audience included, or membership included, with seeing with the rally that we had going on up here today. And I said, in a sense, it was amazing how much one person does. You know, we get to notice the things that my wife does in our church. And I thank the Lord for a godly wife that has invested her life in serving God with me. And really, you know how much My wife does in the church, and I don't say that in front of her, and I don't say it often here, and I probably should say it more, but the Lord has used my wife immensely in our church, and I thank God for that, and it makes us appreciate it a bit more when she's absent, and you have to listen to me hitting wrong notes on my horn instead of her hitting right notes on the piano. Anyway, thank God that you're here today and look forward to what God's going to do in our hearts. This is a continuation of the message. If you missed it, we have put it online and it is available for you to catch up on. But a message on the fact that we are a community as a church. We've got different communities that God has put us in. We're communal people. We praise God for that. We started last week with no man is an island. In other words, you don't exist to yourself, meaning that you need others to interact with as well as you interact with others. So how you are as part of your neighborhood, how you are as part of your family, how you are as part of our church, which is our focus, matters. And we could be a good contributor to this local church body. Or we could be a bad contributor, depending on how we take that responsibility that God's given to us and the principles that we looked at last week. And so the text that we're using and a topical message this morning and last week is the words translated One another in our five. Okay that we have in the New Testament. So we've dealt with beginning last week love one another that's the big rock that we talked about that you put that in first and all the other things that we talked about in Regarding one another last week and this week really go back to that Anchor point and the Bible makes a huge emphasis upon it doesn't it as we considered it It's not just the biggest because we think well is today making the biggest or last week making the biggest It's the one with most texts about it About this idea of love one another so we talked about last week love one another as God loved you love one another by doing what's right. We talked about love is the fulfilling of the law, and that in reality, a failure in sin is a failure to love as we ought to love, loving God as we should, loving each other as we should. We talked about love being affection, that there is a legitimate affection that we have one toward another, and shared several texts about that. And then as a testimony that you're born again, if you're truly saved, There is a natural love for the body of Christ that we talked about last week, going down to Dumfries and getting to be there and meet this brother of the Lord. We did meet him, as I shared, and he and his wife, and it's a blessing. I mean, there's an immediate connection there. I've never met him before. I talked to him on the phone for three minutes, but we met at KFC, and it's like old friends meeting, because that is the reality of the body of Christ, and so it's a true testimony that we are saved. And then serve one another was the second thing that we looked at. The idea of putting on the towel and serving one another, preferring one another, putting others' interests before our own, uniting with one another. Everybody that God brings into our church as a part of this assembly, especially as God has accepted them in Christ in the sense that they are born again, certainly as a church, that would be something that we draw into this assembly as a part of this local church body, and then judge not one another. God is the judge, and we talked about that, that if it's not an area of sin that somebody has a position that is maybe different for us to be charitable because we're not the one that is the judge of that person. God is the judge of that person, and we're going to judge one another, but having said that, we ended with last week the idea that we need to admonish one another. that there is responsibility when it is sin to be able to be mature enough to know right and wrong and go to that person and encourage them in the Lord. We talked about the hymns that we sing that admonishes one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. And we talked about admonishing one another individually, sending out communication, letting people know you're praying for them and encouraging them in the Lord. And then provoking one another to faithful attendance in the house of God is the last one that we ended with, is that text, has one another in it, forsaken others, assembling yourselves together as a matter of some is. All right, and so this is part two of you need to be a contributor to your local New Testament church community. And so as we begin that, just to consider again, how well am I contributing in my interaction with this body, How good of a contributor am I with regard to one another in our local church, all right? And let's pray and ask God to bless as we come to the Word of God here this morning. Father, we thank you for the Word of God. Thank you for the opportunity that we have to get into this precious idea. Lord, it is a great idea. And Father, it is a very beneficial consideration for us. And so, Father, not just in our church community, but in all communities that you placed us in, these principles apply. But most specifically to the local New Testament church, as the context of most of these is in regard to that. I pray this morning, acknowledging I can't speak without your help. Father, I