The Actions of One Who Forgives

It is an undeserved affection for yourself that makes you aggravate the faults of others to offend you. On the other hand, if you are humble you will see yourself as such a lonely person that no offense against you, could be considered significant crowd self esteeming is easily angered and usually unforgiving the officer to protect you, to stop the attack to arrest your assailant. A police officer is required to respond to wrongdoing in a certain way. Similarly, there is a response that God expects of you, even demands of you both when you're wrong and when you're the one who's committed the offense. What is it John MacArthur answers that today on grace to you as he continues his series from Paul's letter to Philemon, titled forgiveness, and with that, let's get to the lesson. Here's John MacArthur.

We returned to the letter of Paul to Philemon.

The epistle to Philemon.

This brief epistle of 25 short verses one chapter is a living lesson on forgiveness.

You remember the first three verses gave us the introduction, then verses four through seven showed us the characteristics of someone who forgives and now in verses eight through 18 we come to the action of forgiveness itself were going to be looking at the very issue of forgiveness. Interestingly enough, the word is never mentioned here. It's almost as if the Holy Spirit made this a fill in the blank epistle. It's all over the place but yet never stated as forgiveness and yet that is clearly to the reader what it's all about. Now we must assume that Philemon knew the theology of forgiveness, we must assume that Philemon knew the principles upon which forgiveness is built. The biblical doctrines that lead us to forgiveness. He must've known them. It's obvious that he was grounded in the knowledge of the word however, much as I wish I could. I can't make that same assumption about all of you. I could appeal to the high ground of loud but I'm not sure that all of you understand the theology of forgiveness that lies beneath that appeal and so I think it might be good for us for just a brief part of our discussion to lay down some foundational elements of forgiveness that arise out of the Scripture, that compel us to forgive.

From the standpoint of God's authoritative word. Let me give you seven keys or seven elements or seven features of a theological doctrinal biblical defense for forgiveness. Number one is not murder alone which is forbidden by the sixth commandment, but a lack of forgiveness is not murder alone which is forbidden by the sixth commandment, but a lack of forgiveness.

The sixth commandment thou shalt not kill, but that is just a very thin a statement that needs much more content to fill it up and for that content. We have to only remember, Matthew chapter 5 in the words of Jesus himself who said this you have heard that the ancients were told, you shall not commit murder, and whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court but I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court and whoever shall say to his brother rock, which is a term of derision shall be guilty before the Supreme Court and whoever shall say, you fool, shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell. In other words, Jesus said when God said, you shall not kill the also met, you shall not hate you shall not hold malice. You shall not be angry.

You shall not carry the wrath you shall not have a desire for revenge is it you shall not seek vengeance. You shall not exhibit a lack of forgiveness. God also forbids that the theology of forgiveness then really begins with the Decalogue or the 10 Commandments. We are not only not to kill but we are not to entertain any of the kind of emotions that ultimately end up in taking someone's life as the extreme in now.

How can I dispossess myself of some of these attitudes of anger and hostility and on forgiveness and revenge want in the first place.

See the one that you won't forgive as the creation of God.

In other words love that person and forgive him for that of God which is in him for every one of us is created in the image of God, so that images scarred and marred. If I look at it believer who is a Christian. He is therefore holy and he bears something of the moral image of God and I can forgive them for that which is of God in him. If I look at an unbeliever who is unholy, he still bears the natural image of God and I can forgive him for that of God which is in him.

It could replace my anger and my lack of forgiveness with reverence. If I can see the image of God in someone. Furthermore, Jesus said love your neighbor as yourself.

Certainly you seek to see the image of God in you, don't you don't you find yourself eminently worthy of forgiveness. Don't you find it hard to understand why anybody else wouldn't forgive you. You are certainly eager to forgive yourself against yourself. You bear no grudge against yourself. You exact no penalties against yourself. You carry no vengeance and if you do no sin against yourself and you hold it against yourself is not a desire for destruction, but a desire for blessing the recovery that you seek, so you must first of all, realize that any hatred any kind of a lack of forgiveness is a violation of the command to not kill because it underlies that attitude of murder that would take the life of someone if it could and get away with it or would inflict harm on the if it could.

