27, February 2005
Dakota Community Church
The Mercy Measurement
Introduction:
I want to begin this evening by reading three passages of scripture that I used last week when we were looking at the reality of the law of the harvest.
The topic for tonight is mercy.
I want to look at the forgiveness we have received and a few reasons why we should be dishing it out as well.
I believe that this truth has had a huge impact on the quality of my life and I hope you will embrace it and find the same result.
Luke 6: 37-38
“Do not judge and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
Mark 4: 24-25
“Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you–and even more. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.”
Matthew 18: 21-35
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?”
Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.
“Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
“The servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
“But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.
“His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’
“But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.
“Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
“This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.”
Illustration:
Mercy and forgiveness are vital parts of a Christian’s life because they allow us to demonstrate to others the nature of our God.
Dennis the Menace and Joey are sitting on the front porch eating cookies and Dennis is explaining to Joey, “Mrs. Wilson doesn’t give us cookies because we’re nice, Mrs. Wilson gives us cookies because she’s nice.”
Forgiveness requires an attitude of mercy and grace.
Grace is unmerited favor, it is undeserved – that is what makes it grace.
WHY FORGIVE?
1. Forgive because you need forgiveness.
Matthew 6: 14-15
For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
My life as a minister is devoted to helping others. I really want to cultivate a truthful reputation as someone who is a good person and will help anyone if they have a need I am able to meet.
In spite of that it seems I regularly find out that someone is angry with me and offended by something I have done or failed to do.
My policy is to forgive anyone who has done me wrong even the ones I don’t know about.
I have heard through the grapevine at times that a person is furious with me for preaching at them.
(I usually didn’t even know about the issue)
When I am in prayer I always forgive everyone who has wronged me - even the ones I don’t know about because I want to be forgiven for the offences I am unaware I have committed.
I do not recommend waiting to be asked, here’s why:
Luke 6: 38
A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
How do you want to be forgiven? Only for the things you’ve asked for?
The key is to not be a score keeper. You have to have to develop an attitude of grace.
- Toward your spouse.
- Toward your kids
Illustration:
A man entered a bar, bought a glass of beer and then immediately threw it into the bartender’s face. Quickly grabbing a napkin, he helped the bartender dry his face while he apologized with great remorse. "I’m so sorry," he said. "I have this compulsion to do this. I fight it, but I don’t know what to do about it." "You had better do something about your problem," the bartender replied. "You can be sure I’ll remember you and will never serve you another drink until you get help." It was months before the man faced the bartender again. When he asked for a beer, the bartender refused. Then the man explained that he had been seeing a psychiatrist and that his problem was solved. Convinced it was now okay to serve him, the bartender poured him a drink. The man took the glass and splashed the beer into the barkeeper’s astonished face. "I thought you were cured," the shocked bartender screamed. "I am," said the man. "I still do it, but I don’t feel guilty about it anymore."
WHY FORGIVE?
2. Forgive because of the effects of unforgiveness.
We are not made to carry unforgiveness.
Illustration:
While I was in Bible College I worked part time on the side for a construction company as a laborer. One day I was given the job of moving the 2 x12 planks the brick layers use on their scaffolding from one job site to another across town. This was supposed to be a two or three trip job as the planks were long and heavy being coated with globs of mortar. I wanted to finish this task as quickly as possible to get on to something easier, so I decided to load the truck up and do it all in one trip. Everything was fine until I got out on the highway and started to pick up speed. Suddenly I felt an odd sway in the steering and I began to lose control of the truck, the weight was causing the front wheels to lose contact with the ground and my life flashed before my eyes. Fortunately when I hit the brake the reduction in speed allowed me to get safely off the road but I had to leave half the load on the side of the highway or risk death. When you carry unforgiveness it will affect you the same way the truck was affected by the overload. You have to let it go or risk serious injury or even death.
a.) Unforgiveness can prevent you from receiving answered prayer.
Mark 11: 22-25
“Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. “I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”
Matthew 5: 23-24
“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you; leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.
b.) Unforgiveness destroys families and friendships.
There are times when a relationship should end. You do not need to be buddy buddy with an abuser. In those cases forgive but move on apart. Here I am talking about families and friends that split up over silly offenses.
I had an uncle who would refuse to speak to his wife and kids for months at a time over ridiculous squabbles.
Ephesians 4: 26-27
“In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.
Illustration:
The book “Will Daylight Come?” by Richard Hoefler, illustrates the truth, that forgiveness frees and unforgiveness enslaves.
