The Family affair pt. 2

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. I pray that God will continue to help

us to live in the reality of these songs. For

the first one, he says, one of the hymns, the

song, Hark the herald angels sing. Glory to the

newborn king. Peace on earth and mercy mild.

God and sinners reconciled. Hallelujah. And that

is the theme of Christmas. That is the essence

of Christmas. That is the essence of God coming

in the form of a man, that there will be peace

on earth and mercy will be made available and

then God and sinners will be reconciled together.

Hallelujah. Now, without this reality, there

wouldn't be need for Jesus or for God becoming

Jesus and coming on earth for us. So his humanity

is anchored on what he will do in order to redeem

a man, to redeem you, to redeem me unto himself.

That man will be reconciled to God. So it is

in the light of this that we are brought into

a family. We are brought into a family. And on

Sunday we discussed, we started, discussing a

very fundamental principle that guides our relationship

as a family. And we talked on the idea that love

is a governing principle of the family that we

belong to. Now, quickly turn with me. Let's have

a few recap before we move forward. Matthew 18,

Matthew 18:18

verse 18. Matthew 18 from verse 18 to 20. I surely,

I say to you, Matthew 18 verse 18 to 20. I say

Matthew 18:18–20

to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound

in heaven. And whatever you lose on earth will

be loosed in heaven. Again, I say to you that

if two of you agree on earth concerning anything

that they ask, it will be done for them by my

Father in heaven. For wherever two or three are

gathered together in my name, I am there. I'm

in the midst of them. I'm there in the midst

of them. Hallelujah. And we summarily said that

Jesus here was teaching about what? Was teaching

about forgiveness and what? And reconciliation,

okay? Of a family. Jesus was speaking in a light

of forgiveness and reconciliation in the family.

Now, this family, we agree that it is a supernatural

family, right? It is a family that is spiritual.

Not necessarily your biological family. And I

said on Sunday that your biological family can

be part of that spiritual family, conditioned

on the fact that they are believers. Okay? So

no matter how much you love your dad, you love

your mom, no matter how much you love your siblings

or you love your wife or your children or your

husband, if that person is not in Christ, if

that person has not received salvation in Christ,

such an individual is not your brother or sister

in Christ. Such an individual does not belong

to this supernatural family. You might be family

biologically, but you are not family spiritually

because you must be born of God. You must all

be born of the Spirit in order to participate

in this spiritual family. And it doesn't matter

how good they are. It doesn't matter how sincere

they are. It doesn't matter how loving they are

to you. If they have not believed in Jesus Christ

and have received the Spirit of God, you don't

belong to this eternal family with them. And

the danger of not belonging to this eternal family

is that there is the possibility of eternal separation

from them. So the reason why you preach the gospel

is because you love them. First of all, not only

there is an instruction from God, but because

God loves them and you love them as well. So

what do you do? You present the message to them.

You pray for them and you present the message

to them with the hope that they will receive

the message, believe in the message, receive

the Spirit of God, thereby participating in this

supernatural family. Hallelujah. So pastor told

us last week that this gathering is a gathering

of supernatural beings. And all of us here are

gathered because we are supernatural. And God

is here with us. Way too often you are gathered,

God is in their midst. God is here with us. So

this is a family meeting. Hallelujah. This is

a family meeting of God's family, supernatural

family. And what we are doing is that we are

feasting. on the fruit of the Spirit. All we're

doing is that we're dining, we're eating. This

is our food. The Word of God is our food. So

what we're doing now is that we are participating

in the fellowship. We are sharing in our meal.

And this meal is a supernatural meal. It is the

Word of God. Hallelujah. So, this family is also

what we call the Kingdom of God. is a church

of God. As members of the family of God, the

Bible teaches us that in the course of our relationship,

in the course of our interaction, because we

are humans and we are not perfect in the physical,

even though our spirit man is perfect, we are

perfectly loved by a perfect God, we've been

brought into the perfection of God through Christ,

in our conduct, there could be limitations in

our conduct. There could be challenges in our

conduct because we are still in the flesh. So

it is not impossible for us to have conflict.