Furthermore, if you are to deal with this attitude, you must recognize that your lack of forgiveness is plain and simple selfish.

You have to deal with your selfishness is exactly that he deserved affection for yourself that makes you aggravate the faults of others who offend you. Say it again it is an undeserved affection for yourself that makes you aggravate the faults of others who offend you.

On the other hand, if you are humble and unselfish and self-denying. You will see yourself as such a lonely person that no offense against you, could be considered significant.

A proud self esteeming ego is easily angered and usually unforgiving because it thinks so highly of itself, and then so hatefully of anyone who offends this glorious entity. So you just can't not kill, God says you must not hate, you must not be angry and you must not be unforgiving, and if you are unforgiving you manifest selfishness you failed to see in others the image of God, and you indeed violate the sixth commandment media second theological foundation for forgiveness. Whoever has offended you, has offended God greater whoever has offended you, has offended God greater. And if God the most holy has forgiven him the greater sin can use the least holy, forgive him the lesser sin understand that David, who sinned against Bathsheba, who sinned against her husband Uriah who sinned against his own wife, his own children, his own nation. David who sinned against all those people said in Psalm 51 against V. The only have I sin. In other words, he knew that no matter what offense he gave to men. He gave a greater offense to God and if God can forgive the greater offense then why can't you forgive the lesser offense that's the point. That is the inexplicable issue in the parable of Matthew 18, where the king forgives the man the unpayable debt and then the man won't forgive another man a very simple debt but strangles them and throws them into prison, and the point is how the world can you see God forgive the greater offense and you not forgive the lesser any crime against you is a greater crime against God. Anytime someone sins against you, it may offend you in offends God more why he's more holy than you are. Sin is more sinful to him is more offensive to him the same offense may be a serious thing to you is a far more serious thing to an infinitely holy God. Yet God mercifully forgives, are you more just, are you more holy are you a higher court with a higher law. The truth is, if you don't forgive you're not like God at all.

You're more like the devil.

Don't forget, you have much to be forgiven by God, and there is no comparison between other men's offenses against you and your offenses against God either in number and seriousness or an consequences. No man could ever offend you the way you offend God and God forgives you, can you not forgive others. You deserve damnation from God. And so to why, but he gives us mercy for all our transgressions are you going to spend your life seeking revenge for the little petty injuries that have come against you.

Principle number three very important you will not enjoy forgiveness from God. If you don't forgive others.

We have noted that in Matthew chapter 6 verses 14 and 15 were God says if you forgive others their trespasses, your father will forgive you yours if you do not forgive others, he will not forgive you.

In other words, in the sense of our relationship to God. We will stand before God with unforgiven sin under his chastening. If we do not forgive others. That is a high price to pay for a lack of forgiveness. If you refuse to forgive someone else then God refuses to forgive you and you are cut off from meaningful communion with God and you are brought under chastening number four, you will not enjoy the love of the brother and if you don't forgive. You will not enjoy the love of the brother and if you do not forgive another word you will never be able to participate in the joyous communion and fellowship and love of Christian believers if you don't forgive you.

Remember that parable in Matthew 18 member the man when I'm strangled this guy and he said I want all you owe me any wouldn't pay them sort through them in prison, till he paid everything yield here was a man that God forgiven, but he wouldn't forgive a friend in verse 31 of Matthew 18 it says in all that man's friends went to the Lord and told the Lord what that man had done and said, Lord, you've got a deal with that man. What is that I tell you what it is your Christian friends seeing you with an attitude that is unforgiving going to God, and saying God you got to discipline that person. There is really a picture of church discipline, the saints collecting before God and saying God carry out some discipline in that person's life, you will destroy your own relationships with other Christians who will then have to go to God and ask him to deal with you in terms of discipline and chastening. If you don't forgive, if you don't forgive. They'll be unforgiving and they'll ask God to deal with you and so you will not only lose communion with God. But you lose the suite encouraging loving affirming support of other believers who see you as a threat to the purity of the church and go to God to have your life changed or to get you thrown out number five very important element in understanding forgiveness. If you won't forgive and rather seek revenge you have usurped the authority of God.

You have usurped the authority of God in Paul's letter to the Romans and that wonderful practical 12th chapter.

