The Family Affair pt. 3

Welcome to NECF sermons. Each message here is

designed to uplift and strengthen you in your

walk with God. Don't miss out. Stay with us until

the end for a rewarding experience. Let's dive

right in. You know, I was just speaking to the

pastors and I told them, I said, God has been

gracious to us in this house. There's no, we

gather here and then, the word of God does not

speak to us. God does not speak to us. Every

time and every moment we gather, there's always,

always the word of God for our spiritual building.

And I want to encourage you to be serious about

what you're receiving. Hallelujah. 52 weeks,

52 days, every Sunday, every Wednesday, and every

Friday. Hallelujah. As Paul would say, we have

not shown to declare to you, right, the counsel,

all the counsel of God's word. Now you have a

responsibility. Now, if you don't see your life

becoming better, it's not that God is not faithful.

It's not that God is not working. Probably you

have to examine how you've been responding to

God's word. It will be foolishness for you to

be doing something over and over and over again

and expect to see a different result. Hallelujah.

So this new year is an opportunity. to restock,

to take stock, rather, and to be open to changing,

change your ways. Let me use the word, let me

use this phrase, change your ways. The things

you've been doing have not been usually resolved.

Maybe there's another, but there's a better way

to do it. Hallelujah. So please, be encouraged

to take advantage, to participate. And enjoy

the work of God. Because you see, sometimes when

we come in, we speak with some of you, we are

wondering, you've been here for three years,

four years. You've been hearing, we've been teaching

you from week out and week in. And we are surprised

at the responses we hear and some of the actions

we see you take. You see that we are not doing

well. So really encourage us. The greatest encouragement

we can receive as your pastors is the result

that we will see, the fruit that we will see

coming out of your life. Hallelujah. Now turn

with me to Matthew 22. Matthew 22 from verse

34. Unread from the NLT. But when the Pharisees

heard that he had silenced the Sadducees with

his reply, they met together to question him

again. One of them, an expert in religious law,

tried to trap him with this question. Teacher!

Which is the most important commandment in the

law of Moses? And we know what the law of Moses

is, right? Pastor has been teaching us about

the law of Moses. So which is the most important

commandment in the law of Moses? What is the

central point of Moses' teaching? What is the

dominant theme? In the law of Moses. Jesus replied.

Verse 37. This is it. You must love the Lord

your God. With all your heart. All your soul.

And all your mind. This is the first. And the

greatest commandment. And summarily. We are talking

about loving God. How we love God is our. is

by our response to his word. This is how we demonstrate

our love towards God. Amen? We demonstrate our

love to God by our response to his word. And

the response that will show that we love God

is faith. Hallelujah. We show faith, we believe

in God's word. Or we talk about believing in

God, or we're talking about putting our trust

in Jesus Christ. This is how we express our love

towards God. So he went on to say in verse 38,

this is the first and the greatest commandment.

A second is equally important. Love your neighbor

as yourself. So when we express our faith towards

God, we express our faith towards God. believing

in his provision for our salvation, believing

in his word, what he says about who he is and

what he has done, then we love our neighbor.

And he went on to say in verse 40, the entire

law and all the prophets and all the demands

of the prophets are based on these two commandments.

So the summary of God's message to us, right,

is about love. Love for God and love for one

another. Love towards God and love one to another.

We love God by responding to his word, by obeying,

then we respond equally. by how we demonstrate

love towards one another. And this has been the

summary of all that the prophets have been seeing

from Genesis to Revelation. This is the message.

Love towards God, faith in Jesus Christ, and

then how we love one another. And this has been

what we've been discussing this season. How we

can effectively walk in love towards one another.

And we established that we are a family. We are

members of the same family. And how we become

members of this family is by faith in Jesus Christ.

Our response towards God, towards... having faith

in Jesus Christ and his finished work brings

us into family, brings us into relationship with

God. And then we highlighted as well that as

family, offenses will come in the course of our

human relationship. All right? Because sometimes

we have so much expectations towards one another

that is not real. Because we have so much expectation

that in the house of God, as a fellowship together,

oh, these are angels. You know, we're angelic

beings. So when a brother offends you, you become

offended by the entire church. So long as we

are in this world and we are humans, offenses

or conflicts would arise during our human interactions

because we have different history. All of us

come from different backgrounds. Are we together?

