How to Develop More Effective Prayer, Part 5

We have been going through a series as we get near the Passover, and it has to do with Christ's outline prayer, where He mentions the most important categories that we should pray about.

Like incense, that has to be finally beaten up. That's the way we should analyze this outline prayer, which has seven parts, and we have seven points for each one of those parts that we have been going over.

Just as a way of review, the first one is addressing God the Father.

And just like that incense that we use, that the symbol of prayer ascending to God, which is a symbol of prayer, talks about the majesty and the privilege of going before God the Father and Jesus Christ and that multitude of angels up in heaven. That He does listen to us, that He does care, that the Bible says He has the very hairs on our head counted. That's how much He is concerned about us. And we should never underestimate His love and the love of Jesus Christ for us.

The second part had to do with the second category, Thy Kingdom Come. And I use the telescope to illustrate how we have to use that telescope properly and not turn around to where it becomes a microscope, and we're all involved in our details, day-to-day problems, and we don't focus on the long-term view, which is very positive. Where God is going to overcome all evil, and Jesus Christ is going to come back and all wrongs are going to be righted, and all injustice is going to be corrected, it's going to be swept all evil that we see in the present world. So Thy Kingdom Come is the second category. The third one, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. And of course, God's will is being done primarily through the Church that Jesus Christ raised up, Church of faithful commandment-keepers who have the faith of Jesus Christ, and those are scattered around the entire world. So we are part of that Church. We don't feel we are the only Church in the Church of God community that way. We do honor and we recognize that there are faithful brethren around the world in different Church of God communities. We symbolize this with Aaron's rod, as we covered number 16, where all of a sudden you had contentions and Moses brought out Aaron's rod, and that was the one that budded there on the temple area. And it showed that God does have legitimate leadership, and that He uses certain people just like He did in the Old Testament. He's used them in the New Testament. He talks about apostles, evangelists, pastors, teachers, deacons, and many others in the Church, as well as members. They're part of the Church of God and God's government, and we've had it where sometimes it's the members who have been faithful and have actually formed the core to hold up the Church through difficult times. So you see, we are one body, but it's important to pray for the leadership of the Church, especially the Council of Elders that have been designated by the General Conference of Elders to supervise the Church and all the way down the line of the rest of the leadership.

Then last week, we went over the fourth category, which is, give us this day our daily bread. And I used a big round loaf of bread to symbolize our physical and spiritual needs, because man shall not live by bread alone, but it's emphasizing what we need daily to carry us through the physical needs and the spiritual needs that God provides directly or indirectly. He's the one that can get a job for us so we can't put bread on our table. He's the one that protects us from many dangerous accidents that can happen or heal us of many deadly diseases. So that's a very important category. And now we come to the fifth category in Matthew 6 verse 12, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. Now, this is further clarified in Matthew 6 verse 14, because sometimes we just read that first part and don't realize that he amplifies this fifth category in verses 14 and 15, which he says here in Matthew 6 verse 14.

He says, for if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. Now he uses the term here, trespasses, paraptoma in the Greek, which means to slip up, to err, to transgress, to cross the line from justice to injustice. And he says, but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

So this whole category has to do with our relationship with God and man. In Luke chapter 11 verse 4, we have the parallel Scripture, which is good to go over, because he's also mentioning the Sermon on the Mount here, and he's going over the prayer.

In Luke chapter 11 verse 4, he says, and forgive us our sins. Here a different word is used. Sins instead of trespasses or debts, but they all basically mean the same thing.

It says, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. Here the word sin is Greek in hamartia, which means missing the mark, being off target, not fulfilling God's law, as we should have.

And so for today, I have another symbol. It's like we've had the incense burning here, we've had the telescope, we've had the rod that budded, and now for this one, about forgiveness, that we should cover daily, I have some scales.

This is an electronic scale that we use to weigh food or sometimes letters that we send off.

And the idea is here that we have to weigh what others have done to us, what we do to others, and how to strengthen those relationships, because many times they can be broken. Now, the symbol of scales, I'll just go ahead and illustrate this. I can illustrate it with just putting up here a little basin.