What I'm saying is that it is possible for us

to have conflict in the course of our relationships.

Hallelujah. So offenses will come as the Bible

has rightly reminded us in Luke chapter 17. That

Luke 17 · chapter mention

offenses will come, Luke 17. In the course of

our relationship as a family, offenses can rise,

Luke 17, from verse 1. Then he said to them,

to the disciples, It is impossible that no offenses

should come, but word to him through whom they

come. It would be better for him if a mild song

were hung around his neck. and he were thrown

into the sea, then he should offend one of these

little ones. Take it to yourselves. If your brother

sins against you, if your brother sins against

you, seven times in a day, and seven times in

a day returns to you saying, I repent, what should

happen? I'm reading verse 4, right? If he turns

to you and says, I repent, you shall forgive

him. Hallelujah. Now, forgiveness and reconciliation,

we said, are a vital part of our nature. Amen?

Because this is an instruction from God. Because

we are obliged to what? To forgive. Hallelujah.

We are obliged to forgive. At all costs, we must

what? We must forgive. Ephesians 4 verse 32.

Ephesians 4:32

Ephesians 4, 32. Ephesians 4, 32. He says, be

kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving

one another, even as God in Christ has done what?

He has forgiven us, all right? So our action

is a result of what God himself has acted towards

us. Colossians 3, verse 13. Colossians 3, verse

Colossians 3:13 Colossians 3:13

13. Colossians 3, verse 13. Bearing, let me read

Colossians 3:13

from verse 12. Therefore, as elect of God, holy

and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness,

humility, meekness, longsuffering. Verse 13.

Bearing with one another and forgiving one another.

If anyone has a complaint against another, even

as Christ would forgive, so you also must do.

You also do. You also must do. Hallelujah. So

God has stated a standard and a procedure for

forgiveness and reconciliation for his children.

And if we have received the forgiveness of God,

it is important that we obey the words of God.

By what? By forgiving and reconciling one another.

Hallelujah. And let's go back from verse 15 of

Matthew 18. Matthew 18, verse 15 to 17. Moreover,

Matthew 18:15–17

if your brother sins against you, if your brother

sins against you, go and do what? And tell him

his fault between you and him alone. If he hears

you, you have gained your brother. Verse 16.

But if he will not hear, take with you one or

two more, that by a 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 hidden and a tax collector. And look

at verse 15 carefully. Verse 15 says, verse 15

or other, it says, sins, if your brother sins

against you, Noah King James uses the word trespass

against you. If your brother sins against you

or trespasses against you, Right? And not against

God. So the sin is against who? It's against

you, the believer. It's not against God. So the

conversation here is dealing with relationship

between who? Between men, between us. Right?

In our relationship, if a brother sins against

you, not against God. So this conversation is

dealing with A relationship between men. This

affirms, it affirms, the text affirms the possibility

that your brother or your sister or your supernatural

family members will do what? They will sing against

you. Alright? It means that they can trespass

against you. They can trespass against you. Now,

trespass or sing in the Greek word as used in

that text. is the word hamartano, H -A -M -A

-R, H -A -M -A -R -T -A -N -O, N -O, hamartano,

which in this context means to miss the mark,

all right? If your brother miss the mark towards

you, it also means to err. It also means to offend.

So it means if your brother missed the mark towards

you, if your brother hurt your relationship towards

you, if your brother offends you, it means that

standards are not met in the course of our relationship.

There are standards that are expected in the

course of our relationship. And these standards

are established from scriptures. And what are

the standards? The standard is that we operate

in love towards one another. That is a standard

from Scripture. So if your brother or your brother

misses the mark, misses the standard in the standard

of our relationship towards one another. So standards

can be missed. Standards are not made in the

relationship between you and your brother. The

brother failed in the expected standard of living

between you and him. He misses the mark, your

own mark, and not God's mark. All right? In the

course of our relationship, he misses the mark

towards you and not towards God. What do we do?

We go. And when we go, what do we do? We tell

the brother. We tell him his fault. Alright?