have no ability of myself to speak except the physical ability that you've given to me, the voice that you've given to me. I have no spiritual gift to exercise this morning, except what the Spirit of God saw fit to give me and gift me with, as you called me into the ministry of pastor and preacher. And Father, I have no power of myself. And Father, no ability to have the heart I need to have, as we've even considered, or to love as we ought to love, or be as we ought to be without the God of heaven, giving us the grace to do so. And so, Father, in full dependence upon you this morning, I come to this opportunity to share the second part of this message that you put on my heart and that you spoke to our hearts through last Sunday. And Father, I pray for the same enablement. I pray the Spirit of God to help me preach biblically. Father, help me to preach practically. Father, help me to preach lovingly. And I pray by the grace that you give, Father, help me please to preach with the authority that you give and preach powerfully. And Father, I pray that you'd give us ears to hear. And Father, that you'd help us today, as you've already helped us. Thank you for those that have stepped in to fulfill responsibilities that Katie normally does. But God, if she's unable to be here, it's great to have people that can step into different positions and do different things. And that's a blessing. That's the growth of our church, and we're thankful for that. And Father, we ask that you'd be glorified in our time now as we study your words. In Christ's name we pray, amen. All right, so this is going to have more points than my normal message. And thankfully, I've got two opportunities to get to them. So just continuing on, if you are keeping an outline of where we're at, this is point seven that we're considering. Be protectors of one another. As we talk about how we can help one another this morning, be protectors of one another. Galatians 5.15 says, but if you bite and devour one another, take heed. that you may not consume one of another. And it's almost like Paul is writing to little kids. I mean, this is kind of the advice that you give to them. If you bite and devour one another, you're just going to consume each other. It's no fun to play if you're just going to be at each other's throats, tearing each other apart. He's got a very graphic illustration. It's an illustration that maybe we've seen more of than maybe some of Paul's audience, Some of them would have seen horrible things with regard to animals and some of the cruelties that took place back at the time, specifically with regard to Christians. But I grew up watching nature shows, and my dad and my kids enjoy watching nature shows, and Paul uses an illustration about nature, and it's that idea that that lion that is stalking its prey and getting closer and closer, and you're watching the show and you're thinking, come on, gazelle, lift your head, you know? It's time, little gazelle, run, run. And you just know it's not going to get away probably, although I would say this, David Attenborough's crew probably has more getaway than maybe some other shows in the past where that animal latches on and grabs hold of that prey and won't let go. And the pride of lions can burn. They just know it's going to be a bloody scene that takes place as that animal is torn apart by those lions as they devour it. So it's a very graphic illustration that Paul is giving and saying, be very careful at a church that you don't bite and devour one another. And you might think, when was the last time you saw somebody bite somebody at church? A funny story, when we were on deputation, I think one of the more humorous things was a lady came up to me and she said, you may not remember me, but we were in the crush together. And I bit your face. That's the first time anybody has ever come up to me and said anything like that. She's a nice lady, and I kind of think she's gotten victory over that. And that's not a problem. Understand, it's not a problem this morning, that we're actually going to have somebody clamp onto somebody. So the problem this morning is not our teeth that Paul's warning us about. It's our tongues. It's with the tongue that this takes place. Proverbs 18 verse 21 says, death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. You've got great ability in your mouth this morning. You've got the ability to build up, and you've got the ability to tear down and destroy. And so death and life, they're both there, and it's a power that takes the grace of God to control, Because the Bible says in James 3.8, but the tongue can no man tame, it's an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father, and therewith curse we men, which are made after the civility of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. Doth the fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter. And again, the tongue is full of, the Bible says deadly poison. There is great harm that can come out of somebody's mouth. It might be bitter words or angry words. It could be complaining words. It could be words of gossip. All those things would impact our local community here as a church. And so are you a protector from the danger of the tongue? I got to read a bit more of the memoirs of Thomas Chalmers. I'm getting there, OK? It's 2,000 pages or close to that. And I'm through about 1,400, OK, is where I'm at. I read several hundred pages while I was away. And the book's been a blessing. But he talked about his mom. She grew up, Thomas Chalmers grew up in Amstrader on the south side of Pike. In their local community, one of the problems that they had was, as a close community and as they often go to each other's house for a cup of tea and a fellowship time, one of the problems they had was gossip. And so Mrs. Chalmers Sr. decided that any time somebody would bring up something of gossip, that she would immediately stand up, put on her bonnet, and go out to the person that it was talked about and ask them if it was true what she heard. Well, I think that probably solved the problem. Not too many people are going to be telling Mrs. Chalmers anything, because they know it's going to go right back to the person that it came for. That's a good thing, isn't it? When somebody has a concern about the community such that they say, you know what, if you're going to talk about somebody else, not in my hearing, or I'm going to deal with that, and protecting people from the danger of the tongue. 