Tonight, we're going to spend some time together in one of Paul's letters, and if you have your Bible, you can open it up, to the book of Colossians. We're going to spend a little time in Colossians chapter three looking at just a few verses, but they're verses that will help every church that reads them and applies them, and churches apply them when the members of the churches apply them. Now, because we're just diving in and I don't have the opportunity to preach multiple times, let me give you a little backdrop of where Colossians is coming from. Paul was writing the letter from his imprisonment in Rome, and he had never personally visited this church, but he had heard about this church. The founder of the church was a man named Epaphras who had come to Rome because he was very concerned for his people. The city of Colossae was really a city that had no significance from any type of economic or political sense. It was just a small town with a small church. But the pastor had done a good job. He had taught them well. In chapter one, verse seven, Paul, in commending the church, said, just as you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow bondservant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf, verse eight, and he also informed us of your love in the spirit. So this was a church that was doing well, and yet the pastor had traveled 1,100 miles. The historians tell us from the city of Colossae, which doesn't exist anymore, but it was in modern day Turkey. He had traveled 1,100 miles in a time where it was a lot harder to get there than it was for me today to get from Tampa to Cincinnati. And I don't have time to develop it fully, but the purpose of the letter was to protect a good church. This church had been founded by a faithful servant. They had shown love, they were growing, and yet the apostle had been informed that error was creeping in. In Colossians 2, verse four, for example, the apostle Paul says this, I say this so that no one will delude you with persuasive argument. What was apparently happening is that people were coming around the church and they were effective public speakers. They were spinning according to verse eight in chapter two, philosophy and empty deception, but it sounded appealing. And there was a danger that this good church that had love, that had good leadership, still could be led away into error. And so this faithful pastor was very concerned about the false teaching and he wanted the authority of the Apostle Paul to help him protect his flock. So he went to Rome, ultimately became imprisoned himself. And the result was this letter that the Apostle Paul wrote to this church that he had never seen with some warnings, but also some encouragement. The letter has a tremendous amount of theology. If you wanted a great study of Christology, you could go to this book. A lot of great truths about salvation and the work of Christ and what he has done on our behalf. And again, their practical warning is against false teaching and what to look out for. It's a situation where Paul was writing to a church that was doing well, but he really wanted them to continue forward and to continue to do better. And as we turn into chapter 3, it's really where Paul is encouraging them about practical daily living. If you look in Colossians 3 verses 1 and 2, He begins to say, he says, therefore, if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. So the apostle was talking about how we think, how we view life, how we interact with the world around us. And then he begins to give a series of practical instructions. Again, I don't have time to develop all this tonight. It's many messages could be taught on this, but Paul begins by dealing with a lot of sinful behavior that could creep in. Again, these believers were doing well. They were showing love for one another. The apostle was encouraging them, but he understood the nature of humanity. He understood the nature of being a believer that it's always one step and you're sliding back into sin. You have to be very careful. So in verses 5 to 11, he put out a catalog of sin. Some of it is sexual sin. Some of it was sin in terms of interactions within the church of how we would interact with each other. He didn't want them to fall into these wicked patterns of behavior. He didn't want them to grow in those patterns of evil. He wanted them to do well. But I'm purposefully not coming here to talk to you about those things. You have your shepherds and they can deal with all those sinful things and those behaviors because they understand their sheep. They know you and your unique temptations just like we as elders at our church know our congregation's unique temptations. Where I'm getting us to is what's happening in verses 12 to 14. Because there the apostle Paul is done dealing with the negative, and he begins to talk about positive characteristics that should be present in the lives of every believer, but particularly in the life of the church. Paul is going to show us as we go through these three verses, principles that if they were applied, make the life in the body of Christ, the comforting, unifying experience God intends it to be, where believers feel loved, and they feel appreciated, not for the sake of their own ego, but for the sake of Christ and the testimony of the gospel. In fact, if you commit to obeying the truths that are in these verses, your church will be a paradise. And if you already are a paradise, your church will even be more of a paradise. Because these principles really