He calls us to say verse 15. Go and tell him

his fault. How? Between you and him alone. If

he hates you, you have gained your brother. It

says go. Okay? When there is a fault between

you and a sister, what is the instruction? Go.

A brother offends you, what do you do? You pray

about it? You gather people around and tell them

how the brother offended you? What do you do?

You go to the brother. You go to the sister.

Okay? Go out and speak. Tell him his fault. That's

what the scripture says. You and him alone. So

who will go? Who will do the going? Huh? Who

will do the going? You that has been offended.

Right? Not the person that offended you. But

you that has been offended, the scripture says,

what do you do? You initiate forgiveness and

reconciliation. You and him alone. The brother

is at 40 years, no doubt. It's not that about

the faults. It's evidence. In fact, there is

nobody that will look at the context of the offense

and not know that you are the one that has been

offended. The brother could be wrong, agreed.

The sister could be wrong. Nevertheless, you

are responsible for initiating forgiveness and

reconciliation. Hallelujah. Now some of us will

be saying, but this is not fair now. This is

not fair. He's the one that offended me and he

knows what he did. He did it intentionally and

this is the first time he has done this. In fact,

this is his character. This is what he loves

doing. He just likes offending me. She likes

offending me. The Bible says, do what? Go. Alright?

You go. Sometimes the brother may not even know.

Sometimes it is intentional. Nevertheless, the

knowledge of the brother or the sister has no

consequence to the instruction given to you.

You must take the first step. You must take the

first step towards what? Reconciliation, towards

forgiveness and reconciliation. You must go.

You know, offenses are built on lack of communication,

right? Oftentimes, when issues are not communicated,

it can pile up to bigger issues. Sometimes, you

know, a brother and a sister in church, we are

just all together, and then you just say something

that is even a joke you make, and the person

pick offense. And it blows up out of proportion.

And most of the times that there's already a

compilation of offenses that have not been communicated,

all resolved offenses will lead to, you know,

the destabilization of our relationship. Our

relationship will not flow effectively. It becomes

impossible for you to even minister to the person

spiritually or be ministered to by the person

spiritually because of offenses. So, offenses

are built in the absence. Therefore, we must

make ourselves, you know, available to discuss,

to converse, and to relate, and to communicate

them. So, if your brother sins against you, what

should you do? Huh? What should we do? We do

what? I want to hear the word go. What should

we do? Do you understand the word go? Do we need

to explain the Greek meaning of the word go?

G -O, go. That's what it means. You go, right?

In the Greek, it means to lead under. You take

the leadership. You are the one to initiate what?

We'll see why it's important. We'll see why this

is very, very necessary. It means you have to

take the lead in this reconciliation. So where

do you go? What do you do? You tell him his fault.

But how? Are you to just pour out your mind because

the person has offended you? Telling him his

fault is not fault finding. is not to go and

make him know that he has committed a sin. That

is not the goal of going to tell your brother.

Going to tell your sister is not to prove a point

that you've been offended. That is not the goal.

Going is not to prove yourself to be right and

the other person is in the wrong. That is not

the goal of going. It's not to find fault. Or

to negatively rebuke by telling the peace of

your mind. I just want to go there and I'll tell

that peace of my mind and then I'm gone. And

that is how some of us, the moment we just pour

out our mind, then we feel, we now feel relaxed.

We feel at peace. No, that is not the peace of

God. Amen. It is actually telling the person

to expose the wrong done to you. Right? It's

actually to expose the mistake or the offense

in order to restore the relationship. That is

the goal of going. In order to what? To restore

the relationship. The relationship is more important

than the offense. The relationship is a target.

Of you going and not the offense itself. The

relationship is more valuable than the offense.

You must tell the person when offended because

there is no room to keep quiet in God's family.

We don't keep quiet with offenses. We don't keep

quiet with offenses. There's no room for that.

I said earlier on, I said pointing out the wrong

is not equal to fault finding when you speak.

You are not finding fault when you speak. All

right? You're not looking for fault. But rather,

your goal is to expose the wrong towards reconciliation

of that relationship. And whenever a brother

says he's sorry, you have no right. Okay? You

have no right whatsoever to withhold forgiveness.