We have different stories. We have different

experiences. So in the course of our relationship

as humans, because first of all, we are humans.

Okay? Of course, we are supernatural beings,

but we are living in the world. We have physical

body and we live in a physical world. So in the

course of our interaction, there will be conflict.

I think in the course of our meeting with the

pastors, Pastor Victor bring us to something

that was, you know, that was a lie to me. He

said that, Even in scriptures, the apostles,

some of the conflict they have was just a conflict

of opinion on what is right. It's not necessarily

that they were selfish, no. It was their passion,

their display of passion for the work of God

can bring conflict and friction. So it is not

something new to find offense even in our midst.

because Jesus has informed us. He has taught

us in the Word. The Word of God is very explicitly

clear about our relationship and what will happen

within our relationship with one another. So

don't be surprised if someone that is a believer,

that is born again, that even carry the Spirit

of God, you know, do something that offends you.

These are things that... are bound to happen

in the course of our interaction with one another

because we are humans. But the word of God went

on to teach us that we are obligated to do what?

To forgive. Alright? And when a relationship

gets sour, we have obligation to forgive and

to reconcile our relationships. Because we are

members of God's family, we have a responsibility.

To protect our relationship. To guard our relationship.

You know, we live in a world where people don't

regard relationships. And whenever they relate

with people, it's all about what they will get

and then that's all. But God wants... See, the

Christian faith is a relational faith. And God

has high value for relationships. For family.

Hallelujah. So reconciliation, forgiveness and

reconciliation is very, very integral part of

your faith. If you're a believer and you don't

forgive, you find it hard to forgive. It means

that you're not living out your character. Amen?

So forgiveness and only forgiveness, reconciliation

is very, very important. Without forgiveness,

without reconciliation, forgiveness is not complete.

Without reconciliation, forgiveness is not complete.

If you say I forgive but I don't want to talk

with this person, that is hypocrisy. Because

without reconciliation, forgiveness is not complete.

So we have a duty to not only forgive but to

reconcile the relationships. And we say that

the most important goal In the course of reconciliation

is that we what? That we gain the brother or

the sister. We are not trying to reconcile the

point to prove ourselves right or the other person

wrong. But the most important thing that we value,

we have high value for the relationship. So the

relationship is more important than the offense.

Hallelujah. The relationship is more important

than the offense. And God has set us an example

in the word of God. And we are saying on Wednesday

that Jesus Christ or Christmas or the most, that

the message of Christmas is actually the message

of forgiveness and what? And reconciliation.

Now we read in Matthew 18, verse 15. Matthew

Matthew 18:15 Matthew 18:15

18, verse 15, the key scripture. It says, moreover,

if your brother sins against you, Go and tell

him his fault between you and him. Between you

and him alone, if he hears you, you have deigned

your brother. But if he will not hear, take with

you one or two more, that by the mouth of two

or three witnesses, every word may be established,

and if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the

church. But if he refuses even to hear the church,

let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.

And shortly I say to you, whatever you are buying

on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever

you lose on earth will be lost in heaven. Again

I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth

concerning that anything that they ask, it will

be done for them by my Father in heaven. For

where two or three are gathered together in my

name, I am there in the midst of them. So these

were the words of Jesus to the disciples, especially

those who are his, that he has called them out,

not only for salvation, but he has called them

forward for the work of ministry. All right?

So Jesus is giving an instruction, and we'll

read further, we'll see how. Peter responded

to this from verse 21. Matthew 18, 21. Then Peter

came to him and said, Lord, how often shall my

brother sin against me? Since you've told us

that if our brother sins against us, what should

we do? We should go and tell him and reconcile

and all those things. Then Peter said, how often?

Shall my brother sin against me and I forgive

him up to seven times? Then Jesus said to him,

I do not say to you up to seven times, but up

to 70 times seven. And then he began to explain

to them how the relationship happens in the family.

Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a certain

king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.