transform how you interact as the body of Christ. God's purposes for the church, for His children in the church, are not mysterious. He wants us to be unified. Jesus said in John 17, 11, the latter part of the verse, Holy Father, keep them in your name, the name which you have given me, that they may be one even as we are. That's ultimately the goal of every local body of believers, including your church. We're to be united in Christ. Paul in Romans 15 described the same type of behavior this way, now may the God, verse five and six, now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus so that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. So again, that's the overarching goal for every church, and Paul's instruction to the church at Colossae helps accomplish this very thing. Again, these believers were doing well, but he knew believers can easily fall into sin. There's always that struggle of knowing the right thing to do and struggling to do it, or knowing what not to do and being tempted to fall back into it. So the standards that Paul is going to set forth for us in our text tonight, they're very lofty. They're high, but they're attainable for every one of you because of what Christ has already done in your heart. So I want to be clear upfront. I trust that Truth Community Church does well in the things that I'm talking about tonight. But it's possible that in your own life, you may notice certain areas where you need conviction, where you need to repent, and you need to do a better job of striving to walk in obedience. And even if everyone is doing everything well, I think Paul would have us Follow the exhortation that he gave in 1 Thessalonians 4, 1. Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus that as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God, just as you actually do walk, that you excel still more. So I'm going to read our three verses tonight. Follow along with me. I read from the New American Standard, but I'm going to read verses 12 to 14, and then we're going to dive into the explanation of the text. So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone. Just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. Beyond all these things, put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity." I normally teach from an outline just to have a flow of thought, and we're really going to be talking about fostering unity in the body of Christ. I'm gonna have three points with three verses, but it's about fostering unity in the body of Christ. And my first point is this. View others in the most favorable light possible. View others in the most favorable light possible. Now, it's gonna take me a while to develop this point, and I trust that eventually you'll see how I come to that expression of the words. But verse 12 is very direct. So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Now, in my own limitations, when I'm looking at the scriptures, I tend to jump to what I'm supposed to do, or I fixate on what I'm not to do. But Paul begins all of this with some profound theological truth that I don't want to rush past to get to what you should do. Because even in the theological truth, it tells us something about how we set our minds on things above when it comes to looking at other believers. The profound theological truths really are what everything else is predicated upon. So what are those? Has to do with the statement where he says, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved. Now, Paul is already throughout the letter talked about where they are in Christ. But for example, in Colossians chapter three, if you look up a few verses at chapter three, verse three, he says, for you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life is revealed, then you will also be revealed with him in glory. So he's making it clear something has happened. They have died. Verse 10, he talks about a new self. And have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the one who created him. In other words, the old man, our old identity is dead. The life of sin, the life in the flesh, all the things in verses five to 11 that he says, get rid of them. Now we're in Christ. That's what Paul's talking about when he says, those who have been chosen of God. And I want to emphasize this because it greatly impacts whether we're thinking on things above or whether we're thinking on things below, things of the earth. How you view yourself and how you view everybody else in the church matters very much. In fact, most of our sinful interactions with others in life and in the church are caused by an inflated view of ourselves. Stated another way, it's just pride. The scriptures warn us against this over and over and over again. Romans 12, for example, the first part of verse three, for through the grace given to me, I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think. Now, I'm gonna focus on this a little bit, but what happens with us when we're dealing with the body of Christ is if we're not careful, we think we're entitled or we deserve something. Because if we scratch even a little bit deeper, at the end of the day, we actually like ourselves more than we should. We know better, but if we're not careful in each of us, even in church, We can find ourselves with the attitude of the Pharisee in Luke 18, verse 11, who said, God, I thank you that I'm not like other people. Swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this, tax collectors. We would never say it in the same way, but if we're not careful, we can