You have no right as a believer to withhold forgiveness.

They don't have to gather the entire village.

They gather the village chief, the police, the

district head, and everybody in your clan to

go and ask you for forgiveness. Until they do

some sacrifices and they not appease you. You

have conditions. Until the person did all these

things. I had a story of a guy that someone embarrassed

him in the public. After many years, about 20

years, they went to the brother and said, this

person has realized how wrong he is. The person

said, I don't have a problem. In fact, I don't

have a problem forgiving this person. But if

the person can gather everybody that is there

that day. 20 years ago. Where would they even

get the contact of everybody that was there?

Then the person can now tell them in the front

of everybody. Then I will now be satisfied and

forgive. Who are you? What kind of a condition

is that? So as believers, we must be quick to

initiate forgiveness, to initiate reconciliation

because that is God's instruction to us. Hallelujah.

Verse 15 goes on to say, if he hears you, you

have what? You have gained your brother. So the

ultimate goal is to gain your brother and not

to win the argument. All right? The ultimate

goal is what? Is a relationship I've set for

you to gain your brother and not win an argument

or to show that you have been offended or to

gather sympathy because some of us, what we do

is that when we are offended, the quickest thing

for us, what satisfies us is that we enjoy people

sympathizing with us. It's not to gather sympathy

and to prove that the person is wrong and you

are right. But the goal is that you gain your

brother. And the brother will be gained. The

word gain there is a direct opposite of the word

loss or perish. It's a direct opposite of the

word perish or to lose. So if you don't go to

him, you don't discuss the fault, there's a possibility

that you will lose that brother. Or that relationship

will perish? Relationship will perish? Now, the

context says, when Jesus says, you've gained

your brother, he's not speaking of an unselfish

person. Okay? He's not speaking of an unselfish

person. Jesus is speaking in the context of a

relationship that relationship is restored. Alright?

So the conclusion for us is that if you are offended,

the moment you feel that you are offended, that

moment that you feel that you are offended is

the moment that you begin to initiate forgiveness

and what? And reconciliation. It is your duty

to seek for forgiveness and reconciliation. You

don't have to wait for your brother to come to

you, but you must go to him. You don't just forgive

in your heart because that's what some of us

do. I've forgiven her in my heart. I've forgiven

her. I don't have any problem with him, but you

see, we don't talk. Deep in my heart, I've forgiven

her, but I have in this life, I will never do

anything with her. I will never do anything with

him. You make promises. You make promises. And

you swear oaths never to do again with a brother

in the Lord. But the instruction for us is to

seek after forgiveness. You don't just forgive

in your heart, but you must go and do what? And

reconcile. It is an action we must take. We don't

just forgive in our hearts. We go out there and

what do we do? We reconcile. Jesus did not just

forgive you in his heart. God did not just thought

of the sin that you committed as an individual.

God did not just, in the heavenlies, just think

of our offense, of our separation with him, and

then he just left it that way. He took an action,

and the action is to reconcile us to himself.

So that is the foundation by which we act. The

essence of forgiveness is to restore the relationship.

The essence of forgiveness is what? Is the restoration

of that relationship. So forgiveness without

reconciliation is not Christianity. It is not

Christianity. We don't forgive and not relate

with people. We don't forgive, then stop talking

with people. We don't forgive and not reconcile

with people. We must forgive and reconcile and

keep relating. Hallelujah. I know for sure that

there is a part where the other individual is

not willing to relate, is not willing to reconcile.

All right? We'll talk about that later and subsequently.

You know, the Bible asks us to treat him as what?

Treat him like a heathen, like a tax collector.

Well, look at what that means subsequently. So

sometimes this seems hard, okay? It seems very

hard. How can this person with this level of

offense, oh, pastor, you don't understand what

this brother has done. You don't understand the

magnitude of this crime. You don't understand

the magnitude of this offense. You don't understand

the degree. of what this brother did to me. You

don't understand the degree to which this offense

is to me. You don't know how many years I've

been under the infliction of this offense. You

don't know what this has cost me. You don't know

how this has affected my entire career. You don't

know how this has affected my entire relationship

with others. How can you just say I should forgive?

