The Opposite of Revenge (Dr. Johnny Hunt)

decision for life welcome to First Baptist Church Indian Trail it is delight to be back I love your pastor and his precious wife I'm so grateful to God for their friendship and only heaven knows how many times I've been blessed by this great church by its pastor by its music and just by you dear people so thank you for the privilege to be here tonight at 6 o'clock Charles Billingsley will lead us and worship it'll be sort of a one-two punch kind of embalming us in praise and worship and then singing a couple of songs and then I'll bring a message on Hoosier 1 and identify the two people that we're missing biblically that should be our one and that will never turn things around what a great song the choir just saying when we realize that the fields are white unto harvest we pray that the Lord would send people into the harvest and he normally sends those that are praying bottom line is there was a day that the overarching theme of Southern Baptist was that we've got to keep the main thing the main thing well I'm here to inform you it is no longer the main thing across America it is in wonderful churches like this but tonight we'll be joined by literally dozens and dozens of other churches tomorrow morning you'll hear your pastor at 8:30 you'll hear Nick Floyd Ronnie Floyd son you'll hear a young lady that's one of the greatest soul winners on our team that will speak so you women I hope you'll please come and then Jimmy Scroggins was to be with us he has the flu he says it's not the coronavirus thank the Lord and so I will fill in his slot so we just heard I want to speak to you today on the opposite of revenge and so Matthew chapter 18 verse 21 it's a passage you know but I pray that God will give us greater insight into it beginning with verse number 21 then Peter came to him and said Lord how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him up to seven times and by the way we do the same thing we basically say I'll tell you one thing they have they have offended me one time too many I am through with them and yet it's Jesus that teaches us the principle of forgiveness and you you can't even understand the gospel if you don't understand forgiveness and so he says up to seven times and Jesus said I do not say to you up to seven times but seventy times seven so not seven times but 490 times here's one thing for sure if you ever forgive somebody 490 times you will be in the habit of forgiving I've often thought have I ever been forgiven or asked forgiveness from any person 490 times and to come to mine the Lord Jesus and my wife alright and so in both have forgiven me so Janet for 50 years this coming November oh my I don't know how many times the Bible says therefore the kingdom of heaven is likened to a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servant and when he began to settle accounts one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents but as he was not able to pay his masters commanded that he be so and his wife and his children know that he had and that payment to be made the servant therefore fell down before him saying master have patient with me and I will pay you all then the master of that servant was moved with compassion released him and forgave him the death but that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred in area and this is the the context of the gospel this man owed the master ten thousand talent but the person that owed him owed him a hundred denarii and he laid hands on him took him by the throat saying pay me what you owe so the fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him have patience with me and I will forgive you all and he would not but went and threw him in prison till he would pay the debt so when the fellow servant saw what he had done and by the way we are being observed by the way we respond when we're injured by others in fact I believe that when I'm injured during the week word gets out in the Woodstock community and they're listening on Sunday if somewhere I'm going to insert a statement to stab the individual that did me harm so it's victory when you can leave it at the cross and the Bible said that the servant saw what was done and look what they did they were grieved and they came and told their master all that had been done and that's what we do when we see two people in the church not getting along we may confront them but we're also gonna pray that God moved them before we try to move them then his master master anthe had called him said to him and listen what he called him this is what the Lord calls one of his children when they're not willing to forgive someone you wicked servant Wow that's pretty powerful and by the way a lot of times people talk about a pastor being harsh the only people that think a pastor is harsh is oneness never read what Jesus preached that was a good place to save men but I'll remind you it's a new time I forgave you all the debt because you begged me listen to this should you not also have compassion on your fellow servant just as I'd pity on you and his master was angry delivered him over to the tormentors that is spiritual discipline until he should pay all that was due him so my heavenly father also will do to you each of you if you from your heart do not forgive his brother his trespass father speak to us in Jesus name Amen the opposite of revenge most people dealing with unforgiveness base their grudge or offense on what some did or said to them or what you did so let me just give two clarifying statements one on forgiveness and one on unforgiveness forgiveness is the act of setting someone free from an obligation to you that as a result of wrong done against you all of us at one time or another have been forgiven or have granted forgiveness I bowed and I've been owed however there's a temptation to bear injury in your life and as a result hold a grudge allow bitterness to set in and become unforgiving and by the way let me tell you that it will lead you to a spirit of cynicism I lead some of the largest senior adult conferences in the country on the other hand I lead some of the largest student conferences in the country same message and oftentimes someone will come to have a book sign anybody say something like this hey while you're signing that book I'd appreciate it if you'd make a note to pray for me my grandkids won't come