come to church and have that attitude about others. That's why I want to slow down and focus at the beginning of this text before we get to the what we are supposed to do is to think about who we actually are. Paul says we are chosen of God. If we truly embrace the idea that we are chosen of God, then the idea that we're personally entitled to anything or that we would ever look at ourselves and say, I deserve better. Look how good I am and has to go away. Because God chose us not because of our behavior. He didn't choose us because we're better than other people. What does the scripture say in Romans 3.10? As it is written, there is none righteous, not even one. Applies to every one of us. In fact, the Bible makes clear that we're saved in the midst of our sinfulness, not because we're cleaned up or because we earned God's favor or because we did enough to make God set his love upon us. Romans 5, 8, but God demonstrates his own love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. If you look around the room and don't do it, but if you look around the room at all the other believers here at Truth, you all have one thing in common. Same thing would apply at Lakeside, at any church of genuine believers. You look around the room, apart from Jesus Christ, you're all sinners. We are all sinners whose sinful hearts and actions merit hell. Yet God chose us. If you placed your faith in Jesus Christ, God set his love upon you. He chose you. You didn't go looking for Him. You weren't smarter than all the other people to figure it out. He came and found you. 1 John 4.10 says, and this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. My point in trying to emphasize this is just as a reminder to think about who we're around when we come to church. We should never be in a position where we're looking at other people and saying, well, I'm better than them. I'm better than them. We're just chosen by God. We did nothing to earn His love. We did nothing that made us more deserving than any other sinner. God simply chose us because He loves sinners. Over and over, the New Testament makes clear we're not saved because of our works. Again, if we were to look around at one another, we're not better than each other. There's no hierarchy where we're looking around and ranking one another. There shouldn't be in the body of Christ. Every one of us was running from God. We were his enemies, according to Romans 5.10. And yet God chose us and loved us anyway. It's a great starting point for thinking on things above. And it's a great starting point for thinking about how we interact with one another in the body of Christ. We're not better than anyone else. You're not better than anyone else. We're just all equally chosen and we're saved by grace. The cross is the great equalizer. Some have more education, some have more money, some have an easier life, some have better health, some have worse. But at the end of the day, our status in Christ isn't any of those things, it's that we're chosen by God. And Paul emphasizes the results of God choosing us. So as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved. Holy just means set apart. Certainly we're called to be holy as God is holy, according to 1 Peter. But really this has to do not with our actions as much as our position. 1 Peter 2.9 says it this way, but you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. That's the emphasis of holiness that Paul's talking about here in Colossians. We're set apart by God. Again, and I emphasize it, according to 1 John 4 10, and this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us. Perhaps this doesn't happen to you, but I've been a Christian since 1993, and I've met Christians that actually annoy me, that aren't my best friends. In my weaker moments, I've been really bothered by other believers. God chose you, and He also chose the Christian who annoys you, the Christian who bothers you, the Christian who doesn't do everything exactly like you do it. He set you apart, but He also set them apart. He loves you, but He also loves them. Now, why am I emphasizing this? This doesn't even really seem like this is the point, but it actually is the point. Because Paul's about to tell us to do some things to one another that are very challenging if you live life amongst sinners. And we can't do those things unless we rightly view other people the way God views them, and unless we view ourselves as God views us. We have to see others as they truly are in Christ, not just in their behavior that annoys us. Are there sinners in your church? Yes. Can they be frustrating? Yes. Do other believers do things we don't like? Of course. But all those things apply to you as well in somebody else's eyes. And yet despite all of those challenges, God chose us. He set us apart from the mass of sinful humanity. He places love upon each one of us. And because of God's work in you and in all the believers around you and every other believer at truth, God expects certain conduct and behavior in the life of the body of Christ. So following along in verse 12, We're actually getting to the action part. So as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Really, Paul is talking about what the new man, what the new self that he referenced in verse 10 looks like. The new life we have in Christ, of course, results in new behavior. Again, he went through a whole section of sins of sexual immorality that we should not be doing in verses five to seven. In verses eight to 11, there's a list of sinful interactions with