You don't know how many times he has wronged

me. You don't know how many times. And let's

say Jesus' reply to the disciples. Because when

he was teaching them this, it was counterculture

for them. It was something so hard and it was

something hard to chew. Luke chapter 17. Let's

Luke 17 · chapter mention

start from Luke 17. Luke 17 from verse 1. Jesus

said, verse 3, Jesus says, take heed to yourself.

If your brother sins against you, rebuke him.

Now, this rebuke, right, is not to shout and

scream at him. All right? It's not negative incognition.

All right? It's the same thing as we saw in Matthew

18. Go to him and reason concerning the wrong.

Okay? So, Take it to yourself. If your brother

sins against you, rebuke him. And if he repents,

forgive him. And if he sins against you seven

times in a day, and seven times in a day retires

to you, saying, I repent, you shall what? You

shall forgive him. And the disciples, understanding

what Jesus said, they asked him in the next verse.

And the apostles said to him, Lord, increase

our faith. In a way, Lord, help my heart. In

a way, help me to do this because I don't believe

I can do it. Alright? Now look at what Jesus

said in verse 6. So the Lord said, if you have

faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this

mulberry tree. Now, in the context, now what

is the context? Because some of us have also

misquoted this passage to say, oh, If you have

faith, you can tell this mountain to move. You

don't know the mountain or the tree that is speaking.

He's talking about forgiveness as a context.

Amen? That is to say, with your faith in your

heart, you can forgive. How big that thing is,

you can forgive. No matter how big and thick

and how long the offense is, you can forgive.

So if you have faith as a mustard seed, You can

say to this mulberry tree, be pulled up by the

roots and be planted in the sea and it will obey

you. And look at this parable he gave, this story

he gave. And which of you, having a servant plowing

or tending sheep, will say to him when he has

come in from the field, come at once and sit

down to eat. But will he not rather say to him,

Right? Prepare something for my supper and guard

yourself and serve me that I have eaten and drunk

and afterwards you will eat and drink. It's a

question Jesus was asking. That is to say, of

whom of you, having a servant, having a slave,

who came from the field, you call that slave

and say, come and sit with me on the table. Will

you not tell that servant to go and make the

foods? And when you've eaten, you are satisfied,

then what will happen? You can say, oh yeah,

I'll go and do what you want to do. Is that not

what you do? Speaking in human's terms, in human's

relationship. All right? Verse 8. But would he

not rather say to him, prepare something for

my supper, and guard yourself, and serve me till

I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will

eat and drink? Verse 9. Does he thank the servant

because he did the things that were commanded

him? I think not. After the servant have cooked

for you, have cleaned your house, have prepared

the table and have eaten with you, do you tell

the servant thank you? Is it not his job? Is

it not what you bought him for? Is that not what

he's supposed to do? Jesus says, I think not.

You don't thank him. All right? So likewise,

you, when you have done all those things which

you were commanded, say, We are unprofitable

servants. We have done what was our duty to do.

All right? So Jesus is comparing the conduct

of the servant. Now, the servant is not expecting

the master to thank him for doing all those things

because he's a slave. And that is his duty. The

instructions from the master is the responsibility

of the servant. So Jesus will say, We have done

what was our duty to do. We are unprofitable

servants. We have done what was our duty to do.

Now this is in context to the instruction and

the commandment to forgive. That is to say, you

are obligated to obey the commandment regardless

of how you feel. Regardless of how you feel because

it is an instruction from God. An instruction

from God. You are a servant of God. You what?

You forgive. You have to what? You have to forgive.

We must forgive because it is a command. You

were an unworthy servant. Unworthy of forgiveness.