So Jesus here gives a parable to explain or to

teach further what he has said in the previous

verses. Now we establish that whatever God will

tell us to do, he himself always set the example

for us. And God cannot tell you to do something

that he himself has not worked out the pattern

for us. And we say that the birth of Jesus Christ

Is actually God in Christ reconciling the world

to himself? 2 Corinthians 5, verse 17 and 18

2 Corinthians 5:17

tells us that God, he's a pioneer of reconciliation,

forgiveness and reconciliation. Therefore, if

anyone in Christ, he is a new creation. All things

have passed away. Some of us, when we forgive,

We see all things though. We had archives and

files and folders of offenses of people that

once they do something, we dust all the files

and we begin to open and count all the offenses,

specific date and time and season. But in Christ,

we see that all things of God have passed away.

Behold, all things have become new. Now, all

things are of God. Who has what? What has he

done? God, a Christ, has reconciled us to himself

through Jesus Christ and has given us also the

responsibility of going out to reconcile people

to God. So we have a ministry of telling people

that God... has reconciled himself, or rather

the message of God being reconciled with men,

that Jesus has forgiven, that God has forgiven

sins through Jesus Christ. So then how can we

who are ministers of reconciliation, forgiveness

and reconciliation, live in all forgiveness?

That is hypocrisy. How can we who are supposed

to be ministers to preach the forgiveness of

God? To preach the reconciliation of God are

not able to agree within ourselves and forgive

and reconcile with one another. And that is not

the truth. We can't be what we are what we are

not. We can't teach or preach what we have not

experienced or what we are not doing. So God

himself, for him to even give us that instruction,

he demonstrated it by himself and then giving

us the responsibility to go out to do what? To

do same into the world. And if we do the same

in the world, then we have an instruction. It

becomes an obligation. It becomes a commandment

for us to do what? To lift out the message. Because

when you forgive and you reconcile, you are acting

the gospel. You are acting the word of God. We

say that by the standards of God's perfection,

all men have what? We have all trespassed against

God. We have transgressed. Romans chapter 3 verse

Romans 3:9

9 talks about transgression of all men. All men

have sinned by the standards of the law. What

then are we? Better than they? Not at all. For

we have fiercely charged both Jews and Jews that

they are all under sin. The next verse. As it

is written, there is no unrighteous, no not one.

There is none who understands. There is none

who seeks after God. They have all torn aside.

They have together become unprofitable. There

is none who does good, nor not one. Their throat

is an open tomb. With their tongues they have

practiced deceit. The poison of abscess is under

their lips. Whose mouth is full of cursing and

bitterness? Their feet are swift to shed blood.

destruction and misery are in their ways, and

the way of peace they have not known. Now this

is describing a man that is under sin, a man

that has not experienced the salvation and the

forgiveness of God. And the way of peace they

have not known. Yes, the next verse. There is

no fear of God before their eyes. Now we know

that whatever the law says, now this is the description.

Now we know that whatever the law says, it says

to those who are under the law, that every mouth

may be stopped and all the world may become guilty

before God. So by the standards of the law, all

men are what? We are equal. We are all falling

short of the standards of God. Verse 20. Therefore,

by the deeds of the law, no flesh will be justified

in his sight. For by the law comes what? The

knowledge of our shortcoming. By the law comes

the understanding that we cannot meet up the

standard of God. Hallelujah. So none of us can

meet the standard of God. Alright? But now the

righteousness of God, this is how God equalizes

us. Now the righteousness of God, apart from

the law, is revealed, being witnessed by the

law and the prophets. Even the righteousness

of God through faith in Jesus Christ to all and

on all who have faith in Jesus Christ, who believe

in Jesus Christ. For there is no difference between

all of us here. For all our world in the past,

all have sinned and all have come short of God's

standards. Remember I was telling us, the scripture

says, if your brother sins against you, it simply

means that in our relationship there are standards.

And we in the course of our relationship can

fall short of our standards. The expectation

that is needed in our interaction every day,

we can fall short of the standards of our interaction

together. I can offend you, you can offend me.

In the course of even correcting, I can offend.

For all have sinned and all have fallen short

of the glory of God. Be justified, how? Free.

Free. By His grace. through redemption that is

in Christ Jesus. So God reconciles himself, right?