and visit me and after I talk to him about three minutes I think I wouldn't come visit either he's become cynical cynicism sets in when you start pushing back against the gospel and by the way please hear me it'll come with greater clarity as I preach forgiveness is really giving clarity to what the gospel is all about well that's forgiveness how about unforgiveness it's a bondage that stifles our ability to love and accept those that we know in our hearts most deserve our love it's a bondage that chokes out the abundant life that Christ promised to those who believe so to understand what God and Christ did for us and then to refuse to forgive those who have wronged us it's like the wicked ungrateful Slade in the context Charles Stanley said forgiveness and Bob's three elements number one injury what was done or said to you number to a debt resulting from the injury this attitude he or she will pay for this and then forgiveness is the cancellation of the debt I'm willing to choose to do what is right and I'm going to forgive them when we refuse to forgive others there's a sense in which we attempt to hold them hostage so when a person is taken hostage on the international scene the abductors normally want something in return it may be money weapons or release or prisoners their messages if you give us what we want we will give you back what we have taken there's always some sort of condition a ransom of some sort so when we refuse to forgive others for a wrong done by them we're saying the same thing but instead of holding people hostage until we get our demands we withhold love acceptance respect service kindness and patience sometimes someone says you know somebody didn't me wrong but I honor Jesus I forgave him and then you were at the grocery store Thursday and you turned your buggy to go down an aisle and song and change tiles there's a contrast in words in verses 21 through 35 listen to the contrast on one hand there's anger on the other hand there's compassion on one hand there's prison on the other hand there's reliefs on one hand there's choking on the other hand there's forgiveness so forgiveness reflects the highest human virtue because it so clearly reflects the character of God so a person who forgives as a person who emulates godly character you can be known for your godliness because of your capacity to forgive so let me deal with three things deal with it briefly keep us right on time first of all let me deal with what I call the depth of forgiveness in verses 21 and 22 a Peters trying to calculate things that don't sing listen to this that don't sing hey Lord how many times should I forgive someone seven times and so how many times I need to forgive someone before I can make them pay me what they are so Jesus has a different idea this is good of the value of forgiveness Jesus is about to teach Peter that he needs more than a calculator he needs a change of thinking in his understanding of God's love and forgiveness now why would he say seven times Jewish tradition taught that we have to forgive three times so Peter doubles the number and added one for a good measure how about seven and then verse twenty-two speaks of an immeasurable and unlimited term of grace seventy times seven 490 times so when we think of the depth of God's forgiveness here it is we can't touch bottom that's the depth of forgiveness but how about the description does he describe it nobody told stories as good as Jesus Jesus loved to tell a story and so in trying to help Simon Peter and others to understand the depth of forgiveness he begins to describe it and he does it by talking about the kingdom of heaven like life in the kingdom or listen carefully if Jesus Christ is the resident King in my life this is what the kingdom life looks like so the question is do I want a kingdom life do I want to live in such a way that Jesus Christ its ruling and reigning in my life and so he starts by saying somebody owed the master ten thousand talents well let's understand this if you want to understand what the Bible describes about forgiveness in the economy of that day a man would have to work this is good twenty years to earn one Talent do the math 20 years nobody could earn 10,000 talents if it takes 20 years to earn one and you owe 10,000 what is he doing he's trying to get each of us that claim we're part of God's kingdom to realize that we we owed a debt we were all incapable of paid so you'll never understand the gospel until you understand forgiveness so when I think about my offense against God where I sinned against God I owed 10,000 let me tell you where we get in trouble we try to compare the debt we owe God to that measly amount that somebody owes us oh you just don't know what they did against me no you've got it wrong sir you don't understand what you did against God and you never will understand properly how to evaluate an offense until you know who your offense was against so in terms of buying power it was probably equivalent even in that day to ten million dollars you say well that doesn't seem like we can't get our mind around it well hold on just a moment the talent was the highest known denomination of currency in the ancient Roman Empire in 10,000 was the highest number for which the Greek language had a particular word so the NIV translates in the margins that the amount was so enormous that it was on the borderline of what the ancient mine could even conceive every night in this money system me good night so-and-so did you how much money they have how much and so we don't know what to use so I don't know what you use but I say they're worth a gazillion interest it's in Calculon I don't know how to proceed so what is Jesus's point the number of the debt we owed him is so vast so on countable so countless so incalculable and unpayable debt so what did we do someone came up with a little statement and said we owed her debt we could not pay and he paid a debt he did not so the unpayable debt represents the debt force in that every person owes god I owe a debt I cannot pay that's really when somebody says you know I've never trusted Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior but I'm done about as good a job as I can and I believe that one day God is gonna let me into the kingdom and we try to say it's gonna let us in because of some good that we've done and the truth is here's what he's