But God forgave you. But God forgave you. And

we can see how perplexed they were and they were

asking Jesus to increase their faith. And he's

telling them, you, when your faith is like a

mustard seed, we are not saying that it's a faith

size of a mustard seed. No. It's not faith that

is as a mustard seed. But the moment you believe

in Jesus Christ as your Savior, you have the

ability to allow the Spirit to walk through you

to forgive others. So building you, is the ability

to do what? To forgive sins. So forgiveness and

reconciliation actually is the Christmas message.

Hallelujah. That is the Christmas message. Forgiveness

and what? And reconciliation. Now the birth of

Jesus Christ marks the moment that God initiated

to grant mercy unto us. As Scripture states,

God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself.

What was he not doing? He was not counting people's

sin against him. 2 Corinthians 5. 2 Corinthians

5 .17 Now, I want you to look at this clearly.

Right? God will never give you an instruction

to do something that He Himself has not done.

Hallelujah. So, He is a leader. He leads us into

doing what He instructs us to do. If you say

you must forgive, it's because He Himself has

taken the lead in forgiving. Hallelujah. So,

verse 17 says, If anyone in Christ, he is what?

He is a new creation. All things have what? Passed

away. Behold, all things have become new. How?

Now all things are of God who has what? What

has he done? Look up. What has he done? Is it

that he is reconciling us or he has reconciled

us? He has reconciled us to who? To himself.

Through Jesus Christ. And has given to us the

what? The ministry of what? Of reconciliation.

So reconciliation is a message that we have received

to preach. Alright? Remember when we were talking

about binding and losing? Alright? And we said

that the context of that binding and losing is

that we preach forgiveness and reconciliation

to men. Also, in this context, we are speaking

about binding and losing. In Matthew 18, is that

we bind and lose ourselves within ourselves,

the relationship within us in the context of

our living together. That we are able to do what

we forgive and reconcile within ourselves. So,

reconciliation, forgiveness and reconciliation

is both a message and a lifestyle for the believer.

That we don't only go out to preach that Jesus

As forgiving sins, we don't want to go out to

preach that God in Christ has reconciled us and

is reconciling the world to himself, but that

we in our conduct towards one another, we do

what? We forgive one another and we reconcile

with one another. Our conduct towards one another

becomes the message we preach. How will they

know that you are my children? Is it not in that

you forgive one? To another that you love one

another and that is forgiveness within you? Or

more yourself? Forgiveness and reconciliation

is a Christian message. Now this divine initiative

teaches us that God has set an example for us

in forgiveness and reconciliation. God is not

just commanding that we forgive and reconcile

with one another, but he has first demonstrated

that for us. Then he commanded us, who have received

forgiveness that he has given, who have been

reconciled to him. Then he commanded us, do likewise

as I have done to you. Do likewise as I have

done for you. I have reconciled you to myself.

I have brought you into union with me. Because

we ourselves have missed the mark towards God.

By the standard of God's perfection, All men

have trespassed. We have what? We have all transgressed.

Romans 3, verse 9. Give me Romans 3, verse 9.

Romans 3:9 Romans 3:9

Romans 3. 9. What then? Are we better than they?

Not at all. For we have previously charged both

Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin.

Now, God's perfect standard is his law. All right?

God's law is a standard by which we are judged.

As it is written, there's no righteous, no not

one. There's no who understands. There's no who

seek after God. They have all torn aside. to

gain have become unprofitable. There is none

who does good, not one. Their throat is an open

tomb. With their tongues they have practiced

deceit. The poison of abs 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. There is no fear of

God before their eyes. Now, We know that whatever

the law says, it says those who are under the

law, that every mouth may be stopped and all

the world may become guilty before God. So by

the law, all of us are guilty before God. By

the law, all of us. By the law, by the standard

of the law, all of us are guilty before God.

Therefore, by the deeds of the law, no flesh

will be justified in his sight. For by the law

is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness

of God, apart from the law, is revealed, been

witnessed by the law and the prophets. Now the

law and the prophets. In the righteousness of

God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and

on all who would, who believe. For there's no

difference. For all have seen and fall short

of the glory of God, being justified freely by

his grace through the redemption that is in Christ

Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by

his blood, through faith to demonstrate his righteousness,

because in his forbearance God had passed over

the sins that were previously committed. So God

in his forbearance has passed over your sin.