Listen to what he says in verses 14 and 19.

Bless those who persecute you, bless and curse not, then this verse 19. Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord. Leave vengeance to God when you forgive someone when you carry around that attitude of anger and bitterness and hostility. You are presuming literally to take the sword of divine judgment out of God's hand and use it yourself. You're saying God give me that sword arm taken over such an attitude says I must be the avenger because God is unjust for God is slow or God is indifferent or God just doesn't understand, he's ignorant, for God is unable to judge and that is all blasphemy God is far better able to deal with any offense against you, that you is able to deal with the consequence of sin far better than you. He has the truest understanding of the issue you are limited understanding. He has the highest authority you have none.

He is impartial and just. You are selfishly partial.

He is omniscient and eternal sees the end of everything you are shortsighted, ignorant, say nothing beyond the moment. He is wise and good and all he does has perfectly righteous purposes. You are ignorant and blinded by your anger and your purposes may be evil.

It makes no sense for any person to be so blasphemous as to take the sword out of God's hand and wielded himself or herself. Number six very important point. The absence of forgiveness makes you unfit for worship.

The absence of forgiveness makes you unfit for worship again in the sermon on the mount of Matthew chapter 5. Our Lord said if therefore you are presenting your offering at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar, and go your way. First, to be reconciled to your brother, then come and present your offering.

Don't you dare worship me, if you are not fully reconciled to your Christian brother you can draw near to God in such a frame of mind of unforgiveness. You're unfit for fellowship with God's people you're unfit for fellowship with God, you're in a situation of aggravated sin.

You can't be a blessing to others and you can't be acceptable to God. Finally, very important.

Your injuries and offenses. The injuries and offenses against you. Are your trials and temptations that is so important. You have to recognize that whenever something happens to you. That is an offense or a sin against you.

That is a trial and/or temptation and you have to deal with it as such. Every time somebody offends you, that is a trial or a temptation. If you pass it and you forgive them. It is a trial producing strength. If you fail it and you are not forgiving is a temptation producing sin your events. The events of come to you in life go either way. The right response makes it a trial that produces righteousness the wrong response makes it a temptation to produces unrighteous the only concern you want to have about anybody's action against you is to be sure that you don't fall into sin, being tempted by that offense, you must be little concerned about the actions of others against you, whatever they are and greatly concerned whether they become tests that make you strong or temptations that make you sinful and we assume that Philemon knew all this because Paul doesn't give it to Shirley. The theology of forgiveness was known to Philemon and so Paul leaves it unsaid, and I've said it.

For those of you who needed to hear. Now it's go back to the text. Having understood all of that, Paul. Rather than building his case on a reaffirmation of that theological groundwork takes the high ground and appeals to love knowing that Philemon knows this to be the foundation doctrinally verses eight and nine. Therefore, though I have enough confidence in Christ to order you to do that which is proper yet for love's sake, I rather appeal to you.

Since I am such a person is called the agent and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus. He says look I could command you. I have enough confidence in my commission in Christ is what he means. I have enough boldness. I have enough courage as an apostle directly commissioned by the resurrected Christ to command you to forgive.

Based upon the theology of forgiveness that it is mandated by God. I have the divine right to command you. I have no lack of courage to use that divine right because it is in Christ given me in my commission so I could demand that you do what is proper or literally what is fitting in the Lord.

What is distinctively Christian, namely that you forgive.

Yet verse nine he says for love's sake. I rather appeal to you. I'm taking the high ground and then in order to tenderize Philemon's heart because this is a tough seem he throws into statements about himself.

Do this for love's sake, he says, since I am such a person as Paul, the aged, and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus to get to the heart of Philemon. Paul wants to use some sympathetic communication pieces will you do this for poor me is just really pulling at his heartstrings here and he speaks of himself into sort of pathetic ways, intending to tenderize Philemon after all. This is a pretty interesting spot to find Philemon as he's reading down here like you and I are today and he's reading down through verse eight he is there in his house reading this brief letter and looking right in front of him.

