Classroom: Forgiveness ONE 02-28-07
02-28-07
Pursuit of Forgiveness
Hebrews 1:1-4
Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.
What can we learn about Jesus from this passage?
- Heir of all things
- World was created through Jesus
- Exact imprint of God’s nature
- Greater than angels
- God spoke through Jesus
- Upholds the universe by the word of his power
- Is at the right hand of God
Matthew 5: Jesus’ Sermon on the Mound
Jesus went up on the mountain and sat down. Jesus started with the Beatitudes: “Blessed are…” And you can continue and read everything else he said. Jesus was giving us commandments and the result was to be harmony, peace. This is how we are to live.
Christians aren’t trying to spoil your fun, they are trying to give you a more harmonious life.
Q: Was Jesus talking to non-believers or believers? Believers. So was Jesus saying that living by these rules as a non-believer will give you a more harmonious life? So – does it even matter if non-believers live according to the law, since no matter what they do they are not in obedience?
I think we can agree that when Jesus spoke his sermon – he was talking about being obedient under God’s rule and authority.
Assignment: Go for a walk: After you read either the sermon on the mound or the ten commandments in the Bible. Look around. Write in your journal what would be different if the Kingdom rules were happening in their completeness.
The Pharisees said to Jesus, “show us a sign.” That’s Matthew 12:38 – and Jesus said “you’re evil, no sign will be given to you except Jonah the prophet.” Simon believes that Jesus was talking about his death and resurrection, that he would die and be risen on the third day. Brian believes that this probably has something to do the people of God who did not know their right hand from their left. And Jesus was telling the Pharisees, you’re experts in the TaNaK. Don’t you know the sign of Jonah? You’re asking me a sign – you’re supposed to know about the prophet, Jonah. That’s the sign you’re getting. You’re just a wicked and adulterous generation.
Matthew 4:20-24
Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, epileptics, and paralytics, and he healed them.
So what is the “gospel of the kingdom” from verse 23?
Healing:
Spirit – our spirit
sickness - body
craziness/madness - mind
paralyzed – body
Do you know anyone who had an affliction in the mind and it affected other things like the body?
So we see that the kingdom is something that affects us as individuals and works in our individual lives. If we include chapters 5 and 6 of Matthew, we see that it also effects us as a group or community to bring harmony and peace.
Look at John 12:9-15
When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus. The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!" And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written, "Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt!"
Why did Jesus ride a donkey? Why not a horse?
Humility
Not the usual kind of king
2nd class citizens (not allowed to ride donkeys)
OT Jewish King (the kings rode donkeys)
Fulfilling the prophesy – that he is the king they’re looking for
I’m going to do a little discussion with Matthew 28:18-20 (The Great Commission). Read it, and explain how those verses summarize everything we’ve talked about so far.
Matthew 28:18-20
And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
We’ve been talking about God’s People, Place, Presence, and Rule/Instruction. “Jesus came” shows that God is taking initiative again. “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Jesus has authority over all things. His people are the “disciples” – and this goes along with God instructing us to be fruitful and multiply. Jesus sends us to “all nations” which is his place. His instruction is to baptize people in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and to teach the disciples all God commands. God’s presence fits in when Jesus says, “I am with you always.”
So if we have a dark world – where is God’s kingdom? The Kingdom is in each of Jesus’ disciples. We are the light – and I think we should be looking to community. I think those are the real sources of light. I don’t think it’s supposed to be too much of an individualistic mindset.
How can I love if there’s just me? The Body of Christ is the Church. It’s not me. It’s lots of people. So the way we’re going to push back the darkness is by drawing up communities of light.
The weapons of our warfare are weapons of love – not force. We cannot forgive unless we love. We cannot love unless we forgive. And we cannot love unless our hatred is continually melted by the truth and love of the gospel. We cannot live with purpose and joy unless we love.
Colossians 3:13
bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
How does the Lord forgive us? Through Jesus. Healings, pain, blood, verbal
5 Principles
1. If we forgive like Jesus forgave us, it’s not an option. It’s what God does – He seeks out opportunities to forgive. Forgiveness is about pursuing your enemy. Pursuing the forgiveness that comes against you. Adam and Eve sinned. They “spat” in the face of God. God’s response was to pursue them; and He’s been pursuing them for the sake of restoring their relationship with Him.
Pursue the enemy with Grace. It’s about restoring the relationship between your enemy and you. That’s exactly what God did. He pursued His enemy for the purpose of restoring the relationship – for the purpose of applying Grace. That’s hard to understand – it doesn’t make sense.
Matthew 18:15-17
"If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.
What does Jesus say? If your brother sins, what do you do? Go. Why? What are you trying to do? What’s the point? To reconcile. You go and tell that person. It says go and tell him his fault.
If he listens, it says you have gained a brother. A lot of people go and tell people and then try to win an argument. The Bible says we want to win people, not arguments. Now, I want us to think about others as our own reflection of the cross. First we pursue the enemy/sinner. I like to say enemy because that’s so often how it feels; pursue the enemy with grace with the idea that you want to win that person – win them back to God and win them back to a person you can call your brother.
Before tomorrow morning – ask God to reveal one thing to you: Who does he want you to pursue? To put it another way – think of a person who in some way is acting like an enemy.