Okay, how many people have sinned against me during my life? Well, not really that many. I mean, I can put here whatever, right? This is a category, somebody offended or transgressed against your sin.

That would be comparable when you're talking about serious things. I'm sure every day we do things with others or others to do. But I mean, that's not something that's happening daily.

Most of the time, it might be monthly or yearly, that somebody really did something and sinned seriously against you. So in the scales, I've got to forgive people.

But how much have I done against God? How much have you done against God? Right? I mean, how much do we sin against God? See, the scales tipped. Too much sin here.

I'm just going to go ahead and put some more. But basically, you know, I could put this whole thing here on top. That's what our sins look like before God when we compare.

So we owe God a lot more than any human being owes us. And so it's good to compare because that's part of what God wants us to go in prayer to Him.

And sometimes we can exaggerate what people do to us and how we're never going to forgive them and all of this. But just think of God thought that way.

Because again, as we are reading in Matthew 5, verse 13 and 14, He says, if you don't forgive others, then God is not going to forgive you.

That is part of the condition that we have to learn to not live with long-standing resentments and grudges and that just are like an infected thorn on our side that festers and just produces venom in us.

Now, some people are not ever going to ask for forgiveness, and some people are never going to change. And you can't do much about that.

But I'll tell you one thing we can all do what we ourselves can do. See? It's up to us to get ourselves reconciled with God. And sometimes it's going to take time. But we can't just be overly worrying about the other person. We've got to think about us, how to keep ourselves clean and in a right attitude before God.

Notice, as we go through each one of these points, first of all, this category has to do with sinning against God.

It says again that as God forgives us, that's the way we should forgive others. It's time to examine ourselves. When we are praying, we should review what have we done lately against God.

How have we transgressed His law? How is our relationship with Him? Have we grown distant? Are some things hindering us from getting closer to God?

Notice in Proverbs 28 verse 13, Proverbs 28 verse 13, I guess I should have done it sideways. See there? The little corners are a little stronger than this small ridge that I have.

Proverbs 28 verse 13, it says, He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.

So this is important to confess to God. That's the first step to healing, to receiving forgiveness.

And we have to go before God, just like a small child with that innocence.

Notice in verse 9, it says, It says, So a person that's just breaking God's law, he can pray all day. He can go to church all day. And it's got to be an abomination.

We've got to, first of all, clean ourselves up to receive that forgiveness from God. God is not going to just forgive us without us going, confessing, repenting, asking for forgiveness, and doing something about it.

Changing our lives. Notice Isaiah 59.

That's why this subject is so good right now as we are approaching Passover, because God knows that a year has passed by.

There are things that we need to talk with him, that we need to get reconciled, that we have to prepare ourselves spiritually for this coming Passover.

Isaiah 59, verse 1, it says, So God is not hindered from intervening. It says, And so we have to do our part. We have to get closer to God, and then God will be closer to us.

Is anyone here who isn't working on overcoming something?

The Bible says, if we think we are not sinning in some way, or have not sinned, that we are lying and deceiving against our own selves.

Notice in 1 John chapter 1, 1 John chapter 1, to become a true Christian, we have to accept. We are sinners. We have to do something about it.

And we are a church of repentant sinners. We are people that pick themselves up and are following God's way of life, God's laws, although nobody hits a thousand. Nobody does it perfectly. Notice what it says in 1 John chapter 1, verse 8, If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us, because God's word says that we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

It says, my little children, these things I write to you so that you may not sin.

So He is trying to say, I'm writing this to encourage you and to not give up and to avoid future sin.

And if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous.

He is there as our defense lawyer. He is there to protect us, to encourage us.

And He Himself is the propitiation or sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the whole world.

So His life is worth more than everybody's sins accumulated.

All of mankind's sins, if you put it on a scale, would be much less than what Christ's sacrifice is all about.

He can cover everybody's sin if we go to Him, if we follow God's way of life.

As we approach Passover, let's go to 2 Corinthians 13, verse 5, tells us that it is time to examine ourselves.

We should do this in prayer, and especially as the Passover approaches.

Notice 2 Corinthians 13, verse 5, it says, Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith.

Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you, unless indeed you are disqualified?

But I trust that you will know that we are not disqualified.