2 Corinthians 2 verse 1, Paul said this. He said, I determined this with myself that I would not come again to you in heaviness. For if I make you sorry, who is he then that maketh me glad? But the same which is made sorry by me. And Paul said, I'm running ahead of time because when I come, I want to be very careful that my tongue builds you up, that my tongue encourages you. I don't want to discourage you because we're part of the same community. And as part of the same community, I wanna lift you up because you're a person that lifts me up. And so verse three, I wrote the same unto you, lest when I came, I should have sorrow from them of whom I ought to rejoice, having confidence in you all that my joy is the joy of you all. For out of much affliction and anguish of heart, I wrote unto you of many tears, not that you should be grieved, but that you might know the love which I have more abundantly to you. And Paul was rightly admonishing them, saying, these are things that need to be dealt with. But even as he did that, he was very careful that he used his tongue in a way that protected that community. And so, again, the idea that the word of God gives us is be protectors of one another, and let's guard our community from the danger of the tongue. And then next, this morning, be selfless. towards one another, be selfless towards one another. Galatians 5.26 says, let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another. Vain glory is conceit, it's pride. And so again, Paul in this text says, don't be desirous of vain glory and lifting yourself up, provoking one another or being envious of one another within the local assembly. In Proverbs, our study of Proverbs on Sunday nights, which we just concluded a fortnight ago, Proverbs 13 verse 10 says, only by pride cometh contention, but with the well-advised wisdom. We talked about that verse, and it's interesting to think about, really, any time there is strife on one side or the other, there's pride. And that enters in, that exalting of against the opinion of somebody else. Pride can tear apart a local assembly. You think about it, with pride, even the community of glory was impacted by pride as Satan rose up in pride. Isaiah 14, verse 12 says, how art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning? How art thou cut down to the ground which didst weaken the nations? For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven. I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation in the sides of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds. I will be like the Most High." and that community that existed, but when pride came and Satan said, I will be like the most high God, that that was where it all began and that rift took place and Satan was cast out of heaven. Pride is a great danger. The Bible warns about in 1 Timothy 3, verse 6, in a local church assembly this week, I get people involved in ministry. The Bible says that that person is not to be a novice. less being lifted up with pride, you fall into the condemnation of the devil, that there is a danger, even as people begin to serve God in our church, they get involved in ministry, they begin to do things, that a danger would be self-pride that would cause them to fall and hurt our community. The disciples struggled with pride among themselves. Mark 9, verse 33, they came to Capernaum, And being in the house, he asked them, what was it that you disputed among yourselves, by the way? But they held their peace for, by the way, they had disputed among themselves who should be the greatest. And he sat down and called the 12 and said unto them, if any man desire to be first, the same should be last of all, and certain of all. And so there they are. I mean, they're at the beginning of what will be the local church. And as they're getting ready to serve God, it's already creeping in. And they're talking about who's going to be the greatest. I don't know if it was a bit tongue-in-cheek, and the Lord turns around and says, look, guys, if you want to be greatest, be servant of all. It's very similar to what the Lord said to Peter as Peter struggled with pride as he looked at John, the beloved disciple. And he's kind of curious, what are you going to do with him? And the Lord just says to him after he told Peter, follow me. Jesus said unto him, if I will, let me tarry till I come. What is that to be? Follow not me. See, it doesn't matter. There's gonna be opportunities that people have to get up and serve God in our church that might be a more exultant opportunity that people look at as a public service that they do, but it's no more or no less important than those that do anything that they do in our church for the glory of God. And so, what would protect us as a community is that we be selfless in our consideration. Well, maybe that's fine, but I've got a responsibility that God has given to me, and I'm gonna do that for the glory of the Lord. So be selfless towards one another. And then support one another. Support one another. Galatians 6, verse 2 says, bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. If somebody's selfless, they can see past their problems. They can see the problems that other people maybe are facing in our assembly and come along and be a burden bearer and help carry the burden that they are carrying. In the last fortnight, I guess, I've put on our Facebook page a hymn history of John Moore's Burdens Are Left At Calvary. And some of you maybe have seen it. If you haven't, I encourage you to watch it. John Moore pastored the Siemens Chapel in Glasgow at the time they wrote this, but he also pastored Corrugors on the Royal Mile. And then he moved to Canada. And as far as I know, he's still living. But he wrote that hymn after he went to the hospital to visit a sailor that had fallen down the hold of a ship. And this man was from the south of England and didn't have a church family or anybody close by. And somebody told him about it, and John Moore went to visit the man in the hospital. And John Moore found him in a ward that had 12 to 15 men that were in the room. And he goes up to the sailor, and he said he carries his bag of ammunition with him. And he reached in his bag, and he took out a track. And it happened to be Pilgrim's Progress. So it's a picture of Pilgrim on the front with the bird on his back. And John Worst said, he just started to speak to him and tell him about what that track was and the story that John Bunyan had written about Pilgrim and this man seeking Christ that has a burden on his back. And it wasn't until he got to the cross that that burden fell off his back. And then John Worst said he shared the testimony of how John Bunyan had accepted Christ. Then he shared his own testimony, how he had gotten saved. And God took his burden away. And he said to that young man, would you like to have Jesus Christ as your Savior? And with tears coming down his eyes, he said, John Moore said he was teary as well as he dealt with him. But that young man asked Jesus Christ to come into his heart and save him. And he went back to his, I guess his parents' house, he said. And he sat down and just began to reflect on the day. And he wrote that hymn that we sing, Burdens Are Lifted at Calvary. We understand today that we've got people all around us that are burdened, and a lot of times we're critical of them because they're bitter and they're hard-hearted, but a lot of that has to do with they've got a burden on their back and they don't understand that God can lend. But as a church this morning, we understand that there's a God in heaven that stands ready to help everybody, and as believers, we also can at times carry burdens. They might be burdens that are not publicly known, but maybe better known within this assembly, and things that we can come to each other and say, look, I want to encourage you. I'm praying about that. I care about that. And be burden bearers. There's two men in the Old Testament that are a great ability, or a great picture of our ability to lift up the weary hands of one another. They're Aaron and Herb. And in the story, Israel's fighting against the Amalekites, and Moses is standing up on a hillside, and as long as his hands are up, Israel prevails. But his hands are weary, and when his hands go down, then the Amalekites prevail. In verse 12 of Exodus 17, It says, but Moses' hands were heavy, and they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat there on it. And Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side and the other on the other side, and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. And it's a great picture of somebody understanding that, I mean, that person's weary, that person is tired, and coming alongside and saying, I wanna encourage you, I wanna strengthen you, I want to, as it were, spiritually lift up your hands and strengthen you. It's what Ecclesiastes speaks about The wisest man, Solomon, said in verses 9 and 10, two are better than one. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him that's a lonely falleth, for he shall not have another to help him up. Listen, that's part of the reason that we've got a church. is that we can come alongside and say, I just wanna encourage you in words, strengthen you in words. We're a family that God has brought together to bear one another's burdens. So supporting one another is being a good part of this community. And then be patient with one another. Ephesians four, verse two says, with all lowliness and weakness, with long suffering for bearing one another in love. And so Paul in this one another passage, he speaks about being humble and meek and long-suffering, but the action that comes out of that is this forbearance of one another. And forbearing means patient and restraint. In other words, it's not something that reacts quickly, but something that can be long-suffering. towards somebody else. You know, when children get in a fight, or maybe even adults at times, you might hear them say something like this. He ticked me off, you know, as an explanation of it. He perturbed me. You know, he might say something like, he pushed my buttons, or he's the instigator, or he lit my fuse, right? I mean, those are the statements that you get. That's why I got in a fight, because they did this. But the problem was what? that they weren't forbearing, and so they had a short fuse. They had a button that was easy to push, right? But if we wanna work well in a community, we gotta be somebody that is very difficult to find a button, you know? It's a difficult thing to get them upset, just like our Lord, Exodus 34. Verse six, God passes in front of Moses and he proclaims this. He says, the Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth. And so as God reveals his character to Moses, he makes these glorious statements about the fact that