Pursuit of Forgiveness
Hebrews 1:1-4
Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.
What can we learn about Jesus from this passage?
- Heir of all things
- World was created through Jesus
- Exact imprint of God’s nature
- Greater than angels
- God spoke through Jesus
- Upholds the universe by the word of his power
- Is at the right hand of God
Matthew 5: Jesus’ Sermon on the Mound
Jesus went up on the mountain and sat down. Jesus started with the Beatitudes: “Blessed are…” And you can continue and read everything else he said. Jesus was giving us commandments and the result was to be harmony, peace. This is how we are to live.
Christians aren’t trying to spoil your fun, they are trying to give you a more harmonious life.
Q: Was Jesus talking to non-believers or believers? Believers. So was Jesus saying that living by these rules as a non-believer will give you a more harmonious life? So – does it even matter if non-believers live according to the law, since no matter what they do they are not in obedience?
I think we can agree that when Jesus spoke his sermon – he was talking about being obedient under God’s rule and authority.
Assignment: Go for a walk: After you read either the sermon on the mound or the ten commandments in the Bible. Look around. Write in your journal what would be different if the Kingdom rules were happening in their completeness.
The Pharisees said to Jesus, “show us a sign.” That’s Matthew 12:38 – and Jesus said “you’re evil, no sign will be given to you except Jonah the prophet.” Simon believes that Jesus was talking about his death and resurrection, that he would die and be risen on the third day. Brian believes that this probably has something to do the people of God who did not know their right hand from their left. And Jesus was telling the Pharisees, you’re experts in the TaNaK. Don’t you know the sign of Jonah? You’re asking me a sign – you’re supposed to know about the prophet, Jonah. That’s the sign you’re getting. You’re just a wicked and adulterous generation.
Matthew 4:20-24
Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, epileptics, and paralytics, and he healed them.
So what is the “gospel of the kingdom” from verse 23?
Healing:
Spirit – our spirit
sickness - body
craziness/madness - mind
paralyzed – body
Do you know anyone who had an affliction in the mind and it affected other things like the body?
So we see that the kingdom is something that affects us as individuals and works in our individual lives. If we include chapters 5 and 6 of Matthew, we see that it also effects us as a group or community to bring harmony and peace.
Look at John 12:9-15
When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus. The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!" And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written, "Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt!"
Why did Jesus ride a donkey? Why not a horse?
Humility
Not the usual kind of king
2nd class citizens (not allowed to ride donkeys)
OT Jewish King (the kings rode donkeys)
Fulfilling the prophesy – that he is the king they’re looking for
I’m going to do a little discussion with Matthew 28:18-20 (The Great Commission). Read it, and explain how those verses summarize everything we’ve talked about so far.
Matthew 28:18-20
And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
We’ve been talking about God’s People, Place, Presence, and Rule/Instruction. “Jesus came” shows that God is taking initiative again. “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Jesus has authority over all things. His people are the “disciples” – and this goes along with God instructing us to be fruitful and multiply. Jesus sends us to “all nations” which is his place. His instruction is to baptize people in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and to teach the disciples all God commands. God’s presence fits in when Jesus says, “I am with you always.”
So if we have a dark world – where is God’s kingdom? The Kingdom is in each of Jesus’ disciples. We are the light – and I think we should be looking to community. I think those are the real sources of light. I don’t think it’s supposed to be too much of an individualistic mindset.
How can I love if there’s just me? The Body of Christ is the Church. It’s not me. It’s lots of people. So the way we’re going to push back the darkness is by drawing up communities of light.
The weapons of our warfare are weapons of love – not force. We cannot forgive unless we love. We cannot love unless we forgive. And we cannot love unless our hatred is continually melted by the truth and love of the gospel. We cannot live with purpose and joy unless we love.
Colossians 3:13
bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
How does the Lord forgive us? Through Jesus. Healings, pain, blood, verbal
5 Principles
1. If we forgive like Jesus forgave us, it’s not an option. It’s what God does – He seeks out opportunities to forgive. Forgiveness is about pursuing your enemy. Pursuing the forgiveness that comes against you. Adam and Eve sinned. They “spat” in the face of God. God’s response was to pursue them; and He’s been pursuing them for the sake of restoring their relationship with Him.
Pursue the enemy with Grace. It’s about restoring the relationship between your enemy and you. That’s exactly what God did. He pursued His enemy for the purpose of restoring the relationship – for the purpose of applying Grace. That’s hard to understand – it doesn’t make sense.
Matthew 18:15-17
"If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.
What does Jesus say? If your brother sins, what do you do? Go. Why? What are you trying to do? What’s the point? To reconcile. You go and tell that person. It says go and tell him his fault.
If he listens, it says you have gained a brother. A lot of people go and tell people and then try to win an argument. The Bible says we want to win people, not arguments. Now, I want us to think about others as our own reflection of the cross. First we pursue the enemy/sinner. I like to say enemy because that’s so often how it feels; pursue the enemy with grace with the idea that you want to win that person – win them back to God and win them back to a person you can call your brother.
Before tomorrow morning – ask God to reveal one thing to you: Who does he want you to pursue? To put it another way – think of a person who in some way is acting like an enemy.
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