Public Repentance is Necessary for Your Testimony

Pastor Rod Mattoon gives advice on dealing with sin and Christian relationships: Wrongs Must Be Made Right with Others 

Acts 24:16—And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men.

Restitution involves repairing or replacing that which was damaged. If you have damaged someone's reputation by slandering them, then you need to publicly restore their name because you don't know how far your slander has traveled. If you have offended someone privately, then you go to that person and seek their forgiveness privately. If you have done something that has entered the public arena such as a moral failure, then you seek repentance publicly, especially with your church family. You go as far as the ripple goes.

Public repentance is necessary for your testimony because people don't know what is going on in your life unless you tell them. If you got your life right with God, then tell them and seek forgiveness for your bad example and offensive behavior. After Zacchaeus met the Lord, he wanted to make restitution with others who were offended by his dishonesty.

Luke 19:8—And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.

Unwillingness to get your life right with people indicates a pride problem and spiritual immaturity. You will continue to struggle in your Christian growth until you clear your conscience.

Paul has been presenting his case that he had no skeletons in his closet. His life was above reproach, his integrity was intact, his character was Christlike, his sincerity was sterling, his veracity was valid, his candidness was clear, and his faithfulness was flawless. The witnesses to his character were first of all his confidence and secondly, his conscience. The third area of evidence was his conduct. The principles that he shares about his own conduct should be mimicked in our own personal lives.

Copied from: Rod Mattoon, Mattoon's Treasures – Treasures from 2 Corinthians, (Springfield, IL: Lincoln Land Baptist Church, n.d.), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 39-40.

 

(HT: Jason Smathers)

Do You Need to Forgive Someone?

By Justin Edwards

Is there someone in your life you need to forgive? Are you holding a grudge against someone and need to ask forgiveness? Is there someone with a grudge against you? Forgiveness is the epitome of the Christian walk - whether we need it or need to offer it.

We grieve the Spirit of our Lord when we walk in unforgiveness, and refusing to forgive is, in fact, very dangerous ground to walk on. The Apostle Paul exhorts us in Ephesians 4 to

³¹ Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. ³² And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

 We see that this is actually a command in Colossians 3, where Paul tells us

¹² Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; ¹³ bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.

There is not one thing that any one can do to you, under any circumstances, that would warrant refusal to forgive. If you refuse to forgive someone who has offended you, I dare say you may not be forgiven by the Lord Jesus Christ yourself.  Jesus said in Matthew 6,

¹⁴ “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵ But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

My heart breaks when I hear someone say, "I will never forgive them" or "Forgiveness is not an option". This is akin to the Apostle John's words in 1 John 4,

²⁰ If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can^[c] he love God whom he has not seen? ²¹ And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.

If you do not forgive those who seek forgiveness, the love of the Father may not be in you. Forgiveness is rooted in love, for love, agape love, is why Jesus died on the cross to forgive YOU of YOUR offenses against Him. Likewise, it is out of love that you forgive one another. If you do not forgive, you do not love, and the love of the Father is not in your heart.

We have so greatly offended God in our sins, yet He is faithful to forgive us when we confess to Him:

⁹ If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. - 1 John 1:9

How utterly foolish is it then to think that any born again believer can withhold forgiveness from someone seeking it? Our sins against God are countless, and we are commanded to forgive without limit. We must extend the same grace and mercy to those who offend us as God has extended to us.

³ Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you,^[a] rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. ⁴ And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you,^[b] saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.” - Luke 17:3-4

Last Sunday, my pastor, Loran Livingston, mentioned a quote or two about those who make us miserable or bring affliction to our lives. They basically said we should thank God for those bring us sufferings, who hold grudges against us, who treat us poorly - these should bring us joy and we should praise Him. Why? You might ask? Because it is then we can submit to Christ in humility and exercise our duty to love those who persecute us. It is then we can love our enemies and those against us. We then are able to conform to the likeness of Christ by exercising forgiveness in meekness.

Sometimes people do not give us opportunity to forgive them because they are not repentant of their actions against us. The grudges one holds against us may never turn into sorrow in which they seek to make peace with us. These are the times that we must forgive them anyway. While the transaction of forgiveness cannot take place unless they receive the forgiveness out of a repentant heart, we can still prepare our hearts for forgiveness and turn the situation over to the Lord. It is then left to be a matter between them and a just God.

Whether you find yourself in a position that needs to ask forgiveness, or you need to make peace with the one who has offended you, God has called us to live in peace. It is your Christian duty to forgive no matter the offense, and you must seek forgiveness when you have offended.

The following is a letter written by Pastor Livingston to someone who held a grudge against him several years ago. I believe it illustrates the heart we should all desire when we are placed in a situation that causes strife in our lives by another. May we all be slow to anger and remain in a state of forgiveness.

I release you from an obligation I think you have towards me because of a personal violation.

You are no longer indebted to me.

My healing and restoration are not contingent upon another word or action from you.

For me to be happy has nothing to do with you anymore.

You owe me nothing.

I exhibit compassion to you because of the mistake you made, and the mess you are in, and I know the weight is heavy - I have carried it many times.

Like a king, I am wealthy beyond measure and what you owe me compared to the riches of heaven cannot make me richer if you pay me or poorer if you don’t.

Like a child of God, my joy is full and cannot be made more or less full by the way you treat me.

Like my Savior, he who is greater forgives and blesses the transgressor not once but every time.

I refuse to be offended.

I refuse to be sensitive.

I refuse to be shackled to a grudge.

I set you free from me.

I bless you.

I pray for you.

I forgive you as I have been forgiven by the Lord now and forever.

