Luke: To Forgive and To Seek Forgiveness

Notes and thoughts from Pastor Mark's sermon:

Luke 17:1-10

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What does Jesus teach us about what we should do when we sin?

What does Jesus teach us about what we should do when others sin against us?

Whenever there is a wrong committed, we should focus on fighting to the glory of God and not to further our own selfish wants/needs. Here's how:

Luke 17:1-4
How to fight to the glory of God
 

In dealing with our own acts of sin: 

1. Do not give in to temptation and sin: Temptations will come; not if but when. And just because temptations are inevitable, that doesn't mean we have to give in. We can choose not to. Jesus was also tempted often, but He never gave in (Luke 4:1-13).

2. Do not tempt others to sin: Don't be an agent of the devil and cause others to sin.

3. Repent and seek forgiveness: We need to seek forgiveness from our brothers and sisters before we can seek forgiveness from God (Matthew 5:24; Mark 11:25).

In dealing with others who sin against us:

1. Rebuke those who sin

2. Forgive the sinner: Let go of your own judgment and leave true judgment in the hands of God

3. Keep rebuking and forgiving

What if I don't believe God's Way works?

Luke 17:5-6Trust God that as long as you do your part toward reconciliation, God will work on the other party's heart. Let God be the ultimate judge.

What of I don't want to do what Jesus says?

Luke 17:7-10

Jesus is our master. We cannot say no. Jesus is the highest authority. And we ought to remember, despite Jesus being our master, He didn't come to dictate us. Instead, He came to serve us and to free us from our sins. He has been sinned against more than anyone of us--Surely, He knows more than anyone how much it hurts to be sinned against! And yet, as our servant-master, as the only perfect man who has never sinned, He still asked for God for forgiveness of our sins when He was wrongfully persecuted on the cross. He did so for us because He loves us so.

And so, if Jesus forgives all sins, then we ought to be able to forgive any one sin. And when we forgive, we leave the final judgment in God's hands, where it should be. And of course, when we know we have sinned against others, we should also seek forgiveness. For we cannot seek God's forgiveness until we have done so from our brothers and sisters whom we have wronged.

Hebrews 4:14-16

Jesus is the Great High Priest

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

2 Corinthians 5:14-21

For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.