We have to be able to examine ourselves, and know God is there, but we have to do our part.

We do not want to be disqualified before God.

And so, this message is not only for daily prayer, but in particular, as the feast days approach, we are about ready to initiate a whole festival year with a Passover that inaugurates God's seven holy feasts of the year, that were kept not only in the Old Testament, but also in the New Testament.

Jesus Christ kept every one of these feasts, and he never broke any of God's laws.

And the fourth commandment is the one that regulates the different days that are holy, as it was mentioned in the sermonette about what is holy.

Well, God calls his Sabbaths holy time, and he calls the holy days, the days that are annual feast days, holy to him.

He's the only one that can make something holy.

And so, these are appointed times to come before him, and he says we should come at the appointed time, when God has established.

And that's why we keep the Passover this coming Sunday evening.

That is the only time in the Bible that God has appointed at the beginning of the 14th of the first month of the year, in God's Word.

And we have that in the Old Testament. It says that we shall keep at the beginning of the 14th, at sunset, we begin to keep the Passover.

That's why the 14th is God's day to be able to keep the holy... well, it's not a holy day as far as the Sabbath is concerned, but it is one of God's feasts, and it is a special time.

So, we see the Passover was not only killed on the 14th, but it was also prepared. It was eaten on the 14th.

There were nine different things that occurred during the 14th of that first month that we have in the Bible. Nine different things.

You were to prepare that lamb, you were to kill it. Of course, then there's a process of preparing the lamb, roasting it, which would take several hours.

And preparing, and that's why they were there eating the lamb. They also had to mark the blood on the dentals, or the top part of the houses, so that the death angel would come and pass over.

Now, that term, the Pesach in Hebrew, means literally passing over. So, the Passover is the passing over of the death angel and protecting God's people. That is all done on the 14th, because the 15th is a whole separate feast day. That's the first day of 11 bread that has a whole different symbolism.

Not only were you to eat the Passover during that time, but it said that if you left your house during that evening, that the death angel would not spare you.

And so, that was another thing. People had to spend the evening until the morning when they were to take the remnants of that sacrifice, and they were to burn it. Because it was something that had been holy to God, and it was supposed to be completely burnt.

All of that is the Passover, the passing over. Now, unfortunately, the Jews today, as they did in many other things, keeping the man-made commandments, they changed the commandments of God, and they started changing it and accommodating it.

So, they keep it on the 15th, and that's why they don't really have a Passover day like we do, which is the 14th.

So, as we come to this Passover, let's go to 1 Corinthians 11.

This is the time of the Passover. Notice in verse 27. 1 Corinthians 11, verse 27. Let's go a little bit now that I'm covering this. Verse 23, it says, So this is what we do. On the night that Jesus Christ was arrested, when He took it with His disciples, establishing the symbols of bread, of the wine, we also know the foot-washing ceremony was established by Jesus Christ. That is all done during the 14th, and during the date and the time when Jesus Christ, God the Father, of course, established it at the beginning of the 14th.

So, this is a time when we should examine ourselves, as it mentions here in the Bible. The second point, going on this outline of prayer that we have, we should then examine our relationship with others. Once we've examined our relationship with God, make sure we don't have any sins that are blocking our way.

We have them there, just like people, when they travel, they carry backpacks. You go and you have all your backpack with you. Well, in a symbolic way, you can be carrying the sins with you. You can be carrying that backpack.

And what God wants you to do, wants us to do, is to remove that backpack. That's not something we can go into God with all our sins before Him. We've got to be able to get rid of them. In Matthew 5, verse 23, it tells us about examining our relationship with others. Matthew 5, verse 23, it says, Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, you're going to do an offering to God, and there remember that your brother has something against you. Leave your gift there before the altar and go your way. First, be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

So, God doesn't want you to bring the backpack with sins. If you've got something we need to reconcile, let's do that. And then afterwards, present ourselves before God, present our gifts, whatever it is. But God is more concerned about the spiritual relationship that we have, and make sure that we have done our part to seek peace, to seek reconciliation, and to do our part.