It is my privilege to forgive you because in so doing I imitate and please Jesus.

The case is closed forever.

The matter is settled eternally.

The judgment is rendered and from my heart I say with my mouth “you are forgiven”.

Because I know that in one year, or in one month, or in one week, or in one day, or in one hour, or in one minute, or in one second from now, I will need to ask for forgiveness from my Lord Jesus, and I want nothing to delay the answer or hinder my prayer.

The Power of the Cross

By Justin Edwards

Pastor Loran Livingston is the speaker this morning May 23rd, 2010 in the 10:30 service.

Scripture: Hebrews 12:1-2; Romans 6:11-14

Topic: Sin

Notes:

- Stationary I-beam; criminal carried cross the cross beam
- Jesus' crucifixion was the greatest insult... act of rebellion
- Sin started when Lucifer rebelled, started the kingdom of I (self)
- Jesus crossed out the kingdom of I; cross became the center...
- The cross is the plan of God
- Because of sin, God turned His back on Jesus; because of righteousness, the world turned their backs on Jesus
- Hall of faith: their sins unmentioned in N.T... focus on their faith
- You will fall but He will forgive you; when we sin we run to God
- Sin defeated but it is not dead, has the power to deceive
- Military police have authority over military but not over citizens just as sin has no authority over the saved
- We have the power to evaluate sin and choose not to indulge
- Lions cannot defeat flies; we are conquerors but cannot be rid of sin
- Backsliding, legalism. We cannot make people holy with rules
- We are made a new creation when we look to the cross of Jesus

Direct mp3 download: At the Cross

The Lord's Prayer Series Part 5 (VLOG)

By Justin Edwards

Is forgiveness conditional? Is the extent of your forgiveness based on the circumstances, or is there forgiveness in your heart no matter the offense someone has against you? Watch Matt explain why we are to forgive others just as Christ has forgiven those who are His sheep:

Matthew 6 

⁹ In this manner, therefore, pray:

      Our Father in heaven,
      Hallowed be Your name.
       ¹⁰ Your kingdom come.
      Your will be done
      On earth as it is in heaven.
       ¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread.
       ¹² And forgive us our debts,
      As we forgive our debtors.

 Find Parts 1-4 below:

The Lord's Prayer Series Part 4 (VLOG)

The Lord's Prayer Series Part 3 (VLOG)

The Lord's Prayer Series Part 2 (VLOG) 

The Lord's Prayer Series (VLOG)

 

 

The Greatest Mirror of Them All

By Justin Edwards


Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does. - James 1:23-25

The most important test one can undertake is to examine themselves in light of Scripture. Consider the Bible a mirror and search to see if your life is a reflection of the Word of God. After seeing Jesus, His love, His teachings, His commandments, His sufferings and further the exhortations by John, Peter, Paul, and James, does your life reflect that love, obedience, servanthood, stewardship, fruit of the Spirit, sufferings for His sake, and proper response in holiness and righteousness to these exhortations? Or does your life reflect disobedience, pride, anger, hatred, lusts of the flesh, and unrighteousness?


Jesus said in John 14:15, 23-24,

If you love Me, you will obey what I command...23If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

And 1 John 3:16 says,

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.

Have you laid down your life for Jesus? Have you submitted in total surrender to Him? Do you still hold on to your own will, or does He have all the control?

The following is a passage for honest consideration to examine whether you are in the faith. If you find the virtuous things lacking in your life, yet the things of the earth evident instead, get on your knees and take it to the foot of the cross. If you find you have never known Him, He may not know you, so settle that today by committing your life to Christ. If you are unsure, surrender everything to Him so you may receive assurance and turn to diligence in seeking after Him in His sovereign and perfect Word. You cannot know Him if you do not seek Him. You cannot seek Him if do not know where to find Him. You cannot find Him if you don't open your Bible and pray.

Colossians 3:1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.

5 Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, 7 in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them.

8 But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, 10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him,

12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. 14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. 15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

If you want God with all of your heart, mind, and soul, if you are ready to die to yourself and be raised with Christ, if you are tired of the same old life that gives you no genuine hope, peace, joy, or love, and you are ready to receive the Peace that passes all understanding, the Hope that gives life, the Joy that brings true happiness, and the Love that mends all things, then commit your life to Christ today by a prayer similar to below. Jesus Christ loves you, enough to die for you. He paid a debt He did not owe, because you have a debt you cannot pay. If you believe that God sent His Son Jesus to die for your sins, that God raised Him from the dead, and that He is Lord, confess these things to Him, and He will give you eternal life as He promised:

"Dear God, I know that I am a sinner in desperate need of You. I have doubts about my salvation, and I'm ready to obtain assurance today. I know that my sin has separated me from You, and the only way to mend this gap is by believing in Your Son, and confessing Him Lord of my life. Right now, Father, I surrender my life to you. These sins that have a hold on me, I hand them over to you. I ask that you take these sins and help me overcome. I know the temptation will remain, but through You I am more than a conqueror. I die to myself, Lord Jesus, and turn away from the life I am living. I am picking up my cross and I am following You. I have been in control of my life for far too long, and now I give You control completely. It is no longer my will for my life, but Your will for my life, and Your will alone. I pray that by Your Spirit, You sanctify me, making me holy, Lord. I commit myself to You, and I know that it is by Your grace alone through faith alone in Jesus alone that I am saved. Thank You Jesus for Your sacrifice, thank You for shedding Your blood on the cross to pay for my sins, and thank You for making me a new creation. I receive this gift of eternal life, and I thank You, Jesus! In Your most precious name that is above all names I ask these things, amen."