He has passed over my sins. He has passed over

my offense, our offenses towards God. God in

Christ has dealt with it. Verse 26. To demonstrate

at the present time his righteousness, that he

might be just and a justifier of the one who

has said in Jesus Christ. Hallelujah. So, By

the standard of God's perfection, all men have

trespassed. We have transgressed against God.

But in Jesus Christ, what we see is that he has

dealt with our sins. He has forgiven our sins

unconditionally, once and for all and forever.

Never to remember our offenses. By the standard

of God's perfection, All men are worthy of condemnation.

All of us, by virtue of God's standards, we are

worthy of condemnation. Ezekiel 18 verse 4. Ezekiel

Ezekiel 18:4 Ezekiel 18:4

18 verse 4. Ezekiel 18 verse 4. It will say that

Ezekiel 18:4

the soul that sin, right? The consequences of

sin is what? Is death. Behold, all souls are

mine. The souls of the father as well as the

soul of the son is mine. The soul who sins shall

what? Shall die. That is the Lord's judgment.

I will see it emphasized in Romans 6 .23. When

Paul was discussing law and grace in Romans 6,

Romans 6:23

verse 23, Romans 6, verse 23, it says, For the

Romans 6:23

wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is

eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. The penalty

of sin that we've done, To us, God is death.

But we see in Christ, He has given us life. He

has forgiven us. He has reconciled us to Himself.

He has given us eternal life. Not just forgiveness

for the meantime, but forgiveness forever. Hallelujah.

So, when we offended God, what did God do? When

we sinned against God, what did He do? What did

he do? Huh? Who can tell us what God did when

we sin against him? He came to us. Isn't it?

Hallelujah. God carried to us. Hmm? When we sin,

what did God do? When man, okay, let me use the

word man. When man sin, what did God do? theme

to man. Is that not the Christmas message? Hmm?

Is that not the Christmas message? What happened?

Jesus was born. Why was he born? So that we can

have Christmas today? So that we can have sweet

hymns to be singing? He came because we messed

up. He came because we are not worthy. He came

because we have missed the mark. He came because

There is a trespass because we are separated

from him. That was why he came. He didn't come

to give us the religion. He came because there

was a separation. Matthew chapter 1 verse 18.

Matthew 1:18

Yes. Matthew chapter 1 verse 18. Now the birth

Matthew 1:18

of Jesus Christ was as follows. After his mother

Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came

together, there was a scandal. There was a scandal.

Mary was pregnant and Joseph was not responsible.

Hallelujah. She was found with a child of who?

Of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph, her husband,

being kind of a kind man, not wanting to disgrace

her in the public, he didn't want to post it

on his Facebook status, on social media to make

everybody see that Mary has messed up. He planned

to quietly serve her breakfast. To secretly what?

Put her away, right? But while he thought about

these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared

to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, son of David,

do not be afraid to take to you Mary, your wife,

for that which is conceived in her is of the

Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a son,

and you shall call his name Jesus. For he will

do what? will save his people from their sins.

So what brought him into the world is the salvation

of men from their sins. So all this was done

that it might be fulfilled because it was prophesied

by God, which was spoken by the prophet through

the prophet saying, Behold, the virgin shall

be with a child, and bear a son, and they shall

call his name Emmanuel, which is translated,

God has come to men. Hallelujah. We sinned and

God came to us. Amen. We sinned, right? Man sinned

and God came. God came to man. Do you see why

I was emphasizing you must go, you must go, you

must go, you must go? Because God has come. Jesus

has come. So you must go. God came to man. 1

1 Timothy 1:15

Timothy 1 verse 15. 1 Timothy 1 verse 15. This

1 Timothy 1:15

is a faithful saying that is unworthy of all

acceptance. That Christ Jesus did what? Came

into the world. To do what? To save sinners.

