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,
verse 18. Matthew 18 from verse 18 to 20. I surely,
I say to you, Matthew 18 verse 18 to 20. I say
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
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. 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
13. Colossians 3, verse 13. Bearing, let me read
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,
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
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. 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
18 verse 4. Ezekiel 18 verse 4. It will say that
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,
verse 23, Romans 6, verse 23, it says, For the
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.
Yes. Matthew chapter 1 verse 18. Now the birth
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
Timothy 1 verse 15. 1 Timothy 1 verse 15. This
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
5 verse 8. Romans 5 verse 8. Romans 5 verse 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,
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.