Resurrection Weekend: Forgiveness/Repentance/Judgement
I am often puzzled over the things "Christians" say I pray out of ignorance to God's Word. One of which is the understanding of Forgiveness, Repentance, and Judgement. Any beginning bible student hopefully understands that they are all linked.
Peter once asked Jesus how many times you are to forgive your brother......Here's Jesus talking....
Matthew Chapter 18 verses 15 - 22
15 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 18 Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed[f] in heaven. 19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” 21 Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.
.
On another occasion, John (The Baptist) was baptizing those that were trusting in God in the Jordan River and in Matthew chapter 3 he says something quite strange from a "Worldly" perspective. Some of the Religious "Fake" leaders called Pharisees came to see what all the excitement was about......................
Matthew Chapter 3 verses 1 - 12
11 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
Sounds a little judgmental to the "knowledgeable" people today doesn't it. Please notice the reference to "fruit in keeping with repentance". This means that the Pharisees were fake because they wanted to be called "Righteous and Holy" without living out true Holiness. They were wanting to have Forgiveness and be Right with God, without CHANGING.
Then again there is the time when Jesus is talking about the "thorn" in the eye and not to "Judge", but please continue to read further....well, here it is from God's Word:
Matthew Chapter 7 verses 1 - 7
1“Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. 3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.
Notice why he calls the "Fake" leaders here Hypocrites; because they will not look at themselves before looking at others to help them. So from this understanding it's not WRONG to point out another's faults in the right way, but you should make sure that you are right with God first. .
Here is the point, if you take the ENTIRE council of God's precious Word, you will find that if you truly are sorrowful and want to change, you will, (Repentance) and you can have a right relationship with God and others and He and others will accept you, (Forgiveness) and you will not live under condemnation (Judgement) from the result of your wrong behavior.
Please understand, I'm not saying that you can be perfect, but it does mean if you have God in your life you will recognize when you fall and be quick to repent and seek forgiveness. If you're not willing to do this, I plead with you because you are standing in Judgement for your unholiness before God and your only escape is in trusting in the Life, Death, And Resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ. There would be no better weekend to do this than this Easter Weekend.
May God open your eyes,
Sammy
Peter once asked Jesus how many times you are to forgive your brother......Here's Jesus talking....
Matthew Chapter 18 verses 15 - 22
15 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 18 Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed[f] in heaven. 19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” 21 Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.
.
On another occasion, John (The Baptist) was baptizing those that were trusting in God in the Jordan River and in Matthew chapter 3 he says something quite strange from a "Worldly" perspective. Some of the Religious "Fake" leaders called Pharisees came to see what all the excitement was about......................
Matthew Chapter 3 verses 1 - 12
1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said,
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare[a] the way of the Lord;
make his paths straight.’”
‘Prepare[a] the way of the Lord;
make his paths straight.’”
4 Now John wore a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, 6 and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. 10 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.11 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
Sounds a little judgmental to the "knowledgeable" people today doesn't it. Please notice the reference to "fruit in keeping with repentance". This means that the Pharisees were fake because they wanted to be called "Righteous and Holy" without living out true Holiness. They were wanting to have Forgiveness and be Right with God, without CHANGING.
Then again there is the time when Jesus is talking about the "thorn" in the eye and not to "Judge", but please continue to read further....well, here it is from God's Word:
Matthew Chapter 7 verses 1 - 7
1“Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. 3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.
Notice why he calls the "Fake" leaders here Hypocrites; because they will not look at themselves before looking at others to help them. So from this understanding it's not WRONG to point out another's faults in the right way, but you should make sure that you are right with God first. .
Here is the point, if you take the ENTIRE council of God's precious Word, you will find that if you truly are sorrowful and want to change, you will, (Repentance) and you can have a right relationship with God and others and He and others will accept you, (Forgiveness) and you will not live under condemnation (Judgement) from the result of your wrong behavior.
Please understand, I'm not saying that you can be perfect, but it does mean if you have God in your life you will recognize when you fall and be quick to repent and seek forgiveness. If you're not willing to do this, I plead with you because you are standing in Judgement for your unholiness before God and your only escape is in trusting in the Life, Death, And Resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ. There would be no better weekend to do this than this Easter Weekend.
May God open your eyes,
Sammy
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