saying you owe a debt that is so in calculus no end or heaven that you're ever going to get into the kingdom unless the debt is forgiven living in Atlanta and bore you with it but some of you know as an older story that I spent a day with Ted Turner had the chance to present the gospel let his girlfriend jje bomb she was his pilot of his personal jet and she also was in charge of new program I led her to Christ baptized her in Ted's private lake and then I led Ted to seek forgiveness of the Christian community by making two statements one that would be counterproductive to what you just had the church applauding over he said that pro-lifers were bozos and that Christianity was just a religion for the weak and then he was drunk when he said that he was receiving an award for it and so he called my office and wanted to know what he could do to make it right I've never met him for my life and so we met I hosted him and so I just solved that to say this a few years ago the Atlanta journal-constitution record and you can google it and find it here's what Ted Turner said I know I'm gonna go to heaven this is where America is I know I'm gonna go to heaven and the reason I'm going to heaven is because of my poll and phratry Dupree I've have I've given away so much money he said no don't look for me in the better seats here's what he said I will be in the cheap seats make it and by the way let me just say something there are no cheeks because that's cheap grace and the only way somebody gets theirs because of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and when person gets theirs because God has paid a ten thousand talent depth for them just give me a little cabin in the corner of glory land that is foolish that's your favorite song just get over it so in order to teach what forgiveness looks like in the kingdom of God and that's what he's doing Jesus story will contrast forgiveness from a human standard of evaluation and that's what's wrong with us who into heaven wants to have a theology that's based on human speculation when you can have a theology based on divine revelation what God says not what humanity thinks that's why we're in trouble so here's here's the issue we can view our sin as a hundred and Arion hey do you rise your Center listen to hey do you rise your Center well I'm not been that bad you know ten thousand talent you you owe more than you have the capacity never pay in your lifetime helps me to realize just how bankrupt I am that's why the Beatitudes oh gosh so much teaching here and so uh and we here's what we do we view our sin against God as a hundred and area and we view the sin that somebody else committed against us it's ten thousand talent oh you just don't even know how they offended me well la dee da da so let my thoughts go there and you miss completely not only the lesson of Matthew 8 teams parable but the heart of the gospel oh by the way this is interesting what is a hundred in area because then we got it right are we tracking I mean I know it's time change 10,000 talent it takes 20 years to earn one we know 10,000 I mean you can't do it there's no way you can pay it nobody nothing in my hands I bring simply to the cross I cleaned 100 an area that's three months salary let me just tell you what theologians say in the currency of that day you could carry three months salary in your front pocket keep that in your mind so we what we have had done against us is like three months what we've done against him is 20 years for every one of the ten thousand offenses so that we truly grasp the gospel the good news of Jesus Christ until we see that our sin against the holy God it's far greater injustice than anything that could be done to us Matthew Henry wrote if that is the measure of forgiveness the disciple has received any oh this is good any limitation of forgiveness he shows to his brother is unthinkable so I must see myself in the shoes of a ten thousand talent the appreciation of a massive debt forgiven a sin against the holy God it forms the basis and starting point of our forgiveness of one another's small Hunterdon area offenses so here's forgiveness fact without understanding the depth of our sin against God and the riches of his forgiveness toward us we'll never be able to forgive others hey it's just a statement just a basic statement it just seems to me that if I've experienced forgiveness I would be able to express forgiveness wait wait a minute could it be that the reason some people don't express forgiveness it really doesn't tell me about the offense against you it it really tells me more about you because if you can't express forgiveness okay I received a letter when I was being nominated as president of a Southern Baptist Convention from a leading theologian in our Southern Baptists mansion I'll never forget what it said he said you know I'm probably gonna vote for you but I'm struggling more about you being president than anybody that's run since the conservative resurgence and I want to tell you why Johnny your problem is you love everybody Adrian Rogers before he died told me I would never have to repent of being kind to others I got a lot going on in my mind right now so in forgiveness Jesus paid or absorbed my debt I could not pay here's a good way to read it Colossians 2:14 having wiped out the handwriting of a requirement that was against us which was contrary to us and he's taking it out of the way he's taking my sin and nailed it to the cross so the Bible teaches listen to this when the other fellow he's been forgiving everything he falls down and he says please forgive me and then the very next few days somebody comes to him - knows him and he's got to remember what he just did because this guy does the same thing falls down before him he asks for mercy he's asking for mercy and what does he do throws him in prison you can he's a Baptist I'm telling you I guarantee you he's a Baptist throw him in prison no sir I'll tell you what I'm dog fight forgiving no siree but when the master heard that he was angry and delivered him over to the tormentors in other words God began to deal with him let me give you some statements and then one illustration and I'm gonna quit noting that we have to forget can ever family or remotely compare with what we've been forgiven that's the gospel so if you you don't understand that you you you're struggling with the