Now, sometimes the other person doesn't want to do that. Well, you've done your part. That's the important thing. You made the gesture. You walked the extra mile. We'll cover that in a moment as well. Let's go to Matthew 18. Matthew 18, verse 6. See, all of these things are part of what we should be thinking about when we pray. And when we're saying, forgive us our debts as we forgive the debts of others. That's something that's up to us. Have we forgiven the debts of others? Matthew 18, verse 6, it says, But whoever causes one of these little ones who believes in me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he would drown in the depths of the sea.

That would be a terrible way to die, wouldn't it? By drowning into somebody through this rock, and you just were pulled down. That's a terrible way. But he says, look, if one of those little ones has left the faith, and a person has been the cause of that, in God's judgment, that person's far more in trouble and seriously going to be condemned than somebody that goes off a cliff with a rock, and has to go through that harrowing and terrifying experience.

Continuing on, it says, Woe to the world because of offenses, for offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes. And so he says, we cannot be brawling type people. We cannot be contentious people. We cannot be people that just have our dander up, and just because we can get away with it, we do get away with it. We cannot do that, because if that little one loses faith, if that becomes a stumbling block, we're going to have to go before God.

And many people have stumbled because of offenses, because somebody didn't come and apologize. They weren't big enough to humble themselves and to just say, Look, I'm sorry. I made the mistake. That was not my intention. Continuing on in verse 18, Jesus Christ uses this illustration. He says, assuredly... Let's see. Verse 8, 15, it says, Moreover, if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fall between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. So here it tells us how to go. You do it in private.

You don't go out and spread this to the four winds. You go privately to your brother in humility. And notice this person has done something against you. That goes against our human nature, doesn't it? Because we get offended. Boy, we like to go and tell all our friends, Look what this person's done to me. Well, that's the first violation of God's principle. If you really are concerned about that person, you're not going to spread it to the four winds.

You're going to go and say, Okay, I need to talk with this person, but I'm going to do it privately. Because who wants to have his faults spread to the four winds? The person's reputation can be destroyed over that. And so it says here, You and him meet alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. And I'm sure he would appreciate it that no one else really knows this wasn't sent publicly to everybody.

But that you are able to deal with it in a humble, in a meek way. It says, You have gained your brother. But if he will not hear, if this person, you see that same behavior, he's sinning against you, you've already gone. Now he stepped on your other core of your foot. And so what are you to do? He says, it's still not go out and tell everybody and spread it to the four winds. He says, Take with you one or two more, that by the mouth of two or three witnesses, every word may be established. So you ask people that you have confidence, that have a good reputation, that are not gossip mongers, that are not going to spread it all out, but they're going to go. And then you're going to talk with that person and say, I have here two people because I want them to be present, and I want to talk with you. And they can see that I'm doing it in a civil and respectful way, but this has to end. And so what happens if that person refuses to hear, as it says in verse 17? Then tell it to the church. Then go to the church officials. Go to the people that have the responsibility. Now it's gotten to this level. That's why a minister should get involved at the lower level. That's why in most cases, now there are some that are so serious that the minister should get involved earlier. But this is the norm here. That the minister will say, you go with your brother. Deal with this. But I'm not going to get out here and just the heavy-handed approach or, okay, I'm going to come in guns blazing. That's not the way the ministry works. A minister should be easily entreated and let things be solved at a lower level. The best news that a minister can hear is, guess what? We talked privately, we hashed it out, we discussed it, and now everything's clear. We reconcile. That's the best thing a minister can hear. But there are times when the minister has to get involved and it says here, but if he refuses, even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector. There is a time when that person just doesn't have the right attitude. He's aggressive, he's hostile, and that person shouldn't be attending church until he gets his situation in hand. Notice verse 18, it says, It's assured, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you lose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven, for where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there in the midst of it. You know what that's talking about? That's talking about exactly what the context was mentioning, which is, if that's a decision that the eldership has to do, it will be bound by God. Because we need to have peace, we need to not have contentious people that are just constantly causing difficulties, or sometimes there has to be a minister that is disciplined because he's the problem. So it can be either way, but the church needs to be at peace.

So once we've examined our relationship with others, then the third point is remembering, as Christ has forgiven you, that we're doing this, not because we think the person just deserves it.