He can see own estimates. The runaway slave who defrauded him and all the emotion that he is been feeling from the time own estimates first left and all the intervening time is welling up in his heart he really doesn't know what's going on here is to check assume he knows he's got the epistle to the Colossians in his answer read to the whole church but here it so Nessim was this guy that is elicited out of his heart, all kinds of hostility and and temptations to anger that he's had to deal with and he's back and he's looking in my eyeball to eyeball and he doesn't quite understand what's going on and he's feeling emotion that might make him want to go Nessim, listen and beat him or imprison him.

And so the apostle Paul says I'm just going to ask you to forgive them for love's sake, and would you please do that because the request is coming from Paul.

The agent who is a prisoner.

He just wants to pull a little sympathy. The word aged just means that presbyteries aged he he was not that old I mean 60, but in those days people didn't live longer than that very often. John the apostle lived longer than that but that was rare, people's life span was shorter than in fact he he he may not of been very much older than Philemon because Philemon was old enough to have a son in the ministry, but the word aged carries more than just two years. In the case of Paul. It carries with it the idea of an aging process that no doubt had been accelerated by the experiences of Paul. You can be sure that the years that it accumulated on the back of Paul were heavier than the years that accumulated on the back of Philemon. There may not of been a big time span, but there was a span in the aging process. Paul was older than than his years back and neck 70 standing there watching them stone Stephen. It says it was a young man is not a young man anymore.

He's old and he's older than his years because he's endured so much imprisonment, terrible food, illnesses, travels, persecutions work bodily injuries. He said I bear in my body the marks of Christ scars all over his body from stones it crushed out by his breath from whips and rods and everything else in stocks that he had been Prisoner in all the painful strenuous debilitating experience.

It was crammed into those years made in Paul, the aged in this tender glimpses met the pluck the heartstrings of Philemon and make them feel sympathy for the sole warrior and thus excite love for the sacrificial apostle who led him to Christ and that's John MacArthur, Chancellor of the Masters University in seminary with a look at Paul's letter to Philemon. It's part of John's current study on grace to you title forgiveness will friend today's lesson makes it clear you are never more like God than when you forgive and of course John God's justice also demands that he punish sin.

So, for God's people might there also be a place for the punishment of sin, a time when just forgiving someone might not be the right thing to do. Yeah, I don't think it's our responsibility to punish people for their sin. I think vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord of so so we render good for evil, right were not the punishers. Obviously, in a parental sense you know you you punish your children because your training them in righteousness, but but I think we have an open heart of free forgiveness of the person and we leave whatever retribution, whatever chastisement to the Lord and there's no escaping that because Hebrew says every son he loves he chastens and he chastens them for their spiritual well-being. So I think sometimes and well more than sometimes love that time we we hold on to a grudge waiting for a moment to punish you know, waiting to say somewhat.

If I ever see that God is what I'm gonna say and were holding onto this grudge, waiting to punish us, not our job that's not our role to punish free your heart, give complete and comprehensive forgiveness and leave the chastening part to the Lord. He'll do that perfectly in his own way in his own time in his own will. Questions about forgiveness are very important in the answers have to be granted. So we put together a little book called answering the hard questions about forgiveness. We want to send it free to anyone, anyone who asks us a call right email go to the website. We want you to have this booklet because forgiveness is what frees you up to rejoice, in spite of all the offenses that come in life. Forgiveness is what sustains all your relationship so but a dozen key questions in the booklet answering the hard questions about forgiveness. Just let us know you want one will send it on the way yes and friend. This booklet answers questions like this forgiveness require forgetting the offense, how should you handle forgiving a repeat offender.

What's the difference between true repentance and merely apologizing and many others answering the hard questions about forgiveness is a quick read, but it's filled with practical biblical truth to get your free booklet. Contact us today just call our toll-free number 855 grace or go to our website TTY.org if you'd like a few extra copies to give to people you're discipling answering the hard questions about forgiveness is available for a reasonable price to get your free copy and to purchase a few extras go to TTY.org or call 855 grace and friend. Can I ask you to do something for us. If the teaching you hear on grace to you has benefited you. Maybe it's helped you in the trials you face during the coronavirus pandemic. Would you let us know you'll be a great encouragement to us here.

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Check your local listings for channeling times and then be here next week when John continues to study on forgiveness, with another 30 minutes of unleashing God's truth one verse at a time on grace to you