he is forbearing, that he's patient. And the context of it is what makes it most interesting, and it's that Israel had just failed God miserably. Moses had been up on the mountain, he'd come down to the parting and the idolatry that had taken place, and he's got the law in his arms, and he takes them and he casts them down. Moses did, because Israel messed up. You know, the context of this verse that I just read, The Lord, the Lord, God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth, is when God said to Moses, Moses, get a couple more stones and bring them up. And let's get it written down again. Aren't you glad today that God is a God that doesn't have buttons that are easy to push, that doesn't have a short fuse, that he is forbearing? Praise God. And what a good thing that would be as part of this community, that we could be somebody that isn't somebody that is easily offended or easily gets upset, but somebody that's patient towards others. And then be kind to one another. Be kind to one another. Ephesians 4.32 says that. And be kind one to another. Kindness is the quality of being friendly. It's being generous. It's being considerate. It's a great virtue that is a blessing to those that I've received from the kindness of somebody else. We had, after soon after arriving in Michigan, very soon after arriving, five days, we had a baby. My wife did. And there we are, we're a young couple. We're at a new church. We just moved to Michigan from New York City. And we're getting moved into a new house. And I can remember, in particular, an older couple in the church, the Pittmans, that were such a picture of somebody that is kind, just them pulling in in their minivan, well, people carrier, to the house where we stayed, beeping their horn and just going like this. And not intruding, and we're busy unpacking, new baby and everything, but just pulling out a bag food that they picked up and collected for us and dropping off and providing a meal for us. That couple also, in their house, they took kind of a granny flat that was upstairs and they made it into a prophet's chamber for missionaries to come by and it's open to anybody that needs a place to stay that they could stay there. They're a great picture of somebody that is kind, that they're friendly, generous, and consider it. Jesus told a story about it as well. He spoke about the Good Samaritan. In Luke 10, verse 30, Jesus answering said, a certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment and wounded him and departed, leaving him half dead. And by chance, there came down a certain priest that way. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise, Levi, when he was at the place, came and looked on him and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, and went to him, and bowed up his wounds, pouring an oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow, when he departed, he took out two pens and gave them to the host, and said unto him, take care of him, and whatsoever thou spendest for him, when I come again, I will repay thee. Which now these three thinkest thou as neighbor unto him that fell among thieves? And the answer was he that showed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, go and do thou likewise. And that would have us be that in our church, that there's a kindness, a generosity, a friendliness to those that God brings into this assembly that would much benefit each person that is here. And so be kind to one another. And then be sympathetic towards one another. Be sympathetic towards one another. Using the same text this morning, Ephesians 4.32, and be kind one to another, tenderhearted. Tenderhearted is that feeling of compassion, that sympathy that we can understand where somebody is and what they're going through and relate to that, the misfortune that they're facing. And you know what, we love sympathy. Uh, I just, and as I was writing the message, I'm thinking of sympathy. Um, and, uh, it wasn't hard for me to think of something because I'd been running, uh, a couple of weeks ago. And as I was running, I went past the wheelie bin and I banged my hand on the wheelie bin. And, uh, I got a boo-boo on my hand. There's a little drop of blood that was running down. You know what my desire was several times. I wanted to tell my wife. And I mean, I just, I wanted to tell her, you know, that I got a boo-boo and I'm thinking, you know, it still hasn't healed, by the way. I wanted to let her know, but I thought she's probably saying to me what I needed to hear, and that's man up, you know, toughen up, you know. But there is something in us that just craves to have somebody that say, I get it. I understand what you're going through. That's kind of a silly illustration because that's obviously not a big deal, but there's a lot of things in life that are a lot rougher than a little nick on our hand. There's things that, where we've got a wounded spirit, we've got a trial in our family, we've got a financial difficulty, and it's a blessing to have somebody that has their ears open that's ready to listen and sympathize with what we're going through and let us know that they care about it. Romans 12, verse 15. says rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. 