Three, whom God set forth as a propitiation by

his blood through faith to demonstrate his righteousness.

Because in the forbearance of God, God has passed

over the sins that were previously committed

to demonstrate at the present time his righteousness,

that he might be the just. the just and the justifier

of the one who has faith in Jesus Christ. Hallelujah.

So by the standard of God's perfection, all men

have trespassed. By the standard of God's perfection,

all men are worthy of condemnation. And we see

God coming to us, isn't it? Coming to us and

then dealing with the transgression that we have

transgressed. And we see God, coming to us in

the form of Jesus Christ, isn't it? Jesus was

born in order to reconcile us. So it would be

fitting for Jesus to say, if your brother sinned

against you, do what? Go to him. Because when

we sinned against God, God came to us. And what

did he come to us to do? He didn't come to give

you a better life. He didn't come to make you

financially rich. He came fundamentally toward

to reconcile with you because there's a problem.

There's an offense problem. There's a relationship

problem. So God in Christ came to us to deal

with the issue of sin for us to be forgiven.

And when we are forgiven, did God cease to communicate

with us? Did he say, okay, the world have died

for you. Henceforth, I don't want to talk with

you again. I don't want to relate with you again.

No. He lived in us in the form of the Holy Ghost.

He inhabits us. He lives in us permanently and

forever. We have union with him, eternal relationship

with him. We have this union that is eternal

that we can communicate, we can come in, we can

enjoy fellowship, we can enjoy his leading, we

can enjoy his preservation by the Spirit. So

not only that he forgave us and reconciled us

to himself, he brought us into an eternal union.

That is why we are committed to telling you that

you cannot, we repeat, you can never be separated

from the love of God. Because God himself has

committed himself to your redemption, to your

reunion with him, to the forgiveness of your

sins. Therefore, he has brought you into this

eternal relationship with him. So therefore,

We on our paths have an obligation. And what

is our obligation? That when a brother sins against

you, what do you do? You do what God has done

for you. Because you cannot outdo what God has

done. What Christ has done has eternally reconciled

you to God. What Christ has done has forgiven

all your sins, past, present, and future. So

you cannot see, your sin cannot overdo what God

has done in Christ. And this places us in a position

to always forgive one another. Consequentially,

it means That there's no sin that a brother can

do to you that you cannot forgive. Because there's

no sin that you can do, right, to God that God

can never forgive. As a child of God, you are

eternally forgiven. And it comes with a consequence.

And the consequence is that what? That you also

forgive. Always. And that is our heart prayer

that this message of love will be rooted in our

heart. That God's love will be rooted in our

hearts. That we will understand the depth, the

breadth, the width, the length, the height of

the love of God towards you. And by that understanding,

you begin to live this kind of love towards people.

This is how people will know that you are a child

of God. It's not in how many times you give prophetic

words. It's not in how many times you prophesy

or you pray in tongues and then your words are

sanctimonious. That is what makes you a believer.

That's not what makes you a child of God. That's

not what makes you spiritual. The spirituality

will be seen in your demonstration of love towards

people, especially, especially the people of

God. So God in Christ has reconciled us to himself.

Similarly, he laid down a pattern for us that

in our relationship with one another, we can

forgive one another. Verse 15, Matthew 18, 15

says, if your brother sins against you, Go and

tell him his fault between you and him alone.

If he hears you, you have gained your brother.

And then we discuss that the instruction for

the believer is to be quick. The instruction

for us is to be quick to forgive and to seek

reconciliation. Whenever a brother sins against

you, we'll know how mature you are. Spiritual

maturity now. Spiritual maturity. We'll know

how spiritually mature you are. to the speed

at which you forgive and reconcile. If it takes

you years to forgive, it means that you don't

understand the things of God and you are still

a bit. The speed at which you respond to offenses

in the sense that you respond. What is our response

to offenses? Forgiveness. Forgiveness shows the

level of maturity in the things of God. Now,

when we are offended, it's not enough to pray

for the person. Because oftentimes, we pray for

people when we are offended. We must also talk

to them. You don't just have the liberty to solve

the problem the way you like. You know, some

people come to us and then when there's an offense,

we say, see brother, there's a need for you to

reconcile with this brother or with this sister.