one another that we should be avoiding. But here he's on a positive side and he's telling us this is what it should look like. This is not the don't do, this is what life should look like. And he says, put on, and the idea of putting on is really of putting on a garment. It's imagery of putting on a new garment. And the context, we have to look briefly at verse 8 and 9, because he used similar language of talking about taking off a certain type of garment. Verses eight and nine say, but now you also put them all aside, anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. Do not lie to one another since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices. So this idea of put them all aside is getting rid of filthy clothing. That's the imagery being used. Taking off a soiled garment, dirty and smelly clothes that we wouldn't be, we wouldn't keep on, we would want to get them off of us because they're filthy and they're disgusting. So he's just taking that same imagery and he's saying, you've gotten rid of the old stuff. Let me tell you what to put on. Let me tell you what your garments should look like. And in context, these are the attitudes and behaviors, not that just we should have in general towards the world. This is talking about life in the body of Christ. Remember, Paul's writing to a church that's doing well. They're showing love to one another, but he's saying, this is what you should be doing. So we're gonna walk through these one by one, and then I'm gonna put them all together to show you why I've phrased my original point about fostering unity in this way. But we'll start with this, put on a heart of compassion. In other words, it's just another way of saying you should have this attitude. This is the way your heart should be, a disposition of compassion. And it's an attitude of pity and mercy towards those who are hurting. They're hurting, they're suffering, and rather than saying, ha ha, they're getting payback, they deserve it, they annoyed me, your heart breaks with them. You show them compassion. It's a deep tenderness and sympathy in the midst of the trials from someone else. actually reflects the heart of God. God expressed this truth about himself to Moses in Exodus 34, the first part of verse six. Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, the Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious. The idea is that when others are hurting or deeply affected by something, your heart is moved also. It's really the expression of Romans 12, 15, rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. He goes on, says, put on kindness. Really, this is just talking about seeking the good of others. It's closely related to compassion. In fact, all of these principles are related Several of them are specifically listed as fruits of the Spirit. But here's the idea of you're wanting what is best for someone else. Quite often, because you have a card of compassion, you want to show kindness. In studying this text, if you were to read various commentaries, many of them would mention as an example of what kindness looks like in action, the story of the Good Samaritan. Luke 10, verse 33, I'll just read 33 to 35. But a Samaritan who was on a journey came upon him, and when he saw him, he felt compassion, and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them, and he put him on his own beast and brought him to an inn and took care of him. On the next day, he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, take care of him, and whatever more you spend when I return, I will repay you. It's this readiness to help others in their time of need because you care about them. In fact, it's a readiness to do this even if it inconveniences you. God shows kindness to us, we in turn must show kindness to others. Again, this is one of the fruits of the Spirit. We don't have an excuse that says, well, I don't really know how to do this. God enables us by giving us His Spirit to indwell us. And if we're walking by the Spirit, kindness is a natural outgrowth. But Paul continues on. Put on a heart of compassion, put on kindness, put on humility. And this is not some theatrical event where you're faking humility, but it's a genuinely developed heart attitude that sees other believers as more important than yourselves. It's interesting because the Bible says that Jesus was characterized by humility, the King of kings and Lord of lords. He said this in Matthew 11, 29, take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and humble in heart. and you'll find rest for your souls. I think what Paul's talking about in Colossians, he expressed in a different way, perhaps a more developed way in Philippians 2, verses three and four. He says this, do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind, regard one another as more important than yourselves. Do not merely look out for your own personal interest, but also for the interest of others. A humble person understands their place before God. That's part of why I spent such amount of time talking about the fact that we're chosen by God, but it's not because of what we've done. A humble person understands that their place before a holy God is a gift. A beautiful picture of humility is the tax collector in the parable in Luke 18, 13, but the tax collector, unlike the Pharisee who was praying to himself, the tax collector standing some distance away was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast saying, God be merciful to me, the sinner. That's humility. You understand you have nothing