To Forgive is Divine - Todd McCauley

 

In Matthew chapter six, Jesus teaches His disciples the right way to GIVE TO THE POOR (vss 2-4), the right way to FAST (vss 16-18), and the right way to PRAY (vss 5-15). I want to give attention to verses twelve, fourteen and fifteen which deal with the subject of prayer & FORGIVENESS.

In verse twelve Jesus instructs His disciples to say these words in prayer “……forgive us our debts, AS we also have forgiven our debtors….”

Let me translate what you are really asking when you repeat these words, “Father I want you to treat me the same way I treat others. Father, I want you to FORGIVE me to the same degree that I forgive others”.

So here’s a question. Why should I FORGIVE others? Why should you FORGIVE those who have either intentionally or unintentionally HURT, ABANDONED, ABUSED, LIED, USED, CHEATED or ROBBED you?

                                    Why should you FORGIVE them?

                            Because much is at stake.

Let me give you FOUR things that are at stake if you refuse to forgive others:

#1 YOUR TESTIMONY IS AT STAKE. Verses 14-15 state, “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses".

These verses can be looked at as evidential. You know, ANYBODY can claim to be a Christian. But like anything else, the proof is in the pudding. When a follower of Christ truly demonstrates forgiveness, they demonstrate that they are “REAL” followers of Christ. There is no GREATER evidence of a person’s regeneration than the ability to FORGIVE when he/she is offended. In my humble opinion, UNFORGIVING people AREN’T Christians.

So, what Jesus is saying is this. When you forgive others you testify, you demonstrate that you are a true, blue follower of His. The contrast is equally true. When you fail to forgive, you testify, you demonstrate that you are NOT one of His. It's that simple. Forgiveness is a family trait.

Alexander Pope correctly stated, "To err is human, to FORGIVE Divine".

#2 YOUR INTIMACY IS AT STAKE. A person CANNOT walk in intimate fellowship with Christ if he/she refuses to forgive others. Yeah, you can still look like a Christian, you can still do Christian stuff. But what you CAN’T do is be TIGHT/INTIMATE with Christ  Imagine a married couple who has allowed conflict and drama to enter their relationship. Yes, they are still married, BUT the intimacy (i.e. the close, familiar, and usually affectionate or loving personal relationship with that spouse) is gone.

#3 YOUR REWARD IS AT STAKE. FORGIVENESS in Scripture is a COMMAND, not a suggestion. Therefore, forgiveness is an ACT OF OBEDIENCE. Now get this! God cannot and does not reward disobedience.

#4 YOUR PEACE IS AT STAKE. Rom 12:18, “If possible on you part, live at PEACE with all people, Pursue PEACE with all……”(Heb 12:14). One of the ways that we foster peace with others is through FORGIVENESS. Some in the body of Christ have had the unfortunate experience of divorcing a spouse. While divorce is NOT the unpardonable sin, it is a very damaging sin. If one allows one of the fruits of divorce, unforgiveness, to linger, you’ll NEVER be able to move forward with your life.

Can I say this? Forgiveness does not reverse the consequences of what precipitated the unforgiveness. But what forgiveness does is allow one to live with the consequences without further condemnation and guilt.

So, what are the benefits of forgiveness? Let me ask another way, What are the benefits of being a forgiver:

#1 An Intact Testimony

#2 An Intense Intimacy

#3 An Incredible Reward

#4 An Inconceivable Peace

Amen,

Rev. Todd

US Supreme Court Decision on Abortion - Ken Ham

 The court’s momentous decision, while it doesn’t outlaw abortion, has given Christians a timely teaching moment as each state will now be considering its own laws regarding abortion. This is an opportunity to present the powerful message that from both a biblical and scientific perspective, life begins at the moment of fertilization. Abortion destroys a human being, someone who is “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14) and created in the image of God. It is murder—a child sacrifice to the “god of self.” As we show in a powerful pro-life exhibit in our Creation Museum, being pro-abortion is often the outgrowth of accepting an evolutionary philosophy, one that believes humans are merely animals in the process of evolution and that they can be discarded like spare animals that are euthanized in animal shelters. As all 50 states now consider their own laws on abortion, education on this vital issue is needed now more than ever.

From Leak to Victory?

In May 2022, the United States Supreme Court suffered an unprecedented event: a draft of one of their opinions was leaked to the media, something that had never happened in the history of the court. And it was not just any opinion, it was the opinion on a case involving abortion. The draft opinion overturned the wicked Roe v Wade decision and returned the decisions to the states.

Predictably, demonic activity1 increased at the potential to lose some of their regular human sacrifices. In the short time since the leak, at least 23 pro-life organizations have been either vandalized or firebombed.2 An infanticide activist even arrived at a Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s home prepared to assassinate him!3 Fortunately, the assassin was thwarted, but the explosion of violence should come as no surprise from people who are willing to murder babies for their own convenience. It is sadly consistent with such a godless worldview.

Now is the time for Christians to step up in their home states and help end this barbaric practice forever!

Now the final decision has been released. In a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court ruled, “The Constitution does not confer a right to abortion; Roe and Casey are overruled; and the authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people and their elected representatives.”4 In other words, down goes Roe!

Abortion is a vile, wicked procedure, and regrettably, the Supreme Court ruling does not ban the practice. Human life has value because all humans are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27). And Scripture makes clear that we are known by God and created in his image from the moment of fertilization:

For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. (Psalm 139:13–16, emphasis mine)

The fact that the United States continues to allow children to be slaughtered in cold blood, then allows their organs to be sold for research is sickening and ought to cause us to weep. And God hates “hands that shed innocent blood” (Proverbs 6:17).

Now is the time for Christians to step up in their home states and help end this barbaric practice forever! And let us continue to pray for those who may literally be on the front lines in this process and the families and lives continuing to be destroyed while abortion is still legal.

Praise the Lord for this progress, but there is much more work yet to be done in each state.