Say, no, me, that's the way I feel. That's the

way I do my things. You don't have an exclusive

way of doing things in the family of God. You

don't define the rules in the family of God.

You don't determine how relationships are led

in the family of God. You follow the rules as

given within the family, within the kingdom of

God. So you don't just have the liberty to solve

the problem your own way. The Bible is clear

about what you should do. Forgive. Go to the

person and seek reconciliation. And I can feel

in my heart that last week, Sunday, and even

Wednesday, there are some people here that are

battling with reconciliation. And they feel,

you know, at least I have forgiven the person.

But instruction for you, number one, is not just

to forgive the person in your heart. What do

you do? You must initiate conversation concerning

the offense. And you must speak the offense.

reconcile with the person because the Bible is

clear about what you should do. Go to the person

and seek reconciliation. You can't just say,

I don't feel like doing it. Your love work will

be tested by how many relationships you have

restored. Some of us, every... Every city, every

town, everywhere we go, there are relationships

that end in crisis. And we are so used to it.

People know us with relationships. Every relationship

you have with people always ends in chaos. People

are always the ones that are offending you. People

are the ones that are always doing you wrong.

People are the ones that are always taking advantage

of you. People are the ones that are always...

Anywhere you go, your first speech is like, everybody

just ends up offending you. Don't you think that

there's a problem with the way you live? So we

can't accumulate offenses. Our love will be tested

by how many relationships we have been intentional

about restoring. Verse 16 went on to say, but

if you will not hear, take with you one or two

people. that by the mouth of two or three witnesses,

every word may be established. First step is

that you go, all right, and you may share reconciliation.

Now, if you need help to do that, we are here

to always help. We'll teach you what to do. We'll

teach you what to say. We'll teach you how to

say it because there's wisdom in reconciliation.

But if the person refuses to hear you, the person

is not interested in hearing you, especially

you are in church here. And then you try to reconcile

the pain with the person. And the person say,

I have forgiven you. But when they see you, they

change what? When they see you, they don't even

want to greet it. They don't even want to. When

they say, look for a neighbor and hold the neighbor,

and you are coincidentally seated around the

same seat, the person will go and look for another

person. Because they don't want to look at your

eyes. They don't want to bless you. They don't

want to pray for you. The Bible says, take with

you one or two that by the mouth of two or three

witnesses, every word may be established. Now

the individuals that you take, the one or two

that you take must be the family of God's people.

Hallelujah. Now this is very important. You can't

have an offense with a brother in church. And

the person that will help you reconcile with

the person is Mehmet in the class, from your

class, or Selçuk. You can't have an offense with

your brother in church. And the person that you

take, the one or two people you take is police.

The one or two that you take to the person's

door for reconciliation is police. 1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 6:1

6, verse 1. 1 Corinthians 6, verse 1. There any

1 Corinthians 6:1

of you, the way Paul is speaking here, he says,

there any of you, Having a matter against another,

go to the law. Which law? Is it the law of God?

Go to the police or to the court before the unrighteous

and not before the saints? Do you not know that

the saints will judge the world? And if the world

will be judged by you, are you unready to judge

the smallest matters? Do you not know that we

shall judge angels? How much more things that

pertains to this life? How much more carnal things?

If then you have judgments concerning things

pertaining to this life, do you appoint those

who are least esteemed by the church to judge?

I say this to your shame. That is, if you are

the one that will call police for your brother

and sister in Christ, shame on you. Paul is saying,

shame on you. Is it not that there is not a wise

man? Is it so, rather, that there is no wise

man among you, right, among the family of God's

people? Not even one. Who will be able to judge

between brethren? But brother goes to law against

a brother, and that before unbelievers. Imagine

a believer that professes Christ. goes to report

another believer that professes Christ before

an unbeliever that does not know God. And he

knows the two of you are believers. What gospel

are you preaching? Is there an opportunity for

this person to understand? Imagine you coming

together tomorrow to tell the person about the

love of God and the forgiveness of God. How will

you correlate the issue that happened between

the two? This person... So, you people that know

the love of God and the forgiveness of God can

do these terrible things one to another like

this. It is now therefore it is already an utter

failure for you that you go to law against one

another. Why do you not rather, this is what

it says, rather accept wrong? Alright? Why do

you not rather let yourself be cheated even if

it's been a business? I'd rather allow my brother

to take advantage of me than to sue him. I know

this seems hard and difficult. You know, when

they are preaching these kind of things, people

don't shout glory. People don't rise up and rejoice.

