 57:18 and just start inventorying your life. 57:20 Are you at peace with your family? 57:22 Are you at peace 57:23 with your brothers and sisters in church? 57:25 Are you at peace if there's something between 57:27 you and anybody else? 57:28 We pray that you can be reconciled to God 57:30 so that God can reconcile you to others. 57:33 May God do that until we see you again. 57:36 Happy Sabbath. Happy Sabbath. |
Revised 2020-11-23