1 Corinthians 12, verse 26, whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it. Or one member be honored, all the members rejoice with it. It's a great thing. We've got a congregation of people that, if somebody is burdened, they want to hear about it, and they want to let that person know that they sympathize, they understand what they're facing, and that they're praying. for them about that, so that would be a great thing within our local community. And then forgive one another. Forgive one another. Ephesians 432, the continuation of the verse, be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven you. Colossians 313, forbearing one another and forgiving one another. If any man have a quarrel against any, any, even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And it's basically this, Paul said, God forgave you, you forgive. And that's the crux of it, you've been forgiven so much, forgive. Corrie Ten Boom, the book that is written about her life is The Hiding Place, and in the Netherlands, was it Amsterdam or Holland? She had a house that was used As the Nazis invaded to hide Jews they had a place up there that they they hid Jews and and they got caught and they got incarcerated and put into a prison a prisoner of war camp or prison here and There in that place her sister died and there was the guards just abused the prisoners and and Cory tells a story about Sharing her testimony and after the war was over she went through it and God used her testimony greatly of forgiveness, but She shared it with the church how God forgave her and how she forgave the Nazis But then after the service a man came up He said you speak about you spoke about forgiveness And she she just began to recognize him as he spoke to her. He said I was a prison guard in your camp Will you forgive me? I found Christ. And Corrie Tindall had to look at this person that had abused her and her sister and these other prisoners, and she couldn't of herself. But then God helped her, and she said, I do, I forgive you. I mean, what a picture of the forgiveness that God desires us to have in our hearts, in our lives. Jesus told a parable about forgiveness when Peter came to him as Peter, Sometimes wouldn't ask a good question that we all want to ask He says how off show my brother sin against me and I forgive him tell seven times And Peter thought that's a lot, you know seven times if if he asked me to forgive him and Jesus sent him I see not unto thee until seven times but until 70 times seven Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king which would take account of his servants and when he had begun to reckon One was brought unto him, which owed him 10,000 talents. But for as much as he had not to pay, his Lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife and children, and all that he had, in payment to be made. The servant therefore fell down and worshiped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. Then the Lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. But the same servant went out and found one of his fellow servants, which owed him 100 pence, And he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. And his fellow servant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. And he would not, but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. So when his fellow servant saw what was done, they were very sorry. And he came and told unto the Lord all that was done. Then his Lord, after that he called him, said to him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desirest me. Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow servant, even as I pity on thee? And his Lord was wroth, he was angry, and delivered him to the tormentors, that he should pay all that was due unto him. Now let me just say this, lack of forgiveness And when we, let me, I guess say first, an offense is indebtedness. When we transgress, we owe. When we violate, we owe. There's something that we didn't give. And so, to God, we've got a great sin debt. We owe God a bunch. But when we got saved, Jesus Christ said what he said on the cross, paid in full. Right? Debt? Canceled. I paid it. And so what it is, when we won't forgive somebody, it's us saying to them, you owe me something, and I'm not gonna let you out of debt until you pay. And I'm gonna make you pay, right? By the way I treat you, by the way I hold you away from me, I'm gonna make you pay, because you owe me. But God says we're to cancel that debt, because Jesus Christ canceled our debt. But if we don't, then God's gonna make us pay. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother to trespass. And God says, if I don't forgive, I don't get forgiven. If in your heart this morning, there's anything where you refuse to forgive somebody, God has not forgiven you, because he will not forgive you until you deal with that. That's what the Bible teaches, forgive and ye shall be forgiven. Forgive me my debts as I forget my debtors. The Lord's prayer that he prayed. And listen, it's not just saying, I forgive you. You know, we have kids at times that get, you know, an argument or something. You deal with that. You say, you know, say you're sorry. I'm sorry. Say, I forgive you. I forgive you. You know what I mean? And you just know it's not there, right? You know it's not. So what do you do? No, no, no. No, no, no. Heart. It's gotta be from the heart. I forgive. That's the saying that God expects today. And if in your heart, you're with clenched teeth, and I forgive, then we need to ask God, God, by your grace, you've forgiven me so much. Maybe the thing that would help you today, if that's you, and being unable to forgive somebody, is to reflect upon how much God has forgiven you, and how little you deserve the mercy of God. and to think that God has forgiven you so much more than anybody could possibly do to you. You stripped the son of God of his clothing, you stripped him of his, almost of his righteousness as your sin was put upon him. You stripped him of his health as he went to the cross and as he died, but he did it freely for you. What has somebody done to you that you can't forgive them for when God has forgiven you so much? Just a couple more as we conclude this morning. Comfort one another comfort one another one. That's one is 418 Wherefore comfort one another with these words In other words, it's that it gives that mystery of sympathy but specifically going with the Word of God and comforting and in the context we find a great funeral text and that God has given and how often this passage has been shared just as God intended at the graveside of of a member of a local assembly that lost somebody through death. Verse 13 of that text says, but I would not have you to be ignorant brethren concerning them which are asleep, that you sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so then also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with them. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. So shall we ever be with the Lord. And then the context in Paul says, wherefore comfort one another. these words. The context is a funeral. I've preached a few funerals. It's always my desire to be a blessing to the family, encouragement to the family, and that's why I'd so much rather preach the funeral of somebody that loved God and had a relationship with God and that has family that are saved. Because then the comfort of that passage comes out. Jesus Christ is coming again. That person that has laid aside their earthly tabernacle, just briefly, the Lord Jesus Christ is going to come. That body is going to be reconnected to that soul and into glory up there with the Lord. And then we also are going to be united with them in the Lord. There's a great reunion coming. What a precious text God has given. But let me say this about that. That phrase, wherefore comfort one another with these words, that the richest comfort that we have to offer each other, no matter what the trial is, is the word of God. And to be able to go build them up and encourage them, again, the idea of sympathy comes out, comfort one another with these words. And then, lastly, this morning, build up one another, build up one another. 1 Thessalonians 5, verse 11. Wherefore, comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do. And Paul looked at it and said, hey, you're doing it, keep doing it. That word edify needs to build up, and everything that we consider as we've gone through the study of one another, it's all about building up, it's all about that community growing and being perfected in the Lord. Proverbs 14 verse one, It says about a family, and it uses the gender of a woman, but it has to do with men as well, as we've talked about in our study of Proverbs. But every wise woman buildeth her house, but the foolish plucketh it down with their hands. Every wise person is seeking to make it better, not to destroy it. I mean, it's a very foolish thing for somebody to come in in an angry spirit, bitter spirit, unforgiving spirit, unsympathetic attitude, uncaring, no comfort, and just tear apart their home. That would be a foolish thing. But the wise person builds it up and puts those things in there that make that house a strong home. You know, it's the same with us in the church. It ought to be in our hearts to say, you know what, by God's grace, I'm going to church today. I want to build up my brothers and sisters in the Lord. I want to encourage them in the Lord and strengthen them in the Lord. Romans 15 verse 1 says, We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let every one of us please his neighbor for his good edification. For even Christ pleased not himself, but as it is written, the reproaches of them that reproach thee fell on me. And so even when Jesus came, he didn't come to satisfy himself, he came to sacrifice himself so that he could build us up. And again, Paul in Romans challenges us to please our neighbor for his good edification, to seek to go with one another in the Lord. And so as we conclude part two, all right, what kind of a contributor are you to this local center? You know, we've got other communities, don't we? It's not just about our church. It's not, I mean, we've got family, we've got neighbors, and we're either a great part of that community and building up that community or somebody that is hurting that community. What kind of contributions are you making? Are you protecting one another from your tongue or others' tongues and being very guarded lest you bite and devour one another? Are you selfless towards one another, focused on the other's interests and concerned about that? Are you supporting one another and coming alongside and carrying burdens? Patient towards one another, not easily set off. Kind towards one another, that's generous and good towards one another. Sympathetic towards one another. Forgiving one another. All of that builds up one another. And what a great opportunity God's given to us to build one another up in the Lord. May God help us do that. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for the word of God this morning. and the things that we've had opportunity to consider. And Father, I pray that this church will be strengthened because of the contributions of every member of this community that you've given to us. And Father, that we be mindful that how we are affects others. If we've got a button that's pushed easily, it's gonna hurt the body. It's gonna hurt the community. If we're unforgiving, It's caused a rift in the community that can't be surpassed until that rift is dealt with. Father, if we're unsympathetic, we don't care about each other, that hurts our community. And Father, all these things that we've considered this morning are very practical, they're kind of simple ideas, but Father, very beneficial if we take them to heart and think about our lives and the things that we do that violate these truths. And so I pray, may the spirit of God just anchor these truths in our hearts this morning, just a little bit of practical consideration, but I pray God may be very helpful as your word is.