A little boy visiting his grandparents was given his first slingshot. He practiced in the woods, but he could never hit his target. As he came back to grandma’s back yard, he spied her pet duck. On an impulse he took aim and let it fly. The stone hit its target.
The boy panicked. Desperately he hid the dead duck in the woodpile, only to look and see his sister watching. Sally had seen it all, but she said nothing.
After lunch that day, Grandma said, “Sally, let’s wash the dishes.” But Sally said, “Johnny told me he wanted to help in the kitchen today. Didn’t you, Johnny?” And she whispered to him, “Remember the duck!” So Johnny did the dishes.
Later Grandpa asked if the children wanted to go fishing. Grandma said, “I’m sorry, but I need Sally to help make supper.” Sally smiled and said, “That’s all taken care of, Johnny wants to do it.” Again she whispered, “Remember the duck.” Johnny stayed while Sally went fishing.
After several days of Johnny doing both his chores and Sally’s, he couldn’t stand it. He confessed to Grandma that he’d killed her duck. “I know, Johnny,” she said, giving him a hug. “I was standing at the window and saw the whole thing. Because I love you, I forgave you! I wondered how long you would let Sally make you a slave.”
- (Leadership Magazine, Christianity Today, Inc; Leadership 1983, pg. 86.)
c.) Unforgiveness can cause sickness.
1Corinthians 11: 28-32
A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.
Every person with arthritis does not hold bitterness and unforgiveness but it sure seems like most of the people I know who harbor bitterness and unforgiveness wind up with arthritis.
d.) Unforgiveness can lead to missing God’s will.
I have seen God work through all kinds of people, people who have no discernable talent, people with no formal education, people with no economic stability, people who aren’t really even looking to be used; but I have never yet seen God working through a bitter person.
Luke 6: 35-36
But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
e.) Unforgiveness will hold you in bondage and keep you from moving on with life.
Do not fall into the trap of living your whole life through the lens of one bad experience.
Ruth 1: 19-21
So the two women went on until they came to Bethlehem. When they arrived in Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them, and the women exclaimed, "Can this be Naomi?"
"Don’t call me Naomi,” she told them. "Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. I went away full, but the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The LORD has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me."
Illustration:
One day, two monks were walking through the countryside. They were on their way to another village to help bring in the crops. As they walked, they spied an old woman sitting at the edge of a river. She was upset because there was no bridge, and she could not get across on her own. The first monk kindly offered, "We will carry you across if you would like." "Thank you," she said gratefully, accepting their help. So the two men joined hands, lifted her between them and carried her across the river. When they got to the other side, they set her down, and she went on her way.
After they had walked another mile or so, the second monk began to complain. "Look at my clothes," he said. "They are filthy from carrying that woman across the river. And my back still hurts from lifting her. I can feel it getting stiff." The first monk just smiled and nodded his head.
A few more miles up the road, the second monk griped again, "My back is hurting me so badly, and it is all because we had to carry that silly woman across the river! I cannot go any farther because of the pain." The first monk looked down at his partner, now lying on the ground, moaning. "Have you wondered why I am not complaining?" he asked. "Your back hurts because you are still carrying the woman. But I set her down five miles ago."
That is what many of us are like in dealing with our families. We are that second monk who cannot let go. We hold the pain of the past over our loved ones’ heads like a club, or we remind them every once in a while, when we want to get the upper hand, of the burden we still carry because of something they did years ago.
- Dr. Anthony T. Evans, Guiding Your Family in a Misguided World
WHY FORGIVE?
3. Forgive because of the example of Jesus.
Jesus did not teach this philosophically! He demonstrated it.
Luke 23: 32-34
Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals–one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
Anyone who takes a stand for any cause will face opposition, spiritually and naturally.
Did you think everyone would love you? They did not love Jesus.
John 15: 17-20
This is my command: Love each other.
“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’
Jesus commands us to love, to love others the way we love ourselves. We judge ourselves by our motives but others by their actions.
1Samuel 17: 26-29
David asked the men standing near him, "What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?"
They repeated to him what they had been saying and told him, "This is what will be done for the man who kills him."
When Eliab, David’s oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, "Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the desert? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle."
"Now what have I done?" said David. "Can’t I even speak?"
1Samuel 17: 20
Early in the morning David left the flock with a shepherd, loaded up and set out, as Jesse had directed. He reached the camp as the army was going out to its battle positions, shouting the war cry.
Romans 12: 9-21
Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Proverbs 25: 21-22
If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you.
PowerPoint available on request - dcormie@mts.net