We're doing it because we have a commitment. Christ forgave us, and now we have to be willing to forgive the other.

Notice in Colossians chapter 3, verse 12 through 14, it says, Now, I hadn't seen this quite in this light, so I want to share something I learned this week about this scripture.

As Christ forgave you. When did Christ forgive us? Did he ever come to our house and said, you know, I've forgiven you? Did we personally know? No.

The point is that in anticipation of all of our sins, Christ already said, I've given the sacrifice for you, and more than that, I have forgiven you for what I had to go through.

See, all of us have sinned and have fallen short of the grace of God. If we were the only people on earth, Christ would still have had to have died for us.

And it's not only paying the sacrifice, because he could have done it reluctantly.

Well, I have to die for you, and I'm going to have to give up my life, and I'd rather not.

It's just something that has been obligated upon me with that type of attitude. It wasn't. He said, guess what? I'm going to sacrifice myself for you, and I have forgiven you for what I had to go through.

So, it's not only receiving the sacrifice, but also the forgiveness that is so wonderful. Notice, in Ephesians 2, let's go to Ephesians 2, verse 1. Paul is talking here to the brethren in Ephesus, and he says, Among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

We deserved the wrath of God. We didn't deserve the forgiveness of God, but Jesus Christ went way out on the limb.

He went much farther, and he said, guess what? You don't deserve it, but I'm still going to forgive you. Continuing on, it says, And so, we should notice when it says, Christ forgave us. We are all in the same boat. There's no one here that doesn't need Christ's forgiveness. And he does it. He did it freely, and he paid with it very dearly for it.

Continuing on in 2 Corinthians, chapter 5.

Sometimes we read these things and say, yes, there are all kinds of people out there that are really bad. Yes, they really need that forgiveness. But in the Bible, it says, we are all guilty. We have all fallen short of the glory of God and have all sinned. Notice in 2 Corinthians 5, verse 21, it says, No, for us. That's why the forgiveness applies to every one of us.

If Christ would have said, you know what, Father, I'm not going to forgive them for all what they're going to do. He wouldn't have had to go through that. But he says, I will do it in anticipation. Centuries before we would be born, Christ said, in anticipation, I know they are flesh, that they're going to sin, but I have already extended my forgiveness. Now, of course, that forgiveness is conditional upon confession, repentance, and changing our life. But he has already forgiven each one of us.

We don't deserve it. Even if we don't know Christ personally, he did that, which a human being usually doesn't even do for a stranger. How hard it is to forgive somebody that you don't love, that you don't know. And Christ did it for every human being on the earth. And that leads to the fourth point.

Out of that forgiveness, that mercy, and that love, we should show gratitude toward God. Gratitude toward God. Notice in Luke 7, verse 36.

Again, I'm just going to put all of these beads here.

Put the whole kit and caboodle, as they say, right here. That's what we all got. I'm risking it here, but keep you alert.

Luke 7, verse 36. I hope this is a short illustration. A fast one.

Luke 6, 31, I said. Yes. It says, And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise. But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? If you forgive those who forgive you and are in a good relationship, it says, Even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. But love your enemies. Do good and lend, hoping for nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High.

Yes, it's an attribute of learning to extend that forgiveness, that grace toward others. It's not easy. It's a spiritual quality from God's Holy Spirit to be able to forgive from the heart.

In Matthew 18, verse 21, Jesus Christ uses this illustration. Oh, let's see. Yeah. Then Peter came to him and said, Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and forgive him? Up to seven times? That's what the Jews said, that you had to forgive the person up to seven times. After that, you didn't have to forgive him anymore. And Jesus said unto him, I do not say to you up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. Look at all our sins. Boy, if there were just seven times that God would have forgiven us, that wouldn't have made much of a difference, would it?

Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents, a huge amount of money. But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold with his wife and children and all that he had and that payments be made.

The servant, therefore, fell down before him, saying, Master, have patience with me and I will pay you all. Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him and forgave him the debt. But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, a very small amount. And he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me what you owe.