It may not seem juicy, but you know what? We

will face it with the truth. All right? Because

this is the counsel of God's word. I don't have

an opinion. If I have an opinion, maybe I would

have done it another way. My human mind and wisdom

and intellect wouldn't be far from doing what

I do. You know what I'm saying? There's a law

of physics. Equal, false, What will happen? Equal

reaction, right? Which law of force? Motion?

Is it motion? In the kingdom of God, it's not

like that. It's not physics. In fact, in the

kingdom of God, one plus one is not two. First

of all, it's above the law of mathematics. The

one plus one of God in marriage is one. Hallelujah.

So, Is not forced in. Then receiving equal level

of. Then we will be full of. Crisis and chaos.

So we have an obligation. No. You yourself do

wrong and cheat. It is a believer. Say you yourself

do wrong and cheat. And you do these things to

your brethren. To your brothers and your sisters.

Some of you in this house cannot even do business

together. People cannot even sit together and

say, okay, let's pay house rent. The house rent

is £2 .56, for example, now. We are supposed

to £2 .56 divided by two is how much? 120 what?

Point something, something, something. You will

not even allow your brother to carry one point

something, something, something, something. Your

account was balanced to the latter. Habba. Carnal

things. Material things. You always want to exhaust

every privilege in every relationship. You yourself

do wrong and cheat. And you do these things to

your brethren, to your brothers and sisters in

Christ. You know, some of you... See, let me

say this in this house. You know, there are agents

all around. And there are some of us, some of

them in this house. If we hear you doing things

unethical, first of all, you will have us to

face. All right? And then we'll deal with you

appropriately. Now, I'm not saying you shouldn't

do business. But be ethical. Be righteous about

it. Do you even know that the unrighteous will

not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived.

Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers,

nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves,

nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor

extortioners. Who are extortioners? Extortioners

will inherit the kingdom of God. This is not

your identity, all right? And such were some

of you. That is where some of us were coming

from. But you were what? We were washed. We were

sanctified. We were justified in the name of

the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of God. It means

that God has forgiven us. He has made us whole.

He has brought us into a new life. So how can

we, who have been justified and set free from

that kind of life, be living that kind of life?

Even in the family of God's people. So please,

watch out how you live. The individuals you must

carry to go to the concern must be the people

of God. And I said this last week. I said, if

you are the one that someone comes to you and

says, see, when someone offends you and he tries

to reconcile, And the person seems to be difficult

in that reconciliation. When you go to another

person, you're not going there to defend to,

you know, sometimes we want to paint a picture

of ourselves as good. We are the ones that are

right. We are the ones that have been offended.

You know, we try to build the person. Now, when

the person is on your side and you're going to

meet the other person, you go sophisticatedly.

And what you get is actually, So, if you are

the one that is going to accompany someone to

go for reconciliation, don't take sides. Agree

together. Even if you know who is wrong, who

is right, your goal is not to point who is right

or who is wrong. Your goal is to reconcile the

brothers. So, by virtue of your responsibility

as a spiritual man, you are to do what Christ.

What Christ? When Christ came to reconcile us

to God, did he look at our sins before he died

on the cross? What did he do? Even while we were

in sin, he died for us so that we can be brought

into fellowship with God. So you're the one that

is turning the gap. You must act the way Christ

will act. Your goal is the reconciliation of

that relationship. Your goal is that that relationship

will work. will be built up because that is the

will and the purpose of God. So when a brother

says against you, we look for brethren to help

us in the course of that reconciliation once

we find difficulty. And then the last part, it

says, verse 17, and if he refuses to hear them,

that is, you have made the first step. He couldn't

succeed. He gathered one or two, and then you

go to the person, two or three. That mission

failed. If he refuses to hear verse 17, what

do you do? Tell it to who? To the church. That

is, the leadership of the church should now be

involved in trying to reconcile. But if he refuses

to even hear the church, let him be to you like

a heathen and a tax collector. This is where

some of us are looking. We are looking for an

escape. The Bible says, let him be to us like

a heathen or a tax collector. So what do we do?

