Something Most Important That We ALL Must Give And Receive!!!!!
The Passion of JESUS CHRIST was to die on the cross to pay the price for forgiveness for our sins, to teach His earlier disciples so that through them the Holy Spirit would write the New Testament, and to draw "all who will come" to accept HIM as Savior and Lord --- and to continue to draw others into His kingdom!!!
HIS passion Has NOT changed, Will NOT change!!! "JESUS CHRIST is the SAME yesterday, today, and Forever." (Hebrews 13:8).
By GOD'S Goodness, HE will change us more and more into HIS image. (2 Corinthians 3:18). He will Complete the "... good work HE has begun in you until the Day of JESUS CHRIST." (Philippians 1:6).
In Matthew 18: 21-35, Jesus is answering Peter's question: "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to SEVEN times??!!!??"
Please, before we read JESUS' answer to Peter's question --- let's take a look at the culture in which Jesus and His disciples grew up --- JESUS knew that--- beginning at a very young age ---all children were taught what we call the "Old Testament".
In (Genesis 4:23-24), a man named Lamech is speaking to his two wives: "Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; wives of Lamech, listen to my speech! For I have killed a man for wounding me, Even a young man for hurting me. If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, then Lamech Seventy-sevenfold."
Now, let us go back to Peter's question. Peter asked Jesus: "How often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to SEVEN times??!!!?? "Jesus said to him, I do not say to you up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven."
Later on in this passage (Matthew 18: 21-35/ Living Bible): "The kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up-to-date. In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him 10,000 talents (the largest sun that could be imagined). The man could not pay that, so the king ordered him sold for the debt, also, his wife and children and everything he had.
But the man fell down before the king, his face in the dust, and said, 'Oh sir, be patient with me and I will pay it all.' Then the king was filled with pity for him and forgave his debt.
But when the man left the king, he went to a man who owed him 100 denarii (a very small amount), he grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment. The man begged him: 'give me a little time''. But his creditor would not wait - and had the man put into prison.
And the king called before him the man He had forgiven and said 'you evil-hearted wretch! Here I forgave you all that tremendous debt, because you asked me to---shouldn't you have mercy on others, just I had mercy on you?"
Please notice, Jesus does not give a legalistic nor mathematical formula. HE means limitless forgiveness!!!
So, back to the numbers that Peter said ("up to SEVEN times?") And Jesus answered: "Seventy-times seven," The message that JESUS was teaching - was: I want you to be at Least as Passionate about FORGIVENESS as Lamech was about vengeance!!!
*** Please, YOU read those 15 verses for yourself (Matthew 18:21-35)*****
So, let us (You and me) pray with our hearts, our speech, and our actions: " Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be Your Name, Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Forgive us our debts (our sins) as we forgive (those who sin against us.)
JESUS paid the price for ALL of the forgiveness we need--so let US be PASSIONATE about FORGIVENESS!!!!!!!!
For YOURS is the kingdom and the power and the glory Forever.
LORD, we bow before YOU and ask YOU to enable us to have, and to live out, a Passion for Forgiveness!!!
Amen. Let it be so in our hearts.