to bring to God. Again, Jesus pictured this beautifully in a parable about people invited to a table. And I won't read all of it, but in Luke chapter 14, verses seven to 11, Jesus says, in essence, be careful where you sit. Because if you pick for yourself the good seat, somebody else more important comes in behind you and you'll be humiliated and you'll have to move. He says this in verse 11, for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. So the idea that Paul's trying to create in all of us is to understand where we are in the body of Christ. So we put on humility, next is gentleness. Some versions translate this as meekness. It conveys the idea of being willing to endure a hardship rather than trying to inflict a hardship on someone. It's a willingness to defer to others and it's closely related to humility. John MacArthur summarizes it this way, I'm quoting, it is not weakness or spinelessness, but rather a willingness to suffer injury instead of inflicting it. The gentle person knows he is a sinner among sinners and is willing to suffer the burdens other sins may impose on him." Again, this is another one of the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5. This is someone who's not concerned about protecting his own rights and vindicating himself and defending himself. This is someone who knows he's a sinner, just like the sinner that's treated him wrongly, and he's willing to keep the peace and endure it. The last of these phrases of put on, put on patience. Again, another fruit of the Spirit. And all these things go together. It's a close relationship to gentleness. One with patience has self-control. He restrains his emotions even in the face of an offense. Even if another believer hurts him, he can be patient. One of my favorite commentators describes it this way, quote, it denotes that long-suffering which endures wrongs and puts up with the exasperating conduct of others rather than flying into a rage or desiring vengeance. So Paul is telling us to put on all these virtues, clothe ourselves with these things. He expressed something very similar in Ephesians 4, 1-3. He says, therefore, I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called. with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the spirit and the bond of peace. Now we'll put all this together, and I'll bring you back to what my point was. View others in the most favorable light possible. If you view the other believers around you here at Truth or in your family or in your daily life, if you view them as those who are chosen and holy and beloved by God, you're going to be able to give them the benefit of the doubt. It's going to be easier for you to have compassion for them. and kindness towards them, and to live in humility and with patience. Other Christians are going to disappoint you. We are sinners, we blow it. We're not always at our best. but a believer walking by the Spirit, one who desires to be like Christ, sees other believers not just as an annoyance. They're not the thorn in the flesh. They're not your enemies. They're just sinners who are also chosen and loved by God and set apart by Him. And we have to think the best of them, even when their behavior is not at its best. Don't always assume that every incident is intentional. Don't ever always assume that every word was intended in the worst possible way. Speaking of love in 1 Corinthians 13, 7, verses that I go to myself often because of my struggle in this, says it bears all things. Speaking of love, bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. So rather than always being quick to take offense and carry a grudge, rather than perhaps having a chip on our shoulder because we know this particular person is doing something to annoy us, look at other believers as God sees them, as forgiven sinners chosen by God because He loves them, and treat them like God treats you. As challenging as it is to live this way, what comes next is even harder for many of us. But these virtues of chapter three, verse 12, are necessary if we're going to be able to live out what Paul tells us in verse 13. So that leads to our second point for fostering unity in the body of Christ. First, view others in the most favorable light possible, Second, be quick to forgive when others hurt you. Be quick to forgive when others hurt you. Verse 13 is not complicated, but it's very hard. Paul continues, bearing with one another and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone. Just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. Paul is dealing with real life. And of course, Christians should never hurt each other, but we do. Christians shouldn't sin against each other, but we do. Every Christian husband and wife that's been together more than a day can understand that. But Paul's making it clear, we are identified with Christ. We put on godly conduct, which requires us to respond differently, even when someone hurts us. Bearing with one another means we don't cut off people just because they've exasperated us or offended us. We put up with other sinners because we're sinners ourselves. We put up with other sinners because we're sinners saved by grace. They have faults and shortcomings and weaknesses. Yes, that's true, but so do we. Have they fallen short? Have they sinned? Have they done these things in all likelihood at some point? Yes, but they're still chosen and holy and beloved by God and we have to treat them accordingly. We need to be willing to endure, to bear with them, to love them anyway, even if they've done us wrong. Paul describes a mindset in Romans 12, 14 to 18, that should apply to us at all times, of course. Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation. Verse 17, never pay back evil for evil to anyone. We respect what is right in the sight of all men. Verse 18, if possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. It's a great description of bearing with one another. And Paul's going beyond just believers. This is how we live in general, not cutting people off, not retaliating, not paying people back, but rather blessing them and being at peace with them despite their behavior. but it's not just living with them, bearing with one another, Paul continues on, bearing with one another and forgiving each other. Whoever has a complaint against anyone, just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. Very challenging teaching because it goes against everything that we know in a fleshly sense. We can't be those who keep accounts and records of wrong. In fact, again, in 1 Corinthians specifically says, love keeps no record of wrongs. But if we're not careful, we have a laundry list of every believer that hurt us. And we remember. But Paul says, forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone in all likelihood, he's saying there are legitimate complaints. They really are sins against you. This isn't imagining things. This really is bad behavior against you. Forgive each other anyway. It's the idea of being quick to forgive. Not once in a while, but having that hard attitude always. Such that even if it's a valid offense, even if they've genuinely offended you, your heart attitude is, I want to forgive as quickly as I can. Again, he's not pretending that this isn't a real offense where we're just hypersensitive or something of that nature. This really happened, but the believer loves his brother or sister, even the one that offended him. So he's forbearing. He's patient and kind and humble and gentle, which allows him to understand the Lord forgave me so much This is nothing for me to forgive them. Why do I say this teaching is hard? Because there's something about America in particular, in our culture, that we really want justice. We want our rights. It's challenging because certainly there are legitimate times to stand up. The apostle Paul didn't sin by exercising his rights as a Roman citizen and appealing to Caesar in an appropriate moment. But that's not really what's being addressed here. This is the heart attitude that says, I'm okay carrying this grudge because they don't deserve my forgiveness. I want justice. I want paybacks. But that's not a biblical heart attitude. Certainly not what Paul is saying that we should be forgiving each other just as God has forgiven us. I was saved at 26 years old. I was a young lawyer back in 1993. And since that time, my wife and I have been members of four churches. Only one of them have I've been a pastor. The others, I was just a church member. But over and over, I've seen instances in churches of division because believers are unwilling to forgive. because there's such an innate desire for justice that there's no way I'm letting him or her get away with it. I deserve to be vindicated. I want everyone else to know how bad they really are because people think they're nice, but they're not. But really that's just fleshly thinking. Galatians 5 verse 19 and 20, now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, then enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions. I've seen that happen over and over in the churches I've been a part of. And quite often it comes about because there's not forbearance. There's not a willingness to forgive. Paul is telling us to view the offenses against us from other believers the same way God views our sin against him as done away with. The challenge is that we are to forgive other believers in the body of Christ who sin against us quickly, unconditionally, from the heart. I realize how hard this is because I struggle with it. I can tell you things that people did to me years ago that I still struggle and beg God to help my heart Because in my weak moment, suddenly it rears up and I look at them funny. And that's wrong and that's sin. Because the teaching of Scripture is so consistent and prevalent that we can't get away from our duty to forgive. Part of the Lord's Prayer, Matthew 6, verse 12, unforgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors. Jesus says, Matthew 6, 14 and 15, for if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your father will not forgive your transgressions. But if we're not careful, we fall into a fleshly mindset because we have an inflated view of ourselves that says, okay, I'll give you one, you get one chance. Okay, maybe even two, but three strikes you're out. I'm done with you, believer. I mean, there has to be a limit on forgiveness, right? I can't be a doormat. But again, it's the heart attitude and how you view other people. I just ask, is there a limit to God's forgiveness? Over and over, I've gone back in my own mind, in my own life, and trying to be holy as God is holy. And I look at what Matthew 18 says, a dialogue between Peter and Jesus. Then Peter came and said to him, verse 21, Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times. So we understand Peter was being generous. He was patting himself on the back for, I'd be willing to do it seven times. Verse 22, Jesus said to him, I do not say to you up to seven times, but up to 70 times seven. And right after this, Jesus told the parable of the man who had an incalculable debt, and he went and begged the person that he owed to be forgiven. He counts in Matthew chapter 18, verses 23 to 27. And the man, the master had mercy and forgave the debt. But then that slave turned around and went to collect a debt from someone who owed him. According to the values of the day, it was a pittance compared to the man's own insurmountable debt to his master. But he was unwilling to relent. Jesus brought home the lesson in Matthew 18, beginning at verse 33. Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave in the same way that I had mercy on you? And as the Lord moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him. My heavenly Father will also do the same to you if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart. Again, I understand this is hard to do. We're called to do this even when the sin against us is real. This is the type of time when we can be tempted to be like the Pharisee and say, Lord, I'm glad I'm not like that person that did those things to me. But we've always got to remember before God that is who we are. We had an insurmountable sin debt that we could never work off and God forgave it in Christ. How can we not quickly and freely forgive other believers, even if they're wronging us? Again, everyone could come up with, well, but you don't understand. It's not my teaching, it's the teaching of God. Well, maybe I'll forgive them if they grovel and beg. I'll feel better. Maybe if they do it publicly, have them come up in front of the church and grovel and beg for my forgiveness, and then everybody can see me forgive. No, that's not it at all. That's more like the wicked slave who was forgiven an infinite debt and wanted to exact his pound of flesh. We need the heart of Jesus when he was crucified in Luke 23, verse 34, but Jesus was saying, Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. Again, we have to keep coming back and thinking rightly about ourselves, because it helps us think rightly about other believers. Did Jesus die for you after you admitted you were wrong? Did He shed His blood for you only after you groveled and begged and admitted, okay, I'm guilty? No, you were still a sinner and He chose to forgive you. But God demonstrates His own love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us, Romans 5.8. So let me take a deep breath. Is there no recourse for sin? Of course there is. In fact, there's a process by which the church deals with someone who habitually and without repentance keeps sinning, Matthew 18. You go and show him his fault in private, and then you take witnesses, and then it's brought before the church. But that doesn't change your personal heart duty when someone sins against you. You still have to be willing to forgive as God's forgiven you. Again, sin does have consequences. Don't mishear me. If your Christian employee steals from you, you certainly are allowed to call the police. You're certainly allowed to fire them. But your heart attitude towards them has to be to forgive them and to still have compassion on them. That doesn't mean they don't pay the consequences for their sin at an appropriate time, but it means in your heart attitude, you're not justified in having a bitter, unforgiving spirit at any time. It all comes back to what God's done for you. He forgave you a debt that you could never have worked off on your own and you could never pay it back. He sent his son to die for you. just as you were forgiven, so you should forgive. That brings us to our final point of the night for fostering unity in the body of Christ. We view others in the most favorable light possible. Be quick to forgive when others hurt you. And finally, the last point comes from verse 14. Love other Christians despite their shortcomings. Love other Christians despite their shortcomings. Verse 14 is very direct. Beyond all these things, put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. Most of the virtues and behavior that we were to put on acknowledge that other believers has done us wrong. but love transcends all of that. Beyond all these things, yes, do all those things, but put on love. It's really the overarching issue. Do you love other believers as God loves you? Because God loves us, it enables us to love others. Again, we already saw this, but I'll read again from 1 John 4, verses 10 and 11. Again, this is one of those truths that is repeated so many times in scripture. There is no out for us. There's no loophole to get around this law. 1 John 4, 10 and 11, and this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. Love is everything when it comes to relationships in the body of Christ, especially when believers sin against one another, which is going to happen. 