Forgive Daily
Prayer 365 // Fruit in the Fundamentals (Day 5)
“So watch yourselves. “If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.” The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.” - Luke 17:3-6 NIV
This week, our theme has been "Fruit in the Fundamentals” where we have covered four fundamentals to living out this new life in Christ. So far we have covered the first three: Prayer, Study and Worship. The fourth fundamental for Christian living is forgiveness. This may come as a surprise to some, and even seem over the top, but if we really think about it, it is the foundation of our faith. As a people, we have sinned ourselves bankrupt since the Garden of Eden and we are in desperate need of the grace that gives us forgiveness through faith in Jesus.
In our text for today, Jesus begins teaching about forgiveness and faith. He describes something that each of us experience at some point in our lives and that is offense. No matter who you are, as long as you are living and breathing in flesh, someone is going to offend you. Someone will say/do something that rubs you the wrong way, frustrates you or even hurts you, leaving you wounded by their actions or words. But what do you do? How do we respond to those who have wronged us?
Jesus instructs us to do two things that I want to encourage you to do in your life regularly. The first thing is if someone sins against you, rebuke them. To rebuke someone is to reprove which means "to express disapproval of.” Essentially, Jesus is saying when someone offends you, make it known to that person that you have been offended. This should be done clearly and with grace.
Most of my life I thought that a rebuke had to be harsh and severe, so I went around rebuking everyone - my wife, my child, my coworkers, everybody! It was harsh and it was severe... until I experienced the Father’s rebuke wrapped in grace. While a rebuke can be defined as harsh or severe, it can also be defined as a gentle correction or to scold with kindly intent. When we rebuke, we must do so with the intent to restore and not to destroy. The reason why this is so important is because quite often we are offended by people who have no idea that they have offended us. And because we don’t correct their actions or make them aware of their offense, we don’t give them the opportunity to repent.
Repentance is the reasonable response to a rebuke that’s motivated by love and guided by grace. It’s in repentance that restoration is achieved in relationships. Jesus says that after you rebuke them "if they repent, forgive them.” I want you to note that it didn’t say, if they repay you. It didn’t say if it sounds right. Because so many of us can’t forgive because we feel that people need to pay for our forgiveness, we want them to feel remorse, we want their repentance to sound right but none of that is what Jesus said... He said “if they repent, forgive them.” But He didn’t stop there, but made it a point to say "Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.” In other words Jesus makes it clear that forgiveness is an act we should perform regularly and without limitation. We are required to extend the same grace that God has extended to us.
The disciples replied by saying “Lord, increase our faith!” (paraphrased). I laughed at this when I read it yesterday, but I understand their request because forgiveness isn’t always easy. And it sometimes seems impossible, but all things are possible to them that believe. All you need is faith. It’s by faith that we receive grace and it’s also by faith that we can give it to others.
There’s someone right now who's harboring unforgiveness towards people who don’t even know they’ve offended you. My prayer is that God would give you the grace to make them aware so that they might repent. Maybe you’re saying, “Pastor, what if they don’t repent?” I encourage you to give them the same grace God gave you when you were slow to the repentance of your sin. Don’t hold it over them, nor against them, instead pray for them and remain ready to forgive no matter what.
Prayer Focus: that your heart would be filled with the love that corrects to restore and forgive.
I'm praying for you and with you,
Pastor Enrique Brooks
This week, our theme has been "Fruit in the Fundamentals” where we have covered four fundamentals to living out this new life in Christ. So far we have covered the first three: Prayer, Study and Worship. The fourth fundamental for Christian living is forgiveness. This may come as a surprise to some, and even seem over the top, but if we really think about it, it is the foundation of our faith. As a people, we have sinned ourselves bankrupt since the Garden of Eden and we are in desperate need of the grace that gives us forgiveness through faith in Jesus.
In our text for today, Jesus begins teaching about forgiveness and faith. He describes something that each of us experience at some point in our lives and that is offense. No matter who you are, as long as you are living and breathing in flesh, someone is going to offend you. Someone will say/do something that rubs you the wrong way, frustrates you or even hurts you, leaving you wounded by their actions or words. But what do you do? How do we respond to those who have wronged us?
Jesus instructs us to do two things that I want to encourage you to do in your life regularly. The first thing is if someone sins against you, rebuke them. To rebuke someone is to reprove which means "to express disapproval of.” Essentially, Jesus is saying when someone offends you, make it known to that person that you have been offended. This should be done clearly and with grace.
Most of my life I thought that a rebuke had to be harsh and severe, so I went around rebuking everyone - my wife, my child, my coworkers, everybody! It was harsh and it was severe... until I experienced the Father’s rebuke wrapped in grace. While a rebuke can be defined as harsh or severe, it can also be defined as a gentle correction or to scold with kindly intent. When we rebuke, we must do so with the intent to restore and not to destroy. The reason why this is so important is because quite often we are offended by people who have no idea that they have offended us. And because we don’t correct their actions or make them aware of their offense, we don’t give them the opportunity to repent.
Repentance is the reasonable response to a rebuke that’s motivated by love and guided by grace. It’s in repentance that restoration is achieved in relationships. Jesus says that after you rebuke them "if they repent, forgive them.” I want you to note that it didn’t say, if they repay you. It didn’t say if it sounds right. Because so many of us can’t forgive because we feel that people need to pay for our forgiveness, we want them to feel remorse, we want their repentance to sound right but none of that is what Jesus said... He said “if they repent, forgive them.” But He didn’t stop there, but made it a point to say "Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.” In other words Jesus makes it clear that forgiveness is an act we should perform regularly and without limitation. We are required to extend the same grace that God has extended to us.
The disciples replied by saying “Lord, increase our faith!” (paraphrased). I laughed at this when I read it yesterday, but I understand their request because forgiveness isn’t always easy. And it sometimes seems impossible, but all things are possible to them that believe. All you need is faith. It’s by faith that we receive grace and it’s also by faith that we can give it to others.
There’s someone right now who's harboring unforgiveness towards people who don’t even know they’ve offended you. My prayer is that God would give you the grace to make them aware so that they might repent. Maybe you’re saying, “Pastor, what if they don’t repent?” I encourage you to give them the same grace God gave you when you were slow to the repentance of your sin. Don’t hold it over them, nor against them, instead pray for them and remain ready to forgive no matter what.
Prayer Focus: that your heart would be filled with the love that corrects to restore and forgive.
I'm praying for you and with you,
Pastor Enrique Brooks
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