Christ did what? He came. into the world, which

means that he existed before the world. He only

came into the world to save sinners of whom Paul

says, I am chief of Galatians 4. Christ came

into the world. Christ came to us. He came into

humanity because of sin. Galatians 4. Galatians

4. The Christmas message is about forgiveness

and it's about reconciliation. But when the fullness

of time had come, what did God do? God sent forth

his son, born of a woman. Is this Christmas?

Born under the law. Right? To do what? To redeem

those who were under the law that we might receive.

The adoptions as sons, to be reconciled and be

brought into union with him, to become family

with him. That is why we have Christmas. God

came and died for us. Even when we were in sin,

which means that we were... We didn't merit God

coming to die for us. We were not good before

he came. Hallelujah. Which means that if your

brother sins against you, he doesn't have to

have, he doesn't have to deserve your forgiveness

before you forgive. Which means that even your

dad that has abused and misused and abused you,

He doesn't have to deserve your forgiveness because

you yourself, while you are yet in sin. Romans

Romans 5:8

5 verse 8. Romans 5 verse 8. Romans 5 verse 8.

Romans 5:8 Romans 5:8

It says, but God, what did he do? He demonstrates

his own love towards us in that while we were

still sinners. Christ. He did die in heaven.

Where did he die? On the earth. Which means he

came to us. He died to fix the issue of our relationship

with God. Even while we were still in rebellion.

Even when we didn't even know that there is an

offense. Even when we were in ignorance. I wanted

to use the word ignoramus. We were undeserving

of his love. Nevertheless. Who initiated the

coming? Did you pray before God came and died

for our sins? Did anybody pray that God will

understand the condition of man before Jesus

came? The birth of Jesus, was it a prayer who

brought it about? Were they sort of prophets

that were praying to enforce, to make the hand

of God to move, to come and save humanity? It

is God all by himself initiating the forgiveness.

It is God all by himself initiating our reconciliation

to him. So John chapter 3 verse 16 will say,

John 3:16

God loves what? Everybody. God loves the entire

world, including sinners. The love of God is

all that is compassionate to even those who are

not deserving of his love. You are not deserving

of his love, yet he died for you. Hallelujah.

So collectively, we are partakers of the unconditional

love of God. We are partakers of the forgiveness

and the reconciliation of God. Therefore, it

becomes an instruction. It becomes a command

that you, when your brother sees against you,

what do you do? You go to him. And what do you

do? You reconcile the matter. Because the goal

of God was to gain us. Alright? So, if you look

at it, he didn't think of his godliness, as the

scripture would say. He didn't think of his status

as something so precious for him. He didn't think

of his purity and holiness as something to withhold

to himself. But he came down in the form of a

man like us, live, in this body like we have,

limited in space and even knowledge because he

has to learn the scriptures. He has to eat and

sleep and do the things we do. He came at our

level, interacted with us that he may die a very

shameful death for the redemption of men. So

what level can you go in order to reconcile with

your brother or with your sister? To what extent

have God not gone for us? To what extent can

you go that will surpass what Christ has done

for us? Hallelujah. So reconciliation is a must.

Forgiving and reconciling is a must. And how

often should we brothers sin against us? That's

what we're going to look at it from next, from

on Sunday. I will see Jesus begin to give a parable.

All right? Jesus gave a parable. Then Peter came

to him and said, Lord, 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.

Therefore, the kingdom of heaven. The family

that we belong to, right, is as this. A certain

king who wanted to settle accounts with his servant,

and when he had begun to settle accounts, once

one was brought to him who owed him 10 ,000 talents,

but as he who was not able to pay, his master

commanded that he be sold with his wife and his

children and all. that he had and the payment

he made. Then the servant fell before him and

said, Master, have patience with me and I will

pray you all. Then the master of that servant

was knowing with compassion, release him. This

releasing is losing. It's what is called the

binding and the losing. The master released him

and forgave him his debt. And that is what God

has done for us. And he expects that we, similarly,

should be able to do or demonstrate such virtue

one to another. Especially, especially, specifically,

those of the household of faith. Now, as we think

of Christmas, our mind should be set on what

God has done for us in Christ. And what our conduct

should be. What our response should be. First

of all, Force one another. Until next time, stay

blessed.