1 Peter 4, 8 says this, above all, keep fervent in your love for one another because love covers a multitude of sins. Really, the Bible sets up love as a test for whether someone's even in the faith. If you withhold love from other believers, Perhaps because you think they don't deserve my love because look what they did to me. They mistreated me. They did these bad things. I'm not going to love them. Really? The issue isn't the other believer. The issue is between you and God. Jesus said this in John chapter 14, verse 15. If you love me, you will keep my commandments. Very clear. If you love me, you'll keep my commandments. What's one of those commandments? John chapter 15, beginning at verse 12. This is my commandment that you love one another just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you slaves for the slave does not know what his master is doing, but I've called you friends for all things that I have heard from my father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit and that your fruit would remain so that whatever you ask of the father in my name, he may give it to you. Verse 17, this I command you that you love one another. Again, if you find yourself with a bitter, unforgiving spirit against other believers because of what they've done to you, the issue really isn't with the other believer. The issue is between you and God. 1 John 4, 20 says it this way. If someone says, I love God and hates his brother, he is a liar. For the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. Verse 21, in this commandment we have from him that the one who loves God should love his brother also. And again, this isn't just when other believers treat you well. It's very easy to be nice to people when they're nice to you. The command to love other believers includes those who are sinners, which is every one of them, and those who sin against you. Jesus summed up a hard attitude of selfless, unconditional love better than I ever could. And I believe it's the attitude that Paul is talking about amongst believers in church when there are offenses against one another. Jesus said in Luke 6, beginning in verse 32, if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount. Verse 35, but love your enemies and do good, and lend expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. Be merciful just as your Father is merciful. God calls us to live this way with our enemies. How much more should we reflect this type of behavior towards our brothers and sisters in Christ, those who are also chosen and holy and beloved by God? That preserves unity. That preserves peace. That's why Paul refers to love, which is the perfect bond of unity. That keeps the body of Christ as one. In fact, if church is applied, all that Paul has talked about just in these three verses, there would never be a church split. There wouldn't be bitterness and anger that lasts for years amongst believers. It's that overarching love because of God's love for us, that overarching love towards other believers that allows there to be unity amongst sinners. It's what makes the body of Christ precious, that love, in spite of how we at times treat one another. In fact, that's our testimony to a lost and dying world, is our love for one another. Jesus, again, in John chapter 13, verse 34, a new commandment that I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. Verse 35, by this, all men will know that you are my disciples. if you have love for one another. One of the most evangelistic things you can do at Truth Community Church is to have love for one another. In fact, you could have the best teaching and great singing and wonderful service and a great doctrinal statement, but if you don't have love, It really accomplishes nothing. 1 Corinthians 13, one to three, Paul made that point. If I speak with the tongues of men and angels, but do not have love, I become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and know all mysteries and knowledge, and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing. Love is what makes all this possible. Love is what truly preserves the unity of the body of Christ so that others can see that we're his disciples. Really, everything comes back to that. God loved us. So we love others. May the words of Paul to the Corinthians be a reality as we try and apply these words to our lives. 1 Corinthians 13, four through eight. Love is patient. Love is kind and is not jealous. Love does not brag and is not arrogant. does not act unbecomingly, it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth, bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things, love never fails. Please join me as I close this time in prayer. Dear Heavenly Father, the standards set before us by your word at times seem simple and at times they seem insurmountable. Lord, on a good day when all believers are being nice and kind to each other, a command to forgive and to be kind and compassionate and to have humility and to love one another, it seems easy, Lord. But when other believers have sinned against us and we have a complaint against them, it becomes hard. And yet, Lord, it's what you've commanded us to do. Lord, in many respects, our country seems to be coming apart at the seams. In so many ways, we're divided and at one another's throats. and there's anger and division and frustration. Lord, you've called your church to be different than that. Lord, I pray that you would protect us from those fleshly, earthly attitudes. Lord, it's unattractive when we see it in our country, but Lord, it's an abomination if it happens within your bride. I pray that you will protect each believer at Truth Community Church. Lord, I thank you for the work that is evident that you are doing in this place. But I know Satan prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking those he could devour. And I pray that you would protect the sheep of this flock from unforgiveness and bitterness and all the other things that could destroy the unity that you brought about. So Lord, as we continue to progress in our efforts to be like Christ, I pray above all that you would give us love for one another, despite our shortcomings so that others would know that we're your disciples. Lord, we love you. We ask all these things in Jesus name. Amen. Thanks for listening!