So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, Have patience with me and I will pay you all. He had a much greater possibility of paying it back because it was a small amount. He owed the equivalent of hundreds of thousands of dollars. And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. So when his fellow servant saw what had been done, they were very grieved and came and told their master all that had been done. Then his master, after he had called them, said to him, You wicked servant, I forgave you all that debt because you begged me.

Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you? And his master was angry and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due him. So my heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you from his heart does not forgive his brother his trespasses. The point is, if we feel that God has been so merciful, so patient, and so forgiving, shouldn't we extend some of that to others? That's what God wants to see. Do we change over time? Or are we hard-hearted? Let's go to another scripture in Luke, chapter 7. Verse 36 of Luke, chapter 7, it says, Now this doesn't mean she was just a typical woman.

She was a harlot. She sold her body for money. It says, Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner. She's unclean, you say. And Jesus answered and said to him, Simon, I have something to say to you. So he said, teacher, say it. There was a certain creditor who had two debtors, one owed five hundred denarii and the other fifty.

And when they had nothing with him with which to pay, he freely forgave them both. Tell me, therefore, which of them will love him more? Simon answered and said, I suppose the one whom he forgave more. And he said, you have rightly judged. Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, do you see this woman? I entered your house. You gave me no water for my feet. But she has washed my feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair on her head.

You gave me no kiss. But this woman has not ceased to kiss my feet since the time I came in. She felt forgiven. You did not anoint my head with oil, but this woman has anointed my feet with fragrant oil. Therefore, I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven.

For she loved much, but to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little. Then he said to her, your sins are forgiven. And so he removed that great burden from her. And now she could begin a new life before God. So that's what gratitude is about. And it also gives us the right motivation, which is the fifth point. Once we have that gratitude, we have to be motivated to do something about it. Be grateful when we can forgive someone, when we can walk that extra mile, when we can extend a hand of fellowship to somebody that did something against us.

And I'll tell you, that will be rewarded by God a hundredfold. Notice in James 2, verse 12. James says here, So speak, and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty. We're going to be judged by God's law, which liberates us from sin. Verse 13, Yes, if we are merciful, if we're forgiving, God's going to be very generous and forgiving to us.

So we have to get out of those narrow-minded mentality of just having some past hurts and grudges that we are just constantly carrying to the present. I'll never forget that gentleman in Columbia when I was serving in that area of South America, he looked so bitter and he looked like he had creases on his face.

He must have been like 65 at that time and just looked so unhappy. And I asked him one day, what happened? And he said, well, when I was a young boy, I'm sure you've heard this, so I don't have to go over all the details. But he was in Columbia. His father was the foreman of a big ranch. And they were playing in a place that had been burnt down.

One of those former large homes had burnt down. And like kids, they were playing and all of a sudden the floorboards broke and he fell with his brother into this room. They had no idea. It was actually a secret chamber in the house. And they found a chest. And inside the chest were gold coins. This was a place where they had stored. And so they were so happy, they climbed out of that hole, and they went and they told their father about it.

And unfortunately, others heard it. They told the owners of the place. The owners came with guns and they drove them all out of the place. And they kept the money. This must have been over 50 years. But you know what? That man, he was always... What if we would have kept silent? What if we could have just done this secretly? Why we could have been rich? Why we could have started a life full of luxury? Why this life would have been so wonderful?

In 50 years, looking at the past, looking at the spilt milk, wondering what would have happened if the milk would have still been in the jar. And I thought, how sad for a person to ruin his life because of something in the past that he can't leave alone. He was dragging it like an anchor through his life.

So this is what God is telling us here, that we should be motivated to forgive. If that man would have said, look, that's something in the past, I've already forgiven. You know, the term forgiveness, I was looking it up, means to cast it aside, to just leave it behind. It means that you are no longer going to be dwelling on that. You're not going to be constantly resurrecting it in your mind. You're going to just cast it aside. That doesn't mean, of course, that it won't hurt or that it's going to just disappear.

But the thing is, you've cast it aside, and now your life can go forward, and you're not just going to be dwelling on that. Notice in Nehemiah chapter 12, here in the Old Testament, Nehemiah chapter 12. Nehemiah has to be one of my favorite persons in the Old Testament.

