INCREASE OUR FAITH

Dining with Jesus Christian Episodes

THIS IS TABLE ROCK FELLOWSHIP – PASTOR RYAN LADEN

Forgiveness Continued

In our last devotional we were challenged by Jesus in Matthew 6:14-15 to become people who show mercy, grace and forgiveness to others.

In the passage that follows, we hear more from the Lord Jesus Christ concerning our calling to live at peace and show compassion for those that have failed us.

“Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come. It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble.
So watch yourselves.

“If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’
you must forgive them.”

The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”

He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree,
‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’
and it will obey you.””

Luke 17:1-6 NIV-11

Increase Our Faith

In verse 5 the disciples who heard Jesus’ teaching responded to the Lord by acknowledging their need for help from the Lord if they were to become the kinds of people that could carry out the commands of Christ in relation to their need to show forgiveness to others.

This is an honest response to a challenging calling from the Lord.

Work

In the material that follows we are going to work through this teaching and seek to hear more about the meaning of this calling from Christ.

Verse 1-2

Jesus openly acknowledges that people are going to fail you. They will harm and hurt you because they are not being led by the Spirit of God.

While these kinds of slights, slams, and pains will surely come through others, Jesus declares that they themselves are the ones in serious trouble; it would be better for them to drown in the ocean than to be held to account for their acts of evil and violence by the Living God.

In Romans 12:19 we hear, “Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.”
 

· What does it mean for you to follow this advice and not seek to avenge the wrongdoing brought into your life or to seek revenge against those who have hurt you?

· How might God provide his discipline and justice to those that have hurt you?

· How might your vengeance actually bring you more pain if you were to ignore the call of God and seek justice on your own terms?

Verse 3

If those who have harmed you are also followers of Jesus, and they come to you with contrite hearts and seek your forgiveness, what is your responsibility to these fellow believers?

The Lord tells us to rebuke the believer if they come to us. This is not a call to be harsh and unloving, instead, it is a call to carefully and lovingly be honest and open with them about how they have harmed you. This idea is expressed clearly by the Apostle Paul in the following:

“Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.”

Ephesians 4:15 NIV-11

Verse 4

This is a real problem for most people, whether they are Christians or not. It is one of the hardest things we can do in this life to show genuine forgiveness to those that have failed us and even harmed us.

Jesus Christ does not mess around with his calling to forgive. There is no loophole or exclusion clause. We are called to forgive, even if they come back to us in repentance over and over.

Verse 5

Increase our faith! That is an honest response to such a significant calling from the Lord. The important part of this exclamation is that it is well placed.

We cannot show this kind of mercy, love, patience and forgiveness to others on our own. We do not have the strength to treat others in such a Christ-like fashion. So what should we do? Do as the disciples; turn to Jesus and ask for his help.

Verse 6

Do you need God to work a miracle in you to help you obey his call to forgive others? Then ask for the miracle. Jesus does not hide the fact that we need the strength of God to enable us to move the mountain of hurt, anger, and bitterness that builds up from a lack of forgiveness.

Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ,
I call on you to be my strength.
Provide what I lack so that I can do
what you have called me to do—
and that I desire to do—
in response to your challenge of forgiveness.
I need you to move in me,
so that I can seek peace with those
who have brought conflict into my life.

In Christ,

Ryan Laden

OUR MISSION AS A CHURCH

“TO ENCOURAGE AND EQUIP EACH OTHER IN LOVE TO KNOW JESUS AND MAKE HIM KNOWN”

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