gospel say it again nothing that we have to forgive can ever faintly or remotely compare to what we've been forgiven forgiveness must be given not earned I'll forgive them when they deserve it well I'm glad God didn't say that to me and listen to this one I'll tell you what listen to this this is a Baptist statement I've ever heard one I'll tell you what they send to gets me and pastor Johnny I want you to know if God knows my heart I forgave them but I don't want anything else to do with them what if Jesus said that to you well here you are again with the same old struggle and I want you to know this morning only change time I forgive you but I don't want anything else to do with you if that resembles the Lord Jesus Christ we're in we're in danger we're in trouble forgiving sinners and forgive so so here's here's forgiveness facts forgiveness is a choice you choose by an act of your will to forgive once and for all you release the person from debt and you unlock the prison doors with the key and you thank God for deepening your understanding of the gospel alright y'all watch me hear I'm not through I got to do something I'm then I'm done that's why I brought this in here only illustrate because I really wanted to understand this text so here it isn't a breath when somebody sends against me the Bible refers to it as a hundred in area three months salary that you can carry in your pocket but then when God says Johnny the reason you are to forgive others is this the gospel thing to do get a clear understanding of the Gospels get your focus off who you need to forgive get your focus on the gospel and on Jesus so here's what he says you owed 10,000 an area you owed me a debt you couldn't pay for your sin if I can carry 100 an area in my front pocket what does it take to carry 10,000 talent you ready it takes eight thousand six hundred soldiers with a backpack in each backpack weighs 60 pounds you tracking with me eight thousand six hundred soldiers sixty pounds in the backpack place them three yards apart and they'll stretch five miles look look at me for just a moment there's not a person in this room that has the capacity to see five miles flatly fathered and you can see that's what he's done with your sin hold on as far as the East is from the West it's early but somebody ought to get happy just just one ought to get happy I mean he has taken your sins as far as the East is from the West he's nailed them to the cross and when you get a picture of what he's done for you you will quit your strutting and justifying and rationalizing and minimizing your unforgiveness toward others and God the flat set you free there's some people that borrowed something from you and never paid you back how do you know that because I'm a generous giver and I have been ripped off more times than you can imagine and my wife says to me oh my god did you love them money again don't you remember no I kind of do now that you reminded me but I had taken it but I I had taken that come on now I've taken that to the cross and Jesus had nailed it to the cross and he had wiped it out and taking it out of the way and I want to live gospel sinner and so since he gave me another chance father in the name of Jesus thank you for the gospel thank you that you forgave me more than I can calculate thank you even for this morning showing me that it's pride in my heart they have to read Oswald Chambers three times in the last time on my knees to understand that my pride is not so much that I'm not willing to at times get right with you but such arrogance that I don't even consider who my offenses against so thank you for preparing my heart for that truth use this message in our heart today heads bowed eyes closed right on time plenty of time here to do business with the Lord gosh here we are early on Sunday morning that it could very well be that you're you're at a point where Alan Taylor just text me before the service and said his son has never genuinely followed Jesus but claimed of knowning for over 30 years and he and Linda knelt with him last night and he turned from his sins and placed his faith in Christ they're baptizing him in East Tennessee this morning Concord Baptist Church I rejoiced with Alan and with the entire Taylor family do you know him has there really been genuine change life if you experience the gospel calculable debt has been paid on your behalf can you express that type forgiveness toward others or have you become cynical through having it your way I pray God do what's necessary and my heart knew your heart maybe maybe you're visiting early services this is the church God had me to be a part of and even that this church ministers to you it's a place to belong a place to support a place to serve some sure the doors are open to receive you and then maybe I would say most of your like myself you know the Lord the altars are open and if Jesus has spoken I mean if he's been so kind to speak specifically to you maybe he would call you to a specific decision of making a choice this morning to forgive and allow him to have his way in your heart let's stand all over the building we're standing and I'm gonna invite you as pastor comes to respond in whatever way God may be calling you the altars are open pastor will be here at the front and I'll ask you to come Lord have your way we love you this morning and it's we've been singing you're able you you really are able what a tender song to just speak of what you've done for us and help us to respond and like to you for Jesus sake amen let's sing and we invite you to thank you for watching decision for life our location Life Group and program information available online at FB cit org we hope you will take the opportunity to join us in person thank you from the family of First Baptist Church Indian Trail you

Channel: First Baptist Church Indian Trail

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Keywords: Dr. Mike Whitson, First Baptist Church Indian Trail, North Carolina First Baptist Church, Worship Service 2018, Baptist Church Service 2018, FBCIT worship music, First Baptist Indian Trail music, Indian Trail Christmas Musical, You are Great worship, How Great Thou Art worship, Amazing Grace worship, Our God worship, In Christ Alone worship, Holy Holy Holy worship, Everlasting Doors worship

Id: WShQaR0Mx7I

Length: 31min 42sec (1902 seconds)

Published: Mon Mar 09 2020