He was just such a great governor, administrator, man of God. He straightened out a whole people to follow God's law. He almost did it single-handedly. Ezra, of course, helped him, but they were a minority of righteous men, God-fearing men. Notice what it says in Nehemiah 12 verse 22. It says here, let's see here, I think it's rather Nehemiah 13. Yeah, Nehemiah 13 verse 22.

It says, and I commanded the Levites that they should cleanse themselves, and that they should go and guard the gates to sanctify the Sabbath day, because it was not being respected. And he did many other things. But notice his prayer to God after he did all of these wonderful things to follow God's way, to lead people in a righteous way. And then he says, Remember me, O my God, concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of your mercy. Yeah, you do that because God's favor is going to fall upon that person.

God's mercy is going to be there. And our lives can be so more joyous and glad because when we do things, we say, God, please just be merciful. I tried to do this, right? I was merciful. I helped. But you know what? All I ask is to be merciful with me.

That's what was Nehemiah's prayer. This leads us to the sixth point. Ask for a spirit of service and sharing with others. Ask for a spirit of service and sharing with others. It's good. In that prayer, when you are focusing on your relationship to say, God, let me serve people today. Let me be helpful. Let me gladden their days. That's a good part of this relationship. In other words, it's not just sins and what we've got to remove and offenses, but look at it positively. God, help me today. Be an instrument. Be an example. Help. Serve. Share with others. God also wants that. Benjamin Franklin once said, our lives should be divided into three parts. The first one is learning. Get your education. Focus on it. Develop a good career. Then the second third is earning, where you develop through your learning a profession that brings in good income. And then the third part of your life is sharing, is serving, where you've gotten to the point where you're well off good. Now help others that are less fortunate. Notice in Matthew chapter 20 verse 25, Jesus Christ said that we were going to be different than the rest of the world. Matthew 20 verse 25 says, but Jesus called them to himself and said, you know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them. And those who are great exercise authority over them. Yeah, they use their power to aggrandize themselves, to enrich themselves, for their power to make them more wealthy and more famous and more powerful. And then Jesus said, and verse 26, yet it shall not be so among you, but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave. In other words, what is the motivation? If you want to have riches and honor, good, but it's to serve others. Instead of being self-centered leadership, it has to be other-centered leadership. That's what he's talking about. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave. Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many, he gave the ultimate example and ultimate sacrifice. He not only talked, but he walked what he said. Notice in Galatians chapter 6, verse 9. Sometimes we have to get out of our comfort zone, see what we can do, a little more for others. Galatians chapter 6, verse 9. It's not easy to serve people. Sometimes they're not very grateful, sometimes they can abuse. But what does it say here? Galatians 6, verse 9. It says, So, ask for that spirit of service, for the opportunity during the day to really extend out and help somebody in need. It's going to make the day a lot better. I know Boy Scouts used to say, do a good deed every day. And we should be thinking that way. And finally, we should speak edifying words. Again, not only just dealing with the negative in our lives, now we're dealing with the positive.

How we can be positive, and not only with our deeds, but also with our words. Notice, in Colossians chapter 4, verses 5 and 6, Colossians 4, verses 5 and 6, I'm going to read it from the God's Word Bible, version. Colossians 4, verses 5 and 6, it says, Everything you say should be kind and well thought out so that you know how to answer everyone. Yeah, that's something we should ask in this fifth category. God, give me grace with my words. Let me not offend. Let me think before acting, engaging the brain before the mouth, and be able to have gracious words that edify and do not destruct.

That takes us to the final scripture, Ephesians chapter 4, verse 29. It says, Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth. We know today that's very common, but we should not participate in that.

But what is good for necessary edification? That's what should proceed for my mouth. Something that is good for the necessary edification. That it may impart grace to the hearers and do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Don't grieve God's Spirit in you with wrong words, with wrong actions, he say.

Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

See, it all comes back about God's forgiveness and what God expects from all of us. Yes, we have to guard our tongues, we have to think before we act, and remember the scales.

Yes, we've got one section, we've got people that have done things against us, but when we compare it to what we have done against God, and that He's forgiven all of this, I think it's better, it's easier for us to deal with this one.

Have a fine afternoon.

Thank you.