We treat the person like a sinner, like a trash.

Is that what the Bible is teaching? How did Jesus

treat publicans and sinners? That should tell

us how we should treat somebody that you tried

to reconcile and even in the reconciliation.

Listen, you are not the one that offended this

person in the first place. This person offended

you. Alright? And what did he do to you? You

went to him to reconcile and then he blasted

you. As in the word. You went and carried one

or two brothers or even three because you won

a good number. You went to him and the person

he... He refused to listen to you. You came to

the pastors and said, Pastor, see, this is what

I've done. I've done A, B, and C. And this person

is not responding. The Bible says what? Treat

him like a heathen, a home believer, a tax collector.

Telling it to the church refers to leadership.

And how should we treat the person? As a tax

collector, as a sinner, Let's see how Jesus treats

Republicans and sinners. I think we'll do this

and then we'll stop here. We'll continue next

time. How do you treat a brother? Remember? It's

a brother that you're going to treat like a sinner.

Amen? We're not saying the brother is a sinner.

Sinner in this context is someone that is an

unbeliever. He is a brother, but you have to

treat like the way we treat sinners, unbelievers.

Now, how did Jesus treat sinners? Matthew 5,

Matthew 5:44

verse 44. Let's see how Jesus disdained sinners,

how Jesus was disgusted by tax collectors and

sinners. Matthew 5, verse 44. But I say to you,

Matthew 5:44

We read from verse 44 to 48. But I said to you,

love your word. Aha. This one is a difficult

one. Love your word. Love your word. I want us

to read this verse together. Want to go. But

I said to you. Again. But I said to you. But

I said to you. How do you love your enemies?

Bless those who curse you. That is, you pronounce

God's blessings on them. You pray for their ways

to prosper. Now, this completely, completely

destroyed the theology of my enemies fall down

and... Love your enemies. This is Jesus speaking.

Bless those who curse you. Do good to those who

what? Who love you, who hate you. That means

that if you have an opportunity to do good for

them, what do you do? You respond by doing good

to them. Pray for those who what? Who spitefully

use you. They took advantage of you and persecute

you that you may show that you are what? You

are really the sons and the children of your

father. In heaven, what did he do? He makes his

son, right, to shine on all, on those who are

evil and on those who are good. And he sends

his reign on those who are just and those who

are unjust. So in God's love, there's no selection.

God's love is for all men. For he's loved those

who love you, what have you. Do not even the

tax collectors do the same? Who are the tax collectors?

They are the people that are called sinners.

And if you greet your brethren only, won't some

of you even your brethren until you don't greet

them? Because you have an issue, you don't greet

them. When you see them, you change roads because

you have offense. Let me tell you, you are living

in disobedience to God's word. And I'm telling

you this, we're going to look at it subsequently.

God will hold you accountable for that offense.

God will hold you accountable for that offense.

Do you know how another God will hold you accountable

for that offense? If you go to Matthew, let's

look at this briefly. Matthew 18, verse 32. Matthew

Matthew 18:32 Matthew 18:32

18, verse 32. 32. The last verse in that parable,

is it 32, sir? Cat 5. So my heavenly father,

right, will also do to you, to you, if each of

you from his heart does not forgive his brother

his trespass, which means our God will hold you

accountable for unforgiveness. Are we together?

We're going to study this and understand it based

on the context. So, we'll stop here. I will continue

from seeing how we ought to treat a stubborn

brother or a stubborn sister. A brother that

have refused to reconcile with us even when we

make the steps to reconcile. And God will help

us to live with them in accordance to his will

and his purpose. That they might know the love

of God and respond to the love of God for his

glory and for his honor. This is what I want

to matter and pray and ask God to help us. We

appreciate you being here today. We hope you

carry this word with you throughout your week.

Don't forget to check the show notes for additional

insights. Stay connected with us through our

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you care about. Until next time, stay blessed.