For the last time! This verse is NOT about America.

it was the AL that God gave me this is wretched Radio gotta make a correction there was an error on wretched radio that's right there was no I don't believe it blame the Al was having a conversation with Al some of you know Al he is very very very nice what I'm trying to say is he's a nice guy nevertheless he was sharing a story with me about forgiveness how it is it truly can be an act of the will that you have to discipline yourself to have the trajectory of forgiveness no matter what people do to you now we're not talking about safety issues we're not causing about physical harm from that you call the police and run or run and call the police whichever seems to fit the situation best not talking about that nevertheless when people hurt us in any way shape or form my attitude should be one of at the very least desiring forgiveness now there are some people would say you don't really grant forgiveness that transaction doesn't take place until the person repents and and I wouldn't get into an argument over that because I think the heart issue is the same my attitude is I want to forgive this is - I want to be forgiving why because that's God's heart that's God's desire that's God's nature in fact to demonstrate that let me grab this ancient heavy NLT Bible that's right the NLT Bible and take you to second chronicles this is a verse that gets used a lot by Americans sometimes politicians sometimes activists this is regarding the dedication of the temple and this was second criminal first Chronicles seven wait a minute are they saying the temple wasn't dedicated that it wasn't true to its mission that it didn't stand by its morals that's exactly what I'm saying no it's second Chronicles seven all right so here's here's the context we need we've heard this verse before if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land do that and God will heal our land from really bad ideologies from bad political movements from anything that's really getting up our nose as reported on Fox News these days that's kind of how that verse gets used but we've got to remember context context context we're studying this verse just this morning in preparation for Herman who - Herman who - will be coming out of this fall it's gonna be a rather lengthy you can edit as you see fit Sunday school curriculum individual study curriculum to know how to interpret Bible verses rightly and I think that right away one of the big rules of hermeneutics context context context helps us with understanding this verse so Solomon I'm going back just to verse 11 Solomon finished building the temple as well as the royal palace he completed everything he'd planned to do it one night the Lord appeared to Solomon and said I've heard your prayer and have chosen this temple is the place for making sacrifices now this is this is important because remember in on the original language we didn't have verse breaks this is verse 13 it's related directly to verse 14 I might shut up the heavens so that no rain falls or I might command locusts to devour your crops or I might send plagues among you then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways I'm going to do two things forgive their sins heal their lands from what the drought the locusts the pestilence period not from the Democratic Party God was speaking to Solomon about whom the Jewish people and I believe the Mosaic Covenant is in view here Deuteronomy 28 God promises if you just keep the covenant you're gonna live in a land flowing with milk and honey I'm gonna bless you like nobody's business but if you don't I'm going to whack you but when you repent I'll heal heal your land may be part of the Abrahamic covenant in view there what do we learn from this we learn a ton from this verse it's not for America it's not for a rally outside of the state capital this is this is not a promise that if a lot of Republicans will pray the Democratic Party will be defeated no this is a promise from God to those people at that time that if you fail in your promise to keep the Mosaic Covenant I will punish you as I promised but I will relent if you repent this is helpful because there are some verses in the Bible that's where God is I'm going to whack those people but they repent any quote changes his mind an anthropomorphic term that we can get he didn't change his mind like I didn't know they were gonna repent all right I'm not so mad anymore no this verse actually describes God's character in nature he's a he's a forgiving God he's a relent in God if we will respond in repentance and so when we see those verses where God promises doesn't because there was repentance it doesn't mean that God changed his mind like he didn't know stuff that he isn't good and keeping his promises now this is the big promise ah oh I'll punish you Jews if you don't behave but I'll relent when you repent and the same thing actually applies to us now remember we're not punished for our sins Jesus was punished for our sins but God disciplines us but God won't need to discipline us if we re pent from our sins because that's what he's desiring from us holiness and obedience now that was all just kind of an aside to the point of God being a forgiving God if my people my my people hear that my people not not those people mine my people who are called by my name they'll repent pray and seek my face turn from their wicked ways I've hear from heaven and forgive do you hear the desire for God to forgive God wants to forgive he loves to forgive remember god gets glory from sending people to hell but it's a small glory it's not up it's not it brings him glory but it's if you will to use the vernacular of somebody maybe from the 1950s it's no great shakes for God to send somebody to hell he gets glory but it's small glory instead his desire is to see sinners saved that is his preference that is his that is his choice I've this did I like saving people more than sending he has no delight in the death of the wicked he's a forgiving God knowing that is the face of God that his trajectory is toward forgiveness you've been forgiven by that God and he says forgive the way that you have been forgiven therefore my trajectory my desire is to always be forgiving now whether you hold the position somebody has to repent or not up to you shouldn't divide the church but shouldn't our heart be the same attitude shouldn't we be wanting to desire to to forgive and forgive quickly and so Al and I were chatting about that and he said Dolly Madison was quoted as saying after being kind to people who had slighted her don't you remember and she said I distinctly remember forgetting that al told me it was Dolly Madison Clara Barton who's pretty close she was the Red Cross founder and president of the Red Cross Clara Barton as she had been she'd been approached by a friend of a wrong done to her some years earlier don't you remember asked her friend no I distinctly remember forgetting that does that mean that you never actually remember it and the answer's no when God uses the term that he takes our sins and throws them into the sea of forgetfulness it he doesn't get a brain swipe he doesn't lose his omniscience oh I forgot that Todd was such a lout before I saved oh yeah enough really I'd forgotten that's ridiculous of course he remembers it but what he doesn't do is dredge it up doesn't pull it up and throw it in your face he doesn't use it as a cudgel to get you to conform he motivates us by his kindness God forgive forgives quickly and and and we should chew and there's times that we need to say I am NOT going to harbor this grudge I'm not going to violate first Corinthians 13 I'm gonna hope all things I'm gonna have a short list I am NOT going to hold grudges I am NOT gonna keep record of wrongs I'm gonna if you will forget it no doesn't mean that you don't actually remember it doesn't mean you don't learn lessons from it but you're not bruised by it you're not scalding from it and you're not desiring to use it to retaliate at the first golden opportunity that you have why what is our motivation because you and I big sinners have been for given by the God who loves to see his people repent because he loves to forgive us and he has in Christ and that's what should motivate us this is wretched radio you

Channel: Wretched

Views: 27,775

Keywords: Todd Friel, Wretched TV, Wretched Radio, Evangelism, Gospel

Id: NweBWOOdRfE

Length: 11min 6sec (666 seconds)

Published: Thu Aug 02 2018